Monday 16 September 2013

An Idle Bully Pulpit

I knew about the Stand Up for Science rallies today and had planned to attend the local one (until rent-paying activities intervened), but this hadn't occurred to me until I saw Canadian Cynic's tweets.





Yeah. So where is our Tweeting Super Star with more than 987,000 followers?

When I picked up on CC's tweet and started asking similar questions, I came under fire for 'insulting' and 'bullying' Commander Chris, notably from his son and ghost Tweeter, who protested that the commander stays out of politics.

Yes, the rallies today are partly politics -- people opposed to this ignorance-based government would tend to support them -- but they're not 'just politics'. At base, funding and valuing evidence and research and fact-based policies is about democracy and good governance.

As to the claim that Commander Chris stays out of politics. . .

He didn't decline the opportunity to participate in a photo op from space with PM Shithead.

Also from space, he took time to learn his 'highly scripted' lines for a photo op to celebrate plastic money.

And on June 10 this year, back on terra firma, he found time for a photo op at Sussex Drive with Herr Harper and Frau.

Now, I'm not a betting woman, but if I were, I'd stake a wodge of dough on the organizers of today's rallies having gone down on dozens of bended knees begging him to stand up for science today.

After all, government-funded science enabled his rather nifty career, not to mention paid his no-doubt decent salary. Why wouldn't he stand up for science and his fellow and sister scientists?

The inescapable conclusion -- unless and until our doughty media get around to asking him -- is that he said 'no thanks'.

OK, then. He may have his reasons (*cough* senate seat offer? *cough*) or previous commitments (*cough* book flogging? *cough*). He may be working on the issue behind the scenes, as some suggested on Twitter.

But seeing that I and nearly a million others gifted him with such a Bully Pulpit, it would have been nice for him to make use of it today.

I'll leave the final snark to CC.



By the way, sane Texans are also trying to Stand Up for Science today and tomorrow. Seems a bunch of yahoos down there want to put creationism in school science textbooks.

At this rate, it won't be long before Canadians join them in manning/womanning those barricades too.

But by then the war will be over and the vandals will have won.

2 comments:

the salamander said...

.. science, biology, ecology, environment .. flora & fauna .. Canada needs more exemplars to step forward and step up at a critical and dangerous point ..

This country has so many distinct, unique and highly capable exemplars.. far far out numbering the very active & vicious cadre calling for or propping up the Harper government attacks .. on nature, the earth, water, creatures & advocates.. just to satiate China's need for Canada's resources, their personal enrichment, or bizarre ethic less evangelical ideologies.. and rush like lemmings to the rapture

Certainly Commander Hadfield, with no partisan stance, could enlist or encourage hundreds, even thousands to speak for Canada, Canadians.. the land itself .. or at least examine the realities of what this Harper Party and subsidiary government is selling us.. like bad whisky and smallpox blankets in exchange for our docility and votes

To anyone who doesn't 'get it' .. (the realities) I often suggest they compare our former Minister of Environment (Peter Kent).. to an exemplar .. say David Schindler or Alexandra Morton.. and determine for themselves, who is real and who is a phony sellout .. Who would you trust ? Say.. uh, Joe Oliver or David Suzuki ? Or Tony Clement versus Frankie James ? How does Pierre Poilievre match up against Laila Yuile or Emily Dee ..

Who is going to come forward & boldly point out that Stephen Harper does not stand for Canada, that his shallow values are not our values, his attacks on science are destructive and self serving, and obstruction, denials, incompetence, litigation and electoral fraud against the dreams wishes and needs of Canada and its peoples.. is the complete opposite of the job description and requirements he was TRUSTED to HONOR ..

Pseudz said...

Hot damn! That 'The Salamander' person has run the ball right into the end-zone. Bravo! and Brava! to the Salamander and Fern Hill. Up-Standing be for science and evidence-based policy. We've been getting a mealy mouthed, sneaky, and mendacious version of the theme after entrusting these Harper-Con corporate shills with custody of the keys to the countries resources and reputation. Harper-Con-men. I look forward to more such clarity from both writers . . . thanks.

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