Somebody say something...

Dave!

Nobody's posted here in 11 hours

Well here's something from Pharyngula.....
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/03/suspected_criminal_richard_daw.php

It's been confirmed: members of the Oklahoma legislature are investigating the suspicious circumstances of Richard Dawkins' lecture. After all, what possible excuse could UO have for inviting a known rabblerouser who doesn't happen to believe in gods? Other than his reputation as a world-famous scientist, writer, and speaker, of course.

Sure enough, I just received confirmation today in a letter from the Open Records Office at the University of Oklahoma. The letter confirms that on the day of Dawkins' speech, Oklahoma State Representative Rebecca Hamilton requested substantial information relating to the speech from Vice President for Governmental Relations Danny Hilliard. Representative Hamilton's exhaustive request included demands for all e-mails and correspondence relating to the speech; a list of all money paid to Dawkins and the entities, public or private, responsible for this funding; and the total cost to the university, including, among other things, security fees, advertising, and even "faculty time spent promoting this event."

Rick Farmer, the director of committee staff for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, also wrote the University on March 12, requesting confirmation that Dawkins had indeed waived all compensation for the speech.

It's actually too bad that Dawkins waived his fee — he was well within his rights to ask for it, and the university had the right to invest in bringing interesting ideas to campus. The issue is not whether speakers should be paid, it's whether these witch-hunters are overstepping their bounds. Don't like an idea that's being expressed at a university? Call out the hounds and make 'em sweat.

Nodin

The conservatism of America still suprises me betimes. There was problems with Desmond Tutu last year, when an invitation to speak was - for a time - withdrawn over his comments on Israel. It is rather strange that its that country and the divinity of Jesus which seem to be 'holy cows'.

PDN

Seems very petty, but that's freedom of information for you. It's the price of living in a democracy.

robindch

One would imagine that the Oklahoma legislature would have more pressing things to worry about during the deepest and sharpest recession in seventy years.

Still, there's a fair chance that religion helped put these fine people where they are and the piper must be paid.

Galvasean

Meanwhile, EXPELLED star Ben Stein spoke last fall at the Oklahoma State University to the tune of $60,000, and no one seems to have cared at such an expense to 'the tax payers'

Glad to see their priorities are in order.

http://scienceblogs.com/erv/2009/03/free_speech_for_me_but_not_for.php

Goduznt Xzst

if anything, the choice by Dawkins to not require a fee is a boon for evolution tbh. I've seen ID'ers state before that Dawkins is merely in it for the money and riding the coat tails of this recent boom in interest in evolution.

Showing his goal is to teach rather than profit can only help him in the long run.

sink

What really suprised me was she's a democrat!

Zombrex

robindch wrote: »

One would imagine that the Oklahoma legislature would have more pressing things to worry about during the deepest and sharpest recession in seventy years.

Still, there's a fair chance that religion helped put these fine people where they are and the piper must be paid.

For a country where a large number of people seem to believe that pissing off God has direct consequences in their everyday lives they probably feel this is helping the recession :pac:

Phototoxin

It seems hypocritical. There is no seperation of religion and state in reality in the US. The US irritates me and makes me wonder how in a supposedly enlightened world that basically the biggest bully always gets what she wants.

Dave!

Ye will love this then...
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/03/how_did_we_get_to_this_point.php

lostexpectation

a university paid somebody $60,000 to speak?

lostexpectation

whens the changemeister going stick his boot in on this

Nodin

lostexpectation wrote: »

a university paid somebody $60,000 to speak?

Big bucks to be made. Clinton made a killing doing the circuit.

AtomicHorror

I love how the investigation doesn't appear to have any particular stated aim. It's a sort of investigation to see if there's anything worth investigating. Gone fishin'...

Anyhoo, this is your basic violation of the right to free speech. Dawkins, as anyone who speaks in the US, is meant to be free from the threat of investigation on the basis of the subject matter of his speech or his beliefs. Otherwise this sorta thing would basically become a backdoor tactic to limit the speech on the basis of topic. Unless it is used non-selectively, which we can see from Stein's case is not so.

lostexpectation

Nodin wrote: »

Big bucks to be made. Clinton made a killing doing the circuit.

yeah but to students?

The Mad Hatter

lostexpectation wrote: »

yeah but to students?

Students don't have money, but universities do. Not enough, alas, but still.