Saturday, April 4, 2015

Science-hating taken statewide


The mandate set out by Florida Governor Rick Scott, which bars state officials from mentioning phrases such as “climate change” or the word “sustainability,” is representative of the bury-our-heads-in-sand leadership many politicians live by when it comes to climate change.

Governor Scott and the rest of the rest of the Flat Earth Society that has managed to infect the United States government on every level, is ushering in a new era of anti-science governance, that is not only damaging to the nation and globe, but is frankly embarrassing.

According to the Herald Tribune, Neil DeGrasse Tyson commented on the situation during a press conference in Sarasota, Florida, which took place before he gave a lecture at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Tyson stated:
“I thought as a nation we were better than this.”


We all did, Mr. Tyson. Of course, politicians are powerless with those who vote them into office. Tyson commented on this, saying that he did not necessarily place his blame on politicians such as Governor Scott. He said:
“I don’t blame the politicians for a damn thing because we vote for the politicians. I blame the electorate.”
That electorate has put politicians like Senator Ted Cruz into office. Senator Cruz, who is an avowed climate change denier, is so egregious in his war on science that he had the audacity to challenge NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on what the “core mission” of NASA is during a committee hearing. Cruz seemed to have a problem with NASA focusing on studying the Earth, rather than exploring space.

Tyson continued his commentary saying:
“When you say let’s debate whether or not humans are influencing the climate, you are losing time for debating what to do in the face of that fact.”
Speaking on the apolitical nature of scientific facts Tyson said:
“Now we have a time where people are cherry picking science. The science is not political. That’s like repealing gravity because you gained 10 pounds last week.”

Author Joe Fletcher is a writer and community organizer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the Managing Editor for Green Action News, a publication focused on covering environmental issues and activism. You can follow him on Facebook,Twitter, and Ello