Stupid Goes Viral in Texas politics

[marmar]

from Grist:




Stupid goes viral: Deep in the heart of Climate Zombieland

by RL Miller
20 Sep 2010 2:15 PM

They prowl the halls of Congress, moaning for caaasshh.

Their stupid has gone viral.

And if they win, humanity loses.

I'm tracking Climate Zombies: every Republican candidate for House, Senate, and governor who doubts, denies, or derides the science of climate change. Like this elected representative, whose website proudly informs us that:

Global warming is simply a chicken-little scheme to use mass media and government propaganda to convince the world that destruction of individual liberties and national sovereignty is necessary to save mankind, and that the unwashed masses would destroy themselves without the enlightened global dictatorship of these frauds.

In the large, polarized state of Texas, home of the oil and gas industry, the existence of climate zombies is hardly a shock, starting with Gov. Rick Perry:

It is unconscionable that unelected bureaucrats at the EPA have declared carbon dioxide a public danger despite a lack of scientific evidence to support their ruling. This action should be of grave concern to all Americans, especially Texans, in light of the recent "Climategate" scandal, which uncovered data had been manipulated and destroyed in order to falsely show a preordained result.

A number of representatives have spoken out against the science. Louie Gohmert (Texas-01) finds that the world is staying the same or actually cooling. Ted Poe (Texas-02) knows that "even NASA is involved in not revealing evidence that contradicts climate change." Joe Barton (Texas-06) tells Al Gore that he's not just a little off, he's totally wrong. Mike Conaway (Texas-11) spoke on the House floor: "Science is never settled ... they changed the phraseology because the climate isn't warming." Ron Paul (Texas-14) calls global warming a hoax. Pete Olson (Texas-22) says: "The emails that emerge from the University of East Anglia call into question the accuracy of the IPCC data."

Other representatives flaunt their denialism on their websites. Ralph Hall (Texas-04), on the "climategate" non-scandal: "There is growing concern and evidence that scientific data, from which global warming theories emerged, has been manipulated, enhanced or deleted." John Culberson (Texas-07):

This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided that the air we exhale, carbon dioxide, is toxic and poses a danger to our well-being ... While this blatant power grab is disappointing, the truly alarming part is that the scientific evidence the EPA used to support its conclusion comes directly from United Nations (U.N.) climate data -- the same data that were recently found to have been deliberately manipulated to support the global warming movement.

Mac Thornberry (Texas-13):

Global Warming: Politics or Science? Some scientists believe that the temperature of the Earth is increasing rapidly. Others, such as those at the United Kingdom’s Hadley Center for Climate Studies, say that the Earth’s temperature is not much different now than it was 50 or 100 years ago. The case that man is causing any change in temperature is even more hotly contested.

Randy Neugebauer (Texas-19):

What we have here is a case of formulating scientific findings that back up policy, instead of creating policy that is backed up by legitimate science. Proponents of man-made global warming in Congress will use every opportunity they have to invite witnesses to testify before Congress who only share their point of view. We now have clear evidence of what we knew all along, that there are perhaps thousands of scientists who don't share these views, and sadly have been the subject of concerted efforts to discourage and suppress their findings from publication.

Lamar Smith (Texas-21): "We now know that prominent scientists were so determined to advance the idea of human-made global warming that they worked together to hide contradictory temperature data." Michael Burgess (Texas-26): "Numerous reports now suggest that the scientists at CRU intentionally excluded data that did not fit into their political agenda ... ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.grist.org/article/stupid-goes-viral-deep-in-the-heart-of-climate-zombieland/

[hobbit709]

1. My theory is that TX Republicans have a contest going

whenever one of them says something stupid, the rest of them have to try to outstupid him.

[w8liftinglady]

2. Don't forget Smokey Joe Barton..my congressman..from 2006

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/05/barton-global-warming/

Smokey’ Joe Barton Calls Global Warming Science ‘Absolute Nonsense,’ Vows To Fight CO2 Caps
For six years, Congress has done nothing to address the climate crisis, thanks in no small part to the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, “Smokey” Joe Barton (R-TX). The 110th Congress will have new leadership, but Barton has pledged to continue fighting against legislation intended to address the problem. Energy and Environment Daily (sub. only) has the story:



“I will be an active part of any leadership effort to prevent it passing in the House,” the outgoing chairman of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee told reporters after speaking at an event hosted by the American Petroleum Institute and the Energy Department.

Barton says his action is justified because global warming science is “pretty weak stuff.” Barton added, “But for us to try to step in and say we have got to do all these global things to prevent the Earth from getting any warmer in my opinion is absolute nonsense. It’s not going to happen.”

[sadbear]

3. I bet Louis Gohmert has said something really stupid, too.

He's the King of Stupid.

[AnArmyVeteran]

10. But, but, he's one of the republican party's brightest. :(

[Javaman]

4. The stupid as been viral here for years.

it got insanely worse when george w. moron* was installed as gov.

That fucking jerk* is the anti-Midas.

Now cement head perry, with the intellect and wit of an over ripe turnip, is leading teh stupid charge.

Oh how I can't wait to see perry get his ass handed to him in November.

[w8liftinglady]

6. man-I am with you-I have worked HARD to get White elected.

[Javaman]

7. Thanks and I appreciate your hard work.

Hopefully, the rest of Texas will come to their senses and boot cement head out.

[Bitwit1234]

5. He turned me off with "unwashed masses" so what's so

clean about republicans. With the likes of Rush, Beck, Palin, Bachmann and now O'Donnell and Miller I think the stench of the republicans is overwhelming.

[madmom]

8. Why are they asking for scientific evidence? They don't believe in science even when you give it to

[Sal Minella]

9. Amazing, astounding. Arctic ice at all-time low, methane

releases accelerating, coral reefs ejecting their algae, and these clowns cash their checks from the Koch boys and mouth whatever propaganda they're ordered to mouth.

Am reminded of the website that surfaced here yesterday saying that Bibles in Texas will no longer include any mention of Jesus, because he has been adjudged too liberal to include in the Bible.

Not.Even.Funny.

[COLGATE4]

11. If you put all these intellectually-challenged Rethug politicians

from Texas together you wouldn't get an total IQ higher than the ambient air temperature in Nome on January 1.