An unofficial source of toxic waste
Barry Bickmore is a scientist. And a Republican. It
happens:
Barry Bickmore is a geochemistry professor at Brigham Young University, an active Mormon, and an active Republican. From 2008-2010 he was a County Delegate for the Republican Party.
And he has
a quick word for Rush Limbaugh, who claims liberals just invented the term "polar vortex" for political purposes:
Meteorologists have actually been using the term “polar vortex” for some time–far beyond the past week, as Rush might gather by looking up “Polar Vortex” on Wikipedia and checking some of the references… such as this NASA press release from 2001, which is entitled, “Stratospheric Polar Vortex Influences Winter Cold, Researchers Say”. A little Googling might uncover this 1971 article in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences that mentions the “polar vortex”.
Bickmore makes clear that he doesn't know whether or not global warming is causing the weakening polar vortex, but says that it makes physical sense. He also points out that those who are citing a possible link also themselves make clear that the research is preliminary. It's a scientifically coherent theory, but not yet proven.
What I do know is that Rush Limbaugh doesn’t know anything about science, as he proves essentially every time he opens his mouth about a scientific topic. Given how much the guy is talking every day, I don’t understand how he could possibly know enough about anything to ever open his mouth with any conviction.
And I don't understand why any ostensible news outlet with any pretensions to credibility would ever cite Limbaugh on anything scientific. But that's the state of today's ostensibly respectable media. Don't take it from us, take it from a Republican scientist who is an actual expert in the field.