The "Proposal for the Sequencing of a New Target Genome: White Paper for a Honey Bee Genome Project" contains a number of ringing endorsements, including these two: 1. "Obtaining the genomic sequence information of the honey bee would provide important information and myriad positive implications for apiculture, entomology, human health, human biology, ecology and agriculture" -- Troy H. Fore, Jr. 2. "Because both the brain and social organization are simpler and more accessible in honeybees and other social insects, principles are likely to be discovered early on that have application to the understanding of human social behavior." -- Edward O.Wilson ------------------------- A counter argument follows: How Science is Perverted to Build Fascism, by Steve Rosenthal [excerpts] E.O. Wilson is a Harvard professor emeritus of entomology, the study of insects. In the 1970s he updated the old social Darwinist ideology that human societies are shaped by the biological nature of humans. Just as the nature of ants creates colonies of queens, drones, workers, and slaves, the nature of humans creates racism, sexism, patriotism, wars, religion, and class exploitation. Wilson used this "revelation" to argue that efforts to fight against racism, sexism, and imperialism go against human nature and are thus exceedingly difficult, and to claim that communism is unscientific and cannot work. Wilson proudly says of himself, "At my core, I am a social conservative, a loyalist. I cherish traditional institutions, the more venerable and ritual-laden the better." There is no genetic basis for tribalism, racism, sexism, or other features of present societies. These ideologies and behaviors in the world today reflect the class interests of capitalist rulers, and millions of workers throughout the world have fought against them. In universities today capitalist control over science has been tightened up. Biotech, pharmaceutical, and military interests control public and private research funding, and pressures to obtain grants preoccupy most scientists. -- Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]>