Because I would have been subjected to this. Talk about animal cruelty! OK, just kidding, but this story is a bit ridiculous. The article states that the scientists had used the voice of Limbaugh because it was “readily available”, not because they hated him. Well that turns out not to be true, they chose Rush because it was the “most annoying sound [they] could think of”. Not too surprising that the liberal entomology agenda hates Rush (joke), but I know I sure do. If you blared that blabbering buffoon at me for an hour I’d Plath myself.
It turns out these guys were on the right path however. While Limbaugh perhaps predictably had no effect on the insects, sounds recorded of the bark beetles did. When recordings of the sounds made of the beetles in their tunnels were fired back into the trees they observed the insects flying into a fury and killing each other. Sounds like it may be a useful tool if they can find a way to deliver this to trees without wiring each one with speakers. I don’t think that blasting these recordings Apocalypse Now style into forests will be plausible or effective so hopefully they can think of something else clever.
The story might be amusing but I think does a disservice to their cause in general. Using Rush was nothing but an attempt to grab press, which is clearly working. Would anyone have read a story about bark beetles otherwise? I probably wouldn’t have even given it a look. In the end the takeaway story for me is that I think to myself “interesting, they found a potentially useful tool against bark beetles”. But to the less science literate or politically motivated they likely think “great, more liberal scientists wasting our tax dollars playing music to beetles”. We already know what republicans think about science. Please, let’s not throw more fodder into the backwards minds of the anti-science republican agenda (OK, admittedly, fundamental republican fiscal policy is something I can understand… but they are a pack of morons the rest of the time). I don’t believe that Limbaugh has commented on this specific story, but is it difficult to imagine what he has to say?
