US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) Preaching About Climate Change |
In two of Plato’s dialogues, the Timeus and The Critias, the main
interlocutor Socrates describes the fate of a mythical nation, Atlantis, which
sank into the sea. This legend captivated the minds of ancient intellects and
authorities. Today, US Senator Whitehouse is busy retelling this tale, yet
transposing the country from the possibly underwater Atlantis to his home state,
Rhode Island. After
eighty-three speeches on climate change, Senator Whitehouse is convinced
that the Ocean State will become part of the ocean if the federal government
does not take swift, comprehensive action to combat climate change:
Like he did 82 times
before, Sheldon Whitehouse stood on the Senate floor and preached the dangers
of climate change.
“Preached” is the word, since climate change alarmism has
become an article of fact for US Senate liberals, divorced from truth or
evidence. One has this sinking feeling that the junior senator is protesting
about an issue of no merit.
Climate change proponents will cite Politifact
Rhode Island, which rated the following statement true:
“If sea levels rise six feet due to climate change,
Waterplace Park in Providence and Wickford village would be swamped” —
Grover Fugate on Friday, August 23rd, 2013 in a TV interview
The key word is “If”. Fugate responded to the politicized
report from the United Nations, and concluded that if projections are accurate,
Waterplace Park would have water all over the place. Block Island would
disappear. Maybe Newport and Providence would turn into deep-sea resorts, too.
Once again, that word “if” stands out. These suppositions
are based on possibilities, not assertions, theories, not evidence. Like many
liberal climate change apologists, these spokesmen throw around the names of
major universities, academics.
Rhode Island: The Next Atlantis? |
Also throughout the Politifact review: would, could, might.
If the ocean is rising, if the waters levels well up, then certain sections of
the state will be underwater, and the coastline will grow into the state. Once
again, is there any evidence that the ocean levels have actually risen? If they
have, is there any evidence to affirm that human activity and consumption is
causing this purported rise?
Remember: men of brilliance and renown in Renaissance times
gave credence to the myths of a sunken civilization. They also believed that savage
men with heads in their chests populated the Americas. Illiterate sailors gave
true accounts, regardless of the authority of scribes and religious authorities.
Facts, not figures, determine the truth. There is nothing
wrong with a healthy skepticism of “the experts”. During the Renaissance era,
the tyranny of religious and academic authorities attempted to silence Galileo
Galilei following his research affirming Copernicus’ helio-centric structure of
the universe. Local leaders, readers, and scientists
are debunking climate alarmism with more evidence, despite shame
and threats
from the university intelligentsia.
Galileo Silenced by the Inquisition |
What about this
interactive map of Rhode Island? Webpage visitors can adjust the possible
water level, and then read about the number of people, homes, or roads which
will be impacted by those potential floods. Once again, conjecture reigns
supreme in this interactive website. Kids can play with the potential ocean
levels. Look at Warwick sink, followed by Providence, and then Newport! You can
see how deep one of the two Congressional districts will disappear, too. This
site is more of a game than a presentation of results. Fun, but not factual,
nor even faithful to any sentiment of good science based on hypotheses,
observations, and conclusions.
The
National Ocean Service did offer the following statements in a post: “Sea level
is rising at an increasing rate”:
The two major
causes of global sea-level rise are thermal expansion caused by the warming of
the oceans (since water expands as it warms) and the loss of land-based ice
(such as glaciers and polar ice caps) due to increased melting.
Records and
research show that sea level has been steadily rising at a rate of 0.04 to 0.1
inches per year since 1900.
The ocean level did increase by 0.12 inches over the last
century. Scared yet? Not me.
Furthermore, I am skeptical of scientific research from government
agencies. Notice the “climate.gov” on the right side of the webpage. I clicked
on the links highlighting the inching up of the ocean. Nothing. The dead links
lead to nothing living or convincing.
Large Snowfall from Hawaii (via Satellite: Whatsupwiththat.com) |
About those glaciers and polar ice caps, scientists and
basic observation records that ice levels are rising on mountains all
over the world, including India and the United States. Even tropical Hawaii had
an
unprecedented snow fall, as early as October of
last year. If any island sinks, could it be Hawaii under layers of
snow?
Other websites gather data, including historical evidence
as well as current, reliable research. On this
site, readers can learn that ancient ports now stand miles inland from national
coastlines. What happened? The ocean levels receded. The ebb and flow of sea
levels is more erratic, and less consequential, than climate change alarmists
contend.
Like Atlantis, the saga of ozone depletion/global
warming/climate change is just a myth. It would be entertaining if not for the
fearful consequence of Big Government takeovers and noxious policies advanced
by politicians like Senator Whitehouse.
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