TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Recent Stories

1. BRIK McDILL: Following the scientific method doesn't make us all materialists

   Tuesday, Jun 18 2013 06:23 PM

   Stafford Betty's June 11 Community Voices column, "Materialism: The creed of the scientific fundamentalist," gave support and an invitation to the domain of the paranormal while at the same time creating a quite amazing caricature of those of us who hue to the methods and canons of science. For starters: We are not all materialists, and science does not call for scientists to be materialists. We are called, while practicing science, to follow the scientific method and the evidence it produces wherever it leads. Good science requires healthy skepticism, objectivity, clearing of the mind of presuppositions and prejudice which shape an investigation, and suspension of conclusions as its starting points. It then moves to close and careful...

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2. KEN HILL: Thou shalt not kill, except in these many, many instances

   In the past few weeks several letters and articles have appeared in The Californian whose authors decry the lack of morality among our population. They believe that the world would be perfect if we all lived by the moral principles of the...

3. DAVID KERANEN: Proof is in exceedingly short supply among paranormalists

   Stafford Betty's June 10 Community Voices article, "Materialism: The Creed of the Scientific Fundamentalist," almost literally cries out for a refutation. The word "fundamentalist" as used in the title is a form of dismissal and mildly...

4. LISA EVISTON: Life-saving idea: Cut the blood alcohol content limit to .05

   The National Transportation and Safety Board recently proposed a change in acceptable blood alcohol level: The NTSB is recommending the threshold for drunken driving in the U.S. be reduced from .08 to .05 BAC, or blood alcohol content. Is...

5. NORM HAUGHNESS: Is Snowden a traitor? Hardly

   One of the main differences between democratic and totalitarian states is seen in their relative degree of control over citizens' communications. Control requires awareness, and awareness is best maintained by surveillance, by monitoring...

6. STEVE KARCHER: Homeowners Associations can be good or really, really bad

   Since the 1990s, the number of Bakersfield subdivisions governed by homeowners associations has skyrocketed. The Community Association Institute estimates more than one in every six Americans now lives in an association-managed community....

7. GARY BRAY: Edison's silt-dumping will hurt Kern River canyon for a while

   I appreciated reading Lois Henry's May 12 column, "Silt chokes lower Kern and the explanation is muddy," calling attention to Southern California Edison's negative impact on the lower Kern River canyon below Democrat Hot Springs. Though...

9. JARRED POLLACK: Maybe these in-custody deaths are just a reflection of the community

   Many are quick to speculate about corruption and tyranny in our community's law enforcement agencies, but has anyone ever bothered to ask whether the problem is the community itself? Police officers I know personally have described the...

10. STAFFORD BETTY: Materialism - The creed of the scientific fundamentalist

    Sam Goldwyn famously said, "Don't confuse me with facts. I've already made up my mind." This quotation applies to many scientists who think their materialist doctrine is based on good science. What is a materialist? It's someone who...
11. 

    KATE EUCCE: Halting onset of 'compassion fatigue'

    More than 65 million people, or 29 percent of the U.S. population, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend, according to the Caregiver Action Network. They are parents caring for their disabled...
12. 

    AARON STEENBERGEN: Redirect wasted government payoff money to US elder care

    The June 2 Sunday Forum article by Audrey Chavez, "Caring for Dad wasn't supposed to involve this much heartbreak," is a painful reminder of the many ways our nation's priorities have been turned upside down. Failing in elder care is only...
13. 

    JOHN STEVENS: In the end, DA and Sheriff will get to the bottom of Silva case

    When it comes to confrontations between police officers and citizens, I've just about seen it all. For 31 years it was my great privilege to serve the good people of Kern County as a deputy district attorney, retiring in 2005. I graduated...
14. 

    TERRY PHILLIPS: McCarthy should stop playing politics with veterans' care

    It is shameful for Rep. Kevin McCarthy to criticize the backlogs and delays in processing disability claims of veterans. In fact, this congressman is part of the problem. He pays lip service to the concerns of returning service members,...