By definition, most politicians are cheating, lying scumbags whose self-interest and political agenda supersede the truth and service to their constituents. But when politicians attempt to promote a political agenda by spinning science, it tends to piss me off no end. Especially if they are using the death and destruction of an American community to make their specious point.
And, here is the moronic claims of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) … (my comments in blue italic)
Democratic senator uses Okla. tornado for anti-GOP rant over global warming
While many Americans were tuned into news coverage of the massive damage from tornadoes ravaging the state of Oklahoma, Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to rail against his Republican colleagues for denying the theory of anthropogenic global warming. (Anthropogenic global warming is a hypothesis, a theory – not proven fact supportable by direct observation. All of the projected outcomes exist only as the output of inadequate computer models using flawed assumptions and highly-manipulated data. With most models unable to account for the conditions of the last eighteen years and the continuing rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Not to mention that one of those global carbon dioxide measurements is made next to an active volcano spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.)
Whitehouse spent 15 minutes chastising GOP senators and justified his remarks by alluding to states that seek federal assistance in the wake of natural disasters.
“So, you may have a question for me,” Whitehouse said. “Why do you care? Why do you, Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, care if we Republicans run off the climate cliff like a bunch of proverbial lemmings and disgrace ourselves? I’ll tell you why. We’re stuck in this together. We are stuck in this together. (Yes, we are stuck in this together, and unfortunately many of the emerging economies such as Russia, China, and India do not and will not adhere to any proposed global warming solution that directly affects their economic interests. Even assuming mankind can influence the planetary forces of nature, which is highly doubtful, only the United States will disadvantage their economy and citizens to pursue an unattainable result. Which is not only economic insanity, it is economic suicide. As for lemmings, they will follow the lead lemming off the cliff. Unfortunately, the lead lemming is an uninformed democrat with a political agenda that does not bode well for America or her citizens.)
When cyclones tear up Oklahoma and hurricanes swamp Alabama and wildfires scorch Texas, you come to us, the rest of the country, for billions of dollars to recover. (Amazingly, Sheldon does not seem to understand that the tremendous costs of dealing with disasters come from idiotic political decisions. Lax building codes because developers bought-off politicians. Increased death and destruction because developers bought-off politicians to allow increased population density. Poor location of populations in areas known for climatological disasters. What rational explanation can you give for allowing New Orleans to re-build, knowing that some of their land is under sea level and will require massive, government-built and maintained dikes to hold back the storm surge. Yes, it is built to withstand a theoretical 100-year storm surge, but what if a “black swan” event occurs and swamps the levees? You can’t win and you can’t protect all people against all things found in nature. The most corrupt part of the process is the corrupt self-serving politician who was to blame in the first place – the one who exploits death and disaster to push his own or his party’s political agenda. Mutual disaster assistance is a way of life, a neighborly thing, and not something to be used as an excuse to allow some neighbors to impose their political will on other neighbors.)
And the damage that your polluters and deniers are doing doesn’t just hit Oklahoma and Alabama and Texas. It hits Rhode Island with floods and storms. It hits Oregon with acidified seas, it hits Montana with dying forests. So, like it or not, we’re in this together.” (Speaking of polluters, does Sheldon know that cap-and-trade is a taxation scheme that allows gross polluters to continue polluting by buying government-sanctioned indulgences. That the local pollution will continue to affect the local population – even though the polluter has bought a few acres of foreign rain-forest. At the cap-and-trade core, a socialist inter-governmental wealth re-distribution scheme. As for those dreaded deniers – they deny, not science, but the corrupt politicians trying to spin science as a rationale for pursuing their own toxic political agenda which is based on self-interest and purchasing political power by using special interests for campaign funding and voter support.)
Whitehouse went on to condemn the current Republican position on global warming, citing economic, environmental and diplomatic damages.
“You drag America with you to your fate,” he continued. “So, I want this future: I want a Republican Party that has returned to its senses and is strong and a worthy adversary in a strong America that has done right by its people and the world. That’s what I want. I don’t want this future. I don’t want a Republican Party disgraced, that let its extremists run off the cliff, and an America suffering from grave economic and environmental and diplomatic damage because we failed, because we didn’t wake up and do our duty to our people, and because we didn’t lead the world. I do not want that future. But that’s where we’re headed. So I will keep reaching out and calling out, ever hopeful that you will wake up before it is too late.” (I, too, hope you will wake up and understand that scientists only theorize about what is happening, they do not not with the certitude that is required to put forth public policy – especially one that leads to centrally-planned and executed socialism and communism. Where we are subjugated by a political elite, allegedly enlightened and with an ethical approach to governing. Something which does not exist and cannot exist when you consider politics and human nature. If the republicans cede to the democrats, they will be selling out their nation and their constituents for a worker’s paradise which only exists in Russia, China, Cuba, and North Korea – if you know what I mean!)
Source: Democratic Sen. Whitehouse blames Republicans for tornado | The Daily Caller
Bottom line …
Like all democrat ideologues, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has his head up his corrupt, self-serving ass. It is not science he speaks about, it is politics and his socialist agenda. I am for less air, water, and land pollution. And you don’t get there by allowing polluters to pollute the local air, water, and land by buying government-sanctioned indulgences.
As for the science, scientists has a diametrically opposed position in the 1970’s when they proclaimed that global cooling was at hand and that we needed to pursue the very same public policies that are being offered today, lest the planet and its population die a slow and agonizing death.
Politicians and political parties are so corrupt that many climate activists are unwilling to sign-on to their prescriptions. These are no deniers, but well-credentialed scientists from respected institutions. Why do they not speak with a louder voice. Simple, they fear for their jobs, project funding, and demonization of the mainstream media that does not understand that science is one of controlled skepticism and continual discovery.
We don’t know why some large storms turn deadly and some don’t. But we do know that underground basements with electric sump pumps will be flooded when the water flows downward and when the power goes out. That is a fact – now let some politician rail about the building codes that were eased or modified for additional profit.
Meanwhile, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, in my opinion, is a democrat demagogue and asswipe. And, even though he has apologised for his remarks, he is still a lying scumbag.
-- steve
Reference links ...
Apology text: http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/statement-on-tragedy-in-oklahoma
The more that the Obama Administration says about Benghazi, the more it appears that there is a cover-up of potential criminality; namely the transfer of military-grade weaponry to terrorists without Congressional authority or approval.
Reminiscent of the Reagan-era Iran-Contra scandal where the Administration arranged to illegally circumvent an arms embargo on Iran. Selling arms to Iran for political purposes; namely to secure a resolution to the Iran hostage situation with Americans being held for more than a year, and to provide money for intelligence agency operations to fund Nicaraguan contras.
What has never been adequately explained is why the facility was designated a “consulate” when it appeared to be a “facility” under the control of the State Department and the CIA, and why Ambassador Chris Stevens was allowed into a known trouble spot to meet the Turkish Ambassador on the anniversary of 9/11. It has been suggested that the CIA was allegedly transferring military-grade weapons through Turkey to be used in intelligence operations in Syria and Egypt – both areas controlled by anti-America Muslim terrorists. Perhaps of the al Qaeda flavor.
So rather than tell Americans the truth – there was an ongoing covert intelligence operation about which no comment will be forthcoming, the Obama Administration concocted a lie and put it out to the world. Now, with their perfidy exposed, they are trying to dissemble, diffuse blame, and deflect inquiries which might lead to criminal indictments and the impeachment of a sitting President. And, what better way to do this than claim incompetence, error, and throw a few low-level employees under the bus.
According to CBS News …
Obama administration officials who were in key positions on Sept. 11, 2012, acknowledge that a range of mistakes were made the night of the attacks on the U.S. missions in Benghazi, and in messaging to Congress and the public in the aftermath.
The officials spoke to CBS News in a series of interviews and communications under the condition of anonymity so that they could be more frank in their assessments. They do not all agree on the list of mistakes and it's important to note that they universally claim that any errors or missteps did not cost lives and reflect "incompetence rather than malice or cover up." Nonetheless, in the eight months since the attacks, this is the most sweeping and detailed discussion by key players of what might have been done differently.
"We're portrayed by Republicans as either being lying or idiots," said one Obama administration official who was part of the Benghazi response. "It's actually closer to us being idiots."
The Obama administration's chief critics on Benghazi, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., remain skeptical. They see a pattern, even a conspiracy, to deflect attention from the idea that four Americans had been killed by al Qaeda-linked attackers, on the president's watch. "There is no conclusion a reasonable person could reach other than that for a couple of weeks after the attack, [the Obama administration was] trying to push a narrative that was politically beneficial to the president's re-election," Graham told CBS News.
The list of mea culpas by Obama administration officials involved in the Benghazi response and aftermath include: standing down the counterterrorism Foreign Emergency Support Team, failing to convene the Counterterrorism Security Group, failing to release the disputed Benghazi "talking points" when Congress asked for them, and using the word "spontaneous" while avoiding the word "terrorism."
More at Officials on Benghazi: "We made mistakes, but without malice" - CBS News
Bottom line …
The official story about the capture of bin Laden has undergone revision a number of times. The official story about what happened at the Internal Revenue Service has undergone revision a number of times. The story about what happened at the Department of Justice in regard to Fast and Furious and the investigation of an intelligence leak has undergone revision a number of times. The real truth is that you cannot trust the Obama Administration to tell the truth. They, like all politicians, will do or say anything to gain or maintain political power and pursue their agenda.
I believe that Benghazi and the IRS scandals are enough to provide all Americans with the evidence of a pattern and practice of deception and illegal acts for the purposes of promoting Barack Obama and his presidency. The resolution being voting all democrats and complicit republicans out of office when the opportunity presents itself in the 2014 congressional elections, the 2016 presidential election, and the clean-up congressional election of 2018. There is no other way. We must remove those who are corrupt from government.
If President Obama wants to make a good faith showing to the American people, let him disclose his personal papers and records now. Whoops – that’s another story that has undergone revision over time.
-- steve