Cathy McMorris Rodgers Is Not A Scientist

Cathy McMorris Rodgers's town hall meeting was civil and lacking in substance. Pretty much what I expected. Everyone got two tickets with matching numbers. If you wanted to ask a question you put one ticket in the barrel. Quite a few people put their tickets in but didn't ask a question so there were some long pauses as we waited to see if anyone would come to the microphone.

 Cathy's supporters on one end of the street.

Joe Pakootas supporters were just down the road.

 

 Security and staff were very polite.

I figured my odds were between slim and none but I decided I would ask about climate change if my number was drawn. And since one woman was allowed to go on at length about how much she loved Cathy, I decided I would do the same but in the opposite vein.

Danged if my number wasn't the last one drawn.

Surprised, and now nervous, I came to the mike and started telling Cathy what a disappointment she was to me, how she looked out for corporate interests, didn't really care about her constituents, and was unable to answer any of the questions posed this evening. That got both sides of the crowd excited.

Then I asked her about climate change. "Regardless that 97% of climate scientists says climate change is manmade, even if it wasn't, if we can take steps to reduce our carbon footprint and mitigate the effects, should we be taking them?" Something like that. Like I said, I was nervous. 

That got the crowd riled up. Her supporters yelled it wasn't science and those who don't support her cheered. She rambled on about cap and trade legislation, CO2 levels, and the State of Washington being required to reduce carbon by 73%. She also said she believed in being a good steward. But then she said, "I am not a scientist."

If an oncologist says you have 6 months to live and you go to another one and she says the same thing, how many do you go to before you face reality? Or do you say, "I'm not a doctor," and ignore it? If climate change was a cancer, Cathy McMorris Rodgers is killing T cells.

*** Update:  I almost forgot. When the town hall was over, some guy in a ball cap that said "Veteran" came up to me.

"I got a question for ya."

"What's that?" I asked.

"How come they haven't outlawed dihydrogen monoxide?"

"You're a funny guy," I said. But I was thinking, "You're a dick."

"Most of those tree huggers don't know what the fuck it is."

He should drink some dihydrogen monoxide from a source polluted by fracking. Then he'd learn a lot more impressive scientific names. And he could rave on about keeping government regulation to a minimum.