Dear Bobby Jindal: Do You Feel Like a World-Class Idiot Yet?

So Bobby, when you mocked the Volcano Monitoring line item in the President's stimulus plan, were you also waving off funds for hurricane warning systems and levee building? Oh wait, that's right, you were turning down the stim! So mock on, Governor, mock on, oh great hope of the Republican (and Democratic) Party!

See, I'll bet that line item was included based on recommendations from groups like the USGS and NOAA. You know, scientists. Guys who do things like monitor plate movement, earth core temperatures, and things that may enable predictions of earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and the like. I know you guys like to do things based on the science of making shit up -- I mean, your guys are the ones who watched a video of a plugged-in eggplant and determined that she could recover, and deemed clusters of cells stored in goo "snowflake babies," and you yourself banished Satan from a fellow classmate's body, so who am I to question your scientific credentials?

At any rate, despite your disparagement of the Volcano Monitoring systems, the Ring of Fire appears to be showing some pretty serious activity lately.

That underwater volcano that erupted last week in the South Pacific actually created a new island. Don't pretend you didn't see the youtube video, because even if you aren't a science nerd, it's really, really cool.

Then a few days later, Mt. Redoubt in Alaska erupted FIVE TIMES over one night. Ahem.

Today, an earthquake of 4.3 magnitude hit outside of San Jose -- feel free to keep referring back to that Ring of Fire map.

And lastly, today it was reported that TWO volcanoes may erupt in eastern Congo, which isn't actually part of the Ring of Fire, but still is indicative of some increased tectonic activity. (Remember that big wave that wiped out Southeast Asia on Christmas a few years ago? Earthquake.)

So, geologically speaking, things look like they are getting pretty interesting around the globe. And I can't help feeling a little smug that Bobby Jindal is getting some sort of tectonic smackdown. I really just wanted to talk about volcanoes and earthquakes, because I think they're pretty cool.

But one last thing. I think the WWE should name one of their pay-per-view specials "Tectonic Smackdown."

Update 3/31: From McClatchy today. Murkowski (R-AK) gets it.