Re: [asa] World sets ocean temperature record

On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 3:00 PM, Schwarzwald <schwarzwald@gmail.com> wrote:

> I'd have to agree with Dave Wallace, and I was just in the middle of
> writing a post along those lines.
>
> And the idea that there are two camps involved in the global
> warming/climate-change debate - the people who are correct, and the people
> motivated by politics - just doesn't wash. It is entirely possible for AGW
> claims to be true, yet for the people "demanding action" to be largely, even
> exclusively motivated by politics. There's such a thing as co-opting truth
> to an illicit end.
>

As Christians and as scientists we should be standing for the truth and not
be in the group that is motivated by politics. Even if the truth is
co-opted for an illicit end should not be a reason to simply make stuff up.
Everybody can have their own opinion but they cannot have their own facts.
The sad truth is there are people who are more than willing to distort the
truth and outright lie to serve a political agenda. Check out the
non-partisan Politifact.com for their "pants on fire" rulings:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/rulings/pants-fire/

This in turn has produced a hostility to the non-political and non-partisan
use of science for the public good -- and not just in the area of climate
change. It has come to the point where a simple proposal to use the National
Academies -- as was intended by President Lincoln when he founded them --
to study the relative effectiveness of medical treatments and publish it on
the Web is considered by some a sinister plot to kill Granny.

Rich Blinne
Member ASA

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Received on Fri Aug 21 20:56:17 2009