Saturday, December 22, 2007

Harry Reid seems to have changed his mind about some things in Iraq:

4/19/07: “I believe myself that the secretary of state, secretary of defense and — you have to make your own decisions as to what the president knows — that this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq,”

12/21/07: "The president said, "Let's send some more troops over there, and that will give the Iraqis the time to take care of themselves." We sent other troops over there, and there are a lot of reasons the surge certainly hasn't hurt. It's helped. I recognize that."



Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.


And here is Steven Milloy's latest column on the recent Energy Bill passed by Congress. A sample follows: "First, the law requires auto fuel efficiency standards to increase by 40 percent by 2020. Unfortunately, this goal is presently only achievable by reducing vehicle weight — but lighter cars are deadlier cars. So what’s the purported benefit of mandating 4,000 or more deaths per year? The law’s supporters claim that it may reduce national oil consumption by about 5 percent (400 million barrels of oil per year). Doing the math, your life is now worth about 100,000 barrels of oil. In touting the law, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “it is an environmental issue, and therefore a health issue… it is an energy issue, and it is a moral issue.”
But what exactly is the morality of risking thousands of lives every year to reduce oil consumption by an inconsequential amount?"

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't take this the wrong way, I hate Harry Reid, but was that second quote in context? It seems like a statement where one might say. "I recognize that BUT..."

As for the energy bill, you're right in that it's complete BS. It's not any of those things Pelosi said, it's a money issue. It's like the incandescent lightbulb thing. It's about who has good lobbyists, and political pull, and probably nothing else. They don't care about lives. Not really.

Dan Trabue said...

this goal is presently only achievable by reducing vehicle weight — but lighter cars are deadlier cars.

Actually, this is one of those shell games. Don't fall for it.

Lighter cars are "deadlier cars" because there are larger cars out there and in a wreck between heavy cars and lighter cars, lighter cars lose. It's like saying that bicycling is "deadlier - not safe!" Bicycling is extremely safe unless you have a situation where you have large cars that might endanger the cyclist.

So, it's not that bicycling or light cars are "deadly," it's that there are larger, deadlier vehicles out there making the roads more dangerous and making larger, deadlier and more polluting cars a "necessity," which is a MAD (mutually assured destruction) solution.

Larger, heavier cars are a "solution" that is to be strongly discouraged, not encouraged by our lawmakers nor by we, the people.

Anonymous said...

Doctor,

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Regards.

Anonymous said...

The Ballad of Befana

An Epiphany Legend


Befana the Housewife, scrubbing her pane,
Saw three old sages ride down the lane,
Saw three gray travelers pass her door--
Gaspar, Balthazar, Melchior.

"Where journey you, sirs?" she asked of them.
Balthazar answered, "To Bethlehem,

For we have heard news of a marvelous thing.
Born in a stable is Christ the King."

Give him my welcome!"
Then Gaspar smiled,
"Come with us mistress, to greet the Child."

"Oh, happily, happily would I fare,
Were my dusting through and I polished the stair."

Old Melchior leaned on his saddle horn.
"Then send a gift to the small Newborn."

"Oh, gladly, gladly I'd send him one,
Were the hearthstone swept and my weaving done.

"As soon as ever I've baked my bread,
I'll fetch Him a pillow for His head,
And a coverlet too," Befana said.

"When the rooms are aired and the linen dry,
I'll look at the Babe."
But the Three rode by.

She worked for a day and a night and a day,
Then gifts in her hands, took up her way.
But she never could find where the Christ Child lay.

And still she wanders at Christmastide,
Homeless, whose house was all her pride,

Whose heart was tardy, whose gifts were late;
Wanders and knocks at every gate,
Crying, "Good people, the bells begin!
Put off your toiling and let love in."

John Washburn said...

Loop, a Merry Christmas to you as well, my best to your and yours this holiday season.

Robert, I included a link to the interview so that you can decide for yourself on the context thing. He is still critical of Bush, but it appears to me that he truly acknowledged success with the surge.

Dan, your logic would fit if we assumed that this legislation would remove all those heavy vehicles from the roads, which is a stretch to say the least. What about the 18-wheelers? Other freight carriers? What about multiple car accidents? Single car accidents? A lighter car is not going to be as safe hitting a tree or a ditch.

Bottom line: this law makes us less safe while really not doing a whole lot for the environment. On the surface it sounds good - which is why the passed it, basically to throw the green block a bone - but when you get down into it you find that it's a bad law. There are better ways. Congress failed us once again!

SNAKE HUNTERS said...

The Strawberry Plants in Northern Florida are covered with Ice, and the Citrus is in jeopardy.

Let's all pray for a blessed blast
of Global Warming! reb
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