KY GOP Sen. Who Said Mars Has the Same Temperature as Earth Doubles Down
When we last left Kentucky Sen. Brandon Smith, he was lecturing us about the “real facts” of climate change and how Mars is the same temperature as our own happy planet Earth.
When called out on his dubious grasp of how things actually work in real life science, he was quick to claim that his comments were taken out of context (despite actual video proof).
Well, Sen. Smith apparently is a man of strong beliefs who will not sit down and shut up when said beliefs are challenged. Please proceed, Sen. Smith (via Joe Sonka):
The Monday following the hearing, Smith sent the following email back to a Kentucky resident who emailed him to point out how wrong he was on Mars:
Subject: Re: Climate Change
It amazes me that you have no idea what I actually said, weren’t at this meeting yet bought into this bogus quote posted about me so entirely that you took time to actually send me an email. Really? I have some lake front property you might be interested in! Please do not kick yourself for being duped by this, 56 other people in the world did as well.
As you can see, Smith is still denying that he said it, and still lying about being misquoted or taken out of context. It’s all bogus! The person replied by sending Smith a link of the YouTube video I posted… in full, undeniable context. Smith did not reply until this weekend, when he sent the following email, proving that Smith’s head is still on another planet:
“I made the point that it is my opinion that something bigger than one industry, coal, is affecting our planet. I went on to use the example that both Earth and Mars have experienced temperature changes. The clip you saw only shows enough of the overall debate to make the viewer believe I’m saying something different. I am not asking you to believe me; that is entirely up to you. However, as always, there is more to this story that deserves to be told.
The meeting in question was held so the Secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet could explain to committee members the impact of the newly proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. To say this was a heavily attended gathering by the media is an understatement. In fact, every major state outlet was present. Curiously, they never reported this story. Why? Because all of the informed parties understood the context of the conversation as I have been making this point for over five years. In fact, I was in Louisville on May 14th at a Forum Panel where we had a healthy discussion on this exact topic, and there was no story following that. You might be wondering how then did you get the story? This story came from an individual in the audience who can be heard on the tape shouting the claim that New York City is underwater due to climate change (I assure you, the whole story really is that bizarre). They began to tweet and blog and when the tape became available, took the snippet of me you saw.
Either all of the legitimate reporters in this meeting missed my comments or this whole ordeal is a diversionary, anti-coal measure to keep people from asking what the Secretary had to say. The answer to that question, the really important question of the day, is that he said nothing. He did not show up. I am not certain if these facts make a difference now but at least it provides a more complete image of what really happened and background on the source. If you still have doubts, take notice that this story, as you see it, was not reported in this publication or any other in Kentucky.
Although the majority of emails and calls to my office and home on this topic have unfortunately been vicious and accusatory in nature, one may be surprised to know that I appreciate the input. This is a discussion worth having, and even though we don’t all have to agree, we need to have tolerance of the many different views if we hope to come together to address this vital issue. Jumping to conclusions and battering the “opposing side” only perpetuates the entrenched environment we currently live in, which hasn’t gotten us anywhere. As chairman of Natural Resource committee, I had an open door policy. We brought the most diverse group of individuals and ideas to our meetings in hopes of finding answers. It takes no effort to call someone an idiot; the true challenge is finding the opportunities to work together beyond differences.
Brandon D. Smith”
Joe Sonka demolishes Sen. Smith’s email claims point by point at: Sen. Brandon Smith (Famous Climate Science ‘Academic’) Is Still Living on Mars - FatLip
Video of the hearing in all its bad science glory is available via KET (Kentucky Educational Television) here.
Here’s the clip of the comment that Sen. Smith claims “was taken out of context”:
But feel free to watch the entire KET archive video of the committee hearing to see the comment in complete “context”. Spoiler: it doesn’t get any better for Sen. Smith.