As the three regular readers of this incredibly intermittent blog know, I am fascinated by global warming.  I am especially fascinated by the so-called anthropogenic global warming.  In brief, my position is that, yes, we should not pollute, and that all the stuff we are pumping into the environment is really bad and should, in the spirit of mankind's role as stewards of the environment, be stopped as fast as technology can get us there without causing absolute economic devestation.

 

HOWEVER.

 

I do not believe that the variances in temperature of the past couple of decades can be fully explained - or even in significant part explained - by the anthropogenic theory.  I've added plenty of interesting links in past posts and will not repeat them here.  What I will repeat is that I find the disingenuous methods of social and scientific manipulation that are becoming quite mainstream reprehensible, especially when justified as an ends to a worthwhile means as opposed to out of ignorance.  Lying to the people to get them to act like good little sheep is a very slippery slope, folks, and you won't like where it ends.

 

 

I'd first like to point out this little history lesson of temperature changes in the Antarctic in eons past.  It speaks for itself.

 

Next, check out this recent census of polar bears.  Apparently, they are enjoying somewhat of a population boom at the moment.  What the enviromentalists meant to say was that they might become extinct if, you know, global warming works exactly as they project it will.

 

Finally, check out the state of Arctic sea ice.   Apparently, it is growing back. It is interesting to check out this comparison of Arctic ice in 1979 and today.  Remember that NASA scientists have publicly stated that a significant percentage of sea ice loss can be attributed to changing wind patterns.  The money quote:  'Nghiem said the rapid decline in winter perennial ice the past two years was caused by unusual winds. "Unusual atmospheric conditions set up wind patterns that compressed the sea ice, loaded it into the Transpolar Drift Stream and then sped its flow out of the Arctic," he said. When that sea ice reached lower latitudes, it rapidly melted in the warmer waters.  "The winds causing this trend in ice reduction were set up by an unusual pattern of atmospheric pressure that began at the beginning of this century," Nghiem said. '

 

 Also remember that Anarctic ice is at record levels.  If anthropogenic global warming explains everything, does it make sense that one pole thickens while another thins, especially when the reason for the thinning can be attributed to changing wind patterns?

 

Again, guys, I want to help.  I think that pollution is bad and needs to be checked.  But we can't even predict the weather with any meaningful accuracy.  Why do scientists think that we understand how our climate works in the bigger global picture?  Stop making wild guesses and presenting them to the public as fact!

 

Look, climatologists:  most right-thinking people want to reduce mankind's global footprint as a common-sense measure.  But when you lie over and over again, you eventually burn all of your political capital.  In other words, you are very soon going to be in the position of crying wolf for real, and nobody will listen. 

 

 

 

So I was wrong about John Edwards getting the Democrat nod, but that's OK - not many people really saw Obama coming.  I am very happy that McCain is likely to be the Republican candidate.  I maybe liked Fred Thompson a little better, but McCain was a strong #2.  I just, you know, have a few reservations about his sanity.  Other than that, we're good!

 

Seriously, I think that McCain is an excellent nominee, the first that the Republicans have had since Bob Dole.  I intend to write later about why I believe he is the best candidate out there.  I will say for the moment that he would be smart to pick Huckabee as his VP what with the evangelical and conservative in-reach it would afford, not to mention stemming the disquiet among the hard-core conservative fringe.

 

For now my interest is on Hillary and Obama.  My prediction:  Obama will take the delegate count, but Hillary will win the nomination with a classic Clintonian back-room arm-twisting extravaganza of the superdelegates.  The win will make the public scream, the Democrats will outlaw the process within the party, and Obama will, with a great deal of dignity, spurn her rapproachment offer of the VP slot.  Howard Dean, he of the Iowan scream, has already stated that he will not let this happen for the good of the party.  But I think that he is merely one more toadstool that Billary will crush under their feet like so many Vince Fosters.

 

I'm in the weird position of rooting for Hillary to win.  I despise the woman and every lying, pandering, socialist, condescending, disingenuous word word that comes out of her mouth.  On the plus side, Hillary Clinton has the charisma of a stool sample.  Put her in the debates against McCain and, despite the fact that the Clinton's will try and make the debate be about the Bush presidency, which 80% of America is fed up with, he will win.  I hope to God.  (Aside:  has anyone noticed how Hillary is trying to paint Obama as the "establishment" candidate now?  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  Clintonian politics at their best!)

 

Obama is much, much tougher.  He is the new kid who is intelligent, articulate, handsome, energetic, and very charismatic.  The fact that his entire platform consists of "change" hasn't seemed to slow him down yet.  McCain should be able to out-debate him, but much like Kennedy in his debate with Nixon, he will shine with the whole 'standard-bearer for the new age' thing, and McCain will look like one more angry old relic of times past.  Even though he is nothing of the sort.

 

So - for the first and last time - Go, Hillary, Go!

So Mr. Heins has definately invented something interesting.  It is perhaps genre-changing for electric motors and some few - who will undoubtedly be disproven with time - are claiming that it is a perpetual motion machine.  Congratulations to him for, apparently, making something interesting despite a string of family problems.

Great God Almighty.  I finally meet the man I want to be and he's already dead.  Rest In Peace, Charles Fawcett.  You've lived the life all of us Walter Mittys can only dream about.