Another Renewable Ignoramus

john skvarla new head of n. carolina dept

of environment & natural resources claims

the oil & gas resources of his state are

renewable despite scientific proof to the

contrary & offers as proof a 19th century

russian theory known as abiotic theory -

legitimate science has soundly rejected

this concept again as pure bunk- however

what has been proven beyond doubt is the

unlimited number of ignoramuses who

continue to bubble up from the ooze -

Whatever the facts whatever the science the new political reality of the day is that if you deny facts and challenge truth long enough and loud enough, eventually, people will start to believe you. I mean, if its on the internet then it must be true. The inmates really have learned how to play the media and with it the millions who hang on to the gospel of its every word.

Comments: 18

Larry M. Feb 19, 2013, 3:09pm UTC

The good people of North Carolina have elected a lot of Republicans over the last three years (in part because of extreme gerrymandering) and this is one of the consequences. A lot of idiots seem to have acquired office at the same time.

Pete S. Feb 19, 2013, 3:24pm UTC

If the good people of NC are electing officials who appoint bozos like Skvarla, what sort of fungi are the bozos of NC electing?

Larry M. Feb 19, 2013, 3:26pm UTC

Pete,

The Republican voters of NC are, by and large, very good people. They are "misled" and have accepted lies.

Thomas R. Feb 19, 2013, 3:29pm UTC

They can't think for themselves, so they use Limbaugh logic!

Pete S. Feb 19, 2013, 3:46pm UTC

Larry, this appears to be true of most of the people of the U.S. (look at the House of Representatives. They appear to have outsourced their thinking to others, with the idea that if it appears on TV or on the Net it can't be a lie, because if it were... well, it just can't be.

Nippy Katz (Not his real name) Demigod about Town Feb 19, 2013, 4:17pm UTC

I think that's generally true of the human race. Some people do it because of an authoritarian predisposition and others because it's easy. I doubt that many people in politics would like to have an informed electorate. People tend to vote emotionally and it works well for the people who run the government.

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Charles Ashurst Feb 19, 2013, 3:32pm UTC

Zackly.

Would that we could learn from how these same old tricks of the fools' paradise game were used to great effect in the past, how people were able to rationalize slavery into Christian charity, for example.

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Jim Marshall Feb 19, 2013, 3:32pm UTC

Why are we getting these people who feel that modern science is some tool of the devil? Is their computer evil because it can type 666?

Hal H. Feb 19, 2013, 3:40pm UTC

AH Men and Hallelujah, Brother -

Charles Ashurst Feb 19, 2013, 3:49pm UTC

In Utah, our excuse is that's how we were brought up. Use science when it serves you. Use superstition when it serves you better.

The rest of the country, I don't know what their excuse is.

Jim Marshall Feb 19, 2013, 3:56pm UTC

Alas, although raised in Appalchia, I was trained in electronics with a constant subscription to Scientific American a love of sci-fi. I can no longer think in that manner.

Nippy Katz (Not his real name) Demigod about Town Feb 19, 2013, 4:22pm UTC

People have distrusted science in this country forever. There's a strong anti-intellectual tradition. There was the religious revival of the early 1800s combined with the myth of the frontiersman who did just fine without "book larnin'." A friend of mine used to say "School don't make you smart." He meant that education can't make you any smarter than you are. He didn't say that ignorance was a good thing though.

Charles Ashurst Feb 19, 2013, 4:22pm UTC

Hey what do you know but I also was way into electronics as a lad. Maybe that was at the root of my apostasy, who knows?

Pete S. Feb 19, 2013, 4:43pm UTC

For centuries, the average person did not, despite the fact that Athena is the sister of Ares, make the connection between science/technology and warfare. Even WWI, which introduced tanks, machine guns, aircraft, and poison gas, did not sour most people on the idea of Scientific Progress. It took WWII and the bombing of Dresden, Coventry, Tokyo and ultimately of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (as well as napalm and a few other similar technological marvels) for people to question just what it was those double-dome eggheads were doing in their labs, and whether it was it really worth the toothpaste and washday miracles which seemed to be the civilian rewards from their research. Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard made it into space on what were pretty much glorified V2s.

aniko Feb 19, 2013, 4:56pm UTC

Ironically enough, the historical roots of American anti-intellectualism are supposed to be anti-authoritarian: think for yourself instead of accepting the official version from the elite establishment. That rejecting all educated sources and accepting everything out of the mouths of ranting shock jocks ultimately sponsored by the corporate elite isn't exactly doing that is easy to miss, apparently.

Pete S. Feb 19, 2013, 5:03pm UTC

aniko, it reminds me of the "Question Authority!" bumperstickers people used to sport, back when cars had bumpers. I would always ask them, "By what authority do you make this demand of me?"

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Charles Ashurst Feb 19, 2013, 3:39pm UTC

You know, this country can and has endured a whole lot of foolishness. Our saving grace has been that we were generally self-correcting over the long haul. Are we losing this capacity to self-correct? I swear to God, our right these days, the more they screw things up, the more fanatic they become theirs is the one true path.

Pete S. Feb 19, 2013, 5:00pm UTC

The American People have exchanged frontier pragmatism for ideology because the ideologues "explain" just why their ideology is better than the Other Guy's. Again, "As Seen On TV!" trumps actual reality and critical thinking.

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Another Renewable Ignoramus

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