Wesley J. Smith

I am not engaged in the Darwin wars, but sometimes advocating for human exceptionalism rubs hulls against some theorists who take Darwinism out of biology, and into subjective realms of human culture and behavior—as if we are slaves to implacable natural forces.  Here’s an . . . . Continue Reading »

An intrepid SHS news tipper sent me a head’s up that Yahoo conducted a huge survey—it appears not to be a scientific poll—but I think it is significant.  A whopping 65% of the some 16,000 surveyed on this issue (this corrects my mistake that all 1.6 million were surveyed) want . . . . Continue Reading »

I posted about a survey taken under the AP’s auspices that showed 40% wanted even more government control over health care, while only 20% opposed it and wanted repeal. I don’t trust the survey for reasons I mentioned. I still think that, and have taken the careful responses from those . . . . Continue Reading »

“Rights Inflation,” as I call it, is a growing pet peeve. Here’s what I mean: Too many policy advocates these days attempt to elevate what they consider to be desirable public polices to the status of basic human rights.That’s not a good thing.  A right is something . . . . Continue Reading »

The Australian euthanasia debate has heated up, with Western Australia rejecting an active euthanasia bill, but legalization bills introduced in South Australia, New South Wales, and soon, Tazmania, among other places.  The death movement is being fronted Down Under by the Greens, who see it . . . . Continue Reading »

Perhaps the worst things President Obama did when he rescinded President Bush’s ESCR funding policy, was that he also revoked a non controversial Bush order that required the NIH to give funding priority to finding sources of pluripotent stem cells that do not destroy embryos.  At the . . . . Continue Reading »

An AP “Poll” is out that apparently finds that a plurality of people believe that Obamacare didn’t go far enough, while only 20% want the law repealed. From the story:Voters who say the new health reform law was too conservative outnumber by 2 to 1 those supporting repeal, . . . . Continue Reading »

Donald Berwick, the would be health care rationier brought in by an opaque-purposed recess appointment to avoid having to answer pointed questions at a senate hearing, has recently been very enthusiastic in his praise of NICE—the NHS rationing board that uses the the quality adjusted life year . . . . Continue Reading »

I have repeatedly asked some of you to please not bring up irrelevancies or, in particular, non sequitur snide references to religion. I will no longer edit such comments. I don’t have the time. I have commenced trashing them.  If the offenses  continue, I will blackball the . . . . Continue Reading »

President Obama promised transparency and improved democratic responsiveness, but has delivered nothing but obfuscation and prevarication in governance, at least when it comes to Obamacare.  Few examples more vividly illustrate this anti accountability approach than the sorry history of . . . . Continue Reading »