WILDFIRES & GLOBAL WARMING NONSENSE -- ANOTHER GOVERNMENT EXERCISE IN PUBLICITY
You are a politician and want to obtain media coverage during an upcoming election cycle. You want to position yourself as relevant and in-touch with today's most discussed issues. You need to be on the "global climate change" bandwagon. And, you want to incur no expense which would deplete your campaign funds.
Answer: hold a hearing with a catchy title... how about "A Spark Neglected: Wildfires and Global Warming?" Sounds great and the hearing doesn't have to produce anything other than publicity.
MEDIA ADVISORY
A Spark Neglected: Wildfires and Global Warming
Select Committee to Examine Link Between Changing Climate, Frequency and Intensity of Wildfires on Thursday
"Following the devastating fires in Southern California, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will hold a hearing examining the scientific link between a changing climate and the frequency and intensity of wildfires."
"Witnesses will discuss the present effects of climate change on wildfires and contributing factors such as increased drought, changes in snowmelt patterns, changes in precipitation, and higher temperatures. In addition, mitigation and adaptation strategies will be discussed."
"The frequency and intensity of wildfires have increased in recent decades throughout the Western United States. Last year, the Forest Service spent a record $2.5 billion fighting wildfires that burned a record 9.9 million acres (4 million hectares), compared to the ten-year average of 6 million acres. This year 8.7 million acres have burned thus far."
"The current fires burning in California are expected to cause over $1 billion in property damage alone and have already burned an area the size of Rhode Island. Mounting scientific evidence indicates that the growth in wildfires is linked to global warming and that this trend is likely to intensify in the coming decades."
And who are these scientists who are going to present the "scientific" testimony of the link between weather and wildfires...
- Abigail Kimbell, Chief, U.S. Forest Service
- Dr. Steven Running, Professor of Ecology, University of Montana
- Michael Francis, Director of Forest Program and Deputy Vice President, Wilderness Society
- Dr. Michael Medler, Member of Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology, Assistant Professor at Huxley College
More nonsense...
Even the quotation accompanying the media advisory, “A spark neglected makes a mighty fire” attributed to Robert Herrick, makes no sense. While I am sure that there is a spark of fire fighting wisdom contained in the quote, in the context of global warming it is sheer and utter nonsense.
What the science and statistics do not say...
First, the old saying, "figures don't lie, but liars do figure," has never been truer. You can even establish a overwhelmingly positive correlation between childhood milk drinkers and adult drug users. But that does not provide a link between cause and effect. So it is with the current state of global weather research. One can not provide a positive correlation between cause and effect -- because we really do not understand the science well enough to verifiably and accurately describe the cause.
Second, considering that the mean rise in global temperatures of approximately one to two degrees (Fahrenheit) over thousands of years means nothing in the context of local weather patterns, while factors such as solar output, tide patterns and wind-driven cloud cover which do account for local weather can only be estimated in the short term.
Third, wildfires have been a normal feature of nature (mostly sparked by lightning strikes) since the beginning of time and it is only when man intrudes on nature by allowing for intrusive land use in a significantly dangerous area for economic reasons or tries to curtail the proper management of a heavy fuel-intensive area that problems arise.
Fourth, it is unlikely that the officials studying the matter will investigate the impact of the immediate availability of critical fire fighting resources due to local/state/federal political considerations.
If the committee was serious about the subject of wildfires...
If the government really wanted to provide a service to its constituent taxpayers instead of generating headlines that play well during this upcoming election cycle, one would study the management of a sustainable human/habitat interface in a dangerous environment. The hearings would feature environmental experts from the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), the state fire authorities and those who actually provide emergency services during fire periods.
In the final analysis, since you can't manage the weather, you manage the risks associated with allowing humans to inhabit dangerous areas. And you don't do it by capping carbon emissions, providing costly and ineffective emissions trading credit schemes, or by raising taxes. If anything, the allocation of tax money should be used for better, faster response fire fighting equipment and trained personnel.
Who is responsible for this waste of taxpayer's time and money...
"The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming was formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to increase the visibility and priority given to America's oil dependence and global warming challenges. It is chaired by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and will actively explore the solutions, science and progress on these pressing issues during the 110th Congress."
Another example of this committee's fine work...
Most Recent Hearing (10/25/2007)
WASHINGTON – Edward J. Markey, Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence will hold a hearing entitled “The Gas is Greener: The Future of Biofuels.” The Hearing will take place on Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 at 9:30 A.M. in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing will feature testimony from biofuel companies, environmental groups and musician Adam Gardner of the band Guster. Gardner has started a non-profit called Reverb which has “greened” tours for bands such as Bare Naked Ladies, Dave Mathews Band, Beastie Boys and the Fray.
Rocking Biofuel: Guster Musician, Biofuel Companies, Experts Come to Capitol Hill
What more can be said about YOUR tax dollars at work?
What can YOU do?
Realize that local wild fire problems cannot be solved with "global solutions" which simply enlarge government, raise taxes and cannot directly affect local weather conditions.
Realize that the real work is done by land use experts and habitat managers who understanding the economic and political implications of allowing human incursions into dangerous environments. Better the money be spent on environmental planning and developing a rapid-response to local wildfire problems than preening before the press and funding studies to prove that somehow mitigating greenhouse gases will solve the problem in a few thousand years.
Retain a common-sense perspective when the politicos and the media run with their wild and weird scenarios involving things which may or may not happen in the next ten thousand years.
Contact the Select Committee at 202-225-4012 to let them know you are watching their efforts and will vote accordingly.
Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.
And I would be remiss if I did not offer one of my own quotations...
"A government "select" committee can often draw conclusions and make decisions that are significantly dumber than any of its individual committee members."
-- steve
A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…
The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius
While there is nothing funny about the wild fires which have destroyed lives and property... I did come across a few funny blog posts while researching this blog entry.
Because the democrats control the committee and Harry Reid has declared that global warming was responsible for the California wild fires, is it not reasonable to expect...
The committee will find that Haliburton supplied some of the fire equipment and the manpower, Dow Chemical made some of the fire retardant, Blackwater provided the helicopter pilots, and the stock market gained a few points during the fires. Even more proof that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld were behind it all!
And that testimony will show that Smokey the Bear was wrong when he said, "only YOU can prevent forest fires." Perhaps the committee will find that "it takes a VILLAGE to prevent forest fires."
“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS
And my favorite: "SMOKEY THE BEAR LIED, PEOPLE DIED!"