On an interview this morning on NPR’s Morning Edition, NASA chief administrator, Michael Griffin defended NASA’s spending on a manned mission to Mars and planned permanent moon base and said that while NASA studies climate change, the agency has no authorization to “take actions to affect climate change in either one way or another.”
This excerpt from the NPR interview has got to take the cake as today’s Dumb Quote of the Day. Dr Griffin told NRP’s Steve Inskeep:
“I have no doubt that … a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with. To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth’s climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn’t change. First of all, I don’t think it’s within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown. And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that’s a rather arrogant position for people to take.”
Now, Dr Griffin is presumably a smart guy. So why did he say something so patently dumb on national radio?
Human civilization and the current biological community have evolved and adapted to living in current climatic conditions, which – relative to the changes we are now causing to the global climate – have been stable for tens of thousands of years. A change of ice-age magnitude proportions – several degrees Celsius of warming – would clearly wreak havoc on both human and non-human life. Dr Griffin has to know that, so why would he say something so stupid?
I hope this isn’t another example of government scientists towing a party line for the sake of the Bush Administration’s political agenda…
Either way, congratulations Dr Griffin – you win today’s Dumb Quote of the Day award!
[You can read a full transcript or listen to the interview here - the interesting part is about 4 1/2 minutes in.]
This is not a dumb quote. This is a part of a coordinated, coherent strategy for which the so-called climate movement has no response. There are three news items this week from the bush administration regarding climate. First, they reject G8/EU proposals, reinforcing their meme that international agreements are totally unfair. Next, they have their highest ranking official of the most prestigious scientific agency in this country, if not the world, wax poetic about human arrogance in the face of awesome nature, reinforcing doubt and their neo-biblical worldview one fell swoop. Finally, Bush grabs headlines extolling his FREAKING LEADERSHIP in fighting green house gases. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a plan. And until the “climate movement” in this country recognizes what these fascists are up to and comes up with a rapid response capability and a larger, coherent strategy, they will continue to kick our butts in the domestic and international policy realms, which ultimately are the only realms that matter. Right now, they have totally outflanked us and we are deluding ourselves to think we are making any real progress.
Yes, we do need to see the connections here, or we don’t have any strategy. And in case anyone didn’t hear: bush recently issued an executive directive stating that in the case of a national emergency that all power should be granted to the “unitary executive” (read: dictator) with the cooperation of the other branches of government. There you have it folks. Fascism.
http://www.alternet.org/story/52801/
And just in case you are bored or otherwise doing nothing remotely useful on the internet: Michael.D.Griffin@nasa.gov
Okay. Leave my dad alone. Look folks. I don’t like the guy. he and I are polar opposites. I give him crap everytime I see him. But you know what. He IS a really smart guy, and he DOES tend to wax poetic time time, and he IS right about a few things. Once again people are hearing what they want to hear. Why don’t you take the time to listen to the whole interview and THEN say whether or not he’s a bushie. For the record, he’s NOT. he’s just a scientist. And a better scientist than most, who has to deal with political crap like this, when all he wants to do is BE scientist. So why don’t we all shut up and let him BE a scientist, and start going after the REAL villains. Like say… I don’t know… BUSH?!!!