I just noted that environmental activists are ramping up a social media campaign against energy giant Exxon Mobil, as the Attorneys General for 17 states are looking to nail that company under racketeering statutes.
This attack is the latest in the pseudo-science based thuggery that progressives have directed at those who opt to hold different, data-based views on the nature of climate and weather. The Koch Brothers, apparently the dark center of all evil in the universe, were singled out by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an epic rant in 2014:
“Those guys are doing the Koch Brothers bidding and are against all the evidence of the rational mind, saying global warming does not exist,” Mr. Kennedy said, Climate Depot reported. “They are contemptible human beings.”…I think it’s treason. Do I think the Koch Brothers are treasonous — yes, I do,” Mr. Kennedy said, Climate Depot reported. “They are enjoying making themselves billionaire by impoverishing the rest of us. Do I think they should be in jail — I think they should be injuring three hots and a cot at the Hague with all the other war criminals. Do I think the Koch brothers should be tried for reckless endangerment? Absolutely, that is is criminal offense and they ought to be serving time for it.”
When Climate Depot’s Marc Morano asked for a comment about the vitriolic rhetoric directed and about Kennedy’s statements, Nye replied: “We’ll see what happens.”
Nye made the fallacious comparison about how Exxon Mobil used its climate data to how the tobacco industry suppressed cancer study results.
…Was it appropriate to jail people from the cigarette industry who insisted that this addictive product was not addictive, and so on?”“In these cases, for me, as a taxpayer and voter, the introduction of this extreme doubt about climate change is affecting my quality of life as a public citizen,” Mr. Nye said. “So I can see where people are very concerned about this, and they’re pursuing criminal investigations as well as engaging in discussions like this.”
Normally, I don’t question someone’s science background, or lack of it, during disagreements on global warming. I typically respond with data.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, however, has a different take:
“Bill Nye is as much a scientist as I am,” the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee said, according to The Hill. “He’s a kids’ show actor, he’s not a scientist.”Palin, who was speaking at the Washington premiere of the anti-climate change film “Climate Hustle,” targeted Nye during a rant against the “alarmism” of climate change activists…. Palin urged parents to teach their children to “ask those questions and not just believe what Bill Nye the Science Guy is trying to tell them” about climate change.
A review of Nye’s educational background reveals more of an emphasis on engineering than pure science. He graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and occasionally returns as a guest-lecturer of introductory-level astronomy and human ecology classes.
Bill Nye’s career began in Seattle when he worked for Boeing where he then began to be part of training films. Also, he was able to develop a resonance suppressor making use of hydraulic pressure which is still a part of today’s Boeing 747. A few years later, Bill worked in the aeronautics industry as a consultant. In an interview for the St. Petersburg Times in 1999, he once told that he applied to become one of the astronauts of NASA every once in a while but was never accepted.
No matter what you make of Nye’s education and experience, I think he essentially tore-up his “Science Guy” card by wanting to silence opponents rather than enter a lab and find the data to refute their theories.
In terms of whether engineering is a “real science”, I will let Dr. Sheldon Cooper explain:
“Engineering, where the noble semi-skilled laborers execute the vision of those who think and dream. Hello, Oompa Loompas of science!”
(Featured Image Via CNN/Twitter).
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