The NY Times has good news this morning for Americans who can still think:

Scientists Form Group to Support Science-Friendly Candidates

Several prominent scientists said yesterday that they had formed an organization dedicated to electing politicians “who respect evidence and understand the importance of using scientific and engineering advice in making public policy.”

A group of scientists, Scientists and Engineers for America, [www.sefora.org] have formed a political action committee to take part in national and local races in which scientific issues play a part in the electoral campaigns. Set up as a 527 organization, according to Mike Brown, its Executive Director, it will be involved in electoral politics, but contributions will not be tax-deductible.

[Mr Brown] said it would focus its resources — Internet advertising, speakers and other events — on races in which science issues play a part.

The group is looking at the Senate race in Virginia between George Allen, the incumbent Republican, and James Webb, a Democrat; a stem cell ballot issue in Missouri; the question of intelligent design in Ohio; and Congressional races in Washington State, Mr. Brown said.

It sounds to me like this is a group that, notwithstanding its official non-partisan stance, will be supporting Democratic and Progressive candidates in deep Red states, where all official human knowledge stopped right after the bible was written, 6000 years ago when the world was created. (The fact that writing is about than 3,000 years old is a minor quibble, I suppose.)

In a statement posted on its Web site (www.sefora.org), the group said scientists and engineers had an obligation “to enter the political debate when the nation’s leaders systematically ignore scientific evidence and analysis, put ideological interest ahead of scientific truths, suppress valid scientific evidence and harass and threaten scientists for speaking honestly about their research.”

Organizers of the group[… ]said it would be nonpartisan, but in interviews several said Bush administration science policies had led them to act. The issues they cited included the administration’s position on climate change, its restrictions on stem cell research and delays in authorizing the over-the-counter sale of emergency contraception.

[I]t said the government should not publish false or misleading scientific information, something Dr. Wood said occurred when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention briefly posted an item on its Web site suggesting that abortion was linked to breast cancer.

This group is going to make the baby Jesus cry, and we’re going to be treated to another round of wailing about “discrimination against Christians” because as we all know, loudly public American “Christians” only like science when it can be used to hurt people.