Orthodox Editors

Tax Parents for Children’s Carbon Emissions

CNSnews | Patrick Goodenough | Dec. 10, 2007

Having babies is bad for the planet, and parents of more than two children should be charged a birth levy and annual tax to offset the “greenhouse gases” their child will be responsible for over his or her lifetime. At the same time, those who use and prescribe contraceptives and sterilization procedures should earn tax relief for such greenhouse friendly services” that help to keep the population size down.

These proposals, by an Australian academic, were published in the country’s leading medical journal on Monday. They drew a sharp response from a pro-family group. [Read more…]

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Unlawful Speech Codes Thrive at Schools Nationwide

FIRE.org | Dec. 6, 2007

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) released its 2007 report on campus speech codes, revealing that American colleges and universities are teeming with restrictions on students’ freedom of expression.

For the report, Spotlight on Speech Codes 2007: The State of Free Speech on Our Nation’s Campuses, FIRE reviewed policies at 346 American colleges and universities and found that 75 percent of schools surveyed maintain policies that clearly restrict speech that—outside the borders of campus—is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. [Read more…]

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Teen Sex: There are No Positives

Human Events | Armstrong Williams | Dec. 7, 2007

Recently a study was released by Paige Harden, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Virginia, that claimed teenagers or pre-teens who have consensual sex are less likely than their virgin counterparts to engage in delinquent behavior later on in life. Then, last week I read about an author who was telling parents to encourage their youngsters to engage in sexual activity. And to top it off, just the other day I read about the results of a recent Associated Press poll which showed that 67 percent of American adults favor public schools providing birth control to students. All this after the nation’s teen birth rate rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006, which was the first increase in 14 years and births to unmarried mothers hit a record high (Center For Disease Control). [Read more…]

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The Greenest Hypocrites of 2007

JunkScience.com | Steven Milloy | Dec. 6, 2007

Green has traditionally been the color of the deadly sin of envy. But this year, a trendy upstart mounted a serious challenge to envy’s claim. The one thing these honorees all have in common is that their real-life actions belie their carefully crafted green public images. If they don’t take their commitment seriously, why should you?
[Read more…]

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Scientists Cure Mice with Adult Stem Cells

Significant progress on the use of adult stem cells (non-embryonic) in finding cures.

AP/AAAS | Lauran Neergaard | Dec. 6, 2007

Scientists have the first evidence that those “reprogrammed stem cells” that made headlines last month really have the potential to treat disease: They used skin from the tails of sick mice to cure the rodents of sickle cell anemia.

At issue: Turning adult cells into ones that mimic embryonic stem cells, master cells that can turn into any type of tissue. When scientists announced last month that they had successfully engineered embryo-like stem cells from human skin, it was hailed as a possible alternative to ethically fraught embryo research. [Read more…]

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Stem Cell Vindication

Washington Post | Charles Krauthammer | Nov. 30, 2007

“If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough.” — James A. Thomson

A decade ago, Thomson was the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells. Last week, he (and Japan’s Shinya Yamanaka) announced one of the great scientific breakthroughs since the discovery of DNA: an embryo-free way to produce genetically matched stem cells.

Even a scientist who cares not a whit about the morality of embryo destruction will adopt this technique because it is so simple and powerful. The embryonic stem cell debate is over.

[Read more…]

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The great climate change extortion racket

CanadaFreePress | Klaus Rohrich | Nov. 30, 2007

Anyone who still believes that the Kyoto Accord is about actually reducing so-called greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere is in dire need of therapy. Kyoto is now and has always been about redistributing wealth. Recent statements by countries such as Brazil and India have confirmed this to be the case as developing nations are taking the position that climate change was caused by industrialized countries and should therefore be remediated by those countries.

[Read more…]

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Trading Places, Pro-Science Religious Beliefs Were Right

Will the secular left soon attack the religious right for being pro-science?
Opinion Journal | Joseph Bottum | Nov. 28, 2007

If the news of major breakthroughs in cell research should turn out to be correct, we are about to witness something like victory in the fight over embryonic stem cells.

And that will open a nest of interesting questions, beginning with this one: All those editorialists and columnists who have, over the past 10 years, howled and howled about Luddites and religious fanatics thwarting science and frustrating medicine–were they really interested in technology and health, or were they just using all that as a handy stick with which to whack their political opponents?

[Read more…]

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