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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Politics / Enviro Anti-Science Republican Goon to Head Science Committee

Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Nov 29, 2012 at 9:40 AM

Yesterday, everyone was reporting that all the new Republican Committee Chairs are white men. Which is of course bad, especially for a party that openly admits it has a diversity problem. But they also put a goddamned climate change denier in charge of the Science Committee?

Case in point: yesterday’s nomination of Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) to chair the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology — a body with jurisdiction over many laboratories, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the National Weather Service.

Smith is a climate skeptic who has taken to the House floor to rant against scientists and journalists “determined to advance the idea of human-made global warming.”

I know this is standard stuff for the Republican Party; they think it's hee-larious to put creationists on science panels and whatnot. But 68% of Americans believe climate change is a serious problem. You'd think Republicans could take this shit a little more seriously, maybe.

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Comments (12) RSS

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The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Posted by Urgutha Forka on November 29, 2012 at 9:50 AM

Its kinda like putting Democrats who are skeptical of wall street, in charge of committees that deal with wall street regulation. Door swings both ways, its not limited to Republican idiots when there are plenty of idiots to assign to committees.

Posted by Kinison

on November 29, 2012 at 10:19 AM

You have a problem with white men? I guess you hate yourself.

Posted by dmanjam on November 29, 2012 at 10:25 AM

@2, I think there's a difference between putting putting in charge of Wall Street folks who are skeptical of the ethics of individual actors (but understand and believe in economics) vs. putting in charge of science committees people who seem to find the entire scientific process dubious.

Posted by Fr0zt on November 29, 2012 at 10:32 AM

@2:

The difference of course being that Democrats who are skeptical of Wall Street nevertheless still acknowledge its existence...

Posted by COMTE

on November 29, 2012 at 10:41 AM

@2, yeah no. Not kinda like that at all. Absolutely false equivalence. It's more like appointing an ambassador to the U.N. who thinks the U.N. should be abolished.

Oh look! that already happened! Thanks George W. Bush!

Posted by treacle on November 29, 2012 at 10:48 AM

Let's not forget this goon was also the guy who introduced the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Y'know, the bill over which half the Internet went dark in protest. To call John Boehner anything more positive than "petty, obstructionist prick" is to show one's ignorance of modern American politics in general and today's GOP in particular.

Posted by Knat on November 29, 2012 at 10:50 AM

@3, well, actually --and I'm only speaking as a white man here-- I do have a problem with white men: As a rule they tend to be completely oblivious to their privileges. They simply assume their view is the same as everyone else's view, and they are unaware of how they impose themselves on other people, notably women and "non-white" people.

We need, as the Dalai-lama opined when he spoke in Seattle with Christine Gregoire at his side, more women in politics and positions of power. Diversity of viewpoints, my friend, extremely critical. If you think that's a problem... well, perhaps you are blind to your own privileges.

Posted by treacle on November 29, 2012 at 10:56 AM

@3
He's Jewish before he is white, an important hierarchy to make note of.

Posted by dnt trust me on November 29, 2012 at 11:05 AM

GW does not necessitate AGW.

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on November 29, 2012 at 11:27 AM

@10, The same scientists who taught you that fact also told you that only anthropogenic emissions explain modern global warming. Quit cherry-picking the science that suits your ideology.

Posted by anon1256 on November 29, 2012 at 12:22 PM

I think the problem is not 'white men' but lack of diversity... That - we should have a problem with.

Posted by subwlf on November 29, 2012 at 12:30 PM