The employees at the Birmingham National Weather Service outlet are generally apolitical, abstaining from partisan talk in favor of backyard barbecues. A few weeks ago, on a skeleton-staffed Sunday, they were thrown into the spotlight.
What they did. Tell the known truth and let the chips fall where they will.
When it’s the professionals versus the idiots the professionals rarely win.
“You try to navigate these tricky waters that science people are not used to navigating,” Kevin Laws, the office’s science and operations officer, told the Times. “What do you do in situations like this?”
You stick to the science, Mr. Law. Always stick to the science. Please. The vast majority of the public does’t want politics mixed in with or to dictate a weather forecast. Thank you and all the others for doing what you do best.
He wasn’t speaking in “absolute terms” but in probabilities. At that point in time, the probability of Dorian crossing into the Gulf of Mexico and hitting Alabama was so low it was effectively zero. Anyone who pays any attention to weather forecasting and hurricane tracking understands that.
“Never argue with an idiot.
They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
It looks like the WH finally has a story that might work to both pacify the baby in the Oval Office and protect the staff at the NWS. “They did not intentionally diss the President; they were reacting to calls.”
Whether true or not, it is the least bad option to put this story to rest.
That it stretched for a couple of weeks is a sad testament to where we are.
Totally consumed by the shiny object
Meanwhile …Trump & Co continue to dismantle democracy
Watch what they do
Not what they say
Dissing the President* is the inevitable by-product of telling the truth.
_______________________________
*Only when the President is Donald J. Trump.
Trump tweeted his B.S. at 10:51 AM on Sep 1.
Alabama tweeted their correction at 11:11 AM on Sep 1.
And we’re supposed to believe that so many calls were incoming in that 20-minute time that it prompted them to tweet, totally unrelated to Trump’s tweet…
I still find it exasperating the NOAA office in Tennessee denies Jesus rode a dinosaur. Even with hand drawn depictions done at the time they refuse to believe it.
Then one employee, who reportedly had not seen the tweet from President Donald Trump that prompted the outcry, sent out a tweet to let locals know that they had nothing to worry about.
It’s almost as if scientists who are tracking a potentially catastrophic storm don’t have time to read Twitter. There may be a new directive soon that says all government employees must monitor Twitter at all times so that they don’t inadvertently disagree with anything, uh…“important.”
I’m skeptical of this, too, but just think of who’s twitter account many Alabamians follow. I think it might be that simple.
Praise the Saviorosaurus!
Oh, it is that simple. Lots of people called up, said, “hey, the President just tweeted that we’re about to get hit”.
There’s no way that none of those callers mentioned their source, whether or not the tweeter of the correction ever saw trump’s tweet.
Ergo, the coverup of the coverup is being covered up by yet another coverup layer.
Why should anyone interested in the public good want this story put to rest before those responsible for threatening career government employees with reprisal for doing their job are held responsible?
Sure, but the Birmingham NWS tweeter has pretty ironclad plausible deniability. What’s a coworker going to do, rat him out?
“I know he saw Trump’s tweet, I can prove it!!”
???
“You try to navigate these tricky waters that science people are not used to navigating,” Kevin Laws, the office’s science and operations officer, told the Times. “What do you do in situations like this?”
Well, if you’re t rumpp, you yell FIRE!!! in a crowded movie theater.
Oh, I don’t disagree, it’s just shameful the lengths that everyone is willing to go to appease the dictator.
For the employees, I totally understand it-- absent leadership protection, they’re just trying to get out of the line of fire.
But from the leadership, absolutely shameful, and those at the top should be sacked.
Precisely.
The things that the WH is dealing with at that time…just consider it.
Just imagine working there. And that all happened in roughly 1 week.