Comments on: Volcano Monitoring http://www.below-the-fold.com/2009/02/volcano-monitoring/ Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:16:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brien http://www.below-the-fold.com/2009/02/volcano-monitoring/comment-page-1/#comment-267 Brien Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:35:31 +0000 http://www.below-the-fold.com/index/?p=2448#comment-267 " I mean, if he makes fun of volcano monitoring, and two weeks later a volcano erupts and lots of people’s lives are saved because they were evacuated due to volcano monitoring, any defender of volcano monitoring has a pretty big club against him, don’t they?" You would think. And in so much as there is about to be a volcanic eruption in Alaska and volcano monitoring has already gotten people evacuated, I tend to think it was a more reflexive bit of wingnut stupidity than some sort of calculated shot at Palin. Anyone smart enough to construct a roundabout attack like that is also smart enough to realize that it's probably going to backfire when the volcano erupts. ” I mean, if he makes fun of volcano monitoring, and two weeks later a volcano erupts and lots of people’s lives are saved because they were evacuated due to volcano monitoring, any defender of volcano monitoring has a pretty big club against him, don’t they?”

You would think. And in so much as there is about to be a volcanic eruption in Alaska and volcano monitoring has already gotten people evacuated, I tend to think it was a more reflexive bit of wingnut stupidity than some sort of calculated shot at Palin. Anyone smart enough to construct a roundabout attack like that is also smart enough to realize that it’s probably going to backfire when the volcano erupts.

]]> By: smibbo http://www.below-the-fold.com/2009/02/volcano-monitoring/comment-page-1/#comment-266 smibbo Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:46:12 +0000 http://www.below-the-fold.com/index/?p=2448#comment-266 I think Jindal flubbed because he flubbed. Not every mistake has a good reason. Sometimes people just aren't so good at speaking off the cuff. Talking bad about volcano monitoring was stupid and I think he picked that because it sounded "large" (volcanoes are big, right? "monitoring" probably requires big expensive machinery right?) and because Jindal just doesn't know anything about it. Kinda like Dilbert's Boss "I don't know what that is so it must not be important" After all, the Republicans have proven they enjoy using that logic. Why give Jindal the benefit of the doubt? He is, after all, a total party gopher. I think Jindal flubbed because he flubbed. Not every mistake has a good reason. Sometimes people just aren’t so good at speaking off the cuff. Talking bad about volcano monitoring was stupid and I think he picked that because it sounded “large” (volcanoes are big, right? “monitoring” probably requires big expensive machinery right?) and because Jindal just doesn’t know anything about it. Kinda like Dilbert’s Boss “I don’t know what that is so it must not be important”

After all, the Republicans have proven they enjoy using that logic. Why give Jindal the benefit of the doubt? He is, after all, a total party gopher.

]]> By: Matt Weiner http://www.below-the-fold.com/2009/02/volcano-monitoring/comment-page-1/#comment-265 Matt Weiner Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:07:52 +0000 http://www.below-the-fold.com/index/?p=2448#comment-265 This is interesting, Brien -- thanks for the post. This sounds like Jindal is making a pretty big bet that the volcano won't erupt. I mean, if he makes fun of volcano monitoring, and two weeks later a volcano erupts and lots of people's lives are saved because they were evacuated due to volcano monitoring, any defender of volcano monitoring has a pretty big club against him, don't they?' Or maybe not, not in the Republican primary. If the governor of Louisiana can say with a straight face that the lesson of Katrina is that the federal government needs to stay out and do nothing, he could certainly spin away a volcanic eruption. This is interesting, Brien — thanks for the post. This sounds like Jindal is making a pretty big bet that the volcano won’t erupt. I mean, if he makes fun of volcano monitoring, and two weeks later a volcano erupts and lots of people’s lives are saved because they were evacuated due to volcano monitoring, any defender of volcano monitoring has a pretty big club against him, don’t they?’

Or maybe not, not in the Republican primary. If the governor of Louisiana can say with a straight face that the lesson of Katrina is that the federal government needs to stay out and do nothing, he could certainly spin away a volcanic eruption.

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