Italian Scientists to Stand Trial for Manslaughter in Quake Case

AAAS Science Mag ^ | May 25, 2011 | Edwin Cartlidge

[kingu]

ROME—Enzo Boschi, the president of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), will face trial on charges of manslaughter with six other scientists and technicians for failing to alert the residents of L'Aquila ahead of the devastating earthquake that struck the central Italian town on 6 April 2009, killing 308 people.

The seven experts sit on the nation's major risks committee, and were probed by L'Aquila prosecutors after members of the public complained that it was the committee's reassurances that persuaded them not to leave their homes ahead of the quake.

[kingu]

This is just insane.. The report given by scientists stated that the earthquake swarm couldn't be identified as a precursor to a large earthquake; such swarms generally don't indicate large earthquakes in a region, but the town was expected to experience a large earthquake sometime in the future. Six days later, the large earthquake hit and 308 people died.

The scientists were right - it is not generally a precursor, and you'd likely find a lot of healthy debate if the swarm of smaller quakes did or didn't impact the eventual rupture that caused the quake. Manslaughter? What option did this town's authorities think was there? Ordering an immediate evacuation?

Might have worked for three days, maybe four, but by the fifth, without an earthquake, people would be back to their homes and business as usual. This is pretty much a modern day witch hunt, and a horrible precident to set.

[Redcitizen]

Reminds me of Galileo’s trial.

[Norm Lenhart]

The fastest way to end this nonsense is bring up the Global Warming priesthood on charges of criminally negligent homicide. There was a family that committed group suicide over GW fear after all.

As soon as the high-holy church of GW leaders face a trial, you will never hear of another branch of ‘science’ being prosecuted like this again. Of course unlike the geologist situation, this actually would have some merit.

[Rembrandt]

Actually, its a good thing when the Lefty’s begin to eat their own, sad, but good.

[mnehring]

Where do you get that these are lefties? These are geologists, not some reading the tea-leaves gore-bull warming pimps.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I bet a couple dozen geological societies from across the world volunteer as expert witnesses that the prosecution is full of bull shiite. The data doesn’t support the kind of prediction these asses are saying should have been made.

[Navy Patriot]

Note to scientists in Italy: move somewhere else and don’t share your discoveries with Italy.

[marktwain]

The public has been told that we have Computer programs that will tell us what the weather will be like 100 years from now. It is not hard to believe that scientists should be able to predict an earthquake a few days out.

This is one of the malignant effects of the farce of Global Warming,,, er..Climate Change... er.. Political Correctness.

[kingu]

To a point, it's pretty much already been done. Other articles on the web indicate major geological societies have written the judge to indicate what the prosecution alledges is incorrect, and that more precise predictions are not possible at this time.

If they go up before a jury of the townsfolk who lost so many friends and relatives, however, I wouldn't wager on a positive outcome for the scientists. The USGS has already posted a statement to the effect that prediction is virtually impossible.

[LukeL]

It is like predicting when a broken tree branch will finally break free. Until you hear the loud snap it is anyone guess.

[Rembrandt]

“Where do you get that these are lefties? These are geologists, not some reading the tea-leaves gore-bull warming pimps.”

Is it Italy? Is Italy one of the PIIG’s? Are these intellectuals in Italy? Are the intellectuals in Italy right of center? Is my conclusion misplaced?

[Kenny Bunk]

What really happened is that one of the Eyetie eathquake Boffins developed a new earthquake predicting theory (He measures and monitors Radon Gas escaping along fault lines) and he predicted the quake about 10 days in advance. He went very very public, TV, Newspaper,Internet Blog, Radio, bar talk, pillow talk, you name it.

For his troubles, he was promptly fired, arrested, thrown in the cooler, and charged with Spreading Panic and other Un-Italian Activities. He was languishing in durance vile on the day the quake hit ... which just happened to be the day he had predicted. Of course, they let the poor guy go, but then the MSM (their version) got a hold of this and there was Hell to pay.

Naturally, the authorities, who looked like merda, had to arrest somebody, so they arrested the guys who fired the guy who was right.

Speaking of the future, the paesani are overdue for a big one. Every two hundred years or so, they have a 9.X on the Richter in Southern Italy, the last one in the 1790s or so, in which at least 50,000 were killed, and more swept out to sea in a series of vicious tsunamis. The quake was so severe, it changed the course of rivers. Then there's always Vesuvius, Etna, Stromboli and several utility volcanos yet to be named that are always ready to blow.

"Volcano," it's an Italian word. Like "lava," "pumice," "fumarole", if the shakin' don't get'em, the pyroclastic flow will. Badda-Bing, Badda-Boom!

[Kirkwood]

Logic Fail.

[Westbrook]

A mussolini moment.

[Gondring]

Nobody ever listens to the geologists/seismologists anyway....

From Wikipedia:

A junior staffer, Walter Russell (Kip Niven), at the California Seismological Institute has calculated that Los Angeles will suffer a major earthquake in the next day or two. He frantically tries to reach his superior, Dr. Frank Adams, who is busy placing seismic sensors in the field. Another tremor hits as Adams and his assistant are working in a deep trench and they are buried alive. The scientists at the center argue about whether or not to go public with their prediction of a major quake. The acting supervisor, Dr. Willis Stockle (Barry Sullivan), insists that if they are wrong their funding will be jeopardized. He also argues that the panic such a warning would cause could be worse than the earthquake itself. They agree on a compromise to alert the National Guard and police so that they can at least mobilize to help deal with the fallout.

[mosesdapoet]

From now on all vocanologists not just Italian will have to offer dire warnings just in case to CTA . The problem with this field is that it has not progressed as climatology has.

This witch hunt is being used by those prosecutors who want to make headlines and move up in the socialist pig food chain. What’s not being blamed are the building codes in that region . It’s a cover up of a bad local administration

[ThePatriotsFlag]

We shake our heads in dismay looking back at the “witch trials” ... such grossly uninformed people (do-gooders in their own minds then... murderers today). But alas in this “enlightened” age, there are still those who, with questionable IQs, still practice and dabble in dark arts. This is a perfect example that this retarded, regressive mentality is alive and well. So you can throw in the global warming crowd, the “if-you-don’t-eat-organic-you’ll-die” crowd, the we are important enough to control earthquakes crowd and uh, and while we are making a list, Democrats in general ... that should pretty much cover the problem.

[SES1066]

I am going just go upon old knowledge, but if I recall correctly, Italy, like many other countries, operates upon a form of the Napoleonic Code, which has a ‘Judge’ operating as a prosecutor and the burden of proving innocence upon the shoulders of the accused. Consequently, these seismologists will have to prove a negative, that there is no consistent way to predict an earthquake. Their problem is that a colleague was imprisoned for making an accurate prediction before the event. Did they protest the jailing of their fellow scientist or did they egg-on the authorities to get rid of a ‘gadfly’?

[SES1066]

From now on all vocanologists not just Italian will have to offer dire warnings just in case to CTA.

Since we are talking about Italy, I am going to give you a pedantic correction, the correct term is 'Vulcanologists' that derives from the ancient Roman God, Vulcan, armorer of the pantheon of Roman gods and patron of blacksmiths. His smithy is under Mount Etna on Sicily and every time his wife, Venus, strays, Mt. Etna smokes.

[aruanan]

His smithy is under Mount Etna on Sicily and every time his wife, Venus, strays, Mt. Etna smokes.

I thought it would be Venus who would be smoking after she strays.