Let’s just down all the prestigious institutions of American science, shall we?
The White House signaled interest early this month in investigating whether the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine should be suspended or debarred from federal funding, in response to a letter from 11 Republican lawmakers criticizing NASEM, particularly the climate science chapter of its Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence.
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows posted an article about the letter on X, adding, “The National Academies have weaponized tax dollars against President Trump for far too long. It’s time to end their contracts.” Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought responded, “On it.”
Russ Vought ranks up there with Stephen Miller as one of the greatest villains of this era, a ranting ideologue with no qualifications who has been given power and influence well above his capacity. His reason for shutting down climate science?
The letter argues that the climate science chapter of the reference manual “violates Gold Standard Science” because the peer review process did not include scientists with differing views on climate science and because its authors and funders had conflicts of interest. It heavily echoes letters sent in January and March by 27 Republican state attorneys general who successfully campaigned to remove the chapter from an online version of the manual.
There are some conclusions of science that are inarguable. The only people who argue against global climate change are crackpots, and the rules have been rigged to give irrational denialists a seat at the table. Do we also have to include flat-earthers and creationists in the ranks of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine? Membership in that institution is an acknowledgement of a long career and an investment in research that has earned the appreciation of the community. People who reflexively deny central aspects of science do not belong.
These people are so irrational, very had to understand. Are they looking to just enrich themselves by staying in power and appeasing the maga asshats? do they genuinely believe their ideas?
The Alchemist’s Guild demands equal representation in writing the chapters on this so-called “chemistry” you young kids have come up with.
Seriously, this is how stupid this country is getting.
Obviously the most productive way to advance biomedical research is to appoint reviewers from the homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, vitalism and humeral theory fields. As the maestro of scientific research himself said, “Nothing bad can happen, it can only good happen”.
Things may well change on November 3 when the Congress is flipped. Science should be based on demonstrable facts. Those nincompoops who loudly deny these facts are facts have no business being catered to. What we need now is an organization of climate scientists who will grill candidates on their basic knowledge of climate change and warning America about those candidates who do not understand the facts, and deny that climate change is happening.
I have this idea for a perpetual motion machine that will work if I can just get funding to develop it.
It has been a couple of decades now but the local rag (Dallas Morning News) printed a story, as straight up news, not ridicule, of a local who had this idea for a new way to make a car go. Pump water over a water wheel that drove the car. And the generator that powered the pump. He had applied for a patent and everything. :-)
One of the reasons I finally let my subscription lapse.
“Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows posted an article about the letter on X, adding, “The National Academies have weaponized tax dollars against President Trump for far too long.”
It might also be worth noting that only a raging, pathological narcissist would assume that science he disagrees with was intentionally “weaponized” against him. Someone should point out to Meadows and Trump that the basic facts of climate change were established long before Trump entered politics.
Rich Woods @3
Is humeral theory about what happens when you accidental bang your ulnar nerve? Or is that humorous theory?
@6: Some years back I took a dive into the wonderful world of perpetual motion cranks (motivated by a local one; the results even popped up here once). At the time, the USPTO website had a special section for PMM patent applications (which, so I’ve heard, as a matter of policy they will not review, in the absence of a working model). It made for amusing reading.
So, they’re asking for DEI for incompetents?
For some of them these attacks on facts are straight-up power plays, but some of them believe that the only objective facts are from the Bible and therefore any claims that they do not perceive as ‘Bible-based’ are just bullshit-riddled power plays propelled by Bad Motivations.
@8, shortly after I read that article I found the Museum of Unworkable Devices:
https://dsimanek.vialattea.net/museum/unwork.htm
People have been trying for a long time.
The GOP fascists have almost totally destroyed climate science in the USA already.
It wasn’t even all that hard.
The fact is, science runs on money.
This isn’t that unusual. Just about everything in our society runs on money, the economy, your life, medicine, law, entertainment, etc..
They have just been systematically identifying climate scientists and…cutting off their funding.
A friend of mine is a climate scientist at the local university.
Or was.
Not too long ago, all her funding was cut by the Trump regime. She has since taken early retirement despite not even being all that old.
This happened to her whole department.
They are scrambling to find funding for the graduate students and postdocs right now.
They probably won’t accept any graduate students for next year.
This is an academic disaster, one that will be hard to recover from, and that recovery may never happen.
Any students in climate related fields must be contemplating a change in plans right now.
#4: Why are so many people so optimistic about the next election? I am not so confident.
Seems like American modern-day Lysenkoism. That had appalling consequences in the USSR, causing crop failures. This, if it succeeds, screws the entire world.