Inspiration

If you need any, here it is:

Beware the Grass

Another Vid for Your Pleasure

And sticking with the lighter side for it little while still, here's a classic from SNL:


This bit cracks me up every time. Martin Short was a gas when he was SNL.

Now Thats Dramatic

Global Warming and Hurricanes

I just posted a comment over at Scott Maxwell's blog concerning Dr. William Grey's hurricane predictions for this year, so I thought I post an after thought here.

The point of Scott's blog post is to take a lighthearted approach to these predictions because, quite frankly, Dr. Grey was way off last year. Of course that had to do with the unexpected rise a el Niño, but it exactly illustrates the point I made in my post. We simply do not know enough about our atmosphere to make concrete predictions of what the future holds. Of course this fly's in the face of global warming advocates who say the evidence is unequivocal that man is the cause of global warming, and if you believe otherwise your an idiot, period.

To illustrate the point that we are just beginning to understand our planet and how it interacts with our surrounding solar system, scientists have now discovered that Neptune in experiencing some warming as well:

Neptune is the planet farthest from the Sun (Pluto is now considered only a dwarf planet), Neptune is the planet farthest from the Earth, and to our knowledge, there has been absolutely no industrialization out at Neptune in recent centuries. There has been no recent build-up of greenhouse gases there, no deforestation, no rapid urbanization, no increase in contrails from jet airplanes, and no increase in ozone in the low atmosphere; recent changes at Neptune could never be blamed on any human influence. Incredibly, an article has appeared in a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters showing a stunning relationship between the solar output, Neptune’s brightness, and heaven forbid, the temperature of the Earth. With its obvious implications to the greenhouse debate, we are certain you have never heard of the work and never will outside World Climate Report.

The article goes on to include charts showing the correlation between the rise in temperature on Neptune, and Earth, as it relates to increased solar output from the sun. And this follows in the footsteps of similar results being reported on Mars.

My point is a simple one: We're a very small and still very ignorant creature when it comes to our understanding of our own planet, Earth. As soon as we think we've figured one thing out, it raises new questions and forces us to reevaluate what we believed to be true before.

It is for this very reason that it's hard for me to take the global warming alarmists seriously. They may be right, they may be wrong, but the more they insist that theirs is the only real truth, the less I believe them.

Dems Finally Back Down

It was inevitable, and finally the Democrats have backed down on their demands for surrender deadlines in funding for the war. They were never in a position to get any such Bill passed, but they wanted to make their statement and attempt to appease their rabid base. (You know, playing politics while our military forces are in the field and all that. But they support the troops!) Of course that won't work, because nothing short of immediate and complete withdrawal from the battlefield will make the KosKidz happy.

Their response has been kind of tame (at Kos anyway), with Kos counseling patience. However, this part of his post caught my eye:

We face a multiple-front war -- against conservatives, against an out-of-touch and corrupt beltway consultant class, against corporatist Democrats, or Democrats that long ago lost the fire in their belly, and against a compromised punditry elite.

That pretty much sums it up for the anti-war crowd. The only enemy they recognize and are willing the go to "war" against are their political enemies. I know it's a lot to ask, but just once I'd like to see the left get worked up about defeating our real enemies. But, like I said, that would be asking a lot.

Another part of the post that caught my eye was this bit:

Buck up. We still haven't completely lost this Iraq supplemental battle. And if we do, instead of crying and taking your ball home, resolve to fight even harder. We owe it to our troops in Iraq, to our families, to our neighbors, to ourselves.

Funny, I read quite a few MilBlogs and have read a lot about what the soldiers actually fighting the war want, and I don't recall ever reading about them asking to be rescued from the war. Is that what Kos thinks we "owe" them?

Do they want to come home? Of course, who wouldn't. But most of what I read is they simply want to finish the job they've started. All they ask is to be given the time, resources, and support to complete the mission. While the KosKidz love to keep a bodycount, everyone of those killed will have been lost in vain if the left gets it's way. That's not supporting the troops in my book, and it certainly isn't what we "owe" them.

Worst President Ever?

When you actually are the worst president in modern history, it's usually not a good idea to draw attention to yourself by claiming sombody else should have your title.

He's now backtracking by saying he was "careless" and his comments were "misinterpreted." Right.

America's national embarassement known as Jimmy Carter continues to this day more than 25 years after his presidency ended. Quite a feat, even for somebody as naive and incompetent as Carter.

Now They Tell Us

To borrow a line from James Taranto, What Would We Do Without Experts? This from CNN:

No safe way for U.S. to leave Iraq, experts warn
(CNN) -- Pulling U.S. forces from Iraq could trigger catastrophe, CNN analysts and other observers warn, affecting not just Iraq but its neighbors in the Middle East, with far-reaching global implications.

Well, duh! The most glaring omission from the MSMs coverage of the Democrats surrender bill has been what will the consequences be?

I guess now that all the political theater by the Democrats is over, for the time being, CNN had no choice but to finally ask, "Hey, what happens after we surrender?" It is a subject that seriously needs to be debated and one that will expose the Democrats strategy for surrender as nothing short of disastrous.

Reuters: Terrorist Death = Bad News

Only Reuters could report the unofficial death of the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq as bad news:

If true, the death of Abu Ayyub al-Masri would signal a deepening split at a time when the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is trying to woo some insurgent groups into the political process.

Excuse me? A deepening split with who? Could Reuters not know that the exact opposite is true? The Iraqi government and coalition forces have been trying to convince the shieks in the Anbar province to evict al Qaeda from their territory and join the governement in working towards reconciliation. That's exactly what's happening the Reuters reports it as bad news.

I know I shouldn't be surprised with Reuters because this is the news agency where one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, but they've actually reported this story from the perspective of al Qaeda.

This is what happen's when you start to play the moral equivalency game, I call it the "Bridge of River Kwai Syndrome." You spend so much time trying to prove your superior morality to your enemy that you forget who's side you're on.

UPDATE: The Confederate Yankee has a good analysis of how this news may portend a shift of momentum on the ground. It's very true that the war will be won by the Iraqi's themselves and it appears that under the new leadership of General Petraeus that may be occuring. The Confederate Yankee's keen insight into the complexities of the war stands in stark contrast as to how the KosKidz see things. To them, it's all about the body count.

Car Chases? Hell Yeah!

Here's a great post at Les Jones dot com. It's a poll for "What's the greatest car chase in movie history?" Not only is there a vote, but the post includes video of the contestants! The nominees are: Bullitt, The French Connection, The Seven-Ups, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, The Blues Brothers, The Road Warrior, To Live and Die in L.A., Ronin, the Bourne Identity.

My personal favorite is Bullitt. It was the original and still holds up very well after all these years. I'd give Ronin the nod for second. It had some incredible driving and on those tiny European streets it makes for great film. (via Ace)

Tony's Back! Huff's Closed.

As a fan of Tony Snow, it was good to hear he's back on the job after his latest surgery while he continues his battle with cancer.

Over at the Huffington Post, they've greeted this story in their usual fashion -- they've closed their comments section. The comments at the Huff when relating to the health of any Administration official (Vice President Cheney most notably) have traditionally been so vile that the Huff has discontinued comments for any such story.

This is a leading web site for The Left and Democrats in general. It tells you a lot about how infected the Democrat base has become with BDS when they cannot even be trusted to comment on the health of a fellow human being simply because he has an "R" after his name.

Cleaning House

Boy, when those Democrats promised to clean house and end the "culture of corruption," they weren't kidding. The punishment handed down the William "Cold Cash" Jefferson? Nothing:

House Democratic leaders are not expected to pressure embattled Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) to forfeit his lone remaining committee assignment, even as two Republican lawmakers who similarly face intense FBI scrutiny have relinquished their posts in recent days.

I'm shocked!

God Bless The Irish

I love the Irish, maybe that's why I married one. When flooding strikes the Ireland countryside, what do the Irish do? Why, find a pub, that's what. (via The Corner.)

Shields Up

This is pretty cool:

Deflector shields made of ionized gas are under development by British scientists. These Star Trek-style shields could be turned off or on depending on solar activity or other requirements.

Astronauts who spend time in low earth orbit are mostly protected from radiation by the magnetosphere, Earth's powerful magnetic field. However, travelers to other planets will run the risk of exposure to cancer-causing radiation from the sun and other sources outside our solar system.

I can't wait until the commander of one of these future space vessels says, "Make it so."

I Am Livid!

In this post at Hot Air Senator Harry Reid says he won't believe anything General Petreaus has to say when he reports to Congress. This is, of course, after he disgraced himself by declaring the war lost which followed up on his statement that the war will allow democrats to pick up more seats in the Senate next election. In the same clip he tries to manipulate General Petreaus' words from "there is no military solution" in Iraq to telling the soldiers they're fighting for a lost cause. News flash for Harry Reid: Our soldiers aren't that dumb and neither are we.

Harry Reid is a digrace to the Senate and his country. This man is openly working for his own country's defeat in order to further his political agenda. Disgusting.

Free Speech For Me, But Not For Thee

The College Republicans at Rhode Island University decided to advertise a satrical "scholarship" for white, heterosexual, American males. The Student Senate demanded an apology. The College Republicans refused. So what's the solution the Student Senate came up with? Well, they decided to derecognize the College Republicans, that's what.

FIRE has taken up their cause, and after some wrangling the College Republicans will be recognized again. Darn that First Amendment! Here are the details.

Constitution? What Constitution?

The battle between Congress and the President over funding for the Iraq War will soon be coming to a head. Congress insist on managing the war as 535 field generals, while the President stands by his threat to veto any bill which infringes on his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief. How this battle is viewed by the left is perfectly illustrated by this post by Kagro X of the Daily Kos. After citing a poll in which the public expresses more confidence in the Democrats in Congress than the President in handling the war, Kagro X sums it up nicely with this conclusion:

Americans know what's happening with the Iraq occupation. They know the position of Bush and his apologists is for endless war. They know they screwed the troops, and they know everything Bush touches turns to crap.

It's time to turn over the keys, Mr. Pretzeldent. It's over.

So there you have it. Disregarding the childish "Mr. Pretzeldent" (a trademark of the KosKids), the left has declared the American people have spoken and therefore the President must relinquish Commander-in-Chief authority to Congress.

The arrogance combined with the ignorance of the crazy KosKids is amazing. They really believe in mob rule, and the Constitution is only a thing to be followed when it's convienent to their cause.

The Congress has a constitutional role in the conduct of war, and that is the power of the purse. If they really believe this is an unwinnable war and not worthy of one more sacrifice, then they should defund the war. Any action short of this is pure politics at it's most cynical. What a disgrace.

Baseball IS Fun To Watch

One of these day's I'll learn to embed video from YouTube so I don't just link to it, but in the meantime here is a funny video from the Angels vs. Red Sox game the other day.

A pop-up goes to the edge of left field where a couple of fans try to catch the ball. As a result they spill beer all over each other, but then a piece of pizza comes flying in from nowhere. Turns out the guy trying to catch the foul ball and the guy that threw the pizza were jawing at each other earlier in the game. Over what, I have no idea. But in the end, the pizza thrower was ejected.

Overall the incident is pretty damn funny and the commentators had a good time with it.

Illogical Left

I read this post from Matt Stoller of MyDD yesterday and pretty much ignored it because it seemed pretty silly to me. In it, Stoller talks of how proud he is to pay his taxes because he loves America. On the other side of this, he says conservatives hate America because they hate taxes. Money quote:

The right-wing likes to pretend as if taxes are a burden instead of the price of democracy. And I suppose, if you hate democracy, as the right-wing does, then taxes are the price for paying for something you really don't want.

You can see why I ignored it, because it's a pretty dumb conclusion. Conservatives don't rail against all taxes, they argue against excessive tax rates which place an unneccessary burden on the American people which in turn retards economic opportunity and growth for everybody as a whole.

Anyway, I'm posting on it now because Stoller again regales us with his wisdom after his post made for rounds. Here he is again with the same twisted logic:

When you point out that a hatred of taxes, which is hatred of money paid for the upkeep of America, thus equates to a hatred of America, they can't deal with it.

There, got it? "Hatred" of taxes equals "hatred of America." And this is one of the leading voices on the port side of the blogosphere.

Hold On To Your Guns

In the wake of the Virginia Tech mass murder, the calls for stricter gun control laws are coming in fast and furious. Without getting into the weeds discussing the 2nd Amendment, my only question for the gun control crowd is: how would stricter gun control laws have prevented this mass murder? It is against the law to possess a firearm on the campus of Virginia Tech, yet that didn't stop this mad man from going on a killing spree.

It seems pretty clear to me that "gun free zones" merely create a shooting gallery of known, unarmed targets. No amount of gun laws can prevent a criminal from getting what he wants and using it in the commission of a crime. Gun laws only make it harder for law abiding citizens to defend themselves when necessary.

I have yet to read a story about a licensed, armed citizen going on a killing spree. However, there are pleny of stories of licensed, armed citizens stoping crimes in progress because they had the means to do so. However, none of this will stop the gun control crowd, because to them guns are the problem, not the maniacs who use them.

al-Sadr Makes Last(?) Move

The news today that Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his ministers to resign from the Iraqi government is being reported as a setback. The AP reports:

BAGHDAD (AP) - Cabinet ministers loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr resigned on Monday to protest the prime minister's refusal to set a timetable for an American withdrawal, raising the prospect that the Mahdi Army militia could return to the streets of Baghdad.
...
The departure of the six ministers, while unlikely to topple Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, deals a significant blow to the U.S.-backed leader, who relied on support from the Sadrists to gain office.

I couldn't disagree more. al-Sadr has been the fly in the ointment for a long time and the compromise Maliki agreed to was necessary at the time. Since then, al-Sadr's involvment within the govenment has been a large factor in Sunni's reluctance to back Maliki.

Now that the surge is taking place with the complete backing of Maliki, including the very important broadened rules of engagment, the conditions on the ground have turned against al-Sadr. He has fleed to Iran costing him street cred with his brothers as well as a splintering of his militia. His protest organized last week in Najaf was a complete dud (despite the MSMs best attempt to paint it as another huge rally against the occupation.) Now, al-Sadr seems to be playing his last card: attempting to bring down the Maliki governement. But as even the AP concludes, that's not likely. With al-Sadr out of the way, the Iraqi goverment may now be able to start making progress with Sunni's more inclined to come aboard.

I also don't understand why the return of the Mahdi Army to the streets of Bahgdad would be a bad thing. Their strategy up to this point has been to lay low, awaiting the eventual surrender of the Democrats. Wouldn't their return to the streets give us the opportunity to rid them of the community once and for all? Of course it would, so don't expect the APs prediction of the much vaunted Mahdi Army to return to the battle any time soon, they're not that stupid.

One other note of interest are the demands of al-Sadr for the Maliki governement to set deadlines for the withdrawl of American forces. It seems al-Sadr and the Democrats have the same goal: the defeat of American forces in Iraq. The only difference is al-Sadr isn't afraid to come right out a say it.

Conspiracy Crackpots

Bill Whittle of Eject! Eject! Eject! lays it on the conspriacy theorists, especially the Truthers and Rosie O'Donnell. He discusses the Lunar Landing, JFK assassination, airliner contrails, and last but not least the Truthers. I really liked this line about Rosie:

Rosie O’ Donnell making such a claim on a major network is a national disgrace. The fact that much of the audience cheered and applauded is nothing less than a national catastrophe.

To her, and to her audience, it is taken as granted that the government is capable of such things. As if “the government” was operated by cyborgs grown in Haliburton vats, rather than by well-meaning and patriotic people that love this country.

"This is the first time in history that fire has ever melted steel," she said. This is a statement of such pristine and perfect idiocy that it surely must be emblazoned in stone across the entrance to the Physics Imbecile wing of the Moron Museum of Natural History. But mastery of physics and engineering requires some intelligence, some perseverance and some discipline: none of which are in evidence in this buffoon. Everything is a conspiracy to a mind this far gone. The 15 British sailors kidnapped at sea? All a plan by our evil (but incompetent!) government to get the next war it so desperately needs. “Gulf of Tonkin! Google It, people!” she said on national TV.

And I will, Rosie. I promise. As soon as I finish googling MAD COW DISEASE.

Physics Imbecile wing of the Moron Museum of Natural History? I love it. (via Michelle Malkin.)

They Know The Real Enemy

Here's a pretty good piece of satire from Transterrestrial Musings (via the Instapundit.) My favorite part:

Speaker Pelosi agreed. "It's one thing to meet with a peace-loving world leader like Bashar al-Assad, or President Ahmadinejad," she said. "It's another to meet with a theocratic warmonger like George Bush. If we dignify his illegitimate regime with a negotiation, how will we ever build international pressure against him, and end his imperialistic ambitions?"

Tee-hee. It been said many times, if the Democrats put as much energy into defeating our real enemies abroad as they do into defeating Bush here at home, the war would have already been won.

Message Received

“Evacuate all houses in the area around the Americans’ base for we shall attack it soon… Those occupiers will soon be gone from this land. Who will protect you then?”

These were roughly the words in a leaflet the “mujahideen” distributed in Adhamiya a few days ago. A distant relative who lives there received one.

That's the beginning of a post by Omar Fadhil of Iraq the Model. It's clear that the "mujahideen" has gotten the message that the democrats are sending loud and clear: We're leaving, you win.

It's amazing enough that our enemy telegraphs their strategy, but quite disgusting that the Democrats are willing to go along with it. Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) knows no bounds, not even the deliberate defeat of your own country.

Why I Love Photoshop

Just look at this photo courtesy The Corner via Bill Bennett.

All According To Plan

I see another member of al-Queda is claiming torture at Guantanamo:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A suspected Saudi terrorist told a military hearing that he was tortured into confessing that he was involved in the bombing of the USS Cole, according to a Pentagon transcript released Friday.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national of Yemeni descent, said he made up stories that tied him to the 2000 Cole attack, which killed 17 U.S. sailors and nearly succeeded in sinking the $1 billion destroyer in Aden harbor, Yemen.

"From the time I was arrested five years ago, they have been torturing me. It happened during interviews. One time they tortured me one way, and another time they tortured me in a different way," al-Nashiri said, according to the transcript. "I just said those things to make the people happy. They were very happy when I told them those things."

Gee, what a surprise considering this is part of their training!

Look for the useful idiots, lead by that intellectual giant Rosie O'Donnell, to pick this one up and run with it. And then enemies such as the Iranian mullahs will talk about how well they're treating their British "guest" compaired to the evil Americans.

Oh The Humanity!!

No wonder they hate us.

Guantanamo Bay - "War on terror" detainees at Guantanamo are avid Harry Potter readers and eagerly await the next book in the series featuring the schoolboy wizard, the camp librarian says.

While religion tops the reading lists of the overwhelmingly Muslim detainees, Harry Potter was a big favourite, said the chief librarian at the US-run prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(via Michelle Malkin.)

What next, Korans for everybody and culturally sensative meals? Oh, never mind.

What Do The Troops Think?

Well, now that the Democrat Congress has officially voted for retreat and defeat, what do the troops think? Blackfive asked the question and sums up the responses:

Previously, I had asked for and received a lot of email from troops around the world (but mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan) about the Democrat resolutions for retreat...especially, in the face of the surge and a new Commanding General that the Democrats unamimously approved of...

I haven't received one troop email that supports the Democrat position of cut and run.

Needless to say, the troops (which the democrats claim to support) are pretty disgusted, especially given the fact that notable improvements are occuring with the new leadership of General Petraus. But, the democrats are so heavily invested in the defeat of our country (George W. Bush in their eyes) they must turn their predictions of defeat into a self fulfilling prophecy. They've been claiming defeat for so long they must now insure that that happens.

Vileness at the Huff

I read today with heavy heart that Tony Snow is going to have to battle cancer once again. Tony Snow has always been one of my favorites and I was one of people cheering when he decided to take the job as White House Press Secretary. So, after saying a prayer for his recovery I turned my attention to The Huffington Post. After all of the vile comments wishing Dick Cheney had been killed in an assassination attempt and the uproar that followed, I wanted to see how the Huff would handle this one. Alas, it didn't take long to find the vile hatred that consumes so much of the Left these days. Here's a pleasant chap named Charles Karel Bouley and some of what he had to say:

I admit my bias shows with these stories. I hear about Tony Snow and say to myself, well, stand up every day, lie to the American people at the behest of your dictator-esque boss and well, how could a cancer NOT grow in you. Work for Fox News, spinning the truth in to a billion knots and how can your gut not rot? I know, it's terrible. I admit it. I don't wish anyone harm, even Tony Snow. And I do hope he recovers or at least does what he feels is best and surrounds himself with friends and family for his journey. But in the back of my head there's Justin Timberlake's "What goes around, goes around, comes around, comes all the way back around, ya.."

Thank goodness he makes it clear he hopes Tony recovers.

What is it with these people and their hatred? It is well known that in a town of cut throat ruthlessness, Tony Snow is one of the genuinely nice guys. Widely admired and even liked by the Washington Press Corp, some of the most jaded people on Earth. But to the Left, because you disagree with his political viewpoints you think cancer should be a natural occurrence? And the Right is supposed to be the one dividing the country, spreading hatred, and intolerant? Go figure.

R.I.P., Larry "Bud" Melman

Calvert Deforest, better known as Larry "Bud" Melman from the David Letteran show, has passed away. He was 85.

Here's one of his classic skits (via American Spectator) handing out hot towels at a bus station. This is back when Letterman used to be funny.

I can remember watching Letterman as a kid and I always loved his show. It's a shame he's such a ass now, but nothing stays the same. Larry "Bud" Melman was always one of my favorites because I never could tell if he was an actor doing a skit or just an ordinary guy. Of course, he was an ordinary guy and seemed like a sweet fellow with a great since of humor.

See you on the other side "Bud" and thanks for the laughs.

This Just In...

Administration grows a pair:

If subpoenas are issued damanding White Houe aides testify on the firing of eight former U.S. attorneys, then President Bush will have no choice but to withdraw his offer to have his staff meet with congressionial lawmakers informally, Press Secretary Tony Snow said Wednesday.

I'm no fan of Gonzales, and I think this whole affair has been handled ham-handedly. However, there doesn't appear to be an wrong doing on the part the White House and it's nice to see them finally stand up to the Democrats bullying. If the Administration doesn't stand-up for itself now in the face of the Democrats strategy of throwing mud at President Bush for the next two years, it never will. They've got to nip this in the bud, now.

I think the Democrats are making a mistake in picking this fight, but the media has blown this thing so out of purportion they almost have no choice but to persue it. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out with the Democrats and the media going full bore against the President. Personally I'd like nothing more than to see Pat Leahy lose this one big time. My sentiments about Leahy are in line with Cheney's when he told him to go "f*** yourself."

Mathews Not Completely Nuts

Chris Matthews is a blow hard who has an unhealthy obsession with Dick Cheney. But in this piece by Stephen Spruiell of the Media Blog, Matthews shows he hasn't completely gone nuts. I love the last line:

...Paul Krugman, struck dumb, assumed the kind of look a dog might get if you tried to teach it how to light a cigar[.]

Now that's a funny line.

Killer Confesses, Left Frets

Anne Applebaum laments that fact the confession by Khalid Sheik Mohammed to masterminding the attacks of September 11th along with many other terrorists attacks was greeted by the "world" with skepticism and indifference because of the suppossed tactics used to get the confession:

Here is one thing nobody predicted back in 2003: that when the notorious Mohammed eventually stood before a Guantanamo Bay military tribunal and took responsibility for not only for the Sept. 11 attacks, the deadliest crime ever carried out on American soil, but also for the horrific death of the journalist Daniel Pearl and some two dozen other operations, the world would greet the confessions with skepticism and indifference.

Well, guess what, Anne: I don't give a damn what France, or Germany, or even England thinks. The information gathered from Mohammed most certainly prevented more attacks and saved many more lives. It's a crying shame when liberals such as Applebaum seem to care a hell of a lot more about what the "world" thinks of us than potentially saving thousands of innocenct lives. She can take a long walk off a short pier as far as I'm concerned.

Even the Times Can't Ignore It

The New York Times, yes the New York Times, today runs an article critical of Al Gore and his global warming hyperventilating. You know the wheels are about to fall off when the Times starts running stories critical of the global warming crusaders. My favorite part:

Other critics have zeroed in on Mr. Gore’s claim that the energy industry ran a “disinformation campaign” that produced false discord on global warming. The truth, he said, was that virtually all unbiased scientists agreed that humans were the main culprits. But Benny J. Peiser, a social anthropologist in Britain who runs the Cambridge-Conference Network, or CCNet, an Internet newsletter on climate change and natural disasters, challenged the claim of scientific consensus with examples of pointed disagreement.

“Hardly a week goes by,” Dr. Peiser said, “without a new research paper that questions part or even some basics of climate change theory,” including some reports that offer alternatives to human activity for global warming.

Geologists have documented age upon age of climate swings, and some charge Mr. Gore with ignoring such rhythms.

“Nowhere does Mr. Gore tell his audience that all of the phenomena that he describes fall within the natural range of environmental change on our planet,” Robert M. Carter, a marine geologist at James Cook University in Australia, said in a September blog. “Nor does he present any evidence that climate during the 20th century departed discernibly from its historical pattern of constant change.”

In October, Dr. Easterbrook made similar points at the geological society meeting in Philadelphia. He hotly disputed Mr. Gore’s claim that “our civilization has never experienced any environmental shift remotely similar to this” threatened change.

Nonsense, Dr. Easterbrook told the crowded session. He flashed a slide that showed temperature trends for the past 15,000 years. It highlighted 10 large swings, including the medieval warm period. These shifts, he said, were up to “20 times greater than the warming in the past century.”

Getting personal, he mocked Mr. Gore’s assertion that scientists agreed on global warming except those industry had corrupted. “I’ve never been paid a nickel by an oil company,” Dr. Easterbrook told the group. “And I’m not a Republican.”

Ouch! I've always been fascinated with the weather and have been skeptical of the claim that global warming is caused by humans. I don't doubt we play a factor in some shape, form, or fashion -- but how much is of course the 64 Million Dollar Question. Unfortunetly the debate has become too politicized and so much money is at stake for research, that many claims by scientists with a vested interest in proving the existence of man-made global warming are dubious at best. We simply do not understand enough about how our atmosphere works to make such unequivocal conclusions.

It appears as though Al Gore may have reached his high water mark with his Oscar for An Inconvient Truth. When global warming's True Believers start viewing skeptics as the equivalent of Holocaust deniers, thankfully that's when cooler heads begin to prevail.

Kudos to the New York Times for this fine article, something I don't get to say often enough.

Miller Time

I'm a big fan of Dennis Miller. While a lot of people don't find him very funny, he's always tickled my funny bone. I like a comedian with wit and brains. Here he is taking it to one of the dimmest bulbs in Hollywood, Rosie O'Donnell.

My favorite line:

If we want to check Ramney al-Kaboom because he took 4 bomb cook books out in a month all of the sudden it’s wrong.

"Ramney al-Kaboom," classic Miller. Rosie tries trotting out one of Ben Franklin's most misquoted lines, "If you sacrifice liberty for perceived security you don’t deserve either" (her words, poor grammar and all.) But as somebody notes in the comments section, Franklin's full quote is actually "Those who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security." Those few words make a big difference in his meaning. It's almost as bad as the bogus quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson that dissent is the highest form of patriotism. Sorry, he never said it. Oh well, I've never accused liberals of not being afraid of putting their ignorance on display.

Local Hero Honored

U.S. Army PFC Branden Cummings was laid to rest yesterday. It is because of brave, unselfish, dedicated men like Branden Cummings that we can enjoy the freedom and liberty which, all too often, we take for granted. If you would like, you can leave a note of thanks to his family.

RIP Braden, and thank you for your bravery and sacrifice.

Tornado Damage

I went golfing yesterday and saw some of the damage done by the Groundhog Day tornadoes in New Smyrna Beach. I've never seen an area damage by a tornado before, and everything they say is true. The randomness of the damage is fascinating. One house untouched, while his neighbor has all of his windows blown out. The area was where an F1 came through, so I can only imagine the damage further west where an F3 touched down. Tree's were twisted and snapped like twigs and you could see where the debris had damaged the golf course by tearing up the ground as it flew through the air. Mother Nature can humble you very quickly and I felt great empathy for the people that went through it. Luckily, in this area, nobody lost their lives. I hope I never have to go through what these people must have, it was most certainly a terrifying experience.

Here's a link to a page at the National Weather Service in Melbourne for a summary of the tornadoes paths and damage. Pretty interesting stuff.

Savings Rate Misleading

If you're out there Jim Nauseum, I thought you might find this interesting:

Personal Saving Rate Is A Misleading Indicator

Enjoy!

Geez, 4 Months!

Has it been four months? I guess I'd better post something and see if my interest is rekindled.