Saturday, December 3, 2016

Profiles in Delusion - Bob Walker's NASA plans


Well, I can hide, but the ‘honey-do’ list finds me every time, maybe once I’m caught up (haha) I’ll get that full day(s) to focus on writing I keep hoping for.  Though I did get a few uninterrupted hours in and have a couple posts closer to being done. 

In my always growing backlog of projects is one started after reading an article by Oliver Milman about Trump's rationale to crackdown on "politicized science" meaning NASA's Earth Observation Mission - according to Bob Walker, a senior Trump campaign adviser: there was no need for Nasa to do what he has previously described as “politically correct environmental monitoring”.  In these people's minds keeping an eye on Earth's environmental systems is some frivolous waste of money.  I would love to see an honest rational person try to argue why our Earth's changing climate system is of so little interest, that our government's scientists should ignore it - bet I won't find any takers.  

I mean these people are so disconnected from basic down to Earth realities, they actually don't understand why we need healthy ecological systems and a diverse functioning biological web of live.  As for our atmosphere, they can't conceive how it could possibly have an impact on the planet's weather systems and biosphere.  It would be ludicrous except these types are becoming ever more powerful and have now been handed the operation of our government without any restraints - except for a concerned, informed, engaged, vocal public.  

Ugliest is that these Alt-right and Tea-partiers and the evangelical right are all so self-centered and self-certain that "God" is on their side that anyone who tries to school them differently is perceived an enemy and treated with contempt and ruthless hostility.

In any event, today DeSmogBlog published an article by retired Rear Admiral of the US Navy, David Titley PhD, who is now Professor at Penn State.  Here he gives this Trump threat a far superior and authoritative treatment than I could dream of, so I've purchased permission to repost his words from DeSmogBlog and am checking this one off my list.  For more details, check out Oliver Milman's informative news story.
"Trump to scrap Nasa climate research in crackdown on ‘politicized science’"
Nasa’s Earth science division is set to be stripped of funding as the president-elect seeks to shift focus away from home in favor of deep space exploration
Oliver Milman in New York | November 23, 2016  |  The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/22/nasa-earth-donald-trump-eliminate-climate-change-research _______________________________________________________________________
Eyes in the Sky: Cutting NASA Earth Observations Would Be a Costly Mistake
By David Titley, Pennsylvania State University Donald Trump's election is generating much speculation about how his administration may or may not reshape the federal government. On space issues, a senior Trump advisor, former Pennsylvania Rep. Bob Walker, has called for ending NASA earth science research, including work related to climate change. Walker contends that NASA's proper…

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