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PrintFebruary 23, 2010
Desperate Democrat Warmists Deep in Denial
On the very same day that the EPW minority released a report [PDF] citing “unethical and potentially illegal behavior by some the world's leading climate scientists,” the ruling majority promised “to make policy based on [the same discredited] science.”
It was like watching shopkeepers wading through knee-deep water to tape a handwritten “open for business” sign to their cracked and filthy front windows after days of devastating storms.
Only the storms in this story carried unusual names. Like Climategate and Glaciergate and Amazongate.
And the shopkeepers were named Boxer and Sanders and Whitehouse and Jackson. And what they were selling was suntan lotion -- despite four months of non-stop rain and snow, and a confession from their top manufacturer that the ointment was neither necessary nor effective.
Such was the scene today as desperate Democrat warmists used the occasion of a FY2011 EPA budget hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to promote – of all things -- carbon regulation.
Before the committee sat EPA chief Lisa Jackson, whose proposed budget for next year includes an “increase of more than $43 million for additional regulatory efforts aimed at taking action on climate change.” Ranking member James Inhofe (R-OK) asked Jackson – whom he accused of attempting an end-run around the Senate -- how the significant errors and non-peer-reviewed statements recently uncovered in IPCC AR4 might impact upon her pre-regulation Endangerment Findings and whether she still considered the discredited IPCC to be the “gold standard of climate science.”
Jackson’s initial evasive response was that her findings (that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health and welfare) were based on many sources, not just IPCC.
But when Inhofe pointed out that over 40 of the 67 sources cited in the finding’s Technical Support Document (TSD) were directly from the IPCC, Jackson changed her tune. The IPCC was never actually discredited, she claimed. Besides, the peer-review process keeps them objective.
Of course, the IPCC has lost all credibility to all but die-hard believers and the CRU emails proved that IPCC scientists have made a mockery of the peer-review process.
Needless to say, Jackson’s wasn’t the only voice of unremitting unreason.
Bernie Sanders feigned outrage at “national leaders rejecting basic science,” then equated current inaction on climate change to such in the 1930’s against Hitler which, the Vermont “independent” slowly enunciated -- cost millions of lives.
And the always whacky EPW Chair Barbara Boxer demonized her Republican “colleagues” for attacking not only the IPCC, but also “our most admired institutions” right here in America. She was referring, of course, to NASA and NOAA, both of which have also had their share of credibility problems of late.
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) not only agreed with Boxer on the laughable infallibility of NASA and NOAA, but also added that virtually all American scientific organizations agree that the AGW science is unequivocal, citing “special interests” as the only holdouts to the truth. This after Inhofe had reminded the panel on more than one occasion that repeating “the science is settled” over and over doesn’t make it so. That even one of the movement’s top leaders – Phil Jones himself – had recently admitted that “the vast majority of climate scientists” don’t believe the debate to be over.
And the man who’s been right all along about the AGW hoax also reminded madam chair and company of the $300-400 billion a year cap-and-tax would cost regardless of whether legislated or regulated. As well as the insanity of imposing such a job-killing price tag on an already shaky economy and job-market based on reports springing new holes in their facts nearly every day.
Boxer just shook her head and mumbled something about extreme weather and droughts.
Inhofe smiled, recognizing his adversaries for what they were -- frantic shopkeepers trying desperately to market their hopelessly out-of-date wares.
