Monday, October 22, 2012

More nonsense from Italy

An Italian court "convicted seven scientists and experts of manslaughter on Monday for failing to adequately warn citizens before an earthquake struck central Italy in 2009, killing more than 300 people."

These court officers must live in a cave. You can't predict earthquakes. And if the scientists had tried valiantly to warn people, they would have been laughed at. No one believes you when you say an earthquake is imminent.
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.
Uh-huh. And if they weren't sure, which of course they weren't? Still a crime? Apparently.
Prosecutors had sought conviction and four-year sentences during the non-jury trial, which was led by a judge. A defense lawyer, Filippo Dinacci, told reporters that the sentence would have "big repercussions" on public administration since officials would be afraid to "do anything." 
Indeed. You have to wonder if the judge graduated from elementary school. Here's some good advice. If you're a seismologist, don't work in Italy. In fact, if you're a scientist of any sort, get out of the country now.