by twit
The Adler Planetarium — image via Wonkette
Via the pdf statement by the Adler Planetarium:
McCain: “While we were working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks he (Senator Obama) voted for nearly $1 billion in pork barrel earmark projects. Including $3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend that kind of money?”
To clarify, the Adler Planetarium requested federal support – which was not funded – to replace the projector in its historic Sky Theater, the first planetarium theater in the Western Hemisphere. The Adler’s Zeiss Mark VI projector – not an overhead projector – is the instrument that re-creates the night sky in a dome theater, the quintessential planetarium experience.
Not only is it really sad that John McCain believes that funding an important community education institution qualifies as “pork barrel” spending to be ashamed of, but they didn’t even get the money.
It is like the Adler Planetarium says:
Science literacy is an urgent issue in the United States. To remain competitive and ensure national security, it is vital that we educate and inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
oh, and the Adler Planetarium claims that they “never received an earmark as a result of Senator Obama’s efforts” and this “is clearly evidenced by recent transparency laws implemented by the Congress.”
Well what can you expect from the party that puts unreality at the center of their worldview?
Them planetariums (sic) ain’t nuthin’ but godless lies nohow!
As a science teacher this McCain comment from the debate just befuddled me. The fact is that in a current political climate where corporate CEO’s are digesting billions at the expense of citizens of world economies around the world as a result of the deregulation that McCain has supported for so long, the best that McCain can come up with is to criticize Obama’s approval of money to benefit a community science education center. My enthusiasm for Obama and against McCain was given a giant boost from this one.