Saturday, June 03, 2006
University of Hawaii Caves to Religious Zealots
The issue of teaching "intelligent design" in schools has received a great deal of attention. In this debate all right thinking "liberals" side with keeping "intelligent design" out of the public classroom as it has no place in science education. In this the "liberals" are on the correct side of the issue.
However, when a major university surrenders its patent rights and stops scientific research due to pressure from religious believers who are not Christians the same "liberal" opinions hails it as victory for "indigenous" people:
Notice that a small group of protesters have been promoted to "The Hawaiian people." Notice also Ostrander's statement, "indigenous Hawaiian host culture." Here is an explicit statement that the university and the values that it represents are merely "guests" in Hawaii. Are the majority of ethnic Hawaiians who are Christians (hardly an indigenous Hawaiian belief system) also guests in Hawaii, or just their non-indigenous beliefs?
Science, reason, individualism, and freedom are now "guest" values in Hawaii, which can be expelled at anytime by the most strident and intolerant practitioners of "indigenous" culture, as they define it. The university has become complicit with those who want to turn the clock back to pre-1819 Hawaii.
However, when a major university surrenders its patent rights and stops scientific research due to pressure from religious believers who are not Christians the same "liberal" opinions hails it as victory for "indigenous" people:
The University of Hawai'i announced yesterday that it will give three patents for genetically enhanced, crossbred taro plants to Native Hawaiians.
"The University of Hawai'i has a strong desire to maintain appropriate respect and sensitivity to the indigenous Hawaiian host culture," said Gary K. Ostrander, UH- Manoa vice chancellor for research.
According to Hawaiian legend, the cosmic first couple gave birth to a stillborn, Haloa, from whose gnarled body sprang the broad-leafed plant whose bulb-like underground corms are cooked and pounded into one of Hawai'i's best-known foods, poi.
The Hawaiian people, it is believed, came from a second brother, making the plant part of their common ancestry.
Notice that a small group of protesters have been promoted to "The Hawaiian people." Notice also Ostrander's statement, "indigenous Hawaiian host culture." Here is an explicit statement that the university and the values that it represents are merely "guests" in Hawaii. Are the majority of ethnic Hawaiians who are Christians (hardly an indigenous Hawaiian belief system) also guests in Hawaii, or just their non-indigenous beliefs?
Science, reason, individualism, and freedom are now "guest" values in Hawaii, which can be expelled at anytime by the most strident and intolerant practitioners of "indigenous" culture, as they define it. The university has become complicit with those who want to turn the clock back to pre-1819 Hawaii.
# posted by Grant Jones @ 3:31 PM 
Comments:
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That's just a crying shame that UH would bend so easily to so few.
Oh well. Maybe during research, UH would have accidently found that the taro plant cured a major disease.
Certainly wouldn't want that. Better to give up on the research to activists.
Activists. Again being a thorn in the side of progress.
RLR
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Oh well. Maybe during research, UH would have accidently found that the taro plant cured a major disease.
Certainly wouldn't want that. Better to give up on the research to activists.
Activists. Again being a thorn in the side of progress.
RLR
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