#369 My Newt

I read the October issue of Discover magazine. They had an interesting interview with Newt Gingrich. Newt has been positioning himself away from the far right in favor of a more moderate presidential approach. It looks pretty obvious that when the Bushes have finally burnt out, the eye of Newt is on the oval office. Which, if I’m not mistaken, means a more unbiased approach to scientific inquiry. Newt seems to have more progressive ideas on things like stem cell research, alternative fuels, and evolution. He said in the interview that he thought paying kids to take science was a good idea. His plan is to pay kids in the 7th to the 12th grade the equivalent of what they would make at McDonalds to take science classes and get a B or better. He said that if we reward rock stars and ball players to such a huge extent, the least we can do is create a culture of rewarding people with talented brains. Why shouldn’t a society reward a child prodigy in math as much as a child prodigy in basketball? I’m a little worried about the analogy of 7th graders working at McDonalds but for the most part I agree. Newt appeared to be conversant with many of today’s scientific dialogues but when it came to global warming he punted. When asked about Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” Newt said: “I haven’t seen it, but everything I’ve read suggests he grossly exaggerates the probable dangers. I believe as a matter of prudence, it is reasonable to try to lower the carbon load in the atmosphere.” Spoken like a true politician. Back-handedly dismiss his potential opponent and then go on to agree with the principle his opponent espouses. I worry though, that Newt the self-proclaimed science researcher is satisfied reading second-hand accounts of the movie rather than going out and seeing it himself. (A fiscal conservative like him probably needs to wait for the 2-for-1 special at the video store.) Really, the scientific method requires that you observe directly the things that you want to develop theories about. To just say about Gore’s movie that the “things I’ve read about it” etc. is pretty smarmy. Where did you read it, who wrote it, and did they see the movie? It’s like the famous Gore invented the internet quote. He never said it. As a senator, he lobbied strongly for the funding of Arpanet, the precursor to the internet. And he did so when everyone else thought it was crazy. When questioned about it years later, taking justified pride in his senatorial maneuverings, he said he was responsible for the creation of the internet. And in fact he was. He did not say, or claim, or imply, that he created the internet. But his opponent attack dogs, knowing that to accuse takes one-tenth the words than to defend, said he said it. And everything I’ve read since said he said it. Be careful what you read and be most careful of people who tell you what they said they read.
America, ya gotta love it.