Carbajal v Fareed

I’ve tried to keep quiet during the Carbajal v Fareed contest: there is enough noise. But it’s hard not to chip in.

Did Fareed ever discuss climate change with UCSB scientists who have worked on it for years, before he decided they were all wrong and that human activity isn’t the primary cause? Science is hard work; name-calling is easy and better paid. Who does he trust? Why?

Is he okay with the notion that the UCSB researchers are part of a gigantic hoax? Do thousands of scientists worldwide maintain an oath of silence that no one ever breaks? (Where does he stand on the Salem witch trials?)

We don’t trust experts. But distrusting everything is not wisdom; it is no better than believing everything. Those who distrust all the experts seem to believe lots of pundits. Does Fareed weigh the evidence or just ignore it?

Did Fareed ever discuss gun control with people who lost loved ones or were terrorized in the I.V. massacre? If he did, how did he explain his NRA funding? What did he tell the NRA?

Fareed was briefly an aide to a Congressman: no record to attack. Carbajal is on the Board of Supervisors: There must be something. Well: Carbajal voted for three pay increases for supes in 12 years. Did other supes agree? Were those increases lower than other boards? Were they lower than citizen’s committee recommendations? Were they lower than inflation? Are they too high for (say) a supe without wealthy parents supporting a family of four? How many people does Fareed support? Where does his money come from? Does he believe that politics is only for wealthy people?

Too many notes, Mozart! But I wonder — and I didn’t even get to oil.