Political views drive many climate change deniers

This is for Jack DeBaun. You and Monte Heil have exchanged quite a number of entertaining letters over the years. Heil's most recent ones on Feb. 27 and March 4 were typical of his pushback for his totally unsubstantiated "old country boy's opinion." He doesn't like it when someone fights fire with fire. Heil had the audacity to say that unless he personally doesn't experience something then it doesn't exist. I read, the L. A. Fires are unprecedented and 2024 was the warmest year on record, it's common knowledge.

As he's done with me, he misquotes or leaves out part of what other's have said to fit his narrative as he does when he says you have no training in meteorology. If I recall, you did admit that, but you went on to say that no matter their field of study or expertise, they still follow similar procedures and methods, learn what facts and observations they can and then come to a scientific conclusion. Also, that science is not set in stone, but is and should be flexible when new facts or information comes to light.

Mr. Heil's motivation appears to purely parrot others of his political beliefs with no basis in observable facts. To be on the up and up, I have an associate degree in communications. No, not a scientific field, but I consider myself reasonably intelligent and a "good old native Sandpoint boy" who believes his eyes and not some guy expressing his "opinion" who happened to have served in the military. 

Bottomline, Jack, arguing with and presenting facts to those like Heil is useless. His motivations are not science and facts, they are partisan extremist falsehoods that are currently infesting the politics of our country.

LAWRENCE FURY

Sandpoint