The sad thing is that if it turns out that Republicans take the House, (not very likely that they will take the Senate) they will IMO launch even more tax wasting (and delay doing something about the issue for a couple of years more) investigations to “uncover the truth”. This is based on the fact that virtually all Republican candidates are openly saying that scientists are misleading or guilty… of something.
What is that something? They do not know! but by golly, they will investigate like they investigated Clinton.
As powerful interests are financing many of the current denier Republican candidates, it would be unlikely that they would not use their power in an attempt to discredit the scientists once again.
So it does not matter that investigations of the recent “scandals” turned nothing, because the Republican echo chamber continues to say that scientists are guilty “something” must be done.
So what do Cuccinelli and others expect to find in the coming inquisition?
There’s just something funny about someone called “the Cooch”.
I’m seeing a pimply faced, greasy haired, leather jacket wearing, teenaged wannabe tough guy, just begging for an after school fight (and an ass whipping).
The Cooch? He should be laughed out of town for being stupid, and for just being The Cooch.
Of course I hope that it does not take place, but I see comedy gold in the possible future spectacle of a witch-hunt of scientists being headed by a witch.
I don’t know this Bricker guy, and this Cuccinelli person is a politically-motivated, dishonest abuser of his office, as far as I can tell.
That said, seems like Bricker is getting a bit of a raw deal here. Seems to me that he’s simply saying that if we’re accusing someone, anyone, of something, some degree of precision and clarity is called for. We can’t simply say “hey, he’s a right-wing asshole, so he must be riding roughshod over the Constitution,” even if he is doing exactly that. A bit more in the way of evidence is called for.
OK, Bricker is apparently a lawyer, and most of us here (including me) are not, so he’s going to be a bit more, well, legalistic about this kind of thing, but really, that’s not a terrible thing. It does matter.
This is a BBS, a forum. Since it isn’t a court of law and we can’t send anyone to jail, and we can’t actually put anyone on trial, we do not have to follow the same strict rules of evidence and ummmm court type stuff. So, yes, we could say some other guy is an asshole, and ugly too. Do we then have to narrowly and exactly define “ugly” and then provide unassailable proof of ugliness? We have a lot more leeway, simply because we DON’T have any authority over anyone and because we are NOT in the position of firing or arresting or trying anyone. The demands for absolute accuracy and unimpeachable evidence sometimes even go far far past the “reasonable person” or “reasonable doubt” level. It’s just an old trick to shut down the discussion (or roast). Most of us ignore it for what it is.
So, yes I can simply say The Cooch is an asshole, rightwing or otherwise. I could as easily claim he hits puppies and eats kittens.
The Cooch is a dangerous asshole. He has a solid shot at becoming the next Governor of Virginia. If he avoids a “Macaca moment” the US Senate is in his future. Here’s a man who’s starting a jihad against a profession, abusing the powers of his office to do so. Prosecutorial judgment? Evidence based investigations? Prioritizing cases based on impact, or liklihood of victory? Those are all for other people, who are not True Believers[sup]TM[/sup] in the Church of the Holy Unchanging Climate.
Who’s Cooch going to sue when Roanoke, VA is beachfront property?
The Cooch expected that his points were supported by partisan reports like the Wegman report, unfortunately for the Cooch it is the Wegman report that was found out that used bad science and it is finally being investigated as the hatchet job and plagiarist piece of work that it was:
So would Cuccinelli do the right thing and investigate why he was had? I’m not holding my breath.
Now USA TODAY checked if the accusations against the Wegman report hold water and like this blogger reports, If Ken Cuccinelli was a man, he’d apologize.
I don’t think that “flaunting” means what that blogger thinks it means. He was confusing it with “flouting,” although even that wouldn’t be the best word to use in this case.
Well, like the “many usage guides” referred to in the usage note of that entry, i object to that usage of flaunt, because it has come about largely because people confused it with “flout.” I’m not an ardent prescriptivist, but when a word changes its definition almost solely because people use it incorrectly and confuse it with another word, i think we’re better off correcting it than simply succumbing.
Anyway, this isn’t a thread about prescriptivist versus descriptivist grammar, so i’ll leave it at that.
I don’t understand this thread though - the rightists have been running on an anti-science, pro-petty vendetta platform for some time now. It’s no good to blame the panderers, you’ve just got to be disgusted by the people who demand shit like this from their government.
It’s not the call to abuse the power, it’s the abuse of power that is the problem. People can call for all kinds of unethical conduct by their elected representatives, but its when those representatives actually abuse their power that there is a problem. It’s not the anti-science thinking, though that is all too prevelant, this thread is about the use of Cooch’s job as AG to go on a fishing expedition, to intimidate scientists, and to punish those who disagree with his preconceived notions of “science”, with no legitimate basis. Feel free to blame the idiots who want this to happpen too, but don’t give any leeway to the guy abusing his power for his own ends.
And also check the Deep Climate site that did a lot of the work finding the plagiarism and errors made by the Wegman report.
Currently, we are waiting for the Virginia Supreme Court that has agreed to hear an appeal from Cuccinelli, but we can expect the attorney to do the right thing and drop the issue, eh?
Not holding my breath for that one, and neither for an apology to Mann from all the denier posters that in the past claimed that Wegman was the beesnees.
I think the rapture will have to happen before “Crazy Ken” apologizes. (Checks date) And not even then.
In all seriousness, this is why prosecutors should be non-partisan and trustworthy beyond reproach. Real human lives can be irreparably damaged or destroyed by baseless politically inspired fantasy fishing expedition persecutions like this. Cooch shouldn’t have any position of public trust, but he’ll probably be our next governor. :rolleyes:
