Burning Heretics at the Stake

For those interested in science, the History Channel had a very enlightening show tonight on the geologic history of the Earth called "How the Earth Was Made"

It made the case that most climate change is the result of plate tectonics, with an occasional meteor thrown in (pun intended). The position of the continents either facilitate the flow of warm water to the poles or block it. When that flow is blocked, ice ages occur.

For two million years, the Earth has been in an alternating period of ice ages. 10,000 years ago, the area that is now New York City was buried under a glacier that was hundreds of feet thick. Civilization arose after temperatures moderated in the period following that ice age.

In its last minutes, the show made the point that it isn't unreasonable to expect that a similar ice age could occur within 15,000 years, and if that happened, "global warming" might delay it by 200 years at most. New York City could once again expect to be buried under ice.

Except for that one comment, the show didn't touch on the current environmental debate. It shouldn't be controversial to most watchers, assuming it is good geology.

We currently have a bunch of politicians led by Mark Udall and financed by the Sierra Club driving science and the economy based on the premise that climate is dictated solely by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

One is reminded that the Catholic Church once taught that the Earth was the center of the universe. When a famous astronomer suggested that the Sun might be the center of the universe instead, he was placed under house arrest for 11 years. The more usual punishment at the time for less famous heretics was to be burned at the stake, so he got lucky.

A Congress dominated by Mark Udall and other like minded group thinkers won't try to burn scientists who don't accept an atmospheric cause for global warming at the stake. It will merely defund them.

But, isn't that pretty much the same thing, professionally speaking?

Annoy Mark Udall and the Sierra Club today. THINK.