Global Warming Deniers Difficult to Understand

   I have recently been in more debate about Global Warming.  I am amazed by the sheer ignorance of fact displayed by the Flat-Earthers who refuse to believe basic, easily observable fact.  I actually heard one person assert that Mt. Pinatubo put out more CO2 than  all human activity has.  A simple fact check shows that the CO2 output of Mt Pinatubo was 1/700th of the current annual anthropogenic CO2 output.
   The same person also argued that the people (most of the civilized world!) who warn against global warming somehow make a profit off it.  In fact, the money interests are the ones who advocate for continuing to pollute this planet's atmosphere. Even many of those people have (particularly in petroleum interests) begun to move toward renewable energy programs.  Only the Coal industry has failed to move in that direction.
   One interesting fact about the effect of volcanic eruptions on weather is the apparent link between an eruption of Krakatoa about 535 AD which seems to have caused such global cooling that it precipitated the Dark ages.  I suggest that you do a quick internet search if you want to find more information about that. Volcanoes may have emitted large quantities of CO2 billions of years ago, but that has not been the case for a very long time.
   I have also heard an argument that seems to say that climate scientists use a computer program (number crunching) which agrees with observed fact, therefore both are wrong.  Talk about the faults of rationalism!.Please, if any one has a different interprettion of the problem with having theoretical models which agree with fact, explain it to  me!

pendrake's passions: "Mother" Theresa: No Decree Needed

pendrake's passions: "Mother" Theresa: No Decree Needed:    I am not a member of the Roman confession, I am just a Christian. The Roman Church has a long history of corruption, especially in the p...

"Mother" Theresa: No Decree Needed

   I am not a member of the Roman confession, I am just a Christian. The Roman Church has a long history of corruption, especially in the papacy. The current Roman pontiff appears to be a refreshing exception.  One of the customs of the Roman church I have mixed feelings about is the use of and treatment of the term "Saint". I have no doubt that many of the people declared as saints by the Roman church are deserving of the title and respect.  I also have no doubt that many  Christian Saints are not declared as such by the Vatican. I feel that the customs and practices of the Roman Church with regards to those declared as Saints is too close to regarding them as gods, reflecting the polytheism of ancient Rome.

   Recently much attention  has been given to the one person from the 20th century who is without a doubt a Saint, and was a living Saint for much of her life, "Mother" Teresa.  I had a friend (the late Reverend Edwin P Elliott jr.) who had the privilege of publishing a book by her.  She offered to bless him and his family, and he pointed out that he wasn't  Catholic, to which she replied that it was all in God's name.  She has been criticized for being too concerned about the Roman Church, but Edwin definitely got the impression that she was only concerned about Jesus and His works. I know that Edwin was able to see beyond denominational limits, and trust him on his opinion of this lady  God has declared her a Saint, that's good enough for me.

pendrake's passions: Why Jesus was a Liberal

pendrake's passions: Why Jesus was a Liberal:   I have recently become very tired of hearing right-wingers speaking of Liberals when they  have no idea of what a Liberal is.  The best s...

Why Jesus was a Liberal

  I have recently become very tired of hearing right-wingers speaking of Liberals when they  have no idea of what a Liberal is.  The best statements of Liberal ideas can be found in  the teachings of Jesus and in the Declaration of Independence. Liberals respect ALL people, conservatives respect the rich and powerful.  Remember, George Bush sr. had to invent the concept of "compassionate conservatism".
  In Matthew 25:31 ff Jesus said that "all nations" would be gathered before Him one day, and would be divided into two groups.  To one group He would say "I know you.  When I was hungry, you fed Me.  When I was naked, you clothed Me". To the other group He said "When I was hungry, you did not feed Me."
   To both He basically said that He was the "least significant " person, and how they treated the "least significant" person was how they treated Him.  If you tell a starving person to a"get a job", that is Jesus who you are telling to "get a job".  And remember,  they probably would rather be able to get a job.
    A few years ago (during the early 1970s) an experiment was done in which a number of people were given copies of the Declaration of Independence and asked to read it.  Many people (here in America) declared that it was "communist trash".   It contains such radical ideas as "consent of the governed" and "all men (persons) are created equal."