Looking over my scheduled posts for today, I see that there isn't anything stridently political. Not wanting to shock the systems of readers still coming down off the election, let me add my voice to the chorus of ScienceBloggers expressing concern over the idea of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
This is not a knock on his qualifications, or him as a person. As I understand it, he has done great work, and he spoke here a few years ago, and was very generous with his time considering he had a cold that made him sound like a duck.
The problem is, his highest-profile activity in recent years has been the promotion of nutbar conspiracy theories. While these have been regarding issues that the EPA really couldn't do anything about, I would like to see a clean break with the past eight years, and promoting somebody with a track record of conspiracy theorizing to head an agency just wouldn't do that.
I'm not hugely worked up about this, as it's not my area of expertise (nominate Randell "Black Light Power" Mills for something, and you'll hear me scream). If you'd prefer a lengthy and vituperative explanation of the problems with RFK Jr., Orac's got you covered.
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What does the EPA do? It is profoundly inefficient, corrupt, abusive, and expensive. Physical reality is not heir to political appetities.
The US is utter financial disaster. Charity arises from surplus. US survival will depend upon brutal efficiencies. Clean coal, CO2, and renewable energy scams will not keep the lights on. Save the world and tomorrow after saving ourselves and today. Washington's alphabet soup of incompetence must be ablated not Potemkinized.
From what I recall, the same rumor mentioned Caroline Kennedy for U.N. Ambassador and Colin Powell for... something he was totally unsuited for. It read like somebody playing fantasy football with cabinet positions, and can be safely ignored.
The political internet should probably go on a vacation for a month or so.