Warming hysteria despite new data

Friends,
I am posting an article by a guest columnist who writes periodically for the Colorado Springs Gazette. I have known Andy for almost 20 years and have found that when he takes pen to paper (or tickles the plastics) it is definitely worth taking reading. I hope you enjoy it.

By ANDY PICO, GUEST COLUMNIST
Global warming hysteria continues to make its impact on our state, national and global economies with increasingly devastating consequences. Severe impacts to food and energy supplies and prices are a direct result of some of the policies adopted to "fight global warming," including the conversion of agricultural resources from food to fuel and intentionally restricting energy supplies in order to force energy conversion. These results were predicted by many with scientific or economic credentials.

Dr. James Hansen, the corrupt director of NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, celebrated his testimony from 20 years ago this July by once again warning the Congress of manmade greenhouse gas warming; testifying of imminent catastrophe and calling for the criminal prosecution of "deniers." Warmers would deny the rights to free speech, academic freedom and open scientific research. The warmers deny that 32,000 scientists who have signed the Oregon Petition or the Manhattan Declaration (www.climatescienceinternational.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=1) against the fraud of manmade climate change should have a voice.

Twenty years ago, GISS predicted significant warming and its annual reports have shown an accelerating increase in global temperatures. The GISS monthly data, as well as the data from every climate monitoring agency, show otherwise.

In June 1988, the reported station and land-ocean anomalies were .84 and .67 degrees over the century average and Hansen projected that by June 2008, the temperature would increase by another degree. When he testified to Congress in June of runaway warming, the temperatures had declined to .26 degrees for both over the century average.

Predicted mid-troposphere warming is the key component of the theory of greenhouse gas warming, but actual midtroposphere temperatures have declined by .2 C over these two decades. All of the climate reporting centers; NASA GISS, Hadley, RSS and UAH satellite coverage have reported sharply declining temperatures since January 2007.

It is significant that 20 years of warming have been reversed in a year and half with the trend headed sharply down interrupted only briefly in July, which most of us call "summer." The sea level rise has also stopped, Antarctic ice cover remains above average, and the Arctic summer ice melt continues to trail last year's levels by a significant margin. All these measures run counter to the catastrophic predictions and continue even while the CO2 level continues to rise.

This decline in global sea surface, land and atmospheric temperatures correspond to the decline in solar activity as measured both by sunspot numbers and solar cycle length and the shift in oceanic circulation patterns to the cool side. This sharp cooling trend is particularly notable in that both the IPCC and GISS estimated that today's temperatures would be about a degree higher than they actually are. The decline was predicted by those of us who have pointed out the solar connection, amplified by atmospheric and oceanic circulation, as the principle driver of terrestrial climate changes.

During this Holocene Interglacial period the prevailing temperatures have been higher and lower in a regular cycle. During the initial Holocene Climactic Optimum at the end of the last Ice Age and beginning of this warm Interglacial period, the temperatures were several degrees warmer than now.

Several cool periods and warm periods alternated on a regular cycle over the millennium with a pre-Roman cool period, a Roman Warm Period several degrees warmer than now, a Middle Age Cold Period, the Medieval Warm Period that was at least another degree warmer than now, and the Little Ice Age at least a degree colder than now which the current Modern Warm Period has only slightly recovered from.

Recent archeological finds have located a Roman road crossing a pass in the Alps that is still mostly covered by glaciers. The Romans were certainly advanced in their engineering accomplishments for their time, but how and why they would have built a road underneath a glacier is an interesting question for the global warming hysterics to answer.

The cooling trend is now well established and correlates with the current, extended solar minimum. A number of independent solar scientists are predicting a multi-decade quiet and cold period. It is clear that climate change is a natural phenomenon.

Pico, of Colorado Springs, is a retired navy commander, naval Flight officer and economist. He is a signatory of the Manhattan Declaration.

This column may be viewed at:https://webmail.si-intl.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=7f5a83b97ba442dbb6af073ef370373f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.gazette.com%2fsections%2fopinion%2fguestcolumnists%2f

The Russian Incursion Continues

Friends,
A couple of days ago I received the email below from a trusted friend. He says that it is authentic and that is good enough for me. Forgive me for removing the names; I’m sure you understand the reason.

Begin forwarded email.
Capt _____ provides input from someone inside Georgia. If he emailsit, it's reliable. FYI

-----Original Message-----From: Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 12:42 PMTo:

Subject: FW: Georgia
Admiral, Sirs,
Word from Inside Georgia. Sad news.
v.r.CAPT
Counter-Terrorism & Defense Operations
-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 11:38 PM
Subject: Georgia
By all accounts, the Georgian Coast Guard was essentially destroyedyesterday by Russian regular army troops in Poti. No people killed orinjured, as there was no resistance. Three ships seized and destroyed.Buildings on the base damaged and/or destroyed, including the commandcenter. Other GCG vessels had left Poti before this and were not taken. Theradar station at Anaklia was destroyed. Not yet at Supsa, the Russians wereexpected to destroy that station as well.

It has chilled me to hear of all of this, as so much of that infrastructurewas built or improved as a part of my work these past years. It can be rebuilt if the money is found but i t pains me nonetheless.

It is the destruction and looting in the villages near Abkhazia, and aroundSouth Ossetia that is so horrific. There is no foreign aid to help familiesrebuild their lives. The Georgia, Osset and Abkhaz youth who are a part of it are thugs and criminals easily brought to the Russian fold in return for free reign. There is no reasonable explanation on earth for what theRussians are now doing in Georgia. It does not equal the genocide of Darfur,but it is all here in my backyard.

My family is terrified, and the patriotic rhetoric is maxed out in volume.Thankfully it appears that the Russians will not press on to Tbilisi. Amazingly we still have electricity and phone service. And water.

Gracefully yesterday provided a moment of peaceful irony - at the Olympicsin Beijing Georgian athletes won 2 gold medals. The first was in judo. The second was in wrestling. The Georgian defeated - a Russian! And in Olympicappropriateness the two combatants threw their arms around each other inexhaustion and respect. I think all of Georgia was standing for their anthemduring the medals ceremony.

Best wishes,

End of forwarded email


Click on map to see full size

As I pointed out in my last Political Discourse, Putin wants to put the old Soviet Union back together. It seems that Georgia’s crime was being friendly with the West and specifically their desire to join NATO. When the rebelling region of South Ossetia tried to break away and rejoin with Russia, Georgia went in for the purpose of putting down the rebellion. That was the excuse that Russia needed/wanted to attack Georgia.

North Ossetia has long been aligned with Russia. In the map insert above, North Ossetia is the area marked as Alania. While South Ossetia has strong ties to Russia, has long been considered a part of Georgia.

Russian forces have been in South Ossetia, theoretically as a peacekeeping force, but their wonton actions against the Georgians as noted in the above email goes beyond merely protecting allies and preventing further violence. Georgia has also had peacekeeping forces in the area.

As of this morning, 16 August 2008, the Russians and the Georgians have signed a cease-fire agreement, stipulating that Russian forces are to return to their previous positions in South Ossetia with the ability to patrol the Georgian border. General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of the Russian military staff has stated that a return of Georgian forces to South Ossetia would not be acceptable.

To slightly shift gears, the Associated Press reported today that Poland and the United States have concluded an agreement to place anti-ballistic missiles in Poland. The negotiations have been going on for 18 months with the stated goal to place missiles in Poland to protect from any current or projected IRBM/ICBM capability within Iran or other potentially unfriendly Middle Eastern country. Russia believes that the anti-ballistic missiles are a direct slap in the fact to them and has threatened retaliation in the form of its own nuclear arsenal.

Two days ago, Russia also made the statement that Georgian borders are no longer sacred, the same with any rebellious region within any of the former Soviet states that ask for Russia’s assistance.

Given the bellicose stance Russia has taken in the recent past, it would be reasonable to expect all of the former Soviet states to be in danger of re-absorbs ion. Russia is already looking with laser focus on the Baltic States.

After my last posting, a number of commentators as well as several of my friends have commented on the similarity between the current Russian actions and the incursion of German troops into the Sudetenland on 01 October, 1938. This incursion was due to the appeasement mentality of the Europeans at that time. The current actions of the Russians and the world’s desire for peace today make it feel like it must have in the late ‘30s. How many more of the former Soviet satellite states are going to be given to Putin?

Since the pull-out of US forces from Viet Nam, and the Marines from Lebanon, the United States has come to be viewed as a country that does not go the extra mile to back its friends. I believe that it is time to reverse that trend and show the world that we do back our friends. In the past, the Russians have typically responded only to adversaries that come to them from a position of strength. Giving in to their bullying in Georgia and Poland removes any semblance of strength. If we do not stand up for our friends now we could see a resurgence of Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe and a renewal of the Cold War.

As always, I welcome your comments/discussion.

Dan

The Russian Bear Out of Hibernation

Friends,
On June 12, 1987, President Reagan made the famous demand, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” in a speech to the people of West Berlin. It was also heard on the East side of the wall. This was the prelude to the greatest peacetime implosion of a multilithic regime this world has ever seen. Today, 21 years later, we still laud Reagan for his courage to even make this challenge, after all of his advisors counseled against it.

In December of 1991, after the erosion of the Soviet world from the edges, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. A painful period of the Russian version of democratization began. The newly wealthy grew out of the corrupt officials that had run the country. Still, there was some hope that the new Russian Republic would work through these growing pains and come out the other side as a democracy, governed by the rule of law. The old hard-line Communists were suppressed and it looked as if Boris Yeltsin might just be able to pull it off, if his health held up. At least that is the short version.

Now fast forward to 2000. With the succession of Vladimir Putin to the presidency of Russia, another KGB professional was again in power. For the past eight years Putin has been consolidating and confirming his power.

In the run-up to the 2003 parliamentary elections, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the wealthiest of the new Russian billionaires, financed opposition parties running against Putin’s United Russia Party. For this indiscretion, the government charged Khodorkovsky with fraud and tax evasion. The sentence was for eight years. Under the Russian legal system, he was eligible for release in 2008. Removing this source of financing, Putin’s ruling party easily won reelection. In early 2007 Khodorkovsky faced new charges of money laundering and embezzlement in preparation for the upcoming 2008 elections. Putin could not take a chance of losing his legislative mandate.

Putin and the ruling party have recently taken to flexing their collective muscles in the old ways. In August of last year, Putin announced the resumption of long-range bomber flights because of security concerns. This renewed assertiveness now can be viewed as the first overt step in a campaign to reestablish the regional power base that the Soviets had established after World War II.

In the past week, Georgia has sent troops into the break-away enclave of South Ossetia to discourage thoughts of independence. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, South Ossetia has claimed to be independent from Georgia. This urge for independence was further enhanced with the recent declaration of independence by Kosovo.

Russia has been claiming that they are just acting as peacekeepers. But Russia is goaded by NATO’s promise to admit Georgia. Last week, Russian forces rolled into the area in support of the separatists. Two days ago, 8 Aug, it was reported that Russian troops had moved into South Ossetia with 150 tanks plus assorted other vehicles. Today, it was reported that Russian and Georgian forces are engaged. There are also reports of the Russian Navy blockading Georgian ports.

With the aforementioned examples of Russian expansion of control, both internal and external, it could be argued that Russia under Vladimir Putin is attempting to rebuild, at least partially, the Soviet power bloc of the Cold War days. While the West has been watching developments related to Muslim Terrorism, Putin has been restoring the Russian military which had fallen into abject disrepair; this repair and modernization being paid for by proceeds gained from re-nationalized industries such as the petroleum industry.

This is a complicated world, made more so by the resurgence of Russia as a power with which to be reckoned. Only time will tell the lengths to which Putin will go to achieve the level of his desired power.

As always, I welcome your comments and discussions.
Dan