Climate Change and Science…

Dear Editor, 

For once I agree with Ben Olson, with his comment “I long for the days in the future when science is treated as fact and not activism.” The comment pertained to his observation of heavy forest fires “every single year” somehow being linked to “climate change.”

Climate change is a fact. Our planet has been literally consumed by fire, ice, flooding and everything in between since the beginning of time; however the notion that somehow humankind causes climate change is a pure manipulation of science in order to fit a greenie activist agenda (we can have a civil debate on this subject, but I can’t use up my allotted 400 words explaining proven science to you in this particular letter).

My main point is about gender identity. Gender is a clear-cut scientific fact. Just look down, every one of us is either a male or a female. Nothing to question, right? However allow a small minority of “science deniers” to push a progressive homosexual agenda and watch scientific fact go flying out the window. So I am very glad to hear that the Reader will no longer support science deniers pushing their absurd notion that gender is somehow “fluid” and can be “questioned.” 

My next point regards abortion. Scientific fact clearly shows life begins at conception, that the new life has a heartbeat around the 18th day and by the ninth week has basic human structure, eyes, fingers and toes, etc. Once again the science deniers (Planned Parenthood and others) throw science into the trash in order to push their activist agenda, calling this new life an egg or tissue, in order to “choose” to grind up and get rid of the poor unwanted thing. That is if they are not too busy trying to preserve and sell those no-longer-needed fetal body parts. 

One more fact, although not scientific, is still nonetheless true. Our country was founded on the belief that we have “been endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights, among these are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The age old truth of “live and let live” dies when we allow leftist activists to push their science-denying, life and liberty-destroying agendas.

Yes siree, Bob (Ben), I, too, “long for the days in the future when science is treated as fact and not activism.”

David Haussler
Bayview

David, 

I loathe when people try to put words in my mouth or attempt (not so cleverly) to spin my meaning. When I wrote the bit you quoted, I was referring to climate change deniers ignoring science, instead relying on their emotions to drive their worldview. Your letter is a perfect example of the logical fallacy known as “false equivalence.” I wrote a series on logical fallacies a few months back. Let me know if you’d like copies.

The Reader supports LGBT rights and equality, which includes gender identity. 100 percent. Regarding your other points (which are lean on scientific fact), you are certainly entitled to your opinions. I’ll leave it at that. If you have a problem with me or the Reader, might I suggest finding another publication to read that better suits your needs?

Ben Olson

Publisher, Sandpoint Reader.

While we have you ...

... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.

You can contribute at either Paypal or Patreon.

Contribute at Patreon Contribute at Paypal

You may also like...

Close [x]

Want to support independent local journalism?

The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned, in a partnership between Publisher Ben Olson and Keokee Co. Publishing, the media company owned by Chris Bessler that also publishes Sandpoint Magazine and Sandpoint Online. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.