Sarah Palin on Autism, Molecular Genetics, and Fruit Flies

On Oct 24, 2008, during a policy speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sarah Palin demonstrated her total lack of understanding of the importance of research.

"... Where does a lot of that earmark money end up anyway? […] You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not..."



The actual research project in "...Paris, France..." she was mocking was into the olive fruit fly (bactrocera oleae) – a major pest that threatens California’s olive farmers since 1998 and olive groves in Mediterranean climates (hence research in France). The studies, carried out at a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) laboratory near Montpellier, 763 kilometers south of Paris, may help protect California olive trees from a serious pest.

Pests in Gardens and Landscapes - University of California

How to Manage Pests - Warning on the Use of Chemicals

United States Department of Agriculture - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)

Brochure_en.pdf

Links:
Memo To Palin: Fruit Fly Research Has Led To Advances In Understanding Autism - Oct 24, 2008
Sarah Palin, Fruit Flies, and the Party of Darkness - Oct 25, 2008
The Huffington Post - Oct 27, 2008
ScienceNOW Daily News - Oct 28, 2008
SteveInOz-Blog - Australia - Oct 30, 2008