Sen. Judy Burges wants to be the Grand Inquisitor of the Tea-Publican Inquisition against climate science

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

You remember Judy Burges (R-Skull Valley) or alternatively (R-Sun City West), don't you? Then Rep. Judy Burges was the "Birther Queen" who did not believe President Obama was born in the U.S. and that he was a "secret Muslim." The Birther Queen wanted President Obama to provide proof of his birth in the U.S., and inferred that there should be a religious test for office in violation of the U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Section 3. Legislator: No Obama on ballot if he can't prove US birth.

And who can forget her Tea Party World Nut Daily conspiracy theory against the United Nations Agenda 21 “sustainable development” plan: "an insidious attack on American sovereignty in an effort to build a one-world order." Arizona Bill Would Ban UN Agenda 21 Within State. "The blue helmets are coming!"

Now Sen. Judy Burges wants to be the Grand Inquisitor of the Tea-Publican Inquisition against climate science, and require teachers to teach children that climate scientists are blasphemers and heretics. "They are witches! Burn them at the stake!" AZ bill would let teachers dismiss global warming:

[A] state senator wants to free teachers to tell students why some believe there is no such thing as human-caused "global warming."

Galileo facing the Roman Inquistion by Cristiano Banti (1857)

More specifically, SB 1213 says school boards and officials cannot prohibit a teacher from helping students analyze and review the "strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories," which means teachers would be free to tell students not only that they believe global warming is a myth, but would open the door for teachers to argue for the scientific validity of "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolution.

Wait for it . . . "The bill has all the markings of model legislation written by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative business-backed organization, to suppress certain issues like global warming."

Burges said she did not get the language from the Legislative Exchange Council, saying it came from Tennessee. [And where did Tennessee get its "model legislation," Judy? That's right, ALEC.] But she made it clear she believes only the environmentalists' viewpoint is being presented.

"I just feel that our students are being inundated with things in classrooms," she said. "Students should be given all sides of the story," Burges said, something they may not be getting now.

"It actually says in the textbooks that if you don't believe in global change that you're very misinformed," Burges said.

"There should be an opportunity for teachers to step up to the plate and give their opinion, if they have scientific proof, that it isn't happening, that it's a natural phenomena, without retribution," she explained.

"I just happen to think that if a person believes that this is not man-caused or that man only contributes so much, then they should be able to stand before their class and discuss it," she said.

Science is based upon empirical observation and data, and then subjecting the findings to peer review to confirm the empirical observation and data. It is not based upon religious beliefs, myths, legends and superstitions, nor uninformed opinions one got from the conservative media entertainment complex.

Andrew Morrill, president of the Arizona Education Association, said "The curriculum for teaching science is already balanced," he said. "If there's overwhelming evidence on one side, then within the science curriculum there's going to be a look at that evidence."

He said the [American] Legislative Exchange Council and other business interests want to label the issue "controversial" to minimize all the evidence linking human activity and rising levels of greenhouse gases to climate change.

"The controversy is at the political level, not the scientific level," Morrill said.

Enter the right-wing think tanks and scientists on the payroll of "big oil" and "big coal," and the GOPropaganda of the conservative media entertainment complex.

[Burges] noted, there are "numerous articles you can find that NASA has written about global warming and the impact of it" saying that "opposite side" is frequently ignored.

However, a quick read of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on the topic of climate change questions Burges suggestion they represent an "opposite side." The space agency says "the current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1,300 years," and cites five studies.

Burges also cited a petition signed by 30,000 scientists that says there is "no convincing scientific evidence" that human release of greenhouse gases will disrupt the planet's climate.

But critics have said the credentials of those "scientists" nowhere match those who see a link between human activity and climate change.

[See, Is there a scientific consensus on global warming? "This overwhelming consensus among climate experts is confirmed by an independent study that surveys all climate scientists who have publicly signed declarations supporting or rejecting the consensus. They find between 97% to 98% of climate experts support the consensus (Anderegg 2010). Moreover, they examine the number of publications by each scientist as a measure of expertise in climate science. They find the average number of publications by unconvinced scientists (eg - skeptics) is around half the number by scientists convinced by the evidence. Not only is there a vast difference in the number of convinced versus unconvinced scientists, there is also a considerable gap in expertise between the two groups."]

But wait! There's more. . .

The list of "controversial" issues SB 1213 is designed to address includes not just global warming but also biological evolution and the chemical origins of life, opening the door to teaching alternate theories like "intelligent design."

And there it is! The Grand Inquisitor wants to teach creationism (intelligent design) in schools. That's right, the Earth is only 6,000 years old and Jesus rode dinosaurs with his lesser known apostles, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. Judy Burges spent too much time hanging around with former Sen. Sylvia "6,000 years" Allen (R-Snowflake).

Burges said she plans to remove those references as the bill goes through the Senate. But because that language is only in a "legislative intent" clause and would not become part of the law itself, removing them would not legally limit the legislation to only cover climate change.

The Grand Inquisitor of the Tea-Publican Inquisition wants to repress science with religious beliefs, myths, legends and superstitions. It's back to the Dark Ages if Judy gets her way.

Comments

[AZterritory]

Common sense is so rare these days it should be classified as a super power.

[NidanGoju]

How ironic that, in a treatise where you argue for the "consensus" on global warming, you included portrayal of one of the most notable protagonist against consensus in history!!

Consensus is not science. Nor is it part of the scientific method.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/warming-340836-singer-stations.html

[AZ BlueMeanie]

Do you suffer from a synapses problem in your brain? Galileo was about the Church enforcing myths, legends and superstitions as church doctrine (despite the fact that the Pope privately conceded to Galileo that he was correct). He was not a protagonist against consensus but a protagonist against ignorance.

Scientific method does lead to a consensus when observed results can be verified. That's why there are few people today who would argue that the world is flat, or that the Sun revolves around the Earth.