Meteors aren't Real, Apparently!

Hi,

Below is the link and detail to a blog from the States. What is said is pretty scary, even more so the person saying it is the Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzr...ence-of-meteors.html


WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology said today that the committee would hold hearings next week “to settle the question, once and for all, of whether meteors exist.”

“The media has been in something of a frenzy recently on this whole topic of meteors,” said chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas). “I think it’s irresponsible of them to frighten the public about something that, at the end of the day, may be about as real as unicorns.”

Rep. Smith said that he had seen recent reports of the “so-called Russian meteor” of last week, but added, “Maybe it’s the scientific skeptic in me, but this ‘meteor’ may just have been a bunch of fireworks that some Siberian fellow set off after drinking a little too much Stoli. It is winter, after all, and that’s how those folks keep warm.”

The Texas congressman said that he and other meteor doubters are worried that scientists had “a vested interest” in convincing people that meteors are real: “They want the government to spend more money on science, and, let me tell you, that is the last thing the Science Committee is going to do.”

As for the scientific theory that meteors may have killed the dinosaurs, Rep. Smith chuckled, “That theory would also have us believe that there were dinosaurs.”

Neill

Incredible! I must admit that the report seemed so unbelievable that I checked just in case it was a spoof - it reads like one of those really funny articles in "The Onion". But no, this guy was serious!!! What does that say about the people who elected him, and the colleagues who put him into the Chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology?

I think I'll go back to bed and stay there until I win the Lotto, or I get a pay rise, or these people see sense (in order on decreasing likelihood).

Thanks for posting.

Mike

Actually further digging reveals that it IS a spoof, the blogger, Andy Borowitz, is a satirist. Sorry that I fell for it, but the really sad aspect is that many of the views of Rep. Smith are so unscientific (anti-scientific?) that the spoof was actually believable.

Mike

It did remind me a bit of the Onion.

Borowitz is spoofing the fact that Lamar Smith is a climate-change skeptic. Personally, I do think the science behind climate change is weaker than that behind meteors -- although I'd argue that it's strong enough that we ought to be doing something about it.

In any case, the piece was good enough satire that I'll give Borowitz a bit of leeway.

Cheers,
Jeff

I think there is little doubt that our climate is changing and the rate of change is increasing. I also fully understand that earth's weather has constantly changed over the last 4.5 billion years...sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly...however ice cores taken from the antartic show rises in CO2 in the last 100 years far greater than
any other time in recent geological history. (as well as other various pieces of evidence.
There is little doubt the 7 billion humans, Industry, and destruction of the worlds forests and habitats (not to mention the oceans) is altering our climate at a dangerous pace
I don't suggest for a moment that anybody involved with astronomy or earth sciences on this forum disbelieve meteors or climate change...but there are far too many people on earth who do not, will not, or can not understand the data :gramps: :ermm:

I think it is more the fact that people do not WANT to know or understand the data. Who is going to give up their nice shiny car, or stop heating their homes, or eating food out of season, to really make the case?