http://www.humanevents.com/
Posted 02/18/2009 ET
What a strange week. First, we saw what just might be an official transformation of the institution of science into a bordello, as its constituent members cheered on proven nonsense about “global warming.” Then the American Association for the Advancement of Science applauded alarmist-in-chief Al “there is no debate” Gore for admitting to them that this non-existent debate needs their help. Topping it all off was former president Bill Clinton, refusing to be outdone, expressing concern that we might actually come back from our economic woes, which would only cause global warming.
As the news reports came in last weekend, I was embarrassed for the lab-coat set, manifesting how they have completely sold out in the name of a taxpayer-funded gravy train. Reporters told us of their feverish approval at being told that, when it comes to their own personal bailout -- catastrophic man-made global warming theory -- things are even worse than we thought. Whether that’s “again” or “still” wasn’t clear, but this lecture by an otherwise respected scientist prompted headlines like this from Reuters: “Global warming seen worse than predicted.”
What did this mean, with the world cooling over more in the past decade while more and more of the (marginal) greenhouse gas carbon dioxide was released?
Turns out that, given such inconvenient observations, it meant “global warming” no longer really has anything to do with temperature. You can prove global warming instead by pointing to emissions from energy use (a proxy for population and economic activity). In slightly confused fashion, the alarmists have cut out the middleman, and energy use is now formally the demon.
The global warming campaign now goes a little something like this:
“The earth’s warming.”
“Well, no, actually it’s not anymore; that only lasted two decades.”
“But emissions are up!”
“Uh… But it’s cooling.”
“Why, it’s even worse than we thought!”
At this point, Lou Costello shouts, “Third Base!”
The audience for this strange turn of events was a meeting of (seriously) the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, in (of course) San Francisco. Just to leave no doubt about their endorsement of moonbattery, AAAS also hosted Al Gore to spout the most amazing anti-scientific bilge and, instead of challenging it, issued a press release touting the claims.
Apparently, the now more than $7 billion being poured this year into various Big Science, Big Academia and rent-seeking industry coffers is just too much confiscated taxpayer wealth to resist. Our educated class roared in support of Al Gore rehashing the same Inconvenient Truth logic that was thrown out of court in the UK -- something severe happened somewhere on the planet several times in recent years, which just proves global warming.
Now, Al Gore making things up is not newsworthy, even if his tales continue to be reported as reality. What was notable was how Gore was so obviously frustrated that the recent $300 million infusion given him by George Soros and …well, Gore’s not saying… to re-brand global warming as “the climate crisis” isn’t working. He also admonished the apparently too-passive global warming establishment, “Keep your day jobs, but get involved in the debate.”
Debate? It’s satisfying to see Gore edging closer to this planet we call Earth.
If he keeps this up, he might pass his former partner, Bill Clinton, who is headed out into the Gore-zone. Clinton apparently feels he did not garner sufficient attention with his call last year that “[w]e just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ‘cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.”
Simply declaring victory on that economy part and, er, “moving on” wasn’t an option. Now, despite our having slowed down the economy as he demanded, the State Department’s newest roving ambassador of whatever relations told the “Today” show on Monday of his fears that the economy will in fact recover, and, as a result, “the climate will crater and we won’t be able to preserve civilization.”
If talk of “climate cratering” is confusing and spending vastly more on “climate”-related research than, say, AIDS seems a bit disproportionate to you, remember, there are signs that things really are serious. After all, given that the House had to rush through a vote on a bill no one had read because Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to be on time for her flight to Rome, it seems that even she has now taken to flying commercial. But did she buy a carbon-offset to compensate the globe for her trip?
Mr. Horner is author of "Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud, and Deception to Keep You Misinformed."
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