Comeuppance

PZ Myers wants you to know…

Brianne Bilyeu, , 925 Comments

…about Christopher Maloney, and about how WordPress is treating Michael Hawkins and his blog, For The Sake of Science.

Michael Hawkins has/had a blog called For the Sake of Science, which has been shut down by WordPress for violation of terms of service.  This interests me because – like Michael Hawkins – I have a WordPress blog, and I like to express irreverent views on topics such as alternative medicine and “controversial” science.  And since I don’t have 1/100,000th of Michael Hawkin’s proported readership, my teensy blog would have no problem being shut down if I were to offend the wrong wack-a-loon.

But I get ahead of myself – you need background.

I read about the situation on Pharyngula, and have copy-pasted a relevant section below.  Please visit PZ Myer’s incredible blog for the entire post, including more ripping on Christopher Maloney and his quack-ishness.

There’s another way you can tell he’s a quack. When a student, Michael Hawkins, dared to criticize him, pointing out that “Naturopathic medicine is pure bull” and stating that naturopaths are underqualified and do not deserve the title of “doctor,” Maloney took action to silence him. After all, we can’t have people questioning quacks — that just makes them look even more ridiculous, which could lead to a loss of business.

So Maloney complained to WordPress, where Hawkins blog was located, and got them to shut it down. This does not speak well of craven WordPress; if you’re using WordPress hosting, you might want to reconsider it and move elsewhere. You know, to someplace that respects reality.

Now not only is Maloney a quack, but he’s a stupid quack. Shutting down blogs that criticize him? That never, ever works. In fact, it tends to backfire rather severely — because now a much bigger blog is going to spread the word that Christopher Maloney is a quack. I’m also going to ask all of you out there who reads this to echo the message: Christopher Maloney is a quack. Won’t that be fun? Poke the net, and the net pushes back.

Share the message. Let the whole world know that Christopher Maloney is a cowardly quack.

He’s also tasteless. This is possibly the ugliest youtube video ever.

I don’t know much about Christopher Maloney, except that he’s a naturopath, and supports the use of black elderberry and garlic over more efficient, conventional flu vaccines to confer resistance to flu viruses.  *shudder*  So I looked him up, and found his response to Michael Hawkin’s original article.  reading response….and done! Yup, still not liking the jump to prescribing berries and garlic from the reasearch he’s provided.  And thank you, Mr. Maloney, ND…we don’t need any more fear-mongering about the flu vaccine.

If Mr. Maloney indeed has had a hand in the closure of FTSOS, shame on him.

***************
2/18/10 – 13:30 CST
There’s now a rousing response to PZ Myers from Christopher Maloney!
Also, here’s a great write-up on the subject from another blogger-hero of mine – Steven Novella on Neurologica.

***************
2/19/10 – 15:40 CST
Update: Andreas Moritz did it!

The interwebs respond!
Pharyngula
Respectful Insolence
Ionian Enchantment
horsegoeswest
Stuck Somewhere in the Middle
Thinking is Real

Obviously not a comprehensive list, but I’m calling it quits at page 6 of the google search.  BTW – There are a TON of awesome science-minded blogs out here!  Yeah!

And it appears that FTSOS is back up at a new host: “For the Sake of Science – Because Christopher Maloney is a Quack”  Michael Hawkins is also updating us with some info about the status of the Wordpress shutdown of FTSOS  at Without Apology.

***************

2/23/10 – 07:33 CST

FTSOS is back up!  Thank you WordPress for giving Michael his blog back!

PZ Myers wants you to know…
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Good Riddance, Scott Roeder.

Brianne Bilyeu, , , 2,330 Comments

Today Scott Roeder was convicted – in 37 minutes – by a jury of his peers of the first-degree murder of Dr. George Tiller, a late-term abortion provider in Kansas.

Reporting:
msnbc.com
cnn.com
New York Times
AP News via Yahoo News

Everyone is happy that Scott Roeder received a just conviction…well, almost everyone.  I was intrigued when I went to google “Scott Roeder verdict”, and there on the third and fourth lines in the drop-down search bar was “Scott Roeder hero” and  “Scott Roeder defense fund”.  I went to a few of these sites and now I’m nauseous. 

One guy uses the phrase “Scott Roeder’s righteous, divinely-inspired assassination plot”.  There is a woman who has up a pulp-art style poster with the phrase “Blow the Whistle on Anti-Americanism!  Liberals, Gays, Muslims, Union Organizers…Report them all!”  This same charming female had the following post:

Don’t delay, get out and donate to the Scott Roeder Defense Fund right here (link not attached) note: yes, the Roeder Defense Fund link has been cleverly disguised as a “Planned Parenthood Dontation” link; this is to throw off the libs. In fact, this rouse is so clever that your credit card statement will even show “donation to Planned Parenthood”. Clever, no?)

This way, no one at your credit card company has to know that you’ve donated to a bigoted, hateful campaign that you’re ashamed to admit you support!  Yeah for privacy!

Good Riddance, Scott Roeder.

Scott Roeder’s Murder Trial and Pierogis

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , 585 Comments

A couple of articles from today’s Star Tribe caught my attention:

Testimony opens in shooting death of abortion doctor (Roxana Hegeman).  I like that testimony begins for Scott Roeder’s trial starts on the 37th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.  With all of the people who witnessed him (allegedly) shooting Dr. Tiller, I don’t imagine it will be a long trial.

One of the things that makes me enraged about his defense:  His lawyers pushed for a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter (instead of first degree murder) because Roeder believed Tiller’s killing was necessary to save unborn children.  Gee…that would be a nice precedent to set, wouldn’t it?  But District Judge Warren Wilbert denied the defense motion, and Roeder is being tried for first degree murder.  For more, see Roxana Hegeman’s related article.

And on a much lighter (but heavier) note:

Artist hopes a pierogi will rise in Northeast (Abby Simons).  The on-line article contains a video interview with the artist, Jeff Lohaus, but I’m having a hard time watching it ‘cuz dude looks waaay to much like Albert Brooks and my giggling keeps distracting me from the interview.

Pierogi Project does have a serious rationale for the Proposed Pierogi sculpture…wait, wait…”Pierogi Project Pitches Proposal…I’m on to something here.  Anyway, the neighborhood in which the Pierogi sculpture would be Placed is made up of People from all four corners of the globe.  And they all eat Pierogis, emPanadas, momo, jiaozi (Potstickers) and Hot Pockets.  We all eat cooked Pockets of dough!  Heck, everyone can get behind that.  As Lohaus says “[This] seems like a Piece that will touch a lot of People”. 

And if you too believe in the unifying Power of Pierogi, you can Pitch in for the Pierogi Project (Did I mention that it has a $100,000 Price tag?), by visiting Jeff Lohaus’s website to Purchase a Pewter or bronze miniature ($250) of the Proposed Pierogi.

Scott Roeder’s Murder Trial and Pierogis

Scott Roeder's Murder Trial and Pierogis

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , 693 Comments

A couple of articles from today’s Star Tribe caught my attention:

Testimony opens in shooting death of abortion doctor (Roxana Hegeman).  I like that testimony begins for Scott Roeder’s trial starts on the 37th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.  With all of the people who witnessed him (allegedly) shooting Dr. Tiller, I don’t imagine it will be a long trial.

One of the things that makes me enraged about his defense:  His lawyers pushed for a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter (instead of first degree murder) because Roeder believed Tiller’s killing was necessary to save unborn children.  Gee…that would be a nice precedent to set, wouldn’t it?  But District Judge Warren Wilbert denied the defense motion, and Roeder is being tried for first degree murder.  For more, see Roxana Hegeman’s related article.

And on a much lighter (but heavier) note:

Artist hopes a pierogi will rise in Northeast (Abby Simons).  The on-line article contains a video interview with the artist, Jeff Lohaus, but I’m having a hard time watching it ‘cuz dude looks waaay to much like Albert Brooks and my giggling keeps distracting me from the interview.

Pierogi Project does have a serious rationale for the Proposed Pierogi sculpture…wait, wait…”Pierogi Project Pitches Proposal…I’m on to something here.  Anyway, the neighborhood in which the Pierogi sculpture would be Placed is made up of People from all four corners of the globe.  And they all eat Pierogis, emPanadas, momo, jiaozi (Potstickers) and Hot Pockets.  We all eat cooked Pockets of dough!  Heck, everyone can get behind that.  As Lohaus says “[This] seems like a Piece that will touch a lot of People”. 

And if you too believe in the unifying Power of Pierogi, you can Pitch in for the Pierogi Project (Did I mention that it has a $100,000 Price tag?), by visiting Jeff Lohaus’s website to Purchase a Pewter or bronze miniature ($250) of the Proposed Pierogi.

Scott Roeder's Murder Trial and Pierogis

*snap* Pat Robertson!

Brianne Bilyeu, , 1,158 Comments

Hey Pat Robertson,

Your boyfriend’s back and you’re gonna be in trouble!  Hey-yeah, Hey-yeah, your boyfriend’s back!

Lily Coyle, from Minneapolis, wins Best Letter of the Day to the Star Tribune EVER.  She’s responding to Pat Robertson’s theory that Haitian slaves made a “pact with the devil” 200 years ago in order to free themselves from the hated clutches of Napoleon Bonaparte’s regime – resulting in a curse that led to the destruction of much of Port-au-Prince and a massive loss of life in Tuesday’s earthquake (snipped from here) 

For your reading pleasure, I have copy-pasted her letter from today’s issue of the Stribe below.

Dear Pat Robertson, I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I’m all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I’m no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven’t you seen “Crossroads”? Or “Damn Yankees”? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there’d be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I’m just saying: Not how I roll. You’re doing great work, Pat, and I don’t want to clip your wings — just, come on, you’re making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That’s working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract. Best, Satan

LILY COYLE, MINNEAPOLIS

*snap* Pat Robertson!