I am converting some old files to modern formats. I came across a
newspaper editorial published in 1989. I believe this is the first use
of what I call the "none of this matters" excuse. People opposed cold
fusion such as Dieter Britz and the editors Wikipedia often invoke this.
They say: 'I may be wrong and this article may be inaccurate but cold
fusion is inconsequential; we all know it cannot become a useful source
of energy, so none of this matters.' When an opponent begins a sentence
"we all know" you want to take cover.
This is from the Tulsa Tribune, December 8, 1989. Evidently the editor
at the Tulsa Tribune was an expert in nuclear physics and clairvoyant to
boot, since there was not much information published at that time.
QUOTE:
Fusion flap
EDITORIAL
Cold fusion is still a hot topic on campus, and it has reached the
boiling point at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT
physicist Peter Hagelstein, who defends claims of a Utah researcher and
a British colleague that they fused hydrogen atoms at low temperatures,
may be granted tenure. Other MIT physicists ridicule the idea of cold
fusion and Hagelstein's defense, thus confirming Henry Kissinger's
observation about campus polities: It is so vicious because so little is
at stake.
By the way, Henry Kissinger might have said that but Woodrow Wilson said
it long before he did.
- Jed
