The Republicans have consistently made science an issue by attacking it.  For example, during the 2008 presidential campaign, both Governor Sarah Palin and Senator John McCain were criticized for associating certain scientific projects with pork or unnecessary earmarking.

Most recently, in his response to Obama’s speech to Congress, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made a similar mistake by attacking volcano monitoring.  However, it seems that Jindal has misrepresented the situation, since according to NPR the “$140 million figure isn’t accurate for volcano watching, [because] the stimulus bill allocates that amount for repair and restoration of a variety of USGS science facilities and laboratories.”

Furthermore, Jindal has been criticized for allowing the agenda of anti-evolutionists creep into public school curricula when he signed a bill into law that “could open the door to teaching creationism in [Louisiana’s] public schools.”

Governor Sarah Palin has difficulty understanding the importance of scientific research:

Sarah Palin on teaching evolution and creationism in public schools: “Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of education. Healthy debate is so important, and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.”

Republican Senator John McCain on scientific research:

Republican Michele Bachmann of Minnesota on evolution and intelligent design:

Republican Michele Bachmann on global warming:

Responses to Jindal’s speech:

From Rick Starr at the Knoxville News Sentinel, TN

I found myself laughing when you said Republicans “went along with”, as though the party was dragged, kicking and screaming, to “go along with earmarks.” Newsflash: Republicans led the parade with earmarks, and the people at the very front of the parade are those who are pretending they weren’t in the parade at all. Biggest per-capita abuser of earmarks the last two years? Alaska.

Not to nitpick, but your example of the big bad government not allowing boats in the water after Katrina if they didn’t have their registration and insurance? That would be FEMA, under the direction of Republicans during the George Bush administration.

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And if you’re going to get so upset about “volcano monitoring”, should we also cancel “hurricane monitoring”? Just wondering how the folks in Louisiana feel about that?

From Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist:

While many of the responses centered on Jindal’s manner in giving the speech, I would continue to contend he did an extremely poor job in telling Americans exactly what Republicans want to do differently to get the nation out of its economic crisis.

From CNN:

Many conservatives say Jindal appeared at best off-balance and at worst downright amateur in his national debut.

“Some conservative needs to start a campaign to fire whoever wrote this cheesy response and coached him to talk like this,” wrote conservative columnist Amanda Carpenter on the popular social networking Web site Twitter. “I can’t watch.”

“He should never be allowed near a teleprompter again!” declared the National Review’s Kathryn Jean Lopez on Wednesday, while noting the governor had a much stronger performance on NBC’s “The Today Show” the morning after his speech.

Is volcano monitoring important? From Scientific American:

It’s extremely important. There are obvious hazards to nearby residents. Beyond human safety, there are huge economic concerns. It’s not that eruptions can be stopped, but, like a hurricane, it’s good to know when it’s coming.

Associated with the monitoring is research of the surrounding area to see where previous lava flows have gone and to see where previous ash fall has occurred. So you get some idea of the history of the volcano and the types of eruptions it typically has. Each volcano is different, so you have to do individual research and individual monitoring.

There’s a huge hazard in the air from eruption plumes. Volcanic ash is not like ash from the fireplace. It’s basically pulverized rocks and glass particles. Putting glass in a jet engine isn’t good. That’s why the monitoring in Alaska is extremely important to the aviation industry.

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Can you name an instance when volcano monitoring has paid off?
Mount Saint Helens was a great example. The ideal example was not in the U.S., rather it was in the Philippines from Mount Pinatubo in 1991. The USGS’s Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) responded to that. From the U.S. Navy base there, VDAP officials went in at the first sign of activity and installed a lot of monitoring equipment and did quick emergency research.

Ignorance and misrepresentation. From NPR:

But that $140 million figure isn’t accurate for volcano watching, as several blogs have already pointed out in sharply worded challenges to the idea that volcano watching is worthless. The stimulus bill allocates that amount for repair and restoration of a variety of USGS science facilities and laboratories.

Only a fraction of that money would be spent on monitoring volcanoes, says Marianne Guffanti, senior vulcanologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. “I’ve heard that it’s going to be $15.6 million,” Guffanti says, although the exact amount has not yet been finalized.

And while it might seem at first glance that volcano hazards are exotic and not of concern to the United States, Guffanti says that’s not the case. “We are one of the most volcanically active countries in the world,” she says. “We have nearly 170 volcanoes that are either active or capable of reawakening.”

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