A smackdown in Congress 7

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1. 

   thinkdharma Posted 10:22 am
   09 May 2007

   what really happened?First, could anyone comment on what adaptive management is, or might mean in the context of this issue?
   Secondly, this exchange seems to me to be political hackery on both sides. I got the sense that the Rep. was trying to score some political points without really delving into the issue. I guess I'm just confused and didn't really learn anything from the exchange. Can anyone shed some light on this?

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2. 

   GreenEngineer Posted 10:24 am
   09 May 2007

   He said, she saidIt sounds like there is a basic disagreement about reality here.  The Rep was told something (that the mapped recovery areas were scientifically nonnegotiable) that Scarlett claims is untrue.  No evidence was presented on either side, but Inslee had the bully pulpit, and he used it in exactly that fashion.
   Granted, Scarlett's a Bush political appointee.  Therefore, statistically speaking, she probably is lying.  But lacking evidence, or even details to back his claim, Inslee comes across very badly, like he's using his position to beat up on someone who does not have any effective means to defend herself.  It has shades of a witch-hunt.
   This is in an entirely different category than, say, the exchange between Boxer and Inhofe, where he was both clearly out of line and acting like he had authority he no longer possessed, and got slapped down for it.

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3. 

   David Roberts Posted 1:43 pm
   09 May 2007

   BackgroundMy wife demands that I stop "typing" (which is how she describes my profession), so quickly: this was in the context of a hearing about the systemic abuses of the ESA by the Bush Interior Dept. There has been well-established interference with science, weakening of enforcement, and collusion with industry. It is the kind of corruption and cronyism not seen since the Soviet Union. Even for the Bush administration, the Interior Dept. has been above and beyond in terms of, in Inslee's words, "political hackery."
   The "lines on the map" that Scarlett struggles so hard to make sound arbitrary are the recommendations received from department scientists. "Adaptive management" is a classic example of Bush era dimestore Orwellianism. It is "flexible" in that it is weak, and accommodating to industry, and contrary to what the dept.'s scientists say is needed. Of course Scarlett wants to make this sound like a difference in "management philosophy," but in reality -- the reality established quite well now, with copious evidence, much of which was rehashed at the hearing -- one approach takes the science into account, and one ignores it. Of course Scarlett is right that "the science wasn't changed" -- you don't need to change it if you just ignore it. That's why Inslee was pushing about the "lines on the map." He knows perfectly well she's bullshitting; she knows perfectly well she's bullshitting; he's fracking sick of it.
   It has been established beyond all doubt that the Interior Dept. is corrupt to the core. People have quit; people have gone to jail. Scarlett is in charge. Inslee wants her to admit there's a problem and pledge to fix it, but like a good Bushie, she just keeps repeating the talking points.
   How could you not get angry?
   
   grist.org

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4. 

   Mark Powell Posted 3:29 pm
   09 May 2007

   Inslee vs. ScarlettI'm proud to be represented by Mr. Inslee!!

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5. 

   GreenEngineer Posted 4:13 pm
   09 May 2007

   BackgroundAnd I am perfectly willing to believe everything you say here is true, David.  Nevertheless, without the full background, and without Inslee being able to produce specific evidence of malfeasance on this issue, he still comes across as a bully.  For whatever that's worth.

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6. 

   IanofSiren Posted 5:02 pm
   09 May 2007

   Department of InteriorThere are a few comments I felt needed to be addressed. First, Inslee is one of the few great congressmen in the house... just look at his record if you doubt this. Of all the people in the house who would badger someone for mere political capital, he is one of the last. And second, my father works in the Department of Interior and knows very well of the corruption which he spoke of. The woman in question whom he asked her about leaked internal classified decuments to private corporations (Exxon Mobile and crowd) and performed vigorous editing reminiscent of the climate change documents. When she refused to answer his question, he was basically asking her to confirm such editing and omitting did indeed occur.

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7. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 12:03 am
   10 May 2007

   Adaptive management means"Using scientific uncertainty (a fact of life) to accommodate timber interests" : ) Many conservatives view the spotted owl as a foil by liberals to protect old growth forests from profit takers. They see this whole spotted owl thing as a farce. Protecting old growth takes and endangered species act and an endangered species.
   You have to draw lines in the sand on extinctions or they will never end.
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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