Wednesday, October 30, 2013

State Sen. Ken Haar appears on Rachel Maddow Show, lays sabotage of NE Climate Study, executed by Beau McCoy, at the feet of Gov. Heineman

Yesterday AKSARBENT blamed State Sen. Beau McCoy for torpedoing Nebraska's Unicameral-mandated climate change study by inserting the unscientific (in terms of climate change) word "cyclical" in order to sacrifice free scientific inquiry at the altar of GOP political correctness. We also saw the fingerprints of Gov. Dave Heineman all over this debacle:
The World-Herald's excellent coverage of this betrayed the invisible hand of GOP Gov. Dave Heineman, undercutting unfettered inquiry, but, as usual, not willing to answer direct questions about his office's below-the-radar machinations.
     Nothing Ken Haar said tonight to Rachel Maddow has dissuaded us from either contention.
     Maddow's customary shaggy dog exposition, which usually prefaces the discussion with her guest, ends here at the 10:40 mark, at which point she mentions Nebraska's particular circumstances before introducing Senator Ken Haar to her audience.
     You may want to skip ahead, though doing so means you'll miss an examination of GOP tactics in other states to make scientists kow-tow to right wing political correctness.



     Here's how the interview ended:
     Haar: The perversion of this study, as I would call it, happened in a committee that's supposed to carry out this study — that's supposed to find someone to do this study and report back to the governor and legislature.
      So it's the committee appointed by the governor, that has made this decision, which is not the intent of the legislation, that it should exclude anything that has to do with humans. In fact, it would almost be funny, Rachel, if it weren't so serious, but the study in my bill asks that we look at what climate science tells us about agriculture, water, wildlife, ecosystems, forests, outdoor recreation — all the kinds of things that will be affected by climate change. And then they go on to say, "But it can only be natural causes like volcanoes and solar variations."
So... you know, I can tell them exactly what's going to happen to Nebraska recreation if that volcano in Yellowstone blows up again. You know, we're going to be under 20 feet of ash. But volcanos are not cyclical, they're not predictable, and so this request for information being sent out, I think is an embarassment.
     Maddow: Nebraska state senator Ken Haar. Thank you very much for helping us understand this tonight, sir. I know that you've got a long fight ahead on this issue. Thanks for helping us understand it.
     Haar: Thanks for having me.
     Maddow: We appreciate it... Amazing. You can go study agriculture in this intensely agricultural state that has had huge issues with both drought and flooding and you are limited to studying whether it comes from volcanoes or solar flares. [Laughing] Get right on that! Anything else will make us too uncomfortable. It's just amazing.

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