[t]he leading international science journal Nature has focussed the US presidential election campaign on science by asking both President George Bush and Senator John Kerry for their views on the major issues.They were each asked the same 15 questions - but only on five was there any real difference, and on some of those not a whole lot.
The only two areas where there was a clear difference were stem-cell research (Bush put strict limits on it which Kerry would lift) and development of "mini-nukes" (which Bush would continue and Kerry would stop).
The other areas where there was some degree of difference were climate change, missile defense, and GM (genetically-modified) crops.
On climate change, Shrub called it "a serious long-term issue" but claimed that the National Academy of Sciences "found that considerable uncertainty remains." Kerry says it's already happening but proposes only to "take the United States back to the negotiating table" without offering to rejoin the Kyoto Protocol or to take any other specific step.
On Star Wars, Bushleague says the US should "develop and deploy, at the earliest possible date." Kerry supports continued development but opposes deployment "at this stage." (My emphasis.)
Both favor GM crops (or "Frankenfoods," as activists have dubbed them), differing only on how the crops should be regulated.
Any differences on the remaining questions were apparently too small for the BBC to report on.
The report did note, though, one other question, which was
whether Americans should "change their lifestyles and consume less". A "yes" response might have landed them in trouble. So there is a good deal of waffle in their answers to this one."Bush said "America in a very real sense has changed, not by consuming less but by consuming and producing smarter." Kerry's version of the same meaningless bromide was "Time and again, America has met environmental challenges through ingenuity and technological innovation." Don't worry, be happy. And keep buying.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment