Why Marco Rubio Needs To Know That The Earth Is Billions Of Years Old

[BigLouie]

From Forbes:

Alex Knapp, Forbes Staff
I write about the future of science, technology, and culture.


Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who many political observers think has a strong shot to be a 2016 Presidential candidate, just finished a lengthy interview with GQ that you can read here. One thing that struck my interest here, as someone who often reports on science, was Rubio’s answer when he was asked the question, “How old do you think the Earth is.”

In response, Rubio told GQ that, “I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that. At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says. Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.”

The emphasis in Rubio’s statement is mine. I say that because the age of the universe has a lot to do with how our economy is going to grow. That’s because large parts of the economy absolutely depend on scientists being right about either the age of the Universe or the laws of the Universe that allow scientists to determine its age. For example, astronomers recently discovered a galaxy that is over 13 billion light years away from Earth. That is, at its distance, it took the light from the Galaxy over 13 billion years to reach us.

Now, Marco Rubio’s Republican colleague Representative Paul Broun, who sits on the House Committee on Science and Technology, recently stated that it was his belief that the Universe is only 9,000 years old. Well, if Broun is right and physicists are wrong, then we have a real problem. Virtually all modern technology relies on optics in some way, shape or form. And in the science of optics, the fact that the speed of light is constant in a vacuum is taken for granted. But the speed of light must not be constant if the universe is only 9,000 years old. It must be capable of being much, much faster. That means that the fundamental physics underlying the Internet, DVDs, laser surgery, and many many more critical parts of the economy are based on bad science. The consequences of that could be drastic, given our dependence on optics for our economic growth.

Here’s an even more disturbing thought – scientists currently believe that the Earth is about 4.54 billion years old because radioactive substances decay at generally stable rates. Accordingly, by observing how much of a radioactive substance has decayed, scientists are able to determine how old that substance is. However, if the Earth is only 9,000 years old, then radioactive decay rates are unstable and subject to rapid acceleration under completely unknown circumstances. This poses an enormous danger to the country’s nuclear power plants, which could undergo an unanticipated meltdown at any time due to currently unpredictable circumstances. Likewise, accelerated decay could lead to the detonation of our nuclear weapons, and cause injuries and death to people undergoing radioactive treatments in hospitals. Any of these circumstances would obviously have a large economic impact.

If the Earth is really 9,000 years old, as Paul Broun believes and Rubio is willing to remain ignorant about, it becomes imperative to shut down our nuclear plants and dismantle our nuclear stockpiles now until such time as scientists are able to ascertain what circumstances exist that could cause deadly acceleration of radioactive decay and determine how to prevent it from happening.

The bottom line is that this economy, at its root, is built on a web of scientific knowledge from physics to chemistry to biology. It’s impossible to just cherry pick out parts we don’t like. If the Earth is 9,000 years old, then virtually the entire construct of modern science is simply wrong. Not only that, most of the technology that we rely on most likely wouldn't work – as they’re dependent on science that operates on the same physical laws that demonstrate the age of the universe.

Now, this doesn't mean that our representatives to the Congress and to the Senate should be scientific experts. But if they hold ideas about the world around us that are fundamentally at odds with scientific evidence, then that will ultimately infringe on their ability to make reasoned judgments about a host of issues where the economy touches technology. And that could end up harming the economy as a whole.

[fetishfreak]

Religion has been used throughout history to explain what science could not explain. As scientific knowledge expands it goes without saying that religious explanations will fall by the wayside. This is in know way intended to defame any religion just to point out reality. While I myself do believe in God, and believe that God created life, I do not take the words in stories passed down for generations by word of mouth to be truth.

However, at the same time, science has been used to authenticate some religious stories. Take Noah and the arc. Science has discovered that a great flood did occur on Earth. All major religions of the world include a story of some sort of a flood occurring.

Just my 2 cents.

[Yssup Rider]

Rubio has begun pandering to the Religious White. I figure the Latinos will largely reject him within 18 months.

I also am willing to bet that Rick Perry will find out somewhere during the next session of the Texas Legislature that he done pissed off wayyy too many people and will announce he won't run for re-election.

Republicans still don't get it.

It's not about religion. Neither were the Crusades, for that matter.

It's about people. And no black magic or dogmatic hokum is gonna drive the American population again like it did during the Bush years.

[i'va biggen]

Actually it is just a politicians way.Ask them a question and they will talk in circles but not answer the question.

[Old-T]

Science answers "what happened". Religeon answers "why".

Until the republicans quit paying hommage to the litteral bible thumpers they really will scare a lot of people.

It's a very small jump from "parents should be able to teach their children that the universe was created in 7 litteral days" to "a woman caught in adultary should be stoned to death". They are both written in the bible, and that's when the bible thumpers sound just like the taliban, they just dress differently.

[Jackie S]

Micheal Berry on 740 Houston Radio did a piece on this last week, noting that the answer Senator Rubio gave was virtually identical to a answer President Obama gave on the same question.

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/335099.php

[timpage]

Yeah, I don't have a problem with the answer. It's horseshit pandering to the religious whackadoos, of course, but at least the guy isn't advancing the winger proposition that evolution is a lie.

All politicians pay homage to the religion fairy tale, they have to....too many Americans believe it. His answer strikes a nice balance, at least so far as any politician might answer the question.

All that having been said, I'd hit myself in the face with an axe before I voted for Rubio to be a dogcatcher.

[Jackie S]

Originally Posted by timpage

Yeah, I don't have a problem with the answer. It's horseshit pandering to the religious whackadoos, of course, but at least the guy isn't advancing the winger proposition that evolution is a lie.

All politicians pay homage to the religion fairy tale, they have to....too many Americans believe it. His answer strikes a nice balance, at least so far as any politician might answer the question.

All that having been said, I'd hit myself in the face with an axe before I voted for Rubio to be a dogcatcher.

I'm no psychic, but I have a good idea you DID NOT vote for Ted Cruz

[Old-T]

Originally Posted by Jackie S

Micheal Berry on 740 Houston Radio did a piece on this last week, noting that the answer Senator Rubio gave was virtually identical to a answer President Obama gave on the same question.

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/335099.php

Which means Obama's answer was equally stupid.

[icuminpeace]

I find it even funnier that Marco Rubio stated in an interview that his favorite rap song was N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton. If you haven't heard the lyrics, you should. My guess is he was just trying to pander to the minorities, and he probably does like the song, but didn't realize that all of the white conservative folks that will be financing his campaign aren't too thrilled with gangsta rap. Just sayin'.

[I B Hankering]

An excerpt from the 2010 “Guam” hearing

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA): This is an island that, at its widest level is, what, 12 miles from shore to shore? And at its smallest level or smallest location, it's seven miles between one shore and the other. Is that correct?

Admiral Robert Willard: I don't have the exact dimensions, but to your point, sir, I think Guam is a small island.

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA): A very small island and about 24 miles, if I recall, long. So 24 miles long, about seven miles wide at the least widest place on the island and about 12 miles wide on the widest part of the island. And I don't know how many square miles that is. Do you happen to know?

Admiral Robert Willard: I don't have that figure with me, sir. I can certainly supply it to you if you'd like.

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA): Yes. My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.

Admiral Robert Willard: We don't anticipate that. The Guam population, I think, currently about 175,000 and, again, with 8,000 Marines and their families, it's an addition of about 25,000 more into the population.

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA): And, also, things like the environment, the sensitive areas of the environment–coral reefs and those kinds of things. And I know that, you know, lots of people don't like to think about that, but you know, we didn't think about global warming either.

Now, we do have to think about it. And so I'm concerned from an environmental standpoint whether or not Guam is the best place to do this relocation, but it's actually the only place. Is that correct?

Admiral Robert Willard: This is the best place. This is the farthest west U.S. territory that we own. And, you know, this is part of our nation. And in readdressing the forward presence and posture importance to Pacific Command, Guam is vital to this decision.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/guamtip.asp

[Old-T]

No, you overgeneralize again. One specific Georgia dim-wit is worried about islands capsizing.

That no more means all dems think that way than your dumb comments reflect upon all republicans. Both sides have their intelectually challenged members.

============================== =

IBH concedes that he is an assinine, bloated, ignorant, lieing, blowhard forever!
Congratulations, you earned it!
And he knows how to change it: just answer the question. But he won't.

[I B Hankering]

"I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go." - Obama 2008 campaign event, Beaverton, OR.

Obama believes "Austrian" is the language spoken in Austria.

"In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died - an entire town destroyed." - 2007 campaign speech citing a Kansas tornado that killed 12 people.

"On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today -- our sense of patriotism is particularly strong."

"We’re the country that built the Intercontinental Railroad" [To where?]

"Abraham-Come -Lately Lincoln was the founder of the Republican Party"

"UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It's the Post Office that's always having problems." [Obama’s argument for Obamacare]

"The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system."

"What I was suggesting -- you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith."

"The Cambridge police acted stupidly."

"One such translator was an American of Haitian descent, representative of the extraordinary work that our men and women in uniform do all around the world -- Navy Corpse-Man Christian Brossard."

Where again is “Cinco de Quatro” (4 May, 2009) celebrated?

Obama is a “Constitutional” lawyer who cannot remember the preamble to The Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. [Long Pause: “by their Creator” omitted] Endowed with certain inalienable [sic: unalienable] rights: life and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” September 15, 2010, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute speech

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, endowed [“by their Creator” omitted] with certain inalienable [sic: unalienable] rights: life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That’s what makes us unique.” September 22, 2010, New York fundraiser Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that each of us are endowed [“by their Creator” omitted] with certain inalienable [sic: unalienable] rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee October 18, 2010.

Fundraiser San Francisco. April 20, 2011

[Old-T]

I'm sorry, IBBlithering, what does this have to do with the original topic? I doubt there is anyone on this entire board who has derailed more posts with your totally disconnected comments.

[I B Hankering]

Originally Posted by Old-T

I'm sorry

So true!!!


Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) — on a 2005 visit to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratories, asked if Mars Pathfinder had taken an image of the flag planted there in 1969 by Neil Armstrong! Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) quipped to the Washington Times: “We just don’t teach enough science.” Worse, Jackson Lee, who represents Houston, is a member of the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee. Perhaps some committee reassignments are in order…”

Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) — “today we have two Vietnams, side by side, North and South, exchanging and working. We may not agree with all that North Vietnam is doing, but they are living in peace.” July 15th, 2010.