Re: Atheists: America's most distrusted minority
- From: Wesley Struebing <strueb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 16:11:29 +0000 (UTC)
On Fri, 2 Jun 2006 23:23:56 +0000 (UTC), Josh Hill
<usereplyto@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mon, 29 May 2006 21:30:35 +0000 (UTC), "Vorlonagent"<snip>
<jt@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Paul Harper" <paul@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:lj1m72ddd0ptmg160fpodnunkrh3emt9sj@xxxxxxxxxx
Again, we'll have to agree to disagree. [It is my belief that] We only
have a limited amount of time left when we can afford the luxury of an
overly self-centred existence. "I" *has* to have a limited shelf life
now. We are going to have to ditch all of that and start becoming a
lot more wider-focused. In between AIDS, assorted health pandemics,
global warming and various energy crises that are here or looming, the
"I'm alright Jack" approach to existence is an evolutionary dead end.
30 years ago, people were fretting about the imminent onset of the next ice
age.
You know, I've heard that claim often enough, but I sure don't
remember it -- just the oft-repeated and likely accurate assertion
that we're in an interglacial period -- which leads me to suspect that
it's yet another exaggeration or fabrication. And even if it had been
true, I'm not sure it would have much bearing on the current debate.
After all, people once believed that dinosaurs were cold blooded and
that the continents didn't move, but that doesn't mean that we
shouldn't or wouldn't or don't believe that dinosaurs are warm blooded
or that the continents do move.
Check out what Paul Krugman said about the "global cooling" bit the
other day:
"While I'm at it, I can't resist mentioning another piece of
Swift-Boating, this aimed at climate science as a whole: the claim
that 30 years ago climatologists were all worried about global
cooling. A good example: In a 2004 article, George Will informed
readers that a 1976 paper in Science 'warned about ?extensive Northern
Hemisphere glaciation".'
"The truth about that 1976 paper is here. In fact, the paper was
solely concerned with the effects of long-term variations in the
Earth?s orbit. It specifically declared that the forecasts did not
take into account 'anthropogenic effects such as those due to the
burning of fossil fuels.' And what was the forecast? 'The results
indicate that the long-term trend over the next 20,000 years is
towards extensive Northern Hemisphere glaciation.' Somehow, I doubt
that Mr. Will?s readers realized that the paper in question said only
that if we leave out the effects of greenhouse gases, the Earth might
have another ice age a few thousand years from now."
In re: glaciation, too - the models I've seen presented (admittedly
several years old, now) all predict areas that WILL be cooler - in
fact significantly in spots. The overall effect, though is warming.
(and, if one accepts most of the data concerning the Atlantic
Conveyor, global warming WILL lead ultimately to a period of
temperature drop, probably glaciation.)
What was that commercial? "It's not *nice* to mess with Mother
Nature?" (she has her *own* agenda...)
--
Wes Struebing
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America,
and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples,
promising liberty and justice for all.
.
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