{"id":9634,"date":"2012-10-23T13:23:13","date_gmt":"2012-10-23T17:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/angry.net\/blog2\/?p=9634"},"modified":"2020-11-09T13:43:45","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T18:43:45","slug":"judicial-stupidity-the-foreign-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/angry.net\/blog2\/?p=9634","title":{"rendered":"Judicial Stupidity, The foreign edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good day all. As you might have guessed, I didn\u2019t watch the debate last night. Instead I was marveling at the utter stupidity of a judges decision in Italy. In this case, some blithering idiot decided that 7 scientists were guilty of manslaughter since they didn\u2019t predict an earthquake.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To say that the scientific community is shocked at this is a massive understatement. I vaguely recall this case being brought and thinking that it was another case of a corrupt Italian Prosecutor out to railroad someone into prison<\/a>. I thought that the judge would quickly laugh this case out of court. Apparently not.<\/p>\n

Here are the details from Fox News<\/a>:<\/p>\n

L’AQUILA, Italy \u2013 Defying assertions that earthquakes cannot be predicted, an Italian court convicted seven scientists and experts of manslaughter Monday for failing to adequately warn residents before a temblor struck central Italy in 2009 and killed more than 300 people.<\/p>\n

The court in L’Aquila Monday evening handed down six-year-prison sentences to the defendants, members of a national “Great Risks Commission.” In Italy, convictions aren’t definitive until after an appeals trial, so it is unlikely any of the defendants would face jail immediately.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now I\u2019m not a geologist, but even I know that you can\u2019t predict earthquakes with any certainty. There are way to many variables involved. Geologists might be able to say that an earthquake will occur at some point in the future and that it may be of a certain strength, they will not say that it will be a 7.5 quake that will happen at 8:42am on May 22. If they could, they would be doing it now.<\/p>\n

The trial — described in 2011 by a USGS scientist as “a witch hunt<\/a>” — sent shock waves of its own through the international science community.<\/p>\n

“It’s a sad day for science,” said seismologist Susan Hough, of the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena, Calif. `’It’s unsettling.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

More and more, all over the world, we are seeing judges who, frankly, don\u2019t have the common sense to close their mouths, lower their heads and come in out of the rain. This case should never have been brought by the Italian prosecutors. It\u2019s obvious that the Italian legal system is a complete and utter joke.<\/p>\n

Tom Jordan, a seismologist with the University of Southern California (USC), chaired an international committee on earthquake forecasting convened in Italy following the 2009 quake. He agreed that scientists worldwide were rattled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s widely viewed within the scientific community that this is an unfair result,\u201d Jordan told FoxNews.com. “We can\u2019t predict earthquakes. We can only forecast them with low probability.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Last week we had an earthquake in the Northeastern United States. I felt it and the Angry Systems Administrator wrote about it<\/a>. I don\u2019t recall any geologists being threatened with arrest.<\/p>\n

The defendants were accused in the indictment of giving “inexact, incomplete and contradictory information” about whether small tremors felt by L’Aquila residents in the weeks and months before the April 6, 2009, quake should have constituted grounds for a quake warning.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors had sought convictions and four-year sentences during the trial. They argued in court that the L’Aquila disaster was tantamount to `’monumental negligence,” and cited the devastation wrought in the southern United States in 2005 when levees failed to protect the city of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now we have something to beat these morons over the head with. The levees in New Orleans were easy to see and people knew there was a problem. Many people blamed President G.W. Bush for the disaster, but the blame for this fell squarely on the shoulders of:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Mayor Ray Nagin for not following the actual disaster\/evacuation plan.<\/li>\n
  2. Governor Kathleen Blanco for not ordering an evacuation or doing any actual preparation work when the hurricane started heading to that area. (You can add ignoring President Bush\u2019s requests to get things ready for the aftermath)<\/li>\n
  3. The Louisiana state governments and New Orleans governments for the last 40 years for their corruption and incompetence in building and maintaining the levees.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Earthquake fault lines are not that easy to see. You may see some surface disruptions, as with the San Andreas fault line in California. However, the actual sections that are \u201cLocked\u201d are miles underground. The only way the geologists can see them is by using seismographs and computers. They can\u2019t just walk up to them and take a look.<\/p>\n

    Earthquakes are, of course, nearly impossible to predict, seismologists say. In fact, according to the website for the USGS, no major quake has ever been predicted successfully.<\/p>\n

    “Neither the USGS nor Caltech nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake,” reads a statement posted on the USGS website. “They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Hopefully, these people will appeal this stupid decision and be acquitted. If not, you can say goodbye to any geologic research in Italy. Who will they blame if Vesuvius ((Mount Vesuvius<\/a>)) blows and destroys Naples? From what I\u2019ve read, when that puppy lets go again, Naples will go the way of Pompeii ((Ancient Pompeii<\/a>)).<\/p>\n

    Relatives of some who perished in the 2009 quake said justice has been done. Ilaria Carosi, sister of one of the victims, told Italian state TV that public officials must be held responsible “for taking their job lightly.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    What a blithering idiot. Frankly, Italy hasn\u2019t amounted to a hill of beans since the Roman Empire fell. Hey you idiots! You live in one of the more geologically active areas on earth. You are going to get earthquakes, and considering how poor the construction of those old building is, you are going to have collapses and people getting killed. Why don\u2019t you try doing what Japan and California do? Put money into making the buildings earthquake resistant? And while you\u2019re at it, how about NOT building homes on the slopes of an active volcano?<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    Oh wait, that would require intellect, common sense and not bankrupting your own country by demanding someone else take care of you. Your Roman ancestors would look at you in disgust.<\/p>\n

    Thatisall<\/p>\n

    ~The Angry Webmaster~<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\"1\"2\"3\"4\"5 (3<\/strong> votes, average: 1.00<\/strong> out of 5)
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    Up-Section: Italian seismologists convicted of manslaughter<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    Geology, Geophysics, and SCIENCE… and life as a graduate student. … L’Aquila earthquake in April of 2009, Italian seismologists and government officials were indicted for multiple accounts of manslaughter. The scientific community responded with widespread criticism. The events leading up to the conviction, the conviction itself, and implications for the scientific and hazard-risk assessment communities was thoroughly summarized by Austin Elliot on his blog The Trembling Earth.<\/div>\n
    http:\/\/upsection.blogspot.com\/<\/a> \u2014 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:16:00 -0700<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Italy quake scientists convicted | Healthcare Concerns<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    Among those convicted were some of Italy’s most prominent and internationally respected seismologists and geological experts. Earlier, more than 5,000 scientists signed an open letter to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in support of the …<\/div>\n
    http:\/\/cplpcienciassociais.org\/ \u2014 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:00:20 -0700<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Asinine in the Apennines | Spitfire Global<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    News that a court in Italy has convicted several scientists for manslaughter for not accurately predict the exact time & place of an earthquake. Really. You can’t make this stuff up. The scientists in question, though some of the world’s most … Think what this moronic decision will mean to the other seismologists geologists & physicists of that nation (flee!!! find a place to apply your skills that’s more rational!). Think what this decision means to the way seismological data is interpreted …<\/div>\n
    http:\/\/www.spitfireglobal.com\/ \u2014 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:55:24 -0700<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Seven Convicted of Manslaughter for Not Warning of Quake<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    It did not, however, conclude that Italy was on the verge of major quake and did not issue a warning. The seven convicted geologists and seismologists were members of the board. The trial took place in L’Aquila, which still has not recovered …<\/div>\n
    http:\/\/www.adventure-journal.com\/ \u2014 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:11:41 -0700<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Malpractice concept gone off the deep end \u00ab Alexandria<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    Among those convicted were some of Italy’s most prominent and internationally respected seismologists and geological experts, including Enzo Boschi, former head of the national Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. \u201cI am dejected …<\/div>\n
    http:\/\/www.aleksandreia.com\/ \u2014 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:06:56 -0700<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    CrazyDragon MyWeb \u00bb Italy disaster head quits in row<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    Among those convicted were some of Italy’s most prominent and internationally respected seismologists and geological experts, including the former head of Italy’s Institute of Geophysics, Enzo Boschi, and the director of the European Centre …<\/div>\n
    http:\/\/home.crazydragon.net\/ \u2014 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 07:43:08 -0700<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Italian court ruling sends chill through science community | SciTech …<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
    Scientists reacted with alarm to the manslaughter conviction of six earthquake experts in Italy for failing to give adequate warning of the 2009 earthquake in the city of L’Aquila that killed 308 people. … “What those six scientists said was correct and any seismologists would support it,” said Roger Musson at the British Geological Survey. “It seems to be wrong that they should be prosecuted for offering scientific advice to the best of their ability.” In the United States, Michael Halpern at the …<\/div>\n
    http:\/\/www.gmanetwork.com\/news\/ \u2014 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 07:25:46 -0700<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Good day all. As you might have guessed, I didn\u2019t watch the debate last night. Instead I was marveling at the utter stupidity of a judges decision in Italy. In this case, some blithering idiot decided that 7 scientists were guilty of manslaughter since they didn\u2019t predict an earthquake. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,5,100,71,115],"tags":[5,15,34],"class_list":["post-9634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-history","category-moonbat","category-news-of-the-day","category-stupidity-crime","tag-history","tag-incompetence","tag-stupidity"],"views":1257,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/angry.net\/blog2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/DaffyScrewball.gif?fit=288%2C267&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16409,"url":"https:\/\/angry.net\/blog2\/?p=16409","url_meta":{"origin":9634,"position":0},"title":"Obamacare Architect: Americans are Stupid","author":"Angry Webmaster","date":"November 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Good day all. 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