Misinformation is the insincerest form of philately

We do most of our posting on Facebook and Twitter these days , but this is deserves a proper post. The Reverend Michael Roberts is a rabid supporter of fracking and likes to pretend he is an expert in all of the science that surrounds fracking. He is particularly dismissive of people who claim that fracking can have ill effects on health. He even threatened to return his degree to Oxford recently because they were considering divesting from fossil fuels. Yes, that’s a little arrogant isn’t it?

Recently he was heard being (as usual) very dismissive of people who were concerned about one of the BTEX chemicals Benzene which can be mobilised in fracking fluid injected into the earth to return in the flow -back fluid

This is what he is reported as having said at the launch of the Medact report

(Reverend – if that report is incorrect do feel free to correct us!)

Sadly for the Rambling Reverend he seems to be a little confused. As a stamp collector myself I too have used something called Benzine – I have not used Benzene though.

Here is what a stamp collecting forum has to say about the differences between the two

Just in case the Reverend Roberts accuses us of selectively quoting just one post here is a warning from the  New Zealand Post website

and here is what http://news.thefinishingstore.com/index.php/tip-benzene-and-benzine/ have to say about the differences

Benzene and benzine are not the same thing. Though they are often confused or used interchangeably in books and magazines, they are very different.

Benzene is carcinogenic and was removed from the consumer market 40 years ago. Before then it was often used as a paint and varnish remover.

Benzine is another name for naphtha in the US, though the term is rarely used in this manner anymore. It’s also a common name for gasoline in England.

Naphtha (benzine) is a faster evaporating, less oily (“drier”) form of mineral spirits. It’s not dangerous if used in moderation.

Here’s an easy way to remember which is which. Benzene is spelled with an “e” as in dead. Benzine is spelled with an “i” as in alive.

It would appear then that the Reverend Roberts is not quite as clever as he would have us believe. Indeed, it would seem that he is guilty of misinformation yet again, so here we go again – his second “Pants on Fire” award of this year.

Of course we may be being unfair – maybe Mad Rev’s dad really did give him dangerous chemicals to play with. He certainly exhibits  confusion which is one of the symptoms of exposure to benzene. I’m sure he’ll let us know if that is the case and we’ll put the record straight.

In the meantime if the Reverend Roberts continues to claim expertise in the chemicals used in fracking and their safety you will know exactly how much credence to give him and his rambling reminiscences.

Post Script: It seems that Mad Rev’s bad faith is even worse that we imagined. He clearly knows that Benzene is harmful as this he wrote this on his own blog about the Medact report. Yes really!