Ben CARSON, scientist, thinks VA scandal is "gift from God." Thinks HE is, too.

[UTUSN]

The only Faux I monitor, very infrequently, is O'LOOFAH to keep up with the latest stage of his self-delusion, none of the rest so I have no clue who is among their Contributors, beyond being appalled that BECKEL is one (and CARVILLE?). Apparently this CARSON dweeb is one. The car radio is permanently on the local talk station, which is all wingnut, so briefly I am masochist by HANNITY, and CARSON was substituting the other day.

The only things that have filtered down to my level were that he was some kind of brilliant doctor and had jumped the wingnut shark at a Prayer B'fast in front of the President.

Then he said he would run for president if he were "called by God." Hmmm. A doctor, a scientist, believes in being called by God. And Wiki says he doesn't believe in evolution.

And Wiki says, 7th Day Adventist, scripture scripture, a few failed predictions about Second Comings. And he claims to be a scientist and would name his political party as the Logic Party. I wanted to know what his reputation for genius was about, and it turns out he was the first to separate conjoined twins at the brain. Fine. But feats might be astounding in one field while the rest of the actor's development is lacking.

But here's the person I heard on the radio: Supremely smug, complaisant, in love with himself, full of himself, smarmy for himself, and very much expecting that everybody else share his self-regard for himself. Oh, and at the end he introduced his wife glowingly, and the two of them yukked themselves up over "I wonder what you want to get for all that flattery," and they agreed to G-rate the answer as her potato salad, which we are expected to be fascinated to want to know that it is the absolute best potato salad in the world. How cute.

[FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]On Edit:[/FONT] I forgot here what particularly set me off hearing him, that he went on about the 2nd Amendment, with that conviction gunnuts have that they have direct insight into the Constitution, the usual pap about how the Founders wanted citizens armed in order for them to join the Federal government against external attack, but then he ended up extrapolating that they had also intended for the citizens to be armed against the Federal government whenever they decided it had become tyrannous. Uh, he typically skipped all the “militia” stuff. And the history that the state militias had a primary function of rounding up escaped slaves.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/24/ben-carson-veterans_n_5386590.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
[font size=5]Ben Carson Calls Veterans Affairs Scandal A 'Gift From God'[/font]

The Huffington Post | by Igor Bobic

Dr. Ben Carson views the scandal over delayed treatments at the Department of Veterans Affairs as a "gift from God" meant to draw attention to what he sees as an incompetent government that cannot manage its citizens' health care.

“I think what’s happening with the veterans is a gift from God to show us what happens when you take layers and layers of bureaucracy and place them between the patients and the health care provider,” the Fox News contributor said Saturday. “And if we can’t get it right, with the relatively small number of veterans, how in the world with are you going to do it with the entire population?”

Carson argued that the VA scandal is just the latest example of a failed government program, comparing it to Obamacare.

“We need seriousness here rather than just political speak," he said. "‘How can I look better? How can my party look better?’ And I’m saying this to both Democrats and Republicans: Stop, and think about the people.”

Watch the video via Media Matters below: ....

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[immoderate]

1. Generally speaking, doctors are not scientists. (Same for engineers.)

Just splitting some hairs. Dr. Carson is also an idiot.

--imm

[UTUSN]

2. Well, in my if-I-were-king persona, I would expect that they practice by scientific principles

of concrete evidence, rather than from magical thinking.

And, from Wiki, he claims to "make decisions bsed on facts and empirical data" which says "scientist" to me. Although, I thought about calling his art in separating the conjoined twins as something like plumber or mechanic.

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In his book America the Beautiful, Carson explained why he decided to get involved in politics: "I believe it is a very good idea for physicians, scientists, engineers, and others trained to make decisions based on facts and empirical data to get involved in the political arena and help guide our country."

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[immoderate]

3. Yes. They depend greatly on scientific principles.

That are relayed to them by scientists. There are some doctors that actually do science. They don't usually see patients. They do research.

I am just being strict about definitions. And Dr. Carson gets no pass from me.

--imm

[UTUSN]

4. But do *I* get a pass from you that since the late 19th Century well educated, reasoning people

believe in evolution and not in magical scriptures?!1

Haha!1 Or the pass I'm really asking for is exploring the possible ways to combat this Great Wingnut Hope in the future!1

[immoderate]

5. Sure. We have a quibble over language, while...

Carson is a legitimate asshole. And I suspect his stardom will be fleeting. I don't think he can contain his self righteousness. I don't think that most people will tolerate his proselytizing, if he can't really contain it.

And just to keep you on your toes, are they educated and well reasoning because they believe in evolution, or do they believe in evolution because they are educated and well reasoning?

--imm

[UTUSN]

6. The pressure, the *PRESSURE*!1 Are you trying to drive me MAD?!1

That said, I'm going to choose, "What is, 'they believe in evolution because they are educated and well reasoning,' Alex"!1


I seldom look at a DUer's Profile, but I'm somebody who is intrigued about getting to the bottom of things, so I see "Religion" as "Favorite Group," which leads me to ask: Is it "Dialectics" we're doing here?!1 But I'm gratified that our larger agreement is over what an a-hole CARSON is, and btw since he's likely to figure large and be a Frequent Figure for years to come, I will eschew the title of "Dr" since he is a Magical Thinker more than anything.

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(from Wiki)
Dialectic (also dialectics and the dialectical method) is a method of argument for resolving disagreement that has been central to European and Indian philosophy since antiquity. The word dialectic originated in ancient Greece, and was made popular by Plato in the Socratic dialogues. The dialectical method is discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject, who wish to establish the truth of the matter guided by reasoned arguments. ....

The term dialectics is not synonymous with the term debate. .... The term dialectics is also not synonymous with the term rhetoric, a method or art of discourse that seeks to persuade, inform, or motivate an audience.[ ....

Different forms of dialectical reasoning have emerged throughout history from the Indosphere (Greater India) and the West (Europe). These forms include the Socratic method, Hindu, Buddhist, Medieval, Hegelian dialectics, Marxist, Talmudic, and Neo-orthodoxy. ....

The purpose of the dialectic method of reasoning is resolution of disagreement through rational discussion, and, ultimately, the search for truth.[5][6] One way to proceed—the Socratic method—is to show that a given hypothesis (with other admissions) leads to a contradiction; thus, forcing the withdrawal of the hypothesis as a candidate for truth (see reductio ad absurdum). Another dialectical resolution of disagreement is by denying a presupposition of the contending thesis and antithesis; thereby, proceeding to sublation (transcendence) to synthesis, a third thesis. ....

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