Here's the latest GOP "stall tactic" in a very long parade of stall tactics:
Global-Warming Scientists ‘Need to Go Back to Square One,’ Rep. Barton Says
By Karen Schuberg, March 03, 2010
"Science is verifiable, science is something that can be replicated," Barton, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told CNSNews.com.
"This whole theory of global warming is just that: It’s a theory. It’s based on models. Models are based on variables, and conditions that the modelers that develop the models put into them. And the models don’t replicate what’s happened," Barton said. "So (scientists) need to go back to square one, look at the empirical data, look at alternative theories, and see if they can find a theory that actually fits the facts."
http://news.google.com/...
Sounds much more like Fudging the Science, to me ...
That's rich -- the GOP is NOW the the Party of Science, eh -- since when!?
The GOP is NOW demanding repeatable Scientific Experiments, before they will be consider acting, to protect the long-term viability of the Planet.
The Party of Faith and Family Values, has now "gotten religion" about Science? I thought their philosophy was about returning to the "ways of Past"? Here's a Newsflash for you Gophers, Science is about "moving into the Future"
Science is about empowering People to build a Better World, for the least cost. Sometimes that involves enacting Big Ideas, by well-funded Government programs. NASA wasn't built on a shoestring!
The conveniences of Modern Life, didn't just happen, by Osmosis -- NEITHER by endless Corporates Tax Cuts, either! They happened because Scientists, Engineers, Inventors got the Funding they needed, to do the Basic Research.
Discovery is Expensive -- and so is the Scientific Method. Yet it is those Science Budgets that are always targeted for ridicule and Budget Cuts, when the Party of "No Progress" -- tries to retreat to the "good old days".
According to the latest stalling tactic from Rep Joe Barton:
"Science is verifiable, science is something that can be replicated."
Hey Joe, by the time all the Planetary Ice melts -- it'll be TOO LATE for a Do-over! Of course that's NOT YOUR Problem is it? -- it NEVER is!
Newsflash Gophers -- we've BEEN conducting the CO2 experiment for Decades now -- AND the Planet is finally responding in kind.
PS. It takes a long time, to turn-around "the momentum" of a Ship as big as planet Earth -- but hey, we had all the time since that Industrial Revolution began -- it's just that we didn't have foresight to take our hand off that CO2 Rudder control. Sadly we still Don't. Scientific Foresight, is one of those rare commodities, these days ... Rarer even, than Bipartisanship.
Climate Change, may be a Computer-modeled "theory" -- which may sound ridiculous to pseudo-science Politicians -- but that's hardly surprising, since most of them can't see the Ramifications beyond their own career-navels ...
But Ridicule -- does NOT constitute Proof either -- indeed New Scientific "Theories" are often subject to public Ridicule -- prior to gaining public Acceptance.
Often such Theories morph into "Discoveries" -- as soon as the status quo Nay-sayers are put out to their "old school" pastures, and Society (and Science) just passes them by:
Science, Method, Climatology, and Forgetting the Basics
- Ric Werme
Sometimes a new theory receives more than skepticism, it can receive rejection or even ridicule. This happened with Alfred Wegener's theory of Continental Drift he developed to explain the existance of very similar fossils from both sides of the Atlantic and the apparent fit of South America's coastline with Africa's. It wasn't until ocean floor core samples provided overwhelming evidence that the sea floor has spread and is still spreading before he was proven right and the improved theory of Plate Tectonics is now unquestioned truth and explains much of the volcano and earthquake activity throughout the world.
[...]
A lot of evidence takes the form of numbers. Some data are wonderfully clean and predictive. The CO2 measurements from Mauna Loa are one of the best examples anywhere.
http://wermenh.com/...
There's your Scientific "repeatable proof" right there Rep Barton. CO2 levels keep going Up, Up, Up. Year after Year, after Year.
Game. Set. Match.
By the way, here are some other "crazy" Scientific Theories (in their day) which eventually gained general acceptance, for the sake of achieving Progress, for ALL of Humanity:
Fire
The Wheel
Agriculture
Chemistry
Gravity
Astronomy
Relativity
Geology
Evolution
Ecology
Acid Rain
Ozone depletion
Quantum Physics
Computers
Nanotech
Space Travel
(I'm sure you can think of others, being the scientifically literate bunch that you are.)
Often "Data Models" are a key component of formulating and testing New Scientific "Theories" -- as is the case with Climate Science.
Here's a brief refresher course for the New GOP "converts" to School of Science-Rocks thinking. Pay attention now, Gophers, this isn't High School -- it's Real Life -- comprehension matters!
Overview of the Scientific Method
The scientific method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. Scientists use the scientific method to search for cause and effect relationships in nature. In other words, they design an experiment so that changes to one item cause something else to vary in a predictable way.
Steps of the Scientific Method
[...]
Step 3) Construct a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work:
"If ___(I do this)___, then ___(this)___ will happen."
You must state your hypothesis in a way that you can easily measure, and of course, your hypothesis should be constructed in a way to help you answer your original question.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/...
Here are a few more Hypotheses that deserve be stated, tested, measured, and proven or dis-proven (especially since the GOP is now in such Evidentiary Mood):
A) IF Humans activities are capable of polluting land, rivers, streams, water tables, and even oceans -- faster than their natural capacity to cleanse themselves,
THEN Humans activities are capable of dumping enough CO2 into the skies, faster than the Atmosphere's ability to cleanse itself, too.
B) IF there is no "short-term" economic incentive -- for businesses NOT to Pollute, without some Clean Air and Clean Water laws,
THEN the absence of similar economic incentives to reduce CO2 outputs, will in the long-run will do to the skies, what was previously done to the land and water -- trash it!
C) IF politicians CAN postpone solving difficult problems for some future generations,
THEN they WILL do so, especially IF Inaction can be exchanged for their own "short-term" Career gains.
D) IF a Republican skeptic is arguing for more Scientific Proof,
THEN that politician is either afraid of losing Lobbyist funding, or has suddenly "got religion" about trying to build a science-based world, for all.
E) IF a Conservative is advocating the return to the Good Old Days,
THEN that Conservative wasn't paying much attention to the Plight of Workers back then, either!
All in favor of providing the funding to Prove these Theories -- say Aye!
All Opposed? -- we will need your Counter-Thesis' then! --
And by the way, Where's YOUR Proof, Rep. Joe Barton?
Where YOUR Evidence, that We have Time to Wait? ... wait for the "Science to fit the Facts" of the Ice Caps melting away, right before our eyes?