Tag Archives: Climate Change

April 11, 2013 · 9:55 PM

When Did Ignorance Become a Point of View?

Republican - Elephants on Balloons : http://mariopiperni.com/

Good question.

I also, I wonder why “the stupid” is more prevalent within the GOP than anywhere else?  Joe Barton is the same Representative who apologized to BP for being charged with a $20 Billion claims fund after the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  He called it a shakedown.  That’s the guy who is the subject of the following Piperni post…

Mario Piperni

Is it time yet to make a double-digit IQ a prerequisite to running for public office?

Via Foolocracy:

Texas Rep. Joe Barton doesn’t believe in anthropogenic climate change. That’s partially because he is firmly in the pocket of Big Oil. The oil and gas industry is the largest contributor to Barton’s warchest.

…

However, Barton’s fervor to deny that humans have anything to do with climate change has taken a new direction. In a bizarre reference to the Great Flood of the Bible, Barton is using that as evidence that hydrocarbons don’t change the climate. How Barton draws that comparison is going to have to be left to the imagination. Barton doesn’t elaborate on what forty days of rain in antiquity has to do with the present-day earth warming.

Perhaps he is thinking that today’s rising sea levels are the same challenge that Noah had building an ark. If only the answer to climate change was so simple. Here is the great environmental insight from Barton:

“I would point out that people like me who support hydrocarbon development don’t deny that climate is changing. I think you can have an honest difference of opinion of what’s causing that change without automatically being either all in that’s all because of mankind or it’s all just natural. I think there’s a divergence of evidence.”

“I would point out that if you’re a believer in the Bible, one would have to say the Great Flood is an example of climate change and that certainly wasn’t because mankind had overdeveloped hydrocarbon energy.”

It’s probably impossible to pack more stupid into a single statement but that won’t stop Barton and his fellow Texas Republicans (Rick Perry, Louie Gohmert, Ted Cruz, Steve Stockman – to name a few) from attempting to do that very thing the next time they find themselves in front of a microphone. You can count on it.

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February 13, 2013 · 8:10 AM

Obama Delivers One of the Best Speeches of His Presidency: a Tour de Force SOTU

obama-sotu-2013-5

obama-sotu-2013-5

I must say, I absolutely agree with the author of the following article, Jason Easley…

PoliticusUSA

The Obama vision for America was laid out in sweeping fashion. President Obama delivered what might be the greatest State of the Union address from a president in at least 25 years.

Why was Obama’s address so good? It laid out a real vision for the future.

The president took on broad issues like climate change,”The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy. Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it. We’ve begun to change that. Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America. So let’s generate even more. Solar energy gets cheaper by the year – so let’s drive costs down even further. As long as countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must we.”

Obama laid out the goal of slashing our energy waste in homes and business by 50% over the next 20 years, “I’m also issuing a new goal for America: let’s cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next twenty years. The states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make it happen.”

The president proposed a comprehensive infrastructure repair program that uses public and private capital, “I’m also issuing a new goal for America: let’s cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next twenty years. The states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make it happen.”

Continue reading…

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January 21, 2013 · 6:55 PM

4 important takeaways from President Obama’s second inaugural address

The Examiner

President Obama took a final glance at over 800,000 cheering Americans, paused for a moment and said “I want to take a look, one more time…I’m not going to see again.” The United States witnessed history and with his eyes tearing up, the president walked off the stage and was set to start his second term as the president of the United States.

As President Obama continued through his second inaugural address, the tone of his second term became clear. Unlike some other speeches, President Obama used his platform Monday afternoon to address topics that, at times, seemed to linger in the background of his first term agenda. There were many takeaways following the speech, and here are just a few.

1. Climate change will be a major issue over the next four years:

During President Obama’s speech, the president addressed climate change and the adverse effects that ignoring the problem could cause. While many on the far right continue to push false theories that climate change and global warming are “conspiracy theories” from the “liberal” media, the reality is that climate change is very real and action needs to be taken. President Obama made it a point to bring up the controversial topic, laying the foundation for future legislation over the next four years.

“We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”

2. The push for LGBT equality will only continue: 

For the first time in an inaugural address, the LGBT community were brought up by name to the delight of over hundreds of thousands of screaming supporters. President Obama has made progress on LGBT rights over his first term, from repealing Don’t ask, Don’t tell, to openly favoring same-sex marriage. While the majority of Americans now support marriage equality, the push back from the Republican party and the far right shows no sign of slowing down and neither does the president.

“It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”

3. President Obama will continue to fight for the “big three”: 

One major difference between Democrats and Republicans is their idea of what the proper role of government should be. While Republicans claim to want a small government, they increase the size of its role when it fits their party’s ideology. The GOP push for a reduced role of government when it might limit the profits of large corporation or level the playing field between management and labor, but when they can increase government to attack women’s rights or increase military spending, they jump at the chance. With the economy still struggling, Republicans continue to fight for cuts to necessary programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Knowing the fight will continue, President Obama drew his line in the sand.

“We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.”

4. Women will have a president who will fight for them: 

The phrase “War on Women” was a popular one this past election cycle, with both sides of the argument letting their voice be heard. Whether it’s the Rush Limbaugh/Sandra Fluke feud or the talking heads on Fox News, the fight for women’s rights (pay equality, contraception) will surely continue during the president’s second term and President Obama seems up for the fight.

‎”It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.”

The next four years will prove to be a major fork in the road for the United States and President Obama is driving the car. With a divided congress in front of him, President Obama will have to decide which way the country is going and mold his own legacy.

To read the full transcript of President Obama’s inaugural address, visit the Boston Globe.

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November 2, 2012 · 8:22 AM

Businessweek Hurricane Sandy Cover: ‘It’s Global Warming, Stupid’

Thanks to New york City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, the issue of global warming may finally be getting some much-needed attention.  Better late than never, as they say…

The Huffington Post

Bloomberg Businessweek’s cover story this week takes a direct approach to linking Hurricane Sandy and climate change.

As the storm approached the East Coast on Monday, many media outlets considered the link between the hurricane and climate change vital to its coverage. While the connection was broached on social media sites like Twitter, the discussion did not get noticeable attention on cable new networks that were continuously covering the storm.

Bloomberg Businessweek, however, made the connection loud and clear with its cover story. Above a photo of a flooded, powerless city street, the headline “IT’S GLOBAL WARMING, STUPID” appears in bold, underlined text.

Bloomberg Businessweek editor Josh Tyrangiel tweeted, “Our cover story this week may generate controversy, but only among the stupid.”

 

bloomberg businessweek sandy

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January 2, 2012 · 12:29 AM

Newt Says There’s Insufficient Evidence For Climate Change, Citing His Expertise As An Amateur Paleontologist

He’s a historian, a philanderer, ethically challenged, author of three dozen books and now a paleontologist?   Now, now, Newt.  Your plate seems dangerously full to be the POTUS.

Think Progress

 At a town hall in Atlantic, Iowa, Saturday afternoon, Gingrich gave an unusual reason for his present denial of man-made global warming.

“I’m an amateur paleontologist,” Gingrich said. “I spend a lot of time looking at the Earth’s temperature for a very long time. I’m a lot harder to convince than just looking at a computer model.”

Professional paleontologists, who have spent a lot more time than Gingrich looking at the Earth’s temperature, are convinced. “Few credible scientists now doubt that humans have influenced the documented rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution,” the American Quaternary Society wrote in 2006.

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December 4, 2011 · 10:49 AM

Right-Wing Freak-Out: Children’s Movies Pushing Liberal Agenda

This is absurd.

I haven’t seen Happy Feet 2 or any of the other movies mentioned in the following article, but I will say that the original Happy Feet is one of my all time favorites.

Conservatives need to get over themselves and their denial of the existence of The Public Interest.  Their policy of selfishness, greed and myopia  is an epic fail and not the norm, in my opinion.

TPM Muckraker

On its surface, Happy Feet Two is a cutesy sequel about a young penguin who is reluctant to dance. But could there be a radical left-wing agenda lurking below the arctic ice?

Some conservatives think so, The Hollywood Reporter reports, suggesting that the movie’s politics might be a reason why the film has been off to a sluggish start at the box office.

The New York Post’s Kyle Smith called the movie, in a review, “Kiddie Karl Marx.” He writes:

“Happy Feet Two” has a broad, lefty political agenda. It briefly brings up global warming (though, tellingly, only for a minute—Hollywood’s interest in stoking global warming fears seems to have peaked, which is convenient because the public has, after some frightened moments, decisively rejected the alarmist viewpoint) in a scene in which polar bears are shown clinging to shrinking icebergs. It also makes the case, somewhat half-heartedly, for vegetarianism (the penguins see humans roasting chickens, and get spooked). This doesn’t go very far, though, because penguins aren’t vegetarians though I suppose they’re pescetarians. And I’m sure I won’t be the only viewer who thinks that two male krill in the movie (played by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) have now joined Oscar and Felix and Bert and Ernie as pairs of unusually close confirmed bachelors.

That’s a lot of rhetoric for one movie. While not overtly political,a Christian Movie Review at Movieguide.com writes that the movie promotes “radical environmentalism,” “global warming hysteria” and pro-homosexual and pagan messages.

As the Reporter writes, Happy Feet Two isn’t the first children’s movie to allegedly insert leftist themes into its script. Newsbusters’ Iris Somberg  writes that the new Muppets movie conveniently pits a villainous oil tycoon against the muppets.

TPM readers will remember when right-wing bloggers in January freaked out over Batman’s new “Muslim sidekick.” And conservatives last December called for a boycott of the Marvel comic-inspired movie Thor, because Idris Elba — who is excellent, by the way — was playing a norse god in the film. And bizarrely, the Discovery Channel recently passed on a BBC documentary episode focusing on climate change. The channel, which co-produced the series, cited scheduling complications.

Warner Brothers declined TPM’s request for comment.

Read more here.

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November 3, 2011 · 5:48 AM

The 1% Have a Stranglehold on Politics: New Al Jazeera Documentary Sheds Light on the Koch Brothers

Why won’t our media expose the Koch Brothers for what they are?

Oh never mind, the corporate media is part of the problem in this country.

Think Progress

Al Jazeera released a new mini-documentary yesterday on the Koch Brothers — the multi-billionare energy tycoons who have spent over $50 million on campaigns to tear down the science of climate change and clean energy policy.

The documentary features a lengthy interview with our colleague Lee Fang, an investigative reporter with Think Progress, who has played a major role in uncovering the strong “web of influence” of the Koch Brothers on state and federal politicians. The film touches on the Koch role in everything from health care to energy policy. It’s worth the watch. (Note: much of the energy and climate stuff is in the second half, after about 15 minutes.)

This is exactly why “the other 99%” of Americans are protesting in the streets.

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September 22, 2011 · 6:13 PM

Fox Idiocy (apologies for the redundancy)

 

The following quote from Left of Center accurately reflect my feelings about the willful ignorance of Fox News viewers and Limbaugh listeners…

Left of Center:

I do not understand the American right wing. I don’t understand how people who make less than $100,000 vote for policies that benefit millionaires, and I don’t know why people who are on their third marriage constantly prattle about family values.

Much of the commentary coming from the right wing is baffling because it is glaringly inaccurate. Some would say it is blatant lies. Liberal media watchdog group Media Matters is constantly kept busy fact checking and stating the errors from the right-wing noise machine.

In many cases, it is obvious that the commentary is incorrect, so I must conclude that this is done deliberately. Right-wing commentators must know they are talking nonsense, but they continue to say it because they need the great unwashed masses to believe, and act on it.

Mario Piperni

Politico ran a story a couple of days ago entitled, “Bill Clinton scorches GOP field on climate change“.  Basically, Clinton took global warming deniers to task for leading the charge in questioning the science behind global warming.  He also targeted the current crop of nominees in the GOP primary.  All of them are deniers with the exception of Huntsman and possibly Romney.  The flip-flop man is not quite sure where he stands on the issue.

Anyway, here is the takeaway line from Clinton’s speech.

“I mean, it makes us — we [the US] look like a joke, right? You can’t win the nomination of one of the major parties in the country if you admit that the scientists are right? That disqualifies you from doing it?”

Well Fox wasn’t too happy with anyone criticizing their beloved Republican candidates so Fox Nation ran the Politico story with a minor modification to the headline.

Too funny and dumb.  It’s stuff like this that makes ardent Fox viewers the biggest group of ignorant, misinformed cretins in America.

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August 19, 2011 · 5:52 PM

Fox Viewers Overwhelming Think We Should Prepare For Alien Invasion Before Fighting Climate Change

No surprise there!  I suspect the intelligence quotient of the majority of Fox News lemmings is in the double digits…

Think Progress

A new (supposedly) NASA-funded study postulating that aliens may attack humans over climate change had all the ingredients for a perfect Fox faux controversy — it bolstered their anti-science narrative, painted their opponents as clownish radicals, and highlighted wasteful government spending on a supposedly liberal cause. Fox reported the “news from NASA” several times several times today, presenting it as official “taxpayer funded research.” A chyron on Fox and Friends read: “NASA: Global warming may provoke an [alien] attack.”

But as Business Insider pointed out, they’re “wrong” — “That report was not funded by NASA. It was written by an independent group of scientists and bloggers. One of those happens to work at NASA.” NASA distanced itself from the report as well, calling reports linking the agency to it “not true.” Kelly finally corrected the record this afternoon, saying, “I was making that up.”

But before she did, she was so bemused by the study that she directed her viewers to completea poll on her website which asked how we should respond to the study: “Immediately increase efforts to curb greenhouse gases,” “Develop weapons to kill the Aliens FIRST,” or “Gently suggest scientists research how to create job.”

Not surprisingly, most suggested they research something else. But more than six times as many respondents (19 percent to 3 percent) said we should focus building weapons to kill aliens before curbing green house gases.

Watch a compilation:

The poll is of course not scientific, but you can hardly blame the viewers who did respond, considering Fox’s constant misinformation about climate change. For instance, as she presented the poll, Kelly said of curbing climate change, “just in case right?” — as in, “just in case” the science is right. She did not make a similar quip for alien attack. Numerous studiesconsistently show that Fox viewers are among the most misinformed of news viewers, while at least one study has shown that — perversely — watching Fox actually makes people lessinformed than they were to being with.

“Trust me folks, this story is hard to understand,” Fox and Friends host Gretchen Carlson said of the “NASA study.” Indeed.

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June 13, 2011 · 3:00 AM

Freak heat burst hikes Wichita temperature by nearly 20 degrees in 20 minutes _ after midnight

Oh, but “global warming is a hoax” according to most right-wingers. 

If nothing else, this report should at least give them food for thought on the issue…

The Washington Post - National

 Published: June 10

An unusual weather pattern caused temperatures in Wichita, Kan. to soar nearly 20 degrees in 20 minutes even though the sun had long gone down.National Weather Service meteorologist Stephanie Dunten says the heat burst hiked temperatures from 85 to 102 degrees in 20 minutes, beginning at 12:22 a.m. Thursday.

She says a pocket of air in the upper atmosphere collapsed, and when it hit the ground it sent winds of more than 50 mph through parts of the city.

The Wichita Eagle says that during a heat burst, rain falling from higher elevations cools air beneath it as it evaporates. The cooler air then descends quickly to the surface. As it falls, it is compressed and warms dramatically.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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