Silt crazy after all these years...

Rivers, my old foe...we meet again.

Is it me, or is the political situation getting increasingly hopeless? I ask because I just read this story about how Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama in a congressional hearing about climate change argued with a scientist, an actual scientist about the cause of sea level change (here at around the hour and twenty-four mark). According to Brooks, it's not that human industrial activity is increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere leading to higher temperatures which then melt polar ice and raise the sea levels. It's rivers.

Finally...

Rivers wash silt into the ocean displacing the water and causing the terrifying increase in sea levels that will soon inundate our coastal cities. Well, I say thank God. We almost had to re-evaluate our impact on the environment and take responsibility for the state we leave it in for future generations, but rivers? We can't control rivers, and that means we're off the hook. In fact, since climate change is out of our hands, we should just go ahead and roll back whatever environmental regulations we have left, right?

Yes, rivers. Of course! It's been rivers all along and-wait a minute...that doesn't sound right. It kind of sounds like...what's the phrase? Like bullshit, but the kind of reckless bullshit that threatens to drown our civilization?

"Damn you rivers! Damn you all to hell!"

"Sorry kids, but Grandpa earned that
money and he'll be damned if he's gonna
let those hippies in congress take it."

Just for some background, Representative Brooks of Alabama, a Republican-try to act surprised-is a signatory of the AFP No Climate Tax Pledge, which is a pledge to vote against any climate change legislation that would raise taxes. It was drawn up by the conservative group Americans For Prosperity and includes Senators, Governors and congresspeople who I guess love prosperity for America so much that they're willing to die for it...well, willing to let succeeding generations die for it anyway. Same thing. You know, the word hero gets thrown around a lot these days...

Ever since Mo Brooks has been on the
planet, he's been kind of a dick. Why is that?

Anyway, I think it's fair to say Representative Brooks hates children, especially yours. But let's start at the beginning, when it became Mo Brooks' turn to ask questions at Wednesday's hearing. Going from zero to aggressively ignorant douche, he began with:

"Ever since human beings have been on the planet, sea levels have risen relative to ground levels. Why is that?" 

-Representative Mo Brooks,
going in so strong he doesn't
even need supported facts

In many ways Representative Brooks was setting the tone for his line of questions. A line that would be rooted in the scientific method: First start with an observation that supports your worldview, then bully and harangue those around you until they stop questioning you. 

Science: It's whatever you want it to be!

"The Nobel committee said my cancer cure
was just Sharkleberry Kool-Aid, but I guess
everyone's entitled to their opinion, right" 

There was a brief moment where none of the scientists gathered corrected Brooks on his flawed premise, but then the congressman waved dismissively and said: "Any of you can opine as you wish." Sigh. And I think this is kind of emblematic of the problem here, like, these scientists didn't come to opine, they came to give the panel the benefit of the science behind why cities like New York and Miami will soon be goddamn Venice. I mean, he knows science isn't opinion based right? Like, it's open to questioning, but not opining.

Willful ignorance and an intern?

Anyway, Doctor Phillip Duffy, a climatologist and physicist who's devoted his career to addressing climate change, graciously explained that no, sea levels have fluctuated with the cycles of ice ages over the last three million years and that the recent, crazy-high increases over the past century is attributed demonstrably to human activity. But of course credentials and a lifetime spent specializing in a subject is nothing compared to, you know, whatever Mo Brooks has got.

"That wasn't the question, I appreciate your wanting to expound on that. My statement is that since human beings have been on Earth, sea levels have risen. What are the factors that have caused it [sic] to rise?"

-Representative Brooks,
asking all the tough statements

"I...I'm not sure I can make this any simpler for you without putting together
some kind of Schoolhouse Rocks-style animated film about how our descendants
will fight wars over fresh water. Would you...would you like me to do that?"

-Dr. Phillip Duffy, grasping at straws

Factors like this guy bailing out his boat?

Confused, Duffy started to explain again only to be cut off and again pressed to list things other than three hundred years of human-produced industrial age carbon being spewed into the atmosphere that could explain climate change:

"I'm talking net, not fluctuations. Let's assume for a moment that what you're talking about has some kind of factual, rational basis. That ice has melted. Are there other factors?"

Huh? Yes, this is a U.S. member of not only Congress, but of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Duffy, for an heroic third time tried to explain only to again be interrupted:

Can you concede something
that's part of the geological record?
Isn't that just accepting facts?

"Hey Doctor, Doctor, you're not answering my question again. I'm conceding for the moment that there has been ice meltage [sic] compared to three million years ago or whatever since that's the time frame you used. I'm asking another question and it is: what other factors have caused the sea levels to rise relative to dry land? Is anyone else having-I mean in particular Dr. Duffy, you said there's going to be massive, isn't that the word you use? Massive sea level rises, don't you think that if you're going to have that kind of statement you aught to have some idea as to what all the causes of sea level rises has [sic] been?"

Because if that's on the table, I don't
think Brooks and I can be friends. 

So first of all, was he listening to some other climatologist? Maybe one that didn't thrice explain, in increasingly simple terms how and why sea levels are rising at an alarming rate? And second of all, did you notice when Brooks was weirdly dismissive of Duffy's use of three million years as the time humans have been on Earth? Is it possible that this member of a congressional committee on science was fighting down the urge to argue with him about how long humans have been around? I mean, let's pick our battles, but still.

I really think we need to address the more troubling issue of a Congressperson who again is on the congressional science committee, interrupting a scientist who was patiently and politely offering expert testimony on an incredibly complex topic with world-ending consequences in terms that even someone like him (a layman. What'd you think I meant?) can understand.

"Carbon bad, make hot, water more higher."

-Dr. Duffy dumbing it
down as far as it can go

Which is to say, these
 seven billion idiots. 

So why in the name of fuck is Brooks Republisplaining climate change to a climatologist? And in further fuck, why is he arguing with him? Oh, right, because this isn't about addressing climate change. It's about worldview. Brooks isn't harping on the other factors that contribute to the sea levels rising because he's concerned about them as well, he's insisting Duffy come up with other possible causes he we can blame because he wants to construct an argument that supports his preference to not do anything about the only factor that matters.

And that's why people like Representative Brooks scare the shit out of me. As long as we let any jackass able to convince enough jackasses that their flag pin and folksyness makes them experts on everything, we can pretty much resign ourselves to life under the sea.

"Yeah, but I'm 64, so even if I conceded that climate 
change isn't just a conspiracy cooked up by Obama and 
the gays, it wouldn't really to be a issue for me, would it?"

-Mo Brooks, Congressperson from 

Alabama and part of the problem