Science Is Inherently Political

As I write this it is the eve of Earth Day, when scientists and supporters of science are preparing to March for Science, in Washington DC and hundreds of other cities.  Many of my friends will be marching, while others have decided not to.  March or not, there are many justifiable reasons to decide either way.  But don’t say, “I’m not marching because science shouldn’t be political.”

I’ve got news for you: Science is political, science is inherently political, like it or not.  It surely need not be partisan- but it can’t help be political.

I am a professional in the field of earth and environmental sciences, and my discipline has always been about as political as any topic get.   Galileo, pursuing what we’d now call planetary science, was persecuted by the Roman Inquisition and put under house arrest by the authorities for showing that the Earth was not the center of the universe.  After Benjamin Franklin’s experiments on atmospheric electricity, he and his lightning rods were blamed for subsequent environmental disasters and almost squelched by politicians claiming Franklin had disrupted the balance of Nature.    

Today, petroleum geology experiences political magnification from all ends of the political spectrum, whether it’s “drill, baby, drill”, or “divest from all fossil fuels now.”  Many of the same issues are associated with mining and extraction of minerals, sand, and other resources investigated by economic geologists.  Environmental geologists deal with pollution of the air, water, and land- subject to strident political debates over whether contaminants should be regulated, and to what levels.  My hydrology colleagues deal with water, probably the most contentious political issue in the West  (legend has it that it was Mark Twain who said, “whiskey is for drinking: water is for fighting over”).  The seemingly-benign weather forecast can be a political hot potato: living on the border, at one time Federally-employed meteorologists in my city could get into big trouble with the powers-that-be for forecasting or warning about storms in an area “out of their jurisdiction.”  Even plate tectonics, the unifying paradigm of modern geology, offends those who are certain that the Earth is only thousands of years old.

Two of the most politically controversial issues in science are central to my discipline: evolution, and climate change.  Here in Texas, State House representatives filed bills in the current legislative session to constrain the teaching of evolution and to bar evidence of climate change from being used in many court cases.  Other states have attempted to legislate away sea level rise, and to mandate the teaching of young-Earth creationism.  You may not want science to be political, but politicians will keep feeling free to intervene in our science.

So march, or not: there are many legitimate reasons you may choose to publicly demonstrate, or to take a pass on it.  The scientific method is objective irrespective of political party, and Mother Earth doesn’t care whether you’re progressive or conservative, marching or staying home;  Gaia’s going to do what Gaia’s going to do.  Science shouldn’t be partisan.   But don’t say that it can’t be politicized- that train left a long, long time ago.

HOW TO INSTALL A REDNECK HOME SECURITY SYSTEM

1. Go to a second-hand store and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots

2. Place them on your front porch, along with several empty beer cans,    a copy of Guns & Ammo magazine and several NRA magazines.

3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazine.

4. Leave a note on your door that reads: "Hey Bubba! Big Jim, Duke and I went to the gun shop for more ammunition. Back in an hour. Don't mess with the pit bulls -- they attacked the mailman this morning and messed him up real bad. I don't think Killer took part in it but it was hard to tell from all the blood.

PS - I locked all four of 'em in the house. Better wait outside." 

INSTALLATION COMPLETE!!!!

IF THE MUSICAL "CATS" WERE PERFORMED BY ACTUAL CATS

[Based on a TOM GILL PREDICTS originally published in the year 2000]

"Cats" was the longest-running musical on Broadway at the time it closed.  As a review of my original Y2K TGP posting stated, "The show romanticizes and shrouds in mystery the lives and habits of America's most popular pet. Yet, even with the lively dancing and popular songs, "Cats" doesn't seem to capture the true-to-life behavior of our feline companions. Below is a list of what "Cats" would have to do to more accurately portray the true essence of cats..."

* Audience members would enter the auditorium only to find their seats had been clawed and covered with fur.

* The antagonist in the show would be a giant vacuum cleaner.

* Sometimes the cast would perform, but sometimes not - depending on their mood.

* Performers would leap off the stage and run up the aisles at the recorded sound of a can opener in the lobby.

* When certain audience members opened their playbills, a cast member would attempt to lie down on it.

* In the middle of a performance various cast members would curl up and go to sleep, even in the middle of a song.

* For no apparent reason, cast members would randomly run to the lobby, and then back to the stage at top speed. They would then continue as if nothing had happened.

* A special audience member would find a headless bird in his/her seat after the intermission.

* Snack bar employees would constantly be reprimanding cast members for walking on the counter.

* Open the stall door and guess who is drinking from the toilet?

* Part of the performance would include the cast climbing and shredding the theater curtains.

* The stage would be stained from someone coughing up a hairball and then eating it.

* Performers would find sand in the lobby ashtrays and - well, we don't have to draw a picture here, do we?

* The show would need to be stopped several times to allow cast members to "bathe" themselves.

* Most of the final act would consist of the cast just staring at the audience.

* The big finale would feature a giant ball of yarn, feathers on a pole, and stray strands of dental floss.

* Theater patrons waiting outside the stage door after performances would get their legs rubbed, if they were lucky.

* Cast members would never cash their paychecks, just play with them.