Skeptico

Skeptics’ Circle

A real bitching edition of the  Skeptics Circle has just been posted at The Skepbitch. Don’t be put off by the name – she’s actually a friendly and polite person. Or so she says.

Poor Babies

The Expelled nitwits apparently set up a MySpace page to promote their silly mocumentary. On it they had an online poll to ask readers if they thought Intelligent Design should be taught in schools. It seems no one was moderating the page over the weekend because up until this morning, 98% of those voting (over 400,000 people) voted “NO”.

Sometime today one of the Expelled twits finally woke up to this embarrassment and… (you know what’s coming) deleted the poll.

Aaah – the poor babies. Boo hoo. Couldn’t stand any dissent so they took their bat and ball and they’re going home so there. Wankers.

I took a screenshot of it Saturday when the “no” vote was only 273,000. I wish I’d taken another one Sunday now, but as PZ reports, the poll is still available here. And you can still vote.

Typical creationist liars and cowards. They make a film about how dissent is not allowed, and yet they’re the first ones to censor anything that dissents from their little fairy story world view. Expelled is right.

What’s Ben Stein Smoking?

I just watched Expelled presenter Ben Stein’s Thursday night appearance on the Craig Ferguson late night talk show. And I must say, it was strange. I was expecting him to talk about how “Darwinism” led to Hitler, and similar nonsense, but what he actually said was just weird:

[Expelled is] about the fact that people think that Darwinism explains everything and we want to say that Darwinism doesn’t explain the laws of gravity, Darwinism doesn’t explain the laws of thermodynamics..

and

We love [Darwinism], but it just doesn’t explain everything, and we don’t want people to be fired if they say the planets stay in their orbits maybe because of something other than Darwinism. And we don’t think Darwinism explains how the planets stay in their orbits..

and

[Darwin’s] followers claim it explains everything including astronomy…

He didn’t really give any other arguments. As I said – just weird. Which scientist thinks Darwinism explains astronomy? Which scientist would be fired for suggesting Darwinism doesn’t explain the planets’ orbits? Obviously none, but it was such an obvious straw man that I actually wondered if Stein realizes what a stupid film he’s made and is trying to distance himself from it – making out the whole thing was a big joke. It’s hard to believe even he thinks scientists are losing their jobs for suggesting Darwinism doesn’t explain astronomy (whatever “explain astronomy” means). Although admittedly with creationists it’s hard at times to tell their real claims from parody.

At one point he even said:

It is probably best to watch [Expelled] while high…

Maybe. Although I think it more likely they were high while making the film. Come to think of it, that would explain Stein’s performance on Thursday night.

Skeptics’ Circle

The latest Skeptics Circle has just been posted at Andrea’s Buzzing. 

Update – Neurodiversity Subpoena Quashed!

And get this:

Attorney Clifford Shoemaker is ordered to show cause within 10 days why he should not be sanctioned under Fed R Civ P 11 – see Fed R Civ P 45(a)(2)(B) which requires that a deposition subpoena be issued from the court in which the deposition is to occur and Fed R Civ P 45 (c)(1) commanding counsel to avoid burdensome subpoenas. A failure to appear will result in notification of Mr Shoemaker’s conduct to the Presiding Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia.”

I’m not a lawyer, but that doesn’t sound good for Clifford Shoemaker.

No news yet on Marie McCormack’s subpoena - her motion to quash was filed ten days after Siedel’s.

Further reading:

Lawyer Ken writing in the blog Popehat: Anti-Vaccine Thug Lawyer Gets Burned By Pro Se Blogger

Scientist Subpoenaed Too

There is an old saying in legal circles that if the facts are on your side, pound the facts; if the law is on your side, pound the law; if neither is on your side, pound the table.  Clifford Shoemaker, with neither the facts nor the law on his side, prefers to pound the table. Or more accurately, to pound his opponents with frivolous intimidatory subpoenas.

As I wrote two weeks ago in Bullying Attorney Thug, Clifford Shoemaker is the ambulance chasing attorney who makes his living filing claims in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Unable to cope with honest criticism of his methods, and with few facts on his side, he issued a massively invasive and irrelevant subpoena to blogger Kathleen Seidel. Kathleen now reports that scientist Marie McCormick received a similar subpoena at the same time. As with Seidel, McCormick has also filed a motion to quash.

You may remember Dr. McCormick from Robert F. Kennedy Junior’s dishonest article about thimerosal and autism of nearly three years ago. McCormick was one of the scientists whom Kennedy quote mined to make them appear to be saying the opposite of what they actually said. Three years later, little has changed. The opponents of vaccines, still lacking actual evidence to support their case, still resort to dishonest methods to push their agenda. All proponents of free speech should hope that both these ludicrous subpoenas will be quashed. If they are not, I would imagine that independent scientists would in future be less willing to serve on committees the way McCormick and others have done.

Expelled – No Stork Theory Allowed

Ben Stein’s next project following his success with Expelled. It’s just a short clip. But funny. And it features Richard Dawkins!  Although who knew he was such a sex maniac?

Expelled Exposed

I thought I would add my name to the list of people linking to Expelled Exposed:

…a detailed look at the Ben Stein movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. We'll show you why this movie is not a documentary at all, but anti-science propaganda aimed at creating the appearance of controversy where there is none.

The site contains a list of links to reviews of Expelled from those who have seen it, as well as the truth behind Expelled’s claims, including the real explanations for those academics supposedly discriminated against for supporting creationism.

All in all, a great resource on the reality of Expelled.

Autism’s Hidden Hordes Wrongly Diagnosed?

Anti-vaccinationists frequently a quote the recent (the last 10 - 15 years) increases in autism as evidence that vaccines cause autism. Since virtually all good science contradicts this idea, it seems there must be another explanation for this apparent increase. One possible explanation is a change in diagnosis - children who are now diagnosed as autistic would have been diagnosed with a different condition 20 years ago. Anti-vaccinationists ask, “where are the hidden hordes?” – the adult autistics who were not diagnosed autistic as children. Because, if increases in autism are merely a change of diagnosis, then there must be numerous adult autistics who were not diagnosed as such as children.

Professor Dorothy Bishop of the University of Oxford, led a recent study to examine this question. The study was published this month in the Journal of Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, and its conclusion was indeed to suggest that many children who would now be diagnosed as having autism, were in the 1980s and 1990s diagnosed with severe language disorders instead.

From the abstract we can see that Bishop looked at 38 subjects (aged 15 to 31), who had, as children, been diagnosed as having developmental language disorder, rather than autism. She then applied to them, modern tests for diagnosing autism at age 4 to 5 years – tests that involved interviewing both the subjects and their parents. The result was that one third of the subjects met the modern criteria for autism. The interviews with the parents were especially revealing: the subjects’ parents recalled what we would now regard as autistic symptoms appearing in their children when they were very young.  The conclusion is that much of the recent rise of autism could be due to a change in the diagnostic criteria.

The result is consistent with this study in Pediatrics from 2006 that showed the growing autism diagnoses from 1994 to 2003 were associated with corresponding declines in other diagnostic categories.

Of course the study needs replicating with a much larger number of subjects than 38, before any firm conclusions can be drawn. But the study’s tentative conclusion is consistent with the total lack of evidence that autism is caused by vaccines. To be sure, the anti-vaccine crowd would have been quick to publicize this study if the results had been negative, but now they will probably ignore the study, or criticize the independence of the study’s authors. That is their normal tactic when faced with studies they don’t like but have no evidence to refute. But what they won’t have are valid criticisms of the actual study, or studies of their own that show there was, in fact, no change in diagnostic criteria.

It would be nice if CNN and Larry King would now have Professor Bishop on to explain her studies to the public, and undo some of the misinformation they recently helped put out. But, again, we can be sure this won’t happen. They get higher ratings showing the idiotic views of “Professor” Jenny McCarthy.

References

Abstract: Autism and diagnostic substitution: evidence from a study of adults with a history of developmental language disorder

University of Oxford: Rise in autism related to changes in diagnosis

Carnival of the Godless

Today’s carnival has just been posted at The Rational Response Squad.

Also, the carnival posted two weeks ago (yes, I’m late with this one) at Atheist FAQ.

Those Militant Stamp Collectors

The other week I got involved in a debate with a theist in the comments to this Depleted Cranium blog post. Commenter Jason insisted that atheism is a religion, to which I replied with “if atheism is a religion them not collecting stamps is a hobby.”  He replied with this:

If people organised groups around the theme of not collecting stamps, wrote books about the virtue of not collecting stamps and identified themselves as definitely not stamp collectors, while at the same time running around rubbishing stamp collecting as a deluded hobby practiced by idiots, most people would recognize the actions of somebody who has turned “not stamp collecting” into a hobby they have.

Jason’s reply is a fine example of someone who has thought part the way through an issue, but not all the way. It’s pretty obvious what he is missing. I replied that if stamp collectors demanded that people who don’t collect stamps obey their stamp collecting rules, started wars with groups who collected slightly different types of stamps, denied non-stamp collectors rights or discriminated against them, bullied them in school, claimed you had to collect stamps to be a suitable person to run for public office, tried to get stamp collecting taught in schools as science in opposition to real science, demanded that people be killed for printing cartoons that made fun of stamp collectors, claimed that non-stamp collectors lacked moral judgment, made up ridiculous straw man positions they claimed non-stamp collectors took, and then argued against those straw men positions etc etc, - then non-stamp collectors would probably criticize stamp collectors the way Jason suggested. And with good reason. Not collecting stamps would still not be a hobby though.

Thinking about Jason’s argument the next day, I had a feeling I’d heard it somewhere else recently. Then I remembered – I think Jason had been reading Dinesh D’Souza. That explained why his arguments were so lame. The thing is, if religious people just followed their religions without bothering anyone else, didn’t try to get creationism taught in science class, etc, I wouldn’t care over much. I’d still think they were a little silly. On the level of children believing in Santa Claus, perhaps. And I still wouldn’t want to listen to them prattling on about their delusions. (Look, the grownups are talking now. Go over in the corner and play with your bibles for a while.) But I wouldn’t care about it, not really. The problem with religion though, is that they can never just keep it to themselves. They insist that everyone respects their delusions and follows their rules. They are like militant stamp collectors. Join our stamp collecting club or else.  And that's the basic problem with religion.  That, and  the fact that it's mostly nonsense.

The rest of Jason’s arguments were against the convoluted straw man atheist he insisted we all are. Read the whole comments thread only if you are feeling masochistic.

Official – Complexity Does Not Prove ID

From Neurologica today I read this quote from creationist Michael Egnor writing in the creationist Discovery Institute’s website:

Complexity can arise without intelligent design, but complexity is not the same thing as design.

Huu-whaaaaa? He clearly didn’t run that by Michael Behe. Because, according to Behe, and virtually all other ID proponents, complexity is the one thing you can use to determine design. That has been their entire argument – life is “too complex” to have arisen without a designer. Now Egnor, writing in the Discovery Institute’s own paper, states clearly that this is not true. And I didn’t take it out of context – read the whole thing. Finally, Egnor says something sensible. Although one wonders how such a blunder was allowed to slip in.

I’m bookmarking that page for the next time some creationist insists life is “too complex” to have arisen without a designer.  “Complexity can arise without intelligent design” – official, The Discovery Institute.

Skeptics’ Circle

The latest Skeptics Circle has just been posted at Archaeoporn. “Unlike Jesus, the Skeptic’s Circle is back right on time.”  Indeed.

More Bingo

Following my Creationist Bingo and Psychic Bingo (sorry, that should be “pretend-psychic”/ “cold-reader” bingo), cards, TechSkeptic just developed an on-line Topical Bingo playable version which includes explanations for the squares – a brief debunking of the creationist arguments used. Check them out. Right click each square for the relevant explanation. You’ll need to download the .Net framework (the download link is also on the site) unless you have Vista, but I managed to do that so it can’t be too difficult.

Currently he has only the creationist bingo with the explanations/ debunkings, but more are to follow including for non-evidence based medicine and global warming denial. I’m sure he’ll appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Bullying Attorney Thug

They don’t learn. This time the attack is directed at autism blogger Kathleen Seidel. Kathleen had blogged about attorney Clifford Shoemaker (pictured right), who specializes in prosecuting claims filed in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Apparently Shoemaker frequently uses Mark Geier as an expert witness, which by itself should tell you all you need to know about Shoemaker. But Kathleen’s article dug a little more deeply into how attorneys like Shoemaker get paid for filing claims, regardless of their actual merit or end result. She listed the cases that Shoemaker had filed (and been paid for) in the previous 18 months – two thirds of which were dismissed as not satisfying even the relatively lax standard of proof required in these cases. Within hours of this post, Shoemaker issued an intimidatory subpoena.

But the subpoena had nothing to do with the actual article Kathleen had written. From Overlawyered:

The subpoena contains no indication that Seidel herself is accused of defaming anyone or violating any other legal rights of any party. Instead it seems she is being dragged in as a third-party witness in Shoemaker's suit on behalf of his clients, Rev. Lisa Sykes and Seth Sykes, against vaccine maker Bayer. Although Seidel has been a remarkably diligent blogger on autism-vaccine litigation, I can find no indication that she is in possession of specialized knowledge that Shoemaker would not be able to obtain for his clients through more ordinary means.

Instead, the first phrase that occurred to me on looking through the subpoena was "fishing expedition", and the second was "intimidation".

Indeed. The subpoena demands all documents, financial records and communications related to the creation and operation of her blog. This is to include all her financial records, and copies of all communications with a range of people, including what appears to be her entire autism blog roll. In it she is “COMMANDED to appear” in person at the court in New Hampshire (at her own expense, naturally). Since Kathleen is not a party to, nor has any special inside knowledge of, any of Shoemaker’s cases, it is obvious this is just an intimidatory tactic and an abuse of Shoemaker’s power as an attorney.

Kathleen has responded with a motion to quash. It ends with:

Kathleen Seidel prays her motion to quash this unconstitutional, unreasonable, irrelevant, excessive, invasive, burdensome, frivolous, and clearly retaliatory subpoena be ALLOWED.

Today Orac posted An open letter to David Kirby and Dan Olmsted about the Kathleen Seidel subpoena – an appeal to Kirby and Olmstead to use their influence in the autism movement to protest Shoemaker’s bullying tactics. Because, as one commenter wrote:

If I were on the legal team for Glaxo-SmithKline, Wyeth, Inc. and Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, I would be preparing virtually identical subpoenas for David Kirby, Dan Olmsted, JB Handley, John Best, and all the "journalists" and bloggers associated with the Mercury Militia to be served the precise moment that the Judge rules the subpoena can go forward

Such action would perhaps provide some kind of grim satisfaction – to see these pseudoscientists hoist by their own petard. But it would be a hollow victory. If attorneys can shut down criticism this easily, using nothing but the threat of subpoena, most skeptical blogging will be at risk. One can only hope the judge will allow Kathleen’s motion to quash.

In the meantime, Clifford Shoemaker should enjoy his Streisand moment.

Other Articles

Popehat on attorney Clifford Shoemaker - Vaccine-Litigant Thuggery: Subpoenaed For Blogging

Overlawyered on attorney Clifford Shoemaker - Vaccine lawyer subpoenas Kathleen Seidel

I speak of Dreams on attorney Clifford Shoemaker – the snappily entitled Kathleen Seidel Slapped With Unconstitutional, Illegal, Barred by the Journalist’s Privilege, and Needlessly Invasive Subpoena

The Voyage on attorney Clifford Shoemaker - Neurodiversity Blogger Unfairly Subpoenaed

New York personal injury law blog on attorney Clifford Shoemaker - Abuse of Process: Blogger, Unrelated to Action, Hit With Subpoena

Legal Blog Watch on attorney Clifford Shoemaker - Blogger Subpoenaed for Influence