Posted on 12/08/2007 10:48:14 AM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
Global warming acolytes have a favorite image, that of Al Gore's fabulist tale of 20 foot waves engulfing our coast lines. Invoking that awesome image, the L.A. Times published a story last month that is supposed to be just another global warming scare piece. Still, even the Times couldn't lie through its teeth in every instance because, while the island of Kivalina, Alaska really has been shrinking, even the Times admits its been doing so for well over 100 years.
It's a bit hard to pin that all on "global warming," though, since few claim that the phenomenon has been going on for over 100 years. After all, globaloney scaremongers pin global warming on CFCs and rising CO2 levels none of which were started until after the turn of the century from 1800s to the 1900s. So, why blame global warming when normal erosion has been at work on the island for hundreds of years? Ah, because it makes a better story to fit your ideological position, of course!
But, despite the use of common sense, the Times waxes despondent over the erosion of this rather stark and unattractive Alaskan island and the dissension that loss is sowing amongst the 400 residents there. And in doing so they miss a larger and much more interesting story.
"As global warming erodes their world, the residents of Kivalina battle the elements — and now one another."
Oh, how worrisome… or is that wearisome?
But, even as the Times tries their darndest to pin the shrinking island's fate on global warming, the Times can't ignore the real truth here.
"Kivalina is disappearing, the victim of a warming world and a steady natural erosion that probably began long before the Eskimos settled here 100 years ago. "
Wait a minute. The island has been shrinking for more than 100 years? So, um, how can it be all caused by global warming? After all, the globaloney crowd says it's man's fault with all of his industry, cars and decadent lifestyles, right? Well, there wasn't much of that a’ goin' on in the 1890s and before!
In any case, the global warming aspect is obviously ginned up to sell the story. But there is a more interesting story here than the one that the Times wants to explore — though they do hint at it — and that is the story of human stupidity and greed. The Times starts this part of the story with as silly a line as they can, desperately trying to keep the focus on globaloney instead of people's stupidity.
“The prospect of Kivalina's disappearance has set off its own storm, jarring a place that, like most of global warming's early victims, has long struggled on the fringes of the planet.”
"A jarring place… global warming's early victims" yada, yada, yada. Oh, brother! But, what is this "storm" of which they speak? Ah, now THERE is a story!
“Most of the 400 residents — filled with dreams of a new village with running water, better homes and, perhaps, a chance at a job — want to leave.
The big questions are: To where? And how?
Village leaders have squabbled for years with state and federal officials over relocating, which could cost as much as $250 million. No one has offered to pay.
Residents themselves are divided over where to go. Some want to move to higher ground. Others want to stay on the coast, even at the risk of seeing their new homes eventually disappear to erosion and rising seas.”
Why the Times didn't pursue this angle too doggedly is obvious. It’s because they wanted to make the nonsense of global warming their point, we can plainly see. Yet, here is a tale that is far more interesting. Why haven't these foolish people yet moved to higher ground? Why, you ask? Well, heck isn't that obvious? They want someone else to pay for it all, that's why!
These people are ridiculously sitting about twiddling their thumbs as their below sea level spit of land washes out from under them because they are too cheap to up and move to safer, and longer lasting terrain on their own dime. Apparently they are waiting for the government to come up with the cash to move them instead of doing it themselves. Talk about a stupid move!
But, this story does tell us one more important thing about globaloney even if you do want to believe in it. It takes hundreds of years to affect anything. See, these people have had well over 100 years to move to a new home. They weren't one day sitting about enjoying life and the next 20 feet under water ala an Al Gore fright film scenario. In fact, they've wasted over $3 million and many years already trying to stay on that doomed strip of land. So, even if you want to believe in global warming, people — like those in this story — have plenty of time to react to the so-called changes it might bring. Unfortunately for sensationalism, a "disaster" hundreds of years in the making just doesn't seem so darn urgent, does it?
And do you want more stupidity? Some even said they’d move to other property where global warming would still wash them out. How stupid it that? So, why the heck should tax dollars be spent on moving them, anyway? They are obviously bound and determined to be washed out wherever they intend to move to. I say let ‘em sink!
But, here is the thing, folks: If global warming is going to place your home under water someday over the next 10 or 15 years…
… MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND!
And you'll have decades and decades to do it, too.
It doesn't seem like it takes too many brains to figure that out.
Yep, it must be an anti-religion religion. /s
Kind of a pricey village.
Yep. Ever notice Israelis are all “settlers” and that “Palestinians” all live in “refugee camps”? The news media doesn’t purposely misuse word meanings to push their agendas, do they?
bump
"Kind of a pricey village."
Hey, maybe they're sick of the cold weather and want a nice island in the South Pacific...
Thats the island????
It’s a tiny NOTHING!
Looks more like a sandbar!
You cant expect THAT to last forever.
Unbelievable.
It could be four times bigger and I would not expect something like that to last.
But ... But It Is Sinking Too!
Some of the villages were repopulated with ANCSA which gave each Alaska Native 160 acres in his traditional stomping grounds.
No, Algore is getting LARGER!!!!!
Global Warming: Yes!
Man-made: No!
Mars is warming too... The Rover is belching billions of tons of CO2 every day, no doubt.
Forget any solution, just give money and centralized power to the Anti-Christ... He will save the World!!
“Kind of a pricey village.”
The one they live in now? No.
The one they want to move into? He!! Yes.
“new village with running water, better homes and, perhaps, a chance at a job “
Modern, better homes, and guaranteed employment don’t come cheap.
My house will be underwater....sometime....
I want the same deal. GIMMEGIMMEGIMMEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Maybe they shouldn’t have built their houses on the petrified remains of a giant whale shark.
Almost a million dollars, per person, to relocate - and the current village DOESN”T EVEN HAVE RUNNING WATER!
Honestly, give them FEMA trailers.
I wish the govt. had paid me that kind of money to move when I was in the Navy. 250 mil divided among 400 residents is $625,000 each. As a 20 year old Navy guy renting apartments, I had less stuff. I would’ve settled for a piddly $200,000 per move, that’s fair, right?!
No joke, I’m amazed that there’s this much of it left after 100 years. I was watching a documentary on a murder that happened in coastal Louisiana in the 1950s. They wanted to investigate the murder scene with new technology to maybe find more clues. Just one problem, the murder scene is now 150 yards offshore under 15 feet of water.
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