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Propaganda as Journalism
Human Events ^ | 08/20/2007 | Michael J. Economides

Posted on 08/20/2007 4:45:26 AM PDT by IrishMike

One of the vilest, most venomous pieces of writing masquerading as journalism was the Newsweek cover story on August 13, 2007.

With the sun as the backdrop, which in the piece got a minor supporting role for global warming, compared to man-produced CO2, the magazine screamed “Global Warming is a Hoax” * and the asterisk led to the clincher as a large enough footnote: "Or so claim well-funded naysayers who still reject the overwhelming evidence of climate change. Inside the denial machine."

The attack was so vicious that MIT meteorologist Richard Lindzen, a well known climate expert and a strong doubter of any unusual global warming is “the kind of man who, if you’re in the minority, he opts to be with you.” Just before the writer gave a hint for the reason for Lindzen’s character flaw. His parents fled Nazi Germany. (I checked my facts. Lindzen is not funded by oil companies or their proxies.)

Well, I am also not in anybody’s pay and I am not even, heavens forbid, a Republican. And I have not relied on the “hundreds of scientists” constantly invoked as signing petitions but never publishing causal papers. I have personally worked on radiation heat transfer and I do not need the opinions of others about anthropogenic global warming, maybe 0.1 degrees centigrade. The postulated global warming simply cannot be caused by man-made CO2.

I am not a climate expert and I am perfectly willing to accept that global warming is happening. But the writer, Sharon Begley, did not even bother to really distinguish between global warming, an occurrence that has demonstrably happened over and over again in earth’s history, something that the climate experts are debating, and the politically loaded anthropogenic part. Make no mistake. The latter is far more salient to the Gores of the world and it is an undisguised, ideologically driven, full frontal attack on American and developed world lifestyles and the energy industry.

Had the writer attempted even remote due diligence, just by asking some of the 800 “authors” of the IPPC report to produce just one reference, she would discover that there is not one paper in the peer reviewed heat transfer or thermodynamic literature that shows the causal relationship between the presumably observed and, especially, forecasted global warming and the increased CO2 at the 300 parts per million levels. Correlation does not prove causation. That’s what I thought until now. I am even willing to accept that global warming can cause enhanced CO2 in the atmosphere by reducing the solubility of the gas in the oceans. But the other way around is what is at issue.

Instead, the well funded machine, with only ExxonMobil identified as a funder, is supposed to cast aspersions to what Newsweek thinks is the obvious. By the way ExxonMobil in a well publicized move a few years ago gave $100 million to Stanford University to study global warming issues. Much of that money went to environmentalist type projects.

First, oil companies should love the rhetoric of global warming. They would be watching with glee. If the public is conditioned to believe in alternatives such as wind at $200 per barrel of oil equivalent or solar at $1,000, if taxes are supposed to force conservation while the public uses more and more energy, guess what gift is handed to those that manage oil and gas. The reason we use those energy sources is not because of some ideological propensity. They are the easiest and cheapest to use. The profits margins of oil companies will soar in a preposterously legislated remedy-global-warming future. Environmentalist silliness will strengthen the presumed devils all the while preventing the market to develop into real technologies and alternatives. Solar and wind will never do that.

Second, while slogans and magazine articles lament what they consider to be a looming catastrophe, other than saying oil, gas and coal are bad for you, they are not really suggesting what else can be done because if they did they would quickly find the insurmountable costs. Unless committing economic suicide is what’s in their mind. If the recent virtual economy hiccup can cause the problem that it did, imagine what a forced energy supply disruption will mean for the world.

I have calculated that sequestering just the expected incremental CO2 between today’s levels and 2030 will require 1.7 million wells at a cost of over $7 trillion. Alternative energy sources will cost more.

I am sure that all this nonsense will be swept away by the economy and reality. There is no need to worry. Oil and gas will be the dominant sources of energy for another 50 years, at least.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: agw; econpmy; elections; enemedia; globalwarming; mediabias; msm

1 posted on 08/20/2007 4:45:27 AM PDT by IrishMike
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To: IrishMike

” they are not really suggesting what else can be done because if they did they would quickly find the insurmountable costs. Unless committing economic suicide is what’s in their mind. “

The author is assuming that ‘economic suicide’ is not the agenda of the gore-ites.

That’s not a particularly safe assumption...

(Neither is the underlying assumption that the majority of the gw-ists are capable of rational thought...)


2 posted on 08/20/2007 4:56:28 AM PDT by Uncle Ike (We has met the enemy, and he is us........)
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To: IrishMike
Nice article.

They (oil and gas) are the easiest and cheapest to use. .... Environmentalist silliness will strengthen the presumed devils all the while preventing the market to develop into real technologies and alternatives. Solar and wind will never do that.

This is a good reminder that market behavior is rational. It is hard to improve upon. Any alternative (conservation, solar, wind, etc.) leaves us poorer. We know the market direction. With less Government restrictions and more freedom, oil and gas exploration and development would occur at ANWR and off the coasts. Oil refineries would be built. Also nuclear projects would be started for electricity. We could have cheaper gasoline and cheaper and more reliable electricity.

I’ve been told that a “Manhattan Project” on energy alternatives will change things greatly, but I’m skeptical. Throwing our money at politically motivated research is a good way to leave us poorer as well.

3 posted on 08/20/2007 5:11:21 AM PDT by ChessExpert (Reagan defeated the Russian communist empire, despite the Democratic party)
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To: Uncle Ike

The author is assuming that ‘economic suicide’ is not the agenda of the gore-ites....the Gorebul’s ideology could be called the Idiot’s Chaos theory...


4 posted on 08/20/2007 5:13:11 AM PDT by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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To: Killing Time; Beowulf; Mr. Peabody; RW_Whacko; honolulugal; SideoutFred; Ole Okie; ...


FReepmail me to get on or off
Click on POGW graphic for full GW rundown
Dr. John Ray's
GREENIE WATCH


re-hash.
5 posted on 08/20/2007 5:21:55 AM PDT by xcamel (FDT/2008 -- talk about it >> irc://irc.freenode.net/fredthompson)
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To: ChessExpert

GE Wind produced 500 1.5MW wind turbines in 2005; 1000 in 2006; will produce 2000+ in 2007 and already have 4000 ordered for 2008. Its a good tie to be in the wind business.


6 posted on 08/20/2007 5:27:45 AM PDT by Mikey_1962 (If Roger Maris got an asterisk next to his name, Bonds should get a syringe)
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To: IrishMike
Renowned Scientist Defects From Belief in Global Warming – Caps Year of Vindication for Skeptics
 
POLITICAL ACTIVITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS AND THEIR SUPPORTING FOUNDATIONS , September 2004 (PDF, 479KB )

7 posted on 08/20/2007 5:32:44 AM PDT by Wolverine (A Concerned Citizen)
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To: IrishMike
Elitist/Narcissist hate so called “market forces” because it runs contrary to their “central planning” ideals which helps pump their vanity to extreme levels. Also the reason why they hate “religion” (i.e. True Christianity/Ortho. Judaism). Those cowards fear Islam because of threats and actions by radicals so they must tolerate it and appease Islamist.

Anything the socialist/progressives can’t control they automatically hate. Childish temper tantrums to the extreme. Too bad many people fall for their superiority complexes.

8 posted on 08/20/2007 5:35:50 AM PDT by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
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To: ChessExpert

>>Throwing our money at politically motivated research is a good way to leave us poorer as well.

Bump for that.


9 posted on 08/20/2007 5:39:43 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
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To: IrishMike
Unless committing economic suicide is what’s in their mind.

They hate themselves, they hate America. Their crushing guilt points them down this path of destruction. It is too bad they have to inflict their insanity on the rest of us.

10 posted on 08/20/2007 5:46:12 AM PDT by listenhillary (millions crippled by the war on poverty....but we won't pull out)
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To: IrishMike
We were in Germany recently and gas cost between $5 - $6 a gallon US. The envidiots can hurt us whether it’s rational or not. They’ve done it many times.
11 posted on 08/20/2007 6:35:15 AM PDT by Jaysun (It's outlandishly inappropriate to suggest that I'm wrong.)
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To: Jaysun

I was in Ireland for a few weeks in July.
Gasoline sold by the litre (probably would be riots if sold by gallon) but converting to gallons, and the Euro at $1.38 I figure $8.00 a gallon.
Two years ago we vacationed in the south of Spain, the cost of living is about half what it is in Ireland.
The weather being lousy and the cost of living what it is, the tourism industry is in a shambles.


12 posted on 08/20/2007 6:58:05 AM PDT by IrishMike (As America wins, the Democrats and their apologists lose.)
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To: IrishMike

Bump for later reading!


13 posted on 08/20/2007 7:03:26 AM PDT by F-117A (Mr. Bush, have someone read UN Resolution 1244 to you!!!)
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To: IrishMike
It’s sold by the liter in Germany too. The majority of the cost is because of taxes. That’s exactly what the leftist here are proposing: tax gasoline high enough to discourage its use. The very idea is crazy.
14 posted on 08/20/2007 7:18:21 AM PDT by Jaysun (It's outlandishly inappropriate to suggest that I'm wrong.)
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To: aflaak

ping


15 posted on 08/20/2007 9:58:54 AM PDT by r-q-tek86 (Jack Bauer would just whack him!)
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