By D.T. Holt
Ah yes, the question of the age: is Global Warming real and if so, have human activities contributed to it? Well, before we start talking about it, we should probably call it Climate Change, which is the term preferred by the National Academy of Sciences. Also, let me say that I am not a scientist and my knowledge of this subject falls in the range of a very casually interested observer, which is a polite way of saying that I know next to nothing about Climate Change or Global Warming. You’ve probably already guessed it but, full disclosure, my fellow blogger John Bertosa is also not a scientist. Although I do know that he is ridiculously smart, I won’t speculate about his expertise in this specific subject. Because my knowledge in this area is limited, I think my best approach to rebutting John’s argument is to look into some of the claims he makes in his post.
The first point that caught my eye was the assertion that scientists have been pressured to sign on to the prevailing theories of man’s culpability for Global Warming. Interestingly, when I searched for information relating to this claim, I found a lot of accusations that scientists were pressured to skew their findings on Climate Change to support the Bush Administration’s skepticism on the subject. According to a Reuters news article dated January 31, 2007, a survey by Union of Concerned Citizens “found that 150 climate scientists personally experienced political interference in the past five years, for a total of at least 435 incidents.” I did not find a reference to the Congressional testimony that John refers to in his piece, which only proves that I was unable to find the reference, and is not indicative of whether or not it exists. It is, however, important to note that accusations of political pressure can be found on both sides of the issue and the mere existence of these accusations does not, in and of itself, give them credence.
I also had difficulty finding a source for the idea that global temperatures have been cooling since 1998. What I did find was a report by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies which states that “the highest global surface temperature in more than a century of instrumental data was recorded in the 2005 calendar year.” It also points out that the margin for error makes it a virtual tie with 1998, which was the previous warmest year. This doesn’t seem to support the idea that the earth has been getting cooler since 1998. Even if the global surface temperature had lowered in every year of the last decade, my understanding of Global Warming in particular and Climate Change in general is that scientists are looking at trends over much longer periods of time than ten years. While the temperature could easily have fluctuated up or down in recent years, that does change the fact that over significant time, the global surface temperature is trending up.
Finally, I would like to look at John’s opinion that the liberal position on Climate Change is similar to our supposed religious stance that “humans are in control, not some superior being.” As I’ve said before, I don’t believe that there is such a thing as an all encompassing liberal position, but I can say that those of us who do not believe in a superior being most certainly do not believe that “humans are in control.” The Theory of Evolution revolves around the idea of natural selection. To put it simply no one is in charge of the earth, nature takes its own random path. In his comparison, John misrepresents the liberal viewpoint on Climate Change, stating “global warming follows the same argument -- the belief that humanity is in control of nature, that we can constantly have mild weather if we only tried.” I don’t believe that anyone, liberal or conservative, is seriously saying that Climate Change is an entirely man made phenomenon. The prevailing theory is that man has contributed to and possibly hastened Climate Change, not that he is entirely responsible for it.
I agree with John’s viewpoint that there are natural cycles to the earth and it only makes sense that at least some of the Climate Change we are seeing is a natural occurrence. Human beings have only occupied the earth for a fraction of the planet’s existence and it is arrogant to think that we could be entirely responsible for its survival or demise. Joe Biden’s comment that Global Warming is “man made” is a ridiculous oversimplification of an extremely complex subject. Sadly, this sort of thing has become the standard level of political debate for both major parties during an election year. However, the wealth of evidence that man has contributed to Climate Change coupled with a myriad of other negative consequences of pollution makes the lowering of Green House Gas emissions and an overall heightened concern for the preservation of our natural resources our responsibility as citizens of this planet that we neither control nor own.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Green Scare
By John Bertosa
One of the lowest points of the Republican Party's history was McCarthyism in the 1950s in which the fear over communism led to extreme acation and intolerance to opposing viewpoints.
It also led to some government leaders using this concern and fear for their own personal gain.
Now, it was this selfishness, intolerance and extreme actions that were wrong, not the fight against communism. The fall of the Soviet Union and the subsequent opening of its records did confirm that they were seeking to insidiously influence American Society by using sympathetic Americans. But, that did not exscuse the motives and actions some took to combat this.
And now, liberals and their Democratic Party have their brand of McCarthyism -- Global Warming.
Testimony before Congress has come out in the past two years (as temperatures cool down both physically and emotionally) that scientists are being pressured to sign onto the theory that global warming is man-made or else not receive funding for their endeavors. Those in the general public are ridiculed as being ignorant just as those who questioned McCarthy were considered sympathizers.
Those who defend the scientific theories that global warming is man-made first wrongly treat these theories as fact and they wrongly treat these scientists as unquestionable. A person's career, no matter how noble, can never overcome the frailties inherent in humanity. Otherwise priests and police officers could never do any wrong.
Fortunately for the saner observers, claims by Nobel Prize-winning Al Gore and his followers are starting to be shown to be laughable. Global temperatures have been cooling since 1998, not rising. Better examinations of cores taken from glaciers show that earth went through several similar warming periods in the past 1000 years. Also, none of the computer models being used as the basis for global warming predicted such a cold year for 2008.
Now, when religion is debated, liberals always seek to take the point that emphasizes humans are in control not some superior being. And the issue of global warming follows the same argument -- the belief that humanity is in control of nature, that we can constantly have mild weather if we only tried.
They ignore the natural cycles of our earth. Just as a clock rotates for an hour which leads to the turning of a day which leads to a week which leads to a month and so on for a year,the same goes for other parts of nature. Except for San Diego, the world has seasons throughout the year, every year, so why shouldn't we expect the earth to have greater rotations that span centuries or even millenia.
So why ignore this? Why not let people like Joe Biden who responded during the vice president debate with the ultra-simplistic "It's man-made, it's man-made, it's man-made" have their way?Because their solutions to lower air pollution puts a financial burden on industries and that can and will mean job cuts to compensate. And as the current national financial situation shows, it's not worth tampering with for a climate situation that will swing back within decades, if it hasn't already done so.
So, be aware that the earth's climate is changing, but also be aware of the damage done by hysteria and be aware of those who try to prosper politically by it.
One of the lowest points of the Republican Party's history was McCarthyism in the 1950s in which the fear over communism led to extreme acation and intolerance to opposing viewpoints.
It also led to some government leaders using this concern and fear for their own personal gain.
Now, it was this selfishness, intolerance and extreme actions that were wrong, not the fight against communism. The fall of the Soviet Union and the subsequent opening of its records did confirm that they were seeking to insidiously influence American Society by using sympathetic Americans. But, that did not exscuse the motives and actions some took to combat this.
And now, liberals and their Democratic Party have their brand of McCarthyism -- Global Warming.
Testimony before Congress has come out in the past two years (as temperatures cool down both physically and emotionally) that scientists are being pressured to sign onto the theory that global warming is man-made or else not receive funding for their endeavors. Those in the general public are ridiculed as being ignorant just as those who questioned McCarthy were considered sympathizers.
Those who defend the scientific theories that global warming is man-made first wrongly treat these theories as fact and they wrongly treat these scientists as unquestionable. A person's career, no matter how noble, can never overcome the frailties inherent in humanity. Otherwise priests and police officers could never do any wrong.
Fortunately for the saner observers, claims by Nobel Prize-winning Al Gore and his followers are starting to be shown to be laughable. Global temperatures have been cooling since 1998, not rising. Better examinations of cores taken from glaciers show that earth went through several similar warming periods in the past 1000 years. Also, none of the computer models being used as the basis for global warming predicted such a cold year for 2008.
Now, when religion is debated, liberals always seek to take the point that emphasizes humans are in control not some superior being. And the issue of global warming follows the same argument -- the belief that humanity is in control of nature, that we can constantly have mild weather if we only tried.
They ignore the natural cycles of our earth. Just as a clock rotates for an hour which leads to the turning of a day which leads to a week which leads to a month and so on for a year,the same goes for other parts of nature. Except for San Diego, the world has seasons throughout the year, every year, so why shouldn't we expect the earth to have greater rotations that span centuries or even millenia.
So why ignore this? Why not let people like Joe Biden who responded during the vice president debate with the ultra-simplistic "It's man-made, it's man-made, it's man-made" have their way?Because their solutions to lower air pollution puts a financial burden on industries and that can and will mean job cuts to compensate. And as the current national financial situation shows, it's not worth tampering with for a climate situation that will swing back within decades, if it hasn't already done so.
So, be aware that the earth's climate is changing, but also be aware of the damage done by hysteria and be aware of those who try to prosper politically by it.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Goal-setting
By John Bertosa
I know resolutions have become a little overdone for the New Year but not for me. I am a big goal-setter so I've got New Year's resolutions, Half-Year resolutions (for July 1 through the end of the year) and then the pre-New Year's resolutions (from the end of October on) that get me lined up for next year's New Year's resolutions.
In fact one of last year's resolutions was to be more knowledgeable of what was going on in politics so when Dan approached me with this blog idea I happily said yes and crossed it off my To Do list.
So, here are some of my resolutions I hope to accomplish in the coming new year:
JANUARY: I really need to build up my stomach muscles so I don't vomit too much over the fawning coverage of Obama's inauguration. Perhaps a daily dose of hot pepper juice and raw octopus will get me ready.
FEBRUARY: Convince Dan that he should name his child Sarah Palin Holt.
MARCH: Umm, really no resolutions for March. Such a boring month, the only thing really to do is to hear about Spring Training baseball and look forward to summer.
APRIL: Write letters to all Democratic congressmen on the 15th daring them to raise taxes (y'know just on the rich, or is the phrase now "super rich"?)
MAY: Run Cleveland Marathon
JUNE: Try to walk from couch to kitchen.
JULY: Make out a 24-month to do list in preparation for my 40th birthday.
AUGUST: Try to avoid TV at all costs as one of the traditional hottest months of the year will generate plenty of Global Warming cries from people who weren't able to shout it during this cold winter.
SEPTEMBER: Mark one-year anniversary of Subject to Debate and my attempts to enlighten Patriotic and Open-Minded Liberals.
OCTOBER: For Halloween, buy prison uniform and masks of either Hillary, Richardson or Rahm.
NOVEMBER: I need to hone my personal coping skills. After a year of enforced personal savings due to the recession, people will be ready to start spending again on the holidays and we will hear all about the Great Obama instead of realizing the U.S. economy is a very complicated machine relying on millions of vital factors. Perhaps if I shout out "Serenity Now!" one thousand times that will do the trick.
DECEMBER: Make a list of all my non-Christian acquiantences and the go out and wish each of them a "Happy Friday" on Dec. 25.
See you all next year!
I know resolutions have become a little overdone for the New Year but not for me. I am a big goal-setter so I've got New Year's resolutions, Half-Year resolutions (for July 1 through the end of the year) and then the pre-New Year's resolutions (from the end of October on) that get me lined up for next year's New Year's resolutions.
In fact one of last year's resolutions was to be more knowledgeable of what was going on in politics so when Dan approached me with this blog idea I happily said yes and crossed it off my To Do list.
So, here are some of my resolutions I hope to accomplish in the coming new year:
JANUARY: I really need to build up my stomach muscles so I don't vomit too much over the fawning coverage of Obama's inauguration. Perhaps a daily dose of hot pepper juice and raw octopus will get me ready.
FEBRUARY: Convince Dan that he should name his child Sarah Palin Holt.
MARCH: Umm, really no resolutions for March. Such a boring month, the only thing really to do is to hear about Spring Training baseball and look forward to summer.
APRIL: Write letters to all Democratic congressmen on the 15th daring them to raise taxes (y'know just on the rich, or is the phrase now "super rich"?)
MAY: Run Cleveland Marathon
JUNE: Try to walk from couch to kitchen.
JULY: Make out a 24-month to do list in preparation for my 40th birthday.
AUGUST: Try to avoid TV at all costs as one of the traditional hottest months of the year will generate plenty of Global Warming cries from people who weren't able to shout it during this cold winter.
SEPTEMBER: Mark one-year anniversary of Subject to Debate and my attempts to enlighten Patriotic and Open-Minded Liberals.
OCTOBER: For Halloween, buy prison uniform and masks of either Hillary, Richardson or Rahm.
NOVEMBER: I need to hone my personal coping skills. After a year of enforced personal savings due to the recession, people will be ready to start spending again on the holidays and we will hear all about the Great Obama instead of realizing the U.S. economy is a very complicated machine relying on millions of vital factors. Perhaps if I shout out "Serenity Now!" one thousand times that will do the trick.
DECEMBER: Make a list of all my non-Christian acquiantences and the go out and wish each of them a "Happy Friday" on Dec. 25.
See you all next year!
A Moment For Change
By D.T. Holt
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to approach this final posting of the year. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, there’s no denying that this was quite a year for politics. It is equally true that the coming year has the potential for greater challenges and more change than most of us have ever experienced. So, what to do, 2008 in review or preview the coming year? After careful consideration I’ve decided to sort of do both and actually do neither. Instead, I would like to talk about the opportunity that this moment in American political history affords liberals and conservatives alike to work together to face the uncertainties our future holds.
There are those in the liberal camp who have had sharp criticism for many of President Elect Obama’s proposed cabinet appointments. As a card carrying liberal (okay, we don’t really carry cards but, you get the idea) I have been concerned about the moderate nature of most of his choices. Many conservatives have expressed displeasure about the number of Obama appointees who played a major role in the administration of President Bill Clinton. Amazingly, these feelings are echoed by the liberals. I realize that to many conservatives, Bill and Hillary represent the very pinnacle of liberalism in America but, those of us who actually are on the left know that the Clintons are card carrying moderates.
So what should we do with our concerns? Should we give voice to our criticism? Absolutely, however we should also give the new president the benefit of the doubt. He does not seem to be surrounding himself with “yes men” but instead is making his appointments based on the expertise and ability to challenge of those he has chosen. It is often said that a smart leader should surround himself with smart people who disagree with him and on some level, this seems to be President Elect Obama’s agenda. Whether we agree or disagree with his political viewpoint, Obama’s willingness to embrace reasoned debate should serve as the bar that we should all strive to reach in the coming year.
My point isn’t that we should all put our beliefs aside and rally around the president. Nor is it that liberals and conservatives should stop fighting and “just get along.” In a few weeks we will inaugurate a new president and swear in a new session of congress. Given the current economic and social climate, we can no longer afford to weigh the decisions of our political leaders based purely on conservative or liberal ideology. We owe it to ourselves to strive for a more inclusive form of political discourse. We should demand and accept nothing less than reasoned debate from our leaders, fact based, intelligent criticism from the press and informed, active participation from our fellow citizens.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to approach this final posting of the year. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, there’s no denying that this was quite a year for politics. It is equally true that the coming year has the potential for greater challenges and more change than most of us have ever experienced. So, what to do, 2008 in review or preview the coming year? After careful consideration I’ve decided to sort of do both and actually do neither. Instead, I would like to talk about the opportunity that this moment in American political history affords liberals and conservatives alike to work together to face the uncertainties our future holds.
There are those in the liberal camp who have had sharp criticism for many of President Elect Obama’s proposed cabinet appointments. As a card carrying liberal (okay, we don’t really carry cards but, you get the idea) I have been concerned about the moderate nature of most of his choices. Many conservatives have expressed displeasure about the number of Obama appointees who played a major role in the administration of President Bill Clinton. Amazingly, these feelings are echoed by the liberals. I realize that to many conservatives, Bill and Hillary represent the very pinnacle of liberalism in America but, those of us who actually are on the left know that the Clintons are card carrying moderates.
So what should we do with our concerns? Should we give voice to our criticism? Absolutely, however we should also give the new president the benefit of the doubt. He does not seem to be surrounding himself with “yes men” but instead is making his appointments based on the expertise and ability to challenge of those he has chosen. It is often said that a smart leader should surround himself with smart people who disagree with him and on some level, this seems to be President Elect Obama’s agenda. Whether we agree or disagree with his political viewpoint, Obama’s willingness to embrace reasoned debate should serve as the bar that we should all strive to reach in the coming year.
My point isn’t that we should all put our beliefs aside and rally around the president. Nor is it that liberals and conservatives should stop fighting and “just get along.” In a few weeks we will inaugurate a new president and swear in a new session of congress. Given the current economic and social climate, we can no longer afford to weigh the decisions of our political leaders based purely on conservative or liberal ideology. We owe it to ourselves to strive for a more inclusive form of political discourse. We should demand and accept nothing less than reasoned debate from our leaders, fact based, intelligent criticism from the press and informed, active participation from our fellow citizens.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Have A Happy Thursday!
It's the holiday season, what the hell are you doing trying to read about politics? We're taking the week off and will both be back next week with our final thoughts for the year. In the mean time, enjoy Christmas or Hanukah or Thursday or whatever it is you do or do not celebrate, but for Pete's sake,take a week off from politics!
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