|
Author
|
Topic: Maybe the sky isn't falling?
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted October 30, 2011 01:14 PM
Cult of Global Warming Is Losing Influence
A Commentary By Michael Barone
in Political CommentaryE-mail this ShareThis
Monday, October 24, 2011
Religious faith is a source of strength in many people's lives. But religious faith when taken too far can prove ludicrous -- or disastrous.
On Oct. 22, 1844, thousand of Millerites, having sold all their possessions, climbed to the top of hills in Upstate New York to await the return of Jesus and the end of the world. They suffered "the great disappointment" when it didn't happen.
In 1212, or so the legends go, thousands of Children's Crusaders set off from France and Germany expecting the sea to part so they could march peaceably and convert Muslims in the Holy Land. It didn't, and many were shipwrecked or sold into slavery.
In 1898, the cavalrymen of the Madhi, ruler of Sudan for 13 years, went into the Battle of Omdurman armed with swords, believing that they were impervious to bullets. They weren't, and they were mowed down by British Maxim guns.
A similar but more peaceable fate is befalling believers in what I think can be called the religion of the global warming alarmists.
They have an unshakeable faith that manmade carbon emissions will produce a hotter climate, causing multiple natural disasters. Their insistence that we can be absolutely certain this will come to pass is based not on science -- which is never fully settled, witness the recent experiments that may undermine Albert Einstein's theory of relativity -- but on something very much like religious faith.
All the trappings of religion are there. Original sin: Mankind is responsible for these prophesied disasters, especially those slobs who live on suburban cul-de-sacs and drive their SUVs to strip malls and tacky chain restaurants.
The need for atonement and repentance: We must impose a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system, which will increase the cost of everything and stunt economic growth.
Ritual, from the annual Earth Day to weekly recycling.
Indulgences, like those Martin Luther railed against: private jet-fliers like Al Gore and sitcom heiress Laurie David can buy carbon offsets to compensate for their carbon-emitting sins.
Corporate elitists, like General Electric's Jeff Immelt, profess to share this faith, just as cynical Venetian merchants and prim Victorian bankers gave lip service to the religious enthusiasms of their days. Bad for business not to. And if you're clever, you can figure out how to make money off it.
Believers in this religion have flocked to conferences in Rio de Janeiro, Kyoto and Copenhagen, just as Catholic bishops flocked to councils in Constance, Ferrara and Trent, to codify dogma and set new rules.
But like the Millerites, the global warming clergy has preached apocalyptic doom -- and is now facing an increasingly skeptical public. The idea that we can be so completely certain of climate change 70 to 90 years hence that we must inflict serious economic damage on ourselves in the meantime seems increasingly absurd.
If carbon emissions were the only thing affecting climate, the global-warming alarmists would be right. But it's obvious that climate is affected by many things, many not yet fully understood, and implausible that SUVs will affect it more than variations in the enormous energy produced by the sun.
Skepticism has been increased by the actions of believers. Passage of the House cap-and-trade bill in June 2009 focused politicians and voters on the costs of global-warming religion. And disclosure of the Climategate emails in November 2009 showed how the clerisy was willing to distort evidence and suppress dissenting views in the interest of propagation of the faith.
We have seen how the United Nations agency whose authority we are supposed to respect took an item from an environmental activist group predicting that the Himalayan glaciers would melt in 2350 and predicted that the melting would take place in 2035. No sensible society would stake its economic future on the word of folks capable of such an error.
In recent years, we have seen how negative to 2 percent growth hurts many, many people, as compared to what happens with 3 to 7 percent growth. So we're much less willing to adopt policies that will slow down growth not just for a few years but for the indefinite future.
Media, university and corporate elites still profess belief in global warming alarmism, but moves toward policies limiting carbon emissions have fizzled out, here and abroad. It looks like we'll dodge the fate of the Millerites, the children's crusaders and the Mahdi's cavalrymen.
Michael Barone, senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner (www.washingtonexaminer.com), is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Fox News Channel contributor and a co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.
COPYRIGHT 2011 THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32363 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
JD
HONORARY OKIE .... and Tim's at fault!
Member # 768
|
posted October 30, 2011 01:46 PM
Everytime this subject is brought up I find myself wanting to bitch slap that terrorist Al Gore.
--------------------
Jason
--------------------------------------
What do Obama & TA17Rem have in common........both are clueless asshats!!!
Posts: 1456 | From: NE. | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
|
posted October 30, 2011 04:51 PM
I see that they got a few inches of global warming, back east, last night. ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
--------------------
And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 8231 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
|
posted October 30, 2011 09:21 PM
What I think, rather than this crap from Al Gore about "settled science" is that if they are so damned sure about the earth warming and humans being the cause, then why do they fiddle with the data?
There is no question that they bully doubters. There is no doubt whatsoever, that they exaggerate their computer projections. Maybe because the public wouldn't get as excited over a tenth of a degree and the ocean dropping a half inch?
Like the above article claims, it's almost like a damned religion! When you are a "true believer" you really don't need actual proof.
If it turns out that it is serious and humans are the cause.....is there anything puny humans can do to reverse the trend? Short of moving to another planet? That's the problem. They would be perfectly happy if humans would die off so the earth and all God's creatures could live happy ever after, without evil humans messing everything up.
They really don't have any practical solutions. Carbon credits and other BS. Nothing besides ivory tower solutions.
gh....lb
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32363 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
JD
HONORARY OKIE .... and Tim's at fault!
Member # 768
|
posted October 30, 2011 09:40 PM
The answer is easy LB, you pay Al Dork for your carbon credits and magically it will all be fine while all us subjects are stuck heating our houses with farts and candles aldork will be heating his mansion by burning $100 bills in one of his fireplaces. The man and all his minions are without a doubt the biggest criminals on the face of the earth, at least Madoff cheated people the old fashioned way these fucks want to make it a law that we MUST pay for our sins.....with 100 dollar bills of course. I say we pollute the earth with the ashes of all these lying pukes.
--------------------
Jason
--------------------------------------
What do Obama & TA17Rem have in common........both are clueless asshats!!!
Posts: 1456 | From: NE. | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
|
posted October 31, 2011 04:05 AM
Somebody 'splain this 'Carbon Credit' thing to me, please. The way that I understand it is that I'm supposed to feel all kinds of guilt & angst over driving a pick-up rather than a 'Hybred' so I buy 'carbon credits' to like myself again???
Who gets the $$$ ??
What do they do with my $$$ ??
Here's an off the wall thought; Wouldn't a gay or lesbo couple have a smaller 'carbon footprint' due to the fact that they aren't likely to produce children?? And of course, should be rewarded by our government for doing so much for Mother Earth. ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
--------------------
And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 8231 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
JD
HONORARY OKIE .... and Tim's at fault!
Member # 768
|
posted October 31, 2011 03:35 PM
quote:
Somebody 'splain this 'Carbon Credit' thing to me,
Aldork uses the law to steal your money and spends it on cocaine and whores.....he's a rich crook on crack with herpes and you're dead ass broke, but at least you'll be able to sleep well at night in your new cardboard box/house knowing that you helped save the planet.
--------------------
Jason
--------------------------------------
What do Obama & TA17Rem have in common........both are clueless asshats!!!
Posts: 1456 | From: NE. | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
