Thomas Sowell - The "Science" Mantra

The batteries in my mouse are dying, so before I get in the shower and start the rest of my day, here's a link to Thomas Sowell's column at JewishWorldReview.com. Binyamin has been getting help with publishing and running the site from volunteers, and I am grateful to all of them.

Mr. Sowell has some great thoughts about the handling and mishandling of ClimateGate. I need no more proof that the arrogance and determination of such people is paving the way to totalitarian government, and an end to We The People...

As for politicians, Senator Barbara Boxer has urged prosecution of the hackers who uncovered and revealed the e-mails! People who have in the past applauded whistleblowers in business, in the military, or in Republican administrations, and who lionized the New York Times for publishing the classified Pentagon papers, are now shocked and outraged that someone dared to expose massive evidence of manipulations, concealment and destruction of data — and deliberate cover-ups of all this — in the global warming establishment.

Zey haf VAYS to make you obey!

It's not a "consensus" in any sense of the word...much less SCIENTIFIC consensus! (with update)

Thanks to SJDoc, one commenter at Townhall.com, for my headline. Jillian Bandes' column is another in a long line of reminders that Congressional majority Dems are as much obstacles as Congressional minority Dems. Obstruction is their best talent, it seems. Paying heed to the Constitution? Not so much.

Hosting a hearing on global warming with no dissenting opinions made Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), the ranking Republican on the Committee, think the Democrats and the Obama administration were just as complicit in the global warming scandal sparked by Climategate as the Climategate scientists themselves.

“What the hearings showed is that the President’s science advisors are at the bottom of the whole climate change debate,” said Sensenbrenner.


Do you still believe that Your Elected Representatives and the Current Occupant really represent your interests and the interests of this Nation? Do you think BarryO the Ditherer and His Merry Band of CongressWeasels even remember the Oath they swore when they took office?

In case they need a reminder of what they said, here's the President's version:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

And here's the one Your Elected Representatives take:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Yeah. I didn't think so.

UPDATE! Sometimes I should read the things in my sidebar before I post. Via my friends and fellow grouches at GrouchyConservativePundits comes this - from the Washington Times.

The numbers matter. Under pressure in 2007, NASA recalculated its data and found that 1934, not 1998, was the hottest year in its records for the contiguous 48 states. NASA later changed its data again, and now 1998 and 2006 are tied for the hottest years, with 1934 listed as slightly cooler.

You knew this was coming, didn't you?

"It is about the accumulation of power by any means necessary."

I have been attacked by a cold, and I feel like last week's lunch. I made two big pots of turkey noodle soup over the weekend, though, and they were SO good. One is almost finished at this house, and the other is being lunch at work for Lovely Daughter. I have more carcass, think this one will probably make turkey rice soup...cuz I'm out of noodles.

I've read Arnold Ahlert's letters to the editor and comments at The American Spectator. JewishWorldReview.com picked him up as a new contributor a few months back and I am pleased as I can be.

Mr. Ahlert's most recent column is SO good, I wish I could reprint the whole thing. Some exerpts:

On the reaction of Old Media to word that the "scientists" involved in pushing the idea of 'global warming' might not be in consensus AND might fudge data?

The reaction to these revelations? Perhaps as revealing, if not more so, than the revelations themselves. Much like the ACORN scandal, the mainstream media—once again with the exception of Fox News—has either avoided the story completely, or sought to focus on the manner in which the emails were procured. This last bit is pivotal, because it is the basis by which the intrepid folks at the New York Times and other media sources have determined that they will withhold the damning evidence from the public: stolen material is unfit for print or broadcast.

Apparently this is a spanking new standard for the Times, whose appetite for disseminating purloined or secret stuff goes back at least as far as the top secret, "not intended for publication" Pentagon Papers in 1971, all the way through to revealing top-secret info about how the Bush administration conducted various aspects of the war on terror.

Mr. Ahlert points out that many Americans simply don't know what they don't know - and what they don't know is a n 800-pound gorilla:

Which brings us to the 800-pound gorilla: you can't learn what you haven't been taught. Or worse, you can't make informed decisions when those decisions have already be made for you by an educational establishment which has been in the liberal tank for decades. With respect to this particular subject, how many school age children have been forced to watch Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and given the impression that a blowhard politician with no scientific credentials whatsoever, a man whose own lifestyle contradicts everything he ostensibly believes in, is the last word on the subject? How many kids have been told global warming is "settled science" without offering them a scintilla of contrasting information? How many have been brainwashed into believing that "living green" is tantamount to the religious mandate to "go and sin no more?"

Every effort mankind has ever undertaken to obliterate individual freedom and increase the power of the state has always included the inculcation of children too young to think independently. This one is no different. If America is going to right itself, the war for our children's hearts and minds must be won.

But in order to win it, more people have to realize it exists. More importantly, they have to do something about it. This is a difficult undertaking for parents who are the front-liners in this fight. At the end of a busy day, very few people want to know—exactly—what their children are learning in school. Unfortunately, such apathy is the mother's milk of progressives for whom raising a generation of school children who disdain American exceptionalism is a prime directive. People with no particular pride in their country are a much more malleable bunch than those with a real understanding of self-reliance, Constitutionalism, and historical perspective.

A long, difficult, and often tedious journey has begun for us - I hope the old dogs are up to learning new tricks - so the next generations will be taught properly.

AGW - A Great Waste (of Taxpayer Money)

Yes, I've been following the kerfuffle about the lies, damn lies, and little white lies printed and spoken to "prove" something that facts, figures, and REAL science do not prove. SwampWoman at A1A South uses her talents to explain an opinion much better than I could. Swiped her title, too, because in this case, imitation is the best way to flatter and say thank you.

I'm also working my way through the analysis Boy On A Bike is doing Down Under. He's so good at keeping this simple enough for an uneducated ordinary ol broad like me to understand that I just cannot imagine how the wool has been pulled over the eyes of the world for so long...which tells me there's likely collusion. What's that old line - follow the Money. Cliches are often truth, aren't they?

Some good columns

I'm not feeling particularly perky today, so I'm posting links to a couple columns I found interesting.

First up is Thomas Sowell at JewishWorldReview.com, on underdogs.

Next is Jonah Goldberg's tribute to Irving Kristol.

I also found a movie review by Walter Williams...of a movie he hasn't seen...which isn't really about the movie at all, come to find out. What it is is a short lesson on history and capitalism.

Last but certainly not least is my salute to "going green" in a money-saving and time-tested manner. I grew up in a working-poor family, and being frugal is something I understand. I'm not fanatical about it, but safety, simplicity and saving money are things I believe in. So here's a column on some of the ways I use vinegar in my home. One thing I do with white vinegar that's not mentioned in this column is I put it in the little cup meant for fabric softener in the washer. Clean, fresh clothes and soft towels with no soapy buildup on the fabrics OR in my washer. UPDATE: I forgot to add that in this climate, with extreeeeme humidity and heat, fabric softener tends to make clothes stink, in my opinion. I don't know if it degrades after a little time, or what, but those scented sheets are used very seldom in this house, for things that may have a problem with static cling...so the only time I really find a need for them is in the winter!

Now I think I'll find something to eat. Y'all have a fine day, and thanks for stopping by!

Uphold Volunteer Volunteerism

Read the American Spectator. This is from Tuesday, columnist Matthew Vadum:

As I wrote last week, about 60 groups including ACORN, Apollo Alliance, Color of Change, and Rainbow PUSH Coalition are trying to help the Obama administration modify the meaning of 9/11. They want to turn each Sept. 11 into a National Day of Service focused on the importance of bicycle paths, ethanol, carbon emission controls, putting solar panels on your roof, and radical community organizing. It has nothing to do with healing the nation and everything to do with easing the nation along in the ongoing radical transformation of America that President Obama promised during last year's election campaign.

Might be just me, but as I read what these self-described "organizers" want 9/11 to be, I couldn't help but remember something I was told a long time ago. Wish I could quote it exactly, but it was something to the effect of - "If you're forced to do it, you are not a volunteer. Forced 'service' is slavery." (from my online dictionary: involuntary subjection to another or others. Slavery emphasizes the idea of complete ownership and control by a master)

Fiji water ain't exactly green...unless it's from the MONEY!

I used to buy Fiji water for Lovely Daughter because I love the bottle...when we lived in Hawai'i. Now, if I have to drink water, I get it from the tap and I add Country Time lemonade packets to it. Much better and half the price. John Stossel says I might be on the right track...