Global Warming

 

 

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October 26, 2009

 

 

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

 

My Dear Mr. President:

 

There is a theory that the earth is warming.  I know you believe that it’s a fact.  It’s not however, but it is a very popular theory.  Ascertaining the temperature of the earth is not a simple task.  There’s no rectum where you can stick a thermometer (although Biloxi Mississippi, among others, has been nominated for that honor.)  .  The earth's temperature peaked in 1998. It's been falling ever since; it dropped dramatically in 2007 and got lower in 2008, when temperatures touched 1980 levels.  Meanwhile, the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center released conclusive satellite photos showing that Arctic ice is back to 1979 levels. What's more, measurements of Antarctic ice now show that its accumulation is up 5 percent since 1980.  In other words, during what was supposed to be massive global warming, the biggest chunks of ice on earth grew larger.

 

What is a fact is that there have been cycles of warming and cooling in the past.

 

 

Warming

200 BC to 600 AD

Roman era

 

 

Cooling

600 to 900

Dark ages

 

 

Warming

900 to 1300

Medieval Warming

 

 

Cooling

1300 to 1850

Little Ice Age

 

 

Warming ?

1850 to Present

 

 

 

So the first part of the global warming theory is that we are in a period of warming and that it is going to go on into the future unabated.  The second part of the theory is that this is a bad thing.   All sorts of wild scenarios are predicted.  From massive sea coast flooding to the extinction of polar bears. All of this is pure speculation – science fiction not science.  Somebody should make a science fiction movie – oh wait – Al Gore already did.

 

The next part of the theory is that the warming is caused by the release of green house gasses, particularly CO2, by the burning of carbon fuels by human beings.  When viewed in the light of past periods of cooling and warming this is a silly as it can get.  Well maybe almost as silly as it gets: some believe that global warming is caused by release of intestinal gasses by meat animals and the solution is that we should all become vegetarians.    Furthermore, atmospheric CO2 has varied is the past but has always trailed warming.  Thus the green house gasses are a result of warming not a cause.

 

The solutions proposed are draconian.  Stop all activities of civilization.  Laws that are enacted to stop global warming will not change the cycles of nature but will result in great harm to our society.  Be the champion of my freedom not its enemy and vigorously oppose these measures.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

I got an answer from Vice President Biden.  Needless to say, The Vice president and I are on different sides of this issue.  Surprise!  Surprise!

 

I also got a much more responsive and comprehensive letter from Congressman Jim Gerlach.  While he opposed H.R. 2454 on economic grounds, he still buys into the notion of global warming and reduction of greenhouse gasses to stop it.

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