Science, Faith and Public Opinion at work in America

The New York Times published an article today: 

Many Link Weather Extremes to Climate Change.  

Take a look see before going further ...


Wow. So much contained in one article. So a few comments:

1st - This shows how gullible Americans really are. They should know as the Oil and Gas companies have shown us, that there is no such thing as global warming. No no, doesn't exist. 

Therefore extreme weather has only one logical explanation. 

Wrath of God. 


Yes, if you've experienced extreme weather it's because God is judging you as worthy of excoriation and a plague. You better mend your ways or this will get worse for you. Not me, 'cause I'm god fearing and they won't touch me like that... (Waiting for the earthquake now)



2nd - It's great that, like with other matters of national and scientific importance we're relying on public opinion polls to determine facts. 


This is what makes Creationism a guiding force in Tennessee, and Evolution the guiding principle in California, New York, and, well, pretty much everywhere where there are educated human beings. 


Local scientific truths determined by the meandering and mostly uninformed belief systems of the teaming masses is what drives the universe. 

That's why in Indiana, where a State Legislator tried to declare pi equal to three in 1897, wagon wheels momentarily turned triangular, loosing their nice and useful roundness much to the consternations of merchants trying to get their products to market.

(A modern day attempt at the same effect)

Lastly - I'm glad to see the Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" principles are alive and well in the area of real science here in the US. 


It's got to be a far more interesting world where public opinion can determine scientific fact, and define the behavior of everything around us. 


All you need is a bazillion dollars to throw at issues like the Koch brothers to sway public opinion and you can redefine the basic physics of the universe. 


Now when will we get people to believe in FTL travel so we can get the hell away from them?


And if that wasn't enough for one day, a friend of mine shared this video clip of Arizona state Senator Sylvia Allen (R) voicing her support for opening up uranium mining in the state. Sen Allen responds to statements by environmentalists by assuring them that the "Earth is 6,000 years old..." and you have nothing to worry ...

Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen (R) says Earth is 6,000 years old.

I'll have to put Arizona on my list of theologically inspired alternative realities out there. 


I'm sure the dinosaur tracks my daughters and I followed in the desert outside Tuba city were put there, what, 5,500 years ago and changed to solid rock in a "poof" of god's miracles,  Oh, and the petrified forest we meandered through on a warm April afternoon we created out of, well, nothing, 3,500 years ago and turned to rock by an evil witch.  And the Grand Canyon in all its glory was manufactured by God in place on day three, 6,000 years ago:


Genesis



" ⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. "

Here's to parallel Universes existing on this self same plane right next door.

And you never knew!