Rasmussen? But I was told they were a far right bunch of screwballs and I should not pay attention to them because they have been discredited.

But now I’m being told to pay attention to them?

Well I’m confused Glynnis.

But let me add my little global warming (danger, danger, Will Robinson) clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2tEndWTifA

It appears that the relentless coverage of the Climategate scandal may have had some effect.

Yeah, even Mediaite finally started running stories on it! ba-dum-bum

(I have no YouTube clips to offer. Sorry)

You know, when this issue first raised it’s head, I defended the concept that scientists are only human and I poo-pooed the idea of a global conspiracy to fake data, but…

Some of Einstein’s theories have been proven wrong and Stephen Hawking had to take back an almost thirty year operational theory concerning black holes because new data was diametrically opposed to what he had “known”.

Right now, working with the data that we possess and the computers we have built, the “accepted science” may be global warming, but that’s only what we know at this time and it doesn’t mean that it’ll be disproven in the future.

I’m all in favor of cleaning up the environment and I support a lot, if not all of the things advanced toward the goal of reducing man’s effect on the environment. If global warming is the slogan used to sell these things, then so be it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s correct.

As I said in the beginning – scientists are only human and they can only really know, what they can see.

I think the problem most people have with global warming is that it’s become a catch-all, very poorly-explained excuse for any unpleasant weather and the very people who seem to be making money and receiving accolades and awards from proselytizing its horrible effects (cf. Al Gore, Laurie David) obviously aren’t terribly concerned with environmental issues in their personal life (i.e. excessive use of private jets, owning a home that uses 20x the energy of the average person, leaving their lights on during “Earth Hour,” paving over protected wetlands, etc.).

PS) The auto-play on the video is a little irritating and ou might want to turn it off in the code.

Magister: if you favor a clean environment and other social goods, then you should oppose cap-and-trade and other climate change fixes because they will suck up so much money and so many resources that there will be nothing left over for anything else.

Let’s spend a little on research, research is good, but let’s slow down the attempt to crash the economy and roll back technology to the 18th century, before the Industrial Revolution.,

@J Baustian: Though it doesn’t matter to a hill of beans, I haven’t taken a public position on “cap ‘n trade”. It was a Bush era compromise and if it’s implemented properly, then I can see how it’d have some effect, but Matt Taibbi brought up some valid concerns in his takedown of Goldman Sachs and my scientist wife isn’t in favor of it.

Though again, it doesn’t really matter, but I haven’t taken a public position and if the legislation does pass, I’m of the school that like health care, everything can be fixed in post.

Daily Caller: ‘Climategate’ professor Michael Mann protected ‘to maximum extent’ by Penn State policy
http://dailycaller.com/2010/01/12/climategate-professor-michael-mann-protected-to-maximum-extent-by-penn-state-policy/

I think many folks are missing the point here: It’s ALL about a power grab. The proponents of human-caused climate either want to enrich themselves (ala Al Gore) or they want to confiscate the wealth of the producers (ala the government). They are playing (effectively, at times it would seem) on the vanity of the human race, encouraging them to think that humans can actually destroy a planet. They cannot! This planet has withstood ice ages, periods of world-wide tropical climate, astroid strikes that destroyed most all life forms in existence at the time, and various biological disasters that killed off life forms by disease. All one has to do to fully understand the impact of natural forces is to look at one of the larger currently active volcanoes (15 at present) that, each and every day, spew out more greenhouse gases and particulate than we insignificant humans have during all of our existence (infestation?) on this planet. That some have falsely reported data proves this point in no uncertain terms. Bottom line: The human race are, for the most part, a pompous lot.