Orson Scott Card: Nobel Prize for Literature Awarded to Roomful of Monkeys?[AlGore & Global Warming]

Rhino Times ^ | October 18, 2007 | Orson Scott Card

[Tolik]

So Al Gore gets the Nobel Peace Prize, and my wife says to me, "Wow. First time they ever gave the peace prize for religion."

So true. And so sad. What has Al Gore done for the world? Ran loaded hearings in the Senate to promote the idea of global warming with no evidence worth a bucket of ... whatever it was John Nance Garner said was in such a bucket.

Then he was President Clinton's pet veep, treated with genial contempt, which he earned by his incompetence at running even an inconsequential office like that.

Then he tried to steal an election by a highly selective recount in the most Democratic counties in Florida – while accusing the befuddled Republicans of his own corrupt plan.

Meanwhile he tried to keep American servicemen's votes from counting. In other words, he was the scum of the earth.

Defeated in his plan to subvert the US Constitution, he grew a beard and appeared to have flaked out completely. But then he realized that the global warming religion was a dog that could still hunt, and he ran ahead of the pack to make it appear he was leading it.

Global warming: It runs in cycles. No serious scientific evidence indicates, let alone proves, a human cause for it. In fact, the evidence indicates the opposite, since global temperatures fell in the 1970s and 1980s, when global emissions were certainly not in retreat.

All the real evidence is supportive of solar and astronomical cycles as sufficient explanation of global warming and cooling patterns. At the very most, human-generated greenhouse gases are a small contributor to the greenhouse effect, and the greenhouse system seems to have methods of venting excess heat built in.

Not only that, but the close investigation suggests that one of the favorite "proofs" of global warming, the so-called "hockey stick," is downright fraudulent – rather like the so-called "Ophelia complex" – which turns out to be based on "evidence" that has not been made public by its primary claimant and cannot be replicated by reputable scientists.

Global warming is, in other words, somewhere between Piltdown Man and cold fusion on the scale of fake science.

But when I say this, the true believers become angry. Not because they can contradict my statements – they can't. Every word I just wrote is consonant with the evidence as it now stands.

They become angry because global warming has become the vengeful, punitive deity of a new fundamentalism: fanatical environmentalism. Global warming is rather like the idea of biblical infallibility or creation science – impervious to evidence or logic. It is part of a faith, and creed, and the true believers feel about people like me rather the way the ayatollahs feel about Salman Rushdie: Death! Death!

But, fortunately, science somehow manages to muddle along past its occasional idiocies. Piltdown Man gets exposed; cold fusion goes away; the Ophelia complex stops getting mentioned and we don't have to take our daughters to work any more and boys can be called on in the classroom without it being regarded as sexism.

Still, isn't it annoying that when the frauds perpetrated by the Established Church of Political Correctness are not so much exposed as forgotten?

If you do the slightest thing that smacks of political incorrectness, they're out for your blood, howling that you must lose your job or your business has to be boycotted, for the American Leftaliban is the most intolerant group that has ever had control of the American establishment.

But when the gods and prophets of the leftist elite are exposed as fakes, they are quietly ignored. Nobody loses his job. In fact, the elitists act as if nobody ever believed what they used to insist on with the utmost fervor.

In the real world, when you use establishment power to perpetrate a fraud – by, say, hiding exculpatory evidence in a highly publicized rape case that turns out to be completely faked up – there are lawsuits and people lose their jobs and huge sums of money change hands.

But when the serious scientists finally prevail over the true believers, and the bubble of global warming is finally popped for good, there'll be no cover of Time or Newsweek saying, "How Could We Have Been So Stupid?" or "Why Didn't Somebody Insist on Evidence?"

Instead, it will just ... disappear.

It's already happening. Haven't you noticed how the most sophisticated believers now speak of "climate change" being our great problem instead of "global warming"?

The word hasn't yet got down to the level of the sycophants and hangers-on – they're still writing essays about how we should stop waiting for evidence and act now. In other words: It is by faith in global warming alone that we shall be saved, not by having ideas that work.

And what will happen to Al Gore's peace prize? Where is the war he has resolved, like Teddy Roosevelt's arbitration of the Russo-Japanese War? Where is his noble service to mankind, like Mother Teresa's?

He will be a weird footnote in the history of the Nobel Prizes. "Oh, yes," future scholars will say. "That was an era when Europe enjoyed thumbing its nose at American realists by giving whatever rewards it could to any American who reaffirmed the fantasy world that Europeans were building for themselves."

The saddest thing is that there really are serious environmental problems that need solving, but after global warming, who will believe in anybody trying to warn us about the need to save the world from long-term dangers?

Worldwide crises are surely coming – insecticide-resistant disease-carrying insects, depletion of carbon fuels, the asteroid that is bound to hit Earth someday whether we're ready or not – and, having ignored the warnings, we'll run around in a useless panic like the idiots elected to govern New Orleans and Louisiana at the time when Katrina struck.

So because of global warming fundamentalism, we won't spend any money on workable solutions until it's way too late. Then we'll see the true cost of Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize.

But what am I thinking? Because even when Al Gore is forgotten as a prophet, the Leftaliban's devil will still exist.

Somehow, it will all be President George W. Bush's fault.
 

[Tolik]

Orson Scott Card - PING  [please freepmail me if you want or don't want to be pinged to Orson Scott Card political articles]

This article will be posted permanently (eventually) on his The Ornery American website http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/index.html

Links: his articles discussed at FR: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/k-orsonscottcard/browse  and archived here (it is a must go place for all new to OSC political writing): http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/index.html

His fresh articles appear in the Rhinoceros Times, Greensboro, NC: http://www.rhinotimes.com/greensboro/  (before being posted permanently on his The Ornery American website). Read his books/movies/and everything reviews: http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/ 

His "About" page: http://www.hatrack.com/osc/about.shtml

[Tolik]

Global Warming PING

[TChris]

OSC is a gift. He’s on my Favorite Writerers list, along with Thomas Sowell and Mark Steyn.

[Tailback]

Meanwhile he tried to keep American servicemen's votes from counting. In other words, he was the scum of the earth.

He DID keep military service member's votes from counting. The certified vote count to this day has never included those ballots that were thrown out. Also, all of the subsequent recounts conducted by newspapers etc never did include those military ballots. Isn't it strange that the media never talks about that?

[Tolik]

Yep. I also use his reviews of books and movies as a guide.

[arbooz]

Good article. Reminds me of one of H.L.Mencken's pearls :
"To sum up: 1. The cosmos is a gigantic fly-wheel making 10,000 revolutions a minute. 2. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it. 3. Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him the ride."

[vetsvette]

“What has Al Gore done for the world?”

What impertinence!!

Algore is HIS gift to the world.

Jeez!!

[samm1148]

I’ve been chatting with FR’s favorite global warming acolyte in e-mails. It’s amazing that a person can close their minds to the illogic of their arguments. I’ve been reading ‘State of Fear’. I’ve always been somewhat critical of Michael Crichton’s characters because I find them flat. I had trouble believing the characters of the global warming extremists in that novel but sadly, Crichton nailed them. My conversations showed an almost paranoid level of belief in man made global warming.

My point is that after my e-mail conversations, what I really find distressing is that real science, and there is such a thing, is denigrated by the alchemy-like predictions of global warming advocates.

Rather than earning the respect of peers and non scientists such as myself, scientists will be held in the same regard as used car salesmen and lawyers. Whatever ‘theory’ they are advocating will always be examined in light of who paid them for the research, not the science involved.

Good job though global warming advocates, on taking a golden age of reason and reducing it back to a dark age of superstition.

[xcamel]

FReepmail me to get on or off

Click on POGW graphic for full GW rundown

New!!: Dr. John Ray's
GREENIE WATCH

Ping me if you find one I've missed.

---

[Red_Devil 232]

And CNN is airing a special on Global Warming but calling it something like “Climate Change Our World In Crisis” (that is not the actual title just saw it advertised) and dismissed it by saying crap!

[GSWarrior]

Speaking of OSC, I wish they’d hurry up and make a movie of Ender’s Game.

[Travis McGee]

I like this Card. Any best book recommendations?

[Steve_Seattle]

I’m not even sure that most of the global warming alarmists really believe in it. I think they are using it as a scam to facilitate their internationalist political agenda. Further down the chain of command, I think it’s just something they use to bash Bush with, and to evade the real threat of Islamic terrorism, which they don’t have the stomach to face. They’d rather deal with a made-up problem than a real one.

[3niner]

This is interesting. I had understood that Orson Scott Card was a long time Democrat, and many of his earlier writings support this. This column makes him sound like nothing of the sort.

[3niner]

“Ender’s Game”, “Speaker for the Dead”

[LexBaird]

“Ender’s Game”. It may appeal to you particularly since it is military oriented (children raised from toddlerhood to be military leaders). If you can, get a hold of the novellette that was the original story and read it too: he later expanded it to a full novel.

[the lone wolf]

"Because even when Al Gore is forgotten as a prophet, the Leftaliban's devil will still exist."

Boys and girls, the word of the day is Leftaliban. Help spread the word...

[Travis McGee]

Thanks guys.

[neverdem]

This is interesting. I had understood that Orson Scott Card was a long time Democrat, and many of his earlier writings support this. This column makes him sound like nothing of the sort.

IIRC, he's one of those blue dog or yellow dog democrats, not a moonbat.

[L.N. Smithee]

Bookmarked! Thanks for posting it!

[Captainpaintball]

This guy’s good. Every paragraph is a 2 line sentence, and each sentence can stand on its own as a gem of factual content. As a whole, the article is greater than the sum of its parts. BUMP

[FreedomPoster]

Third, fourth, and fifth on Ender’s Game.

You really need to read it. Trust me, you’ll see why.

Bump it towards the top of your reading stack.

[FreedomPoster]

neverdem nails it. In modern parlance, OSC is a Zell Miller Democrat.

While we may disagree on many domestic issues, they at least are proud of America, first and foremost.

[Travis McGee]

I will!

[Tolik]

Here is the complete list of his works.

The Ender saga:	Ender's Game ♦ Speaker for the Dead ♦ Xenocide ♦ Children of the Mind ♦ A War of Gifts ♦ Ender in Exile: Ganges
The Shadow series:	Ender's Shadow ♦ Shadow of the Hegemon ♦ Shadow Puppets ♦ Shadow of the Giant ♦ Shadows in Flight
The Tales of Alvin Maker:	Seventh Son ♦ Red Prophet ♦ Prentice Alvin ♦ Alvin Journeyman ♦ Heartfire ♦ The Crystal City ♦ Master Alvin
Homecoming Saga:	The Memory of Earth ♦ The Call of Earth ♦ The Ships of Earth ♦ Earthfall ♦ Earthborn
Pastwatch series:	The Redemption of Christopher Columbus ♦ Pastwatch: The Flood
Women of Genesis series:	Sarah ♦ Rebekah ♦ Rachel and Leah ♦ The Wives of Israel
The Mayflower Trilogy:	Lovelock ♦ Rasputin
Standalone novels:	Hot Sleep ♦ A Planet Called Treason ♦ Songmaster ♦ Hart's Hope ♦ Saints ♦ The Worthing Chronicle ♦ Wyrms ♦ Treason ♦ Lost Boys ♦ Treasure Box ♦ Stone Tables ♦ Homebody ♦ Enchantment ♦ Magic Street ♦ Empire ♦ Invasive Procedures
Short Story Collections:	Capitol ♦ Unaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories ♦ Cardography ♦ The Folk of the Fringe ♦ Maps in a Mirror ♦ The Worthing Saga ♦ First Meetings

Ender's Game is an absolute gem - a classic of SciFi, a must read. The Ender's Saga continue from the point of the Ender's Game into the far future. Very interesting, but a bit too long. The Shadow series continue in real time right after the Ender's game and set in the near future. I liked it better, but the literature quality is a bit uneven - it suffered sometimes in favor of ideas.

Another must read is Lost Boys - great literature. Not a SciFi, but a normal literature with a touch of paranormal. A strong Mormon theme that did not bother me a bit (I am a non-religious Jew), even opposite - I respect them now more.

A planet called Treason was reworked a decade later into Treason - a fascinating read. Another great read is Wyrms. Both are very original.

The Worthing Saga stories are quite interesting too, looking into possible developments of human societies.

Magic Street is a contemporary fantasy. OK, but not great.

Empire (came out the last year) is OSC take on a possible upcoming civil war in America. I think The Right is not going to be quite satisfied with this book, but The Left should absolutely hate it.

 

 

[Tolik]

The movie works started, but I did not hear anything for a long time. Card said that he’d rather not have a movie than a movie he would not like. The biggest difficulty there is, of course, young actors. They’ve got to be small kids, but the roles are very deep. Honestly, I can’t imagine it being done right with people anyway, maybe computer graphics/animation?

[wbill]

what I really find distressing is that real science, and there is such a thing, is denigrated by the alchemy-like predictions of global warming advocates.

What I find distressing is that "George Bush stole the election, so the entire world is going to fry" currently passes for rational scientific discussion......

[wbill]

I read Empire and wasn't all that impressed.

I definitely can see why the Left would hate it.

I just thought that it was pretty formulaic and uneven, with lousy characters.

[nina0113]

Did you read the Women of Genesis set? I loved those a lot and would rather have Wives of Israel next than Shadows in Flight.

As a Catholic, I ovbiously have some issues with his theology but damn, can he write.

[DouglasKC]

hen he was President Clinton's pet veep, treated with genial contempt, which he earned by his incompetence at running even an inconsequential office like that. Then he tried to steal an election by a highly selective recount in the most Democratic counties in Florida – while accusing the befuddled Republicans of his own corrupt plan. Meanwhile he tried to keep American servicemen's votes from counting. In other words, he was the scum of the earth.

Why oh why do not all Republican's talk like this all the time?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

DOOMAGE!

Global Warming PING!

You have been pinged because of your interest in environmentalism, alarmist wackos, mainstream media doomsday hype, and other issues pertaining to global warming.

Freep-mail DaveLoneRanger to get on or off: Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to all note-worthy threads on global warming.

Global Warming Being Blamed for Calif. Wildfires

Shades Of Green

The Global-Warming Debate Isn't Over Until It's Over

Presidential Candidates: A Gore Surprise?

Hard-Knock Life

Inhofe Warns of Global Warming Laws

SPPI Reports 35 scientific errors in Gore’s climate movie:

Younger Dry-as dust?

Sweatin’ the Mediterranean Heat

Global Warming on FreeRepublic

Latest from Global Warming News Site

Latest from Greenie Watch

Latest from Junk Science

Latest from Terra Daily

[Still Thinking]

Sounds like you and I have the same library. The last book I read was Card's Invasive Procedures and am now reading Sowell's Conflicting Visions (as well as Follett's latest, World Without End).

[Still Thinking]

Whatever ?theory? they are advocating will always be examined in light of who paid them for the research, not the science involved.

Yes, it makes me want to scream, how liberals can't see the possilbility for bought-and-paid-for bias in reasearchers who reach the conclusions leftist like, just because they often receive their funding from government and foundations, rather than corportations. They think government and foundations are incapable of having an agenda? Invariably, the leftist "solution" involves more money and power for government and these supposedly benevolent institutions . How is that not a vested interest?

[Hot Tabasco]

I’ve been reading ‘State of Fear’

My nephew gave me the book to read which I did. (I loved it!) Towards the end, there is one paragraph on one page which was narrated by the female lawyer that totally explained the global warming crap by comparing it to a football field and the last 3 inches of it being the carbon dioxide craze..........

Bookmark that paragraph because it explains the BS all in a nutshell....

[Still Thinking]

He’s done two groups of four with the first group being the story of Ender Wiggin and the second focusing on Bean, a genetically engineered battle-savant and protege of Ender’s.

Ender’s Game / Speaker for the Dead / Xenocide / Children of the Mind

Ender’s Shadow / Shadow of the Hegemon / Shadow Puppets / Shadow of the Giant

I like the Ender series better. Card has done several other series and a number of standalone novels, and I think some non-fiction as well.

[Still Thinking]

Hmmm, I see both the Ender and Bean series have had additions since I last looked. Better get on down to the bookstore.

[Still Thinking]

I also really liked the Worthing saga and I think Treason is one of my favorite books.

[Travis McGee]

Are these in the sci fi genre?

[redheadtoo]

Any best book recommendations?

Seventh Son

[Still Thinking]

I think that’s how they’re usually categorized, although the docus seems to be more on the characters than in some sci-fi. Kind of a normal novel set in a different time among people with a few technological capabilities we don’t have now.

[Still Thinking]

I did like it, but the characters might have been a little cardboard.

[Captain Beyond]

bump

[Old Professer]

The advocate of whom you speak has an impressive notebook full of collections and absolutely no solutions that don’t involve turning out the lights.

[Old Professer]

“Card-bored?”

[cogitator]

and absolutely no solutions that don’t involve turning out the lights.

Turning out the lights (when not needed) makes economic, energy, and environmental sense. Why do you think so many big buildings have computer controlled light sensors now? Because it SAVES MONEY.

There's a lot of material like this on the Web, mostly from state agencies: Why Should Businesses in Utah Care About Energy Efficiency?

"The main reason is that it makes good business sense. Virtually every business is using more energy than it needs to for its operations - for running assembly lines, fueling industrial processes, heating, cooling, and lighting. Many businesses use 20-50% more energy than they need to, as shown in the case studies in this Guide. Cutting this energy waste by investing in more efficient equipment is one of the most cost-effective investments a business can make�the rate of return on this investment is often 30% or greater�and returns are tax-free. In short, investing in energy efficiency will increase a business's profits. Conversely, continuing to operate with high levels of energy waste and excessive energy costs will reduce profits and put a business at a disadvantage when compared to more energy-efficient competitors."

So yeah -- any realistic multi-faceted plan would certainly involve "turning out the lights". Thank you for picking up on this!

Heck, Caldeira's idea (which has been put forth before) has potential too.

[KC Burke]

Empire, while written in the style and level to appeal to young SciFi readers, was creative in that it followed Roman History in an interesting way. I had just read a big biography of Augustus prior to Empire and found his relating some of the characters to the Roman models worked historical experience into the story quite well.

[Old Professer]

I was thinking more along the lines of those satellite photos of North Korea at night...

[cogitator]

I was thinking more along the lines of those satellite photos of North Korea at night...

'Cuz they don't have decent energy production?

It is somewhat amazing.

[Still Thinking]

Ooh, very good! I’m impressed.