FU - FairAndUNbalanced.com

Unintentional comedian Roland Burris was God's gift to Republicans. He was appointed by hilariously corrupt Governor Rod Blagojevich to replace the fellow who resigned the office to become the President of the United States, Barack Obama. Blagojevich had been recorded as he conspired to sell the seat. With that beginning, things got improbably worse.

Burris testified under oath that, prior to being named, he had never spoken with anyone about an appointment to the US Senate. When it turned out that there was actual evidence circling about, coming in for landing, that this was simply not true, he allowed that he had spoken with corrupt emissaries about a similar topic: his interest in being appointed to the Senate. Not the appointment itself, just his interest. This linguistic bag of pretzels seems to be keeping him out of jail on perjury charges.

Even yellow Dog Democrats would have voted for the Republican, almost any Republican, over Burris. And it looked as if popular Republican Mark Kirk would run against him. But then, like a one-two punch, two stunning blows turned this Senate seat from a neatly wrapped present to the GOP to a strong Democratic probability. First: lying liar Burris, who tells lies and then lies about the lies, announced he would not run. Then popular Republican Mark Kirk decided he wouldn't run either.

What motivates Burris is apparent. 1. His family does not comprise a majority of Illinois citizens. 2. Everyone outside his family pretty much despises him. Lying politicians are a tradition in this country. But clumsy liars are not easily tolerated. The prospects of Senator David Vitter (R-Brothels) and Governor Mark Sanford (R-South America) may argue against this proposition, but it does apply to Senator Burris.

The reasoning of Kirk is more telling. Persuaded by science, he was one of only a few Republicans to vote for a bill to begin cleaning up carbon emissions that threaten to crush the global environment. He met with the Illinois Republican congressional delegation last week. They refused to back him because of the climate bill.

The hostility of the Republican party toward genuine science is a growing trend. It is a tough demon to exorcise because it flows up from the base. But it was reflected at the top in the climate vote.

A new Pew Research survey of more than 2500 scientists tells us that, among those who have devoted themselves to scientific knowledge, 87% view themselves as Democrats or independents. Only 6% are Republicans. It can be argued that this means science is partisan. But Republican hostility to truth has driven from its ranks those devoted to truth.

Scientists compose only a small percentage of voters. But Republican aversion to knowledge may have denied them at least one Senate seat.

Concerning the National Education Association:

The NEA is a terrorist organization
- - Bush Education Secretary Rod Paige, February 2004