Listen to the scientist

Vincent J. Curtis

23 Mar 20

In a disjointed and lackluster column in today's Hannon Times, Geoffrey Stevens demonstrates declining skills as a propagandist.  If he knew what he was talking about, he would be dangerous; but he doesn’t, and isn’t.  He makes the usual demands of progressivism, expresses his snobbish distain for Donald Trump, and mixes in a curious tincture of protection of the communist Chinese regime in the column.

Progressivism can be summed up briefly: rule by experts, and the moral equivalent of war. Both of these are what Stevens demands for dealing with the pandemic.  The pandemic has quickly brought about the condition of the moral equivalent of war.  The rule by experts part comes from his “listen to the scientists” and the “Trump is a science denier” blather.  If Stevens genuinely believed in what he says, he would shut up and listen to me.

I’ve been a working research scientist for practically my entire career, and, among other things, have disputed vigorously the “man-caused global warming” nonsense since the beginning.  My article laughing at the just concluded Kyoto Accord was published in 1996, and since then I have seen all manner of dire forecasts prove to be completely wrong.

You see, science does not make judgements, particularly moral judgements.  All science does is discover and organize facts.  The question of what to do about those facts, the pandemic in this case, requires judgements about economics, diplomacy, and moral questions.  Science provides some, but not all, facts on which to make judgements in those realms.  If the politicians surrendered their power and roles to scientists, those scientists would be acting, not as scientists, but as politicians making political decisions!  When Minister Hajdu threatens to jail scoffers of her orders, is she acting as a scientist or a political thug? (Just an example.)

Stevens is at pains to protect the communist Chinese regime from criticism.  The Spanish flu is now, the “so-called ‘Spanish’ flu,’” which renders the expressions Wuhan virus or Chinese virus as signs of racism – just as the Chinese regime wants.  He said “the world was caught flat-footed,,,in large measure because decision-makers ignored or downplayed the warnings of scientists.”  If Stevens had said “China” instead of world, he would be right.  And the Chinese regime, afraid of its own illegitimacy, lied to the world about the explosion growing in its midst.  Nevertheless, Trump closed travel from China to a chorus of ‘xenophobe’ and ‘racist’ on the day after his impeachment trial ended.  Then, he closed travel from Europe after those oh-so-PC countries let themselves be thoroughly seeded with infected cases - but it’s Trump who’s the bad guy.

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has been closely guided by its experts in its policy decisions.  A joint committee of experts and policy makers headed by Vice-President Pence meets daily and recommends action.  Dr. Fauci has stated publically that President Trump closely follows the recommendations of the committee and usually asks many penetrating questions after being briefed.  Other than surrendering their political offices to unelected agency heads, the Trump Administration is doing what it was elected to do.  Bleating about ‘listening to the scientists’ only proves that Stevens hasn’t been paying attention.

Steven’s column was practically ritualistic.  But when you apply his rubric and prayers to the actual facts, he proves to be more an out-of-touch propagandist than a journalist.
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