Earth to Family First, has anyone there heard of science?

Goodness me that Senator Steve Fielding. With his latest views on climate change, he’s just managed to raise the stakes in senatorial stupidity to the next level. With the exception perhaps of Victorian Labor Senator Stephen Conroy who was the very man who engineered the famous “own goal” preference deal that managed to get Family First into the senate in the first place.

So poor old Steve Fielding has got himself into a fine pickle by heading off to the USA to do his “own research” on climate change by going to visit a fine bunch of corporate extremists known as the Heartland Institute. You may remember them as the mob that argued laws against smoking were based on “junk science”. Oh and yes they got money from big tobacco for that. And now they argue there is no climate change. And yes they have a long history of major support from the Fossil Fuel Empire, particularly ExxonMobil, however they have recently gotten wise to the criticism and sensibly now hide who their donors are.

I was pleased to see a great piece in the Sydney Morning Herald by Stephanie Peatling on the issue – “Senator blows hot and cold on science” http://www.smh.com.au/environment/senator-blows-hot-and-cold-on-science-20090610-c3ox.html
Ouch - You couldn’t get much more to the point in the mainstream media.

If Fielding is not capable of understanding how peer reviewed science works, surely someone out there in Family First land can give him a hand – they can’t all be that bewilderingly blind and so easily swayed by the most basic of Corporate Manipulation 101. We know Family First are supposed to have been the love child of fundamentalist Christian Assemblies of God Church, surely some of them can manage to begin the debate on climate change within the realms of actual science rather than corporate PR?

Reminds me of another passion of mine - to keep up with the arguments of similar Corporate propaganda outfits in Australia – keep an eye out for the particularly loony Jennifer Marohasy and her extremist think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. More on this soon. Perhaps Steve Fielding could do some of his “own research” on the deliberately manipulative aspects of these kinds of think tanks and PR units. I know you are busy senator – look me up if you need a hand with the research.

In the meantime see you at the Climate Emergency Rally happening in cities all around Australia this Saturday.