The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

MIT vs Harvard?

How often do Harvard scientist do this?



I found it a bit perplexing that the participants in the Harvard press conference had come to the conclusion that global warming was impacting hurricane activity today. To my knowledge, none of the participants in that press conference had performed any research on hurricane variability, nor were they reporting on any new work in the field....Dr. Landsea; IPCC

[wendybeth]

Any scientist with a political agenda that influences his/her findings on a particular subject regardless of data indicating otherwise is in the wrong, and in the wrong business. I apply that to scientists on both sides of the issue. As laypeople, we depend on their expertise to help us determine our own stand on issues. When the information is tainted by politics and business interests it becomes worthless. Hell, worse than worthless- it's dangerous. Galileo, Copernicus, Tycho, etc all had to deal with people willing to go to great lengths to supress or distort their findings and it is sad to see such shenanigans continuing on to present day. I would never and will never knowingly support behavior, so I am very cautious with regards to studies and such.

[Stan4dSteph]

FYI, there was an interesting documentary on HBO2 tonight: Too Hot Not To Handle. It's playing on HBO2 West at 10 PM CA time.

One of the people on it, Stephen Schneider, is at Stanford and I took a global climate modeling class from him. I loved his statement toward the end comparing the politicians asking for the detailed how much and when on global warming to a patient being advised by his doctor that he should lower his cholesterol and exercise due to heart disease responding with "well tell me when and how bad the heart attack will be and I'll deal with it then."

The doc. details what effects global warming are having and will likely have on the US, and also what can be done to help slow the progress of warming.

[wendybeth]

I'm gonna try and catch that tonight, Steph- ty!

Okay, in keeping with the randomness of the thread, here's a fun little nugget from CNN: WMD intell dismissed early on.


""It just sticks in my craw every time I hear them say it's an intelligence failure," Drumheller told CBS' Ed Bradley. "This was a policy failure. I think, over time, people will look back on this and see this is going to be one of the great, I think, policy mistakes of all time."



Don't bother us with WMD intelligence- we're all about regime change now!

[sleepyjeff]

Fossill Fuells warming up the planet?

Nuclear energy just too scary?

How about Wind Power?

Oh wait; enviromentalist, who have been calling for wind power now for some 40 odd years are starting to see those turbines may actually one day work. New designs are making it possible that one giant turbine can turn out more energy than 30 smaller 1970s desgins.

Can't have that.....might be good for those Evil American corporations...must find good reason to abandon wind as an alternative.

Senator Kennedy(one of the key proponets of the Kyoto treaty) decided that wind power may harm waterfowl and so should not be placed anywhere where it might obstruct his nice view


My family has a long history on Cape Cod. After growing up and raising my children here, I understand the enormous national treasure we have in the Cape. We have an obligation to preserve it for future generations, which requires us to know the impact of our decisions on the landscape, seascape, and environment."
~Senator Kennedy, 2003 regarding a proposed wind farm to be placed off the shore of Cape Cod

"Mr. Kennedy is not against windmill power per se but he is opposed to those projects in his immediate view and would be offended to see and smell the rotting corpses of waterfowl washing up on the beaches of Cape Cod. He would much prefer that these bird blenders be situated elsewhere, such as in your backyard."~New Republics Dan Evans

Once again the arrogance of the elite left baffles me Does Kennedy honestly think none of us have nice views we would rather not see destroyed by immense wind turbines or does he just not care?

[wendybeth]

Sen. Kennedy hardly has a monopoly on elitism. Maybe it's just less forgivable when it comes from someone purportedly on the side of the less fortunate? Or is it that a lefty who can afford to be elitist is so rare these days?

[sleepyjeff]

^^heh, heh....lol.

Well put.

[Stan4dSteph]

Please keep buying wind power; it helps pay my bills.

http://www.ecomagination.com

[sleepyjeff]

^I can't get over that guys tie..........couldn't concentrate on anything he was saying as tie was very distracting

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I'm sure that all the scientists spouting hysteria over impossible scenarios have nothing to do with the Sierra Club or Al Gore,

Except that I doubt that Gore has the thousands of scientists that are in agreement about global warming on his payroll.

Originally Posted by scaeagles

and that intimidation of those with data that suggests other than panic scenarios really aren't pressured to withhold data.

Speaking of withholding data...

In a statement issued February 18, more than 60 highly respected American scientists, including 20 Nobel Prize winners, blasted the Bush administration for suppressing and manipulating scientific evidence in order to promote a predetermined agenda.

The report first looks at last June’s well-publicized White House efforts to redraft sections of the EPA’s Report on the Environment dealing with global warming. Major amendments demanded included the deletion of a 1,000-year temperature chart and its replacement with, according to an internal EPA memo, “a recent, limited analysis [that] supports the administration’s favored message”; the deletion of any reference to a recent National Academy of Sciences report—one ordered by the Bush White House itself—that confirmed the role of human activity in climate change; and the elimination of a scientifically inarguable summary statement that “climate change has global consequences for human health and the environment.”

Rather than accede to these and other White House demands, EPA officials opted to delete the entire section on climate change from their report, prompting a storm of protest. EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman resigned soon thereafter. Having pulled out of the Kyoto treaty on global warming as one of its first actions upon taking office, the Bush administration still refuses to adopt meaningful regulations that would require American manufacturers to reduce emissions of “greenhouse” gases.