Above, a cartoonish Westboro Baptist Church protest against NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and their “scientific blah blah blah”. Normally a sideshow to ignore, but in this case, a pixel in a larger picture.
I’ve pointed out the correlation between climate denial and racism a number of times. That’s not the only bigotry that seems epidemic in the climate denial community. As we see more and more the unraveling effects of increasing greenhouse gases, expect more of this.
Perhaps the commonalities between science denial and bigotry are the rule of fear, the elevation of ignorance, and always, always, as the clip of North Carolina governor Pat McCrory, below, shows – the transparently fake religiosity as a cover for craven servitude to the powerful.
North Carolina a “Pioneer in Bigotry” – New York Times:
Officials in Charlotte, N.C., spent more than a year carefully considering and debating an antidiscrimination ordinance that was passed in February to promote the city’s culture of inclusiveness. State lawmakers quashed it on Wednesday by passing an appalling, unconstitutional bill that bars transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender identity and prohibits cities from passing antidiscrimination ordinances that protect gay and transgender people.
Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed the bill into law late Wednesday, said it was necessary to undo Charlotte’s ordinance, which included protections for gay and transgender people, because it allowed “men to use women’s bathroom/locker room.” Proponents of so-called bathroom bills, which have been introduced in state legislatures across the country, have peddled them by spuriously portraying transgender women as potential rapists.
IT IS pretty clear that nothing was going to deter North Carolina lawmakers from their blind rush to enact legislation sweeping away basic protections for gay, bisexual and transgender people. Debate was a hasty 30 minutes; the span between introduction and the governor’s signature a mere 12 hours. Completely ignored were constitutional concerns about discrimination, potential harm to individuals or the reality that the supposed crisis being addressed (dangerous bathrooms) is a concocted issue.
In a 2008 interview, then gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory (R) was asked if he believes climate change science. His response was that “some things are out of control” and that “it’s in God’s hands.” Since then, he has admitted the climate is changing, but still shows some doubt on how much is human-caused. Since he became governor in 2013, there have been drastic changes to the state agencies responsible for addressing climate change, including the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR). The Asheboro and Randolph Courier-Tribune reported, “DENR had previously made climate change a key component in its 2009-13 strategic plan. That plan included launching a climate change initiative and forming a climate change steering committee. The strategic plan cited a ‘fierce urgency’ for dealing with climate change.
But with the election of Republican Gov. Pat McCrory in 2012, new leadership was also installed at many state agencies, including DENR. A DENR employee who worked on the Interagency Leadership Team plan, ‘Climate Ready North Carolina,’ was reassigned to new duties when the current administration took over, and she said she didn’t know who might be working on climate change.” Since that article was published in July 2013, DENR has removed links and documents containing information about climate change from its website. McCrory has also been very outspoken about his desire to open up more land and even the coast of North Carolina, a popular tourist destination that fuels the coastal economy, to drilling operations. He joined a coalition of governors that support drilling in the outer continental shelf and signed a law that lifts the state’s moratorium on fracking permits.
In the through-the-looking-glass world inhabited by modern American politicians and activists of the right, climate change and the contributing role played by humans and their consumption of carbon-based fuels is a left-wing myth. Like the fierce tobacco defenders of the last century who for so long loudly proclaimed that the jury was still out on cigarettes and health, there is scarcely a prominent conservative politician with the courage to acknowledge the obvious — even when they know better. With rare exceptions — Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire are two of the most prominent to publicly break with Koch-funded orthodoxy — denial and obfuscation are the name of the game.
Some politicians, however, seem to want to have it both ways. Take North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory for example. Since taking office, McCrory has regularly regurgitated the official right-wing lines that there is no conclusive evidence, that current warming may be the result of other natural forces, blah, blah, blah. Recently, the Guv has even gone so far as to join forces with other conservative governors to oppose the Obama administration’s late and inadequate efforts to combat climate change — an EPA initiative known as the Clean Power Plan.
The only bright spot here is the fact that, like climate denial, bigotry based on sexual orientation is in decline around the country, and the gap between the anti-science community and increasing majorities of young people continues to grow wider each day.
Reblogged this on A Green Road Daily News.
Was that Russell Cook in drag in that Westbro/NASA clip? Just asking.
That woman may have thought processes as scrambled as Russell’s, but it’s not him. Russell goes nowhere without his black baseball cap with the cherished pin from his Uncle Fred Singer stuck on the front.
Oh, puh-leeeeze. Doesn’t matter what you believe about what my religious beliefs might be, it only matters what you can prove. Funny thing here is how I agree with y’all whole heartedly that the Westboro folks are outright lunatics, with a viewpoint having literally nothing to do with whatever other topic they attempt to latch it onto.
Meanwhile, Crocks folks here already know that I’m living rent-free in “d.o.g.”‘s mind, now they know I’ve taken up residence in Lionel Smith’s mind. Notice how both have yet to dispute a word I say at GelbspanFiles.com or anywhere else in my online articles about myriad ways the ‘industry-corrupted skeptics’ accusation implodes. They don’t even lift a finger to try, but as seen below “d.o.g.” still veers off his self-made cliff. I don’t own black ball caps and I don’t wear ones provided by others.
Would love to joust with you fellows all day long, but this’ll have to be another drive-by shot. Next week is going to be one busy week. Be sure to relay my suggestion of an exit strategy to Gore’s AG friends. They are going to need one.
Get the net, Lionel—-we’ve hooked Russell for the umpteenth time, and he’s thrashing feebly alongside the boat with his mouth doing a “Donal Trump pucker, pout, and spout BS” thing. He talks about living rent-free in OUR minds but can’t seem to resist biting on the same old “baseball cap” lure and spouting the same old tired crap when he finds himself hooked once more
Just look at him, all bug-eyed and ranting about proving something about his RELIGIOUS beliefs, when what we said has nothing at all to do with anyone’s religion. I think we should string him up on the dock and have our picture taken with him this time (as we each hold two thumbs up, of course). On second thought, skip the picture—-who would we ever show it to that wouldn’t ask why we were so proud of catching such a dumb fish?
Notice how he tries to ingratiate himself with us by saying that HE TOO thinks the Westboro folks are lunatics. Russell is so out of touch with reality that he then chastises them for “having a viewpoint that has literally nothing to do with whatever other topic they attempt to latch it onto”, which is an EXACT definition of what Russell does here on Crock all the time with his one-note “prove it” song about things that happened back in the 1990’s and have long been superceded by all the recent revelations about Exxon, the CEI, and what the AG’s are doing to PROVE they have sinned.
Russell says we “don’t lift a finger to try to dispute what he says” at GobofSpitfiles? A complete lie—-I have asked many times that he allow comments there so that we can do exactly that on HIS dime. And remember that he has stated there that he …”welcomes all challenges to what is presented here”—BUT—“Comments are barred”. Considering that he has also stated that “The essays and future blogs collected on this (site) do not and will not address the science, economics, or politics of climate change or related issues”, I can’t imagine what his site is all about anyway (other than the maunderings of a sick mind who can’t support himself in any way other than whoring for the fossil fuel interests). It seems quite obvious that all Russell wants to do is waste our time here and draw us into a “debate” about HIS craziness on OUR site, thereby attempting to distract us from discussing the “science, economics, and politics of climate change or related issues” that are the heart of Crock and all legitimate climate change sites
Russell says he “Would love to joust with you fellows all day long, but this’ll have to be another drive-by shot”, which is an excellent characterization of the quality of his contributions here, as well as an admission by him that he doesn’t really have anything to say. “Drive-by shot” indeed! LMAO.
Russell says “Next week is going to be one busy week”. Yes, I.m sure it will be. Russell, his Uncle Fred and friends at Heartland, and all the other deniers and whores are going to be working on THEIR exit strategies—-stashing money offshore, looking for remote places to hide, talking to lawyers, obtaining new identity papers, visiting plastic surgeons for new faces, etc. You all can run but you can’t hide, Russell—-I’d suggest you turn state’s evidence and cut a deal with the AG’s who are coming to get you—-even the Mafia had its “rats”, and you have demonstrated much talent along those lines.
PS Wear your black baseball cap with Uncle Fred’s pin for your mug shot.
Time for another drive-by shot (needed to re-see what I had for my above comment notes before moving on to other stuff).
“… I have asked many times that he allow comments there so that we can do exactly that on HIS dime. …”
Like that will convince everyone here how “d.o.g.” has evidence to refute the details at my blog. But we can just hear the murmurs among Crocks folks – why doesn’t “d.o.g.” test-drive his evidence here at Crocks first as a public service for those who’d never go over to my blog no matter who is invited to appear there?
Then there is this gem: “… I’d suggest you turn state’s evidence and cut a deal with the AG’s who are coming to get you …”
Right. And who already ventured that suggestion? Oh, yeah. It was me: http://gelbspanfiles.com/?p=1930 You believe I’m paid “x” amount to lie? Your dear leaders who are swimming in money have a GOLDEN opportunity to put your money where your mouths are. Don’t blow it.
Meanwhile, must dash, I have my Pt 7 blog post to work on at GelbspanFiles … in which we can’t wait to see how “d.o.g.” disputes anything in that one …….
Companies like PayPal are forgoing expansion into the Tar Heel state due to this discriminatory law. This is shortsighted, as North Carolina has officially forbidden sea level rise there, and this should have significant insurance benefits.
I got 45 seconds into the first vid before my brain started to melt down and to avoid a core dump I had to turn it off 🙂 The stupid burns bright in all of them.
Thumbs up vote there, whole heartedly agree. But I watched it all the way through in order to be fully aware of where all the wheels come off. I also have watched Gore’s movie all the way through, along with more than one Oreskes, Mashey, Greenpeace, Sinclair and other pro-AGW videos. But what I routinely see from AGW folks is how they refuse to watch skeptic presentations. I’m fearless about viewing any AGW video. What on Earth would AGWers fear about skeptic videos so thoroughly that they can’t bear to watch more than mere seconds of out-of-context material?