Autism/Fruit Flies and undereducated blowhards

Sarah Palin’s policy speech on special needs children today featured this shockingly ignorant statement:

Quote :

You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.

http://biochemicalsoul.com/2008/10/sarah-palin-a-blithering-idiot-that-could-destroy-science-and-medicine/

As a biologist, this one totally blew me away.

Palin, in her first policy speech ever, which happened to be on autism; on one hand she talks about the need for funding and research, then immediately bashes fruit fly research in France, mocking the study in a sing song voice. The problem with this is the primary research as to a cure for autism is found in fruit fly research! That's where genetic studies are primarily held, in the genetic codes of the fruit fly!

Quote :

In fact, recent research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, on fruit fly brains has had an impact on the understanding of autism and has boosted autism research:

“[S]cientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown that a protein called neurexin is required for..nerve cell connections to form and function correctly. The discovery, made in Drosophila fruit flies may lead to advances in understanding autism spectrum disorders, as recently, human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism.”

It's not about fruit fly infestation of the overripe bananas by your sink, it's about genetic research! I'm honestly floored. The woman has no intellectual curiosity at.all. She doesn't believe in evolution, thinks the dinosaurs roamed the world at the same time as humans, wants creationism taught in the schools, and now is talking about suspending genetic research because she doesn't have the simplest understanding of biological research, and is too stubborn to ask someone or google what she is talking about. She just goes off the cuff with no background knowledge at all.....I'm just ... appalled.

At the risk of being labeled a Palin basher

but honestly guys you gotta just call them as you see them and she keeps throwing out easy pitches again and again.

This truly shows her inability to understand global science and the intricacies and balances of nature. I'd expect more from someone who lives in such a balanced state of nature as Alaska. And I'd truly expect more from someone at the threshold of the Vice-Presidency. Even I could see that's not a place to make fun of research.

Sigh. Once again, there seems to be no room for differing opinions. Curing autism from fruit fly research? It's a matter of priority. We need help for our kids and our families here and now, believe me, this is one area that I am intimately associated with. There are a thousand theories, and yes, there is research that needs to be done. But if you were to ask families dealing with autism, spectrum disorders, and other social learning disabilities where that money should go, I guarantee you the vote would read to provide the educational assistance our kids need immediately.

We can't fund everything, and its a matter of priority.

It seems its so easy to take swings at Palin, but if you look at her point, she's right...again. She's right alot of the time, but she's not given credit on that. As to her intellectual curiosity, to me, that's just another word for theoretical thinking at a time we need reality based thinking. Give me common sense any day! Help the kids and families now.

This woman can't win, though, with some people. It's truly disheartening.

boy, I know I'm walking on thin ice but sorry Renee, I have to be honest. I have dealt with Autism and mental illness and know the needs of education as well as how they completely fall through the cracks as adults. Much help is needed for sure but sorry

so is research to understand the problem.

you dont speak for me in your guarantee.

Gee I sure hope for her sake that fruit flies dont actually turn out to be the answer for the cure..........

I think research in all areas are important if there is a significant lead and tie into the autism research....who cares how obscure it seems....

Im sorry if Im not a Palin fan, Im not much of a "fan" of anyone....I was very pro Obama for a while and still like him....but at this point where I stand NONE of them look like they can fix the world...and again what one person could.....

I wish luck to both men and their VP's and whoever is chosen I will pray they make the right decisions....but remember the president doesnt carry the job alone...Congress is in there too...


its a big ol mess to me...

Can someone give me some information about the Al Quida supporting Mccain because they think America will end up going broke under his run of presidency ? I read something like that on CNN and couldnt quite catch it all (scrolling text and all).....have any of you heard anything about this ?

heder

Quote :

Can someone give me some information about the Al Quida supporting Mccain because they think America will end up going broke under his run of presidency ? I read something like that on CNN and couldnt quite catch it all (scrolling text and all).....have any of you heard anything about this ?

I did here that load of crap but it sounds like dirty campaigning to me so I just tuned it out. Besides if the terrorists wanted us to vote for someone they'd be campaigning for the other side right ?

seems like wasted effort to me - who cares what they think I say.

I agree completely I was just curious as to what it was about since I missed most of it....I hope you dont think I was stirrin the pot LOL
I miss alot of stuff, and so sometimes I need to ask before I make any statements and all that jazz.....

so yea I think your right, its a load of crap....why do the news stations run crap like that ??

me. . . think you're stirring the turd


never !




nope, thought it was just a simple question.

haha turd....what a gross word..did clay actually say that once ?? I kinda
remember that he did at one time or another...


haha I wanna wash his mouth out with soap if he did...id rather he say

LOL

Heder, I'd ignore the report. I doubt it was CNN, sounds like unfounded speculation, and meant to scare the listener. No way you should give it any concern at all.

On the genetic research (please don't call it "fruit fly" research, it is genetic research).

Because of the incredible exponential increase in Autism, it could almost be considered a public health emergency. To ignore the root cause and just deal with the symptoms and education of those who currently have the disorder would be akin to the polio crisis in the first half of the century.

To treat the symthom would be to make the afflicted child comfortable (including placing them in an iron lung) without looking into the causes of polio. Fortunately, we had scientists and microbiologists on board who were able to come up with a vaccine, and polio receded to a footnote on our countries health history.

There is no reason why we cannot do both, investigate a cure at the same time helping those currently suffering.

Palin's glib remark, however, shows that she does not have a clue as to "fruit fly" research having any connection to genetic research and legitimate and exciting inroads towards a cure for Autism. She's talking about autism research as if it's a "bridge to nowhere" pork barrel.

She was not stating that there are hard choices to be made in medical research, she is flippantly tossing off a funny story about funding silly fruit fly science stuff, things that have nothing to do with the public good, things in Paris, France. I KID YOU NOT!

Quote :

You’ve heard about some of these "pet projects," they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. (smirk, head snap) Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. (rolls eyes) I kid you not! (wide eyed astonishment)