The Rampant, Irresponsible Political Thread

[Capt.Montoya]

Originally posted by WorkerCaste
On global warming, I question whether or not we have sufficient information to tell if observed warming is the result of man or if it is, perhaps, the result of natural cycles. Here's the thought I end up with, though: it seems pretty clear that some kind of warming trend is underway, and we have pretty good scientific evidence that there will be some nasty side effects. Given that, does it make sense to continue to do things that, if not the direct cause of the warming, could exasperate the situation?

I agree with you, in that I think that we can't afford to keep pumping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Even if the main cause of global warming was not by the actions of humankind they could contribute to make it worse.

However I do think there is enough evidence to say that the current warming trend is mostly due to human actions.

I can appreciate that there is "wiggle room" for discussion but AFAIK the majority of environmental scientists think that the current warming trend is anthropogenic in origin.

But in something as complicated as global weather there's room for skepticism and discussion, here is an interesting exchange that happened in the pages of Scientific American:
Misleading Math about the Earth
A critique of a book that goes definitely against the current scientific opinion on global warming, the author had a chance to reply to those criticisms:
The Skeptical Environmentalist Replies
This was followed by A Response to Lomborg's Rebuttal

That whole exchange does manage to illustrate several of the details and complexities surrounding this topic.

However, there are way too many reports that make denying global warming quite unbelievable, here are some of those:
The Heat is On
New Study May Resolve Long-Standing Global Warming Debate
Life on Earth Is Feeling the Heat

You may also want to read about the antarctic ice shelf that broke up

[WorkerCaste]

Capt M., Thanks for the great resources. Actually, I lean towards believing that man is having a significant impact, but the profusion of scientific studies on both sides is what leaves me with the question. Sometimes it's easy to spot falacies in the argumnets, but sometimes my own lack of knowledge just leaves me with, shall we say, doubts about the logic or methodology.

[Milkman]

I really was trying to stay out of this thread.. but the global warming issue reminded me of something i saw on TV a while back. I don't have any links or the name of the show... but i think it was on the discovery channel. They were talking about how our adding to the global warming problem may delay the next ice age.

Which got me thinking... well thats not such a bad thing maybe? Of course i have no really knowledge of what this would all affect, but thought it was something interesting to throw in for you all to discuse.

[DysfunctionalReality]

Yeah, by the year 2050 or some such Florida will be under water : O

Society will only conform to this type of &*^% when they don't have any other choice.

Esp the US.

Bush sucks ass : P

[bakana]

Meanwhile, the lies are getting more difficult to hide:

Link to Rumsfeld story

Donnie Boy caught Lying to the troops:

Controversy Continues Over Rumsfeld Armor Question
Dec. 9 (AP) ù Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is taking fire for the statement he made about getting armor to the troops in Iraq. Rumsfeld told a National Guard soldier that the U.S. was supplying armor as fast as it can be made.
But ABC7 political reporter Mark Matthews talked with companies making the armor and heard a different story.

The company that makes armored Humvees says they've already offered to increase production and that it wouldn't cost them any extra. That's something Donald Rumsfeld denied yesterday in talking with National Guard troops in Kuwait.

>skipping down a little:

But the Florida company that makes the armor plating both for the Humvees and the Army's bullet proof vests says it told the Pentagon several times it could easily increase production by 22 percent. That's 50 to 100 extra Humvees every month, but so far the Army hasn't responded.

And a Sacramento company that provides steel panel for door panels told ABC7 they could make more and that it's just a matter of money. The Sierra Army Depot, assembling the Humvee kits, could increase production by 150 percent.

And an Ex-CIA official is suing the agency for firing him when he refused to falsify WMD reports.

Link to CIA Story

Ex-CIA agent says sacked for not faking Iraq WMD reports

Thu Dec 9, 7:18 PM ET

U.S. National - AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A sacked CIA official has sued, alleging he was fired for refusing to fake reports supporting the White House position that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, local media said.

Described as a senior CIA official who was sacked in August "for unspecified reasons," the lawsuit appeared to be the first public instance of a CIA agent charging he was pressured to concoct intelligence on Iraq.

The suit claims the unidentified ex agent was urged to produce reports in line with President George W Bush's contention that Iraq had illegal chemical or biological weapons, which threatened US and international security.

"Their official dogma was contradicted by his reporting and they did not want to hear it," attorney Roy Krieger told The Washington Post of his client.

[Dr Maturin]

Woo hoo! I am one of the luckiest men in the world. That doesn't mean it's always good luck, though...but in this case it does.

On Friday I locked the loan for my new home in at 5.5%, and they hiked the rates up .25% today. I called my HMC to make sure he had locked it in and he did!

Time to do the Cabbage Patch.

[Jan]

Originally posted by Z'ha'dumDweller
Woo hoo! I am one of the luckiest men in the world. That doesn't mean it's always good luck, though...but in this case it does.

On Friday I locked the loan for my new home in at 5.5%, and they hiked the rates up .25% today. I called my HMC to make sure he had locked it in and he did!

Time to do the Cabbage Patch.

Congratulations! Hope you'll have many happy years in the new home.

Jan

[Radhil]

Time to do the Cabbage Patch.

I wonder.... do I really want to ask?

Naaaah...

Anyway, congrats.

[Dr Maturin]

Originally posted by Radhil
I wonder.... do I really want to ask?

Naaaah...

Anyway, congrats.

You know...the dance from the 80's where you make fists and move them in a circle.

[Radhil]

...............THAT's called a Cabbage Patch??

My head.... it hurts.... *sparks fly* *R2D2 wail*

[Towelmaster]

Cheers, every penny that doesn't go to the bank can be used to buy more B5-stuff...

Anyway ; I was just thinking about everything and nothing and I thought "we know that G'Kar was pretty wild about Lyta Alexander. I wonder what their baby would have looked liked?"

Also : What kind of government would you get if you let Garibaldi form it?

[Dr Maturin]

Originally posted by Towelmaster
Cheers, every penny that doesn't go to the bank can be used to buy more B5-stuff...

Anyway ; I was just thinking about everything and nothing and I thought "we know that G'Kar was pretty wild about Lyta Alexander. I wonder what their baby would have looked liked?"

Also : What kind of government would you get if you let Garibaldi form it?

And from the profit from selling my current house, I can buy my HDTV so I can watch B5 on it.

To your questions:

1. The hair and eyes would match.

2. Democratic republic.

[Jan]

Originally posted by Z'ha'dumDweller
2. Democratic republic.

With electric bleachers.

Jan

[iamsheridan]

Originally posted by Z'ha'dumDweller
Woo hoo! I am one of the luckiest men in the world. That doesn't mean it's always good luck, though...but in this case it does.

On Friday I locked the loan for my new home in at 5.5%, and they hiked the rates up .25% today. I called my HMC to make sure he had locked it in and he did!

Time to do the Cabbage Patch.

In Sweden you could get 5.2% if you locked the loan for 10 years. A shorter lock time would get you a lower rate. A running three months loan is now around 3.65%.

Cheers!
/IamS

Edit: BTW, do you get a tax reduction for the interest? In Sweden we get to deduct 30% of the interest.

[Dr Maturin]

Originally posted by iamsheridan
In Sweden you could get 5.2% if you locked the loan for 10 years. A shorter lock time would get you a lower rate. A running three months loan is now around 3.65%.

Cheers!
/IamS

Edit: BTW, do you get a tax reduction for the interest? In Sweden we get to deduct 30% of the interest.

You get to deduct some of it. I am not sure on the actual percent.

And the loan is for thirty years.

If you hold real estate for two years, as I have with my current home, you don't pay a capital gains tax at all. I am going to make almost a quarter of the original price on my home when I sell it. I want to buy two houses, live in one, sell the other in two years, then buy two more, et al. As long as the market stays hot, I can make some major moolah by the time I turn forty years old.

<<With electric bleachers.>>

What about electric urinals?