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Your choice for 36th place in our countdown goes to BillO, who gives literal meaning to the term "lunacy.":

O'REILLY: I'll tell you why [religion's] not a scam, in my opinion: tide goes in, tide goes out. Never a miscommunication. You can't explain that.

SILVERMAN: Tide goes in, tide goes out?

O'REILLY: See, the water, the tide comes in and it goes out, Mr. Silverman. It always comes in, and always goes out. You can't explain that.

The sun rises and the sun sets. The clock strikes twelve at noon and midnight. Neither of these prove the existence of God, but don't tell BillO. He'd be crushed under the weight of the moon's gravity.

Parts of China evacuated for extreme cold weather, an area in Australia the size of Texas under water, extended periods of colder weather and record floods. In the meantime, via Treehugger, the news of the official murder of the House climate change committee. In keeping with the Republican motto of "See no evil", global extreme weather will accelerate and, I suppose, the rest of us are probably screwed for good. I have to say, I don't think we're the only people who are noticing that the Republicans are destroying the planet, and at some point, someone's going to start shooting these evil people.

And then they will not only have destroyed the environment, but the last vestiges of a civil society. Oh well!

We knew it was going to happen, and now it has: Republicans have killed the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming. They did so as promised, shortly after taking office. The committee was designed specifically to shape policy on global warming and energy issues. Since its creation in 2006, it held 80 hearings and briefings, according to Mother Jones. Here's what the Committee accomplished, and why it will be missed:

Tackling issues from the politicization of climate science to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, the committee held 80 hearings and briefings. It played a role in shaping policy for the 2007 energy bill, the 2009 stimulus package (which included $90 billion in energy, efficiency, and other green elements), and, of course, the 2009 climate bill (the one that never became law, of course, because the Senate didn't act on it).

That's Mother Jones on a few of the highlighted achievements of the science-based committee's tenure. The committee, lead by a bipartisan coalition of both Republican and Democratic leaders, helped steer the US towards greener policies. It brought climate scientists and skeptics together for debate, and put on Congressional record the scientific evidence behind the wide scope of the threat posed by global warming. Under the leadership of chairman Ed Markey (D-MA), it was a prolific and productive body -- and its influence will be missed in Congress.

This will especially be the case as those who disbanded the committee assume power -- the nascent Republican-lead Congress is unlikely to make any effort at all to address climate change. Over 50% of the incoming Republican congressmen are on record as being opposed to any kind of climate policy (and most are stated climate skeptics), and the leadership is actually considering opening a congressional investigation on alleged wrongdoing of climate scientists. Some Republicans even wanted to keep the global warming committee alive solely to use it to mock Democrats and climate scientists.

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Bill O'Reilly's show is becoming a real snoozefest these days, which may be why I glazed over his discussion of religion with David Silverman of American Atheists earlier this week, which mostly entailed O'Reilly accusing atheists of "insulting" believers by running ads calling religion a "scam." Fortunately, Nicholas Graham at the HuffPo has more patience than I and happened to notice this little exchange:

O'REILLY: I'll tell you why [religion's] not a scam, in my opinion: tide goes in, tide goes out. Never a miscommunication. You can't explain that.

SILVERMAN: Tide goes in, tide goes out?

O'REILLY: See, the water, the tide comes in and it goes out, Mr. Silverman. It always comes in, and always goes out. You can't explain that.

Seriously? I mean, we knew that Bill O'Reilly was fond of pushing around his right-wing prejudices as conventional wisdom, and he's displayed ignorant buffoonery on many an occasion. But this is epic ignorance, the kind you really don't expect from a major TV news anchor. Hell, I bet even Glenn Beck knows that the tides are created by lunar cycles.

So, yes, Bill, we can explain that. Quite scientifically and quite precisely, in fact. From Wikipedia:

Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth.

Most places in the ocean usually experience two high tides and two low tides each day (semidiurnal tide), but some locations experience only one high and one low tide each day (diurnal tide). The times and amplitude of the tides at the coast are influenced by the alignment of the Sun and Moon, by the pattern of tides in the deep ocean (see figure 4) and by the shape of the coastline and near-shore bathymetry.

Most coastal areas experience two high and two low tides per day. The gravitational effect of the Moon on the surface of the Earth is the same when it is directly overhead as when it is directly underfoot. The Moon orbits the Earth in the same direction the Earth rotates on its axis, so it takes slightly more than a day—about 24 hours and 50 minutes—for the Moon to return to the same location in the sky. During this time, it has passed overhead once and underfoot once, so in many places the period of strongest tidal forcing is 12 hours and 25 minutes. The high tides do not necessarily occur when the Moon is overhead or underfoot, but the period of the forcing still determines the time between high tides.

The Sun also exerts on the Earth a gravitational attraction which results in a (less powerful) secondary tidal effect. When the Earth, Moon and Sun are approximately aligned, these two tidal effects reinforce one another, resulting in higher highs and lower lows. This alignment occurs approximately twice a month (at the full moon and new moon). These recurring extreme tides are termed spring tides. Tides with the smallest range are termed neap tides (occurring around the first and last quarter moons).

We've known about this for some time, Bill. In fact, Isaac Newton famously first accurately described and predicted tides by lunar cycles in the Principia, published in 1687.

Next from O'Reilly: The calendar is proof that God exists and religion is not a scam. You can't explain why we have 365 days every year, can you?

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The War on Science is finally over. Science won.

The key to Obama's executive order lifting limits on federal funding for stem-cell research, which he signed this morning:

This Order is an important step in advancing the cause of science in America. But let’s be clear: promoting science isn’t just about providing resources – it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient – especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda – and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.

By doing this, we will ensure America’s continued global leadership in scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. That is essential not only for our economic prosperity, but for the progress of all humanity.

This is part of Obama's broader vision of how government engages with science, as the WaPo's Rob Stein reported this morning. It's an approach that has drawn the approval of traditional conservatives like Nancy Reagan.

However, the religious-right nutcases will never be mollified, because apparently all human embryos are sacred vials of life that must be preserved all costs. (No word yet on what to do about that evil "periods" thing.) As Howie notes, this includes Rep. Eric Cantor.

Likewise Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, cited by MSNBC's Tamron Hall in the clip above:

I believe it is unethical to use human life, even young embryonic life, to advance science. While such research is unfortunately legal, taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for experiments that require the destruction of human life.

Rep. Jim Langerin, D-R.I., gave a succinct and powerful response to this nonsense:

Well, as a pro-life Democrat, I say, what could be more pro-life than research that would extend and improve the quality of life for millions of people who are struggling with some of life's most challenging chronic conditions and diseases. You know, why should a child who has diabetes have to endure a lifetime of painful shots and tests? Why should someone who, especially a child who may have a juvenile form of cancer, whose life may very well be cut short, not know the promise of a full and rewarding life? By supporting stem-cell research, and finding treatments and cures that may be offered, we are doing just that -- extending and improving quality of life for millions of people. And that, I say, we have a moral obligation to support.

Hey everyone, I'm Bill Wolfrum from Williamkwolfrum.com, Shakesville.com, and other assorted sites. You know, is it me, or does the War on Christmas seem to come earlier and earlier every year?

Slant Truth: Attacks on feminist blogs continue unabated.

Abyss 2 Hope: Take a look at Edition 29 of the Carnival Against Sexual Violence.

Acid Test: Markets in turmoil? Breathe easy, executives will still get their bonuses.

Hestika: Can you smell the freedom? The satellites can. But heck, freedom is all about how you market it, anyway.

Bad Astronomy: Whether the Bush Administration's war on science or war on Iraq, be clear that Orwell is spinning right about now.

Mark Morford: Behold GodTube, the place where sex, humor and warm spiritual inclusiveness go to die.

Guest blogged by Bill Wolfrum. Send links to Bill at wkw (at) williamkwolfrum (dot) com.

I just got finished watching Alexandra Pelosi's Friends of God documentary on HBO and was taken aback at what has become an increasing trend among American christianists. This particular part on evangelicals and evolution (and what they teach their children about the science of evolution) was very disturbing. The "secular progressive" War on Christmas has nothing on the evangelical War on Science.

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Glenn Greenwald has a post on evangelical religious beliefs that ties in nicely:

[...]But beyond that, one does not need to go searching for isolated British Muslim doctors in order to find examples of the lives of children being endangered due to the religious beliefs of adults. Merck, among other pharmaceutical companies, developed a highly effective vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) -- by far the leading cause of cervical cancer in women -- but an entire American political movement called "social conservatism" has been desperately trying to prevent its widespread approval -- or at least persuade parents not to have their daughters vaccinated -- because HPV is a sexually transmitted disease and they therefore believe that a vaccine will be seen as an endorsement of premartal sex.. Read more...

spiiderweb: Pentagon investigates itself...finds itself innocent...again!

Left In The Beltway: The latest episode of a podcast hosted by Oliver Willis and Shant Mesrobian - They talk about Katherine Harris, Immigration, sending Rush Limbaugh to Iraq, and the Ben Domenech scandal.

Crooked Timber: Republican War on Science Seminar

Petty Larseny: The Ten Commandments of covering religion. In this area, America's press has failed utterly to inform the public. With few exceptions, they tend to handle all religious issues and self-proclaimed religious people with kid gloves. In view of religion's pervasive influence on our political discourse, it deserves the same level of scrutiny everything else gets.

: The Ten Commandments of covering religion. In this area, America's press has failed utterly to inform the public. With few exceptions, they tend to handle all religious issues and self-proclaimed religious people with kid gloves. In view of religion's pervasive influence on our political discourse, it deserves the same level of scrutiny everything else gets.

FBIHOP: US debt clock running out of room

Left In The Beltway: The latest episode of a podcast hosted by Oliver Willis and Shant Mesrobian - They talk about Katherine Harris, Immigration, sending Rush Limbaugh to Iraq, and the Ben Domenech scandal.

Happy 3rd anniversary to Confined Space!

The Plame Page: A one-stop for news from around the blogosphere on this ongoing investigation and the coming Libby prosecution. (hat tip to Mark A.R. Kleiman )

Article of Faith: Alito split with the Court's conservatives on his first day as a Supreme Court Justice. The Freepers are already turning on him.

The Psychotic Patriot: The metacorps who run these Internets - the cable corps and the phone corps - are deciding how - and when - to take it all away from us...

A federal judge blasts former EPA chief, Christine Todd Whitman

More SOTU claims debunked

Chris C. Mooney, author of the acclaimed book,The Republican War on Science,
recently did a public debate with Ron Bailey of Reason and Wesley Smith of the Discovery Institute. Reason magazine has just put audio and video of the event online. Check it outState of the Day: A federal judge blasts former EPA chief, Christine Todd Whitman

More SOTU claims debunked

Chris C. Mooney, author of the acclaimed book,The Republican War on Science,
recently did a public debate with Ron Bailey of Reason and Wesley Smith of the Discovery Institute. Reason magazine has just put audio and video of the event online. Check it out here. Today, he's doing a WashingtonPost.com "Live Online" discussion about The Republican War on Science at 11 pm ET. Here's the webpage. here. Today, he's doing a WashingtonPost.com "Live Online" discussion about The Republican War on Science at 11 pm ET. Here's the webpage.

The Extreme Religious Right's war on science continues: There's a new vaccine which has proven nearly 100% effective in the prevention of the type of infections which can lead to cervical cancer. Guess who opposes vaccination? Jesus Is My Puppeteer...because my heart is pure.

Todd and in Charge: You know Al-Qaida is in its last throes and about to be vanquished when they start running ads in major Arab newspapers for various vacant spots in their PR department.

More on trafficking in human beings. That compassionate conservative, G-DUB, recently waived financial sanctions on Saudi, Arabia for failing to do enough to stop the modern-day slave trade.

A Liberal Dose: Oct 6 was a great day to be a liberal!

THIS LINK SPEAKS VOLUMES!

More on trafficking in human beings. That compassionate conservative, G-DUB, recently waived financial sanctions on Saudi, Arabia for failing to do enough to stop the modern-day slave trade. A Liberal Dose: Oct 6 was a great day to be a liberal!

via Daily Kos: Great questions... questions that a number of influential rightwingers would like to answer for you.

The Republican war on science is not always obvious. There is a subtle and disturbing trend toward the propagation of what I call "GOP pseudoscience". One example is the claim that global warming is a hoax. Another example is the push toward teaching "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolution. Rick Santorum says that evolution is one of the "big social issues of our time," along with abortion and gay marriage (as quoted in Newsweek)....read on