Political Irony

I’m always complaining about false equivalences, like claims that all politicians are equivalently bad, regardless of party.

However, I have to admit that Kentucky just might be the exception that proves the rule. In a hearing about carbon emissions and global warming, both sides seem to be vying for the boobie prize of stupidity.

On one side was Republican Brandon Smith, saying “I won’t get into the debate about climate change. But I’ll simply point out that I think in academia we all agree that the temperature on Mars is exactly as it is here. Nobody will dispute that. Yet there are no coal mines on Mars. There’s no factories on Mars that I’m aware of.”

Well, actually, I will dispute that, since the average temperature on Mars is actually –81 degrees Fahrenheit, being further away from the sun and having an atmosphere thinner than at the top of our tallest mountains. Not to mention the strong winds.

Representing the Kentucky alternative was Democrat Kevin Sinnette, who claimed that climate change didn’t kill the dinosaurs, so human beings should be just fine. “The dinosaurs died, and we don’t know why, but the world adjusted. And to say that this is what’s going to cause detriment to people, I just don’t think it’s out there.”

I may not like false equivalences, but these two are equivalent in falsehood!