Sunday, September 21, 2008

In Support of Global Warming

To those who say our industrialization has progress to the state that we are affecting the future climate of earth, I hope you are right. For if they are wrong and our years of burning large amounts of fossil fuels, carbon loading the atmosphere jargon-wise, will not have any major affect on the climate, then without a doubt, the predominate climate of the past 3 million years will return along with glaciers as tall as skyscrapers, Canada will become uninhabitable, and all of New England as well as all major urban centers in the northern U.S. will be wiped off the face of the earth.

For those that live in the south, winters will become much colder, more sever, but tolerable, crops and agriculture will have to change, but abundances will occur as in the last Ice Age. Those adept at adaption will thrive as is proof of our being here in the first place.

The latte-drinking liberals and those great unwashed naturalist who argue against our head long rush to global warming with threats of what will happen if we do not stop it don't tell us what will happen if we do.

Here is what is going to happen whether you are against global warming or think this global-warming hubbub is all just made up by some eggheads too smart for their own or any body's good. In the short run, 100 to 5,000 years, we can have global warming, global cooling, or global stay-the-same. From what I've seen, most of the anti-global warming crowed seems to argue in favor for the last, stay-the-same, type climate, and that's cool and OK for as long as it goes, the short run. Out beyond the short run, only one of the first two climates listed will occur, and eventually both warming and cooling will occur. Always has, always will. I don't make the rules, I just try to figure them out.

Now if you truly do believe that our current climate is the only climate the earth has ever experienced and concepts like evolution and climatology are just theoretical science that should include that oxymoron creation science, then stop reading. Go no further. This post is not for you. Seek your expected answers elsewhere. (Faith and science are mutually exclusive. Science is based on facts. Faith is not. If faith is based on facts, it is no longer faith but something else entirly. I have other post dealing with
faith -- this is not it.)

Our climate has been in an Ice Age for the last 3 million years interrupted periodically by brief warm periods -- I don't know how many or how often the warm periods occur -- but the one we are currently in may have run it course and we are due to return to colder winters when in north central Canada not all the previous winter's snowfall melts before the next winter's begins, and thus the glaciers begin to build year after year. Much the same would be happening in northern Europe and Asia and in the mountains all over the world, but it is the glaciers in the far norther hemisphere that will have the most affect on or descendants.

Maybe the Mini Ice Age of the Middle Ages was the initial beginning of the end of our current warm period but the birth of the industrial age later was all that was needed to prevent the return of the Ice Age and the glaciers. If that is true, then the warnings today of runaway global warming are way, way too late, and our specie's gift for adaptability will be put to a greater test than a return of the glaciers. We know how to survive global cooling. Been there, got that Tshirt or at least some tricked out genes. We have no experience at global warming.

The dinosaurs did great during global warming. They thrived, multiplied, and evolved into to some of the most interesting fossils we have ever dug up, and you can be sure, their descendants -- to some degree us, but more genealogically, birds -- will survive even a runaway global warming climate. And the plants love any increased of CO2.

If our industrialization has affected the climate, then we have within our power, the ability to control it. If we can cause global warming, we can stop it -- or even better, cut back just enough to keep Canada habitable. But this is a world-wide endeavor. Even if North America and Europe where able to cut back all greenhouse gas production to an acceptable level, China, India, and other emerging nations would cancel out the savings and the affects of global warming are inevitable.

But it's there, the potential to control the climate, conservation and theories of offsetting strategies abound. We can only hope and contribute what you can. And have faith.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Back from Dell Hell, Again (one more time)

Well it happen again. This time I had enough warning, or maybe I was more perceptive, and I was able to save a few files before I reloaded the original setup on my computer, but whatever, now it is done. The old (new) system is loaded and it sure runs fast.

There's that. At lease the reformatted system runs fast -- or as fast as it's ever going to run.

I keep nothing of importance on my machine. Important files and my internet "favorites" are save off on a flash drive. So, I reload the original system and then reload what I saved. Of course, any after-market software must be reloaded, like the latest account with virus protection and any other software I've bought and had the stupidity to load on my machine.

So it goes.

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What Were You Doing In 2008?

What are you going to say? You who are reading this blog right how are going to be asked this question one day.

While I was growing up a golden question was: what where you doing when Peal Harbor was attacked. I wasn't alive then but it was a golden question nonetheless. You may get a pause and then a personal story about what was going on when they heard the word. It comes quickly, usually without hesitation from any and all -- kind of cathartic.

While I had personal events that we all go through that I remember, there was no major event to unite me with everyone else like Peal Harbor did for that generation. And then came 9/11, and everybody old enough to remember has a story to tell when they are questioned years from now. And believe me, you will be questioned. In fact, they've already started. Just bring up where you were or anybody was and nearly everyone will volunteer where they were.

But there is another type of events. It is slow, not so noticeable, with additional, reinforcing events within a short period, that only becomes significant after the time has passed. You will be asked about this year and this election campaign going on right now even as this blog is posted and limitedly read. You can bank on it. You will be asked and what will you say?

While Pear Harbor and 9/11 were major events that all happened in one day are no doubt a shocker and imprints indelibly on any normal person's soul, some events happen over time and only become noteworthy or question-worthy after time has passed.

The run up to WWI and WWII contain events that at the time were significant to some but mostly ignored by most. The year 1968, the Democratic convention, the birth or at least major notice of the anti-war and then anti-establishment movement that so dominated the years to come after. Where were you in 1968? Fifty years ago? What were you doing then? Do you remember?

I was having he time of my life, performing in a rock band at the University of Alabama. It was great. Vietnam War? Chicago convention? I don't remember much. It was the news interruptions to the concerts I was watching in 1968. I was only interested in rock'n'roll. Woodstock happened the following year. 1968 was a biggy, and I just about miss the whole importance of it -- except I was drafted two years later, and suddenly, it meant everything to me.

That's the way it happens. 2008 may mean nothing to you right now, but it's there. Oh, it's out there baby! One day you will need to recall what you doing during this year. Fair warning.

Yea, verily I say unto thee, go forth and do likewise.

Monday, September 01, 2008

Dan Quayle Moment, TR Moment, or Harry Truman Moment

John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his VP is already being called a Dan Quayle moment. Maybe it is, and then again, maybe it isn’t. It’s certainly a rush to judgment moment – but pundits bad calls do not collect and haut them, so they can continuously make them with no regard for how many times they are wrong.

Joe Biden was a safe choice for Obama. His only risk – other than Biden’s reputation for political malapropisms – is charges he compromised his Change campaign by selecting an old Senator. We can only wait to see if McCain showed that his first major executive decision was as bad as Bush senior made for his running mate.

Maybe the recentness of the Quayle decision colors all unlikely VP choices today, but history has other unlikely VP choices that later proved to be rather outstanding.

Of course, Theodore Roosevelt was not McKinley’s choice but a party decision to satisfy a very powerful New York party bigwig. They wanted to get him out of the governor’s office in New York where he was causing the party bosses problems. They didn’t expect McKinley to get his self assassinated – by a terrorist no less. Roosevelt had a little more executive experience that Palin, and he had lead men in battle – not that that has anything to do with leading a nation, but we all like to cite that sort of stuff whenever we talk such as this.

The closer analogy would be the other Roosevelt’s selection of Harry Truman as his VP in 1944. Whatever reason he made the decision – something to do with cleaning up his image and Truman’s rising reputation for rooting out government waste during the war – all the pundits questioned Truman’s ability to lead after FDR died. Now, he is thought of as one of the better Presidents. Bush, the younger, looks at how Truman’s reputation has changed when he considers his own legacy.

How wise a decision was choosing Palin for VP only time will tell, but the political wisdom is already apparent. It has changed the whole political punditry. For no matter how little executive experience Palin has had, that is more than Obama has had and so the Dems can’t criticize her too much with out significant blow back. And the talk is about Palin’s and Obama’s lack of experience and not about McCain’s anything. He is not being discussed by the constantly commenting talking heads. Point McCain.

As to Palin lack of national exposure and the supposedly greater chance of making a political gaffe, Biden is the odds on favorite to toss out the first campaign threatening flub. And we will go round and round about that – again point McCain.

But first we must see how McCain handles Gustav and the Republican National Convention. VP selection may be all but forgotten in how the ghost of political blunders past is visited on the Republicans while they party at their party’s love fest.

Gustav, Answer to a Prayer?

Focus on Your Family asked devoted followers to pray for rain during Obama’s acceptance speech. Obama had a beautiful night, however the mass prayer did not go unanswered. Any death or destruction caused by Gustav should be laid at Focus on Your Family’s feet.

Like the old Rolling Stone’s song about not getting what you want but sometimes getting what you need. The pompous self-righteous right acts if God is in there exclusive corner, and as most if not all are Christian, many have the self-same condemnation that cause the death of their founder. They are blissfully blind to the concept that FOYF does unto others as was done unto their founder.

To pray for safety, life, or salvation of someone is one thing, but to pray against someone – who claims to be a Christian also – is a whole ‘nother thing. However, it is typical of the self-righteous right.

Had it rained on Obama’s night, FOYF would have claimed ownership of the weather event as proof that they are the ultimate name dropper, and can flex their connection whenever they decide to execute a mass prayer.

However the rain did not come or did not come when they intended and they equivocate that it was all a joke or misunderstanding and that Gustav is not the answer to their prayer – even though it will wash clean a city most FOYF believe is wicked, sinful and deserves the retribution it is receiving from Gustav.

So, maybe the prayer didn’t go unanswered after all. It didn’t shut down Obama, but it did shut down New Orleans from it sinful ways. Thank you, FOYF, a force to be reckon with, who can bring down lighting bolts from on high, although their aim is a bit off. Their spin doctors will make it sound as if they intended this all along.

Pray God protect us from the self-righteous.