Monkeys should come a lot cheaper than scientists; you may be on to something there.
After stating that the glaciologists, who should know something about their trade, would disagree to a man with Santorum, who knows how to stir up the New Right, I got the message that I probably have as little handle on Real science (the science of Rush and Glenn??) as classical Greek javelin throwers, am being bamboozled by a vast conspiracy by junk-scientists to hoax all of us, and need to come up with the common sense that produces clear thinking (re. Rush, Glenn, etc,). And that's fine; my feeling is that friends ought to be able to abuse each other about their wacky politics. It does mystify me that conservatives of my youth were worried about the environment at a time when the Democrats weren't at all interested, whereas today's "conservatives" are knee-jerk anti-environmentals, automatically opposing any ideas coming from the greenies. That's understandable (if dumb), since the greenies are mostly Leftists, but when the Right shouts down mainstream science, starting with the plain fact of evolution, and currently on the gathering evidence of global warming, ideology has been substituted for your common sense and clear thought.
Over and over, the environmentalists propose some idea that Might have some ameliorative effect on accumulating greenhouse gases . . . AND would also have an effect on energy independence and other matters that the Right agrees are practical. And every time, the Right comes up with the same knee-jerk response; "Wind-power! That'll never make us energy inependent! Sun-power! That'll never do!", and end up at "drill, baby, drill".
Well any racer should know the answer to that: the Hundred Pound Rule of Motor Racing--"There's no place you can take a hundred pounds out of the car/boat/whatever; but there might be one hundred places you can take out one pound". To solve any of these promlems we need to work in increments. The old conservationists would have got this immediately. But giving an inch to one's political foes, giving them any credit for any idea at all, is not part of the New Right's operation (well, unless you find that you can turn a dollar on it
).
Actually (since I believe in giving credit where due), that has altered slightly. Some of the evangelical leaders, of all people, after many years of knee-jerk opposition to environmentalism (and reading exciting "last days" pot-boilers!), have come around to the idea that it might be smart to inconvenience ourselves somewhat, and even spend money, to practice a bit of environmental hygiene. Oh, well, maybe they have finally fallen for the hoaxers.
The Russians have as well, but they expect to benefit from global warming. Not only will Siberia thaw out, but the Russians will realize a centuries-long wish that ten thousand miles of northern coastline will become accessible and navigable.
Finally (after which I'm done), an idea: get your global warming skeptics to each donate a grand to the Santorum campaign, with the proviso that he pull strings and arrange for you a visit to the Pentagon. There you can explain to the admirals and generals how they are being taken in by the scientific scammers, and need to start applying common sense and clear thought. If the admirals feel they have time, they might show you their recently declassified aerial photos, taken over the North Slope and Brooks Range in Alaska by a hired twin-Beech during WW2. They will point out that botanists have studied these photos and compared the nature of the ground cover then and now, and pointed out how multiple species of formerly sub-arctic plant life have taken over there.
Or they might just laugh you out of the building, having themselves been thoroughly brainwashed by the botanists.
It's been fun
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