Global Warming: The Conspiracy Conspiracy

It appears that in spite of Al Gore telling us that the debate on man-caused global warming is over, that this is in fact far from the case. As the furor over recently released emails from the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit shows (the definitive source of information on the subject), what we may know about the debate is that instead it has been being manipulated. 


As reported this week the the Wall Street Journal, it appears that there has been a systematic effort to suppress, refute, and repudiate any dissenting views other than that global warming is man-caused. When the scientists (and I use this term sarcastically) disagreed with an opinion not their own, they simply denied publishing access in prestigious publications to it. When the publication was not under their "peer-reviewed" control, they dismissed the publication itself. 


Having now had their nefarious goals and means revealed to the unwashed public, the claim is simply that the emails in question are being taken out of context or misunderstood. There is also a claim that the timing of the release of these emails, right before the Copenhagen Climate Conference scheduled for December 6-18, is more than suspicious. 


Even granting this to be the case however, none of the people in question are denying that the emails released are false or fabricated, or that they did not in fact say the things in these emails. 


For myself, I find it interesting this the most fascinating part of the story. A group which has been systematically acting as a Conspiracy to suppress any dissenting opinion and ridicule any dissent of its position is now crying "Conspiracy" when their own is revealed. Rather than actively defend what are apparently manufactured and predetermined results to the data gathered, they simply claim that the other guys isn't playing fair. I have never believed that the scientific debate on global warming is over, simply because I believe that the debate on no question of science can ever truly be over. We still debate Relativity, The Big Bang, and Evolution; in spite of the overwhelming evidence to some degree of truth in each. 


That is the job of science; to constantly question the established views, to debate the facts and their interpretations, and to reject any theory which does not explain all of the facts as we currently know them. Global Warming appears to be the scientific exception to the rule, with such debate squelched hardly before being uttered. 


In fact, I believe that there has been no such treatment of a scientific questioning since the Catholic Church's aggressive suppression of the growing body of knowledge of astronomy in the 1600's. (Though perhaps a Church of Global Warming was founded while I wasn't looking.) 


So how now do we view man-caused global warming? Is it fact? One can hardly say so when those who believe in it are forced to cook the data. Is it a failed theory? Perhaps, but there is much information yet to be revealed and who knows how real scientific debate will interpret them once they are. At the very least however, I think that we can safely say now that the debate is far from over, and that any action taken on the basis of the current "published understanding of the facts" may be premature. I think that we can also say that the current defense of the theory by the CRU is little more than a Conspiracy Conspiracy.

White Snow / Black Friday

There was a chance of snow predicted for Toledo this weekend (which never really materialized), which might perhaps have prevented at least a few of the psychotic "early shoppers" from camping out in front of the doors of stores in waiting for the best deals. Wal-Mart, having already experienced the litigation involved with such practices in the past, chose a different path and has been open long hours since Thanksgiving to offer early Christmas discounts. 


However, anyone who was expecting a piece from me today decrying the rampant consumerism that has taken over Christmas will be sorely disappointed. No, much like the plot for the movie "The Day After Tomorrow", I consider this simply one more catastrophe of human origin that must be overcome by strength of character and treated simply as simply an annual test of survival. In fact I applaud this year, those with enough optimism to race out to the stores to spend at a time when the income of so many is in jeopardy. I salute those out there attempting to support the banking industry through credit card fees, interest payments, or check processing fees (and I'm sure that those evil banking executives that you were bitching about a couple of weeks ago are doing likewise). I congratulate those of you bolstering our position in the world economy as consumers by buying products undoubtedly manufactured in foreign countries (especially those of you who are union members and only were recently crying the blues about "buying American cars"). 


Perhaps those of you spending money like it was going out of style (something that I guess you learned from the government?) simply have a understanding of economics greater than my own. They say after all, that rampant inflation is right around the corner, caused by the government printing presses that have been running non-stop for some time now. 


So perhaps blowing all of your money now is simply your way of exercising what you see as your best hedge against such inflation. Perhaps instead, you know already of the next stage of government interference in banking; understanding that it likely includes credit card interest rate reduction regulation (after all, the current high interest rates have to rank up there with extortion or loan sharking). This would mean that you need have no fear of the massive balances to your credit cards and that there is little need to worry that like the government, you will be hard-pressed to keep up with even the interest payments on your debt. Perhaps you simply believe that we are just around the corner from the next Government Stimulus Package, and your spending is merely being done in anticipation of future government payback (which of course, you will also be paying for). 


Regardless of the reasons however, you will undoubtedly be contributing to better retail numbers for the government to report upon in the coming days and weeks (and good news in any kind of economic report is something that a government can always use). You will likewise have proved beyond a doubt that hope springs eternal in the heart of the American consumer (regardless of the stark reality that they face). 


You will also by the way, have done wonders for the Chinese economy, where I don't believe that Christmas is much celebrated. I suspect however, that while there will be grand coverage of the crowds in the malls, and much anticipation in the retail sales numbers; that there will be far fewer shoppers out there fighting for bargains than last year. 


Common Sense seems to be making a rare and unscheduled appearance among the American people, and profligate spending appears to be a behavior limited to Congress these days. The white of snow may be little more than wishful thinking in parts around the country this weekend, but I fear that the color in this year's "Black Friday" may more clearly represent that of mourning for Christmas retail sales.

TFP Column: A Christmas Message for Toledo

With this being a holiday week, the Toledo Free Press is by convenience and necessity out early. Far from being a problem however, this simply provides you something to peruse while fighting the urge to nod off from the tryptophan in the turkey and the performance of the Lions against the Packers. 


It will also allow you to read the Christmas Message that I put together for this week's edition. While it's not the last that holiday message that I will probably pen for the year, it is I believe, appropriate as a compliment to Michael Miller's piece from last week. 


There's a lot of great information as well, about all things of a holiday nature going on in the Glass City. So turn off the Macy's parade (it's nothing but a bunch of Broadway show promotion these days anyway), stop picking at the turkey and the pies, and spend a little time catching up on the really important things going on in the Toledo Free Press.

The "Stuck on Stupid" Dictionary #20

Yes here we are once again, adding yet more words to the lexicon of local terms more commonly known here in Toledo as the "Stuck on Stupid Dictionary". 






Now for those of you who have somehow managed to miss previous postings in this area (shame on you, now go back and read all of the postings under the title of dictionary), the SOS dictionary is a reference guide to terms which nominally mean something to the rest of the English speaking world, but appear to mean something entirely different to us in Toledo and Northwest Ohio. 


Legislative Dysfunction: 
1. A legislative process which misfires during execution or fails to reach satisfactory conclusion (similar to erectile dysfunction) because: it is unnecessary to begin with, provides no additional safety to the public, and cannot reasonably be enforced. 
2. Recently passed legislation by the Toledo City Council on "safely passing bicycles" and "texting while driving".

Thanksgiving Banned (?)

This another is a series of public service posts on holidays here in the United States. The first of these, Ban Halloween, sought to warn the public of the dangers on both sides of the problem to a bunch of costume wearing candy beggars. Today however, we take on a more serious issue, Thanksgiving.

Warning: Be aware that considerable irony and sarcasm will follow! 

Thanksgiving is the holiday traditionally celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. It commemorates three days of feasting by early colonists to this country who after nine weeks of voyaging from Plymouth, England ended up in Plymouth, Massachusetts (coincidence, I think not). Having barely survived their first winter in this new land, they chose to celebrate that following fall. It is, in fact a tradition never repeated by them after the original gathering in 1621. 


Of course basing a holiday on a celebration by old white people seems doomed on the face of it, especially when one considers the recent treatment of our Founding Fathers. Neither can I find any great need to celebrate the traditions of the same people who gave us the sham trials and witch burnings in Salem, MA only some 70 years later. If this were not enough, Thanksgiving was in fact considered a religious holiday, its original purpose allowing these colonists to thank GOD for bringing them through the previous winter. What's more, the religious nature of this celebration involved thanking only a Christian God; ignoring the practices of any other religion. 


How anyone can therefore consider having a national holiday with religious overtones that ignores the cultural and religious diversity that has become so dear to the ruling elite is simply beyond me? Consider if you will as well, that while neighboring Native Americans (the Waupanoag tribe) were the architects of this colony's survival and were invited to that original celebration; that these same Native Americans were, like most others in this country, later chased from their homes and the greater part of their lands by the very greedy colonists that they saved ... hardly something to commemorate with pride. 


If this typical treatment by a European, white, invading population were not enough to see this practice ended once and for all, consider if you will the treatment of Turkeys as the centerpiece of the menu on this so-called day of thanksgiving. Turkeys, for those of you who didn't know, were once very close to being the national symbol of the United States. They even found support in this effort by Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, the eagle being considered little more than a glorified vulture by this early patriot. While perhaps not the brightest of birds, the turkey nevertheless can offer a great display and a substance that it produces (tryptophan), induces the need to sleep in humans. (Come to think of it, turkeys seem a lot like politicians, don't they?) How then can any holiday be celebrated by the murder, butchering, and consumption of such a national icon (turkeys I mean, not politicians)? 


And they are not alone! Along with turkey, many families in this country will serve goose, duck, and even ham (another political reference?) at these celebratory meals. How can PETA stand idly by as thousands of our animal friends are disposed of (probably inhumanely) in the name of a holiday devoted to "thanks" in this country? Is this in fact how we choose to celebrate the bounty of Mother Nature? 


The only redeeming thing that this holiday may in fact offer is that it was created as a national holiday in 1863 by progressive political hero President Abraham Lincoln. Other than that, the only thing that it has going for it is its stimulation of a depressed airline industry as the largest travel holiday of the year, that it provides a platform for the non-stop watching of parades and football games on television (providing yet further opportunity for laziness and gluttony), and of course that it is followed by "Black Friday" the traditional opening day of Christmas consumerism. 


We must therefore ask ourselves; what in the end is the Thanksgiving holiday in this country about? It appears to this writer as nothing more than a celebration of racism, gluttony (not to mention obesity), and the murder of our fellow creatures on the planet. As such, it has no place in the caring, politically correct, and progressive society that we apparently long to become. And so I say to those of you choosing to celebrate tomorrow with family and friends, gathering around a table to once more give thanks in 2009 (a year that may have less reasons than many to do so):

"Save me one of those drumsticks, will ya?"

Happy Thanksgiving

Glenn Beck & Communism

Those of you who listen to the Glenn Beck syndicated radio show or the FoxNews television show have no doubt noticed Mr. Beck's investigations of the political leaning of some of those advising our current president. 


Without going into the specifics of those accused or the proof uncovered by him of the principles espoused by these government officials and presidential friends , I must say that it has become a regular part of both shows. Now in the spirit of full disclosure, I freely admit to regularly listening to Glenn's radio program on 1370 WSPD here in Toledo. I am unable to get the television program however, as the level of cable that I choose to subscribe to does not carry the FoxNews cable station. I enjoy the program for its information, its entertainment, and its humor. 


It occurred to me however that some may in turn question Glenn's possible Communist ties. Shocking as it may seem, Glenn may have laid himself open to such an accusation based on the publication of his best seller from last year "The Christmas Sweater", which I myself wrote about in a column for the Toledo Free Press. 


Knowing that many pundits like to ignore the content of books by conservative authors in favor of demagoguery base on appearance, I fear that such a charge may have some basis in fact. After all, considering this piece of literature strictly on the size of the tome and the pigment of its cover, this work by Mr. Beck could be considered a: "Little Red Book". I'm just sayin ...

Someone To Watch Over Me (Revisited)

The following is a re-edited and expanded version of a post that I did back in April of 2008. On this, the second anniversary of my father's passing, I decided that the subject was well worth revisiting. I submit it once more for your consideration.

We sometimes discover faith and inspiration in our lives in the strangest of places. I discovered it once again in my life during a conversation with my mother on nothing initially more interesting or important than lawn care.

Now in order to understand what must seem to you a rather bizarre connection, I must first explain to you that it was on this day in 2007 that my father passed away. His health had been failing for some time; but in spite of the difficulty in attempting to doing so, he liked to take part (or at least to feel that he was taking part) in the maintenance of his home and yard. Such care had always been a source of great joy and pride for him, and he simply refused give up the his interest in it.

When his medical condition had finally reached a point that he was tethered to an oxygen system full time, he was (however reluctantly) forced to surrender some level of control in this process. By then such care involved my mtierh trimming the edges of the yard with a self-driven push mower. My nephew Patrick, who had required the requisite skills for operation of the riding mower some time since, took on the responsibilities for the bulk of the yard. This system of lawn care had been going on for a couple of years and was by now a well established routine, with my father still participating in a limited supervisory and equipment maintenance role.

Spring followed fall and winter, but came early to Kansas City in the year following his passing; and what had once been the dry and dormant lawns of my parent's neighborhood were quickly blessed with warm weather and rain in 2008. The lawn, unaware and uncaring of the changes in the household, did what it was supposed to do and grew both quickly and luxuriously. Before anyone had quite realized it, this grass was in terrible need of a trim.

Taking the bull by the horns, my mother stepped forward to perform her part of the required labors by trimming around the edges of the yard. Patrick likewise soon appeared to take on his already well-rehearsed role in lawn care. This is where the real story begins.

Now the riding mower had not been run since the leaf pick up of that previous fall, and Patrick was unsure of the proper procedures to get it started after its abbreviated winter slumber, as his grandfather had normally instructed him in such situations. Stymied, he questioned my mother for potential answers to his problem with a potentially stubborn piece of lawn care equipment.

Now my mother is a talented women, but basic lawn mower mechanics has never been a part of those many abilities. The riding mower had in fact always intimidated her, and she had long ago made it quite clear that she wanted nothing to do with it (hence Patrick's responsibilities). It was therefore not surprising that she had no advice to offer him.

In an amazingly short period of time however, the full-throated roar of that mower was heard from the garage, and Patrick was soon after making his way around the yard. He completed his work on the yard that day with remarkable alacrity and departed immediately afterward, without a word to his grandmother before leaving. His hasty departure and lack of communication went without comment at the time. They were however, duly explained a couple of days later when my sister called to fill my mother in on the "rest of the story".

It seems that as Patrick stood in the garage, scratching his head over a solution to his dilemma and completely at a loss as to how to proceed, clearly heard the voice my father from right next to him say, "Pull the choke out and start the mower".

Never questioning it for a moment, he simply did as he was told, and the mower immediately caught. Though a suitable resolution to his problem had been achieved, Patrick was more than a little distressed over how he had reached it. Worried that he might be asked for an explanation and fearing my mother's sensitivity to the issue, he kept silent, working with dispatch and departing as quickly as he was able. It was only some time later in the comfort of home and parents, that he was finally able to relate what had occurred.

Now anyone who knew my father knew that he was never a terribly spiritual person publicly, and was normally unresponsive when questioned about his thoughts on such things. He was however a good husband, a loving parent and grandparent, and most importantly ... a well recognized master of all things technical. There were very few things that he set his mind to repairing or improving in which he was not capable of achieving success (as his many years and recognized expertise in the printing industry showed).

He was also someone who was never afraid to share that mastery of all things mechanical with his spouse and offspring of every generation at every available opportunity (many times without even being asked). It therefore seems only fitting (and hardly surprising), that he should find a way to make his presence felt in such a situation when the need arose.

As for my personal take on the story, knowing my nephew Patrick to be a young gentleman of quality and good character, I choose simply take him at his word. If he believes that it happened this way, then I believe it as well. I am also quite happy and relieved to believe that my father is out there somewhere keeping an eye on the family that he so loved (not that I ever really doubted it).

I for one, can use all of the help that I can get...

TFP Column: Spirit of Competition

Once again this week, I am off on tear regarding the way things are going in this country in the Toledo Free Press (big surprise, huh). This week, I am looking at our President's visit to our trade partners (and creditors) in the Far East with a little piece on "The Spirit of Competition" that you might find worth the effort to read. 


This being the weekend of the Michigan / Ohio State football game (order chosen alphabetically and not for any other reason), there is lots to read while prepping for the big game on Saturday. 


Of course if you want to know anything about what's really going on in Toledo from the Mayor to the Dog Warden (both much in the news these days), the only place to find it is in the TFP.

Trying Terrorists in NYC

I don't want to make it seem that I am accusing Attorney General Eric Holder of political machinations in attempting to bring accused 9/11 terrorist Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other alleged terrorists to trial in New York City (though in fact I might be), but I can't help but wonder if the nation's top prosecutor sees this as a no-lose situation for both himself and the Administration politically. 


If he achieves a guilty verdict in this trial, he can claim that his choices (and that of the Administration) were correct all along and take full credit for a job well done on both the local and world stage. If he fails to achieve such a verdict in spite of his department's herculean efforts, he can blame the failed result on the treatment and questioning of these accused terrorists under the rules of interrogation sanctioned by the Bush Administration before he went to trial. 


In other words ladies and gentlemen: "Heads I win. Tails you lose." I am sure that such ideas were given little or no consideration by the Administration in the decision to bring these self-avowed warriors of radical Muslim philosophy to trial in civilian court. [sarcasm off] 


What may have been given some serious consideration however, is that these trials are likely to captivate the media and the electorate for years to come. They will therefore provide a ready source of fodder for 24 hour cable news networks, political pundits, and high profile out-of-work lawyers who will analyze the coming judicial process in the most minute and annoying detail for all of us. 


They will likewise provide an abundant source of daily media distractions to a self-styled ruling elite that has already proved itself as savvy as any before it in the legerdemain of day-to-day media managed politics. I don't want to put a tin foil hat on here people, but I believe that it would be foolish not to consider this decision as yet another tool of distraction for an Administration that has already proven that it has a decidedly Progressive agenda that may well need one from time to time.

Toledo Is #1 In Ohio

The numbers are in and Toledo is the #1 ... worst metropolitan area in creating and sustaining economic growth in Ohio, at least according to the Milken Institute / Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index. 

Dropping four places in this list from last year's showing of 194, Toledo came in at 198 of the top 200 cities in the 2009 survey, surpassing other Ohio cities: Youngstown (193), Canton (190), Cleveland (186), Dayton (183), and Akron (167) in its failures; in a survey whose numbers were calculated based on job growth and wage and salary levels, as well as other criteria. No Ohio city was ranked in the top 100 in this survey (though Columbus came in at 108), and in fact only Detroit and Flint, MI ranked worse in the survey conducted nationally every year. (Something to aspire to perhaps?) 

Governor Strickland must be very proud to have so many of Ohio's cities near the bottom of the list on this survey. Perhaps the plan to delay the reduction of state income taxes will have an even greater impact on next year's effort and group Ohio cities closer together near the bottom. 

Locally one has to be thinking. Our current Mayor, Carlton S. Finkbeiner has been holding press conferences almost every day lately in the hopes of once and for all establishing his legacy of leadership in Toledo. With the release of these numbers, perhaps he has yet another reason to do so, and an accomplishment he can truly call his own ...