PorkForest Baloney

UPDATE AND CORRECTION BELOW:

Sandra L. Hudson of Iowa City, a member of the Porkforest's Community Advisory Council, tries to go to bat for the project in this morning's Iowa City Press-Citizen:

I had thought The Environmental Project was just one more walk-through conservatory. I discovered that the primary intent is scientific research and science education with universal access to learning. The multi-faceted technologies used for the academies will permit you and me to each experience cognitive growth even though our scientific backgrounds may be quite different. The cutting-edge educational approach incorporates formal, informal and interactive learning. Global real-time knowledge sharing will take place.

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

What a poseur.

Here's something even funnier that I don't buy:

I had thought it ludicrous that Congress and the Department of Energy would pork barrel $50 million for a rain forest.

That was January 22, 2004 when the $50 million was announced.

By May 21, 2004, Sandra L. Hudson was already part of a 26-member committee. From the Cedar Rapids Gazette via NewsBank in a story by Zack Kucharski (reproduced here):

A 26-member committee has been formed to gather community input and define some of the projects included in the proposed $180 million indoor rain forest.

The committee will concentrate on education, research, arts, communications, and tourism and business, said Nancy Quellhorst, the vice president of the Iowa Environmental/Education Project.

Sandra L. Hudson is telling me that in the course of four months she changed her opinion from that of a pork project to that of a vital necessity for Iowa's educational and scientific future?

Baloney.

Update: I mistakenly identified Sandra Hudson as Sandra Wilson due to a copying error. It's since been corrected. Thanks to those who fact-checked my ass. I love you all.