Once again, Michael Brodkorb has distorted the truth and punched a hole in his already strained credibility.
Earlier today, Michael put up a post claiming that State Rep. Melissa Hortman connected the 35W disaster and global warming. Here is the quote that inspired his post.
Hortman speculated that 90-plus-degree heat Wednesday and the above-normal temperatures of the past two summers may have been a contributing factor.
“Did the heat put extra strain on the steel?” Hortman said. “You wonder if this bridge was built to withstand the massive heat we have had this summer.”
Notice that the quote makes no mention of global warming, nor of climate change in general. Michael made that connection in his own little confused head. Well, Melissa Hortman is setting the record straight…
It has come to my attention comments I made shortly after the collapse of the I-35W Bridge have been taken out of context by some websites and talk radio hosts.
In the hours immediately after the bridge collapse I stated that there were many potential causes to investigate, including terrorism, design flaws, poor maintenance and heat, and that all needed to be fully investigated. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also has said that there are multiple potential causes and that they will examine every possible cause in their investigation, including whether the expansion and contraction associated with Minnesota’s extreme temperature swings may have been a factor. The effect of weather, not climate, was my concern, and is one of many issues the NTSB has gathered data on and will consider.
Classic MDE: when there is nothing there, just make something up.
Loading ...
Didn’t Rosie O’Donnell say that the World Trade Center collapse was the first time that fire had melted steel? Why would someone think that a few 90 degree days would cause a bridge to weaken?
There was an engineer/architect on NPR the other day explaining how the huge temperature swings we have in this part of the country do cause the contraction and expansion of the metal, especially metal manufactured 40 years ago. Ask any railroad engineer (civil or locomotive) about “sun kinks” caused on the hottest of days. Ask the citizens of Minot about what happens to steel rails on the coldest of days.
It’s not a few 90 degree days, it’s a few 90 degree days following 40 years of 120 degree temperature swings that make some raise the issue.
Chris O’Reilly,
LOLS Rosie O’Donnell. No you’re not a troll at all, are you. What’s the point of even posting here, pally?
MN Observer,
If a bridge can collapse because of heat, why didn’t the 35W bridge, as well as other bridges for that matter, collapse in the late ’80s when we experienced hotter summers? And, Nitro, try coming up with a reasoned, logical argument rather than another lame ad hominem attack on those you disagree with.
Chris,
I must say I am suprised that you consider Rosie O’Donnell an expert on these matters.
Did you simply not read Senator Hortman’s statement or do you think the rest of us are that stupid?
“Did the heat put extra strain on the steel?” Hortman said.
I wonder if her tin foil hat melted.
I heard Rush talking about Hortman’s comments.
She is way over the top and completely out of line with her crazy accusation that global warming may have caused the bridge to collapse.
I commend MDE for bringing this wacky accusation to light.
MDE is becoming an almost mythical hero in the blogosphere. He has already taken Minnesota — I suggest he go National now.
Zack,
How many retractions or corrections has MDE made in the last six months? How many has this site made? The answer to those questions skewer your notion that MDE’s credibility is strained.
As I’ve said all along, we don’t know what caused the bridge to collapse. But the New York Times is reporting on a design defect that could be the answer, in light of the weight of all of the construction vehicles and other cars and trucks. You can read the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/us/09cnd-bridge.html?ei=5065&en=dfa3aa04d82c27f4&ex=1187236800&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
Zach: After reading your post, you are the one who has become the fool. Your post is sloppy, inaccurate, and false.
Seriously? Did either of you actually read the post or MN Observer’s comment?
Now, I know that in Swiftee’s case, this question is absolutely and purely rhetorical….but RB, I don’t know you from a hole in the wall. That being said, your comment uses some techniques I would normally associate with the “blogger” you seem to idolize. They’re blunt, and tend not to make the argument in which they’re used stronger.
Just a friendly note.
Isn’t that helpful. Enlighten us please, O Deity of Clean, Accurate, and True Posting on *how* the post is sloppy, inaccurate, and false. Come on, I know you’re dying to.
I’m no cheerleader of either neoconservatism or neoliberalism, and it seems pretty cut and dry to me. Neocons like MDE rely on emotional, exasperated BS to perpetuate their lies. Just fast forward to the last interview I got at the last protest I covered.
http://www.minneapolitics.com/?p=113
These pundits actually convince people that we spend more on social programs than the millitary.
So feeble. The rank and file of the neoconservative movement like to feel both threatened and secure at the same time. They are without a doubt the greatest argument for evolution. You’d think if they wanted to refute it they’d stop acting like a bunch or reactionary monkies and use their intellect for a change.
MinneaPolitics,
Emotion, huh? What about State Senators Ropes and Lynch and State Representative Tschumper blaming Pawlenty last night at a regional meeting last night in SE MN?
As for your own blog, you advocate invading Pakistan — how reckless is that? Gen. Musharraf is our ally. He is in a delicate position having a radical Islamic military underneath him. If we invaded Pakistan, Musharraf would be overthrown (and likely killed) and guess who would be in control of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons? I’ve never seen anything as reckless and naive as the notion that we should invade an ally and risk putting nuclear weapons in the hands of Muslim fanatics.
Joe is mistaken (yes, again). I did read MkNOb’s contribution…I then completely disregarded it, as I do all moonbat nonsense.
Trains in Minot?
How about trains in the Sahara
or
Trains in the Mohave
Maybe there isn’t much change in temperature there though, eh? Let’s check..Doh!
“Temperatures have been as low as 8¬∞F in January and as high as 119¬∞F in August.”
Well how about..
Trains in Antarctica
Ms, kNob hasn’t a clue about what she is attempting to convey, and I doubt that she has the ability to have understood anything of value that she might have heard much less write intelligently about it.
That was just another leftist dribbling nonsensical pap..
But I’m sure it made perfect sense to Joe.
The truth is Hortman never mentions global warming. Anybody that claims she did is lying. People can assume she was thinking global warming but that assumption is based primarily on the desire to fabricate a story and commit fraud.
If you think that weather can have no immediate or long term effect on a structure you have no idea what you are talking about. We might have had years or weeks with much hotter temperatures and nothing happened but other variables are different now. The bridge had rust on it before and nothing happened so rust can’t be the problem right?
Hortman’s statement was a little naive and simplistic but not false or completely out of line. The post on MDE was simple ridiculous and fraudulent.
Again a series of right wing trolls who ignore the points of the left, exaggerate the points of the right, and continue to poison the well here at MN Publius. To think that there are people like this is the great State of Minnesota is a huge embarassment. Just what are these assholes trying to accomplish here? Unfortunately for the rightie trolls, the fruits of their actions here are motivating Democrats to absolutely make sure that their voices continue to have less and less political power by getting out the vote in 2008. I dislike every one of you scumbags more and more every time you post your filth here. You bet I’m getting out the vote, and at National Night Out the other day, discussing politics, I don’t think there was a single person there who isn’t going to get out there and vote against you righties. You’re all full of shit, and we all know it, and we all are sick and tired of it all.
Chris,
Better go back and read my blog again there, bud.
I may as well be talking to a wall.
wtm, in 1988 the bridge was 21 years old. In 2007, it’s 40 years old. The fatigue on the metal most likely gets worse with age and the continued expansion/contraction caused by the wide temperature swings in this part of the country year after year are likely to have contributed to weakening.
As much as our dear Republican leaders consider themselves above the laws of man, I’m afraid that the laws of physics aren’t as easily avoided.
“…The fatigue on the metal most likely gets worse with age and the continued expansion/contraction caused by the wide temperature swings in this part of the country year after year are likely to have contributed to weakening.”
“As much as our dear Republican leaders consider themselves above the laws of man, I’m afraid that the laws of physics aren’t as easily avoided.”
Bwahahaha! Where did you get your BSME MkNOb..MIT? Matchbook Institute of Technology..
Which physical laws are you referring to?
Can you share the results of your exhaustive investigation?
What model did you use to calculate your bending moments and shear forces?
Did you use finite element analysis or did you opt for the boundry method?
Or is it you’ve just emptied another bottle of gin to wash down your happy pills? C’mon now..tell us the truth. Bwahaha!
It appears that Melissa Hortmann is the fool. The New York Times is reporting a design defect being the leading theory in the bridge collapse. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/us/09cnd-bridge.html?ei=5065&en=dfa3aa04d82c27f4&ex=1187236800&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
The fools are the ones who said she blamed it on Global Warming.
SeanH,
The fools are the ones who don’t know anything about bridges, haven’t been down to the scene to check it out and are wildly speculating.
Did you read the New York Times yesterday where experts are saying that the leading theory for why the bridge collapsed was a design defect? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/us/09cnd-bridge.html?ei=5065&en=dfa3aa04d82c27f4&ex=1187236800&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
The fools are the ones who said she blamed it on Global Warming and those who try to change the subject about it.
Was weather a factor in the long term condition of the bridge? Yes. Can short periods of hot weather cause failures in engineered structures even though those structures have survived that level of temperature before? Yes.
The truth is there will be multiple causes found that combined to cause the bridge to collapse. A weak design is more susceptible to the wear caused by cyclical stresses, corrosion or anything else. Does that mean the design was the cause? Was it the subsequent corrosion? In the end all the factors were part of the cause and anybody that claims there was only one simple cause is a fool.
Hortman never mentioned global warming so people that make that claim are either lying or making an assumption simply because they didn’t like her before hand. Her statement was a little naive and overly simplistic but didn’t do any damage nor was it completely wrong. I don’t like Hortman’s stance on policy but she didn’t do anything wrong here.