AMONG other things, the annual General Social Survey asked people: "I am going to name some institutions in this country. As far as the people running these institutions are concerned, would you say you have a great deal of confidence, only some confidence, or hardly any confidence at all in them?"
One institution mentioned was "the scientific community."
In 1974, 48 percent of conservatives had faith in the people running "the science community." That is now down to 34 percent.
Liberal commentators have mischaracterized these findings as evidence of conservatives' lack of faith in science itself.
That wasn't the case. As law professor Glenn Reynolds wrote in the New York Post, a study by Gordon Gauchat, a postdoctoral fellow in sociology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, suggested that the increasing use of science as ammo for big-government schemes has led to more skepticism.
"After a century of destructive and false scientific fads - ranging from eugenics to Paul Ehrlich's 'population bomb' scaremongering, among many others - the American public could probably do with more skepticism, not less," Reynolds wrote.
"If scientists want to be trusted, perhaps they should try harder to make sure that those who claim to speak for science are, you know, trust-worthy. Just a thought," Reynolds said.
Indeed.
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JUDICIAL Watch in Washington notified Secretary of State Natalie Tennant that there are more people registered to vote in Boone and Lincoln counties than there are people 18 and older.
The organization said the state has until Aug. 8 to correct the situation or face legal action, WSAZ reported.
Tennant said the law requires a registered voter to remain on the voting rolls until he has missed two federal elections. But she said she is sure officials in Boone and Lincoln counties will cooperate.
AMONG other things, the annual General Social Survey asked people: "I am going to name some institutions in this country. As far as the people running these institutions are concerned, would you say you have a great deal of confidence, only some confidence, or hardly any confidence at all in them?"
One institution mentioned was "the scientific community."
In 1974, 48 percent of conservatives had faith in the people running "the science community." That is now down to 34 percent.
Liberal commentators have mischaracterized these findings as evidence of conservatives' lack of faith in science itself.
That wasn't the case. As law professor Glenn Reynolds wrote in the New York Post, a study by Gordon Gauchat, a postdoctoral fellow in sociology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, suggested that the increasing use of science as ammo for big-government schemes has led to more skepticism.
"After a century of destructive and false scientific fads - ranging from eugenics to Paul Ehrlich's 'population bomb' scaremongering, among many others - the American public could probably do with more skepticism, not less," Reynolds wrote.
"If scientists want to be trusted, perhaps they should try harder to make sure that those who claim to speak for science are, you know, trust-worthy. Just a thought," Reynolds said.
Indeed.
***
JUDICIAL Watch in Washington notified Secretary of State Natalie Tennant that there are more people registered to vote in Boone and Lincoln counties than there are people 18 and older.
The organization said the state has until Aug. 8 to correct the situation or face legal action, WSAZ reported.
Tennant said the law requires a registered voter to remain on the voting rolls until he has missed two federal elections. But she said she is sure officials in Boone and Lincoln counties will cooperate.
"I undoubtedly feel that this will be taken care of because we do have this one-on-one relationship with both the clerks in Lincoln and Boone counties," Tennant said. "They're very receptive to the ideas and the process we're giving them."
Questions about Lincoln County have needed to be addressed for a long time. Donald Whitten just resigned as county clerk after pleading guilty to federal charges in connection with a vote fraud conspiracy that involved absentee ballots.
Inactive voters are not the problem. They are not voting fraudulently.
State and county election officials need to review the rolls of active voters to make sure they are alive and still living here. If not, we have vote fraud.
What an embarrassment that it takes a group from outside the state to raise this issue.
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JIMI Hendrix had a song called, "The Wind Cries Mary." In West Virginia, some are saying the wind cries too loudly.
The Public Service Commission staff decided to take seriously a homeowner's complaint that the blades from a wind turbine make way too much noise and exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's recommendations that the noise not exceed 55 decibels, the level of a loud conversation.
Richard Braithwaite, who lives near the Pinnacle Wind Farm near Keyser, filed the complaint.
"When the wind's coming in from the west, it sounds like a train rumbling in the distance," Braithwaite said. "When it comes in from the east - that's when the back of the windmill is pointed at me - it sounds like an airplane circling."
While alternatives to burning coal to generate electricity seem good on paper, wind turbines kill migratory birds, ruin the viewscape, and provide only intermittent power.
Now the PSC is investigating noise complaints. The nation needs to slow down and work out the bugs before committing to wind energy.
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