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Ed Mazza writes that Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says he loves Pope Francis, but he wants the pontiff to stop talking about climate change and "leave science to the scientists." Santorum's comments come as the Pope, who holds a degree as a chemical technician and worked as a chemist before turning to the priesthood, has become increasingly vocal about climate change. "The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think that we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists," says Santorum, "and focusing on what we're really good at, which is theology and morality, When we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, I think the church is not as forceful and credible."
But Santorum's not a scientist either so using Santorum's own logic why is Santorum more qualified than the Pope to discuss climate change? "I guess the question would be, if he shouldn't talk about it, should you?" asked Chris Wallace of Fox News. "Politicians, whether we like it or not, people in government have to make decision with regard to public policy that affect American workers," answered Santorum, adding that while "the pope can talk about whatever he wants to talk about," he questions the Pope's use of his moral authority to combat the issue of climate change.. Santorum — a devout Catholic — disagrees with the Pope's stance that climate change is man-made and has often called climate science "political science," arguing that a scientific consensus on climate change underscores this point. "All of this certainty, which is what bothers me about the debate, the idea that science is settled," says Santorum. "Any time you hear a scientist say science is settled, that's political science, not real science."
Original Submission
(Score: 5, Insightful) by mendax on Tuesday June 09 2015, @07:02PM
... of why the Republican Party in the U.S. is a great embarrassment to the American people (even if many of them don't realize it). Rick Santorum is one of many pus-filled boils and carbuncles on the American body politic. He's simply clueless. Pope Francis is absolutely right in speaking out on climate change. The protection of our planet for future generations is a moral and ethical, one that any pope, but especially Pope Francis, should speak regularly about.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2015, @08:11PM
> He's simply clueless.
This story is making the rounds, although it was written back in 2012:
Mrs Santorum 'wrote' a "child's book of good manners" [www.ep.tc] that included a forward by Joe Paterno [wikipedia.org] and is packed to the gills with other forms of unintentional irony.
(Score: 2) by mendax on Tuesday June 09 2015, @08:42PM
I should also have said here that the best thing Rick Santorum could do to help reduce the effect of humanity on climate change is to remove himself and his family from the gene pool. We need a good political murder-suicide to make American politics exciting again.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 1) by dingus on Tuesday June 09 2015, @10:56PM
There are some decent Republicans. They just don't get screen time.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 10 2015, @12:26AM
> There are some decent Republicans. They just don't get screen time.
Absolutely. Idiocy makes headlines.
But, the GOP leadership holds a significant amount of responsibility for giving the idiots a platform. They could take a page from the democrats' playbook - that party has its kooks too, but they are kept in the margins rather than trotted out on center stage.