Those Who Live by the Sword... - WendyMcElroy.com

..."In Canada, I think a lot of these cuts are for political reasons," says [Canadian atmospheric researcher Ted] Shepherd. "It's not really budgetary at the end of the day, it's a choice."

I realize that most non-botanical scientists think that money grows on trees, but despite the modern need for austerity, it's quite possible that Shepherd is partly right. And I find it hard to feel sympathy. I'm sure that there are many earth scientists quietly doing good work, trying to learn how the world works. But they've been far overshadowed by the vocal activists who have been trying to push their ambiguous results into the policy realm, screaming catastrophe, demanding action, demanding sacrifice (by others), and demanding more funding (for themselves). Did they think they could play the political game forever, and never suffer a reversal?

Perhaps the famous aphorism can be rephrased so that they understand: those research projects that live by politics, shall die by politics.

Canada News: Anti-seal hunt activists find a strange ally in climate change - thestar.com

“I think we can say that climate change is going to kill the hunt this year,” Sheryl Fink of IFAW says. “That's not how we wanted to see this hunt end. My personal feeling is it won't be back.”