Climate Change Deniers Dispute Danger of Hurricane Matthew

Once again I find it hard to believe the idiocy and embrace of ignorance that motivates far too many on the far right.  With Hurricane Matthew poses a dangerous threat to much of the east coast of Florida, some climate change deniers are downplaying the danger and suggesting that the news media is working with the Obama administration to exaggerate the danger in order to hype the danger of climate change.  Among those starting the meme is self-loathing closet case, Matt Drudge, and Oxycontin loving Rush Limbaugh.  To describe these individuals as despicable - not to mention down right crazy, in my opinion - is an understatement.  Talking Points Memo looks at the foul batshitery. Here are excerpts:

Hours ahead of Hurricane Matthews’ landfall on Florida’s Atlantic coast, some climate change skeptics downplayed the danger of what meteorologists say could be the worst such storm since Hurricane Katrina.

Public officials and meteorologists have repeatedly stressed the strength of the storm, especially to those living in the evacuation zones on Florida’s Atlantic coast.

Yet in the face of those pleas conservative aggregator Matt Drudge, who has a house in Florida, tweeted that “The deplorables are starting to wonder if govt has been lying to them about Hurricane Matthew intensity to make exaggerated point on climate,” and“Hurricane Center has monopoly on data. No way of verifying claims. Nassau ground observations DID NOT match statements! 165mph gusts? WHERE?”

Drudge later posted the web address of a NOAA buoy and encouraged readers to monitor the storm on their own, to see if “observations match the Hurricane Center’s claimed 140 mph sustained winds."

On Wednesday, Rush Limbaugh expressed a similar sentiment on his radio show, saying that government scientists might be “playing games” with storm data in order to “sell” the role climate change has played in making hurricanes stronger.

Rather than downplay the storm, though, the libertarian news site Heat Street inexplicably went after President Barack Obama for "refusing" to protect GOP nominee Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort from the hurricane's wrath.

I fear for the children of such right wing lunatics who might be placed in danger by a refusal to take the hurricane seriously.  On the other hand, allowing the adults to put themselves where they will be washed away might be a positive.  It would be a modern day example of evolution where the stupid perish.