Young Liberals: racist, sexist, homophobic and proud of it (don’t miss this ABC video). Now they’re taking their weird act out of the student conferences and into the Senate…

Ignore Senate’s ‘witch-hunt’, academics told

The New South Wales Greens say an inquiry into ideological, cultural or political prejudice in schools and universities is a witch-hunt.

Several academics will appear before a Senate inquiry into Australian academic freedom in Sydney today.

NSW Greens MP Dr John Kaye says the inquiry was set up by Coalition Senators at the request of the Young Liberal movement.

“It’s looking for Australian academics and teachers who are, in the words of the Young Liberals, trying to impose their ideological, political or cultural prejudices on students,” he said.

“This is outrageous, Australian universities deserve much better than this. They’re being used as a punching bag by Liberal Senators.”

Dr Kaye says the Senators on the committee should ignore the inquiry’s terms of reference.

“Unless [the terms of reference] are ignored they could end up stifling academic independence, academic freedom and freedom of expression in schools and universities around Australia,” he said.

“This would be a dreadful outcome at a time when we’re already facing a skills shortage, and when universities and schools are already under enormous pressure.”

Earlier this year, the Young Liberals ran a campaign in universities and high schools called ‘Make Education Fair’.

The campaign asked for students to tell them about any teachers or lecturers who expressed anti-Liberal sentiments.

Anti-intellectualism has no place in our universities. If the Young Lieberals want to drive a political barrow, they can do it on their own time without disrupting the education of those who really want one.

-weez

After having to listen to Palin waddle twaddle through 90 minutes attempting to debate Joe Biden, I’m seriously considering general anaesthesia until 4 November.

Palin could not stay on topic, made numerous factual errors, would not address the moderator’s questions, at one point saying that she ‘may not answer the questions to the moderator’s satisfaction’ and would ‘just speak directly to the American people.’ Unlike in her recent interviews when caught out lacking basic information, in this instance, Palin didn’t act dazzled like a moose in the headlights, she just simply refused to address the matter at hand.

Mrs Palin- it was a freaking DEBATE! Did anybody let you in on that? You respond to questions from the moderator and attempt to discredit your opponent- you don’t stand up and read your talking points memo. Not until McC-word is elected and subsequently buried do you get to write your own rules.

Palin revealed herself as a climate change doubter who wants to not only increase US oil consumption, but just like King George, wants to “drill, baby drill!” in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve. But a McC-word presidency isn’t going to be King G term 3, oh no…

Most gratingly, Palin can not pronounce ‘nuclear,’ insisting upon King George’s self-branding hick pronunciation of ‘NOO-kew-ler.’ If you can’t pronounce it, you sure as hell shouldn’t be in charge of it. But believe it or not, this telltale of lack of sophistication is not at all a negative for Palindrones, who find her tacky yet unrefined ignorance ‘refreshing.’ Biden called Palin out on error after error (though dismayingly did not bag her for her inability to pronounce ‘nuclear’), which she steadfastly refused to acknowledge, allowing Biden to score points, one after the other.

All Biden had to do was not lose this debate, which he certainly managed, but neither did he nail Palin to the wall. I suppose part of Biden’s strategy was to not go both barrels at Palin, out of fear of being pegged as misogynistic, but he did so to his detriment. Biden had several opportunities to truly wallop Palin, but it would appear he followed advice to not be too adversarial. Dear Senator Biden, gender equality means when interviewing for a job, a woman has to take it like a man- and Palin definitely didn’t have to take too much from you!

The McCain/Palin ticket approval ratings and Palin’s own polling, as women voters become familiar with Palin’s stands on the issues, are sliding fast, with Obama/Biden now leading by 9 points (1 Oct CBS News poll).

This election is Obama/Biden’s to lose. All sails up, steady as she goes and they will romp this one home in a landslide.

-weez

Kathleen Parker, syndicated columnist for the conservative National Review, has given Sarah Palin her very last break (in between muting the teev when Palin gets too painful) and called on her to quit the race.

The LA Times reports:

After conducting a college band and watching Palin deliver a commencement address to a small group of home-schooled students in June 1997, Wasilla resident Philip Munger said, he asked the young mayor about her religious beliefs.

Palin told him that “dinosaurs and humans walked the Earth at the same time,” Munger said. When he asked her about prehistoric fossils and tracks dating back millions of years, Palin said “she had seen pictures of human footprints inside the tracks,” recalled Munger […]

I want voters to have Palin’s worldview squarely in mind when they go to the polls.  There’s a much better than average chance this person, who couldn’t give a stuff about reality, let alone national and foreign affairs,  will one day have the nuclear launch codes.

Please Missus Sarah, DON’T QUIT!

-weez

One heartbeat away:

Couric Why, in your view, is Roe v. Wade a bad decision?

Sarah Palin: I think it should be a states’ issue not a federal government-mandated, mandating yes or no on such an important issue. I’m, in that sense, a federalist, where I believe that states should have more say in the laws of their lands and individual areas. Now, foundationally, also, though, it’s no secret that I’m pro-life that I believe in a culture of life is very important for this country. Personally that’s what I would like to see, um, further embraced by America.

Couric: Do you think there’s an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution?

Palin: I do. Yeah, I do.

Couric: The cornerstone of Roe v. Wade.

Palin: I do. And I believe that individual states can best handle what the people within the different constituencies in the 50 states would like to see their will ushered in an issue like that.

Couric: What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?

Palin: Well, let’s see. There’s, of course in the great history of America there have been rulings, that’s never going to be absolute consensus by every American. And there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but …

Couric: Can you think of any?

Palin: Well, I could think of … any again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level. Maybe I would take issue with. But, you know, as mayor, and then as governor and even as a vice president, if I’m so privileged to serve, wouldn’t be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today.

Can you remind me again what the veep does?

-weez