[Coral-List] list politics free

[Steve Mussman]

Are we or are we not at the critical point as far as coral reefs are concerned? Not to be overly dramatic, but if administrative decisions are made that reflect campaign rhetoric as it applies to climate change musing and daydreaming might soon be all that's left for coral scientists to do. I'm not a scientist so I'm not restrained by dispassion and objectivity, but I do rely on the scientific community for guidance. I either understand the dynamics that threaten coral reefs or I've been deceived.  
Steve

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 13, 2016, at 5:26 PM, Dennis Hubbard <dennis.hubbard at oberlin.edu> wrote:
> 
> While I agree to my core with the sentiments expressed in the referenced letter, I think that, as objective scientists, we need to err on the side of caution in a situation like this. Listserve moderators are humans too and, therefore, subject to subjectivity and missing an image buried in a post. This seems different different than musing over, for example, the impact on NSF funding related to having a climate-denial-heavy White House for the next four years (I think that is a non-political statement). 
> 
> We have plenty of things to over-analyze and discus to death. So, I just suggest that we forget this thread.... and frame any future discussion in ways that a) do not refer specifically to party leanings and b) are legitimate musings about the impacts of administrative decisions AFTER they occur. 
> 
> Best,
> 
> Dennis
> 
>> On Fri, Nov 11, 2016 at 7:35 AM, Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Dear Melissa,
>>  Sorry, but I must disagree. There are moderators for this list. If they believe a post is inappropriate they will block it.
>> As for the professor creating a hostile environment, I doubt there were any students in that class who were offended or felt threatened by his words. Any sense of despair an aspiring marine biologist might feel was more likely the result of the reasonable expectation of a coming wave of anti-science sentiment.
>> Regards,
>> Steve
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-
>> From: mdemetr at biophi.org
>> Sent: Nov 10, 2016 3:52 PM
>> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>> Cc: sealab at earthlink.net
>> Subject: list politics free
>> 
>> Dear  Steve,
>> This list is politics free.  Posting political messages puts the list at risk.   Everyone, please try to keep this in mind as we move forward.
>> I would comment that the college professor who wrote that open letter has created a hostile environment for students who do not hold his political beliefs.
>> take care,
>> Melissa
>> 
>> Melissa K. Demetrikopoulos, Ph.D.
>> Director of Scientific Communications and
>> Chair, Division of Program Development and Assessment
>> Institute for Biomedical Philosophy
>> PO Box 1528
>> Dunedin, FL 34697
>> TEL: 305-240-1522
>> mdemetr at BioPhi.org
>> www.BioPhi.org
>> 
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2016 07:42:58 -0500
>> From: Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net>
>> Subject: [Coral-List] What now?
>> To: coral list <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
>> Message-ID: <442FA152-6AD7-46A6-B0C6-0C4BAD1F230F at earthlink.net>
>> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset=us-ascii
>> 
>> REDACTED
>> 
>> I imagine that many of us are trying to wrap our minds around all the implications ......... . To the marine science community, ............... I thought that this letter written by a college professor to his coastal and estuarine ecology students might provide some much needed encouragement and motivation. .................
>> Steve
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Dennis Hubbard 
> Chair, Dept of Geology-Oberlin College Oberlin OH 44074 
> (440) 775-8346
> 
>  "When you get on the wrong train.... every stop is the wrong stop"
>  Benjamin Stein: "Ludes, A Ballad of the Drug and the Dream"