In a moment that could only be described as head-scratchingly bizarre, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) recently took the concept of “political science” to new heights—or, should we say, new lows. Addressing a group of eager young minds at an eclipse-viewing event outside Houston’s Booker T. Washington High School, Jackson Lee delivered some cosmic claims that have left more than a few people wondering if her understanding of astronomy comes from a Cracker Jack box.
Let’s break this down, shall we? First off, Jackson Lee boldly ventured where no scientist worth their salt has gone before, claiming that the moon is “made up mostly of gases.” Now, people, I’m no Neil deGrasse Tyson, but even a cursory Google search will tell you that the moon is, in fact, a solid body made primarily of rock. It seems our dear congresswoman might have confused the moon with, say, Jupiter or Saturn—actual gas giants that, unlike the moon, would indeed make terrible vacation spots for future human colonization due to their lack of solid ground.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D):
The moon is "made up mostly of gases" so we can soon live inside it, unlike the sun which is "almost" too hot to go near. pic.twitter.com/bSd9zXcEPo
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 9, 2024
Jackson Lee didn’t stop at just reclassifying the moon’s composition. No, she doubled down on the astronomical absurdities by suggesting that, unlike the sun—which she acknowledges as “a mighty powerful heat” that’s “almost impossible to go near”—the moon is far more “manageable.” I suppose on a scale from frozen tundra to the surface of the sun, the moon’s lack of atmosphere does indeed make it slightly more approachable, if you’re wearing the right space suit.
And then, in a twist that M. Night Shyamalan might find a bit much, Jackson Lee expressed her eagerness to be among the first to learn how to “live and to be able to survive on the moon.” Because, as she puts it, the moon is “another planet which we’re going to see shortly.” Spoiler alert: the moon isn’t a planet. It’s Earth’s satellite. This is middle school science class stuff, people.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D):
The moon is "made up mostly of gases" so we can soon live inside it, unlike the sun which is "almost" too hot to go near. pic.twitter.com/bSd9zXcEPo
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 9, 2024
Adding a cherry on top of this galactic gaffe sundae, Jackson Lee reminisced about the Mars Pathfinder mission, wondering if it had captured images of the American flag Neil Armstrong planted. Except, of course, Armstrong’s flag planting ceremony was on the moon, not Mars.
This video of Congresswoman Jackson-Lee trying to figure out how to wear her eclipse glasses will literally have you in tears: pic.twitter.com/zqLVbup1Qq
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 9, 2024
Our elected officials should have at least a basic grasp of scientific facts, especially when they’re in positions to influence education and science policy. Misinformation, even when unintentional, can muddy the waters of public understanding and undermine efforts to promote scientific literacy among the next generation.