Stephen Colbert takes on right-wing, anti-gay activist George Rekers (aka, “stereotype come to life”), who apparently looks for people to help him schlep his luggage around on Rentboy.com. Of course, where else would anyone think to look for a good bellhop? Heh.

Eighty years ago, Josef Stalin found a scientist he liked.  This was bad news for the scientists who were not so popular with the Soviet leadership.  

Trofim Lysenko, with Stalin’s approval, directed the Soviet Institute of Genetics. He promoted the theory that characteristics acquired during an organism’s lifetime can be passed on genetically to future generations.

This fit well with the communist objective of creating a “New Man”. It did not fit quite so well with the truth.

Lysenko’s theories would have been laughed out of the lab had he not found a sponsor willing and able to apply the full coercive power of government to reward those who supported Lysenko and punish those who disagreed.  Thousands of scientists suffered under Lysenko, losing their jobs and often being imprisoned.  

It takes enormous courage to “speak truth to power” when you have a tyrannically-minded leader using power to threaten the truth.  Which brings me to Ken Cuccinelli.  

The state has an important role in science: to fund research and education, to use and promote science, to ensure it is freely conducted.  It is not the role of the state to dictate, for political reasons, which scientific theories may be considered right or wrong.

When governments do take such a stance, and get away with it, it is a sign of a deep sickness in the body politic.  Nothing is more important to democracy than the free and open pursuit of the truth.  Politicians who don’t respect or protect that pursuit represent the greatest danger a democracy can have.  Because when you take away the ability of citizens to appeal to reason, truth and common sense, you open the door to arbitrary rule – which means that those in power can ultimately get away with anything.

Some may see it as a small thing that Attorney General Cuccinelli is demanding information from the University of Virginia about the work of climate scientist Michael Mann to determine if he was “defrauding” state taxpayers – that is, by publishing peer-reviewed scientific research that Mr. Cuccinelli and his donors in the fossil fuel industry (such as Massey Energy) found inconvenient.  

This is no small thing.  It is one of the most shocking acts I have witnessed in over three decades of studying, observing and participating in politics and government.  Cuccinelli is crossing a line that democratic governments only cross at their peril.  This action cannot stand – it must not stand.  

It is time for Virginia’s campuses to rise up in outrage at this attack by the state on their academic freedom.  It is good to see University of Virginia faculty denouncing this action.  But others need to join them in solidarity – students and faculty at the rest of Virginia’s universities and at other institutions across the country; associations of academics, scientists, etc., nationally and internationally; protectors of the First Amendment, like the ACLU; perhaps, I don’t know, Amnesty International?  (Will Professor Mann become Cuccinelli’s first prisoner of conscience?)

The key to maintaining democracy is that when governments overreach, the people slap their hand.  It’s time for us to stand up and do so again – all hands on deck, people!  This is serious.

Watch this video by NBC 12 and judge for yourself. Key quotes:

1. “I’d have to let you defer to the attorney general on that on that one, on what he is doing and why he is doing it. He is seperatley elected.”

2. “What the Attorney General’s theroies are, I only know what I read in the paper about it. I have not spoken to him about it.”

If you care about the environment and don’t want to see Virginia’s coastline trashed by oil companies, lease sign the “Wind Not Oil” petition by Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN).  As CCAN writes, offshore oil drilling “can never be made entirely safe, and the consequences – as we now know – can be catastrophic.” Also, it’s important to point out that “Virginia could easily get 10 percent of its electricity from offshore windmills, creating 10,000 jobs.”  Finally, of course, there’s no such thing as a “wind spill.” 🙂

For all of those reasons, we need to tell Bob McDonnell that offshore wind power, not offshore oil drilling, is  “the right direction for Virginia and the nation.”  Thanks.

The Democratic Party of Virginia slams Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for his “latest misuse of power,” this time conducting a witch hunt against a former University of Virginia climate scientist. Sen. Mark Herring (D-33) adds, “This is Virginia, since when do we investigate professors when we disagree with them?” Apparently, that’s the way it is in the Cooch’s Virginia.

Since taking office, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has continually abused his office to meddle in the affairs of Virginia’s public colleges and universities in pursuit of his own personal, political agenda.  Last week’s civil subpoena of the University of Virginia for research by climate change science professor Dr. Michael Mann is the latest misuse of power by Attorney General Cuccinelli.

As Attorney General, Cuccinelli has issued a letter to university presidents stating that university policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation were illegal under Virginia law.  Ken Cuccinelli also issued a statement of full support for the questionably legal raid on JMU’s student newspaper “The Breeze” by the Rockingham County Commonwealth’s Attorney.    

“Virginia is home to some of the finest universities in the country.  Parents send their children to our schools because they will receive a high quality education, not to be subject to Ken Cuccinelli’s ideological influence,” said C. Richard Cranwell, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia. “This is just the latest ‘big government’ abuse by a self-proclaimed conservative. In Cuccinelli’s world, government overreach is something other people do.”

Yesterday, University of Virginia alumnus Senator Mark Herring (D-Loudoun and Fairfax) raised serious concerns about the actions of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.  

“On its face this seems to be a serious abuse of the power of the Attorney General,” Herring said. “This is Virginia, since when do we investigate professors when we disagree with them?”  

Herring continued, “This action will jeopardize Virginia’s ability to attract scientists and researchers to our prestigious universities for fear that they will be investigated when the Attorney General disagrees with their findings, not to mention our ability to promote advanced technology industry locating in the Commonwealth.”

UPDATE: NLS has more on the mentality of Ken Cuccinelli. It’s not pretty.

UPDATE #2: Is Bob McDonnell starting to distance himself from the Cooch? Interesting.

UPDATE #3: The UVA Faculty weighs in, saying that Kookinelli’s actions “directly threaten academic freedom.”