With the events of the last two weeks proving conclusively that the “war on terra” is nothing more than a fabrication of Bush consisting of 9-11, Iraq, Al Qaeda, and imaginary WMD’s all tied together with chicken wire, our progressive friends have now moved on to other issues. Like Cincinnatus withdrawing to his farm after saving the Roman Republic, they have retreated to their tomato patch for Sunday lectures about how we’re destroying the planet.
The High Priest of the Religion of Science has warned me that heresy will not be tolerated, so I’ll confine myself to explaining Scripture with Scripture. After all, I don’t want to be excommunicated into eternal damnation like Dr. Seitz (I hasten to add here that I never cited any of his works, lest I befall the same fate). I’ve also decided to post my theses on the door of the Ivory Dome (which of course is never visited by any of the Clergy) lest they banish me to the fiery pit for my impudence.
I’ve searched the Scientific Scriptures for apocalyptic prophecy and offer two interesting ones from four decades ago for your consideration:
“In the 1970s the world will undergo famines – hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now.”
Paul Ehrlich, Preface to The Population Bomb, 1968
“If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder by the year 2000….This is about twice what it would take to put us in an ice age.”
Kenneth E. F. Watt on air pollution and global cooling, Earth Day 1970.
Here are three more prophecies from the last two years that predict it’s already too late as far as global warming is concerned:
http://healthandenergy.com/too_late_to_stop_global_warming.htm
http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=76062006
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0403-01.htm
However, some have cited the prophet Albert (peace be upon him) in predicting that we still may have 9 years, 187 days before the Earth turns into a frying pan:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/25/AR2006012502230.html
Reverend Gore asks the question, “Are you will to change the way you live?” Given the chance he might be right, my wife and I started turning our summer thermostat up to 78 degrees, using ceiling fans instead of air conditioning, and trying to do at least some office work remotely from our home computer. Even though my daily commute is less than 16 miles roundtrip, if I have to go to the office on weekends, I try to consolidate it with another trip in that direction (e.g. right after church on Sundays).
To the High Priest (who by his own admission commutes “a little less than an hour”), I offer this question: Are you willing to: 1) conduct your English classes via webcam; 2) take a job in the Amarillo ISD and give up your seniority; or 3) move to Dumas? Think of all the greenhouse gases you’ll save over the next five years, before you finally leave the Panhandle for good! (I’m not urging you to leave; this was again by your own admission.)
Let he who commutes less than 20 minutes cast the first stone.
LOL apparantly you were working this the same time I was working mine. Great post
Global warming hmmm. Seems to me that, that has been around since the end of the last Ice age. What about 10,000 years ago? Doesn’t it run in a cycle? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_age Up and down every 40,000 to 100,000 years. Guess sometimes the old Cro-Magnons would bury their grass clippings and sewage and get every thing all cooled down again. Then when it got to cold guess they started firing up their Hum Vee’s and got it all heated back up. Need to lower co2? Guess we could just all hold our breath for awhile. Then we wouldn’t have to smell all that sewage as we bury it. Better yet let’s just hold our ears so as not to hear all the stupid liberal garbage(the kind that’s all around, not underground)
Of course on at least one occation The cavemen did not bury their trash and sewer quick enough. The earth got all hot and steamy. Jungles and swamps everywhere. Dinosaurs running around (All Bush’s fault of course.)
Then there was that other noxius problem. All that heat, and steam and rain. Plants on top of plants. Every where Giant Bronto’s and all that methane being released. But then the liberals led by Gorearillo got control, started to get all those plants buried in the ground, and saved us all. Thanks to them we now even have oil.
I commute 10 minutes
4 cylinder – standard tranny – 28mpg
Then, I offset those emmisions with wind energy through terrapass. Gore offsets emmissions too.
Do you?
Do the nights feel warmer to any of you? Thats when you can really feel the effect of the atmoshere’s degredation.
Sure daytime highs get slightly hotter, but the the nighttime lows have climbed alot. Think about it.
Clint,
I drive a 2001 Toyota Corolla (automatic transmission, my bad!). I’m not sure of my mpg, but it’s probably in the same ballpark as yours. I have no idea what terrapass is, but it sounds very environmentally friendly.
Some people think that because I don’t swallow the alarmists dogma hook, line, and sinker that somehow I want to destroy the planet. For me, it’s not an either/or. I try to do my share; we all could do more. I just refuse to be scared or bullied into it.
About the evenings: I’ve started walking again in the evening (That’s another way I do my share: by walking to places like Barnes & Noble rather than driving – it’s a couple of miles, but every little bit helps. But I digress …). Like you, I’ve noticed a certain mugginess. The question I have is this: Is this a downward trend, or merely a cyclical one? Major meteorological patterns (like El Nino and El Nina) can take years to play out. If global warming reverses itself (don’t forget the predictions of global cooling in the early 1970’s), will it be the result of our own efforts or a pattern that’s beyond our control?
(cont’d)
We mortals can sometimes get carried away with our own self-importance as far as our control over the natural elements. I’m reminded of two humorous examples:
1) I once heard a quote about a Chanteclair rooster who had a similar problem discerning cause and effect. It goes something like this:
“I take pride in myself, all rosy red, knowing that it is I that makes the sun to rise.”
2) In his standup routine about the exploring the Seven Lost Cities of the Incas, Bob Newhart recounts that his party’s arrival conincided with a total eclipse of the sun. “The natives begged us to return the sun to their sky … which, of course, we did.”
These two silly examples illustrate a larger point: We may try to affect global change, and it may give us a certain civic pride to do so, but we need to remember that our ability to alter major climate patterns is probably as poor as our ability to predict them. Once again, I cite the quotes of Ehrlich and Watts from the late ’60’s/early ’70’s which seemed equally as believable at the time as the global warming alarmists do today.
Bottom line: By all means, do what you can, but bear in mind that we may all just survive in spite of ourselves.
Well as long as we’re firing off talking points:
There’s never been a single peer reviewed study to disprove the effects of greenhouse gasses on our atmosphere.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A terrapass for a car like yours and mine is about $30 a year.
It offsets enough emmissions we could probably split one. That funds wind energy and other clean sources. (Solar, Hydro)
For the sake of the discussion, lets say It may be a cyclical, but we can see a cause. The math checks out. We should err on the side of caution. We are a very industrialized nation. With that great power comes great responsibility.
I know its fun to disagree with global warming science, but think about the damage to God’s planet. Why would you want to be more loyal to a corporation than God? For political reasons? I hope not.
I’m an atheist but I still feel more respect for the planet than a corporation, which is just a group of people with more rights than us.
Well as long as we’re firing off talking points:
Personally, I thought my comments were a little more original than pre-packaged talking points. I’ve never heard anyone else integrate the Chanteclair rooster and Bob Newhart stories into a discussion on global warming.
There’s never been a single peer reviewed study to disprove the effects of greenhouse gasses on our atmosphere.
I don’t have the time right now to dispute your assertion, but what I do know is that scientific knowledge is constantly evolving (Hm, maybe this comment belongs on celtictexan’s thread above.) I’d be willing to guess that in 1970, when the conventional wisdom was that pollution was cooling the earth, there were no peer reviewed studies to dispute that position either. I happen to believe that the ecosystem is more resilient than you do, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious (see my comments below).
A terrapass for a car like yours and mine is about $30 a year.
It offsets enough emmissions we could probably split one. That funds wind energy and other clean sources. (Solar, Hydro)
Sounds interesting. I’m still a little confused on the concept, though. Is it a card that one buys, and the proceeds go toward the development of clean energy?
For the sake of the discussion, lets say It may be a cyclical, but we can see a cause.
What was the cause of the global warming that brought us out of the last Ice Age?
We should err on the side of caution.
Perhaps you’re right. I’m more inclined to be environmentally responsible for this reason than in response to a lot of alarmist rhetoric.
I’m an atheist but I still feel more respect for the planet than a corporation, which is just a group of people with more rights than us.
I’m a Christian, and as such, I’m motivated to protect the planet because it’s been entrusted to us by God, and to not do so is poor stewardship. I often wish more Christians felt the same way I do.
What corporation (or corporations) are you specifically referring to, or is this just another sweeping generalization like your comment about studies on greenhouse gases? Does one have to hate corporations in order to respect the environment?
–For the sake of the discussion, lets say It may be a cyclical, but we can see a cause.–
–What was the cause of the global warming that brought us out of the last Ice Age?–
I told you that already, the liberal cavemen started to bury their compost and sewer. ROTHFLMAO
What was the cause of the global warming that brought us out of the last Ice Age?
The chemical makeup of the atmosphere is thought to have changed. As life began on Earth we had mostly methane, now it mostly nirogen. We’re talking about millions of years as Pangea has slowly changed shape into slowly changing land forms we know today. Truthfully, I don’t know what caused that change in temperature.
What corporation (or corporations) are you specifically referring to, or is this just another sweeping generalization like your comment about studies on greenhouse gases?
Dow/DuPont and that isn’t a generalization. Its a fact. No peer-reviewed study has come close to disproving the chemical reaction that takes place on a very grand scale when greenhouse gasses damage the atmosphere. You don’t have to hate corporations, but I think you and I should have the same or more rights than a corporation that doesn’t even pay taxes because of a tiny office in the Caymans.
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