by Judith Curry
We need to work to curb climate change, and a big step is to raise our voices to change the conversation in Washington. Call these deniers out. Hold them accountable. Ask them if they will admit climate change is a problem. –
Note: revisions have been made to the original post.
The website Organizing for Action http://www.barackobama.com/climate-deniers/ with a list of climate change deniers in both the House and the Senate.
What is the relationship between OFA and President Obama? Here is what the OFA web site says:
Does President Obama support the establishment and activities of OFA?
OFA is advocating for the agenda that President Obama has presented to the nation, and as an organization dedicated to this purpose, OFA has been grateful for the expression of support for its work by the President, Vice President and First Lady. Although it was privately established and will be privately operated, without government funding, OFA will work hard to retain the support and confidence of the President by effectively advocating for his Administration’s core agenda. It also looks forward to working with other civic organizations that are similarly committed to the successful enactment of this agenda.
Do the organizations working closely with or in alliance with OFA include the Democratic Party?
No. OFA is not a partisan political organization and will not engage in electoral activity with any partisan political organization. It welcomes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to support its work, and its advocacy will be directed to all Americans, without regard to party or other political affiliations.
What is the relationship of OFA and Obama for America?
Obama for America was the re-election committee of the President while OFA is a nonprofit nonpartisan organization not involved in electoral activity. The organizations are separate and established for different purposes. Organizing for Action will draw in part on the network, technology and volunteers that distinguished the President’s successful re-election effort, but only for its purposes of issue advocacy and mobilization of citizens in support of the President’s legislative agenda. OFA will lease and buy assets from Obama for America as the re-election committee retires its debt and prepares to terminate.
The relationship between President Obama and OFA is fuzzy, but it is hard to imagine that a major website with the web address barackobama.com has nothing to do with Obama’s presidency and agenda.
Back to the climate change web page:
We will continue updating the list below as supporters get answers to the basic question of whether their representatives in Congress accept the science on climate change. We hope that this list will shrink as members clarify what they truly believe about climate change.
The website includes a list of 87 Representatives from the House (20% of total), and 23 Senators (23% of total), along with a brief quote for each citing evidence of their denialism.
By my own accounting, only a fraction of these are denying either that climate has been warming or that humans do not contribute to atmospheric CO2 or CO2 does not influence climate.
The list includes the following as ‘deniers’:
Rep. Marsha Blackburn
“Also absent from the discussion in Copenhagen is the climate-gate scandal. Recently leaked e-mails reveal climate scientists have a long track record of manipulating data to hide scientific evidence that contradicts the global warming establishment. And why? To bully citizens and lawmakers into supporting job-killing energy tax schemes. This scandal raises serious questions about the Democrat’s climate control plans, questions that deserve a transparent investigation, not a rush to judgement by the bureaucrats in Copenhagen.”
Rep. Kevin Brady
“Climategate reveals a serious lack of integrity in the underlying data and models, such that it is doubtful that any process can be trusted until the data and models are validated and their integrity assured.”
Despite a widespread scientific consensus, the West Virginia Republican said she’s “not convinced” that human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide are leading to global warming that will alter the planet’s climate in ways that could be dangerous.
Rep. Michael Conaway
Science is never settled…they changed the phraseology because the climate isn’t warming.
Rep. Randy Forbes
Elected officials need to depend on experts in the field to make determinations on the degree to which our planet is warming, and there is evidence among scientists and researchers pointing in both directions.
Representative Cory Gardner, a freshman Republican from Colorado and a skeptic of human-caused global warming… ““I think the climate is changing, but I don’t believe humans are causing that change to the extent that’s been in the news.”
Rep. Phil Gingrey
Filed petition with EPA claiming: “Climategate reveals a serious lack of integrity in the underlying data and models, such that it is doubtful that any process can be trusted until the data and models are validated and their integrity assured”
Rep. Gregg Harper
“I don’t believe that the science is at all settled on man-made global warming.”
Harris said there is a recent warming trend, but “I don’t understand or know, or I don’t believe anybody really knows, how to place that in historic perspective.” He also said human contribution to climate change “is also a complex question,” and that even if humans are contributing, “can you change that contribution given that we burn a lot of carbon-based products to create the energy we need to run the economy of the world?”
Rep. Cynthia Lummis
“We’re just beginning to explore what mankind’s role is in climate change, so I’d argue that the jury’s still out.”
“We’re all told of course the debate is over and that all the scientists agree… and as all of you know, that is succinctly not the case.”
“Energy independence, green technology, and innovation is something we should pursue as a nation. However, we shouldn’t seek to accomplish that by taxing people based on questionable science. Neither should we ignore domestic energy resources – coal, natural gas, oil – because of baseless claims regarding global warming.”
Rep. Randy Neugebauer
“What we have here is a case of formulating scientific findings that back up policy, instead of creating policy that is backed up by legitimate science. Proponents of man-made global warming in Congress will use every opportunity they have to invite witnesses to testify before Congress who only share their point of view. We now have clear evidence of what we knew all along, that there are perhaps thousands of scientists who don’t share these views, and sadly have been the subject of concerted efforts to discourage and suppress their findings from publication.”
“The emails that emerge from the University of East Anglia call into question the accuracy of the IPCC data.”
Rep. Phil Roe
“Many believe greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to the gradual warming of our planet and changing of our climate. While there are many questions surrounding the science of the issue, it seems to me like we could develop a solution that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions without inflicting catastrophic damage on our economy.”
Rep. Todd Rokita
“The link between manmade carbon emissions and measureable harm to the environment is a topic currently under debate. While there may exist a link, the current debate continues.”
Rep. Paul Ryan
Unilateral economic restraint in the name of fighting global warming has been a tough sell in our communities, where much of the state is buried under snow.
Rep. Lamar Smith
“I believe climate change is due to a combination of factors, including natural cycles, sun spots and human activity. But scientists still don’t know for certain how much each of these factors contributes to the overall climate change that the Earth is experiencing,”
“The science regarding climate change is anything but settled. “
Rep. Lee Terry
“There’s an argument here on the true impact of man… Is it really 97 to 3? I don’t think so.”
“The science is not settled.”
Asked if she believed in climate change, she said, “there is scientific evidence that demonstrates there is some impact from human activities. However I don’t think the evidence is conclusive.”
Sen. John Boozman
“Well I think that we’ve got perhaps climate change going on. The question is what’s causing it. Is man causing it, or, you know, is this a cycle that happens throughout the years, throughout the ages. And you can look back some of the previous times when there was no industrialization, you had these different ages, ice ages, and things warming and things. That’s the question.”
“I’ve read the basic scientific studies, and a lot of it doesn’t add up for me,”
“There remains considerable uncertainty about the effect of the many factors that influence climate: the sun, the oceans, clouds, the behavior of water vapor (the main greenhouse gas), volcanic activity, and human activity. Nonetheless, climate-change proponents based their models on assumptions about those factors, and now we know that many of those assumptions were wrong.”
Sen. Deb Fischer
Asked about man-made climate change, Fischer immediately said, ‘I certainly don’t support cap-and-trade.’ She said she believes in weather change, but she said she does not believe man has a huge impact on the climate.
“But the scientific aspect that I still reserving judgment on is the extent to which it’s manmade or natural. And it’s reasonable, considering that there’s at least a natural factor in it, because historically, and you can go to the core drillings in the glaciers to get proof of this, that we’ve had decades and decades, and maybe even centuries of periods of time when there’s been a tremendous rise in temperature, and then a tremendous fall in temperature. And all you’ve got to do is look at the little ice age of the mid-last millennia as an example. And so we’ve got to single out what’s natural and what’s manmade before you can make policy.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch
“There is also some disagreement among scientists as to whether global warming – regardless of its cause – would result in a net benefit or detriment to life on earth. Scientific studies demonstrate overwhelmingly that humans tend to fare better during warming spells than periods of cooling.”
“Well, the science shows that there’s warming. There’s different opinions of exactly what’s causing it.”
“Science has shown us that there has been a gradual warming of the earth over the last 50 years. What is not as clear is whether the cause for this warming is man-made emissions, a cyclical warming of the planet, or a combination of both. Given the uncertainty in the science behind climate change, I believe that we should take proactive steps, both personally and as a nation, to reduce our emissions footprint.”
Sen. Mike Johanns
There is a significant debate as to what role man plays in warming of the climate.
“When you analyze all the data, there is a warming trend according to science. But the jury is out on the degree of how much is manmade.”
Sen. Pat Roberts
“There’s no question there’s some global warming, but I’m not sure what it means. A lot of this is condescending elitism.”
The government can’t change the weather. I said that in the speech. We can pass a bunch of laws that will destroy our economy, but it isn’t going to change the weather. — “I don’t think there’s the scientific evidence to justify it,”
“My view is: I think the data is pretty clear. There has been an increase in the surface temperature of the planet over the course of the last 100 years or so. I think it’s clear that that has happened. The extent to which that has been caused by human activity I think is not as clear. I think that is still very much disputed and has been debated.”
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JC comments
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Several things struck me about this web page.
.
The number of ‘deniers’ in the House of Representatives and Senate are less than 25% of the total. And at least half of these do not hold irrational positions (by my judgment anyways) on the climate change debate. And many of these support cleaning up the environment and an energy policy that includes renewables, independently of their views on climate change. Blaming the lack of a sane U.S. energy and climate policies on climate change ‘deniers’ in Congress does not seem convincing. Labeling of these individuals as deniers (particularly those with rational positions) only serves to polarize the situation. This does not seem like good politics to me.
.
The factors that seem to contribute to the ‘denialism’ of these Congressmen include:
- Climategate and distrust of climate scientists
- Claims of ‘settled science’, which are not convincing
- Failure to address the issue in a convincing way of how much of the recent warming is anthropogenic (beyond the fuzzy statement of ‘most’)
- Backlash against ‘alarmism’
- Lack of convincing evidence that ‘warm’ is ‘bad’
- Dislike of cap and trade
If President Obama’s supporters in OFA and the consensus scientists focused more on these factors, rather than continued efforts to convince that there is an overwhelming consensus and labelling anyone who disagrees as a ‘denier’, well then maybe some sanity could emerge on energy and climate policy.
Like this:
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No problem, the Department of Justice and the IRS are executive branch.
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We the Productive of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Politics aside, here’s the Cold Hard News:
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/cold-hard-news/
It’s just good old fashioned Chicago politics. Winning is not about being right. It is about isolating and marginalizing your opposition, then destroying them. (usually through political means)
This policy worked in Chicago because the US government was there to bail that city out when bad policies were forced into place. Unfortunately, Chicago politics don’t work in the federal government context. There is no higher government authority to cry to for help. Simply taxing the rich won’t work. There isn’t enough rich people’s money to fix all the nation’s problems.
I haven’t read the post yet, but my reaction to the headline is “WOW! What is happening to the world when the person in the world’s most powerful position is screeching terms like “denier” and using religious like advocacy to promote a leftist’s ideological cause?
How many leaders before him have let irrational beliefs overwhelm rational analysis.
JC comments: “The number of ‘deniers’ in the House of Representatives and Senate are less than 25% of the total. And at least half of these do not hold irrational positions (by my judgment anyways) on the climate change debate.”
===================================================
Judith, I remember our short conversation on the “Observation-based (?) attribution” thread, where your essentially told me that the “greenhouse effect” is impossible to prove experimentally but the notion is nevertheless correct, because it fits into “models”.
Does not sound rational to me. It is even double irrational.
No problem, the Washington Post highlights John Cook’s research confirming the consensus. Don’t those Republicans read the WAPO?
==============
Are you trying to convince us that your president does not understand what he is talking about?
He understands just fine. He wants to label and isolate the opposition and deprive it of influence. So he can monopolize it and wield it without interference.
Obama here eschews statesmanship and cooperation in favour of a partisan witch-hunt. This is no way to serve his country or to deal with climate issues.
Faustino
+100
More like he doesn’t know how to lead. Word is the President doesn’t like to engage in the nitty gritty back and forth by which Presidents tend to move things along. His perferred method appears to be give a lecture and expect that everyone will see his words of wisdom and do as he says.
The cool thing is that as he tries to distance himself from the scandals, it will just accentuate the point that he is not in control of a malevolent machine.
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scary hit list reminiscent of a black era in Europe. McCarthyism. Next will be a list of people, including me. With the assistance of some of my neighbors. This has crossed the line.
Agreed Mark. I don’t think Professor Curry, for all the light she sheds, quite understands how sinister this is…
He is in effect, giving his blessing to full on war against the deniers. Can “let’s string the bastards up” be far behind?
pokerguy,
Better: “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” And the IRS and Justice Department have heard the message loud and clear already.
“Can “let’s string the bastards up” be far behind?”
More like “I have a list of 104 deniers in my pocket”.
Professor Curry recently came out unequivocally in favor of global mandated CCS. Never achieved, incredibly costly, pointless CCS. I’ve registered my request for simultaneous translation when the Chinese are informed their coal and other combustion-based power generation will henceforth cost 30% more. Priceless.
I have never come out in favor of CCS, let alone globally mandated CCS.
Brian H
You wrote:
I apparently missed that.
But on March 23, 2011 Climate Etc. featured a post by our hostess entitled “Inconvenient truths about energy policy”:
http://judithcurry.com/2011/03/23/inconvenient-truths-about-energy-policy/#more-2734
This post referred to an article by Rutt Bridges of Georgia Tech on carbon capture and storage:
http://curryja.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/rutt_bridges_article.pdf
This study concludes
and
There were several comments by denizens (including myself) pointing out that CCS is inherently “non value added” (it produces no “added value”) and the amount of global warming theoretically averted by CCS would be minimal (measured in tenths of a degree C) for $trillions of investment and cost. Others commented that the possible unforeseen negative consequences and risks from sequestration schemes were not yet fully understood.
In the lead-in post, our hostess commented:
So I do not see this as support by our hostess for CCS.
Max
curryja | May 27, 2013 at 5:40 pm |
I have never come out in favor of CCS, let alone globally mandated CCS.
It’s possible you have the same misreading of Myles Allen as I originally had, until I read harder.
Globally mandated CCS is Myles Allen’s position. He thinks anything else is a waste of billions of dollars. Or pounds. Or euros. Or whatever denomination socialism thinks in.
So http://judithcurry.com/2013/05/26/myles-allen-why-were-wasting-billions-on-global-warming/ is pretty much your endorsement of CCS, mandated by command and control regulation, by government, and essentially globally, if you extend Myles Allen’s argument by Bjorn Lomborg’s logic.
(Which, I’m willing to concede, I don’t think you intend. I certainly don’t subscribe to Bjorn Lomborg’s openly collectivist thinking. And it’s possible Myles Allen only means for the UK to go with mandatory CCS.. though his reasoning would be wonkier by that interpretation than the other way.)
Mark,
You are correct in your interpretation.
Judith,
It is also reasonable to conclude that some of the Republicans write over-strong responses because they recognize where climate advocacy is going.
Jeff, definitely agree with your statement.
If the Republican party were smart, they’d jump in with a more moderate compromise position: “all of the above” except raising energy prices. They could point to the precautionary principle WRT their statements that there’s no proof, and also use the precautionary principle to justify leaving energy prices as low as possible.
It would make alarmist extremists look like the would-be fascists they are. And if the Democrats (mostly not extremists) refused to vote for such a compromise, they’d look like they were in bed with the extremists.
Anybody want to start a pool for when the first Republican does that?
AK,
RE: “If the Republican party were smart …”
If only. I’ve said more than once that the only thing that keeps me voting mostly Republican is the fact voting Democrat is even worse.
Seems the choice is between dunces and dumbasses or flakes and nut cases.
Yes, endorsing Myles Allen was what I was referring to.
No problem, they’re deniers. Reality rules.
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Guess I have to get off the fence and be a ‘Denier’, as I agree with all the statements made by these Representatives.
Mr. President?, meet Douglas Keenan.
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Douglas Keenan? Meet Richard Muller:
http://neverendingaudit.tumblr.com/post/11763136868
Yes, it would be useful to find a model which would pass the tests of Nature.
======
Nature? Meet your representative, Douglas Keenan.
So who’s gonna represent Thermageddon? The advocates are running for the hills, leaving their President to take the heat.
=======
kim,
I wish that were a positive sign. But Obama could care less whether climate scientists waffle on climate sensitivity, concede a pause, or back off from demanding decarbonization NOW.
They have served their purpose. Climate scientists were never more than stalking horses, since the governments saw the opportunity presented by Hansen in 1988. The real drivers of the political movement known as CAGW are politicians. And they show no sign of slowing.
Yeah, I’m premature. But dontcha love the tweet willard shows below about ‘issues they don’t understand’?
=======
Maybe you need to re-examine your comment. Doug is simply saying there is no thermometer (model) that can actually measure the temperature change. You turn a light on in your house chances are the nearby increase in temperature is higher than the espoused global warming amount. There is simply no global temperature, period.
For years those on both sides (including climate scientists) of the debate have run around, totally unsupervised by experts, averaging temperature data on a scale larger than the scale of industrialized agriculture.
For the most part, Doug is correct. His prose is challenging at times.
Willard
You should be more careful trotting out Muller. He will espouse the model of the week if the flavour pleases him. Quoting Muller does nothing for one’s credibility.
timg,
Since you’re here, please comment on this bit from Muller’s email, for which it is still uncertain if Douglas Keenan obtained Muller’s consent to publish:
Please tell me how you feel about statistical pedantry.
Many thanks!
Many thanks!
willard,
I haven’t paid much attention to either gentleman and therefore am not in a position to comment.
Sorry, timg,
I should have addressed my question to Tetris, who commented on this sub-thread.
So what about you, Tetris: care to comment that bit about statistical pedantry?
As I’ve said before, if only Great Britain had Republicans to blame for the mess they are in.
===========
The GWPF is inviting the RS to discuss CAGW. See http://www.thegwpf.org/gwpf-invites-royal-society-fellows-climate-change-discussion/. Surely the way to “call out” the deniers is to show them where they have got the science wrong. Why doesn’t Obama suggest to the APS that they brief a group of climate deiners, such as the ones that the GWPF has collected together, and thrash the science out on a level playing field? The current attempt by the APS is pathetic, and it would,be good to have something more robust where the real deniers were present.
I don’t deny ‘climate change.
Here it is graphically illustrated over the last 500 years
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/05/08/the-curious-case-of-rising-co2-and-falling-temperatures/
Currently the anomaly in Britain is 0.4C. That is indistinguishable to the 1730’s, fractionally higher than the 1830’s and someway below my (reconstructed) turn of the 16th century figure.
Until very recently the Met office stated on their web site that climate had been pretty level until man started emitting co2 in quantity. It was obvious they were in thrall to the hockey stick. That statement now seems to have disappeared from their site.
Obama needs to get out more and talk to some historians
Naming names like this is also somewhat scary. Has McCarthy returned to the US?
tonyb
No statistically significant global warming since 1850?
Under persistent formal “questions” submitted in Parliament by Lord Donoughue with the help of Doug Keenan, the Met Office has had to admit that its claims of significant temperature rise are untenable.
Doug Keenan notes:
See Keenan’s op-ed discussing this, and related issues, in the Wall Street Journal, on 5 April 2011, supported by his Technical details.
tony b
You raise a very valid point.
If one looks a bit into our past, it becomes apparent that climate has always changed, and that there is nothing unprecedented or even unusual about this time.
The problem that President Obama has is two-fold:
– he desperately wants to believe that this time it’s different plus caused by humans and we can actually do something to change it (by implementing a tax on energy, which is his hidden objective), and
– he is surrounded by advisors (Holdren, etc.) that are feeding him the consensus party line, so that’s essentially all he knows about the issue, i.e. he is poorly and only partially informed.
He should read up on history a bit to get a better understanding.
But I do not suppose he will, because he knows what he wants to know and for him the science is settled.
Max
The list of reasons the listed congressman deny the need to decarbonize the economize has a huge omission. Here’s a hint. The list is the product of the most radically progressive president in the history of the U.S. (he makes Wilson and Roosevelt look positively Reaganesque), who has stated outright he wants to “fundamentally transform America,” and has done everything possible to follow up on his words.
Distrust of climate scientists? James Hansen and Michael Mann don’t run the EPA.
I think that’s Richard Windsor, right?
> [T]he most radically progressive president in the history of the U.S.
Barack Obama? Meet your regulative ideal:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressivism
wikipedia defining progressivism is like Leni Riefenstahl defining National Socialism.
Merriam Webster defines it as : ” the political and economic doctrines advocated by the Progressives.”
As I have said again and again, forget what people say, look at what they do. The progressives gave us prohibition, eugenics, and centralized control of the economy by the government. Historical illiteracy is the sine qua non of modern progressivism. If people knew what they actually stand for, almost no one would vote for them.
GaryM? Meet Leni Riefenstahl:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Riefenstahl
trying to be charitable to GaryM I propose he was pointing at this
http://www.pdamerica.org/
rather than wikipedia. but of course one can read what he wrote uncharitably and make him look.. well, you get the picture.
willard and Mosher
Go see “Triumph of the Will”. If Riefenstahl were still alive consider the possibility that Obama would have hired her to do a sequel to showcase the Triumph of his executive will- using government agencies to circumvent Congress and shadow groups like Organizing for Action [with his site address no less] to tar and feather opponents [come to think of it, Goebbels would no doubt have appreciated both the set-up and the group’s name..].
GaryM is simply using anti-leftist memes to bash progressivism. To that effect, he dichotomizes political alignments around the wrong theorical concept, and when confronted to a basic description of that concept, he attacks its source by associating its source to a figure of the Third Reich.
His sloganeering is made at the expense of all the Conservatives who could endorse social progressivism, all the Liberals who could entertain more conservative values, and perhaps other combinations, as minimally a sound political model should have at least two axis, e.g.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nolan_chart
It is all so sad. He entered office offering great hope to many but this latest manifestation about climate change only proves how misinformed he is. He has used the EPA, the IRS, the Justice Dept. to do his dirty work. One can only guess what agency, yet undiscovered, will be next. Without a doubt he will go down as the most corrupt ever. At least FDR with all his mistresses and use of the IRS and FBI had some redeeming virtues.This guy has none.
You should have read his books. Or looked at his record. Or read his speeches before he decided to run for president. You would not have been so surprised.
As with CAGW, it was an ‘Extraordinary Popular Delusion and a Madness of the Crowd.
========
My problem was McCain who in the full wisdom of his years picked the tragically uneducated Governor Palin to be the proverbial heart beat away. I’m sorry. That’s a scary prospect. A man who has changed his stripes more often and with less shame than his successor, the feckless Mitt Romney…
Truly though, the problem isn’t in our politician, it is with us. That this is the best we could do speaks volumes.
Palin, who years ago said words to the effect that she wasn’t one to ascribe all of climate change to man.
=================
Why did McCain do something dumb like that when he could have had that brilliant buddy of his from the Senate who knows how to order donuts at 7-11 with an Indian accent?
Repost of the politics of closed societies including
a comment by Gary M on pro – gress – iiv – ism …
‘look at the record.
‘http://beththeserf.wordpress.com/
B t s
McCain needs to retire and go fishing. He’s had a good run. Go enjoy life.
pokerguy,
Watch any of Palin’s debates and then talk about how uneducated she is. Not just the VP debate where she cleaned Joe Biden’s cloak (granted a low bar to meet), but there are two debates when she was running for governor. One from the primary, and one from the general election.
You are a recovering progressive, and this is the second step. To revisit all the things you have accepted as true because everyone else you knew said they were.
She was not my first choice, and I would have preferred she had more time in office, but I would have preferred her to be president than McCain. And she was certainly better than either Obama or Biden.
GaryM | May 27, 2013 at 11:49 pm |
“Watch any of Palin’s debates and then talk about how uneducated she is.”
How about watching the Katie Kouric interview and then talk about how educated she is?
Give me a break. Palin was a mistake. If she’d been better vetted another choice for running mate would have been made. They needed an evangelical for one and they needed some under-represented demographic to counter the affirmative action attractiveness of Obama. A woman was perfect for the latter as Hillary demonstrated by almost winning the DemocRAT primary. McCain’s campaign knew he was going to lose unless they could energize the evangelical base to get out the vote then maybe steal some of the women’s vote who hated Obama for clobbering Hillary. They had a chance with the right running mate. A good chance too. Lieberman was McCain’s choice but polling showed that was a losing combination. Palin had the right stuff on paper, as long as you didn’t read too deep, but turned out to have way too much baggage and turned off as many independents as she energized in the fundamentalist base so they lost by the same margin they would have with Lieberman.
My pick was Condoleeza Rice. A black (not half black either) woman so doubly effective for a counter against Obama’s white guilt and black solidarity advantage. Plus Rice is so far from stupid it’s ridiculous having a PhD in political science, a track record as Secretary of State, and fercrisakes she was Provost of Stanford. Unfortunately she is no tongue-speaking snake-handling evangelical Christian and McCain’s advisors were convinced that was a non-negotiable qualification and Palin is certainly deep enough into that. An unwed teenage daughter coming out of the woodwork at the most inopportune time wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for how well she’s able to project her moral goodness however. It was pretty much a comedy of errors.
Personally I don’t (and didn’t at the time) believe the Republican party machine(s) were prepared to really support McCain. He won the primaries primarily because the voters were fed up with the party machine(s), so they just went into passive resistance mode. Perhaps they thought that a term or two of Obama would build up more support for their candidate(s) later. And perhaps they were right.
pokerguy,
the irony is that former Gov Palin had more experience and better leadership skills than Obama at the time. She still probably tops him on leadership skills.
I had just decided that the most typical behavior of wingnuts is using the D word. But it’s illegal here to insult the head of state of a foreign country, so I’ll just take that back.
OK, I’m kidding. But it actually used to be illegal. Could be as much as 40 years ago, not sure.
A part of the Bush legacy is his refusal to sign Kyoto; and, Bush was right. AGW is not evidence-based science. Bush had respect for a better way — a proven way — and that way is the way of humanists.
Free market capitalism is far more than economic theory. It is the engine of social mobility… It is what allowed entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley to change the way the world sells products and searches for information. It’s what transformed America from a rugged frontier to the greatest economic power in history — a nation that gave the world the steamboat and the airplane, the computer and the CAT scan, the Internet and the iPod… Ultimately, the best evidence for free market capitalism is its performance compared to other economic systems. Free markets allowed Japan, an island with few natural resources, to recover from war and grow into the world’s second-largest economy. Free markets allowed South Korea to make itself into one of the most technologically advanced societies in the world. Free markets turned small areas like Singapore and Hong Kong and Taiwan into global economic players… Meanwhile, nations that have pursued other models have experienced devastating results. Soviet communism starved millions, bankrupted an empire, and collapsed as decisively as the Berlin Wall. Cuba, once known for its vast fields of cane, is now forced to ration sugar. And while Iran sits atop giant oil reserves, its people cannot put enough gas… in their cars. ~George Bush
I am disappointed. You would think the president of the United States would be able to understand that democracy is majority rule, and that blaming the minority is absurd.
Dagfinn | May 27, 2013 at 12:50 pm |” am disappointed. You would think the president of the United States would be able to understand that democracy is majority rule, and that blaming the minority is absurd.
He tried that one already..
Imo, the President has been a disappointment on the issue of climate change as he has not allowed his position to evolve as more has been learned on the topic. This from someone who admits to voting for him in ’08.
Me too Rob, But imo “disappointment” doesn’t quite cover it.
He’s just a typical obedient president – you have to be one to get to the top. Misinformed too.
Clean and well-spoken, well, except ad libbing.
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Not as clean as you might think. The press pool complained that his campaign jet stunk to high heaven. The next president will have to replace most of the furniture and carpets in the white house because you just can’t wash out stink that’s soaked into a fabric for 6 years.
BO stands for more than Barack Obama. ;-)
Six years. From your lips.
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From Obama’s tweet:
https://twitter.com/nevaudit/status/339061388632784896
Try to understand, willard. It is said you are bright.
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Teach me, Kold One.
Something about climate change causing trucks with oversize loads to knock bridges down?
Watch the thermometers, willard.
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Interesting, Harold. Please continue.
This from the most dogmatic, fanatical president of our time?
I guess the communist Chinese, socialist Indian, and fascist Russian governments are all run by congressional Republicans too.
> This from the most dogmatic, fanatical president of our time?
GaryM? Meet Judge Judy:
http://judithcurry.com/2013/05/21/how-to-humble-a-wing-nut/#comment-324168
Judge Judy?
That’s Dr. Curry to you Bully boy
Steven Mosher | May 27, 2013 at 7:13 pm |
Judge Judy?
That’s Dr. Curry to you Bull
yschit boy——————————————————–
Fixed that for ya!
Gary M,
I didn’t realise it was this bad in the USA. Up until now I thought USA Congress, China and India had saved the world from Kyoto type lunacy. Now I realise at least Obama is as bad as the Australian Labor Government and the UK and EU governments. I notice the Canadian federal government has maintained some rational policy analysis.
This could be said about Obama, only I don’t think he’s a fanatic, he’s just a politician.
Ahh, the Obama Rorschach test. Don’t go there. It’s a trap. It’s the political equivalent of the Tijuana donkey show.
Agreed Edim.
And for those who are disappointed in him or didn’t like him in the first place – no worries. He hasn’t exhibited the leadership skills to accomplish much in his remaining term.
The curiosity is how his accomplishments have been so damaging. It’s like he promised global warming and we got a glaciation instead.
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“◾Lack of convincing evidence that ‘warm’ is ‘bad’”
Thank you. This is the very issue that started me on my journey to what by now is full on proud “denialism.”
Reblogged this on evilincandescentbulb and commented:
Like any other system designed by man, capitalism is not perfect. It can be subject to excesses and abuse. But it is by far the most efficient and just way of structuring an economy. At its most basic level, capitalism offers people the freedom to choose where they work and what they do, the opportunity to buy or sell products they want, and the dignity that comes with profiting from their talent and hard work. The free market system provides the incentives that lead to prosperity — the incentive to work, to innovate, to save, to invest wisely, and to create jobs for others. And as millions of people pursue these incentives together, whole societies benefit. ~George Bush
What I don’t see in any of the comments is ‘sky dragon’ism or denial of some anthropogenic contribution to the centennial trend.
So what exactly does this hyperbolic “denier” label mean?
You can ask those who use it what it means, and it will be clear that they don’t agree. The last time I asked, I was unable to get a straight answer.
hard to tell since Richard Tol was kumoed in with deniers. (yes, that Richard Tol).
erg lumped not kumoed, hand slipped.
After googling a definition of “kumo,” a straight answer was not apparent.
So, kumoed does have a place in the denier discussion.
Tol once thought the science was settled. To his credit, he’s now less certain.
========
http://getenergysmartnow.com/2013/01/19/solar-panels-to-the-wh-roof-will-the-oft-promised-bone-be-served-up-in-the-second-obama-administration/
Does anyone know the source of White House electricity?
Probably their own diesel generators..
Judith Curry:
”
The factors that seem to contribute to the ‘denialism’ of these Congressmen include:
Climategate and distrust of climate scientists
Claims of ’settled science’, which are not convincing
Failure to address the issue in a convincing way of how much of the recent warming is anthropogenic (beyond the fuzzy statement of ‘most’)
Backlash against ‘alarmism’
Lack of convincing evidence that ‘warm’ is ‘bad’
Dislike of cap and trade
”
That’s odd.
None of these “factors” are scientific, or even quantifiable, in nature.
Speaking of “fuzzy statements”, we have “distrust”, “not convincing” , “failure to address the issue in a convincing way”, “backlash”, and “dislike”.
Congress-critters cough up hairballs.
Meanwhile – I could have sworn I saw an Armani-clad fossil fuel lobbyist with a large bag of cash discussing the physics of albedo feedbacks with Sen James Inhofe.
I’m sure they’ll publish something eventually.
Keep your eye on CATO’s website for the latest data.
Lemme tell you, if the Washington Post depends upon John Cook to uphold the consensus, it is a sign.
=================
If Eugene Robinson is a reflection of the WP’s opinionm then they apparently do.
heinrich,
Instead of confusing your opinions regarding skeptics with facts, why not supply some facts to support the AGW claims?
The science for catastrophe doesn’t hold up, the financing of ‘green’ energy has collapsed and the politics is dissolving before their eyes. They know not what they do.
========
heinrich,
If you are going to be a smart ass, you need to do better. Right now all you are getting right is the ass part.
This is good.
Because it can re-center the ‘debate’ from ‘real or a hoax’ to degree and risk-reward ratio.
The objective measures of extent of global warming being at the low end, the rewards of energy use, crop fertilization, drought tolerance, increased rainfall, potential reduction in disease, versus some of the exaggerated risk assessments.
Dang I’m glad you could find a silver lining to that dark cloud. I’ll let you know if it turns out rainbows or tornados and hail.
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Omigod, I’ve now read some of the comments by the Congresspeople. Is someone playing a trick on Obama?
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what are some of the responses?
I think kim just means the quotes above.
After reading the Congressmen’s statements, they seem to be the sane and rational ones. This might backfire in Barry’s face.
Bee Eye En Gee Oh! And Bingo was his name, oh.
================
The ironies roll off like thunderclouds over the horizon.
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The Denier page reads like a manifesto to reason. Call me Denier from now on. Just deciding this campaign was a good idea demonstrates our president has lost his mind.
None of the answers were in anyway nutty. Most were quite measured and gave the impression that the politicians were well briefed.
Agree that the statements generally made good sense.
Also, I bet Barry would love to distract everyone from AP-gate, Fox News-gate, Benghazi-gate, Boston Militant Islamist Bomber-gate, IRS-gate, and Arab Spring-gate. I swear, he is beginning to rival Carter as a failure.
There is a new Barry-gate: CBS News-gate, seems the White House doesn’t like Sharyl Attkisson either.
“Sharyl Attkisson has problems.
The Obama administration won’t answer the CBS News correspondent’s questions because her investigations — into Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Solyndra — often reflect negatively on it. Some colleagues at CBS News, where she has worked for two decades and earned multiple Emmy awards, dismiss her work because they perceive a political agenda. And now, she says, someone may have hacked into her computers.
Attkisson’s one piece of solace may come from finally gaining some like-minded colleagues in the media. For years, Attkisson has been one of the few mainstream reporters pursuing critical stories about the Obama administration. Today, as “scandal season” takes hold in Washington, she has seen her longstanding skepticism of the White House and the Justice Department become the conventional attitude among a formerly deferential Beltway press corps.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/sharyl-attkisson-91871.html
Here’s our non-ideological, non-partisan president threatening the UK with economic harm if it dares to resist the ever greater centralization of power in the EU.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/27/eu-exit-risks-us-trade-deal?CMP=twt_fd
Even not being one of them, I am ashamed of Mr Obama, the President of all USA citizens, behaving like a fundamentalist, targeting dissenters. Unbelievable.
Who expected B. Obama would be qualitatively different from Al Gore? Both were awarded a Nobel for the same reason. On the Left, it’s, “No, no, no, not God bless America.”
To exaggerate is American. To exaggerate a “climate change” is doubly American. The refusal to do so is unpatriotic.
Well, I’d say it wouldn’t hurt.
Then again, I can’t help but notice what’s missing in your normative advocacy about what politicians should and shouldn’t do, Judith.
Something on the order of: “If James Inhofe and other powerful Republican politicians focused more on these factors, rather than continued efforts to convince that there is a “hoax” climate change conspiracy, and labeling anyhone who disagrees as “warmist/capitalism-hater/statist/” intent on destroying capitalism, well then maybe some sanity could emerge on energy and climate policy.
That would be a refreshing heresy.
Pearl-clutching is obviously far too important to be left to the consensus-mongers.
One thing I can say for sure about many folks on both sides of the debate: they’re absolutely convinced of their victimhood.
There are plenty of victims, Joshua, but they are victims of mistaken climate change policy rather than of climate change. This may always be.
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kim sees Obama’s Muslim sympathies and climate policy victims.
Has 20/-5 vision, don’t you know.
The question for your research, Joshua, is at what age did Obama repudiate Islam, and for what? We’ll leave why and if to the side, for now.
BTW, Hillary sounds pissed.
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It’s something like James Inhofe vs Obama, GE, Soros, the main stream Press, the leftist Alinsky spin machine non-profits, most academics, etc. etc. Maybe Inhofe is more like David vs. Goliath and Judith likes to root for the underdog.
Righ, jim –
Mainstream Republicans, mainstream Republican politicians, Fox News, Fox News watchers, The Koch brothers, Art Pope, ALEC, Limbaugh … such victims, one and all,. So disenfranchised and beaten down by the all powerful enviro-Nazis.
Oh. The humanity!!!!
Pardon me while I weep.
The crocodile carried the scorpion across the creek.
============
Funny. The Republican Party supports fracking for natural gas and expansion of nuclear energy- the only two policy choices that have actually reduced emissions.
The OFA campaign is basically a whine that the GOP won’t let us take action that doesn’t work. And OFA says Obama and the greens are the “victims” of this “obstructionism.”
So, of course, Joshua says the GOP is playing victim and obstructing action.
Shall we play a game?
Gee, we skeptics have been trying to be called out for 25 years. About time somebody listened. Just kidding of course as they are not listening just calling. Calling what one wonders? Each to each? I do not think they call to me.
Was my TS Eliot reference not good? I liked it. But I grow old.
Plus one.
B. Obama now:
“We need to work to curb climate change, and a big step is to raise our voices to change the conversation in Washington. Call these deniers out. Hold them accountable.”
B. Obama then:
“I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face.”
Plus ça change, the tiger’s stripes. Or something.
The only difference is that this time, he was grammatically correct.
Notice how he assumes lefties are on board with climate alarmism.
97% are.
Harold,
+1 for the 97% comment.
heinrich,
Take notes. This is how you should do smart ass.
OT:
Today is Memorial Day. My daughter likes pictures of abandoned/wrecked cars. So somebody gave her an old photograph they found at Goodwill of two badly damaged cars in a field. Out in front there is a large tow rope. Not the kind a farmer or a tow truck outfit would use. We took the picture out of the frame and on the back of the photograph there is a date, NAS secret, and the name of a town in Florida.
I thought maybe the vehicles had been used for target practice.
Intrigued, I did a search of the date and the name of the town. Sure enough, there was a wikipedia article on the incident. A USMC plane crashed after takeoff, and in the defense of our country 38 midshipmen and 5 crewman were lost.
I want to thank Al Gore for helping to invent the internet.
> I want to thank Al Gore for helping to invent the internet.
Do not forgot Big Dave, who had Al Gore on his shoulders all along.
Hey LA Tom – how do you know the quality of information on SoD and RC?
Jim2;
I read the article, read all of the discussion, and then go to the peer-reviewed literature and do my best to follow the original work. On issues of chemistry, thermodynamics, radiative energy transfer and such, I do very well (I’m a chemist). On other things, If I can’t make out the paper I go to basic texts. Raymond T. Pierrehumbert’s “Principles of Planetary Climate is a good one.”
Right now I’m reading “Greenhouse gas radiative forcing: Effects of averaging and inhomogeneities in trace gas distribution” by R. S. Freckleton et al. in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 1998, 124, 2099-2127. This is apparently one of a set of papers that is regarded as state-of-the-art for calculating radiative forcing (RF) of specific gases. There are a couple of things I don’t understand in this paper. RF is defined from the surface to the tropopause, and then stratospheric adjustment is also included or not. Can anyone out there tell me why the calculation is not carried out directly including the stratosphere? I was going to go to Skeptical Science to ask this (they can be real Adam Henrys, but they do know a lot of science) but your question prompts me to try it here as well.
Jim2;
I realize you are probably not into the science that directly. Do you know if there is a relevant thread on this site where one can get into this kind of discussion? .
Forget the question — I found the answer.
Obama’s black listing of “deniers” is the same as the German Ministry for Environment (Umweltbundesamt [UBA]) which recently released a 123-page titled: Und sie erwärmt sich doch…Was steckt hinter der Debatte um den Klimawandel (It is indeed warming…What’s behind the climate change debate?).
http://notrickszone.com/2013/05/16/german-ministry-of-environment-identifies-targets-american-and-german-enemy-skeptics-in-123-page-pamphlet/
This is scary.
They have names. They have whole binders full of names.
Hitler would be proud.
So would the DDR leaders.
The Obama Administration is exploring new frontiers in black listing, intimidation, suppression and deception. Joe McCarthy and Nixon would be proud.
If a given legislator is not a “denier” he or she can surely defend him/herself.
The problem is that entrenched economic interests fear the reversal of their fortunes if AGW is true and effective action is taken to try to mitigate it. This becomes a cause for their wholly-owned legislators and thence a cause for the entire political far right which controls the GOP these days. At that point facts cease to matter as many individuals make up their minds emotionally and then construct arguments to back up their preferred conclusion. Research shows [http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2216469] that at the point where the worldview has taken over, knowing more science makes no difference in the outcome – increased scientific knowledge correlates with greater polarization, not less.
IMO this site is largely populated by political and economic conservatives who have a lot of scientific literacy who are trying to come to grips with the cognitive dissonance of their scientific vs. their political world views. It’s kind of upsetting to behold.
If you think that is upsetting to behold, just wait until they discover the real reason why Obama has not closed Gitmo.
Heinrich;
Why has Obama not closed Gitmo?
Tom,
As I understand it there are a couple of reasons.
1) They can’t get another country to accept some of the detainees.
2) The House is refusing to authorize the funds to have them transferred to the Colorado super-max facility.
You can’t blame the President for the first one. (Bush ran into the same problem.)
You could blame Republicans if you wanted to, but the fact is transferring them to Florence doesn’t change anything other than the location they are being detained at. It is window dressing to allow the claim the Presidemnt kept his promise.
Tim;
Thanks for responding. I was aware of what you are saying. I just thought Heinrich was going to come forth with some interesting conspiracy theory. :)
First of all, heinrich, that is funny as hell. Second of all, Tom in LA, you are correct in your second paragraph, but have examined the wrong zoo in the third..
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Actually, it’s a pretty good precis of the Madness of the Crowd which is CAGW.
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Kim;
What additional zoo should I examine? I have already also examined the obnoxious true-believers at Skeptical Science.
Oops, replace ‘if AGW is true’ with ‘if AGW is false’ and ‘right’ with ‘left’ and ‘GOP’ with ‘Dems’ and your second paragraph is a guide to the zoo.
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And the disinformation fiasco at WUWT.
Tom, it’s tough to tell the players without a program. Keep questioning.
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Actually, the best places I have found for good information with a minimum of attitude are Science of Doom and Real Climate.
Tom in LA
If you think you are getting a balanced view on CAGW from RealClimate you are extremely naïve.
Max
Max;
Please notice I’m talking about AGW not CAGW. They are different.
I’m a competent scientist and am confident of my observation that the science presented on AGW is generally accurate and reliable. As to alarmist extensions of the science, I don’t have anything to say.
As to WUWT, it’s like Fox Propaganda — any correspondence between assertions and reality are coincidental and, to the presenters, irrelevant.
Tom in LA: “The problem is that entrenched economic interests fear the reversal of their fortunes if AGW is true and effective action is taken to try to mitigate it.”
This problem exists only in the wishful thinking of climate-fixated environmentalists. Real businesses live in the real world, and in the real world, politicians are making loopholes to avoid enacting the extreme measures that would cause a crisis in the demand for fossil fuels.
Tom,
Since the money is promoting AGW and the ‘solutions’ AGW promotes, I would suggest you look in the mirror to answer the question of just who is a wholly owned legislator. As to the dissonance, it is always entertaining to read the ignorant pap that passes for progressive thought.
What is upsetting is that self-righteous lefties keep lying about the climate, its current state, and the rent seeking solutions their guys embrace.
Your research looks like more BS from the soft sciences. They are called soft because it is difficult to run a controlled experiment. Most of what they do isn’t verifiable, so you have to take anything they say with many grains of salt. They fact that you cite them lessens your gravitas.
Real Science matters. Climate Science is not yet up to that standard.
You see, Tom, what we have here is your failure to understand that blog comments are the last scientific frontier.
Once you get past all the evidence for Godwin’s and Pommer’s laws, the rest is easy.
Hang around here long enough, and you’re see several pretty ample demonstrations of DeMyer’s Law. Especially if Fanny graces us.
Harold:
Thank you.
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/File:Ken-buggy.jpg
Speaking of Godwin’s Law,
There’s a lesson in here somewhere about people who see trends and correlations in random squiggles:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10084348/Kettle-that-looks-like-Hitler-brews-trouble-for-JCPenney.html
Aside from a few initial clarifications, I haven’t read any serious comments — only aspersion and polemic.
Q.E.D.
Unless I see a serious intellectual engagement, I will not respond further here.
I will continue to occasionally check out this site (just as I do all of the sites mentioned above) because it is useful to read what deniers who seek cover as agnostics will say.
True and pretty sad. The “debate” rages and no concensus ever emerges except CAGW “science”.
He who knows it all,
Aspersions and polemic.
Naustique, urp, naustique.
=================
No hint of arrogance from you tc.
tcflood – you mentioned that you read climate science papers and I infer that is why you believe the man-made component of CO2 in the atmosphere will warm the planet and I assume you believe that warming will be catastrophic. At any rate, if you have 2 or 3 papers that you believe nail down CAGW, I would be happy to read them as I’m sure would some of the other denizens. As long as they are on the internet and free, bring ’em on. I’ll be interested to know why you believe as you do.
Jim2;
I think CAGW is unlikely, but I find the bulk of evidence for AGW pretty convincing, as seems to be true of others who comment here because they seem concerned about GHGs. I suspect we might both agree that the distinction is a matter of both extent and timescale.
tc – agreed.
President Obama is a manifestation of the information that reaches him; that is, the gatekeeper of access and information to the President is in a powerful position.
As of January 2013 Denis McDonough is White House Chief of Staff whose stated position is to renew the campaign for climate change legislation and treaties.
As some of you will recall, in the media recently, there was news of the IRS targeting individual groups who whose politics just happen to be opposed to President Obama. Further, you will recall, that the Chief of Staff did not inform President Obama about the results of the internal investigation regarding the IRS’s special attention to some groups, and it was a complete surprise that the IRS was behaving so badly. Of course, President Obama stated that he would get to the bottom of this bad behavior and hold the IRS accountable.
It seems now that Climate Change has acquired a new twist. Just as the temperatures have paused, the President speaks of deniers that need to be held accountable for their bad thoughts.
My question, how much access to information, that the science is not settled, does President Obama have? I wonder if he is not listening to skeptical arguments because, the White House Chief of Staff prevents the President of even hearing of skeptical science?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
You missed the reference to ‘obedient’ above.
===============
Kim
In my mind the question is: Obedient to Whom? certainly not the chief of staff? The Chief of Staff filters the news via his/her own prejudices, transmitting a story good enough to sell, not good enough to hold water. If you are saying that the President is beholden, for whatever reason, to a green lobby agenda, then his outbursts, re: affirmative tweets to John Cook and more recently by affixing the label of “denier” to members of Congress are completely consistent, and, unfortunately, have devolved to the utterings of an ideologue and demigod.
A couple of threads ago Peter Lang asked if I could identify a rational person in the antinuclear movement and I said I could not. Here also I peer into the abyss of climate change and, not only do not find a rational person, but my President can not hold his tongue before blurting out non-sequiturs. I fear I am not at a loss, but he certainly is.
Obama was firmly entrenched in the lefty world view long before 2008. He is not persuadable by evidence, to judge by his actions since being elected.
Look at the czars. Holdren. Sunstein. Etc.
+100
RiHo08,
We have the same problem in Australia.
Why is there nothing about this at WUWT?
Denizens, meet Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s linear model:
http://blackburn.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=65724
Rep. Marsha Blackburn sponsored H.R. 97, the Free Industry Act
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:97:./list/bss/d112HR.lst::
There were the 127 co-sponsors:
Alexander, Rodney [R-LA5]
Barton, Joe [R-TX6]
Bishop, Rob [R-UT1]
Bono Mack, Mary [R-CA45]
Boren, Dan [D-OK2]
Boustany, Charles [R-LA7]
Brady, Kevin [R-TX8]
Broun, Paul [R-GA10]
Burgess, Michael [R-TX26]
Burton, Dan [R-IN5]
Calvert, Ken [R-CA44]
Capito, Shelley [R-WV2]
Chaffetz, Jason [R-UT3]
Coble, Howard [R-NC6]
Coffman, Mike [R-CO6]
Conaway, Michael [R-TX11]
Davis, Geoff [R-KY4]
Garrett, Scott [R-NJ5]
Gohmert, Louie [R-TX1]
Graves, Sam [R-MO6]
Hall, Ralph [R-TX4]
Herger, Walter “Wally” [R-CA2]
Hunter, Duncan [R-CA52]
Issa, Darrell [R-CA49]
Johnson, Sam [R-TX3]
Jones, Walter [R-NC3]
Kingston, Jack [R-GA1]
Lee, Christopher [R-NY26]
Lummis, Cynthia [R-WY0]
Lungren, Daniel [R-CA3]
Marchant, Kenny [R-TX24]
McClintock, Tom [R-CA4]
McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R-WA5]
Myrick, Sue [R-NC9]
Olson, Pete [R-TX22]
Paul, Ronald “Ron” [R-TX14]
Petri, Thomas “Tom” [R-WI6]
Rehberg, Dennis “Denny” [R-MT0]
Roe, David [R-TN1]
Rohrabacher, Dana [R-CA46]
Scalise, Steve [R-LA1]
Sensenbrenner, James [R-WI5]
Shuster, Bill [R-PA9]
Simpson, Michael “Mike” [R-ID2]
Terry, Lee [R-NE2]
Young, Don [R-AK0]
Biggert, Judy [R-IL13]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Duncan, Jeff [R-SC3]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Ellmers, Renee [R-NC2]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Flores, Bill [R-TX17]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Gallegly, Elton [R-CA24]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Gerlach, Jim [R-PA6]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Gingrey, Phil [R-GA11]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Hartzler, Vicky [R-MO4]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Lamborn, Doug [R-CO5]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Luetkemeyer, Blaine [R-MO9]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Mack, Connie [R-FL14]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
McKinley, David [R-WV1]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Neugebauer, Randy [R-TX19]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Poe, Ted [R-TX2]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Schock, Aaron [R-IL18]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Shimkus, John [R-IL19]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Sullivan, John [R-OK1]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Young, Todd [R-IN9]
(joined Jan 07, 2011)
Canseco, Francisco “Quico” [R-TX23]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Carter, John [R-TX31]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Gibbs, Bob [R-OH18]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Goodlatte, Bob [R-VA6]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Granger, Kay [R-TX12]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Hayworth, Nan [R-NY19]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Hensarling, Jeb [R-TX5]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Huelskamp, Tim [R-KS1]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
King, Steve [R-IA5]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Long, Billy [R-MO7]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
McKeon, Howard “Buck” [R-CA25]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Pence, Mike [R-IN6]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Pompeo, Mike [R-KS4]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Renacci, James [R-OH16]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Smith, Adrian [R-NE3]
(joined Jan 12, 2011)
Aderholt, Robert [R-AL4]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Camp, Dave [R-MI4]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Campbell, John [R-CA48]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Cole, Tom [R-OK4]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Emerson, Jo Ann [R-MO8]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Fleming, John [R-LA4]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Gardner, Cory [R-CO4]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Jenkins, Lynn [R-KS2]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Lewis, Jerry [R-CA41]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
McCaul, Michael [R-TX10]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
McCotter, Thaddeus “Thad” [R-MI11]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Miller, Jeff [R-FL1]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Posey, Bill [R-FL15]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Rogers, Mike [R-AL3]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Ross, Dennis [R-FL12]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Thompson, Glenn [R-PA5]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Wilson, Joe [R-SC2]
(joined Jan 18, 2011)
Bachus, Spencer [R-AL6]
(joined Jan 19, 2011)
Crawford, Eric “Rick” [R-AR1]
(joined Jan 19, 2011)
King, Peter “Pete” [R-NY3]
(joined Jan 19, 2011)
Quayle, Ben [R-AZ3]
(joined Jan 19, 2011)
Bachmann, Michele [R-MN6]
(joined Jan 24, 2011)
Bucshon, Larry [R-IN8]
(joined Jan 24, 2011)
Graves, Tom [R-GA9]
(joined Jan 24, 2011)
Griffith, Morgan [R-VA9]
(joined Jan 24, 2011)
Lankford, James [R-OK5]
(joined Jan 24, 2011)
Miller, Candice [R-MI10]
(joined Jan 24, 2011)
Tiberi, Patrick “Pat” [R-OH12]
(joined Jan 24, 2011)
Harper, Gregg [R-MS3]
(joined Jan 25, 2011)
Latta, Robert [R-OH5]
(joined Jan 25, 2011)
Austria, Steve [R-OH7]
(joined Jan 26, 2011)
Jordan, Jim [R-OH4]
(joined Jan 26, 2011)
Paulsen, Erik [R-MN3]
(joined Jan 26, 2011)
Young, W. Bill [R-FL10]
(joined Jan 26, 2011)
Guinta, Frank [R-NH1]
(joined Feb 08, 2011)
Labrador, Raúl [R-ID1]
(joined Feb 08, 2011)
Landry, Jeff [R-LA3]
(joined Feb 08, 2011)
Stearns, Clifford “Cliff” [R-FL6]
(joined Feb 08, 2011)
Wittman, Robert [R-VA1]
(joined Feb 08, 2011)
Yoder, Kevin [R-KS3]
(joined Feb 08, 2011)
Forbes, Randy [R-VA4]
(joined Feb 10, 2011)
Platts, Todd [R-PA19]
(joined Feb 17, 2011)
Hurt, Robert [R-VA5]
(joined Mar 03, 2011)
Franks, Trent [R-AZ2]
(joined Mar 08, 2011)
Kline, John [R-MN2]
(joined Mar 08, 2011)
Turner, Michael [R-OH3]
(joined Mar 08, 2011)
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr97
Sounds like a good plan, Willard.
That was obnoxiously long to have to scroll through, Willard. You’re a real jerk.
Big Dave? Meet Rep. Marsha Blackburn:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/12/17/marsha-blackburn-climate-issu
Here’s the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMp7BJdfvZ0
As honest brokers would say, you be the judge.
Markey
Alaska: 6 degrees warmer?
And then
He argues that the report written in 2007 consdiered the mails liberated in 2009
oy vey. good video
willard,
Markey is the best you can offer? I can’t speak to honesty, but between the two of them Markey wins the “I don’t have clue what I’m talking about.” points.
timg,
What I have is rep. Marsha Blackburn denying AGW:
http://judithcurry.com/2013/05/27/president-obama-calls-out-the-climate-change-deniers-in-congress/#comment-326739
Please acknowledge that.
Yes, willard we see two forms of denial here
1. A stupid congressperson who cannot get the science right.
2. A more stupid congress person who cannot figure out that 2009 happened after 2007.
and you wanted us to learn what from this as honest brokers?
Willard
Looks like Blackburn is spot on. Smart lady.
MiniMax, meet Rep. Marsha Blackburn, answering Wolf Blitzer question So you’re not convinced that the Earth is warming up?
Does that mean that Rep. Marsha Blackburn denies AGW?
Auditors ought to know.
Write that down.
willard,
My opinion of Rep Blackburn is that she is not very well informed on the matter.
But then my general opinion is that one should rarely expect members of Congress to be well informed about anything, including the bills they pass. While Rep Pelosi’s comment about the AHCA was a classic, she certainly holds no monopoly on making stupid statements among members of Congress.
There is also the possibility to consider that Rep Blackburn was far enough outside her depth on the topic that she made errors in what she said, but that some of her policy positions may not be totally outside reasonable bounds.
On AGW, there is some evidence to cause one to question just how big the human component to AGW really is. Personally I think evidence still supports the position that at least half and possibly more is due to human activities. (With CO2 emissions being only one of those activities and not necessarily the dominate one. Ever notice we rarely hear about any of the other human impacts?) So we’ve been warming and we are warmer than we would likely have been without the added CO2. What next? It’s pretty much a big So What? after that. If the cyclical nature of climate were to have continued towards warming conditions and should there be no feedback mechanisms in place to check that, then the additional warming from human activities should be a concern. How big of a concern depends on a lot of factors. However if the cycle is heading into a cooling phase, then human impacts may end up being an overall positive thing.
Denizens, meet Rep. Kevin Brady role in the Free Industry Act:
http://thatsmycongress.com/house/repBradyTX8112.html
OK, willard – where can I go vote for these guys?
jim2? Meet Rep. Kevin Brady, The Six Trillion Dollar Man
jim2? Meet Rep. Kevin Brady:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Tx/Kevin_Brady_Energy_+_Oil.htm
This Brady guy sounds good to me. Everyone has a bad idea from time to time, but most of his are good – the ones concerning drilling and energy that is. This is exactly the kind of guy we need in Congress.
willard,
I don’t have any problems with Brady’s vote on all except perhaps the last measure.
What are your issues with the first three?
> Before we decide what actions should be taken to solve the problems of climate change, don’t you think it wise that we first identify what those problems are?
Good question, timg. Please refer to this:
http://judithcurry.com/2012/10/28/climate-change-no-consensus-on-consensus/
and tell me how you feel about the linear model.
Rep. Kevin P. Brady has an immaculate voting record against environmental measures:
http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/kevin-p-brady
Yes, but Climategate.
willard,
Before we decide what actions should be taken to solve the problems of climate change, don’t you think it wise that we first identify what those problems are?
timg56,
I misplaced this good question:
> Before we decide what actions should be taken to solve the problems of climate change, don’t you think it wise that we first identify what those problems are?
Beats me, timg. What about you? Please refer to this:
This relationship between expertise and policy is described as the linear model of expertise, or ‘speaking truth to power’, whereby first science has to ‘get it right’ and then policy comes into play.
http://judithcurry.com/2012/10/28/climate-change-no-consensus-on-consensus/
and tell me how you feel about the linear model.
willard,
I’m neither a model nor a statistical analysis guy. I do however tend to agree with Dr Curry about “science getting it right” before jumping to policy debate.
As for science getting it right on climate change, I’ve seen little evidence they are anywhere close to being “right” when it comes to impacts. In other words, no one has clearly defined the problems we should expect and backed up that explanation with any evidence. We’ve had no shortage of claims about the problems we should expect, but none that stand up well to scrutiny. The disappearing Himalayan glaciers, the 50 million climate refugees, the disappearing species, extreme weather, the list seems endless. I’m still amazed that people are making the increase in tropical disease case (as Markey did in the video you provided).
One of the many loose threads in the CAGW storyline that got me to wondering about its validity was the complete absence of any positive benefits which might accrue from a warmer planet. That is near mind boggling. However it does help support the argument that “hey, lets not worry about proof, this is sooo bad we have to do something right now.” As I mentioned to heinrich, it has been my experience that when folks play to people’s fear, honest presentation of the pros and cons of an issue is unlikely to favor them. And I believe it is almost impossible to show that people’s fear has not or is not currently being played to.
The Climate Alarmists are the Ultimate Climate Deniers. They say that seventeen years of being dead wrong should not be considered in any way. To be wrong for seventeen years and accuse someone on the other side of being a Denier, is some kind of sick.
Models embody their best knowledge. We know how good those are.
Obama’s source for the views of Rep. James Lankford R (OK) is a 2010 Edmond Sun report on a debate by the following Republican candidates for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District: Rick Flanigan , Dr. Johnny Roy, Kevin Calvey, and James Langford who won the election that followed.
The ignorance and stupidity displayed by the debating candidates is so outrageous it’s ludicrous, as the following selected quotes from the report demonstrate.
“Republicans campaigning for the 5th Congressional District at a recent debate appeared unified on at least one topic — they described man-made global warming as a myth.”
“Cap and trade is a sick joke perpetuated by a bunch of global warming mystic hooligans that believe the globe is warming up and it was caused by man,” said Rick Flanigan.
“No amount of tax in the world is going to change the thermostat that God has his finger on,” Flanigan said.
“This whole global warming myth will be exposed as what it really is — a way of control more than anything else,” Lankford said.
The federal government takes a new commodity, air, and begins to tax the use of air,” Lankford said. “It’s a ridiculous concept. It’s basically just a tax increase and not a way to control environmental issues.”
“EPA regulations are pushing for a farmer driving down a country road, if he kicks up enough dust, he’s in violation of EPA rules,” Lankford said.
Calvey said cap and trade is probably the worst public recommendation made in his lifetime. He said it is based on faulty science that has been proven to be fraud.
He agreed with Lankford that the purpose of cap and trade is to exercise control by “certain elites” on Americans.
“I am absolutely passionate about energy independence and I’ll tell you why,” said Calvey, an Army National Guard veteran of the war in Iraq. “I’ve had rockets shot at me that were smuggled into Iraq from Iran.” “Every time we gas up our cars with oil out of the market, some of it is going to people like Iran.”
Roy said cap and trade regulations would harm small business and farmers already struggling to stay in business. The 2009 Copenhagen summit on climate change was a hoax,
Roy said. “I’m a scientist. I know what I’m talking about,” said Roy, a physician specializing in urology. Roy said he does not know why politicians should not be involved in climate change when the science of global warming and melting glaciers is inconclusive.
Audience member Cheryl Williams said she was impressed by the caliber of Republicans competing for the House seat. “I think we can end up with a congressman in the U.S. Congress that can be like a Dr. Coburn, said Williams, former vice chairwoman of the Oklahoma Republican Party. “They’re very bright — very thoughtful — obviously not fly-by-night or politician. That’s the one thing we’re missing up there tonight is the politician.”
____________
Oklahoma has more than its share of mouth breathers, but most are well meaning. The problem is “well meaning” and “stupid” are not a good combination.
Oh no, I was bamboozled by Judith Curry. It was not Obama’s web site like she said. I will never trust her again!
Just kidding. Everyone errs occasionally, and she corrected her mistake.
“The formation of Organizing for Action was announced by Chairman [6] Jim Messina, who served as Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, and First Lady Michelle Obama on January 18, 2013. White House official Jon Carson left the Obama administration to become the executive director. Campaign senior adviser David Axelrod serves as a consultant.[7]
Organizing for Action succeeds Organizing for America, which was formed under similar circumstances but operated under the control of the Democratic National Committee.[8] In preparation for President Obama’s second term, Obama for America was relaunched as a nonprofit group in order to mobilize support behind the president’s legislative and political agenda.[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizing_for_Action
Judith Curry
You commented:
Agree fully with the first two statements.
But to the third statement: Whether or not President Obama is practicing “good politics” depends on how you define “good”.
If one defines it (Chicago-style) as “winning at all cost” politics, Obama’s team has usually found a way to do that. For example, what better way to distract from the scandals that seem to be plaguing his administration right now than posture the “high ground” in a moral (“good” versus “evil”) debate on climate?
But if you define it as “good for the nation”, I’d agree that this is not “good politics”.
Better politics would be to address the real problems the USA faces – and these do NOT include CAGW.
Max
Scandals? Do you Swiss know something that we don’t?
Naw, Harold. I just read the papers.
Max
What Manacker means is that you can buy almost any newspaper in Switzerland (you do not learn much by reading the swiss ones). And since the internet was invented in Switzerland, there is no reason not to use it, too.
So I was quite shocked to learn that Lois Lane took the Nickel, I mean Lois Lerner (still shocking, but not quite as bad). Not automatically the proof that she is innocent.
(The Swiss version of the IRS is absolutely not corrupt.)
The majority are still not convinced it is manmade. When they catch up with the “skeptics” who have moved to the Otto/Lewis/Allen/Michaels/Watts position of 1.6-2 C sensitivity, they will see that this mathematically makes it manmade with no room for doubt. I suspect this excuse may then evaporate in favor of the “warming is good” approach to planning, which I see a couple have already done.
‘In summary, although there is independent evidence for decadal changes in TOA radiative fluxes over the last two decades, the evidence is equivocal. Changes in the planetary and tropical TOA radiative fluxes are consistent with independent global ocean heat-storage data, and are expected to be dominated by changes in cloud radiative forcing. To the extent that they are real, they may simply reflect natural low-frequency variability of the climate system.’ IPCC 3.4.4.1
It seems the ‘noise’ is far bigger than the ‘signal’ in the satellite era.
http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/Chief_Hydrologist/media/cloud_palleandlaken2013_zps3c92a9fc.png.html?sort=3&o=1
The change in ISCCP between the 80’s and 90’s is 0.05 W/m2 in OLR (cooling) and -2.4 W/m2 (warming) in reflected SW – a net of 1.9 W/m2. Net positive being warming by definition….i.e. Net = – OLR – RSW
‘The top-of-atmosphere (TOA) Earth radiation budget (ERB) is determined from the difference between how much energy is absorbed and emitted by the planet. Climate forcing results in an imbalance in the TOA radiation budget that has direct implications for global climate, but the large natural variability in the Earth’s radiation budget due to fluctuations in atmospheric and ocean dynamics complicates this picture.’ http://meteora.ucsd.edu/~jnorris/reprints/Loeb_et_al_ISSI_Surv_Geophys_2012.pdf
The ‘noise’ is greater than the ‘signal’ in the satellite era. There is no reason to suspect that this is anomalous.
+1, as they say
If the Cato Institute (Michaels, Knappenberger) have shifted to this position, since they are apparently advising the Republicans, they need to look at the ramifications of this sensitivity on the IPCC ‘most’ attribution statement, which logically they would now agree with. Then they should take these Congressmen aside, who say manmade attribution not certain enough, and educate them on the latest findings and say “well, actually…”. It has to be very delicate, because for a Republican to change position on something is usually a killer for their hopes of future re-election.
“It has to be very delicate, because for a Republican to change position on something is usually a killer for their hopes of future re-election.”
Re-election by whom?
If you look at Congress, the seats are so Gerrymandered that the vast majority of incumbents only need to get through the primary. The Democrats are much more likely to be deselected than Republicans.
Indeed, there is a new verb “primaried”, as their biggest threat is from their right within the party. With any luck, this leads to such an extremist that even mainstream Republicans won’t show up to vote for them, but that is a remote hope.
Jim D
You are splitting hairs.
The majority do not accept that human influences have in the past or will in the future result in potentially catastrophic effects (CAGW), as IPCC has outlined in its AR4 report.
That is the crucial point.
(And I’d agree fully with them).
It appears to be the general opinion that warming of up to 2C above today’s temperature would have more beneficial effects than harmful ones, so the real question is whether or not human influences could result in warming that significantly exceeded 2C above today’s temperature.
At 2xCO2 ECS of 1.6C to 2C this becomes highly unlikely, especially now that the unusually active sun of the 20th C (highest in several thousand years) has become more inactive and the unusually high number of El Nino events (including the super El Nino that caused the record warm year 1998) has given way to more La Nina events.
The current lack of warming is telling us something, Jim. We should pay attention – and it looks like some of these politicians have done so.
If so, good for them.
Max
manacker, it is not splitting hairs, it is a common theme of the majority of them when you just rad through them, almost like they have the same speaking points, that manmade attribution is uncertain when at least some of the Cato Institute leaders appear to be endorsing numbers inconsistent with that idea. As I said, they may adapt to this new information by saying it is manmade (or perhaps quietly stop denying that) but will want to plan according to it being assumed harmless.
‘In principle, changes in climate on a wide range of timescales can also
arise from variations within the climate system due to, for example,
interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere; in this document,
this is referred to as “internal climate variability”.
Such internal variability can occur because the climate is an example of
a chaotic system: one that can exhibit complex unpredictable internal
variations even in the absence of the climate forcings discussed in the
previous paragraph.’ http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2010/4294972962.pdf
The key word is unpredictable. Most recent warming was ‘noise’ rather than ‘signal’ – it suggests that ‘an outlook on response theory as applied to random dynamical systems, rather than in the more familiar context of statistical mechanics near equilibrium. This theory provides the response function R(t) of a chaotic system to time-dependent forcing, as well as its
Fourier transform, the susceptibility function (x). In fact, climate change involves not just changes in the mean, but also in its variability [3]. Thus,
the susceptibility function will allow us to get a handle on mechanisms of high sensitivity in the response of climate variability to deterministic, anthropogenic forcing—such as increases in aerosols and greenhouse gases—as well as to random, natural forcing, such as volcanic eruptions.’
http://www.atmos.ucla.edu/tcd/PREPRINTS/Math-Clim_Sens-SIAM_News%2711.pdf
It takes a sort of insanity to keep on reiterating simplistic drivel about climate sensitivity.
Denizens, meet Rep. Shelley Moore Capito:
http://capito.house.gov/op-eds/politico-note-to-epa-coal-isnt-a-dirty-word/
Her being not convinced about climate change having nothing to do with that.
Now that we’ve been introduced, let’s follow her stream of tweets:
https://twitter.com/RepShelley/status/336911251697446912
So, Willard. Are you trying to paint her in a bad light? Just askin’.
Willard
This sounds like a well-informed lady who is representing the interests of the voters who elected her.
Good for her!
Max
> Are you trying to paint her in a bad light?
Are you suggesting that a tweet of Shelley Moore Capito could paint her in a bad light? Perhaps it’s because you have not been introduced properly.
jim2? Meed Rep. Shelley Moore Capito:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84244.html
willard (@nevaudit) | May 27, 2013 at 5:07 pm |
It’s funny.
Keystone is promoted in Canada, the USA, and China.
In each of these countries, the promoters sell the locals on jobs and investment.
The first problem is, these are mainly the sort of jobs that vanish once construction is over, or must be taken from the other two countries. Of China, Canada or the USA, which do you suppose will get these jobs?
The second problem, when they say ‘attracts investment’, they largely mean ‘demands subsidy and government favors’. The land expropriated in the USA by a mainly Chinese/Russian-owned Canadian company, do you think the land owners feel they’re ‘investing’ in the pipeline? The full court press of Canadian politicians and diplomats, funded by Canadian taxes and leveraging Canadian diplomatic and trade strength for the pipeline, do you think that’s ‘investment’?
The investors with controlling interests and who will collect essentially all the dividends are mainly foreign, and their foreign investors with deep connections to foreign governments that are not your friend. They are selling you something much, much more expensive than what you can produce domestically and securely on US soil. They’re not doing it out of friendship or benevolence.
Any pro-Keystone politician is a reckless nitwit, or is in their pocket.
Bart R:
“It’s funny.”
Canadian tax dollars at work – defending the spin of Suncor and Syncrude from formerly obscure artists…
http://m.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/17/artist-inspiration-canada-silence-climate
That’s “funny” in the same way that eating broken glass is “delicious”.
Sources tell me that part of the job creation comes from cleaning up leaking pipes:
https://twitter.com/RMajority/status/337734363498295296
”
cleaning up leaking pipes
”
Pipes do not leak. They become laissez faire.
That’s glorious hydrocarbon Freedom in that there river.
And all those windmill and solar panel installer jobs last forever and never, need subsidy or favor?
willard discovers maintenance. Hey, buy Granger.
=======
JeffN | May 28, 2013 at 1:46 pm |
The Canadian _advertising_ budget of Keystone XL in the USA is larger than the entire worldwide windmill subsidy.
http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/2013/05/28/pro-keystone-ads-outrageous-union-argues
Get some sense of perspective.
Any subsidy is obscene (where the Infant Industry argument does not apply.. which it might to some select new technology; the case for windmills is dubious, for pipelines is nonexistent): but bigger subsidy is more obscene than smaller subsidy. You throw the Canadians off the US land they expropriated, and out of the US newspapers and television and internet their tax dollars pay to lie to Americans, and then by all means, you’ll be hearing me making noise about cutting Canadian subsidies to US windmills.
Because foreign ownership of US land, water rights, and jobs is a bit more sick than any psychogenesis from windmill infrasound.
Ahem, “perspective”.
Those who salivate over the prospects of (temporary) green jobs of solar panel installer should not then argue that pipeline jobs are meaningless because they are temporary.
Those who want massive deployment of subsidized windmills and solar panels should not then argue that they oppose subsidies because the ones they want aren’t massive yet.
And really, you’re claiming that the Canadian government is going to build the pipeline on land stolen from Americans? Really?
Max_CH, Obama is not a one issue president.
The GOP is trying hard to make a scandal, but the public yawns.
American’s need to be aware GOP means Go On Polluting,
so there’ s nothing wrong with bringing that to America’s attention.
Max_CH
Nor was Nixon a one-issue president.
But the Watergate cover-ups finally caused him to fall.
Whether the current scandals in the Obama administration and their attempted cover-ups will cause Obama to fail is conjecture – it probably depends a lot on how he himself addresses them.
To your second point: CO2 is not pollution, Okie. It is a naturally occurring trace gas in our atmosphere, which is absolutely essential for all life.
The increase from an estimated “pre-industrial” 280 ppmv to today’s measured 395 ppmv has caused no adverse climate effects that you can name – in fact, we are arguably better off with today’s slightly warmer climate than we were as we were recovering from the Little Ice Age 200 years ago.
Max_CH
Obama hired burglars to brake into GOP offices?
Ha Ha, that’s a good one.
I don’t mean just CO2 when I say GOP means
Go On Polluting. If I meant just CO2, I would say:
GOP means Gas Our Planet.
Two facts about Republicans you should know:
1.Republicans believe in pollution for profit.
2. Republicans are anti-science.
Max_OK
Each scandal is different in its own way, of course, but they all point to an arrogant abuse of executive power – and they all only really become critical in the “cover-up” phase.
I can’t argue that you aren’t closer to the scene than I am, but, from what is out there, it looks like this one is beginning to “get legs”.
http://www.city-journal.org/2013/eon0514hs.html
Max_CH
Max_OK
I can’t argue about Republicans versus Democrats.
I think history shows that your country has had some great presidents (Roosevelt, Reagan) – and some bummers (Carter, Nixon) from both parties.
But, with barely under half of the voters voting Republican at the last presidential election, I hardly believe that polluting the environment is part of the Republican party platform – do you?
(Or did you just make that up?)
Max_CH
MAX_OK every time you exhale you’re polluting the planet. Do the right thing and stop breathing.
And let me know if you need help. I’m a USMC sergeant. We’re trained to help people stop breathing and are really, really good at it. Just give me the word.
Ebriety is no excuse for a veiled death treath, Big Dave.
Spinger, I would like to think the messages in the following posts resulted from lapses of judgement on your part:
On May 27, 2013 at 7:25 pm, you recommend I kill myself.
On May 27, 2013 at 7:28 pm, you offer to use your Marine training to help me kill myself.
I won’t ask for theses two posts to be removed because I think it would be better if everyone reads them. I would, however, welcome your apology, and I believe you also could help yourself by apologizing.
Dave, can I suggest Nick Stokes or Brandon as a legal team to explain exactly what you said and meant. Since I practice charity, I get it.
Internet tough guy?
Max_OK is a fiction. It was saracasm on my part but even if it wasn’t it’s like telling Bugs Bunny to stop hiding from Elmer Fudd. You people are ridiculous.
You want an apology, Max? Fine. Post your name and address and I’ll mail it to you. Otherwise I consider you to be the equivalent of a fictional character from a novel.
‘You want an apology, Max? Fine. Post your name and address and I’ll mail it to you. Otherwise I consider you to be the equivalent of a fictional character from a novel.”
+1.
Springer, I am not a fiction, and your request that I post my name and address as a condition for an apology is not acceptable to me.
Your recommendation I kill myself and your offer to use your Marine training to help me kill myself is at least a wish and a worst a threat. You posted the message here so here is the place to apologize for it.
Since you don’t wish to retract your message or apologize for it here, I am left with no recourse but to remind you of it. The message is not something I am going to forget and you shouldn’t forget it.
On May 27, 2013 at 7:28 pm, you offer to use your Marine training to help me kill myself.
Springer to the fishin’ hole, for Max a Pinto pony.
===========
HUNH ?
Ooo eee ,ooo ah ah ting tang Walla walla ,bing bang
Ooo eee ooo ah ah ting tang Walla walla bing bang
Now, kim, we are even.
Springer,
Nice exercise in showing how fast the “death threat” card gets played.
willard and Max,
grow up.
timg56, if you are suggesting I should “grow up” by recommending you kill yourself and offering to help you kill yourself, I will pass.
That’s the kind of behavior I would expect from a child, not an adult. Unless of course the adult is mentally defective.
I suspect David Springer suffers from personality disorders. I hope you aren’t like him.
I never have and never will recommend a person kill himself and offer to help him kill himself.
Oh do get over yourself!
One simply does not indulge into such thing publicly, timg, more so when it is to display poor ecological kung fu.
Willard, a psychopath might “indulge into such thing publicly.”
Max (and willard),
I don’t care all that much about suicide. I consider it a personal choice and tend to reserve most of my sympathy for those left behind. I also think of it as a waste. But again, that’s the choice of the person committing the act. Would I try to stop them if opportunity prsented itself? Yes. Because I think it a waste. But I don’t loose sleep over someone checking out.
And if either of you are of the opinion that CO2 is a pollutant, then perhaps you should consider your role as a point source. But before going there I recommend all the other ways you contribute and work on them first. Because eliminating yourself from the equation would still be a waste.
PS – ever wonder why all of the folks who worry about the planets carrying capacity and over population and argue for a world population of 1 billion or less don’t ever provide us with evidence of their conviction and check out of this life? Guess they think doing so would be such a great waste. Too bad they don’t give the same consideration to those who they believe are too many.
tmig56, I never said I had any desire to kill myself. David Springer recommended I kill my self. He said “Do the right thing and stop breathing.” Then Springer said he would help me stop breathing. He said “I’m a USMC sergeant. We’re trained to help people stop breathing and are really, really good at it. Just give me the word.”
You may feel Springer’s comments are appropriate and innocuous. I obviously do not. But his comments were directed at me, not you.
indulge into such thing publicly
timg56
You wrote:
Hansen’s “coal death trains” as another example?
Max
manaker,
I was thinking more along the lines of the “Climate scientists receive death threats” stories we saw a year ot two ago. The one that stands out was the one in Australia. I recall David Arppel making a big deal about it. When the emails finally got released to the public it turned out to be someone with an over active imagination and a lot of hyperbole.
But the death trains can count.
timg56,
Thank you for your concerns and your locomotive squirrels.
I have no idea why Steven Mosher would suggest me as a defender in this situation. While there are quibbles one can raise about exactly what David Springer said, there is no defense or excuse for it. Max_OK’s description of it is fair, and Springer’s comments are every bit as reprehensible as he says (if not moreso). I would never defend Springer’s remarks, nor would I ever support his facetious requirement that Max_OK relinquish his anonymity before receiving an apology.
Springer’s behavior was, as it often is, reprehensible. That Mosher tacitly defends and supports Springer’s behavior is pathetic.
Brandon, thank you.
> I have no idea why […]
Thank you for taming your inner Chewbacca, Brandon.
What Moshpit did does make sense to me.
Look at the silly monkey!
Brandon
“Springer’s behavior was, as it often is, reprehensible. That Mosher tacitly defends and supports Springer’s behavior is pathetic.”
Huh, I dont defend it. PLease show me where I defended his behavior. I suggested that somebody with your skill or nicks skills would be a good defender. See if you can figure out why. Why do I think that you or nick would be good defenders. You will note that I said that I “get” what Dave was saying. Not approve, not endorse. I get it. If he wants a defender then he needs to employ somebody like you or Nick. Do you understand why?
In the end David apologized. That always gets a +1 we want to encourage good behavior.
Max_OK | May 28, 2013 at 3:06 pm |
“Springer, I am not a fiction”
I don’t believe you. I think you’re a figment of someone’s imagination. A writer, and not a very good one, experimenting with fake persona’s for a cli-fi novel.
Looks like we’ll just have to agree to disagree. LOL
Steven Mosher | May 29, 2013 at 12:30 am |
“In the end David apologized.”
No, he didn’t. As a general rule I don’t apologize to avatars and I made no exception in this case.
perhaps there are limits to charity.. na…
Max_OK, of course. No matter what I may think of you or your views, it is never okay to call for the death of another commenter. It is possibly the worst thing anyone can do in a discussion. There is nothing that can ever justify treating another commenter like that.
Steven Mosher, you suggested someone defend David Springer’s comments. Saying such can be done is tacitly offering a defense. That you then responded to a follow-up comment of his with “+1” enhances that view, and it shows you supporting his actions. You now claim to have given him a +1 because he apologized, but the reality is he did no such thing. You are now supporting him via misrepresentation.
The reality is the comment you awarded a +1 was not anything admirable. It was, instead, a dishonest use of rhetoric to try to smear Max_OK. Springer even admitted he didn’t apologize, yet you did nothing to retract your support of any of his actions, much less condemn any of them.
Suggesting another commenter kill himself is not acceptable behavior, and it is not acceptable to defend such. In fact, it’s pathetic.
Brandon.
I suggested that you or nick would be good defenders because you both defend the indefensible. Nick, as racehorse, defends some pretty shody stuff in climate science, and you defend some of your crazy positions to the bitter end and beyond.
Not very good with analogies are you?
David
“No, he didn’t. As a general rule I don’t apologize to avatars and I made no exception in this case.”
I’m sorry, you are correct. You didnt apologize, you offerred an apology. My bad.. ok + 1/2 for offering the apology and -1/2 for attaching conditions..
so +0.
It won’t happen again. Look if you hired Brandon to defend you, all your troubles would vanish
What troubles?
willard,
If coal trains are another species of squirrel, please note it ws not I who looked them up in the field guide.
Speaking of which, there are reports that the Northern coal train squirrel may be expamding its habitat. Already indigenous to the PNW, the coal train squirrel is on the verge of increasing its numbers and expanding its range. However it does face the threat of extermination attempts from avid environmental activists who believe it is a non-native, invasive species, whose expansion will destroy the world as we know it.
Foot note: They can’t explain how the world will be destroyed, just that it will. My guess is squirrel farts.
Brandon,
May I make a correction to your comment about “calling for someone’s death”?
Springer did no such thing. He simply made a suggestion. And if someone is as concerned about CO2 as Max claims, then the suggestion has bearing.
His offer of assisting Max, should he decide to act on the suggestion is, in my opinion, in bad taste. Jarheads exhibit that from time to time. Just be happy they are our jarheads. It is a small price for what they do otherwise.
timg56, bull. David Springer did not merely offer a suggestion (that would have still been reprehensible). He flat out told Max_OK to die, even saying it would be the “right thing.” There is no excuse or justification for that, and it’s horrible you would say it has “bearing” for any reason. What’s next, telling everyone who worries about world hunger they should kill themselves so they don’t eat food?
It’s disgusting anyone would support, in any way, Springer telling another poster the “right thing” is to kill himself. Please stop.
Brandon,
To you question about people who worry about world hunger – my reply, depending on who was stating these worries, would be to put up or shut up. I’ve noticed that a large percentage of the leading voices telling us we need to worry about world hunger, resource depletion, carrying capacity, etc, as they relate to overpopulation rarely do anything about it personally. They simply tell the rest of us we are consuming too much, while telling each other about how better a place it would be if there were a few billion less souls in existence. To those folks I say stand up for your beliefs. Commit your time and resources to help those in need. Would I recommend the ultimate act of conviction? No. But I don’t mind tossing it in their faces. If you want to talk about disgusting, I’d start with the hypocrites who enjoy the benefits of a modern, energy rich life while wanting to deny the same to billions of others. What is truly disgusting are those people who use the non-existent “unborn generations” as a shield to hide behind. Be well assured that whenever someone says “Think of the children.” children are likely among the least of their concerns.
As to what I’d say to someone worrying about hunger and without food? Here, take some of mine.
timg56, I am at a loss as to why you’d make such a long comment to respond to a rhetorical question, facetiously asked, while completely ignoring the actual topic being discussed. I know I posted the rhetorical question, and you are free to use it as a springboard for your rambling commentary on whatever, but you should at least have the decency to address the actual point of my comment.
Hey, willard –
You got any pom-poms?
Climate change policy based on the delusion of CAGW is killing actual people right now. Pay attention.
================
Brandon,
I respect you and pay attention when the topic is science (and other things). When you start channeling some circa 10 BC rabbi with your nitpicking over what someone said or didn’t say, I start to tune you out.
I did respond to your point. If I am guilty of rambling while doing so, well it is neither the first time nor the last. I am starting to think that you too own a high horse, which you like to get on from time to time. If so, I recommend looking up Bart. Another guy who I pay attention to when he’s not aboard this trusty steed.
Hmm.. “yawns” is not exactly correct. below average is more accurate, and folks would like to see more .
http://www.gallup.com/poll/162584/americans-attention-irs-benghazi-stories-below-average.aspx
Interesting the usage of ‘average’.
=========
Mosh is right.
These things often start off as “yawners”.
Watergate was a “yawner” throughout 1972. Didn’t really “get legs” until 1973.
From what I’m reading and hearing the Benghazi story is generating less public interest (and outrage) than the IRS story. The press is most interested in the story concerning AP plus the one journalist that was harassed by the Justice Department (since it involves “freedom of the press”).
It appears from the articles I have read that three incidents together, all pointing to abuse of power in the executive branch of government, could go “viral”, mostly because of the cover-ups, particularly if there has been any lying under oath involved.
But they could all three die down and become “yawners”. Too early to tell.
Max
Max_Ch, or not die down and backfire on the GOP like the Clinton impeachment did.
As for Mosher, I question whether he has good sense. He thinks I should tell David Springer where I live, despite the fact Springer recommended I kill myself and offered to use his Marine training to help me kill myself.
Max_OK
As seem from over here the Clinton impeachment was really “much ado about nothing”. Was it “sex” or was it “foreplay” that occurred in the Oval Office? Huh? Who cares?
Lying under oath is another story. But what married man wouldn’t lie about having an extra-marital affair? Especially if he’s a smooth-talking politician.
From what I read, though, it appears that these “scandals” involve something more basic than “sex”, namely the abuse of executive power. So there appears to be more “meat” here. Nobody likes the IRS to start off with. And attacking the press is never a good idea. Whether or not it will grow to the size of Watergate will probably depend on how the administration reacts.
The best way to defuse this IMO would be to admit that mistakes were made, identify those who made them and remove them from their positions and move on.
The worst thing to do would be to follow the Nixon example: attempted cover-ups, lying under oath and finally getting caught..
But that simply reflects what I have read over here and you may be better informed.
Max_CH.
Max_CH said: The best way to defuse this IMO would be to admit that mistakes were made, identify those who made them and remove them from their positions and move on.’
_________
Why not let the Republicans make a lot of unfounded charges first ?
Max_OK
Again, I’m too far away from the picture to have any opinion on whether or not “Republicans” are making any unfounded claims of misconduct by the IRS or Justice Department.
If the claims are all “false”, this will soon blow over.
If not, it won’t, unless those who are guilty of the misconduct are named and (if necessary) removed from their positions.
Seems pretty simple to me.
Max_CH
The 1983 Marine Barracks fiasco in Beirut, then turning tail and pulling out of Lebanon, then selling arms to the paymasters of the Beirut bombers to fund death squads in El Salvador didn’t hurt Ronny RayGun WWII ChickenHawk and secret government rat from getting reelected in 1984. Now, all the teabaggers get their panties in a wad over a four dead in Bengahzi and wonder why it’s not a major issue with the public.
@manacker…
They’re not. Obama himself is on a rampage about the IRS thing. And it’s the press, who by and large support(ed) him who are upset about the justice dept. going after Rosen.
Forbes: Never Let A Good ‘Scandal’ Go To Waste, As Conservatives Push Their Agenda
Obama seems more interested in forcing a switch from coal to gas than going after all fossil carbon. From HuffPostBlog: Obama EPA Shut Down Weatherford, TX Shale Gas Water Contamination Study
And: Ed Rendell Intervened for Fracking Giant Range Resources to Stop Texas EPA Water Contamination Case
[…]
This may be an effort by the left to hijack what’s left of Obama’s influence.
‘As for Mosher, I question whether he has good sense. He thinks I should tell David Springer where I live, despite the fact Springer recommended I kill myself and offered to use his Marine training to help me kill myself.”
Huh. he offered an apology. That’s always a good thing. I dont think you should give him your address. Why would you think such a thing.
His apology offer was conditional. Presumably no name and no address would mean no apology.
JCH, beyond that, David Springer has called for people to discard their anonymity before. He had every reason to believe Max_OK would not do so here. That means his offer to apologize was conditional, requiring something he knew would not happen. Since he knew his requirement wouldn’t be met, the only interpretation for his offer is one of facetiousness.
Quite simply, David Springer had no intention of apologizing. He simply used a mock offer of apology as a means to attack Max_OK for his decision to remain anonymous. It was nothing but a dishonest use of rhetoric to attack the person whose death he calls for.
And Steven Mosher is supporting him.
That’s correct Brandon. I’m not in the habit of apologizing to internet avatars and I’m not about to start now. For all I know Max_OK is a method actor practicing for a role in a movie. He certainly needs the practice if that’s the case because the persona isn’t really credible. The description of the macaw attack sounds like it came out of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. Only less credible. Even parrots it seems want to help Max stop polluting the planet with his breathing. ;-)
Brandon
“And Steven Mosher is supporting him.”
Supporting him? I suggested that he take you or Nick on as defense lawyers, since you both have experience defending the indefensible. Look, just because I’d suggest that OJ hire Johnny cochrane does not imply I think he is innocent. In fact, If I thought David were innocent, I wouldnt suggest a lawyer at all.
Steven Mosher, congratulations on failing to read what I said. Nothing in my comment referred to you suggesting someone defend Springer’s remarks. It only referred to a later set of comments. You’ve simply created a strawman by failing to read simple sentences, an amazing feat. You should be complimented on your ability to create strawmen.
On a different topic, we now have indisputable evidence I was right and you were wrong. Springer has openly admitted he not only offered no apology, but facetiously offered to make one solely as a rhetorical ploy. This directly contradicts your claim that he had offered an apology and deserved praise for such.
I anxiously await your refusal to address your mistakes.
The apology offer was insincere. It’s worse than no apology at all. So -1 on the insincere offer, and -1 more on its insincere conditions.
People have every right to be anonymous on the internet. Many lawyers advise it. Mine is one.
Ask your “lawyer” if anonymous internet handles have legal standing in a court of law. Can I threaten or slander an avatar named Bugs Bunny, for instance? How would a lawsuit read? Bugs Bunny vs. David Springer? Hilarious.
Nice chain-jerking, Springer. All the word-boys in a tither fighting over inconsequential nonsense burbling out of your moneymaker. The next screwdriver is on me.
I believe that would be a question for your lawyer, not mine.
Howard | May 29, 2013 at 12:08 pm |
“Nice chain-jerking, Springer. All the word-boys in a tither fighting over inconsequential nonsense burbling out of your moneymaker. The next screwdriver is on me.”
Thanks. But make it a greyhound.
JCH | May 29, 2013 at 12:31 pm |
“I believe that would be a question for your lawyer, not mine.”
No need. I already know the answer.
Denizen? Meet Rep. Michael Conaway:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bush073099.htm
http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/K._Michael_Conaway#Oil_Record
Here’s Money in politics below:
http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/K._Michael_Conaway#Oil_Contributions
willard,
Isn’t this where we talk about political squirrels?
And exactly what point are you trying to make? That politicians often vote along lines which favor special interests? Like we don’t already know that. Or are is your point that it is mostly Republicans who do this?
> Isn’t this where we talk about political squirrels?
I don’t think so. As I already said this morning elsewhere in the thread:
http://judithcurry.com/2013/05/27/president-obama-calls-out-the-climate-change-deniers-in-congress/#comment-326982
Thank you for your concerns.
https://twitter.com/RepGarrett/status/335458048170668032
The retweet comes from here:
https://twitter.com/ConawayTX11
willard flails around with his distractions. It is said that he is bright.
===============
Meet Mike Conaway, Kold one:
http://www.pricelessmovie.org/interview-transcripts/politicians/mike-conaway/
Kold One? Meet Michael Conaway:
http://conaway.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=3972
Wow, Willard! You found politicians that don’t always explain themselves well, and ones that like to provide jobs for constituents? That’s astounding. A good thing that subsidies for things you like are never used by politicians to buy votes.
And being “clean” energy, none of them involve any pollution or negative effects at all (that one is allowed to talk about and not be called a denier).
Bill? Meet Michael Conaway:
http://www.farmpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/conoway.pdf
Michael Conaway thus clearly completes the hat trick.
From what I’ve observed over hear, “raising his voice” is the one thing that President Obama does marvelously. You might say it’s his strength.
But this one sounds like an attempt to distract from recent problems resulting from areas where he is weaker.
Obama says: “Hold them accountable. Ask them if they will admit climate change is a problem.” Well, here’s an answer: the background paper prepared by the GWPF for discussions with the Royal Society. It seems to be an excellent summary of the state of play and issues to be resolved.
GWPF Background Paper By Dr Benny Peiser
A. Matters where we agree with the dominant scientific establishment and can quantify the outcome
1. The greenhouse effect is real and CO2 is a greenhouse gas.
2. CO2 has increased in the atmosphere from approximately 0.029% to 0.039% over the past 50 years.
3. CO2’s greenhouse warming potential follows a logarithmic curve with diminishing returns to higher concentrations.
4. Absent feedbacks, and other things being equal, a doubling of carbon dioxide from pre-industrial levels would warm the atmosphere by approximately 1.1C.
5. Since 1980 global temperatures have increased at an average rate of about 0.1C per decade. This is significantly slower than forecast by the vast majority of GCMs.
B. Matters where we agree with the scientific consensus but cannot quantify the outcome.
1. Positive feedbacks from water vapour and soot, negative feedback from clouds and aerosols, and other factors, mean that actual climate sensitivity is a matter of vigorous scientific debate.
2. Natural variability caused by ocean oscillations, amplified solar variations and other factors also act to increase or decrease temperature change. Thus overall temperature prediction is doubly uncertain.
3. Arctic summer sea ice has decreased, but Antarctic sea ice has increased; this is more consistent with regional albedo changes due to soot than with global temperature changes due to greenhouse warming.
4. There is no consensus that recent climate change has affected the variability of weather or the frequency of extreme weather events.
5. Economists generally agree that net economic damage will occur above 2C of warming, net economic benefit below that level, but this cannot be certain.
C. Matters on which we think the evidence does not support the scientific consensus
1. There has been no net increase in global temperatures for about 16 years, a period about the same length as the warming period that preceded it.
2. Paleo-climate proxies agree that worldwide temperatures were higher and changed faster during other periods of climate change about 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000 and 12,000 years ago.
3. Predictions of increasing humidity and temperature in the tropical troposphere, a key prediction of rapid greenhouse warming, have been falsified by experimental data casting doubt on whether the warming of 1980-2000 was man-made.
4. Ice core data clearly show carbon dioxide responding to temperature change, rather than preceding them during glaciation and deglaciation episodes.
5. Satellite evidence confirms that vegetation has increased in density, in natural as well as agricultural ecosystems, probably as a result partly of carbon dioxide increases.
D. Why alarm is not secure
1. All sides of scientific debates have vested interests and display confirmation bias. Science keeps itself honest not by expecting unrealistic self-criticism by scientists but by encouraging challenge, and diverse interpretations of data, rather than trying to enforce a single “consensus”.
2. Forecasting of all kinds is extremely unreliable and predictions of ecological disaster have an especially poor track record.
3. Policies to decarbonize the economy using today’s technology are likely to be harmful to human welfare and natural ecology.
4. Integrity, openness and objectivity need to be introduced to the conduct of the scientific debate to restore the damage done by the Climategate, Hockey Stick, Gleick, Gergis, Lewandowsky and Marcott episodes.
5. Exaggerated alarmism is not harmless and is not scientific.
E. GWPF’s policy position
1. Policy needs to take account of uncertainty.
2. Policy needs to be subjected to thorough cost-benefit analysis.
3. An enforceable global agreement on emissions reduction is unrealistic.
4. Adaptation may be a cheaper and less harmful policy than mitigation.
5. Public funding should support open debate, not one-sided advocacy.
http://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2013/05/GWPF-Background-Paper.pdf
http://www.thegwpf.org/gwpf-invites-royal-society-fellows-climate-change-discussion/
Faustino
An excellent summary of the situation today by Benny Peiser.
Thanks for posting it here as a comment.
Max
PS Too bad President Obama apparently did not read this before his call for action.
Max,
Yer own summary. 27/05 @ 9.50 am
on the un-corrob-err-ated hypo-thesis
of A-G-W, I’d say, is pretty neat too.
Beth-the-serf.
From the GWPF “4. Absent feedbacks, and other things being equal, a doubling of carbon dioxide from pre-industrial levels would warm the atmosphere by approximately 1.1C.”
I do wish that the GWPF had not included this nonsense.
” Absent feedbacks, and other things being equal, a doubling of carbon dioxide from pre-industrial levels
wouldcould theoretically warm the atmosphere by approximately 1.1C.”Like it better, Jim?
Max
Max, you write “Like it better, Jim?”
No. The concept of no-feedback climate sensitivity has no meaning in physics, except as a means to estimate (my meaning of what estimate means) and then help measure (my definition of what measure means) total climate sensitivity; i.e. how much do global temperatures rise as a result of adding CO2 to the atmopshere. This latter number can, in theory, can be meaasured (my definition of measured). The value of no feedback climate sensitivity is a number which can a never be measured (my definition of what measured means), and should never be accepted as having any meaning by anyone.
Jim Cripwell
That’s why I changed it from “would” to “could theoretically”.
Benny Peiser is apparently willing to concede that there is agreement at the GWPF that no-feedback 2xCO2 ~1C.
I’d see it more like this:
The hypothesis exists that, based on laboratory determinations of the LW absorption capability of CO2, a doubling of CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere could lead to a theoretical global warming in our climate system of around 1C, excluding any positive or negative net feedbacks that might possibly enhance or reduce this amount of warming.
This hypothesis has not yet been corroborated by empirical evidence, however, and it is extremely unlikely that it ever will be, since it would be virtually impossible to extract any naturally caused warming signals or those caused by any feedbacks from the signal.
So it is, and will remain, a hypothetical construct.
Of more interest to me is the CO2 temperature response as determined by actual physical observations or reproducible experimentation. But we do not have these empirical data, so we really have no notion what a doubling of CO2 in our atmosphere would cause. (Anyone that claims otherwise is simply deluding himself.)
We have a surface temperature record that goes back to 1850 (warts and all). This shows warming in multi-decadal fits and spurts with an underlying warming trend of around 0.6C per century.
We have an atmospheric CO2 record that goes back to 1958 (and some published ice core estimates prior to 1958, which are more dicey). This shows no “fits and spurts”, but a gradual increase at an exponential rate, which has leveled off at around 0.5% per year.
Statistically speaking there is no robust empirical correlation between CO2 and global temperature.
And, in addition, we are unable to extract the effect of natural forcing and variability from the record.
And until we can do so, the whole exercise of trying to establish a CO2 temperature response is a guessing game.
That’s how I see it.
Max
Jim,
There are times you sound like a Hebrew rabbi.
‘In principle, changes in climate on a wide range of timescales can also
arise from variations within the climate system due to, for example,
interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere; in this document,
this is referred to as “internal climate variability”.
Such internal variability can occur because the climate is an example of
a chaotic system: one that can exhibit complex unpredictable internal
variations even in the absence of the climate forcings discussed in the
previous paragraph.’ http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2010/4294972962.pdf
Then again – http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-planet/2010/02/ellison –
Straight out of Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”.
Mr. Fuggin Uniter alright. What a dirtbag.
Nice to see, once again, how there is not any clear-cut association between climate “skepticism” and political ideology.
Motivated reasoning? Good thing it only exists amongst the “realists,” eh Judith?
I planned to stay out of this thread, since was just observing an ugly manifestation of ‘Chicago style’ politics. Then you showed up with another asinine comment.
Did you ever consider that most of the Senators and Congressman listed above are not deniers, but rather sceptics with apparently reasoned views? (I leave Inhofe off that list). What is your excuse for the unforgivable comments of Whitehouse and Boxer concerning the Moore tornado?
Eh, Joshua?
When the President acts unpresidentially, that is a sad day for our country. When the country invests many billions in provably bad science (Hansen, Mann, Trenberth,…, that is another sad day. When Boxer gets tornados wrong, sadder still because constitutes knew or should have know gross negligence (or more likely just plain lying). On Memorial Day, such dishonors to our country’s foundational principals are extra sad. As are you.
Again disregards
> Did you ever consider that most of the Senators and Congressman listed above are not deniers, but rather sceptics with apparently reasoned views?
Data and code for that claim, Sir.
PS: Still waiting for that mea culpa, btw.
ha bully boy willard asks for mea culpa’s. now that’s funny
I bet that language on his website doesn’t last a week. He’s going to get bitch-slapped over it big time. The office of the president of the United States should exhibit more respect for the other branches of government. He’s already got supreme court justices that refuse to show up a state of the union addresses because he’s dissed them like you’d expect from a hood rate. The senate will be appalled on both sides. Governors across this great land will speak out. I hope the asshat is impeached and deported.
David – from the site FAQ:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Does President Obama support the establishment and activities of OFA?
OFA is advocating for the agenda that President Obama has presented to the nation, and as an organization dedicated to this purpose, OFA has been grateful for the expression of support for its work by the President, Vice President and First Lady. Although it was privately established and will be privately operated, without government funding, OFA will work hard to retain the support and confidence of the President by effectively advocating for his Administration’s core agenda. It also looks forward to working with other civic organizations that are similarly committed to the successful enactment of this agenda.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I’m not in the US so I’ve no idea how close his links are with them, but I think if he didn’t like what they do it’d be difficult for them to carry on using his domain name.
Thank you, Curious.
I’ve been had. That’ll learn me for taking something Curry says at face value re;
And yes it is hard to imagine someone could have a website barackobama.com without the blessing of barackobama so you’re almost certainly right to point that out. Regardless Curry blew it and, not that I should use it as a defense, but I’m fairly inebriated at the moment.
D. Springer:
I guess I’m an old fashioned guy. Perhaps even somewhat of a stuffed shirt, at least for a grizzled old ex-hippie who once wore the same hat for 6 months straight without ever once taking it off except for the occasional shower. I was 19 and a girl I liked told me it looked good on me. So there’s that.
But I don’t get how some of you guys (hello Joshua) speak to a woman of such accomplishments and of such manifestly good and humane intentions, in such tones. I don’t know who you are , but even if your cv rivals Dr. Curry’s which I very highly doubt, it’s still quite distasteful. Truthfully, I don’t think you’re fit to carry the woman’s brief case.
Curry puts her pants on one leg at a time like everyone else, Pokerguy. Are you an American? If so you don’t really act like one. We eschew titles. All men are created equal and so on and so forth.
Write that down.
How’s that old ditty go?
Springer and Joshua sitting in a tree. Tossing acorns at Dr Curry.
Along came the farmer with his (Joe Biden approved home defense) shot gun and delivered a load of rock salt to both of these juveniles.
“The formation of Organizing for Action was announced by Chairman [6] Jim Messina, who served as Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, and First Lady Michelle Obama on January 18, 2013. White House official Jon Carson left the Obama administration to become the executive director. Campaign senior adviser David Axelrod serves as a consultant.[7]
Organizing for Action succeeds Organizing for America, which was formed under similar circumstances but operated under the control of the Democratic National Committee.[8] In preparation for President Obama’s second term, Obama for America was relaunched as a nonprofit group in order to mobilize support behind the president’s legislative and political agenda.[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizing_for_Action
I didn’t think it was possible for him to get the tingle-legged media upset with him, but it appears that he’s pulling that off. It’s really quite breathtaking. Maybe there’s a book in the works; ‘how to make enemies and lose influence’.
Harold
It appears that the “tingle legged” media have just realized that the warm, tingly feeling was actually a result of loss of bladder control.
Now that they’re getting p***ed on, they’re really getting p***ed off.
Max
> The office of the president of the United States should exhibit more respect for the other branches of government.
You’re right, Big Dave.
I just sent Obama’s webmaster a suggestion to redirect the offensive link to:
http://www.barackobama.com/climate-dittoheads
Do you think it would be more respectful?
Thanks!
It’s not Obama’s website. I was flabbergasted that his handlers wouldn’t have known better. In fact they probably do. As it turns out barackobama.com is not officially connected with Barak Obama. This was too undignified even for him. I’m blaming vodka for how I missed it. What’s your excuse?
Post has been changed to reflect this.
Try managing your commitments, Big Dave.
With this White House, you never know what they are really behind and what is “freelance” supporters. This sounds just like your garden variety Obama stump speech. He’s the first American president to have a perpetual campaign even in his second term.
Practice what you preach, Wee Willie.
What can I say, Big Dave, curious spoiled all the fun.
Minions and millions,
It’s fun for flying monkeys.
Hazard on the course.
=============
David Springer – I don’t know where you got the idea Organizing for Action isn’t associated with Barry.
“The formation of Organizing for Action was announced by Chairman [6] Jim Messina, who served as Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, and First Lady Michelle Obama on January 18, 2013. White House official Jon Carson left the Obama administration to become the executive director. Campaign senior adviser David Axelrod serves as a consultant.[7]
Organizing for Action succeeds Organizing for America, which was formed under similar circumstances but operated under the control of the Democratic National Committee.[8] In preparation for President Obama’s second term, Obama for America was relaunched as a nonprofit group in order to mobilize support behind the president’s legislative and political agenda.[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizing_for_Action
It is true, this is not his site. Obama’s website is a whitehouse.gov address. This is the main website of the election organizing campaign supporting him. I think they are looking at putting congressmen’s records out there for upcoming elections. The 2014 election cycle has already started.
“The formation of Organizing for Action was announced by Chairman [6] Jim Messina, who served as Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, and First Lady Michelle Obama on January 18, 2013. White House official Jon Carson left the Obama administration to become the executive director. Campaign senior adviser David Axelrod serves as a consultant.[7]
Organizing for Action succeeds Organizing for America, which was formed under similar circumstances but operated under the control of the Democratic National Committee.[8] In preparation for President Obama’s second term, Obama for America was relaunched as a nonprofit group in order to mobilize support behind the president’s legislative and political agenda.[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizing_for_Action
I must have missed something. Is Willard Fanny’s alter ego?
Naw. He’s a bit sharper (if just as confused). Big difference is that he hasn’t figured out how to use emotocons yet.
Thank Gaia for that. :roll:
Hmm willard needs some lesson in how to be kawaii to achieve FOMD status. emoticons are important and the following explains how to create nicknames
Samaurai are no doubt spinning in their graves. Interesting transition in Japanese culture to say the least. Oh how the mighty have fallen comes to mind.
David Springer-
Re: Spin and fall. Maybe, in some manner, it reflects a new, strangely ‘innocent’ society.
david
“Samaurai are no doubt spinning in their graves. Interesting transition in Japanese culture to say the least. Oh how the mighty have fallen comes to mind.”
Kawaii is more than a japanese phenomena
‘The Kawaii concept has become something of a global phenomenon. The aesthetic cuteness of Japan is very appealing to people globally. The wide popularity of Japanese kawaii is often credited with it being “culturally odorless.” The elimination of exoticism and national branding has helped kawaii to reach numerous target audiences and to span every culture, class, and gender group.[45] The palatable characteristics of kawaii have made it a global hit, resulting in Japan’s global image shifting from being known for austere rock gardens to being known for “cute-worship”.[7]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawaii.
In taiwan you should see how this is playing out.
Hmm remember blade runner.. imagine that future in pink.
In WW2 my father’s USMC platoon did their dead level best to spin as many Samurai types into those graves in which they are said to be spinning as possible.
Historical fact, my father treated some 28th Marines with Samurai sword wounds. The silly idiots would attack with swords.
I have seen things you people wouldn’t believe; bananas being peeled, trains crammed with passengers.
==================
“In taiwan you should see how this is playing out.”
Taiwan is a very interesting and complex place. Very, very dynamic these days. There are a number of places in East Asia that would be interesting to live in these days.
Taiwan is a very interesting and complex place. Very, very dynamic these days. There are a number of places in East Asia that would be interesting to live in these days.
################
yes, lucky damn fuller has moved to china. the west is dead.
the west is dead.
At least between the ears.
Steven Mosher | May 28, 2013 at 11:23 am |
Let’s settle this like men.
http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=kawaii&word2=ninja
ROFL
I spent quite a bit of time in Taipei. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re in a 5-star hotel all expenses paid then I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Here’s my digs. Back in days (1990’s) when Michael Dell wasn’t such a penny pincher.
http://taipei.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
I’d go back to Taipei in a heartbeat. (There this spring.) I suspect a lot of big changes I saw–I was there in the mid 70’s–have taken place since you were there, e.g. Daan District (Daan Park, NTU, Taiwan Normal) is really nice. But to each his own.
Harold? Meet Rep. Cory Gardner:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/24/131561154/climate-change-bill-languishes-on-capitol-hill
You may wish I were Fan as you like.
This is what happens affirmative action gets so out of control it puts someone in the whitehouse. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
The EU was so happy with the outcome. Big clue there… much like Sartre lacking the intellectual honesty to admit he was wrong about communism from the comfort of a French café as the Russians were living and dying under Stalin’s vision.
Sure, of the IRS and the Department of Justice.
============
eh, below heinrich.
=============
One person’s “affirmative action” is a nation’s “democracy in action”.
Be afraid.
heinrich,
Why counsel fear?
It has been my experience that those who do to achieve an objective usually do so because they are uncertain as to whether they would success solely on the facts.
There is no doubt that the planet has warmed by about 1.0C since 1900 and fossil fuel and CO2 are the most likely cause. But is that of serious concern? The UN’s IPCC. which was not set up to do scientific research, has failed to convince the world that it is.
Since 1900 there have been two periods of global warming: 1910 to 1940 and 1970 to about 2000, the rest of the time to the present, temperature has either fallen or remained constant on average. So when people say, but CO2 concentration has always increased, why has temperature not always increased? No one knows for sure. Models should be able to answer these questions, but those sponsored by the IPCC have not been properly validated and lack credibility. So the field is wide open for polical polarizers like Al Gore to fo their work.
The IPCC was set up to do meta analysis. Which opens the door wide open to selection bias in many forms, all of which forms they practice, some examples of which were shown elsewhere.
Your factual observations are directionally correct ( hard to say for sure since the data has been fiddled, and is inherently uncertain [UHI, varve compaction]). And inconvenient for alarmists with political agendas like Gore. So as ‘truth’ (uncertainty monster, ECS, …) becomes clearer, the policy advocates for drastic reactions to CAGW become more strident.
When the President stoops to attempted shaming of a quarter of the national legislature, you can figure the tide has turned against him and his agenda. He already did that to the Supreme Court in a SoU. Sad to have such a discussion on Memorial Day.
Rud – check the OFA site credentials.
+++++++++++
Re: meta analysis – I can’t remember where I saw it or the exact words but someone posted a gem along the lines of “ah, metaanalysis – the subprime of the academic world!”
There are 2 possibilities.
1. Decadal scale changes in partitioning of heat between the oceans and the atmosphere.
2. Decadal scale changes in cloud cover.
3. Both of the above.
I would include sulphides but the quantification doesn’t seem quite right.
Curry needs to print a retraction most riki tik. That’s NOT President Obama’s website.
It is a 501(c)(4) that the IRS under Obama has no problem with:
Does President Obama support the establishment and activities of OFA?
OFA is advocating for the agenda that President Obama has presented to the nation, and as an organization dedicated to this purpose, OFA has been grateful for the expression of support for its work by the President, Vice President and First Lady. Although it was privately established and will be privately operated, without government funding, OFA will work hard to retain the support and confidence of the President by effectively advocating for his Administration’s core agenda. It also looks forward to working with other civic organizations that are similarly committed to the successful enactment of this agenda.
Still – I agree with David that Judith needs to bottom that out in the head post.
Get real:
WASHINGTON — Organizing for Action, the Obama-allied group that sprang from President Barack Obama’s campaign network… (Huff Post)
But it is barackObama.com.
Are you suggesting the President let somebody else hijack his name on the Internet? And he didn’t know, just like with the IRS targeting? And the rest of the federal government allowed it?
No easy way out of the dilemma you potentially highlight.
What all this does show is the egregious politicization of what should have been uncertain science. Corruption of fundamental ideals and values.
This group organized the ground game for his elections and were very successful at that.
Malfeasance lists are kept
by denizens of closed society
seekin’ ter keep the rest of us
con -troll – ed. List keepin’s
a tradi – shun o east
and west persuasion.
Inqiisi – shun, race –
suprem -acist or eastern
po – ten – tate.
And so terday,
Stephen Shneider’s
little list,* Gene of Green
Peace ‘We know who you
are.’ * And
of course, there’s this …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOzNAKPCR80
* Tom Fuller 24/06/10 WUWT
* Paper ‘Expert Credibility in Climate Change’ (2010)
WUWT 26/06/10 2010
Speaking of Stephen Schneider, his spirit may still live among honest brokers:
https://twitter.com/RichardTol/status/337521382512553984
You might bulk up a little if you inquire into the distinction between the spirits.
========
Please mind Big Dave’s habits
Comment down under less spirits
“Climate change is a problem where complexity meets poor data meets ethical choices. You can’t be clear and honest at same time.”
Willard, I work with brain surgeons who work on brain cancers most of the time. They have to advise a 31 year old mother of four what treatment choices she has and what the likely outcomes are going to be.
They would lose their licenses for making statements like Tol.
His real name isn’t Barack Obama. See below.
http://tinyurl.com/ntxbhqm
Politicization of uncertainty will introduce a confirmation bias that will further entrain the political bias(ideology) already evident in the debate.Which will act as a constraint on further limitations on environmental problems and more simply Obama has made the problem worse by polarization and personification..
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/04/26/1218453110
Biggs,
So the earth has never before rose 1.0 degree C in 110 years before now?
Was it CO2 then? Curious.
And, it has been down — Global mean at the surface has really been -1°C — over the last 25 years. And there is now common agreement among sane and rational people that, Americanism does not lead to Catastrophic, Calamitous Runaway Global Warming and Extreme Climate Change Weather Disasters to Kill All Life.
Judith – do you know what the relationship is between OFA and President Obama? In your post you say:
“President Obama’s labeling of these individuals as deniers (particularly those with rational positions) only serves to polarize the situation. This does not seem like good politics to me.”
yet it is unclear if these really are Obama’s words? Or even if he is aware of them? Can I suggest you write to his office seeking clarification of his personal position on the web page you linked to and that you include a copy of your expert testimonies?
If Obama is upset with what this organization is doing, he can call them out. It was set up by his people and for him. Just because Godfather Barry doesn’t run it doesn’t mean he doesn’t run it.
“The formation of Organizing for Action was announced by Chairman [6] Jim Messina, who served as Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, and First Lady Michelle Obama on January 18, 2013. White House official Jon Carson left the Obama administration to become the executive director. Campaign senior adviser David Axelrod serves as a consultant.[7]
Organizing for Action succeeds Organizing for America, which was formed under similar circumstances but operated under the control of the Democratic National Committee.[8] In preparation for President Obama’s second term, Obama for America was relaunched as a nonprofit group in order to mobilize support behind the president’s legislative and political agenda.[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizing_for_Action
I’m not an expert on PAC legal status and don’t intend to remedy that situation anytime soon but my understanding so far is that OFA is like a super-PAC which can accept donations without reporting the sources and can spend to influence elections but cannot coordinate with the official election campaign. When mentioning “no coordination” there’s always a wink-wink-nudge-nudge connotation with it such that everyone knows they’re coordinating through back channels.
So Obama has no official control over the organization, no official position within it, and I seriously doubt that minutae such as approving individual web pages crosses his desk. One might hope he’s a bit brighter than whoever decided it was okay to call US Senators and House members, especially Senators, climate deniers which is almost certain to backfire if many people take notice of it.
David,
I don’t get why you are acting like some attorney on this. Saying he has no official control sounds like you are splitting hairs for no good reason.
tmg56
http://www.billclinton.com
The above is for sale.
I’m acting all attorney-like because if Obama is not the owner of the domain, if he isn’t listed as an officer in the 501c corporation, then it’s not his website and he has no authority over it. It appears to be a bunch of his campaign lackeys. In this case I’m sure they know they won’t be working on any more Obama campaigns so they have little to lose by doing their own thing. My guess is they’re just milking big donors with promises of spending the night in the Lincoln bedroom or some schit like that and Obama lets them do it as payback for what they did for him in 2011. Fair’s fair. I won’t blame Obama if he isn’t in control and as far as I can tell he isn’t.
David Springer
” I won’t blame Obama if he isn’t in control and as far as I can tell he isn’t.”
For future reference–may I use that out of context?
Being more specific–may I quote that out of context…
Yes you may!
David,
OK, fair points. Your scenario sounds very plausible. Also plausible is that President Obama is fully aware of what this organization is doing and implicitly supports it. At least until things start to blow back on him. At which point he will disavow any knowledge and promise to bring his full powers into play to stop such behavior.
Agreed.
This initiative appears to be spearheaded by Grant Fuller, who wrote this.
Your Grant Fuller link didn’t work for me. This looks to be his LinkedIn page:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/grant-fuller/5b/b99/822
Actually it might be good politics.
However, it’s not good.
Rally the core. shake the money tree, do some diversions, maybe a little chumming, 2014… yawn.
Some points:
1. Barack Obama is likely the most conservative Democrat president in a century on most scorecards, at least as conservative as LBJ in his voting record, and far more on matters of protectionism, gun rights, and reduction of government. His healthcare plan? That’d be the Bob Dole plan. Are you calling Bob Dole a Progressive?
2. The website appears to be a private enterprise or group. While such nutty groups might frighten certain alarmists who see government spooks behind every action on the Intertubes, they’re harmless and ultimately good for democracy by free expression of their wonky ideas.
3. As a propaganda exercise, the website is shooting itself massively in the foot. It’s inviting those few visitors who bother to contact and open dialogue with 87 people who want to open dialogue with people who disagree with them. In particular, as it pre-selects people by district, it is providing the service of letting politicians talk directly to, and do whatever they wish to, to convert voters to their point of view.
4. Comparing this to the German UBA pamphlet is instructively pointless. The German government responds to climate critics in a typically blunt and direct germanic way? So what? Who cares? It’s public, it’s open. It’s a socialist country in a socialist continent where people do things like that. Now, if it’d been secret, hidden, and a multi-year campaign of actual censorship and blacklisting, for instance like Canada practices against its scientists, authors, public speakers and artists.. that’d be concerning for someone who objected to government tyranny. Indeed, you could practically predict whether someone was a conservative or not by their ability to distinguish real corrupt government intervention in private matters from fake.
Bart,
I’d say your assessment is pretty spot on.
While the President may be “progressive” in his opinions and philosophy, it is hard to show where he has succeeded in pushing such a philosophy as President.
As a registered Republican I never understood why Republicans went after Clinton so hard. I personally am of the opinion that history will show him as one of the most suceesful moderate Republican Presidents of all time.
“The formation of Organizing for Action was announced by Chairman [6] Jim Messina, who served as Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, and First Lady Michelle Obama on January 18, 2013. White House official Jon Carson left the Obama administration to become the executive director. Campaign senior adviser David Axelrod serves as a consultant.[7]
Organizing for Action succeeds Organizing for America, which was formed under similar circumstances but operated under the control of the Democratic National Committee.[8] In preparation for President Obama’s second term, Obama for America was relaunched as a nonprofit group in order to mobilize support behind the president’s legislative and political agenda.[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizing_for_Action
Bart, put your psychoanalyst on danger money, you have gone over the edge.
The idea that Bob Dole or anyone wanted everyone in states outside Nebraska to pay for Medicaid to everyone below 133 percent of the ‘poverty-line’. Whereas in Nebraska the Fed’s pick up the tab.
Whatever.
I’m not turning this into a rehashing of an idiotic and overlong debate that frankly made America a laughingstock throughout the civilized world. Have some personal sense of dignity and put that behind you before you embarrass the whole country even more.
The Medium is the Message. AGW is a Left v right issue. Accordingly, global warming is undeniably political. The fact that AGW can be couched in the trappings of science without academics pointing and rolling on the floor with laughter proves how dishonest academia really is. That the UN and the EU are the major movers of the AGW movement proves it is motivated by hatred of Americanism. High schooler Kristen Byrnes at age 15 knew Al Gore was full of bullcrap.
Wagathon | May 27, 2013 at 10:41 pm |
You misunderstand Marshal McLuhan. Grossly.
And while you think of AGW as a Left-Right thing, most of the world doesn’t.
Certainly photons don’t. Molecules don’t. Thermometers don’t.
So the logic of an argument so deeply distrustful of science it prefers to hand our fate to 15-year-olds doesn’t particularly move me to seeing any virtue in it.
Global warming alarmism is a Western phenomenon. There is no logic in that except that Western civilization is has become a deeply disturbed culture of bankrupt societies. In the rest of the world AGW theory is likened to the ancient science of astrology.
I’ve long used ‘a precious conceit of a Western elite’ to describe the madness of the crowd which is CAGW. Unfortunately, both ‘precious’ and ‘conceit’ are used in an archaic manner, so I’m rarely understood. Art doesn’t care about comprehension, though. So there.
==================
If you mean ‘AGW alarmism’ is a figment of the imagination of Western Red Scare pee pants, while most of the world — West, East or Other — simply accepts the Science on balance.. I guess you might be right.
The people who fear that scientists are ‘in it for the chance to get money from the public troughs to promote socialism’ are, frankly, insane.
This mass hysteria Cold War holdover, or hangover, bears zero similarity to the actual distribution of socialist opinion in science, to how funding decisions in science are made, to the impacts of scientific opinion on other public spending or public decisions.
Sure, there have been a marginal few tie-dye wearing loonies who believe in leftist politics who also do science, and they may through a blue hempy haze somehow believe they’ll achieve some commie utopia because Gaia bla-bla-bla. But they’re at least as ignorant about how decisions in science are made, the impacts opf scientific opinion on other public spending, and on public decision-making.
The simple fact is, if you wanted to manipulate public opinion, the last place you’d go to is to a bunch of scientists in some obscure field involving a lot of obscure math. You _might_ go to medical doctors, or veterinarians, or food scientists, because that involves something people think they can relate to. But climatologists? Ludicrous.
This Left-Right slapfight belongs in an asylum, not a serious forum.
I’m still deciding whether or not that means it’s in the right place, here.
The Earth warms and cools over time. That is a fact. Currently, it is politically attractive for the Left to claim a bigger government with greater control over the economy will save the world from being too hot; and, it sounds silly but it is a fact that many people — generally all on the Left of the political spectrum — say they believe this. Similarly, it is inconvenient for the Left to concede that if the mean global surface temperature of the Earth continues to drop at the same rate as over the last 25 years — i.e., going down a -1°C — the Earth will be “in an ice age” by 2100. Even so, the Left simply cannot get over the undeniable fact: —i.e., “Human kind has little or nothing to do with the recent temperature changes. We are not that influential.” ~William Gray
The higher the climate sensitivity to CO2, the more likely we would be in an Ice Age already without man’s influence.
So pick a sensitivity that frightens you and calculate how cold we’d now be without AnthroGHGs.
============
Bart R, Is there a possibility of being insanely stupid? Like Kim?
She claims we would be in an Ice Age, have to be at least -1C per decade cooling, which means that AGW would have to be at least +1C per decade warming to compensate.
Worse than being insanely stupid is the possibility that Kim and all her Aussie buddies are just pranking everyone, to see how gullible the run of the mill denier is.
We have found ourselves in a fake asylum of fake nutsos.
webster, “She claims we would be in an Ice Age, have to be at least -1C per decade cooling, which means that AGW would have to be at least +1C per decade warming to compensate.”
Pulled those numbers right out your butt. Ice Age is one of those less than definitive terms. The Little Ice Age had approximately 0.7 C cooler “global average temperatures” than today +/- about 0.4 C. Since there has been ice stored in glaciers for million of years or more, we are and have been in an “Ice Age” for quite some time. With the technology available during the “Little Ice Age” there was considerable human suffering in the northern high latitudes that would likely not be as severe with today’s technology. In fact, due to technology, we will likely not experience another “catastrophic” “ice age” without some major impact event because we are very good at snow removal and ice breaking. You can’t have a “major” “ice age” without having major ice stored in places ice isn’t stored now.
So what number for sensitivity frightens you? Now take that and calculate how cold we’d be without man’s effect.
Now look at Marcott’s obscene Holocene.
============
An Ice Age is at the bottom of the interglacial cycles. We are at the top.
Here is a cartoon for Cappy Dick’s Sunday comic strip
http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~archer/cartoons/climate-models-vs-skeptic-models-small.png
Face it, you have nothing Cappy. Since the top-level post is about deniers in Congress, I am very happy to report that my own LOONY Denier Representative, Michele Bachmann, won’t be running for another term. She is at about your level of knowledge on science Cappy. Ha ha, it’s just a bunch of babbling nonsense, walking back anything one says, just so you can’t get pinned down.
In 2006, Crazy Eyes Bachmann said,
That is your Ice Age. Putting the science in the deep freeze.
kim said
Wow, that’s quite an intelligent thought.
Out of the moths of webs.
=============
Webster, they actually called those “glacial” and “interglacial” periods. The glaciers are the ice storage which by dumping a little black carbon, ash or using a solution called deicer, can be melted PDQ. The expansion and contraction of those ice storage bins called glaciers has an albedo forcing that dwarfs CO2. You should probably write that down.
As the ice storage area decreases, the “sensitivity” to CO2 forcing which is in the range of 15% of the total atmospheric forcing, decreases. With less ice storage, there is greater cloud response which also dwarfs CO2 forcing since clouds produce approximately 80% of the albedo of the Earth. That is in the ballpark of 80 Wm-2 versus about 3.7 Wm-2 per doubling.
Terms like “Little” ice age are often used for lower impact events that the “ice age” or “glacial” events. It is one of those subtle linguistic things that seem to baffle you, though some believe you are intelligent enough be be deliberately confusing the issues.
It’s important to remember that the effect on albedo is produced by year-round snow cover, not glaciers. It takes a lot of snow piling on before you actually get glaciers, but the albedo effect starts immediately.
It’s also important to remember that the effect isn’t just global. A large area of year-round snow cover can actually produce a bubble of cold air that, in turn, can uplift westerlies enough that precipitation that otherwise would be rain can be snow and/or hail. This can produce a positive feedback on albedo: despite the hot sun and warm westerlies, there is frequent summer snow that counteracts the melting.
I don’t know how well the models emulate this process. My impression is that the last few decades of models don’t, very well, and thus the whole effect has been sort of shuffled out of sight. Like the Tropical Easterly Jet, and the influence of Tibetan glaciation.
Of course, this could just be the effect of paywalls and limited searching.
Little Kim didn’t rap about a Little Ice Age.
She said Ice Age on purpose to mislead and alarm.
Deniers are in the 3% class. Within that 3% are hundreds of alternate theories destined for the garbage dump. And mixed in there are all sorts of nutty political theories. That is what Bart and I question.
It’s a mix of two-bit science and political framing.
Worst of both worlds.
Wagathon | May 28, 2013 at 11:38 pm |
A) the authority of William Gray is seriously suspect, he’s known to have a political bias that he freely and maliciously wielded inside the field he dominated, and to its detriment.
B) Argument by authority is weak.
C) Your grasp of what facts are relevant is nonexistent.
D) This “Left” you tremble under the sheets about is a puny, insignificant and imagined construct of your own insecurities. By and large believers in the left half of political discourse are perfectly happy to go with more reasonable solutions from the right half of the political discourse, which is natural as the right side of political discourse tends to come up with better solutions when it isn’t flagellating itself over some mania or other, or being led around by the nose by fearmongering extremist loons. The left half is orders of magnitude than anything you’ve described as ‘The Left’: you’re blowing the influence of the extreme minority at the far end of your imagined spectrum all out of proportion; this leads to setting bad priorities and believing in myths. The “Left” is not all-knowing, omnipotent, present everywhere, skulking in every shadow. It’s the usual mix of emotionally stunted people who embrace theories without proof. Much as you demonstrate in your own way.
E) Your focus on myths leads you to say and apparently believe many things that are contrary to real American core values from the right half of the foundations of your nation. You persecute people for association, and without trial. You outright make up numbers and thus bear false witness against your neighbors. You diminish the value of education that is the right of all free people. You advocate against democratic institutions and democratic freedoms. You promote anti-capitalist measures. You’re simply a bad citizen.
Your ad hom attacks are proof of the failure of public education. When you live a hoax you become the hoax. And, the myth. It is a myth CO2 stores heat. CO2 traps heat; acts like a blanket. CO2 turns Earth into a greenhouse. It is a myth that changes in solar activity and ocean heat levels are irrelevant to climate change. Itis a myth that the planet is not being warmed by heat being released from the oceans into the atmosphere. It is a myth that there is no historical precedent for current global warming.
And, among the biggest myths of all are that the UN-IPCC and European governments don’t hate America and they really believe taxing fossil fuels will save the world from global warming and if you sign an agreement with them they would do everything they promise and never stab you in the back because they are honest and not politically motivated.
Given the IRS, AP and Fox News scandals, and now this kind of partisan viciousness, it’s becoming apparent that fascism is making a comeback in the Democrat Party and affiliated organizations. Fascism at its core is an irrational ideology based on resentments and the need to destroy the lives and livelihoods of those who fascists blame for the perceived shortcomings of society and the government’s inability solve problems. It’s a convenient ideology for those who think government can’t be too powerful or destructive of individual liberty. Respect for the law and difference of opinion is cast to the wind in order to enforce compliance with prevailing fascists views.
“If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem and need to be corrected.”
Re-education camps can’t be far behind.
It’s sickening, really.
Looks like Dana and Obama should get together on their definition of denier
Heh !
+1
now ….
… wait for it.
a willard pom pom crack.
The website is Obama’s. Organizing for America is the political arm of the Obama campaign transformed into a political action committee.
“The formation of Organizing for America was announced by then-President-Elect Obama on January 17, 2009.[4]
The group officially began operations on the third day of the Obama administration, January 23, 2009. On the same day, it was announced that Mitch Stewart would serve as the first Director. Jeremy Bird, a former Obama for America field operative, was named Deputy Director.[5] In mid January 2013 the organization was transformed into a nonprofit group Organizing for Action. The president’s 2012 campaign manager, Jim Messina, was announced as the group’s national chairman, and White House official Jon Carson will leave the administration and become the executive director. Campaign senior adviser David Axelrod will serve as a consultant.
The organization will accept donations from individuals and corporations but not from lobbyists and political action committees. Offices will be in Washington and Chicago.[6]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizing_for_America
The permanent campaign incarnate.
Oops, Organizing for Action is the site, not Organizing for America. Wrong non-profit.
The origins of Organizing for Action are not as clear.
OK, read faster, post slower.
I was right the first time. Organizing for America just changed its name to Organizing for Action.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/05/15/organizing-for-action-obamas-group-has-yet-to-apply-to-irs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/07/where-is-organizing-for-action-working-right-where-youd-think/
Probably because it is a more accurate description of their Alinskyite intentions.
I wonder if Bart R still thinks it’s a nutty group?
GaryM | May 27, 2013 at 11:28 pm |
Yes. It’s still nutty.
You should go down its list and twitter them all with donations, which will give you an understanding of the favor they’ve done the people they’ve ‘blacklisted’.
Since you know that’s what’s going to end up happening because nutty groups don’t think these things through.
On climate change, Obama faces an attack from his left flank
Can Obama’s Organizing For Action (OFA) help save the planet? The jury is out.
Obama tells Organizing for Action group they can play powerful role in helping his agenda
I believe you nailed it AK.
I get the feeling that President Obama’s interest in climate change extends only so far as it keeps environmentalist folks (who would probably support him in any event) from jumping ship.
It is evidence of how good his political skills are.
Obama is readying himself as the next Al Gore for when he leaves office. Greenfleecing is too good an opportunity to miss, it’s made fortunes for very mediocre men like him. Obama has seen the green light.
Finding Gaia, his post presidency autobiography is already in the works, no doubt.
Huh, just realized. Now we’ve go two vast wastelands…
And so it is, sadly, with environmentalism. Increasingly it seems facts aren’t necessary, because the tenets of environmentalism are all about belief. It’s about whether you are going to be a sinner, or saved. Whether you are going to one of the people on the side of salvation, or on the side of doom. Whether you are going to be one of us, or one of them…
~Crichton
My pick of the 10 dumbest statements Republican politicians have made about global warming
10. Rep. Ralph Hall TX “I’m really more fearful of freezing. And I don’t have any science to prove that. But we have a lot of science that tells us they’re not basing it on real scientific facts.”
9. Rep. John Culberson TX “This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided that the air we exhale, carbon dioxide, is toxic and poses a danger to our well-being…”
8. Rep. Duncan Hunter CA-50 “Maybe we should kill the cows to stop the methane, or stop breathing to stop the CO2.”
7. Rep. Steve King IA “ But the presumption of the Greenhouse Effect is at least, from what I saw, was pretty convincingly rebutted.”
6. Rep. Dan Benishek MI has said that climate change is “all baloney” and “just some scheme.” Pointing to his background as a general surgeon, Benishek claims he’s “a scientist” who has the expertise to know that climate change is “unproven science stuff.”
5. Sen. Ron Johnson WI “I absolutely do not believe in the science of man-caused climate change,” Johnson said. “It’s not proven by any stretch of the imagination.”
4. Rep. Blake Farenthold TX “Global warming is scare tactic used by groups with a political agenda. [sic]”
3.Rep. Don Young AK “I think this is the biggest scam since the Teapot Dome.
2. Rep. James Lankford OK “This whole global warming myth will be exposed as what it really is — a way of control more than anything else.”
1. Sen. Jim Inhofe OK “I have offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax. That conclusion is supported by the painstaking work of the nation’s top climate scientists.
_________
Honorable mention goes to Rep. Michele Bachmann
MN for giving the House of Representatives the lowdown on CO2. Addressing the Speaker of the House, Bachmann said “Carbon dioxide, Mister Speaker, is a natural byproduct of nature. Carbon dioxide is natural. It occurs in Earth. It is a part of the regular lifecycle of Earth. In fact, life on planet Earth can’t even exist without carbon dioxide.”
I look forward to Rep Bachmann shedding some light on the importance of water and dirt.
Your not even trying. I can come up with 10 much dumber statements from your comments alone.
OK, list my 10 dumbest comments in reverse order.
I think I can beat all of them together with just one of your dumb comments.
1. ‘I’m sorry, Beth but “subtle allusions” require some thinking, which isn’t my favorite activity.’
2. ‘I never put bumper stickers on my car. There’s always the possibility the message, even if it’s not political or religious, will anger some nut enough to cause a problem.
I don’t wear T-shirts with messages or brand names. I don’t have rings through my nose, tongue, or ears. I don’t dye my hair or wear it in a ponytail. I do nothing to attract attention to myself.’
3. ‘Nah ! The only hole I fell into was hope for your redemption. I should have known better.’
4. ‘Crony capitalism is good if you are one of the cronies. I wish I were a crony capitalists. I’ll bet GaryM does too. He’s always talking about crony capitalists, which suggests he is green with envy for the green.’
5 ‘You missed my point on unfunded liabilities. An unfunded liability is not something you need money for right now, but it’s enormity can be alarming. So, if you want to frighten people, you can estimate unfunded liability as you have done for Social Security.
As for you not wanting to be a crony capitalist, I think not being very successful suits you.’
6. ‘Crony capitalism is good if you are one of the cronies. I wish I were a crony capitalists. I’ll bet GaryM does too. He’s always talking about crony capitalists, which suggests he is green with envy for the green.’
7. ‘If believe coal has a bright future, invest in coal. It’s easy to do if you have the money.’
8 ‘Solar power is anathema to pollution advocates.’
9. ‘Myrrh, every time we exhale, our bodies are ridding themselves of some CO2. So, if CO2 is as good as you seem to believe, why is your body constantly working to expel the stuff? On second thought, I don’t know for certain how your body works. Maybe you have a weird body that keeps all the CO2 in.
I’m not surprised people don’t want to eat carbon. They may think it’s some kind of black powdery stuff. Yecch !’
10. ‘Max_CH, a carbon tax would hasten the switch from gasoline- and diesel-powered motor vehicles to those powered by natural gas. The faster America does this, the better. The free market would eventually do it, but the market is slow, so we need to give it some help. I’m all for helping the market.’
No particular order.
Chief Hydrologist | May 28, 2013 at 3:36 am |
Trying to be helpful.. That’s only 9.
Your 4 and 6 overlap.
Also, you haven’t really done much of a job parsing, as Max_OK’s said much ‘dumber’ things than any of the gems you selected, some of which appear sober, prudent, commonsensical and within the ordinary definition of average intelligence.
Which I expect is not dumber than what politicians say, on that basis alone.
Say, Chief, go fer it!
Btcg.
Well – I didn’t put a whole lot of effort into it. More a selection from recent posts. Everything he says seems pretty dumb.
10?
Max averages that in a single thread.
I’ll offer one of my favorite Max Ok silly comments.
” those people in developing countiries don’t need electricity, they can live fine without it”
My ancestors lived in mansions and had house servants before they had electricity. They probably lived better than any of us.
And now they say they had higher IQs because their nonelectric lifestyle made them think better.
JCH,
It is possible that your ancestors lived better than you do today. It is also the case that far more people today live better than their ancestors (with the caveat of “better” not being defined).
I’m one generation removed from immigrant coal miners. Well, 1 & 1/2, as my dad, the youngest, was born here. (Technically, he may not have been the “youngest”, as I lack knowing who came out first, my dad or his twin brother Henry. Henry never made it to his first birthday. Were he born today, he would have.)
There is no doubt about my brothers and I having it better.
Max_OK | May 28, 2013 at 2:34 am |
Wait.. you didn’t think the CO2=carcinogen thing made the top 10?
Wait – CO2 is a carcinogen?
http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/05/10/Obama-Team-Carbon-Dioxide-is-a-Carcinogen
The totally dumb thing is that the world is not warming for to decade three – and that abrupt change is the rational paradigm rather than AGW.
‘The new paradigm of an abruptly changing climatic system has been well established by research over the last decade, but this new thinking is little known and scarcely appreciated in the wider community of natural and social scientists and policy-makers.’ http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10136&page=1
And yet the warministas are still evangelizing their nonsense.
I saw it, but forgot to put it in.
Chief, I said list 10 dumb comments, not list 10 comments you are too dumb to understand. You got it backwards.
Anyway, I promised to identify the dumbest thing you do.
It’s mixing Jack Daniels with soft drinks. That’s a terrible waste of fine sour mash whiskey. It’s also a concoction for sissies. You should learn to drink your whiskey like a real man.
That would be dumb for Chief, as he’s reported that he’s diabetic.
Moving on: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp201-c8.pdf
Boehner apparently confused CO2 with carbon monoxide from the days when carbon monoxide was on the list of dangerous products of cigarettes. You can understand how he might have a Fred Singer moment and get the two mixed up in his talking points.
I say apparently, because there’s no public clarification from Boehner on what he meant. Either Boehner was honestly mistaken, or deceptively and underhandedly posing a straw man. People should want to know if a man in high elected office making decisions that affect their taxes and laws is stupid or a liar. So the out-of-nowhere “CO2 is not a carcinogen”, when no one in the discussion had ever mentioned, implied, or alluded to the who cancer topic up to then is a bona fide comment to call out for explanation.
Or it would have been, four years ago when it was made in an interview to a reporter, who clearly didn’t have the chops to catch and clarify that little Boehner faux pas.
This is just the past 2 days. Such persistent dumbness is gift.
Let’s see if I understand. Yep – utter drivel – check – adolescent posturing – check – inane snark – check…
Sissy? Real man? The most consistent response to you seems to be to grow up. Being a real man has nothing to do with drinking.
I’m sorry to hear Chief is diabetic.
On global warming, I’m not sure if the Republicans In Congress are mostly leading or mostly following the voters who elected them, or if there’s a difference between it and other divisive issues such as Obama Care, and taxes and spending.
Max – I am fit and not noticably overweight. I prefer diving over coral reefs to drinking. So I will be sober in the morning – but you will still be a dumb Okie.
While I am of similar opinion when it comes to drinking whiskey Max, Chief’s choice is not a dumb one if that is how he enjoys it.
As for the too dumb to understand point – perhaps that is my problem as well, since much of what you post I find difficult to understand.
A large percentage I consider to be idiotic, but I usually chalk those up to your self confession of wanting to spin up people here. Meaning the idiotic part is contrived.
Jack and Coke is the taste of America. Disneyland with a redneck undercurrent. Doris Day on a Harley. Speed week at Bonneville meets Jerry Lewis.
timg56 said on May 28, 2013 at 5:12 pm
While I am of similar opinion when it comes to drinking whiskey Max, Chief’s choice is not a dumb one if that is how he enjoys it.
_____
If he can taste the difference between Jack Daniels and a less expensive substitute mixed with the soft drink, it’s not dumb. If he can’t (in a blinded test) he’s dumb for wasting money.
_____________________________________
timg56 also said “As for the too dumb to understand point – perhaps that is my problem as well, since much of what you post I find difficult to understand.”
______
If you give examples of post you find difficult to understand, I will try to explain them.
____________________________________
timg56 then said: “A large percentage I consider to be idiotic, but I usually chalk those up to your self confession of wanting to spin up people here. Meaning the idiotic part is contrived.”
________
If something looks contrived to you, it probably is contrived.
Max,
A part of that Bachmann diatribe that I like even better:
“As a matter of fact, carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful!
But there isn’t even one study that can be produced that shows carbon dioxide is a harmful gas. There isn’t one such study because carbon dioxide is not a harmful gas, it is a harmless gas. Carbon dioxide is natural. It is not harmful. It is part of Earth’s life cycle.”
I just Googled “CO2 toxicity” and got 5,170,000 hits.
Yes, C02 is toxic at extremely high concentrations, which Bachmann doesn’t appear to know.
“All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous.” – Paracelsus
I’d be interested in studies showing CO2 at a consentration of 400 PPM is toxic.
If this is true, perhaps I have a case against the Navy.
Probably not. I volunteered.
tcflood
Looks like Rep. Bachmann is better informed than you are.
– CO2 is NOT a “harmful gas”.
– CO2 IS “natural”
– CO2 IS “part of Earth’s life cycle”.
But just like water, another NON-harmful compound, if you get TOO MUCH CO2 that is not good.
But, fortunately “too much” lies way outside the limits that could ever be reached in our atmosphere from human CO2 emissions for many reasons.
Which is something Bachmann apparently understands.
Do you?
Max
Max_OK
You pick the “10 dumbest statements” made by CAGW skeptics.
The quotations attributed to the representatives, which were cited in the link above are much more intelligent and insightful than the ones you (cherry) picked..
I could quote you the “10 dumbest statements” made by CAGW believers, but that wouldn’t bring us any further than your comment did.
Max_CH
Well, Max_CH, of course I cherry-picked ’em. How else would I pick what I think are the 10 dumbest. Are you having a “senior moment” ?
If you want to quote what you think are the 10 dumbest statements on global warming by Congressional Democrats, go ahead.
manaker,
Got to give Max the points on this one. He is correct regarding the cherry picking comment.
This is Obama’s site, created by him and his aides for the specific purpose of campaigning for his policies.
He’s put his name to it.
I would like for it to be, but it’s not. I will make a generous contribution to it anyway.
cool, since they promise transparency WRT to Donors that should be interesting.. psst. its not tax deductible.
Obama put his name to it.
He fully endorses it. It is speaking on his behalf.
Here’s the thing.
You won’t see a lot of websites mounting a similar challenge from the other side.
No one listing all the politicians who have said something about how serious climate change is, or what they’re committed to doing about global warming.
No one inviting their base to call out those politicians publicly.
For one, propagandists generally understand how blacklisting works, so they tend to do it in secret, in private, behind closed doors. Their hit lists are private, or disguised as something else, or rely on tribe marks rather than naming names.
Because if you name names, you risk humanizing your opposition. Sure, you can demonize a single name, or a small clutch of opponents, effectively if you focus on just them. You can turn their names into devil words among your team, and even in broader society. But if you make the mistake of listing too many names, you might name someone’s personal hero. Someone whose halo for some past kindness or deed or remark buffers them and shield those near them from the tar and feathers you seek to muck-throwingly taint them with.. plus, you give your target more, not less, of a platform.
Go ahead. Put up a list of six or seven thousand politicians in the USA who have made statements supporting science and declaring for action to solve the economic issues caused by burning fossil fuels, with choice quotes of how they said what they said.
See if it doesn’t move the dialogue toward their favor.
Yes, but Denier.
barackobama.com should have used Dittoheads.
Nobody rips off one’s shirt when ‘dittoheads’ get said.
Or Dissenters. Or Contrarians.
Besides, these politicians should be more lukewarm when expressing concerns. Some of them already do that quite well.
Maybe it’s a vocabulary thing.
willard (@nevaudit)’ | May 28, 2013 at 8:30 am |
Or maybe that, at a time when there ought be six or seven thousand politicians loudly and directly making accurate scientific statements about climate, with adequate economic plans to address relevant issues meaningfully and effectively.. there aren’t?
Six or seven thousand.
Or hundred.
Or score.
Or dozen.
Or even six or seven.
Can you name seven exemplary, accurate, pragmatic, persistent politicians who’ve done so?
In the USA, I mean. Where it matters.
Bart R,
That might be tough to find, but perhaps that’s not impossible. I’d even venture that when all these good representatives stop rehearsing talking points, they start making sense. To me, what matters are the talking points, as they become thinking points [1].
Your challenge is tempting. I wonder how you’d score Bernie Sanders’ proposal:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/16/bernie-sanders-climate-change-legislation
Would that kind of proposal meet your capitalistic requirements? As a ninja, I must admit that the emphasized bit does appeal to me. I also like the concept of weatherizing, if only because I will try to include it in my poetic project:
http://neverendingaudit.tumblr.com/tagged/weatherandclimate
Please note that I am not an American citizen. I am encountering most of these names for the first time. That’s the main reason for paying due diligence to their claims regarding climate, for which barackobama.com’s page was quite suboptimal.
The thinking points these good people promote (in a technical sense) deserve more exposure.
[1] http://www.cognitivepolicyworks.com/resource-center/thinking-points/
“I’d even venture that when all these good representatives stop rehearsing talking points, they start making sense.
So are you implying they make no sense otherwise?
willard
‘Legislation that I introduced(pdf) with the support of leading environmental organizations in the country can actually address the crisis and do what has to be done to protect the planet. Senator Barbara Boxer of California, chairman of the Senate environment and public works committee, co-sponsored the bill that would reverse greenhouse gas emissions in a significant way. It also would help create millions of jobs as we transform our energy system away from fossil fuel and into energy efficiency and such sustainably energies as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.”
Hansen says that Boxer’s approach is crap. And it is. Do please read everything Hansen writes. It doesnt take that long.
He just resents the central message, and chooses ‘rehearsed’ in his sulk.
==============
It’s a conspiracy, you know.
=========
Hansen on Sanders/Boxer:
“g more and more toward trying to make the science and its implications for policy clearer.
I appreciate very much the well wishes I have received from many of you. I am not good
at keeping up with e-mail correspondence, so I apologize to anyone who I may have failed to
respond to. I also realize that the interview I gave regarding my retirement3
may have left the
impression that I would now be working mainly on specific actions to stem fossil fuel extraction
and use. I believe all the individual actions occurring at many places are very important and the
sum of them may help turn the tide to clean energies. But I must keep up with and contribute to
climate science or I cannot be effective, so I hope to be doing more science rather than less — and
science requires more than 40 hours a week –so it is not practical for me to respond to all the
requests that I am receiving. I also want to support two or three people working with me, so I
need to spend time in fund raising – and I am finding that it is not easy to get foundation support.
I hope that papers and testimony that I provide for cases of Our Children’s Trust, or cases
regarding coal exports, tar sands and other unconventional fossil fuels, can find wider use with
little modification. I will continue to support the growing 350.org movement. I support
CitizensClimateLobby.org especially, because of their focus on fee-and-dividend, which I
believe is the sine qua non for phase out of fossil fuels. I hope you noticed the op-ed supporting
fee-and-dividend in the Wall Street Journal by George Shultz and Gary Becker15, who point out
that fee-and-dividend plus removal of energy subsidies would provide a level playing field and
be good for the economy and jobs. There is also a Democratic (Boxer/Sanders) bill in Congress, 7
but as usual they cannot keep their hands off our wallets, proposing to take 40% of the money to
make government bigger, including congressional specification of how 15% of the money is to
be spent. Washington seemslikely to remain dysfunctional on climate policy, so when we get a
bit closer to 2016 I will argue why I think we need a third party.”
who gives a shit about what anyone else thinks about sanders/boxer. The scientific consensus is that its stupid. Ask Hansen.
> So are you implying they make no sense otherwise?
Echoing a frame requires some meaning to be conveyed. This is not a syntactic ordeal. The meaning conveyed matters less than the frame it echoes. Once the frame is echoed, that meaning can be dropped. The point of these sound bites might not to convey meaning, but to score points, in which case the question if they do make sense or not might be moot at best.
Not unlike what Moshpit is trying to do right now.
***
The point behind I made about Chewbacca’s “you make no sense” is the escapism with which it comes. So far, my research justifies my claim.
Also compare:
(1) **You** make no sense.
(2) **They** make no sense.
The two sentences are not used in the same situations (dialog vs. public statement). The granularity of what is questioned is not the same (particular vs general). &c.
So thank you for your concerns.
Blah blah blah. They are sensible comments, as you may someday understand, and Obama’s minions have erred. You finding less sensible instances of speech is irrelevant and distracting. But I see you try hard.
====================
willard.
It was a simple question. try to be clear and honest. Did you mean to imply that they make no sense when rehearsing talking points.
‘I’d even venture that when all these good representatives stop rehearsing talking points, they start making sense. ”
So, if they merely stop rehearsing talking points ( and havent even said anything) they start making sense?
Put another way. is it possible to make sense when rehearsing a talking point?
Your talk against talking points begs for a definition of ‘talking point’
How do you spot one? Is there some special diacritical mark?
rhetoricians also have talking points, about talking points. When they stop rehearsing them, they start making sense
Thank you for your concerns.
and lastly willard you dont much charity when it comes to understanding what these folks are saying and how it makes sense.
It’s far easier easier to dismiss what they say with a ‘yes but talking talking points.” its much easier to tell others that these people will start to make sense when they stop doing what is normal in their cultural circles.
They use talking points. Its rather poor etiquette to suggest that a politician should stop with talking points. Rather you should try to understand what a talking point “does” and understand how they are vital in political discourse, how political discourse goes off the rails when public officials stray from talking points. We have smoke filled back rooms for a reason.
I’m concerned. This hackneyed sophistry is tragic.
==========
honest and clear as always willard. talking points are the only way politicians can make sense.
> Did you mean to imply that they make no sense when rehearsing talking points.
http://judithcurry.com/2013/05/27/president-obama-calls-out-the-climate-change-deniers-in-congress/#comment-327007
TL;DR. What talking points mean does not matter much. What matters is that they connote thinking points.
[1] Which is to make Bart R’s subthread about me, cf. http://judithcurry.com/2013/05/21/how-to-humble-a-wing-nut/#comment-325315
I would define a “talking point” as a ritual formula, that isn’t intended to contribute to the discussion in terms of its literal meaning. This can be because everybody in your “choir” already knows the longer arguments/rhetoric around it, or because it short-circuits an opponent’s argument without actually answering it.
> This can be because everybody in your “choir” already knows the longer arguments/rhetoric around it, or because it short-circuits an opponent’s argument without actually answering it.
Compare and contrast with Roberto Benigni’s at the Oscars:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cTR6fk8frs
Somehow, people are usually good at determining when a person is genuine or not, however they master their discourse.
‘Thinking point’. Take that to heart. Ooh, no, sorry, take that to brain.
============
willard, you are just not persuasive with your raggedy collection of derivative alarmist literature. This balloon of belief was a human conceit, arrogant of Nature.
==============
Please revisit Benigni’s performance, kold one.
Benigni learned his speech by heart.
When he won another Oscar, he had to recite his speech all over again.
Benigni does not speak English.
That does not prevent him to mean what he says.
Language is a social art.
Sorry, I’m busy with my system to bring all the deep ‘missing heat’ out of the ocean just as the Holocene ends. So far, I can’t top Nature, and it’s frustrating.
============
Since our Gaia rep. is busy,
we can hold on the kibitz
and wait for Bart R’s move.
Bart R can perfectly time the release of stored solar energy to stave of the next glaciation? If this ocean thingy is for real, Nature can only do it with man’s help.
=========
Meet Bernie Sanders (all quotes are from the article Willard conveniently links to:
“The crisis facing our planet is much worse than they had thought only a few years ago. Twelve out of the last 15 years ranked as the warmest on record in the United States. Now, scientists say that our planet could be 8F warmer or more by the end of this century if we take no decisive action to transform our energy system and cut greenhouse gas emissions.”
“What would that mean to planet earth? Sea levels would rise by three to six feet, which would flood cities like New Orleans, Boston and Miami and coastal communities all over the world. It would mean that every year we would see more and more extreme weather disturbances, like Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars every year and resulting in devastating blows to our economy and productive capabilities.”
There you go- the consensus is that CS isn’t falling, it’s “worse than we thought” with daily hurricanes and an iron-clad forecast of six feet of sea level rise putting Miami underwater.
The classic line from Boxer and Sanders’ announcement seems to be missing lately. The line was: “The proposal also would provide rebates to consumers to offset any efforts by oil, coal or gas companies to raise prices.”
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=2a869a44-1597-42a8-b625-1a88db3febbc
Ooooh, those awful companies, how dare they pass costs to consumers!
kim | May 28, 2013 at 1:03 pm |
In sometime between 20,000 and 30,000 years, when it’ll be arguably necessary to geoengineer to avoid the end of Holocene-level temperatures and a new ice age due the tilt of the Earth?
Sure. We can do that with modern technology. While I think the calculation is dubious, there’s a claim for the modern geological era the Earth cannot enter a snowball phase with CO2 above 240 ppmv, we know it takes less than half a century to drive CO2 levels up from the lowest levels we’ve ever seen in the geological record — 180 ppmv — to that level.
And we won’t even need to burn new CO2e to get there, if we follow Myles Allen’s CCS plan that Judith Curry appears to explicitly endorse until she’s told she’s explicitly endorsed it by endorsing the commentary Myles Allen wrote setting out that plan.. Because CCS lays in virtually limitless supplies of CO2 that could be tapped by just opening up the 20,000-year-old valves.
If that’s a real worry.
Tell you what. In 19,950 years why don’t you and I get together on the blog and check CO2 levels to make sure they aren’t dipping too low, and if they are, I’ll spring for the monkey wrench.
Bart R – that was cold.
willard (@nevaudit) | May 28, 2013 at 12:11 pm |
and
Steven Mosher | May 28, 2013 at 11:04 am |
Sorry, I don’t follow the whole talking points digression. It appears you two do, but the rest of us likely are all feeling a bit like you’re talking over our heads.
Could you both maybe contribute to the discussion at hand, rather than henpecking and nagging each other, or maybe take that married-couple routine to backchannels?
Bernie Sanders’s proposal, at 85%, has roughly the maximum current administratively practical coverage for a fee and dividend system. The other fifteen percent of lucrative CO2E emission perhaps could be covered by a secondary very limited cap-&-trade plan, local government command and control regulation, or technical improvement perhaps by LIDAR monitoring (or a mix of all three) to more-comprehensively capture the Free Riders.
As a Capitalist and minarchist, I’d hope innovative technology would do the job without increasing command and control, and as a cynic about fraud in cap-&-trade, I’d prefer it be kept to the smallest possible scope if done at all.
At only 60% return to residents, I’m disappointed with this plan. I understand why Sanders’ lack of faith in the Market leads him to think as he does. He has plans for the other 40% of that money, to do work for his CO2-reducing agenda. I have an alternative that gives America — and I note your admission you’re not American, which bears no shame, really. There are many other fine nationalities; though I ought reduce slightly your score for wit as it’s well known wit has a foreign bias. I’ll try to keep the discussion as general as possible, and about principles not regional specifics, to not disadvantage the large foreign audience for this topic. — ..an alternative that gives America everything Sanders seeks, and more, more cheaply and efficiently, set out in three paragraphs:
1. DON’T DO IT! This dividend belongs naturally to every citizen, per capita. If the nation chooses it to go to residents, or through payroll to employed citizens, or through income tax refunds to taxpayers, or whatever, that’s a local detail determined by culture and mores. Splitting out 40% of the dividend for the government to spend by command and control dilutes the sense of resource ownership, and is simply theft. It’s 60% less theft than goes on now, it’s theft by government instead of by Free Riders.. but how is that better, than by matter of degree?
2. Let the Market determine the level of the fee, hence the level of the dividend by the law of supply and demand. No government regulator, no expert, will intervene between Market forces and that number, except insofar as any merchandizing expert in any commodity determines the quarterly price of goods to maximize dividends by calculating sales volume times price and selling at peak price of dividends for that quarter. Sure, in the long run this will reduce dividends overall to a dull roar. But it will be the money of the owners, of private people, delivered to them by their own democratic individual buying and selling decisions in the Market.
3. After you have a reliable price determination for how much the country, the Market, values the resource, you also have a reliable, Free-Ridership-removed, price for the carbon emitting commodities, and all dependent commodities. You have new, valuable information we cannot know now without pricing the carbon cycle on the open Market. This is important, as you will have two different desirable outcomes:A) maximum Market efficiency (reduced inflationary pressure, more innovation, reduced barriers to entry and exit, reduced distortion on prices, more jobs) and other benefits like reduced tax churn, reduced absolute tax burden and reduced tax burden relative to the size of the now enlarged Market; B) the ability to tax the now enlarged Market fairly across all commodities in a fair and balanced way to general revenues to pay for spending programs that stand or fall in legislation on their own merits, not because they’re linked to something else.
Finally, government investment in technology innovation is almost always the most expensive way to get it. Sure, as NASA proves, as wartime R&D show, it is fairly reliable as a way to get innovations no one wants based on current consumer taste and needs. However, it ought be a last resort, with every possible opportunity given the Market and entrepreneurship, which will be more efficient and faster.
If you’re in a Socialist country, you may not be so affected by the fine points of a desire for democracy of individual decision-making or entrepreneurship. But in the Free World, we go for stuff like that.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/american-environmentalist-bill-mckibben-wins-sophie-prize-for-his-fight-against-global-warming/2013/05/28/ce7198d0-c77d-11e2-9cd9-3b9a22a4000a_story.html
See, now I don’t know what to think about McKibben, now that the Socialists have embraced him.
Do you think he could actually convert Norway to Capitalism?
Thanks, Bart R.
I’ll try to find six other positions another time, on other threads.
Until then,
Due diligence,
w
PS: The handbag fight about “making sense” relates to my critique of Brandon’s release of his inner Chewbacca. It was injected here as a black hat marketing technique to question my coherence, my charity, my clarity, and my honesty. It’s based on a misunderstanding, which might serve as a decoy based on an hypothesis akin to “willard can’t miss pointing out a misunderstanding”. Same old, same old, as would perhaps say Joshua.
Bad News for Australian Coal Producers ?
The future for Australian coal exports to China is questionable. China may not need the coal if it develops its shale gas resources.
The following excerpt is from a recent Motley Fool report.
“Like the U.S., China has massive shale gas deposits, and the technology we possess could help them develop domestic sources and allow them to become more energy self-sufficient. We’re starting to see it happen. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A ) has signed a deal withPetroChina (NYSE: PTR ) to spend $1 billion a year to develop shale resources there. Also, fracking specialists Haliburton (NYSE: HAL ) and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB ) are partnering with various Chinese companies to supply the country with hydraulic fracturing equipment and specialty fluids”
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/05/27/3-ways-the-us-energy-boom-will-change-the-world.aspx
Although China is an increasingly important trade partner – most of our coal actually goes elsewhere. http://www.ret.gov.au/resources/mining/australian_mineral_commodities/coal/Pages/australia_coal_industry.aspx
But you have to remember as well that capitalism is not a zero sum game.
Development + trade = good
Max, it’s good you are getting a grasp on how things go out of use without catastrophic “peaking” (only averted by activism and general bedwetting). Someone comes up with something else, hence the fall in demand for sailcloth, koala pelts, mast timbers, whale bone, Minogue sisters etc.
A short while ago Australia was surpassed as the world’s largest coal exporter – by Indonesia, as I remember – but that does not tell the full story. You see, Australia is by far the world’s biggest exporter of high quality hard coking coal. (Curiously, the second biggest exporter is the USA, but it’s way back there.) While we have enormous supplies of thermal coal, the Rugby League states of NSW and Qld, rich in metallurgical coal, make us pretty unique as producers and exporters.
We are, of course, dependent on China for our present prosperity. There’s again talk of us being “The Lucky Country” – but the pensive classes have often treated us as a bunch of yobs who just get lucky. Let me tell you, we’ll keep on getting lucky – in spite of parasitic unions, dopey “public intellectuals” and green fetishists – because those Aussies who do knuckle down knuckle down in a fashion that is awesome to behold.
I used to think that you occasionally made a modicum of sense. Not about half crazy girls in rags and feathers – getting lucky here has the old meaning – but generally as a sort of gestalt. The same way Spike Milligan was generally more right than wrong. A goon but a lovable goon.
But when it comes to the Minogue sisters you should be ashamed of yourself.
Oh, Chief, I too am old enough to remember when Kyles had straight fans. That was back when borrowed money could buy you a GT Falcon with Ken Done duco. But nobody in the proto and early Minogue eras used words like “gestalt”, that’s for sure. Next you’ll be saying “normative” and even “ideation”. Stop it! Can’t you see what you’re doing to yourself?
Chief,
Thanks for that video. I love that sort of opera! :)
Ahem. Using the word ‘gestalt’ in the states implies a certain quality about the user. It appears to hold true in Australia as well.
http://tinyurl.com/qbvj4od
Interestingly, Gestalt Psychology is a trademark from the Berlin School, ca. 1922.
Hell – I aspire to a Ford GT with a Ken Done paint job. My 4L absolute-black Ford Falcon XT is OK – and might attract less police attention – but it is not quite the same.
Max_OK,
This is a bit OT, but may be OK since it relates to so-called ‘Deniers’ and skeptics being older and wiser than the younger and more gullible who tend to be believers in Catastrophic AGW.
I just watched an interview with Bill Gates. It occurred to me to ask you if you think Bill Gates would have been wiser when he was younger?
It also prompts me to ask if you think you were you wiser when you were younger? Do you think you would have made better decisions about matters of planetary importance when you were younger? If you recognise you are better informed, have a greater depth and breadth of experience and able to make better decisions now than when you were younger, why do you expect that will change at the age you are at now and it will be all down hill for you from now?
[I am addressing this question to you because you are one of the people who frequently argue that deniers are older, therefore, dummer and don’t care about the future of the planet because they will depart soon (or ideas like that, sorry for not quoting from your many comments on this subject).]
There is one decisive advantage to being old in this kind of context. It’s having seen scientific experts being unanimously wrong (while being sure that they are right) before. And having seen how incredibly ignorant some scientists can be. This is much more important than any generalized kind of wisdom.
It just doesn’t happen to everyone beyond a certain age. If you’re lucky, you get one or a few powerful eye-opening experiences.
And that’s what happened to Richard Feynman, by the way.
Max_OK making sounder judgements when he was younger? If he was any younger he’d still be in middle school. I’m not certain he isn’t still there.
I agree, you have to see it to believe it (the ignorance of experts).
Re Peter Lang’s post of May 28, 2013 at 6:09 am
______
Peter, I believe ability to make good decisions increases slowly with age up to a point, levels off for a while, then drops rapidly. Picture a flat-topped bell-shaped curve that is skewed to left.
Maxok
That age when senility suddenly sets in is when?
Tonyb
The Wonderful One Hoss Shay collapses @ 85. Compare survival curves from 1850 and 2000.
==============
Tonyb, I don’t know for sure, but I suppose it’s starting to set in when a person realizes he’s having a “senior moment” or someone close to him notices.
Good clarification at the top. If the climate deniers in congress posting gets enough attention for its offensive comparison of United States Senators and House members to holocaust deniers the perhaps the press will push the whitehouse into denouncing or confirming it.
Big Dave rips off his shirt.
Try to contain yourself, Wee Willie.
Here you go, Big Dave:
http://neverendingaudit.tumblr.com/tagged/yesbutdenier
Denial ain’t a river in Germany either.
Guilty as charged. Personally I don’t give a tinker’s damn about the term denier but I know others do so was just trying the fan the flames of someone else’s ire. I don’t really give a flying f*ck at a rolling donut about holocaust or HIV deniers either. I think they’re wrong and I think everyone has a right to an opinion regardless of how wrong it might be. The people using such phrases and the people offended by them are equally deficient in the brain housing group. But both groups can manipulated for fun and profit. Fun in my case.
It’s ‘dam’.
=======
Tinker’s Dam or Tinker’s Damn is debatable.
Modern usage is generally the latter and is a another form of Tinker’s Curse.
Some etymology below:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/tinkers-damn.html
Heh, Dave rips off his shirt in expectation of media curiosity. Put in back on, I’ll let you know when the sun shines in.
================
Kold one? Meet
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2009/06/26/47948/gingrey-forces-darkness/
I’m sure I heard this “forces of darkness” not long ago. But where?
***
There’s also this interesting Salon article entitled Phil Gingrey once sat on the House Science Committee, with the subtitle is Gingrey, who partially defended Todd Akin on “legitimate rape,” also chairs the GOP Doctor’s Caucus:
http://www.salon.com/2013/01/13/phil_gingrey_once_sat_on_the_house_science_committee/
But that’s Rep. Lamar Smith. Another time.
So much to do, so little time.
Distract, distract, willard. What about the regime in power?
================
What about paying due diligence to the angle chosen by the op-ed, Kold One?
Pray tell again about distraction.
We read different op-eds.
===================
Here’s what I read:
> The number of ‘deniers’ in the House of Representatives and Senate are less than 25% of the total. And at least half of these do not hold irrational positions (by my judgment anyways) on the climate change debate.
http://judithcurry.com/2013/05/27/president-obama-calls-out-the-climate-change-deniers-in-congress
I think reading first hand statements should come before judging, don’t you think?
Also, please do notice the op-ed’s title and URL.
WP users should mind their URLs.
Do you think this action wasn’t Obama’s responsibility?
===============================
For those with a neurotic compulsion for pigeon-holing (hello Wee Willie) “Forces of Darkness” is the containing group for, among many others, the “Axis of Evil”. It’s a huge group and is thus atypical for the pigeon-hole neurosis sufferer as it’s more like an aviary than a pigeon hole. Wee Willie might be past his bedtime and not giving his neurosis the full measure of his attention.
kim | May 28, 2013 at 11:04 am |
“Do you think this action wasn’t Obama’s responsibility?”
Two words: plausible deniability
Heh, Dave, plausible hubris.
==================
Obama didn’t learn at his mother’s knee that authority can be delegated, but not responsibility.
==========
I have no commitment on that question. Please ask Judge Judy.
Meanwhile, here’s Gingrey, again:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18067.html
What does Rush say about climate change, again?
Hee, hee, Dorothy and Toto can help you with that ‘commitment’ deficit.
=======
If you ask for fuzzy business from me,
Here, now, you’ll get more Gringey.
Took the shoes. Find your own damn way home.
==========
As it heats up between the two antagonists, Mosher scurries in the background combing the Berkeley Hills for a Manga artist to document the confrontation–maybe his next book!
A climate Manga would be awesome.
Yes, it really would be. It could nform and maybe lighten the tone here and there. I also wonder if things like XKCDified graphics should be used more.
Poe’s Law strikes again.
Seriously?
Now I gotta figure out what a Manga is? Mango is easy, good green and golden.
=====
Seriously? Yes, Dave
A number of years ago I took on (at the last moment) teaching a course on the development and impact of atomic energy in the 20th century to non-science majors. I used an earlier version of
http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Quantum-Theory-Sciences-Discovery/dp/1840468505/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369754613&sr=1-1&keywords=McEvoy+Quantum+Mechanics
along with a similar book on Hawking–and a lot of handouts. It definitely put the material on friendlier terms for the students and allowed me to easily develop some topics as I saw fit. What better way to get into the Schroedinger equation than note that he got his idea while in the Tyrolean Alps with a paramour. All this ‘sciency’ stuff doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
BTW it was at Buffalo State.
kim,
you and me both.
Sounds like something from Japanese anime.
Mosher,
How about posting a Wonder Girls video?
The Medium is the Message. What’s sorse than fake – worse perhaps than we even know? Reading newspapers may be old news but it is not that the West has become a sight and sound electorate again with no Shakespeare to bring truth to the people. The real Message is worse.
Al Gore’s global warming hockey stick is a lot worse than a fake Picasso. It isn’t being fake but what the Gore’s fakery says says about modern consumers of information. What’s worse than a fake Picasso is not even knowing Western academia has so eager to take full advantage of what it knew about its audience — We the People – or that they were so willing to take advantage of what we’d become, which is what enabled academia to abandon the scientific method.
he AGW movement wasn’t stuck with the hockey stick, it desperately wanted that graph. It needed it to convince us. Not more filing cabinets full of junk science that we can’t read, and not with math that we don’t understand, nor with history that we don’t care about. The horrible MESSAGE is that we no longer have the courage to think meaningfully and have become meat for the brain-eaters of Western academia and we don’t trust honest scientists who won’t tell us what we want to hear. Sometimes the truth sneaks up unseen on cat feet and we should learn to feel the prickly whisker of reality on our bare ankle:
On the one hand, as scientists we are ethically bound to the scientific method, in effect promising to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but — which means that we must include all the doubts, the caveats, the ifs, ands, and buts. On the other hand, we are not just scientists but human beings as well. And like most people we’d like to see the world a better place, which in this context translates into our working to reduce the risk of potentially disastrous climatic change. To do that we need to get some broadbased support, to capture the public’s imagination. That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have. This ‘double ethical bind’ we frequently find ourselves in cannot be solved by any formula. Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest. I hope that means being both.
~Stephen Henry Schneider, a once respected and (now deceased Stanford University climatologist turned global warming propagandist who before that warned of the looming catastrophe of global cooling, caused by humanity’s pollution which was triggering an ice age)
I’ve seen a long ago video of Stephen Schneider in which he was quite honest about how little we know about the climate. Sadly, later, he fooled himself.
======
Compare the relativity of the knowing and purposeful fakery for a noble cause — like we see with Stephen Schneider — with an honest broker of truth like Freeman Dyson — a denier of fake climate science — who can never bring himself to tell a lie. That’s what it has come down to. Honest people must sometimes take a stand despite the hard consequences. Science has been so politicized that it is no longer self-correcting. That is why we need scientists to step forward and start telling the truth. Men of honor understand that. Dyson readily admits to what he does and does not know –e.g., he cannot understand how the media has been ‘brainwashed.’
Wagathon | May 28, 2013 at 11:08 am |
“Dyson readily admits to what he does and does not know –e.g., he cannot understand how the media has been ‘brainwashed.’”
The truth of the AGW believers are more in line with the effortless faithful obedience to things based on spiritual laws where believers only choose a guide and then place themselves, as Emerson says, “in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which flows into you as life… the full center of that flood, then you are without effort impelled to truth, to right, and a perfect contentment.”
Kim,
SS ‘fooled’ himself all of the way to the bank.
I can’t understand why people get so upset about Dyson.
Can’t you give the man a break? He looks so nice on those vacuum clear advertisements.
I think Freeman Dyson’s biggest mistake was carbon eating trees. He should have gone with carbon eating cannabis. Making it a global imperative to grow more pot would have mellowed out most of his detractors.
It is all in the delivery in this sound bite age.
Nobody is going to smoke up the carbon eating trees.
Compare and contrast with Tom Curtis’ own interpretation: