Sunday, February 17, 2013

Cuccinelli’s book signing in Fredericksburg highlights his ability to read & write (& deny science)


So, you didn’t think Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli could write, did you? Well, he’s once again proved you wrong! And just so he could demonstrate his ability to write (and read), Cuccinelli attended a book signing for his new book, “The Last Line of Defense: The New Fight for the American Constitution,” at the Fredericksburg Barnes and Nobles book store[1]. Take that doubters!

Unfortunately, one epithet that Cuccinelli still dons with pride (well, one of many) is his disbelief in science; climate science to be more exact. 

According to Cuccinelli, carbon’s effects on earth’s increasing temperatures are ‘neutral’[2]. Here’s a direct quote from Cuccinelli’s “The Last Line of Defense”: “The EPA was attempting to transform the entire American economy and our standard of living because it said carbon dioxide was a pollutant dangerous to public health. Let’s not confuse carbon dioxide with carbon monoxide, the odorless, poisonous gas that’s also emitted during the combustion of some materials. No, carbon dioxide, or CO2—this “dangerous” threat to America and to the world—is the gas we all exhale from our bodies every second of every day. It’s also the gas that we readily and willingly consume when we have carbonated drinks.” Brilliant!

He’s right, you know. Down with the EPA and public health! Why, after all, should Americans fund an agency that brings…oh yeah, the EPA does contribute immensely to America’s economy![3]

For Cuccinelli, the issue may not even be whether he truly believes the archaic and inane ideas that fall from his mouth. He has found his political niche, staked his public flag, and will ride out this wave of demagoguery and populism until the people of Virginia actually have a chance to vote for his opponent.

But all of my jokes should not mask how threatening Cuccinelli’s ideas are to our continuously warming planet. Were Cuccinelli to put his ideas into play as governor of Virginia, who knows how far back Virginia and the rest of the world would be brushed back against the fight for less extreme climate change.

A win for Cuccinelli is a loss for human and environmental health for generations to come. The truth is all too often something which we don’t want to face.


[1] http://fredericksburg.patch.com/articles/cuccinelli-in-fredericksburg-for-book-signing
[2] http://www.bluevirginia.us/diary/8709/cuccinellis-bookpolluter-freedom-crusade-will-go-to-supreme-court
[3] http://www.epa.gov/oar/sect812/prospective2.html

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