We have all heard the battle cry of the “tree-hugging” left that there is “consensus among the scientific community that man-made global warming is real.”

Well I hate to rain on their parade…yet again…but scientific fact is not based on general agreement but in cold hard data.

While the anti-warming nuts were basking in the warm climates of Bali in recent weeks the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works produces that following report…I have to say it is well worth the read!

Here are a few highlights:

Meteorologist Art Horn “Carbon dioxide is a natural part of the air. Humans are adding some additional amounts but it is a very small part of the total, water vapor is by far the most significant greenhouse gas, five times more effective at retaining heat from the sun and 50 to 100 times more plentiful in our atmosphere.” And “In a free society an open debate on this important issue needs to take place, not the one sided drumbeat we get from the media”

Chemical engineer Robert W. Hahn “Water vapor and atmospheric methane account for most of the greenhouse effect, about 95 percent. Humans account for less than one-tenth of one percent of the greenhouse gases and about three percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If we stopped burning all fossils fuels, including natural gas, coal, wood, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and the like, it would have very little effect”

Australian Scientist Jonathan Lowe “If CO2 was the major cause of global warming then we would see no significant difference in rate of change of temperature anomalies, in other words, all temperatures should increase equally. If the sun was a major cause of global warming then we would see no or limited changes at night, an increase in the rate of change approaching the middle of the day, and then a decreasing rate of change of temperature anomalies when the sun starts to lose its daytime strength. So what do we find when looking at the data? The data points heavily towards sun induced global warming."

Chemical Engineer Dr. Tony Burns “No one questions the recent Antarctic ice cores from Dome Concordia, with ice up to 700,000 years old, which show increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration occurring about 1,000 years after global temperature rises, thus suggesting that high carbon dioxide levels are a result of global warming, not a cause.”



There are plenty more nuggets all with links to where they were published…and for you nuts out there…most of them are in peer reviewed journals so get over it!!

Seeing how I was out of the country in Italy last week I think that it would only be fair if I were to offer you a 2 for 1 deal. This week I will offer up 2 countries and I’d like to see if you can name 1.

The first country is a 9 out of 10 just due to its shape.

The second country is a 7 out of 10…just because!

Good Luck!!!

PS: in case you were wondering the country from 2 weeks ago was Kazakhstan!!

There are times I write what I think about an article and there are times like this…I don’t think I could say it better that this.

Article published Dec 19, 2007

Year of global cooling

December 19, 2007

By David Deming - Al Gore says global warming is a planetary emergency. It is difficult to see how this can be so when record low temperatures are being set all over the world. In 2007, hundreds of people died, not from global warming, but from cold weather hazards.

Since the mid-19th century, the mean global temperature has increased by 0.7 degrees Celsius. This slight warming is not unusual, and lies well within the range of natural variation. Carbon dioxide continues to build in the atmosphere, but the mean planetary temperature hasn't increased significantly for nearly nine years. Antarctica is getting colder. Neither the intensity nor the frequency of hurricanes has increased. The 2007 season was the third-quietest since 1966. In 2006 not a single hurricane made landfall in the U.S.

South America this year experienced one of its coldest winters in decades. In Buenos Aires, snow fell for the first time since the year 1918. Dozens of homeless people died from exposure. In Peru, 200 people died from the cold and thousands more became infected with respiratory diseases. Crops failed, livestock perished, and the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency.

Unexpected bitter cold swept the entire Southern Hemisphere in 2007. Johannesburg, South Africa, had the first significant snowfall in 26 years. Australia experienced the coldest June ever. In northeastern Australia, the city of Townsville underwent the longest period of continuously cold weather since 1941. In New Zealand, the weather turned so cold that vineyards were endangered.

Last January, $1.42 billion worth of California produce was lost to a devastating five-day freeze. Thousands of agricultural employees were thrown out of work. At the supermarket, citrus prices soared. In the wake of the freeze, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked President Bush to issue a disaster declaration for affected counties. A few months earlier, Mr. Schwarzenegger had enthusiastically signed the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a law designed to cool the climate. California Sen. Barbara Boxer continues to push for similar legislation in the U.S. Senate.

In April, a killing freeze destroyed 95 percent of South Carolina's peach crop, and 90 percent of North Carolina's apple harvest. At Charlotte, N.C., a record low temperature of 21 degrees Fahrenheit on April 8 was the coldest ever recorded for April, breaking a record set in 1923. On June 8, Denver recorded a new low of 31 degrees Fahrenheit. Denver's temperature records extend back to 1872.

Recent weeks have seen the return of unusually cold conditions to the Northern Hemisphere. On Dec. 7, St. Cloud, Minn., set a new record low of minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit. On the same date, record low temperatures were also recorded in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Extreme cold weather is occurring worldwide. On Dec. 4, in Seoul, Korea, the temperature was a record minus 5 degrees Celsius. Nov. 24, in Meacham, Ore., the minimum temperature was 12 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the previous record low set in 1952. The Canadian government warns that this winter is likely to be the coldest in 15 years.

Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri are just emerging from a destructive ice storm that left at least 36 people dead and a million without electric power. People worldwide are being reminded of what used to be common sense: Cold temperatures are inimical to human welfare and warm weather is beneficial. Left in the dark and cold, Oklahomans rushed out to buy electric generators powered by gasoline, not solar cells. No one seemed particularly concerned about the welfare of polar bears, penguins or walruses. Fossil fuels don't seem so awful when you're in the cold and dark.

If you think any of the preceding facts can falsify global warming, you're hopelessly naive. Nothing creates cognitive dissonance in the mind of a true believer. In 2005, a Canadian Greenpeace representative explained “global warming can mean colder, it can mean drier, it can mean wetter.” In other words, all weather variations are evidence for global warming. I can't make this stuff up.

Global warming has long since passed from scientific hypothesis to the realm of pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo. (emphasis is that of gopfolk’s and not the author of the commentary.)

David Deming is a geophysicist, an adjunct scholar with the National Center for Policy Analysis, and associate professor of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma.

Hello everyone!

Did you miss me?

Last week I was attending a worldwide audit meeting in Turin, Italy for the company I work for. It was a great time.

Once again we got to see that the “hatred” of Americans is far from the reality. While the dollar is weak against the euro right now we still managed to spend quite a bit of money in the area and loved every minute of it.

We had people from Italy, China, Poland, Brazil, Spain, and the US in attendance.

The hotel we stayed at had CNN and MSNBC Europe as well as BBC so I was able to stay in touch with some of the goings on in the states but the ‘big’ thing that was on every time the TV was on was the Bali conference and I kept seeing Algore’s face…talk about scary!!!

I will endeavor to spend some time blogging this week in hopes of getting everyone in the mood for the New Year and the upcoming Presidential elections. So stay tuned and I will try to make this a great ride!

Today Mitt Romney answered some of the questions that people have been wondering about him, his faith, and the Presidency.

You can find the entire speech here but I have selected a few excerpts I particularly thought were worth while.

EXCERPTS FROM:

Thursday, Dec 06, 2007
"Faith In America"
Remarks As Prepared For Delivery
The George Bush Presidential Library
College Station, Texas

"Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is theirs, within the province of church affairs, and it ends where the affairs of the nation begin.”

I think I can speak for anyone of any faith and say that is why we love America…their will be no Sharia Laws passed in this country!!

"When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your President, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."

Again I can’t say it any clearer…this is what I would expect from any elected official here in the States.

"Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree."

Try telling that to those who believe the nativity scenes and menorahs don’t belong in public places!!!

"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes President he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths."

I think this defines Romney the best. He is making sure that we understand that to determine his (or anyone else) fitness for office based on his religious views goes against everything this country stands for. He should not have to explain his religion to be president anymore than a person should be asked why they are married to their spouse! Although I think someone should really corner Hillary with this question…I can for the life of me understand that marriage!!!

"No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They are wrong."

AMEN to that!!!

"I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'"

I think he’s there…

"Americans acknowledge that liberty is a gift of God, not an indulgence of government. No people in the history of the world have sacrificed as much for liberty. The lives of hundreds of thousands of America's sons and daughters were laid down during the last century to preserve freedom, for us and for freedom loving people throughout the world. America took nothing from that Century's terrible wars – no land from Germany or Japan or Korea; no treasure; no oath of fealty. America's resolve in the defense of liberty has been tested time and again. It has not been found wanting, nor must it ever be. America must never falter in holding high the banner of freedom."

For those on the Left please re-read this last quote, remember it always, we have not conquered those we have fought in the last century but aided our fellow man. We have done these things not for power or glory but because it was right, it was just, it was moral. We do not ask to be revered or praised but offer up the freedoms that we have as a model for all people.

"The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed."

Can you say Islamic Jihadist?!?!?!

"And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion – rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith."

Well said.

I would encourage all to read his speech in its entirety; it is well worth the time. I do believe we are looking at the next President of the US.

A few weeks ago I pointed out that former Congressman Cynthia McKinney was being courted by the California Green Party to run for the Presidency (link) well not to be out done the Wisconsin Green Party is welcoming her with open arms next week when Cynthia comes to Madison to announce her entry into the Wisconsin Primary.

For those of you who have forgotten Cynthia she was one of the vocal Democrats stating that the Bush Administration had a hand in 9/11. She assaulted a white security officer at the Capitol because he tried to stop her from entering the Capitol without identifying herself. And, Yes, Cynthia was one of the Democrats to call for the impeachment of the President but I have yet to see where she “introduced articles” to Congress.

AP: Climate change meeting adds to emissions

Makes you think what the real purpose of these “man-made” global warming Nazi’s is…hmm?

Considering they keep going to WARM vacation destinations versus any cold regions of the world I’m thinking that they might like the idea of global warming if they thought about it a little.

AP: Briton pardoned in Sudan Islam insult

Let me start by saying I am offended at the AP titling a story like this!! There was no intent to insult Islam. In their own story they state ‘Muhammad is one of the most common names for men in the Arab world. Muslim scholars generally agree that intent is a key factor in determining if someone has violated Islamic rules against insulting the prophet.’

I am glad to hear that the teacher has been pardoned but saddened that this whole event took place. For a peaceful people…they still have a lot to learn about tolerance.

I hope that Mrs. Gibbons finds a good job abroad and continue teaching.