(and hence clamorous to be led to safety)
by menacing it with an endless series
of hobgoblins,
all of them imaginary.
Journalist – magazine editor
Posted on 05/02/2012 9:21:27 AM PDT by dead
I do not deny the reality of climate change. No, this is not a change of mind, reversing my longstanding skepticism toward claims of human-caused global warming. I have never denied climate change—and that is precisely why I reject the global warming hysteria. But a fascinating new scientific contribution from Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark, who is single-handedly blowing away the alleged "consensus" on what drives the climate, has given me a whole new appreciation for climate change.
The term "climate change denier" is obviously objectionable because of the word "denier." That word is carried over from the phrase "Holocaust denial" and is meant to smear global warming skeptics by associating us with the vicious motives of those who airbrush the crimes of the Nazis. But the more substantive objection to this phrase is that we skeptics do not deny the reality of climate change. We embrace it all too thoroughly.
We understand that the climate is changing and that it has always been changing. The four-and-a-half-billion-year history of the Earth is a history of constant, wild swings in global temperatures and weather, from the steamy jungles that nurtured the dinosaurs to the vast equatorial glaciers of "Snowball Earth."
(If you follow the link about Snowball Earth, by the way, you may notice that the theory is controversial and has its own skeptics. Funny how that works. In genuine science, for any new theory there is a competing theory, and the question is settled by more evidence and not by people lining up behind some top-down political "consensus.")
So we're skeptical of any claim that the very small trends in the global temperature record over the past few decades are anything extraordinary...
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
I gather RCP ain't got no educatorial staph to learn 'em some real good spelling and grammer and whatknot.
The solar cycle (or solar magnetic activity cycle) where the Sun has an 11 year cycle.
The inclination of the Earth's orbit which has an approx 100000 year cycle.
Our solar system's celestial location within an arm of the Milky Way.
These things DO have bearing on our humble little blue rock; but that negates the teeth gnashing by the commie pinko's.
I’m a denier of AGW. Anthropogenic Global Warming (human induced)
We were using our air conditioning a couple of weeks ago and three days later using the heater.
And don’t forget that it’s apparently warming up on Mars.
I guess the Mars Rover didn’t have emission controls.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070228-mars-warming.html
This brings up the warning from Eisenhower's farewell address:
In this [technological] revolution, research has become central, it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.
The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present – and is gravely to be regarded.
Well in that case we can go right past tax increases and right to complete wealth confiscation! In the interest of eliminating such drastic shifts in our climates!
Good point - you're right - words matter.
Apocaholism:
The compulsion to find sources of doom which provide a rationale for instituting massive command and control legislative and regulatory regimes. In addition to providing power to the its adherents it has the added benefit of enhancing the sense of moral and intellectual superiority to adherents over opponents who are characterized as being stupid and/or evil. All tactics to vanquish opponents are justified as the end (global salvation) justifies the means.
Examples: Malthusian population growth, imminent global pandemic, catastrophic anthropogenic climate change.
meteorology
sorry
I agree with the author 100%. The issue is not “climate change” because the climate is always changing. It’s whether man not only caused it to change, but whether man can really do anything to keep it from changing.
Whenever confronted by the “global warming” types, I make these points:
1. Have you seen those Norwegian cattle ranches in Greenland? No, it’s too cold there for cattle. Well, they were there 1000 years ago, when the world was much warmer than it is today.
2. So I assume you are trying to return the earth to a more optimal colder time, such as when this spot was buried under a mile thick sheet of ice like it was 70,000 years ago. Is that what you are advocating?
3. Did you know that geologists believe that permanent ice like that found in Antarctica & Greenland has only existed for about 5% of the world’s history? What does that tell you about the “optimal” temperature of the earth?
WORDS MEAN THINGS.
You have just hit upon the secret of the Left -— to the Left, words DON’T mean things (when they don’t want them to).
When I was at UCLA in 1960, I took a Course entitled “Philosophy of Science”. The instructor took the first three weeks laying the foundation for the premise that, since each person learns words differently, they mean different things to different people; and thus no two people can every truly communicate completely.
On the last day to drop classes, I stood up in the middle of the lecture, and told the instructor that, since people cannot truly communicate, in particular he could not communicate with me, and since I couldn’t learn anything from that communication, I was wasting my time, and so I was dropping his class ... and walked out and dropped it.
Since that time, I have noticed that Left loves to redefine words ... and that it is integral to their assaults on our culture
... like “Marriage”
... and “family”
... and “torture”
... and “tolerance”
... and “establishment of religion”
... and “fairness”
... and “natural born citizen”
... and “regulate interstate commerce”
... and “shall not infringe”
... (feel free to add to this list).
This is not new. Recall that “Alice in Wonderland” was a satire of the then current political system; and in it was the scene where it was said: “When I use a word, I mean it to mean exactly what I mean it to mean, no more, and no less.” Of course, that line was spoken by someone obviously insane ... now it is mainstream.
Ed Davey: Green energy tax will hit household bills (Government Brit-wits strike again)
I Am Embarassed For My Country
Global Warming on Free Republic
Oh, you're not kidding. It's 97 here now, up from 72 about 12 hours ago. If you extrapolate that trend, it's gonna be 300 or more by this weekend! I better whip up some cookie dough!
...and yet still used only by the obviously insane -- it's just that there are so many MORE of them than there used to be.
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