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THE WEIRS TIMES, Thursday, April 8, 2010

“CHANGE” IS NOT NEW

by Thomas Sowell

Syndicated Columnist

When ancient fossils

of creatures that live on the ocean floor have been found in rock formations at the summit of Mount Everest, that ought to give us a clue that big changes in the earth are nothing new, and that huge chang- es have been going on long before human beings ap- peared on the scene. The recent statement

that the earth was warmer in the Middle Ages than it is today, made by the cli- mate scientist who is at the

heart of the recent scandal about “global warming” statistics, ought to at least give pause to those who are determined to believe that human beings must be the reason for “climate change.” Other climate scientists

have pointed out before now that the earth has warmed and cooled many times over the centuries. Contrary to the impression created in much of the me- dia and in politics, no one has denied that tempera- tures change, sometimes more than they are chang- ing today. Three years ago, a book

by Singer and Avery was published with a title that says it all: “Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1500 Years.” Contrary to clever politi-

cal spin that likened those who refused to join the

“global warming” hyste- ria to people who denied the Holocaust, no one de- nied that climates change. Indeed, some of the cli- mate scientists who have been the biggest critics of the current hysteria have pointed out that climates had changed back and forth, long before human beings created industrial societies or drove SUVs. It is those who have been

pushing the hysteria who have been playing fast and loose with the facts, want- ing to keep crucial data from becoming public, and even “losing” some of that data that supposedly proved the most dire con- sequences. It has not been facts but computer models at the heart of the “global warming” crusade. Nothing is easier than

coming up with computer models that prove almost

anything. Back during the 1970s, there were com- puter models predicting mass starvation and global cooling. The utter failure of those predictions ought to make us at least skeptical of computer models, es- pecially computer models based on data that advo- cates want to keep from public view or even “lose” when investigators start closing in. On climate issues, as

on many other issues, the biggest argument of the left has been that there is no argument. The word “science” has been used as a magic mantra to shut up critics, even when those critics have been scientists with international reputa- tions as specialists in cli- mate science. Stealing the aura of sci-

ence for political purposes is nothing new for the left.

Karl Marx called his brand of Utopianism “scientific socialism.” Even earlier, in the 18th century, the Marquis de Condorcet re- ferred to “engineering” so- ciety. In the 20th century, H.G. Wells referred to the creation of a lasting peace as a heavy and complex “piece of mental engineer- ing.” Genuine science is the

opposite of dogmatism, but that does not keep dogmatists from invoking the name of science in order to shut off debate. Science is a method of analysis, rather than sim- ply a set of conclusions. In fact, much of the history of science is a history of hav- ing to abandon the prevail- ing conclusions among scientists, in light of new evidence or new methods of analysis.

See SOWELL on 35

SAVE, DON’T SCRAP THE UNITED STATES!

by John J. Metzler

Syndicated Columnist

NEW YORK- The United

States is in danger of being scrapped! I’m not referring to contentious political debates plaguing America, but the hard, cold eco- nomic fact that the famed ocean liner, the SS United States, faces imminent danger of soon going to the scrap yard. It’s now incumbent for Americans and foreign friends alike to unite in a bipartisan effort to save this steamship from the fate which has befallen many of her ocean-going contemporaries. For those who don’t re- member, the SS United

States was the proud flag- ship of Ameri- can passenger ocean travel in the post-war era. After en- tering service in 1952, the luxu- ry liner began a career which saw 700 suc- cessful Atlantic crossings until 1969. Using the highest maritime technolo- gy, still a marvel today, the SS United States crossed the Atlantic a full half-day faster than its most seri- ous competition the Brit- ish Queen Mary. On her Maiden voyage in 1952

she won the coveted Blue Riband for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic, a record which still holds today! The SS United States was hardly a precursor to mod- ern cruise ships, those top- heavy “love boats” which

1960’s, now rests astride an IKEA park- ing lot rusting in the rain and sitting as a si- lent but pain- ful testament to changing times and modes of travel. “We are try-

ply the Caribbean, but a proud and stately Grande Dame of the high seas who moved with grace, manner and speed along with Eu- ropean liners such as the Queen Mary, Queen Eliza- beth, and the France. Since 1996, the United

States has been moored in south Philadelphia. The once opulent ocean liner who carried Ameri- can Presidents, European royalty, Hollywood movie stars and thousands of ordinary travelers includ- ing this writer in the early

ing to get a stay of execution.” Susan Gibbs,

granddaughter of the ac- claimed American naval architect William Francis Gibbs told me at a recent function sponsored by SS United States conservancy. The current owner Norwe- gian Cruise Lines who spends about $750,000 annually to keep the ship in dock, is seeking tenders for scrap. The vultures are gathering. And let’s not forget, the majestic ocean liner France which entered service in 1962. Years later the ship

was purchased by Norwe- gian Cruise Lines, sailed as the SS Norway, decommis- sioned, only to meet its fate in an Indian scrap yard. Amazingly people are

responding to the SOS for the SS United States. A recent New York gathering of conservationists, enthu- siasts, and maritime histo- rians brought together an overflow crowd. The mes- sage was starkly simple, this American icon of the seas must be saved. An awesome documentary film by Mark Perry, “SS United States; Lady in Waiting”underscores all the reasons why-history, technology, elegance and of course national pride. The era of ocean liners

now known as cruise ships is not quite over. In April 2004, I recall seeing the new Cunard Queen Mary II alongside the retiring Queen Elizabeth II ma- jestically steaming out of

See METZLER on 29

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