Letter from Ron Bishop

Natural Laws, Not Vandalism

Something went terribly wrong with the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Shortly after the pool was refilled with water, a green scum spread rapidly over the surface. To kill the algae producing that scum, National Park Service employees dumped hydrogen peroxide solution into the pool. The scum stubbornly remained, but shortly after that, the pool’s new blue epoxy coating began bubbling up from the bottom.

President Trump blamed the damage on vandals, despite a total lack of evidence from the hundreds of security cameras that constantly monitor the pool. I believe the actual culprit was the hydrogen peroxide dumped into the pool in broad daylight.

Don’t mind me, I’m only a chemistry professor. Instead, try two searches on your smart device: “interaction of UV light with hydrogen peroxide” and “chemical compatibility of epoxy coatings with hydroxyl radicals.” See what there is to see, then look at recent images of the reflecting pool again. What they “reflect” is nature’s reality—paid for with over $14 million tax dollars in a no-bid contract given to the president’s buddies.

That’s the thing about natural laws: policies that oppose them are doomed to fail. This administration, with its anti-science and anti-expert stance in multiple areas, will never achieve results for us. The evidence suggests that our national leaders’ talents (and possibly their intents) lead only to demolition and failure. Is that all we expect from our tax dollars?

Ron Bishop
Cooperstown