Art Robinson

[[File:Art Robinson.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Arthur Robinson]]
{{pseudosciencenav}}{{cquote|All we need do with nuclear waste is dilute it to a low [[radiation]] level and sprinkle it over the ocean – or even over America after [[Radiation hormesis|hormesis]] is better understood and verified with respect to more diseases.|||Art Robinson in ''Access to Energy''<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20120121012549/http://www.accesstoenergy.com/view/atearchive/s76a2275.htm   Science vs. Scientists], ''Access to Energy'', 1997, Vol. 24, No. 8</ref>}}
'''Arthur Brouhard Robinson''' (1942-) is a former chemist and current [[crank]], [[woo]]-meister, and [[wingnut|fringe political figure]]. Robinson was a professor of [[chemistry]] at the University of [[California]]-San Diego until 1972, when he resigned. In 1980, he created the [[Oregon]] Institute of Science and Medicine (OISM). In 1997, he co-authored the brochure that accompanied the [[Oregon Petition]] with his son and [[Willie Soon]].<ref>http://www.petitionproject.org/gw_article/GWReview_OISM150.pdf</ref>

==Pseudoscience career==
Robinson's first venture into pseudoscience came during his partnership with [[Linus Pauling]] during Pauling's [[Vitamin C]] [[quackery]] days. He and Pauling founded the Linus Pauling Institute for Science and Medicine in order to promulgate [[orthomolecular medicine]].<ref>[http://www.orthomolecular.org/library/jom/2001/articles/2001-v16n03-p137.shtml Whither the Pauling Legacy?], OISM newsletter</ref> Pauling's political views as a hardcore [[leftist]] and peacenik (he had won the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 1963) rubbed many of his colleagues the wrong way and Robinson happened to be a staunch 
[[conservative]]
 [[wingnut]]. Robinson also challenged Pauling's views on Vitamin C. The two had a falling out and Robinson went on to found OISM to further promote his own brands of quackery.

Robinson has a deep history of working with various luminaries in the field of pseudoscience. Fun facts about Art:
*He is the head editor for the newsletter ''Access to Energy'', a position which he took over at the request of its founder [[Petr Beckmann]]. The newsletter promotes [[nuclear power]] ([[stopped clock]] here, but his views on [[nuclear waste]] stray into crank territory), [[anti-environmentalism]], [[global warming]] [[denialism]], and [[AIDS denialism]] (yes, he recycles [[Peter Duesberg]]'s arguments, of course).
*[[Doctors for Disaster Preparedness]] is affiliated with the OISM.
*He co-authored the book ''Fighting Chance: Ten Feet To Survival'' with [[Gary North]], a [[survivalist]] tract promoting the return of [[Duck and Cover|duck-and-cover]] drills and offering advice on surviving [[nuclear war]]. You can also buy CD courses from his website on how to prepare for the coming [[communist|commie]] takeover and nuclear holocaust.<ref>He offers a [http://www.homelandcivildefense.org/s141p1461.htm free copy online here (warning, it's DjVu).]</ref>
*He is a signatory to the [[Discovery Institute]]'s [[A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism]] petition promoting [[creationism]].
*The OISM is also a major proponent of [[global warming denialism]] and was responsible for the [[Oregon Petition]], which [[Frederick Seitz]] assisted in distributing. The institute has published research by noted deniers [[Willie Soon]] and [[Sallie Baliunas]].
*He offers his own brand of [[homeschool|homeschooling]] curriculum for sale.
*He wants your pee!<ref>http://on.msnbc.com/1ubyxdV</ref>

==Political career==
Robinson ran on the [[Republican]] ticket against incumbent Peter DeFazio for a seat in the House of Representatives in Oregon's fourth district. He had an infamous melt-down incident in an interview with [[Rachel Maddow]], where he accused Maddow of smearing him by quoting his own writing from ''Access to Energy'' and gibbered incomprehensibly.<ref>[http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/10/07/5254452-if-it-were-possible-to-smear-a-person-by-quoting-to-him-things-that-he-has-published-in-his-own-newsletter Robinson on Maddow], Oct. 7 2010.</ref> Robinson's writings have a number of [[Dominionist]] themes in them (he did write a book with Gary North) and he implies that [[homosexuality]] is the cause of AIDS in his AIDS denial articles. He supports removing all [[taxes]] on energy and abolishing the [[public school]] system. His homeschooling curriculum uses the books of G.A. Henty, which promote themes of [[British]] [[imperialism]] and [[racism]]. 

Robinson had the [[Ron Paul]] Stamp of Approval<sup>TM</sup>. He lost to DeFazio but still managed to get 45% of the electorate, thus reaffirming the [[crazification factor]].

Besides his love of radioactive waste, Robinson has said a number of other batshit things on environmental issues, too many to count. His solution to all waste materials? Dump it in the ocean!
{{quotebox|Wastes dumped into the deep ocean will soon reach the bottom, where they are less hazardous than nearly any other place on Earth. Most materials will remain there: marine organisms are rare in the deep ocean, food chains are long, and few materials will be carried back to mankind. And that is what waste disposal is all about.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20110429085601/http://www.accesstoenergy.com/view/atearchive/s76a5074.htm Ocean Dumping? Yes!] ''Access to Energy'', 2004, vol. 13, no. 8.</ref>}}

Robinson ran for Oregon State Senate in District Two to replace Republican incumbent Herman Baertschiger in 2020, defeating Democrat challenger Jerry Allen with 64.0% of the electorate.<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/Art_Robinson Art Robinson] ''Ballotpedia''.</ref>

==Oregon State incident==
In 2011, Robinson claimed a political conspiracy to block his three children attending Oregon State University from getting their doctorates. He set up a site called Oregon State Outrage and he's been cross-posting at [[WorldNutDaily]] trying to get people to spam the deans of the university.  OSU has declared that Robinson is full of it.<ref>[http://archive.is/x353K OSU Condemns Robinson's Assertions], Register Guard</ref>

==See also==
*[[Crank magnetism]]
*[[Doctors for Disaster Preparedness]]
*[[Radiation hormesis]]

==External links==
*[http://www.oism.org/ OISM homepage]
*[http://www.accesstoenergy.com/ Access to Energy newsletter]
*[http://www.artrobinsonforcongress.com/ Art Robinson for Congress], his campaign site.
*[http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/ The Robinson Self-Teaching Curriculum], his homeschooling site.
*[http://www.oregonstateoutrage.com/ Oregon State Outrage]
*[http://littlegreenfootballs.com/link/213602_Presenting_the_GOPs_newest_star-_Arthur_Robinson Arthur Robinson profile] on Little Green Footballs
*[http://www.independentscientist.com/ A Scientist Finds Independence], [[Tom Bethell]] in ''American Spectator''
*[http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2010/08/12/coverstory.html Wingnut is as wingnut does], Eugene Weekly
*[http://www.durangobill.com/GwdLiars/OregonInstituteOfScienceAndMedicine.html Durango Bill's OISM profile]
*[http://timpanogos.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/cargo-cults-in-global-warming-and-arthur-robinson/ Cargo Cults in Global Warming, and Arthur Robinson], Ed Darrell
*[http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/06/30/art-robinson-oregon-gop-candidate-for-congress-sells-book-comparing-africans-to-retarded-children/ Art Robinson Sells Books Comparing Africans to Retarded Children], AlterNet
*[http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/10/oregon-institute-of-science-and-malarkey/ Oregon Institute of Science and Malarkey], Real Climate
*Rabett Run: [http://rabett.blogspot.com/2006/12/gift-for-john-h.html Gift for John H.], [http://rabett.blogspot.com/2008/06/rabett-power-recently-john-quiggin-and.html Rabett Power], [http://rabett.blogspot.com/2009/10/critical-review-of-robinson-robinson.html Critical Review of Robinson, Robinson, and Soon]
*[https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-grandfather-of-alt-science/ The Grandfather Of Alt-Science: Art Robinson has seeded scientific skepticism within the GOP for decades. Now he wants to use urine to save lives.] by Daniel Engber (2017)


==References==
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Categories: Anti-abortion activists, Authors, California, Chemists, Christians, Creationists, Denialists, Fundamentalists, Global warming denialists, Gun nuts, HIV/AIDS, Homophobes, Living people, Paleoconservatives, Perennial candidates, Pseudoscience promoters, Survivalism