It's no secret that some of our federal legislators don't have a firm grip on scientific evidence; it only takes watching a session of the House Science Committee, where one member suggested the climate-driven rise of the oceans might instead be caused by rocks falling into the ocean.
What's often overlooked is that state legislators are even worse (though it's not clear how much this is a product of there simply being more of them). Each year, they oversee a variety of attempts to introduce pseudoscience into the public schools of a number of states.
[...] The legislator in question is Republican Joe Read, who represents an area north of Missoula, home of many fine scientists at the University of Montana. Read has eight bills under consideration in the current session of the legislature, and two of those focus on climate change.
As a result, the [first] bill would prohibit state agencies, officials, and employees from doing anything to cooperate with federal efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. If passed, the Montana government "may not implement or enforce in any way any federal regulation, rule, or policy implementing a federal greenhouse gas regulatory program."
But if you thought Read's grasp of constitutional law was shaky, you should check out his reason for objecting to doing anything about climate change. That's laid out in his second bill, which targets both science education and in-state programs designed to reduce carbon emissions. And it doesn't mince words, suggesting that pretty much all the scientists have it wrong: "the [US] National Climate Assessment makes the same errors as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the National Academy of Sciences is also fundamentally wrong about climate change."
What are those errors? They are not reality based. Rep. Read claims "all Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change arguments to prove claims of increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide have failed," even though we've measured that increase in a number of ways. There are also things that are difficult to comprehend, like the statement that "the carbon-14 data shows that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change claim that human emissions have decreased the 'buffer capacity of the carbonate system' is an invalid claim."
More coverage at the Billings Gazette.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 22 2019, @12:39PM (2 children)
"dear 'murikans. i am telling you that the moon is a much better place to live.
it has no low wages labour countries as neighbours so no wall needed. fact is that the
whole thing could be yours. for FREE even.
as is, there's not much of an athmosphere but you could bring your oil and you could make
your own.
you could measure the whole round thing in imperial units so no need for import and export tarifs to protect
your economy.
you could save a ton in spending by not having to baptise reluctant countries into your flavour
of duocracy.
furthermore there are no indigineuse life forms on the moon so you don't have to do much subdueing.
history tells us that you have done it before so with your experience i am confidant you can pull it off again.
i suggest to name the first ship to the moon the "mayflyer".
good luck and may god be with you.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 22 2019, @12:49PM (1 child)
"may god be with you".
no really, I hope you take the imaginary sky fairy with you and let us be.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 22 2019, @04:45PM
For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion(operation of wandering)(planet) so that they will believe the lie.
Mystery Red of the Great American Eclipse [siderus.io]
It has blood on it! [siderus.io]
ABCNews: Eclipse makes pendulum wander [archive.org]
Sound of Silence [siderus.io]