“Beto knows that climate change is the defining existential threat of our time.”
– O’Rourke Campaign Website
“All campaigns are to some degree an act of public manipulation,” Charles Blow stated recently in his New York Times column, “hopefully to the good, but often to the ill.” The Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke run for US Senate in Texas (against incumbent Republican Ted Cruz) has been a case study in public manipulation, elevating image over substance in a Red state.
The manipulation centers around the Spanish nickname “Beto” by a fourth-generation Irish American, followed by the pitch: fourth generation Texan … family man … civic minded … grass roots campaigner … consensus builder … No money from PACs.
His website evokes a politician for all parties and seasons:
… Continue ReadingBeto is traveling to every part of Texas to meet with Texans in their communities.
[Editor Note: This is the third and final post on the human harm from pseudo-science. Part I Tuesday examined some history of scientific fraud as a precursor to the much more sophisticated misdirection of today. Part II yesterday reviewed the controversies surrounding PM 2.5 and mercury regulations during the Obama Administration.]
“Many eco-activists really do want to fundamentally transform, de-develop and de-industrialize the United States and modern civilization, reduce our living standards, and improve Third World living standards just a bit. But when it comes to themselves on their self-appointed mission, they want – and think they deserve – power, prestige, high-paying jobs, fancy perks, jet travel, big homes, and so on. Societal transformation and de-industrialization are for the commoners.”
Wind and solar and biofuel energy – and Tesla and other large-scale batteries to back up wind and solar energy for multiple windless and sunless days.…
Continue Reading[Editor Note: This is the second of three posts on the human harm from pseudo-science. Part I yesterday introduced the history of scientific fraud as a precursor to the much more sophisticated misdirection of today. Part III tomorrow will consider climate-change controversies.]
Air Pollution – PM2.5
EPA exonerated glyphosate – and did so during the Obama era. That alone should be dispositive on the chemical’s dangers because, especially during the Obama years, EPA was the most dogmatic US government agency with regard to blaming industry for imagined, exaggerated or fabricated risks.
A prime example is PM2.5: particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns – soot that’s a fourth the diameter of pollen. President Obama had promised that his EPA would shut down coal-fired power plants and bankrupt the industry. PM2.5 was their weapon of choice.…
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