2011-06-28

Lord Monckton: Bring out your Dead! « Climate Denial Crock of the Week

 

As far as I can tel, a "Climate Denier" is a person who is certain that global climate disruption (climate change, global warming, etc) is not happening. Climate Denial seems to have become an ideology, impervious to additional information or logical discussion.

 

For many years now Peter Sinclair and his Greenman Studio LLC have been providing clear, well researched counters to the sometimes outrageous statements made by these climate deniers, along with those who foster climate denial as a way to continue doing "business as usual".

 

In this video, Peter has again focused on a recurring subject, once a darling of the climate denial organizations, Lord Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley. Lord Monckton is a hereditary peer, meaning that he comes by his titles mostly by way of birth. He often claims to be a member of the House of Lords, a situation that does not obtain, and was formally ended by Parliament in 1999. Lord Monckton likes to style himself an honorary member of the House of Lords, but the House of Lords does not agree are stepping up their efforts to stop Monckton's false claims, saying "he is not and never has been a member and that there is no such thing as a non-voting or honorary member."

 

Monckton is no stranger to controversy. In 1987 he proposed that AIDS victims be effectively placed in internment camps. In an article in The American Spectator he stated that, "there is only one way to stop AIDS. That is to screen the entire population regularly and to quarantine all carriers of the disease for life. Every member of the population should be blood-tested every month ... all those found to be infected with the virus, even if only as carriers, should be isolated compulsorily, immediately, and permanently." This would involve isolating between 1.5 and 3 million people in the United States ("not altogether impossible") and another 30,000 people in the UK ("not insuperably difficult"). (Emphasis mine.) In other venues this man styles himself a conservative and what we would now call a Libertarian. *sigh*

 

For those who are like me, of a slightly older generation, or even a larger bonus, having grown up in Missouri along the Mississippi River just below Hannibal, Lord Monckton's antics seem very familiar. For any of you who remember Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn you may recall the characters The Duke and the King. Unfortunately the 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley does not seem to have enjoyed a ride out of town on a rail, or perhaps tarring and feathering. It seems overdue to me.

 

It may be that his Lordship is running out of juice. Over the course of the last two years Lord Monckton has begun publicly referring to anyone who disagrees with his climate denial positions as being "Nazis" or "Hitler Youth". Also, he has begun promoting his cure for all sorts of diseases, from including Graves' Disease, multiple sclerosis, influenza, and herpes simplex. Somewhat ironically his PR people are also claiming that the therapy works on AIDS as well. I visualize a medicine show from a wagon in Lord Monckton's future.

 

Please take a peek at Peter's latest video, where not only do we get to see the Lord's tour of Australia begin, but also get to hear a UK journalist experience "ambush" interviewing with "gotcha" questions by a member of the UK Royal Science Society.

 

June 27, 2011

 

I took a break from my new solutions video, which will be out soon. I just had to say something in regard to His Immaculate and Beneficent Highness Lord Christopher Monckton’s current tour of Australia.   We’re already hearing lots of exciting news, and I’ll cover it here as it happens.

For now, it turns out that The August and Exalted Lord Monckton ‘s scientific expertise is not limited to being the world’s foremost climate expert — he is also a medical practitioner of the highest caliber.

Bring out your Dead!!

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2011-06-09

MEDIA ADVISORY: ProgressiveCongress.org To Team Up With Congressional Progressive Caucus To Announce Major Nationwide Summer Jobs Tour

 

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Unknownname

 

 

Media Advisory

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                CONTACT:                          

June 9, 2011                                                               Jeremy Slevin

                        301-529-5482

                                                                                    Jeremy@ProgressiveCongress.org 

 

ProgressiveCongress.org To Team Up With The Congressional Progressive Caucus To Announce Major Nationwide Summer Jobs Tour

 

Members of Congress and Workers To Announce The "Speakout For Good Jobs Now Tour" Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in 2456 Rayburn HOB

 

WHY:    While the debate in Washington is all about deficit reduction, outside the Beltway all Americans want to hear about is the creation of good jobs. It is time for Congress to get this message.

 

We need both a plan to put people to work and action to make the economy work for the Middle Class once more. That will only happen if the voices of America’s working families are heard in a Washington dominated by entrenched corporate interests and big money politics.

 

It’s time for Congress to listen to the challenges the middle class faces in rebuilding The American Dream. Deficit reduction cannot come at the expense of good jobs and hope for the future. Now more than ever, Americans are struggling to make ends meet while CEOs are being rewarded for shipping American jobs overseas.

 

On Tuesday, at 8:30 a.m., Members of Congress and workers will announce a nationwide summer tour to promote good jobs that rebuild the American Dream. ________________________________________________________________________

 

WHO:              Congressman Keith Ellison, CPC Co-Chair (D-MN)

Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva, CPC Co-Chair (D-AZ)

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, (D-WI)

Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

and other members of Congress

Workers

Darcy Burner, President, ProgressiveCongress.org

 

WHAT:            National congressional listening tour to address the Middle Class crisis.

 

WHEN:            June 14, 2011 8:30-9:30 a.m.

 

WHERE:         2456 Rayburn Building, Washington, DC 20515.

 

#  #  #

 

 

Posted via email from TweetingDonal's Temporary Insanities

2011-06-06

Palin Revere Rides Again: Is Christianity About Learning the Truth or Making What You Already Believe “The Truth”? | Exploring Our Matrix

June 5, 2011 by James F. McGrath

In the hullabaloo about Sarah Palin’s lack of familiarity with Paul Revere, some of the attention seems to me to focus on what is a less important point. Everyone flubs historical details at some point, even major ones.

The bigger issue is one that I highlighted in another post recently, and which Scott Bailey also highlighted, namely an unwillingness, having been caught ill-informed, to admit that one was wrong.

Apparently fans of Sarah Palin have been rewriting the Wikipedia entry on Paul Revere, in an attempt to make it conform to her version of the story.

I would expect nothing less of politicians and ideologues.

But I hope that any and all will acknowledge that the attempt to fabricate history rather than admit that oneself, or one’s favorite politician, is wrong, is absolutely incompatible with the label Christian.

If you disagree, then just rewrite Wikipedia, so that instead of the Gospel of John having him say “the truth will set you free,” it said “you’re free to set the truth.”

On a related note, John Blake has an article on phantom Bible verses, which people have invented, misremembered, or misattributed to the Bible, and how surprisingly difficult it is to persuade people they have got it wrong.

Also, David Miller has a quote from renowned New Testament scholar C. F. D. Moule on the humility that should characterize Christians.

And in mostly unrelated news, Richard Hall has a parable about the difference between climate and weather, and Religion Nerd has a post about weather and religion. But you can connect them with the theme of this post by way of this cartoon, if you really want to.

Share and Enjoy:

I found this posting from a Christian Pastoral group's blog to be very interesting. And while the commenters are less obnoxious than is the norm for climate change or conservative/liberal discussions, they're still following the same pattern.

With a certain amount of ironic flair, I have to say this is another case of ideology trumping reality. *sigh*

Posted via email from TweetingDonal's Temporary Insanities

2011-06-01

Infographic: Secure Communities 101 | Deportation Nation


Unintended Consequences: A perverse effect contrary to what was originally intended (when an intended solution makes a problem worse), such as when a policy has a perverse incentive that causes actions opposite to what was intended.

Has legislative fear mongering caused us to give away our freedoms? Has anyone noticed politicians, especially conservative extremists, pushing xenophobia?

Are we really going back to "if you look or sound different you are the enemy?"

In creating DHS and subsequently empowering ICE, we have planted the seed of our own Stasi, our very own secret police... Better hang on to your papers citizen, or you might be deported...



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Back when we were facing off against the Sino/Soviet "threat" we were fighting against forces of repression, authoritarian groups that violated basic human rights, that strong armed populations into compliance.
The thing that we all knew, but couldn't believe would happen is that we might become the thing that we opposed.