Raúl Rafael Labrador is the U.S. Representative for Idaho’s1st congressional district since 2011 –previously representing District 14B inthe Idaho House of Representatives – wingnut,goldbugger and anti-science activist, probably best known forhis recent comment that nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care.

Politically Labrador isgenerally known for wanting to withdraw the US from the UN, returning to the Gold Standard,eliminating the Department of Education and repealing the 17th Amendment andend the right of voters to elect their Senators, since that is “the constitutional position to take” andthe only way to make sure “that USSenators are actually beholden to the people” (wtf?). He also thinks theACA is a betrayal of the US, wish to stop the federal government from enforcinggun laws and – the usual stuff – wants make the federal government “provide for the presence of God in thepublic domain,” and opposes same-sex marriage rights. His mission torewrite the Consitution has earned him the firm support of theAmerican Family Association,andBryan Fischer is an avowed fan.

But ok: the official reason for including Labrador in ourEncyclopedia, is that he is a firmclimate change denier.Says Labrador:“It’s interesting that about a decade agothere was a lot of talk about ‘global warming.’ Thirty years ago we weretalking about ‘global cooling’ [This is false]. Now all we hear about is ‘climatechange’ [well …]. There has been evidence throughouthistory of cycles when the earth gets warmer and cycles when the earth getscolder [which is irrelevant to the issue]. We should always be wise stewards of theearth and all of our natural resources. But as a policymaker, I won’t be guidedbythe global warming propaganda machine. Al Gore [who got things mostly right] – we need you to return your Nobel PeacePrize!” In 2010 Labrador signed a pledge sponsored by Americans forProsperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that wouldraise taxes.