The Patriot Post® · Science Friction Heats up D.C. Debate

Liberals must like their science the way they like their ideology: full of inconsistencies. For years, the Left has treated truth like an endless buffet, picking and choosing what they want based on the debate du jour. They use “science” to prop up their environmental straw man – but when it comes to human personhood or fetal pain, they’re suddenly allergic to the facts.

It’s the kind of hypocrisy that conservatives like Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) might find funny if it weren’t so destructive to the debates on abortion or global warming. The Florida leader couldn’t help but point out the incongruity of the Left when he started taking heat for views on the environment that a majority of Americans share. “I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,” Sen. Rubio told reporters, “and I do not believe that the laws that they propose we pass will do anything about it, except it will destroy our economy…”

Of course, that’s hardly a radical opinion these days. Even the co-founder of Greenpeace admits there’s “no scientific proof” that humans are causing global warming. And with a record-setting winter in the rearview, fewer Americans are worried about climate change than ever. In fact, as Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) pointed out on Washington Watch, the issue ranks almost dead last on voters’ political priorities. And it’s not about to rebound with ridiculous claims like this blogger’s, who suggested that even Boko Haram’s kidnapping could be blamed on global warming.

On Sean Hannity’s show Wednesday, Senator Rubio couldn’t help but point out the Left’s double standard. “Here’s what I always get a kick out of,” he said. “…All these people always wag their finger at me about science and settled science. Let me give you a bit of settled science that they’ll never admit to,” Rubio went on. “The science is settled, it’s not even a consensus – it is a unanimity – that human life beings at conception. So I hope the next time someone wags their finger about science, they’ll ask one of these leaders on the Left: ‘Do you agree with the consensus of scientists that say that human life begins at conception?’ I’d like to see someone ask that question… That’s not even a debatable thing,” Rubio explained. “It’s a proven fact. That’s a scientific consensus they conveniently choose to ignore.”

Another thing they choose to ignore? Public opinion. In one of the more ridiculous statements of her career (and that’s saying something), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) took to the Senate floor Tuesday and suggested that the abortion debate is over (a belief that one trip to the March for Life would cure). “Why would we want to go back to the last century and open up battles that have long been fought? Those battles were fought in 1973 when Roe v. Wade was the decision of the Supreme Court.”

If the debate is over, then conservatives must have won it – because even Gallup concedes America is pro-life. As we’re starting to see on marriage, a court ruling on deeply moral issues – no matter how sweeping – only intensifies the debate. Fortunately, conservatives like Marco Rubio don’t operate from a “truth-optional” perspective. While others can only make excuses for not highlighting these issues, we appreciate his leadership in the cause to defend human life.

Seize the Delay!

In Houston, no news is better than bad news. After an emotional debate, and scores of locals’ testimonies, the city council stunned everyone on their controversial bathroom-special rights ordinance – and pushed the vote off by two weeks. The delay, which postponed a measure many thought was a “sure thing,” was a ray of hope in what has otherwise been a flat-out attack on religious liberty and free speech.

“When you have an outcry of thousands of individuals who are confused about the impact of this ordinance, they need to have input,” said Council Member Dwight Boykins. In meeting after meeting about the ordinance, Houstonians have lined up for hours just for the opportunity to voice their concerns. At the heart of those concerns is what conservatives are calling the “Sexual Predators Protection” provision, which gives grown men the opportunity to use women’s bathrooms and showers (and vice-versa) based on their “perceived” gender. Although Mayor Annise Parker, an open lesbian, hinted that she would be willing to flush that portion of the bill, no one seems to know if the language has, in fact, been dropped.

For now, conservatives are optimistic that the prolonged debate will help persuade council members what a horrible idea the new rules would be. Mayor Parker, meanwhile, didn’t win over any new support when she declared to the city, “This is personal.” And that’s exactly what most of the city objects to. “This has nothing to do with a problem Houston has. This is a personal agenda by the Mayor of this city,” Pastor Willie Davis fumed.

He, like other church leaders, strongly object to the strong-arming of organizations and businesses, which would be forced to celebrate and affirm same-sex “marriage,” homosexuality, and transgenderism – regardless of their religious beliefs. Like others, Council Member Michael Kubosh said, “When the Mayor said this was about her personally, it made me really upset, because it’s not just about her – it’s about everybody in the city.”

2nd Vote Gives FRC First Rank

You research who you vote for on Election Day, so why wouldn’t you research where you spend your money too? That’s the thought behind the conservative shopping app called 2nd Vote. It’s a free download that lets you see how popular companies stack up on gun rights, abortion, limited government, the environment, same-sex “marriage,” and federal subsidies. “The premise,” said 2nd Vote’s Executive Director, “is the first vote is at the ballot box, and the second vote is where you spend your money every day. Conservatives will be shocked to see [who] companies [fund],” Chris Walker explained. The organization is constantly updating its information – and just this week, added a feature that allows users to survey nonprofit groups too. (FRC got a perfect “five” rating, in case you were wondering.) If you care about being a good steward of your resources, 2nd Vote is the app for you! Click here to find out more.

If you missed Wednesday’s lecture with Dr. Michael Brown, “Can You Be Gay and Christian?” watch it below.

Lately, there seem to be more legal challenges to natural marriage laws than stars in the sky. One of these, DeBoer v. Snyder, comes out of Michigan, where a federal court struck down the amendment as unconstitutional. The decision was appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court, and FRC filed a friend of the court brief in this appeal written by Paul Linton, a highly regarded constitutional appellate attorney. Check it out here.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.