Bummer: New Paper Proclaims Doom From Antarctic Melt

By William Teach May 13, 2014 – 7:24 am

Of course it does. And, of course, the media itself has shifted into Dooooom! mode. Here’s the NY Times’ resident climahysteric, Justin Gillis, along with Kenneth Change

Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans From Polar Melt

A large section of the mighty West Antarctica ice sheet has begun falling apart and its continued melting now appears to be unstoppable, two groups of scientists reported on Monday. If the findings hold up, they suggest that the melting could destabilize neighboring parts of the ice sheet and a rise in sea level of 10 feet or more may be unavoidable in coming centuries.

Global warming caused by the human-driven release of greenhouse gases has helped to destabilize the ice sheet, though other factors may also be involved, the scientists said.

And there’s your “science”, folks. It was preconceived to Blame Humanity….say, how did the scientists get to Antarctica to study the ice? Fossil fuels, perhaps? They sure didn’t sail or swim.

The rise of the sea is likely to continue to be relatively slow for the rest of the 21st century, the scientists added, but in the more distant future it may accelerate markedly, potentially throwing society into crisis.

“This is really happening,” Thomas P. Wagner, who runs NASA’s programs on polar ice and helped oversee some of the research, said in an interview. “There’s nothing to stop it now. But you are still limited by the physics of how fast the ice can flow.” (snip)

Those six glaciers alone could cause the ocean to rise four feet as they disappear, Dr. Rignot said, possibly within a couple of centuries. He added that their disappearance will most likely destabilize other sectors of the ice sheet, so the ultimate rise could be triple that.

By a “couple centuries”, they mean somewhere in the range of 1000 years.

Thing is, did they even go to Antarctica to perform science? The abstract notes

We measure the grounding line retreat of glaciers draining the Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica using Earth Remote Sensing (ERS-1/2) satellite radar interferometry from 1992 to 2011.

That’s not even 9 years, nor does it take into account the growth of the rest of Antarctic ice. We’ve been told again and again that a pause of 17+ years is too short to be a trend. Now, Warmists are trumping this study as doom.

In fact, the trends, per RSS, for Antarctica show that the areas where sea ice form are flatlined since 1980, and Antarctica overall shows a statistically insignificant rise since 1980. And, as Anthony Watts further notes

A lot can happen in several centuries, why even in the last couple of years Antarctic has seen  record levels on Antarctic sea ice.

A lot can happen, and, realistically, there is nothing unusual about some melting at the poles during a warm period, which have occurred off and on since the end of the last glacial age.

Scientists said the ice sheet was not melting because of warmer air temperatures, but rather because relatively warm water that occurs naturally in the depths of the ocean was being pulled to the surface by an intensification, over the past several decades, of the powerful winds that encircle Antarctica.

Hooray, those are two of the blames Warmists have been pushing, mostly to find a way to deflect criticism that warming has essentially stopped for over 17 years. Interestingly, the release seems to coincide with the IPCC report, which also talks about “corks being released”, though the IPCC report talks in terms of 2,000-10,000 years.

Anyhow, Warmists, there’s your cue: give up all use of fossil fuels to save Antarctica.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Bummer: New Paper Proclaims Doom From Antarctic Melt »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 9 Comments | Trackback URL

Will Derrick Ward Be Next On Progressive Truth Squad Hit List Over Michael Sam Tweet?

By William Teach May 12, 2014 – 2:15 pm

On the bright side, the neither the NFL nor any team can do anything to him, since he retired

(NJ.com) Former Giants running back Derrick Ward wasn’t the only person on Twitter commenting about new Rams rookie Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend after hearing from St. Louis. He also wasn’t the only one who was critical.

Here’s what the Super Bowl winner wrote:

Many have been trashing Ward for *GASP* holding a non-compliant opinion. Now, let’s look at what happened to Miami Dolphins player Don Jones

Miami Dolphins defensive back Don Jones was fined an undisclosed amount and suspended from team activities in the wake of two tweets Jones sent out that were critical of Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend (note: I cleaned up a bunch of misspellings, something that sadly occurs quite a bit on NJ.com)

“We were disappointed to read Don’s tweets during the NFL Draft,” Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said in a statement that announced the suspension. “They were inappropriate and unacceptable, and we regret the negative impact these comments had on such an important weekend for the NFL.”

Jones — who has since made his Twitter account private — will be allowed to rejoin the team once he completes “educational training.”

Jones tweeted out “omg” as the video of Sam embracing his boyfriend, Vito, aired on ESPN after the St. Louis Rams selected Sam — the first openly gay NFL prospect — in the seventh round. Jones then responded “horrible” when asked if the first tweet was in reference to Sam.

Got that? Suspended and forced to undergo “educational training” for holding an opinion, as well as apologize. Granted, the Fins can do what they want, it is a private company. Erik Erickson is correct when he wrote (several times) that You Will Be Made To Care.

One would think that the Dolphins would have more important concerns. They haven’t broken .500 in the last 5 seasons. They’ve made the playoffs just 3 times since 2000, after Dan Marino retired. Six plus .500 seasons from 2000 through 2013. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2000. Six different head coaches from 2004 forward. Issues with QB’s since Marino retired. Quick, name a high profile Fins player! But, hey, mean tweet. #priorities.

Read: Will Derrick Ward Be Next On Progressive Truth Squad Hit List Over Michael Sam Tweet? »

Posted in Liberal World, Sports | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 12, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible energy sucking refrigerator, putting out greenhouse gases that negatively affect maple syrup, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Sweetness and Light, with a post on the moment sports changed forever.

Read: If All You See… »

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“Climate change is about justifying bigger government”

By William Teach May 12, 2014 – 10:21 am

As I noted the other day, more and more people seem to be noticing the reasons behind the “climate change” movement, something I’ve been blogging about for years. When people ask why I concentrate on the political aspects (and insanity): because that’s what it is. It’s not science. Here’s a letter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

I have to wonder what type of evidence would convince climate alarmists that they are wrong. We have global and Antarctic sea ice areas that are at near-record highs for the date. We’ve had no global warming for almost two decades. Remember the predictions of increased severe weather? They just haven’t come true; in fact, Obama’s presidency has had the fewest hurricanes of any presidency. We’ve gone nine years without a major (category 3-5) hurricane strike, which is the longest period on record. Northern Hemisphere winter snow cover over the past 10 years was the highest of any decade on record. These are all easily verifiable facts. Perhaps by “climate change,” global warming scientists meant that we’d actually see colder weather, more snowfall and fewer hurricanes?

Wake up and smell the coffee. Climate change is about justifying bigger government and more intrusion into your lives, something progressives (formerly know as liberals) have wanted since the turn of the last century. If it really was about saving the planet, the scientists would admit that 95 percent of their climate models and dire predictions have been wrong over the past several decades. They’d also be willing to consider that there may be other factors beyond our control that have a much greater impact on our climate. I don’t know, could it be the sun? Could it be that the earth has gone through global warming and global cooling cycles for millions of years (even before we started burning fossil fuels)?

Facts are pesky things to Warmists. And Jim Craig has hit the nail on the head. This is what “climate change” is about. Another letter in the same paper notes that “climate change” results in lots of government funding.

Read: “Climate change is about justifying bigger government” »

Posted in Global Warming | 11 Comments | Trackback URL

Senator Rand Paul Wants To See The Drone Memos

By William Teach May 12, 2014 – 8:55 am

No matter what your opinion of Senator Paul, you do have to admire that when he goes after an issue, he doesn’t just trump it then forget it. Ever since his filibuster on drones, of which he wrote that it was just the beginning, he’s continued with the subject. He cares heavily on the subject of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Privacy and 4th amendment rights are important to him. He’s sued Obama over NSA spying on Americans. And here is on drones again

(NY Times) I BELIEVE that killing an American citizen without a trial is an extraordinary concept and deserves serious debate. I can’t imagine appointing someone to the federal bench, one level below the Supreme Court, without fully understanding that person’s views concerning the extrajudicial killing of American citizens.

But President Obama is seeking to do just that. He has nominated David J. Barron, a Harvard law professor and a former acting assistant attorney general, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

While he was an official in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, Mr. Barron wrote at least two legal memos justifying the execution without a trial of an American citizen abroad. Now Mr. Obama is refusing to share that legal argument with the American people. (snip)

I believe that all senators should have access to all of these opinions. Furthermore, the American people deserve to see redacted versions of these memos so that they can understand the Obama administration’s legal justification for this extraordinary exercise of executive power. The White House may invoke national security against disclosure, but legal arguments that affect the rights of every American should not have the privilege of secrecy.

I have to agree with him on that point, and it is something that even honest Leftists have noted: what are the legal justifications for drone striking an American citizen in another country over their links to terrorism? Some have gone further, wondering whether those same legal justifications can be applied here in the United States.

The Bill of Rights is clear. The Fifth Amendment provides that no one can be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” The Sixth Amendment provides that “the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury,” as well as the right to be informed of all charges and have access to legal counsel. These are fundamental rights that cannot be waived with a presidential pen.

In battle, combatants engaged in war against America get no due process and may lawfully be killed. But citizens not in a battlefield, however despicable, are guaranteed a trial by our Constitution.

True. But

Anwar al-Awlaki was an American citizen who was subject to a kill order from Mr. Obama, and was killed in 2011 in Yemen by a missile fired from a drone. I don’t doubt that Mr. Awlaki committed treason and deserved the most severe punishment. Under our Constitution, he should have been tried — in absentia, if necessary — and allowed a legal defense. If he had been convicted and sentenced to death, then the execution of that sentence, whether by drone or by injection, would not have been an issue.

That’s where it breaks down a bit. Anwar al-Awlaki was fighting on the modern battlefield of Islamic jihad. Does he deserve a trial? What about his right to confront his accusers? Rather hard to do that when tried in absentia. One can’t argue with Senator Paul’s passion, though.

But this new legal standard does not apply merely to a despicable human being who wanted to harm the United States. The Obama administration has established a legal justification that applies to every American citizen, whether in Yemen, Germany or Canada.

And that is the scary part. And the reason we need to see the memos regarding drone strikes on American citizens. We need to see the legal justification. This need not be a hardcore political dogfight. I’m on the fence when it comes to “droning” Americans who have joined terrorist groups overseas, essentially taking up arms against the United States. According to the Geneva Convention, people who fight in no uniforms can be whacked without any thought. However, there are still the protections of the Constitution, which do not stop for Americans not in domestic territory.

Read: Senator Rand Paul Wants To See The Drone Memos »

Posted in GOP, War On Terrorism | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Politico: You Know, You Silly Benghazi Believers….

By William Teach May 12, 2014 – 8:15 am

There’s been quite a few complaints that the news media, which is mostly left leaning and Democrat voters, have refused to do their jobs on Benghazi. There have been a few intrepid and dogged reporters, yet, for the most part, it has been more about defending Team Obama and attacking citizens who just want answers. Here comes another that perfectly encapsulates the problems, as written by Politico’s Lauren French

The world of Benghazi believers

Hillary Clinton passed on the Sunday shows after the Benghazi attacks to preserve her White House aspirations.

The White House is covering up for political reasons why President Barack Obama wasn’t in the Situation Room as the attacks were unfolding.

And there are reasons CNN can track down the masterminds behind the 2012 ambush but the U.S. government can’t.

These are just a sampling of the doggedly held views of a die-hard cadre of Republican lawmakers about the controversial events that led to the death 20 months ago of four Americans in Benghazi — a word that is now synonymous for conservatives with cover-up and conspiracy.

Call them the Benghazi believers.

These Republicans — and there are dozens — are deeply convinced that the truth has yet to be fully aired about the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

The blog post essentially attempts to say that tons of details have already come out and Republicans are nuts for continuing to dwell on the issue. And, it is a blog post. Lauren French is, like so many others in the major media who write on the subject, a reporter. Her bio shows she is a Congress reporter for Politico, and has worked as a reporter in several areas since she graduated from George Washington University in 2012 with a degree in journalism. Yet, there is no reporting in the article. It is a rehash of Benghazi, lite on details, long on subtly attacking Republicans and Conservatives who just want to know the truth. Flip it around: had this happened under a Republican president, Lauren and her compadres would be asking questions, digging, looking for The Truth.

I’ve seen lots and lots of theories regarding Benghazi. Some seem pretty far out there. Doug Ross posted one the other day, that, as he says, turns out to be less and less insane every day. Where does The Truth lie? When the 9/11 Truthers started their conspiracy theories, people came and knocked them down with facts. Reporters, scientists, military members, engineers, etc, got out there and investigated. Here, liberal reporters and news outlets have abrogated their responsibility to investigate, instead, they’ve taken the Democrat line, and turned into bloggers with a political view. Did Ms. French do any investigation on her own, or simply go “hey, let’s attack Republicans and Conservatives, make them look crazy”? All we want is the truth.

I suspect that, at the end of the day, this was all about incompetence and political spin. When it comes to Team Obama, don’t assign anything nefarious or complicated to what has been the norm for Team Obama: incompetence, a weak work ethic, shiny object policies, making everything hyper-political, obfuscation, a lack of transparency, spin after failure, old fashioned cover-ups.

If the president’s name were Bush or Reagan, we would long ago have had a minute-by-minute accounting of his every move. And if the incident involved some faraway American warrior’s slaying of a jihadist emir, we would long ago have had a Situation Room photo depicting Obama as maestro . . . with an accompanying soundtrack of classified leaks portraying his courage while others were under fire. Andrew C. McCarthy

Few, if any, left-leaning reporters care about the answer to the question. There is little interest to all the questions surrounding Benghazi. Why was security denied multiple times? Why was Ambassador Stevens there on 9/11? Why was no military help sent? Why was there no extra security on that day, despite multiple credible threats? Why the “it was a video” spin? Western Journalism has 50 questions. One of them is “Why have no suspects been arrested for the attack?” A real news organization would be looking for answers.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Politico: You Know, You Silly Benghazi Believers…. »

Posted in Barry Obama, Democrats, Journalistic Malpractice | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Michael Sam Taken 249th, Complains Not Taken High Enough

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 6:58 pm

A bit of a follow up to yesterday’s post on Michael Sam

(CBS Sportsline) Former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam became the first openly gay player in NFL history to be drafted when the Rams took him with the 249th pick on Saturday, but Sam almost didn’t make history because he almost fell out of the draft.

Sam was taken with the eighth-to-last pick, meaning he almost wasn’t drafted at all, something he found rather shocking. The NFL’s first openly gay player said he should’ve been picked higher.

“From last season alone, I should’ve been in the first three rounds — SEC Defensive player of the year, All-American,” Sam said, listing off his 2013 accomplishments, via the Rams official website.

There were a few teams who expressed interest in signing him if not drafted, but, one has to wonder about the comment. Is this just standard whining, or is he complaining that he wasn’t picked higher because he’s gay? Scrolling through the comments, most are seeing this as an entitlement mentality, a problem waiting to happen (in terms of if he gets cut, doesn’t play enough, and the media circus, among others, which will be blamed on anti-gay bigotry), and that he should be happy he was drafted. Here’s a perfect one

This is a big warning flag about Michael Sam.  There is no reason he should have that sense of entitlement.  He should be glad to be drafted and go out there and earn his money, not bitching already about how low he was drafted.  Had he waited to come out until after the draft, he probably would have gone a bit higher but a lot of teams don’t want the media circus that comes with Sam.  Couple that with a less than inspiring combine and he should count himself lucky to be drafted at all.

Jazz Shaw calls Sam an albatross wrapped around the Rams’ neck, especially since players drafted in the 7th round have an 8% chance of starting or having a durable position. Sam was an outstanding college level player. But, what for the NFL? Most are less than enthused about his skills, size, speed, and agility. He has the mental makeup. But, then, Tebow had the strength, durability, leadership, agility, size. What he didn’t have was the decision making and accuracy to be an NFL caliber QB. And the media circus did not help. He would have made a great tight end. Perhaps Sam would be better at Safety. Tebow refused to adapt. Will Sam?

Read: Michael Sam Taken 249th, Complains Not Taken High Enough »

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HuffPo: Marco Rubio Has Climate Denial, And Florida Is Dooooooomed From Sea Rise

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 3:31 pm

Like, totally doomed!

Rubio:

Meanwhile, a National Climate Assessment has named Miami as the city most vulnerable to damage from rising sea levels. While a Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact paper warned that water in the area could rise by as much as two feet by the year 2060.

On Sunday, one of the state’s U.S. senators, Marco Rubio (R), was pressed about the general subject of climate change, and despite the warnings outlined above, he argued that there was nothing lawmakers could or should do to reverse the climate trends (whose origins he also questioned).

“I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,” Rubio said, according to excerpts released by ABC “This Week,” “and I do not believe that the laws that they propose we pass will do anything about it, except it will destroy our economy.”

“The fact is that these events that we’re talking about are impacting us, because we built very expensive structures in Florida and other parts of the country near areas that are prone to hurricanes. We’ve had hurricanes in Florida forever. And the question is, what do we do about the fact that we have built expensive structures, real estate and population centers near those vulnerable areas?” he asked. “I have no problem with taking mitigation activity.”

The sea rise threatening Florida leads to a NY Times article

Sea levels have risen eight inches since 1870, according to the new report, which projects a further rise of one to four feet by the end of the century. Waters around southeast Florida could surge up to two feet by 2060, according to a report by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact. A study by the Florida Department of Transportation concluded that over the next 35 years, rising sea levels will increasingly flood and damage smaller local roads in the Miami area.

We don’t really need more, because you surely understand it is all about Doom! Let’s talk about Miami. I’d like to know exactly how they can predict, when NOAA has had no measurements since 1981. The 50 year trend till 1981 was a whopping .78 feet in 100 years. Does someone else have actual data?

Let’s look at other Florida data. Here are the three longest term data sets from NOAA

Read More »

Read: HuffPo: Marco Rubio Has Climate Denial, And Florida Is Dooooooomed From Sea Rise »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Collapsing Science, Global Warming | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is evil CO2 infused beer, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Jawa Report, with a post on White Guilt.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 10:16 am

Happy Sunday! And happy Mother’s Day! It’s also a big weekend for graduations. Though, I don’t remember my graduation being like that. Granted, mine was in December, since a broken leg put me a semester behind. Anyhow, this pinup is by Gil Elvgren, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Mark Steyn (it’s his blog) discusses #BringOurBallsBack
  2. Public Secrets explains why California is doomed
  3. Proof Positive wonders if Obama has ever made a gutsy call
  4. Right Wing News (Ashley Herzog) explains that 5 year olds could be charged with bullying
  5. Scared Monkeys notes that 4 in 10 kids are addicted to the Internets
  6. Sister Toldjah covers Kay Hagan’s embrace of Ocare
  7. The Other McCain discusses Boko Haram and jihad
  8. This ain’t Hell… notes that aliens hate the Taliban
  9. Political Clown Parade has Obama at WalMart
  10. Patterico has an ironic Mother’s Day card
  11. Noisy Room notes how far the country has shifted to the left in the last 50 years
  12. Moonbattery explains what liberals controlling higher education means
  13. Lady Liberty 1885 notes who the Southern Poverty Law Center calls “extremists”
  14. Jammie Wearing Fools highlights Boko Haram not being scared by #HastagDiplomacy (kidnapped more kids and killed villagers)
  15. And last, but not least, Fire Andrea Mitchell features Sir Putts Alot

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page. While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets” calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. (BTW, since someone asked, the reason I leave links for the previous week up (or you might see a *) is because they are place holders for later in the day or for next weeks. Easier than rewriting all the time. Also, the listing order has to do with how they are added over time, not how good a post is. I just copy and paste from the previous week, then edit. If you see one of the *’s, go ahead and check out the blog anyhow, see if there is an update. I cannot update with my Android during the day.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

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