Not only is he directly responsible for the 10 fold increase in partisanship, not only did he pass the single worst legislation in a generation (health care deform), not only is he continuing and even increasing the erosion of the fourth amendment started under Cheney and Bush, (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, Google is your friend), not only has he time and time again turned his back on the gay community (why is this idiot defending DADT, and won’t agree that it’s unconstitutional), but, to top it off, because of his inept ability to read the electorate, we’re going to most likely see a wave of social conservatives wash over the political system.
Democrats, of course, in response, are doing what Democrats always try to do when they find themselves behind in the pols… they’re cheating! (see LBJ or JFK and the dead voters who managed to rise from the grave and vote for them) Funny that when voting machines were reported to be making errors in favor of GW Bush in 2004, the company that made the machines were vile and villainous, yet now that the errors are in the Democrats favor… No need to investigate voter fraud… All is right with the world… Just move along…
Yes! I go to see and meet bass extraordinares Victor Wooten and Anthony Wellington!!!!I have to work now, but later, I’ll reflect on a few of the things I learneded!
Judith Curry, in a letter to her fellow climate scientists:
Let me preface my statement by saying that at this point, I am pretty much immune to criticisms from my peers regarding my behavior and public outreach on this topic (I respond to any and all criticisms of my arguments that are specifically addressed to me.) If you think that I am a big part of the cause of the problems you are facing, I suggest that you think about this more carefully. I am doing my best to return some sanity to this situation and restore science to a higher position than the dogma of consensus. You may not like it, and my actions may turn out to be ineffective, futile, or counterproductive in the short or long run, by whatever standards this whole episode ends up getting judged. But this is my carefully considered choice on what it means to be a scientist and to behave with personal and professional integrity.
Let me ask you this. So how are things going for you lately? A year ago, the climate establishment was on top of the world, masters of the universe. Now we have a situation where there have been major challenges to the reputations of a number of scientists, the IPCC, professional societies, and other institutions of science. The spillover has been a loss of public trust in climate science and some have argued, even more broadly in science. The IPCC and the UNFCCC are regarded by many as impediments to sane and politically viable energy policies. The enviro advocacy groups are abandoning the climate change issue for more promising narratives. In the U.S., the prospect of the Republicans winning the House of Representatives raises the specter of hearings on the integrity of climate science and reductions in federal funding for climate research.
What happened? Did the skeptics and the oil companies and the libertarian think tanks win? No, you lost. All in the name of supporting policies that I don’t think many of you fully understand. What I want is for the climate science community to shift gears and get back to doing science, and return to an environment where debate over the science is the spice of academic life. And because of the high relevance of our field, we need to figure out how to provide the best possible scientific information and assessment of uncertainties. This means abandoning this religious adherence to consensus dogma.
That, my friends, cuts to the chase in the climate science debate. Period.
It’s funny; in a week where a liberal black man gets fired by white extremist neo-tolerant liberals for expressing and dealing with his inner fears about Muslims and terrorism, the same extremist neo-tolerant liberal types are wringing their hands analyzing the cognitive biases within the Tea Party movement, desperately trying to understand why it’s become so popular, and generally trying to figure out “what the hell is going on. “.
Here’s a suggestion… Turn the eye inward. You might learn something about cognitive bias.
Politics / Law Stuff | Sonicfrog October 30, 2010 | 
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