Do I really need to point out that facts are true and “alternative facts” are lies? Real news is not fake and fake news is not real, though both exist.
I feel sorry for Fact Checkers these days. They must be exhausted, many succumbing to PFSD (Post-Fact Stress Disorder).
The Strategic Pinocchio Reserve has been depleted by the Great Trouser Fire of 2017. There’s an awful lot of smoke coming from burning pants, as well as from burning coal. There’s a cloud of chaos engulfing us from the White House, with a friendly assist from Moscow. Despite the smoke, we must remember that science is still real, and worth fighting for.
Pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, the latest declaration of prideful ignorance, gets us nothing other than scorn, and boosts China’s future as the leader in production of alternative energy technology. Being a bully is not leadership, and it’s not how to make and keep America great.
My congressman, Randy Hultgren, adores science. He’s avowed an undying love of neutrinos and even tweeted kudos after my climate research in Antarctica received media attention. But will he ever publicly acknowledge the factual reality that human activities are negatively impacting climate, and that the longer we ignore it the worse it will be for all of us?
When will patriotism again supersede party loyalty, or are we doomed to a future of division, tribalism, and decline? Republicans who stand up now for real American values of caring for people, respect for expertise, appropriate implementation of checks and balances, and the future, are the ones who’ll survive the Trump era.
To clear away the smoke, we must first put out the fire.
I’m Reed Scherer, and that’s my perspective.
