09.08.11
Rick Perry, You’re No Galileo Galilei
Rick Perry, as Galileo Galilei:
In last night’s Republican debate at the Reagan Library, Texas Governor Rick Perry invoked the persecution of Galileo to argue that climate change skeptics will one day be vindicated in their denial of human-induced climate change.
If Galileo were live blogging the debate, he would have typed, “rofl!”*
The moderator twice asked him which scientists or theories he did find compelling — i.e., who exactly is the Galileo of climate change denialism? — and he could not answer. Of course, the Galileo analogy is ludicrous to begin with.
First off, it was the Church that persecuted Galileo, not the scientific community.
Second, climate change deniers are not persecuted anyway, by the Church, the National Science Foundation, or anyone. They’re free to conduct their studies, publish their results, and shout them from the rooftops. In fact, the mainstream media gives them a megaphone far bigger than their numbers deserve, often giving them as much airtime and credence as the 98 percent of climate scientists who do acknowledge the human role in climate.
“… reminds me of mentally unbalanced criminals who compare themselves to Jesus because, well, Jesus was persecuted in his time, too.”
What’s more, the denialists are well funded by corporate interests with a huge financial stake in uncovering evidence against climate change, if it exists. The fact that they have failed to find anything compelling enough to outweigh the ever-mounting data collected by (much poorer-paid) university scientists testifies to the weakness of their case.
It’s time they took personal responsibility for their lot, rather than blaming it on outside forces — that’s a Republican value, isn’t it?
Perry’s pretending he believes that his climate change denialism will be vindicated on some unknowable future day reminds me of mentally unbalanced criminals who compare themselves to Jesus because, well, Jesus was persecuted in his time, too.
Sure. One day Rick Perry will be proven right over 1,300 climate scientists. If you just believe it hard enough.
*(rolling on the floor, laughing)
"Dick" Perry said,
09.08.11 at 11:07 pm
Yet another swaggering, arrogant ignoramus from Texas. It must be the heat that fries their brains. Climate change denier and evolution denier, despite substantial evidence for the former and absolutely overwhelming evidence for the latter.
If Perry had an ounce of intellectual honesty, he would put on hold all of the death sentences not yet carried out in Texas, pending at least 100 years of checking and cross-checking — by thousands of competent detectives — the validity of the evidence used to convict each and ever one of the condemned.
Why? Because the Theory of Evolution has had at least that amount of effort put into it’s validation and the supporting evidence just continues to get stronger. But that’s not enough for Mr. Perry, who dismisses it as ” just a theory that’s out there”.
But he has no problem giving the go-ahead to numerous executions, knowing, as he must, the imperfections and capriciousness of the criminal justice system.
But we know of course, that he doesn’t necessarily believe everything he says. He is after all, only playing to his base, the 50 million or so Americans who hold the same views.
Chris said,
09.09.11 at 8:40 am
True. Who knows whether Perry believes this stuff. Politically, it’s beside the point, the question is whether people buy it.
From the NYT: “… [Perry's] example seemed to illustrate the opposite of the point that Mr. Perry might have been trying to make. Galileo … was basing his assertions on empirical knowledge and faced opposition from the Roman Catholic Church … Mr. Perry, by contrast, has said repeatedly that he does not believe the empirical evidence compiled by scientists in support of climate change, but that he does adhere to faith-based principles.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/science/earth/09galileo.html?scp=2&sq=divining%20perry&st=cse)
Pangolin said,
09.09.11 at 1:51 pm
If only the National Science Foundation really could burn Rick Perry at the stake. Darn Constitution foils all the good ideas.
Chris said,
09.09.11 at 2:11 pm
Pangolin – actually, there’s away around the unconstitutionality of burning people at the stake.
Perry’s ideas on science are so revolutionary and ingenious that I suspect he’s really a witch. And witches don’t burn (at least, I’m sure I can find a few rogue pseudo-scientists who will testify to this). Therefore, in theory at least, burning Perry at the stake would not be unconstitutional.