It’s fascinating to watch the crowd here at the Triple Door—which is applauding mostly on cue with the folks at the inauguration—go nuts at lines that leave the crowd in Washington cold. A huge applause line here: “We will restore science to its rightful place.”
For those watching on C-SPAN: Is it just me, or does C-SPAN keep panning to Bush at the most sarcastic possible moments in Obama’s speech? At any rate, it’s cracking folks here up.
More applause lines here: “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers.”

I dunno; I’m a traitor, watching on CBC.
Atheists got props, wow.
My internet connection cut out right after …Hindus… He really included nonbelievers???? I’m amazed I was included for once!
FYI, the buffering in the office is making this impossible to watch here. guess i should have stayed at home.
First time this atheist ever a heard a shoutout from the POTUS.
Coolio.
I’m in Arizona, but with the Triple Door in the spirit of applause, screaming in glee at the name-checks for both science and non-believers.
I did a little gasp at the science name-check, here at the office.
The science line practically leapt out of the television at me. Hooray!
Science and atheists, hooray!!
I thought for sure the crowds in DC would boo Bush.
And again–
Science and Atheists–we can breathe again.
I was watching the MSNBC feed and there was an audible cheer from somewhere at the science line.
hate to break it to you all, but athiests are believers
The acknowledgment of science and atheists was amazing.
Pile on for Science and Atheists! <3 <3 <3
kid icarus made me laugh through tears.
He should have included scientologists just to freak everyone out a little.
science is good.
we can finally acknowledge that life begins at conception and let reason over rule the abortionists’ political muscle and stop the slaughter.
also we can start treating communicable diseases from a medical and epidemiologically defensible rationale and not as civil rights.
it was pretty cool hearing that line with my biology class.
@18, die in a fire ignoramus.
@12: PBS picked up a surge in cheers at the science line as well. I don’t know if they were working off the same feed as CSPAN, but I sensed some definite nose tweaking with the cuts to Bush at specific lines in the speech.
I was watching at my office, which is a medical research foundation. We all cheered when he gave props to both science and athiests. My non-believing boss and I were pretty excited to hear we weren’t persona non grata in the new administration.
But mostly, Go Science!
I for one am glad we have returned to a science-based and hopeful America, and no longer live in fear and incompetence.
and suck on it @18 – your time is over.
The real question is…
If in fact we are supporting science as well as rewarding government programs that work and holding accountable government employee’s and programs that suckle freely on the american tax payers breast.
Will, Will in Seattle, actually do some work, be fired from his state job at the University or continue to slog (and blog on the PI) all day long on the taxpayers dime?
That will be my indicator of Change!
Forget science and non-believers, it’s all about eloquently taunting dictators with a bit of untouchable righteousness.
Oh and #13 for the epistemological win.
20
24
re:18
How is my science wrong?
#28, define life.
Preferably in the form of a 2000 word essay so we really get it.
human life: it is ‘alive’ and it is homo sapien
what is the problem, do we only like science that fits our liberal social view of the world?
Life. It’s Alive!