Is there no depth PZ won’t stoop to?
In his latest attempt to defame me, he tries to appeal to the "cute tentacles" crowd. But clearly this is really an attack on those of us with bones. By supporting the deviant nature of non-calcified animals, PZ is opening a gateway that can only lead to one horrible outcome.
That is why I am promoting the "Defense of Vertebrates Act". This legislation, which I will submit to the National Academy of Higher Mammals, states that affection, care, and declarations of " Awwwww, isn’t that cute!" can only be given to animals with bones (and to whatever animal goes into making McNuggets).
For quite some time, PZ’s votes for Best Science Blog of 2006 were… well, I was going to say neck-and-neck with mine, but invertebrates have no necks! How disgusting is that? Why would any red-blooded American — and do squid even have red blood? — vote for some slimy neckless nautiloid?
I have a neck. And I’m willing to stick it our for what I believe for what I have faith in that which I ascribe contingent trust.
Remember, PZ: Cephalopods cuttle and run, but vertebrates never do. Vote for Bad Astronomy and keep the cartilaginous horde at bay.
December 9th, 2006 at 11:55 am
“Defense of Vertebrates Act”
As a proud member of the bone-enhanced community I still have to ask if you’ve canvased the single-celled community on this? It’s a huge potential voting block and you know how sensitive they can be.
December 9th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
A modest plea from an entomologist…please don’t lump all invertebrates with those low-life molluscs. Arthropods may not have proper backbones, either, but at least they have the decency of having an exoskeleton!
By the way, I had no idea that this Weblog Awards contest was really a proxy war between the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Cthulhu.
December 9th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
As Astronomy was my first love in science, I will vote for you every day!
December 9th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
I like kitten McNuggets.
December 9th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Wel I am no “red-blooded American”, but at least I do have bones. So you have my vote. For the fifth time.
December 9th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
Wait… we can vote more than once?
I have failed in my duties!
December 9th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Oh my, close competition.
Now, I do like cephalopods, but it is here, at BAUT, that I’m most at home.
Go Phil!
December 9th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Oh such polarizing rhetoric. For this by both parties I am voting for the poor little guys. Come on Deltoid!
December 9th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
whoa whoa whoa.
Mollusks deserve respect you know. I did vote for BA. Pharyngula is cool, and his sea-life preference rocks, but I still prefer this site.
December 9th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
And, I might add…
Mollusks attack sperm whales. Not many vertabrates do that.
December 9th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
KyleCarm, you’re throwing away your vote. Deltoid and the rest are just trying to split the vertebrate vote! C’mon, show some back bone!
Hmmm, I may use that in my next post.
December 9th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
Since I can’t make up my mind, I voted for both BA and PZ. Hmmm. That makes the ratio slightly closer to one, or something…
December 9th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Hmmm. this is disappointing… we are loosing, to a spineless blog
December 9th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
My apologies to Evolving Squid. I like cephalopods, I really do — especially with a little marinara and parmesan!
My real beef is with the gastropods and bivalves. Sorry to lump your kind in with THAT bunch.
December 9th, 2006 at 6:11 pm
Phil, has it come to this — shelling for votes?
December 9th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
“shelling for votes?”
Simple typo or very bad pun?
You decide!
December 9th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
BA you got my vote! As for squid, well…..we know what to do…
http://www.geocities.com/napavalley/vineyard/6430/calamarirec.html
December 9th, 2006 at 7:51 pm
“You have already voted once in the last 24 hours”
aha!! they got me!
ok, tomorrow another vote hehe…
December 10th, 2006 at 6:25 am
The best part of this rivalry (for me) is that I have discovered the Pharyngula Blog
BA gets my vote because I have reading his blog all year but I have been really enjoying PZ’s blog since I first followed the link yesterday.
December 10th, 2006 at 6:31 am
ABR, to quote from Orwell’s first draft: “Four legs good, six legs even better, and I’m sure for the right person eight muscular and hydrostatic appendages that become rigid on demand would be pretty darn nice too.”
I’m not that “right person,” but Pharyngula gets my vote anyway.
December 10th, 2006 at 8:49 am
Evolving Squid is becoming Benedict Arnold! I see you over there currying favor with the spineless…for shame! Now PZ’s blog is a fine blog (even though he never gives any attention to crustaceans), but I wouldn’t have seen it were it not for Phil’s promotion of it long ago.
Plus PZ didn’t pose nekkid for a good cause. (-8~
December 10th, 2006 at 8:53 am
Can’t we all just get along?
December 10th, 2006 at 9:29 am
Phil, with this gift you have for satire, you should consider running for congress,,,
Yeah, I’ve had some fun, tripping over to those other sites but BA is still my favorite so there’s one more for the gipper!!!!
GAry 7
December 10th, 2006 at 11:02 am
HaelMic,
Hmmmm…Nice quote, but I can see why Orwell shortened it to “Four legs good, two legs baaad.” Still, I wonder what he would have thought of Squidward — a known cephalopod with only six appendages. Is Squidward an example of a new superorder (Hexapodiformes?), or merely an octopus with insect envy?
And by the way, Evolving Squid…where’s the anti-cephalopod hostility “over here”? Chip, Grand Lunar and I have each expressed great appreciation for cephalopods in this post!
December 10th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
I forgot about this blog way back when I discovered PZ. (yes, it was I who discovered him!)
My vote goes to the hard core anti-irrationalism – Pharyngula.
Go PZ!
December 10th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
What about the Hemichordates? Don’t they get any lovin’ too? :p
I voted for yas, np… *chuckles*
December 12th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
[...] But then, he started to insult squid. I like squid and cuttlefish. They are pretty, they are fascinating, and they are tasty. Let’s see what PZ has to say about this. Phil is still playing the speciesist card, and now he wants to invoke the so-called superiority of bony internal skeletons. There’s nothing wrong with a good hydrostatic skeleton, you know, it’s one of those useful innovations that allows a soft tissue to extend and become rigid. I’m sure Phil’s lovers have all wished he had one. (Perhaps that’s the source of the telescope fixation over there, a little rigid tube envy). [...]
December 12th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
BA -
Squid and octopi’s blood is blue
So does tehis make them ‘Royal’ – true?
Democracy says vote BA
For Monarchs well – tentacles away!
Yes, Squid and Octopi really do have blue blood. Whether aristocractic families do or not is doubtful though and if tehydo then I suggest they seek medical help!
Oh and yes, I voted BA again today … But where do I get me one of them Squittens!? (Squid-Kittens)