Customer Reviews

The Florida Manatee Conspiracy of Ignorance

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I've tried to read this book in an unbiased fashion and am not affiliated with any sort of special interest group, whether it be the so called "$MC" or the extremists at the other end of the spectrum ("$tanding Watch" and others). The use of the State's data in this book is, unfortunately, quite biased and inaccurately presented. The author appears to have been incredibly selective in which information he uses in the book. He has picked and chosen which data support his anti-regulatory position, ignored data that didn't support that position, and came to several biased and misleading conclusions. I'm also not quite sure what is the basis for the conspiracy that the author implies. Environmental protection isn't exactly a Fortune 500 career. On the other hand, boating is a multi-billion dollar business in Florida and I suspect that the boating lobby in Florida is far more powerful and influential than any environmental advocacy group. A conspiracy by boating groups to misrepresent scientific research seems more plausible. The author does not entertain the possibility that regulating the speeds of over 1 million registered boats in Florida isn't a government conspiracy, but simply a common sense thing to do for people as well as wildlife. If this book is intended to be a serious discussion on manatees and recreational boating in Florida, it fails badly and is far too opinionated for all but the most hard-line anti-regulatory audience.

As a fellow boater from Georgia, I too have been regulated to death over non sensical issues all in the name of some phony good claimed by those misled, yet followers of the ignorant.
My rights have been affected so much so, that something I truly care about and love, our natural waters and wildlife, that I can no longer boat in areas claimed as "protected". The madness has to stop and I believe Captain Tom's efforts have made an effort towards that at least in Florida. We need him in my state too.
I appreciate the thought Captain Tom put into this subject. Interesting reading.

Implementors of The Wildlands Project [no, I don't see 'black helicopters] certainly are howling mad that Captain McGill's obvious caring and affection for the manatee shine through so clearly. Followers of the likes of Dave Foreman and Reed Noss seek to slander the decades of hard work, serious research and honest effort that make this book a must for all schools and libraries. No, "Conspiracy of Ignorance" doesn't waste the reader's time with the sugar coating of Language Deception, but it does provide the meat and potatoes of facts, unvarnished. I hope that many, many more will read this book for themselves and consider that Captain McGill does not stand to profit from the manatees. He clearly seeks only to share the truth about them -- a truth that no one supporting The Wildlands Project will acknowledge or admit. While the proofreading could have been better, this remains a book with facts to be reckoned with.

People really shouldn't try to use words like "data" unless they have some understanding of how to use it properly. One of the fears that the State of Florida has in openly making its scientific data available to the general public is that you end up with a lot of so-called "experts" with no scientific background performing their own "analysis" and coming to their own wacky "conclusions". This book represents those worst fears, and definitely plays fast and loose with the truth. I suspect that the author would conclude that the law of gravity was some sort of government conspiracy if it ultimately meant that he would forced to slow his boat down. If you're looking for factual information recreational boating management in Florida, there are a lot better non-biased sources than this. But as one of the other reviewers stated, if you're a Florida good-ol-boy who thinks every form of regulation is some sort of government conspiracy, you'll probably love it.

The author should know "ignorance" when he sees it, because this book is about as "ignorant" as it can possibly get. This book basically sidesteps the truth and simply attempts to incite the growing manatee controversy with a series of blathering conspiracy theories, half-truths and outright lies. The true definition of "junk science" to the author is simply scientific results that do not support his views. The book is mildly entertaining as long as the reader understands that its essentially pure fiction, with little or no basis in fact. And this review comes from someone who is pro-boating, but tired of gross distortions of the truth on both sides of the issue.

After reading this book, I'm not at all surprised at the range of comments by reviewers. The author isn't the first disgruntled citizen with a printing press who thinks the entire world is one big governmental conspiracy. You'll either love this book or hate it. That's pretty obvious from the reviews. If you attempt to remanufacture scientific data to meet your own preconcieved opinion, you can probably find a link between manatees and Al Qaeda. Readers should decide for themselves, but this book reads less like a journalistic expose and more like the random rantings of an unhappy boater.

Tom McGill is not a biologist and has none of the credentials necessary to question the integrity of scientists. He doesn't even write well.
He and his buddy Ron Pritchard are pro-development and simply don't like conservation. This book is junk; avoid it.

The author truly believes that regulators have ignored important evidence about the manatee and he is right and has the data to prove it. The truth is that manatees become more endangered the farther (further?) from Florida you get.

Here in Florida, we know darn well the manatee is not endangered. Moreover, we know that "man-made," whether it's canals or channels or power plants, have in fact made the critter flourish. (I'd made a cruel joke about the manatee being a bellwether for global warming -- the warmer it gets, the more there are -- but that would probably p**s off everyone.)

That said, Tom misses many opportunities to suggest solutions. It's easy to bitch, but tough to solve. Nonetheless, he's telling the rest of the world what we in Florida have already realized. There is a conspiracy of ignorance, and Tom does a good job laying out the evidence.

Tom McGill's points are delivered with plenty of venom, which makes the book entertaining (not unlike the venom in the Tampa reviewer's post ;-) The difference is that McGill actually supports his conclusions with the state's own data! This book is right on target, exposing an eco-radical agenda that has little to do with saving manatees. The reader comes away with a clear understanding that, if the radicals didn't have the manatee, McGill would no doubt have a "Save the Palm Rat Club" to expose. A must-read for anyone who enjoys junk science debunkers like John Stossel and Steven Milloy.

This book presents a compelling case for changes in the way the manatee is managed in Florida. Mr. McGill has done a complete and comprehensive analysis of the facts regarding the Florida habitat of the manatee. His engineering background is clearly evident as he gathers and analyzes data to support his recommendations for change. A good read for anyone interested in the plight of the Manatee or a student of government gone awry.