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A humorous look at a serious situation.  I don’t know how I would even hold a conversation with someone that thought Israel at fault in the “Flotilla Incident.”

A large band of clouds have disappeared from Jupiter for the present.  Apparently it has happened before and they have always returned.  Initially, I wanted to blame global warming, but then I remembered it was a different planet.  And that’s when I realized how worrisome it is to observe extreme weather without knowing that it is caused by excess CO2 from human activity.  Truly baffling.

: )

Just came across a fascinating website called Information is Beautiful.

One of the articles that caught my eye was one about military spending & size when taking wealth and population into account.

It doesn’t seem fair to not factor in the wealth of a country when assessing its military budget.

So, if you take military budgets as a proportion of each country’s GDP, a very different picture emerges.

The US is knocked down into 8th place by such nations as Jordan, Burundi and Georgia. The UK plunges to 29th.

In thinking about the law that was recently passed in Arizona, it seems that many of the things being talked about are just false facades to the underlying debate.  That being that you are either for open borders, or you are against open borders.  From that discussion, you can then move into what to do about the millions already over the border, if you’re able to get that far…

Arguing that this law will lead to unlawful racial profiling is not what it is really about.  If it were, there would be more talk about proposed solutions from those opposed to the bill.  They would be saying:

“This law will lead to racial profiling.  We can think of better ways to solve the issue of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens in our state without possible profiling, and here it is: [ ENTER PROPOSED SOLUTION HERE ].”

I’m not holding my breath though because in their view, there is no issue to solve.  My impression is that opponents of the law simply have no desire to allow the United States to assert its sovereignty and treat unlawful residents like, well, unlawful residents.

Perhaps others thought of the same thing I did, but also dismissed it due to the apparent absurdity.

But yes, some people are openly wondering if anthropogenic global warming is to blame for recent seismic activity.

Yet something else is lately worrying geologists: the likelihood that the Earth’s crust, relieved of so much formidable weight of ice borne for many thousands of years, has begun to stretch and rebound.

As it does, a volcano awakens in Iceland (with another, larger and adjacent to still-erupting Eyjafjallajokull, threatening to detonate next). The Earth shudders in Haiti. Then Chile. Then western China. Mexicali-Calexico. The Solomon Islands. Spain. New Guinea. And those are just the big ones, 6+ on the Richter scale, and just in 2010. And it’s only April.

Does any of this ring familiar to claims about more intense hurricanes, despite no scientific evidence?

I’m no geologist, and neither is Alan Weisman, but his ambiguous assertion certainly plays into the humorous propensity to blame anything bad on human caused global warming.  In the article, it links to an article about James Lovelock, with whom I apparently share some opinions.  Those being that if global warming is happening because of human activity (I think he is more sure than I am), then all the actions we think we can take to save the planet are in the end, pointless.  There is nothing we can do, according to Lovelock, because we’re already past the tipping point.  Enjoy the ride.  If transformational global warming is happening, I don’t know if we’ve passed a tipping point, but my view is that no one is actually willing to literally abandon our carbon rich energy lifestyle in any kind of meaningful way.  So anything short of resorting to an agrarian lifestyle that is car and electricity free, is not going to stop AGW, but will instead just give government more oversight, power and authority without solving anything.

On another note, I recently saw this roundup of global warming mistakes and scandals on HotAir.  A good resource for the inquisitive skeptic.

So says Roland Martin.

Even if you’re a relative of one of the 9/11 hijackers, that man was an out-and-out terrorist, and nothing you can say will change that. And if your great-great-great-granddaddy was a Confederate who stood up for Southern ideals, he too was a terrorist.

They are the same.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/05/sweden.ice.ships.stuck/

In fact, isn’t everything a result of climate change?  If there is unseasonable cold, its because the “warming temperatures” overall are skewing the normal winter cycle.  But if there is unseasonable warm, its because the “warming temperatures” overall are skewing the normal winter cycle.

Is it possible that Anthropogenic Global Warming advocates are somehow trying to think of a way to link the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile with climate change?

I kid, I kid.

Valerie Plame Wilson must be involved in what I dub the “Unicorn Express,” borrowing from other sources.  A seemingly mystical and illogical quest for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.  I first caught a glimpse of her on CNN.com and thought, “Was that Valerie Plame?”  Indeed.  Skip to 0:35 for her sound byte.

Then check out TED’s website about the session she opened where her name links to this group’s website.

I think my thoughts are pretty much in line with Bill Kristol’s back after Obama’s speech in Prague.

From Bill Kristol’s “A World Without Nukes — Just Like 1939″ April 7, 2009 Article  —-

Of course, we had a world without nuclear weapons not so long ago — say, in 1939. The war that began in that nuclear-free world led to a crash project to develop nuclear weapons. It ended with America’s use of them…

Yet to justify a world without nuclear weapons, what Obama would really have to envision is a world without war, or without threats of war.

As soon as we get rid of nuclear weapons though, we ought to get rid of unicorns.  They have a pointy horn.

Democrats seem to be ready to really show their true colors here, as always.  Instead of condemning racial impropriety, they once again fore go unbiased and equal treatment of their own.  Instead of harshly scolding Reid and threatening his position, they’ll do an about face when compared to their reaction to ambiguous (possibly racial) comments Trent Lott made several years ago.

First, Reid’s allies plan to distribute the NAACP vote ratings of Republican senators who have scolded him. The data will be made available to editorial boards, cable programs and the blogosphere — including votes on minimum wage, community-oriented policing, education funding and HIV/AIDS programs.

Separately, the Congressional Black Caucus plans to issue a new statement Monday, defending Reid and brushing back Republicans.

“Senator Reid’s record provides a stark contrast to actions of Republicans to block legislation that would benefit poor and minority communities — most recently reflected in Republican opposition to the health bill now under consideration,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said. “I look forward to Senator Reid continuing to serve as Majority Leader to guide this important agenda through the Senate.”

Classic.  Attack the messenger.

Ad Hominem:

–adjective :

attacking an opponent’s character rather than answering his argument.

If only Democrats could stay consistent on principle…