SD Reps speak out on "global warming lies and deceit"

... with my response below

On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 1:17 PM, wrote:

Dear Curtis, thank you for your recent email re. HCR 1109. Anyone that would come out against the obvious need for 'balance' on this issue has been living in a cave. It seems that each day more emails are revealed that show the lies and deceit by those that worship at the altar of global warming. I look forward to the day that I can vote for an actual bill that would mandate equal teaching on this issue in our public schools.

Sincerely, Rep. Jensen

I answered:

Rep Jensen,

You are welcome to your opinions about science, it's a free country, but that's really beside the point.

The main problem I have with this bill is that it casts South Dakota in a bad light to serious scientists, to the point of perhaps persuading DOE and NSF to think twice about making major investments in a state that seems to be interested in DUSEL mostly for a federal handout, since South Dakota's elected officials often demonstrate such little respect or understanding of scientific endeavor.

Curtis Price
108 E Centennial
Rapid City

I also heard from the bill's sponsor, Rep. Don Kopp, who revealed his Zoroastrian view of the world (Rep Kopp, if you're reading this, time to google "Zoroastrianism" -- or maybe use your Webster's Abridged if you don't have a handle on the google yet.

On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 11:55 AM, wrote:

This isn't a garbage bill. It is absolutely fair and promotes good science. If there are two sides to a scientific issue but only one taught, that's not scientific education, that's indoctrination.

rep don kopp

My response:

So, you stand by "astrological" causes for climate change?

Rep Kopp, with all due respect, you are welcome to your opinion about climate science, but

a) I called it a "garbage" bill because I have a problem with the Legislature so cavalierly speaking about science or education issues. Do you have research proving a bias in South Dakota classrooms in the first place? Did you entertain any input from scientists and science educators in the state? If you had done the basic work even a HCR deserves, I seriously doubt the word "astrological" would not have been in the text of the bill as passed.

b) the bill has cast our State in a bad light -- and could hurt our chances for DUSEL to be chosen as a national science laboratory. If DOE abandons DUSEL, killing the project, _you_ will be one of the people that defeated it.