Published: Thursday, May 21, 2009
CLIMATE CHANGE
Cited institute is, in fact, wacky
I accepted the challenge issued in the May 12 letter, "Fossil fuel caps aren't the answer," and Googled the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine.
The OISM is a school of chemistry in Cave Junction, Ore., founded by Arthur B. Robinson and his son Noah Robinson. I don't understand, so won't comment, on their chemistry curriculum. However, their paper on global warming has been debunked by Michael McCracken (climatesciencewatch.org) because the Robinsons basically ignore the sound science that supports that climate change is human-caused. McCracken labels them "contrarians." One of the Robinsons' recommendations is that the U.S. needs at least 500 new nuclear reactors to achieve energy independence. That must explain why a big section of the OISM Web site is devoted to ... nuclear fallout shelters!
Arthur Robinson also argues against Darwinian natural selection, promotes his own home schooling program as an antidote to "socialist public education" and decries government funding of science in general. They also advertise an anti-global warming Petition Project that has allegedly been signed by 31,000 like-minded "scientists."
It took me five minutes on Google and Wikipedia to find this information. I've accepted the challenge and done the homework. Is it OK for me to write off the OISM as "some right wing wacko" organization now?
Peter Collins
Arlington
The OISM is a school of chemistry in Cave Junction, Ore., founded by Arthur B. Robinson and his son Noah Robinson. I don't understand, so won't comment, on their chemistry curriculum. However, their paper on global warming has been debunked by Michael McCracken (climatesciencewatch.org) because the Robinsons basically ignore the sound science that supports that climate change is human-caused. McCracken labels them "contrarians." One of the Robinsons' recommendations is that the U.S. needs at least 500 new nuclear reactors to achieve energy independence. That must explain why a big section of the OISM Web site is devoted to ... nuclear fallout shelters!
Arthur Robinson also argues against Darwinian natural selection, promotes his own home schooling program as an antidote to "socialist public education" and decries government funding of science in general. They also advertise an anti-global warming Petition Project that has allegedly been signed by 31,000 like-minded "scientists."
It took me five minutes on Google and Wikipedia to find this information. I've accepted the challenge and done the homework. Is it OK for me to write off the OISM as "some right wing wacko" organization now?
Peter Collins
Arlington
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