Science is broadly defined as a systematic enterprise that gathers, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. No matter how one looks at science, it is curious that anyone of even reasonable intelligence could possibly find a cause to consider it as a devious tool to advance a dangerous ideology. However, according to Republicans beholden to the Koch brothers and fossil fuel industry, that is precisely what science entails and they have launched yet another taxpayer funded assault on scientific research about weather and oceans.
When a noted climate denier funded by the Kochs and the oil industry became chairman of the House Science Committee, it was feared Lamar Smith (R-TX) would do serious damage to any scientific organization remotely related to the Earth’s climate. Smith found an easy target in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tasked with studying and reporting on the condition of climate, weather, oceans, and coasts. Armed with “suspicious subpoena power,” the House Science Committee is using its authority to conduct a witch hunt against NOAA scientists for doing the job they are paid to do; study the oceans and atmosphere and publish the results.
The Koch committee is harassing individual scientists and, in particular, is launching an investigation into the actions of one specific climate scientist who committed a mortal sin by having the “temerity to express his personal views that fossil fuel companies should be held accountable for climate change.” Although the committee has not formally issued subpoenas an investigation has been initiated. Like the Republican Benghazi, Clinton email, and I.R.S. investigations, it is just another witch hunt. It is also a monumental waste of taxpayer money on several levels that is driven by the Koch brothers and the dirty energy industry.
Now, the committee is ramping up its harassment of government agencies that conduct scientific research and last week subpoenaed seven years of internal deliberations and communications among scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; including “any and all documents and communications” related to NOAA’s measurements and documentation regarding the atmosphere, oceans, weather patterns and how they relate to the Earth’s climate.
Based on past Republican witch hunts, “all documents and communications” means every single email, preliminary draft, peer review comment, notes, audio recordings, and a “treasure trove” of other material. What that also means is that taxpayers will pay for federal employees who are not scientists to study and analyze literally hundreds-of-thousands of pages of empirical data and scientists’ records for no stated purpose whatsoever. The NOAA was given two weeks to comply or face sanctions. Here is the issue that should incite rage in the public; besides a cabal of Koch acolytes wasting taxpayers’ time and money harassing scientists, any and every last piece of that data under subpoena is already accessible to the public.
Since it is obvious the Koch committee is using its authority, and taxpayer money, for the sole purpose of harassing scientists unwilling to give the Koch’s and fossil fuel industry the results they want, one Democrat on the committee issued a letter outlining the true purpose of the demand for 7 years’ worth of data and NOAA scientists’ personal communications. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) is the ranking Democrat on the committee and wrote;
“Obtaining all of the data and methods used in this study seemingly was not enough for the majority. You also demanded internal communications by NOAA scientists regarding their scientific research. NOAA, rightfully, has been reluctant to waste their time and resources, not to mention break confidence with their superb research scientists by responding to this demand.every other committee formed by republicans to invalidate facts scientific or archived or rebuked by them in their own words on video or in text has failed to find the red jelly bean in a bottle of white ones. killing the climate change reality is impossible swaying some thoughts probable after all as G W Bush said, "you can fool some of the people all of the time and those are the ones you want to concentrate on".
i still think it is a necessity that they undermine it because embracing the truth gives them no leg to stand on in the denial and brings in to play all the safeguards and regulations that keep us safe from them and their indifference to who they pollute or make sick or kill as long as they have carte blanche in the air, water and grounds to do as they want to get another dollar.
and who is at the center those who would buy the gov't for their own advantages KOCH INDUSTRIES.
