Dr. Jeff Masters is one of the creators of The Weather Underground, one of the better weather sites around. In his latest blog entry (
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/Jef...&tstamp=200802)
he points out that of the 2,679 questions asked of the presidential candidates by the news media in 2007, only three were about global warming--the same number of questions that were asked about UFOs! He didn't mention how many questions were asked about ethanol fuel supplements.
The four major candidates have been invited to participate in
http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php, scheduled for April 18, 2008, at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphis. The event has an incredibly long list of reputable sponsors, and according to Dr. Masters, is designed
"to discover the candidates' views on many science-related topics, such as climate change, clean energy, health care, science education and technology in schools, scientific integrity, GM agriculture, transportation infrastructure, the genome, data privacy, intellectual property, pandemic diseases, the health of the oceans, water resources, stem cells, conservation and species loss, population, and the space program."
These are very important policy issues, and it's unlikely we'll hear much about the candidates views on them unless they're forced to focus on them in a debate setting. The big question is, will their "handlers" allow them to participate? With all the "junk science", and politically driven "scientific" hype, and the "dumbing down" of the educational system, I think we deserve to know where the candidates stand on these issues.