Boner Candidate #1: IF WE DON’T SAY IT, IT DOESN’T EXIST
Image by Mike Licht
Officials responsible for making sure Florida is prepared to respond to the earth’s changing climate are barred from using the terms “global warming” and “climate change” in official communications, emails and reports, according to new findings from the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. “We were told that we were not allowed to discuss anything that was not a true fact,” said Kristina Trotta, a former Florida Department of Environmental Protection employee. Another former employee added, “We were dealing with the effects and economic impact of climate change, and yet we can’t reference it.” But the state’s governor, Republican Rick Scott, has frustrated scientists by downplaying the problem. Last year, a reporter asked Scott whether man-made climate change “is significantly affecting the weather, the climate.” Scott tried to change the subject and replied, “Well, I’m not a scientist.” When asked by the Tampa Bay Times in 2010 whether he believed in climate change, Scott simply replied, “No.” In August, five climate scientists met with Scott and told him he needs to do more to protect the state from rising sea levels. According to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, the policy against mentioning global warming went into effect after Scott took office in 2011 and appointed Herschel Vinyard Jr. as the agency’s director.
Boner Candidate #2: SOMEONE IS REALLY MAD AT DOGS
Image by Michael Young
An animal-abusing sociopath is on the loose near Minneapolis, planting dog treats with hidden nails and screws for unsuspecting pooches. High school student Seth Paulson was horrified when his golden retriever, Trucker, found a hot dog on the ground, chomped on it and spit it out in Lakeville, Minn. “I saw that it wasn’t something ordinary that a dog would eat and I told him to spit it out and saw it was a nail,” he told WCCO-TV. The Paulsons found other hot dogs nearby – with metal objects, a piece of steel wool and an unknown pill capsule stuffed inside them.
Boner Candidate #3: SHE IS THE HUMAN SHIELD
Image by TED Conference
Breitbart.com’s AWR Hawkins labeled prominent gun safety advocate Gabby Giffords a “human shield” for the gun safety movement. In January 2011, Giffords, then a member of Congress, was wounded during a mass shooting at a constituent event in Tucson, Arizona, that left six dead and 13 injured by gunfire. Hawkins’ latest attack on Giffords follows his controversial March 4 article that criticized Giffords for advocating for background checks on gun sales because the gunman that shot her passed a background check to obtain his weapon. Giffords is the founder of gun safety group Americans for Responsible Solutions which advocates for background checks and measures to reduce illegal firearms trafficking. Hawkins’ March 4 article received widespread attention and condemnation after the National Rifle Association sent a Tweet with the article’s headline: “Gabby Giffords: Everyone Should Have to Pass Background Check My Attacker Passed.” Hawkins is a frequent guest on NRA News.
Feature Image By Mike Licht
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