[Coral-List] list politics free

[Dennis Hubbard]

Steve:

I commend your passion and dedicated. I do not claim to understand the
dynamics of what threatens coral reefs.... nor do I feel deceived either.
Science isn't about proving things, it's about ruling out things that are
"disprovable". So, basking in the glow of all that I do not understand,
spending all this time arguing over what is and what is not a political
post seems like time that could be better spent.

Dennis

On Mon, Nov 14, 2016 at 7:14 AM, Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net> wrote:

> 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 <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*"
>
>


-- 
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*"