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Mar. 22nd, 2007 02:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebonlockBrad at Sadly, No! points us to this coverage of Al Gore's presentation to the Congress:
The reviews only grew more savage when Gore crossed over to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in the afternoon for a second hearing. “You’ve been so extreme in some of your expressions that you’re losing some of your own people,” announced Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.), the committee’s ranking Republican and the man who has called man-made global warming “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”
Inhofe informed Gore that scientists are “radically at odds with your claims.” Displaying a photograph of icicles in Buffalo, Inhofe demanded: “How come you guys never seem to notice it when it gets cold? . . . Where is global warming when you really need it?”
No, really, an elected official actually said this. Brad adds:
And that’s about it, folks. Because it’s cold in Buffalo during the winter, global warming can’t be real.
There are times when I think we just deserve to die off. This is one of them.
However, just when you start to lose all hope you read the rest of the story:
Barton informed Gore that some of his ideas “are just flawed.” Under Gore’s plan, Barton said, “we can have no new industry, no new cars and trucks on the streets, and apparently no new people.”
But this was no match for Gore. “The planet has a fever,” he lectured Barton. “If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don’t say, ‘Well, I read a science fiction novel that tells me it’s not a problem.’ If the crib’s on fire, you don’t speculate that the baby is flame-retardant. You take action.” [Editor's note: Day-um! Can I just once again say how very much I heart Al Gore?]
The audience laughed. Barton started reading the newspaper, then discovered he wasn’t getting much support even from his own side. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) admitted he paid to see “An Inconvenient Truth.” Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), implicitly rebuking flat-Earth colleagues, said: “It’s possible to be a conservative without appearing to be an idiot.” Barton flashed a grin of annoyance.
I'd like to think Mr. Bartlett is correct about this, I really would, but I can't really find any significant factual basis for his argument. Although I have to say that I admire the hell out of anyone who can make it as far as Congress while sharing the first name of the mildly evil and mentally challenged sheriff on "Dukes of Hazard".
Over on the Senate side, Inhofe was determined to avoid a fate like Barton’s. Given just 12 minutes to question Gore, Inhofe warned him that “I want the same ad-lib time that you have.” When Gore didn’t answer his questions succinctly enough, Inhofe ordered: “I’m going to ask you to respond for the record in writing.”
“Well,” said Gore, “if I choose to respond to you verbally here, I hope that’ll be okay, too.”
“If it’s a very brief response,” Inhofe directed, then declared that Gore could not answer any questions until Inhofe had finished his allotted time.
Boxer broke in. “You’re not making the rules,” she said, raising the gavel. “You used to when you had this.” The hall filled with applause.
If she'd added "bitches" to that final statement I'd seriously start worshipping at that woman's feet.
The reviews only grew more savage when Gore crossed over to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in the afternoon for a second hearing. “You’ve been so extreme in some of your expressions that you’re losing some of your own people,” announced Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.), the committee’s ranking Republican and the man who has called man-made global warming “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”
Inhofe informed Gore that scientists are “radically at odds with your claims.” Displaying a photograph of icicles in Buffalo, Inhofe demanded: “How come you guys never seem to notice it when it gets cold? . . . Where is global warming when you really need it?”
No, really, an elected official actually said this. Brad adds:
And that’s about it, folks. Because it’s cold in Buffalo during the winter, global warming can’t be real.
There are times when I think we just deserve to die off. This is one of them.
However, just when you start to lose all hope you read the rest of the story:
Barton informed Gore that some of his ideas “are just flawed.” Under Gore’s plan, Barton said, “we can have no new industry, no new cars and trucks on the streets, and apparently no new people.”
But this was no match for Gore. “The planet has a fever,” he lectured Barton. “If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don’t say, ‘Well, I read a science fiction novel that tells me it’s not a problem.’ If the crib’s on fire, you don’t speculate that the baby is flame-retardant. You take action.” [Editor's note: Day-um! Can I just once again say how very much I heart Al Gore?]
The audience laughed. Barton started reading the newspaper, then discovered he wasn’t getting much support even from his own side. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) admitted he paid to see “An Inconvenient Truth.” Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), implicitly rebuking flat-Earth colleagues, said: “It’s possible to be a conservative without appearing to be an idiot.” Barton flashed a grin of annoyance.
I'd like to think Mr. Bartlett is correct about this, I really would, but I can't really find any significant factual basis for his argument. Although I have to say that I admire the hell out of anyone who can make it as far as Congress while sharing the first name of the mildly evil and mentally challenged sheriff on "Dukes of Hazard".
Over on the Senate side, Inhofe was determined to avoid a fate like Barton’s. Given just 12 minutes to question Gore, Inhofe warned him that “I want the same ad-lib time that you have.” When Gore didn’t answer his questions succinctly enough, Inhofe ordered: “I’m going to ask you to respond for the record in writing.”
“Well,” said Gore, “if I choose to respond to you verbally here, I hope that’ll be okay, too.”
“If it’s a very brief response,” Inhofe directed, then declared that Gore could not answer any questions until Inhofe had finished his allotted time.
Boxer broke in. “You’re not making the rules,” she said, raising the gavel. “You used to when you had this.” The hall filled with applause.
If she'd added "bitches" to that final statement I'd seriously start worshipping at that woman's feet.
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 10:13 am (UTC)I was kinda pissed that *he* testified in Congress. Not scientists who know the body of work inside and out, but him, a 2nd hand hack of a "scientist". Congress is not winning any points with me this week.
Yes, climate change is real. Is it an eminent catastrofuck? Nobody knows for sure, because no model exists to reliably predict the future. It is not possible if all of the variables and their relative importance to each other are not known.
If the US would resume nuclear power, we could dramatically reduce dependence on hydrocarbons. It's the only technology that exists that has such high yield and little pollution. 50% of the nuclear fuel will need to be disposed of or recycled, but that's a very manageable task compared to the problem at hand.
If we could only get China to do the same...
Sorry for rambling. It's late and I can't sleep. :)
CA is just as hypocritical, too. Nuclear power is banned, and it is now legislated that CA generates "clean power". So what does PG&E do? They contact with other states to build new coal-fired power plants and sell the energy to CA.
Nuclear power can go a very long way in solving climate change.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 04:22 pm (UTC)However, I do recall that when I was studying environmental science back in the 90's most of my professors were quite impressed with Gore, his position on the environment, and his grasp of the science behind it. Of course they also became quite disillusioned when he failed to use his position as Vice President to actually act on his understanding.