The abstract of the “scientific” paper that concluded that 97% of scientists agreed says in its abstract that a whole 66.4% had no position, thus 66.4% did not agree, plus the 3% who actively disagreed leaves 30.6% who agreed, not the 97% as claimed.

The source document, Cook et al:
http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/024024;jsessionid=18283FD9DDB1D726380369B7B82BF43A.c1
“We find that 66.4% of abstracts expressed no position on AGW”

THAT part alone is more than 3%. Clearly, at least 66.4% are not in agreement and are not part of any consensus who agree. The 97% figure is wrong at the source.

There are additional problems with the Cook study, in which additional scientists were excluded from the study because they did not agree, either. Cook had to work very hard to fudge the figure to 97%.

Who is being scientific on the topic? Not those who advocate for global warming.

Like I said, there is nothing there there, just what is pored into their heads by the media, that’s what they “know”.

Bratislava is beautiful this time of year.

https://www.internations.org/bratislava-expats/guide/moving-to-bratislava-18571

Yet they almost certainly believe it all so thoroughly that you cannot change their minds. This has been my experience. Because you contradict what they believe, they — not their other liberal friends — must be lying.

Next time you are talking about global warming, point out that they do not believe in it, because they continue to use powered transportation, heat their houses, cook their meals, Wash and dry their clothes, etc. Even using tap water takes energy and produces CO2, remotely. If they believed in global warming, they would have stopped all of this “catastrophic” behavior.

They still won’t change their behavior, because they think it is enough to merely *care* about the problem, but you are the evil one for not caring.

Most liberals that I interact with (and I have a few that are friends of mine) stand on very shaky ground and are unable to sustain reasonable and informed conversation about our history and how our government and how the world in general operates. Its just not there.

And somehow, some way we seem to continue to move into the future, its really a miracle.

This is why I insist that the 2008 and 2012 elections were the most important of our lives. We now live in a tyranny. The only importance to the 2016 election is to determine a length to this tyranny. The next president cannot end the tyranny, as it will require at the least a Supreme Court ruling that taxing power does not allow the government to tell us how to spend our money. Preferably the Sixteenth Amendment will eventually be repealed, as it is what government has used to usurp the most power from We the People and create the most socialism among us, either by law, as in Social Security, or by practice, as in having enough revenue source to pass out money and stuff as though it grew on trees (where you and I are the trees being plucked).

As for the new potential Hitler, we already live in a close approximation, where we are fired for having views that differ from our employers, lose our businesses for having view that differ from the government’s, are prohibited from speaking for having views that differ from the administrations of our public institutions (such as universities), denied our right to association for having views that differ from IRS officials, and have other rights violated daily.

Let us know if you need help funding the one-way ticket; we may be able to put together a fundraiser for her.

I am surprised that your liberal friend stayed in this country when we had the freedoms that she despises (assuming that she despises liberty) or that she stayed in this country as the freedoms that she loves were stolen (assuming that she loves liberty). Trumps cannot do much more harm than Obama did, as we have already gone from a free country to a tyranny. If she thinks that Trump will give us a Hilterian tyranny, tell her that she is already there and welcome her to it.

Welcome to Obama’s America, land of the formerly free.

I told her in the event that he does become the president that I will hold her to her promise and purchase her plane ticket for her departure. If all of the liberals are going to have the near stroke that she almost had then Trump MUST become the next president.

I asked her: Which president had plans to begin a national security force “as powerful and as well armed as the military”, just like Hitlers? She replied, Roosevelt? Clinton? Bush? The answer of course is Barack Hussein Obama.

Barack Hussein Obama, 2008, “We need a national civilian security force” as powerful as the military”, remember?

https://youtu.be/Tt2yGzHfy7s

From the Canada Free Press. http://canadafreepress.com/article/obamas-civilian-national-security-force

If this aspiring dictator has been stopped out from his aspirations of becoming a “Hitler” by our system, why would Trump be allowed to become one?

Edward, Obama is doing what he can while he has the power, there really are consequences to elections and these are some of the consequences. This too will end.

What makes you think Obama has not been able to bring about his dream? He has turned us into a tyranny through the individual mandate — determining how we are to spend our own money. He has uses big government to reward his friends and punish his enemies. Most Americans now believe that government is the solution, not the problem, and they desire free stuff from the government — the younger generation not yet realizing that they are committing themselves to pay for it, with interest. There is more disunity, disagreement, and discord in America than there has been in a long time — perhaps since the 1960s or maybe the 1860s. Our friends no longer trust us and are turning to other countries to replace the leadership that we once held. We are no longer at war with anyone, despite them being at war with us. He has befriended our enemies, only to have them stab us in the front. As for an armed civilian army, pretty much every department is now armed to the hilt (there seems to be a pun, there, but I can’t quite see it); the Department of Peace* may be the only exception.

As far as I can tell, the only dream of Obama’s that has yet to come to pass is the closing of Guantanamo Bay and bringing the terrorists to the US. The rest of what he is doing is extending the authoritarianism as far, wide, and deep as he can.

America has been fundamentally transformed, and our freedoms are sliding down the slippery slope that so many people have insisted does not exist.

Cotour wrote: “then why is Trump now plastered with the same accusations.”

Because his behavior and attitude are similar. Fascism is very similar to crony capitalism.

* You may remember the question ‘if the US has a Department of War, then why does it not have a Department of Peace?’ That was a bogus analogy, as we always had a Department of Peace. We just didn’t call it that, and it used to protect its communications and secrets better than when Hillary was in charge.

I would differ with you on your characterization of Obama, but the point is valid in part.

Obama is a straight up Marxist. Unlike Fascists who feign a Capitalist veneer to their totalitarian socialism.

(This is precisely why I prefer the term “Statist,” it more precisely identifies the methodologies employed by the left & their intimate, intertwined relationship with the State.)

“National Socialism” (Nazi) is a fascist implementation of socialism, with a heavy racist component. “Everything within the State, nothing outside the State.”
While we mostly associate Fascism with Mussolini and Hitler, it is a left-wing ideology at it’s core. (Mussolini did not need to appeal to racism in Italy, he appealed to their nationalism.)
“International Socialism” is a more correct term for Marxist Stalinism.
These might seem like minor definition points, but I don’t believe so. It goes to show how all these ideologies are confused in the mind of the public.
(At one time, the worst insult was to be called a “Fascist,” because we all “know” that meant “acting like Hitler,” but Fascism is State Socialism, Corporatism, and Syndicalism.)

The political continuum of “left & right” isn’t a line-segment, it’s rather a circle. Think about it.
Marxism, Fascism, Socialism, Communism– all left wing variants of the same thing, and grouped together.
The one ideology that isn’t, is good old American Capitalism & Representative republicanism. (small “r”)

Highly suggest Adam Smith’s “Theory of Moral Sentiments” and of course, “Wealth of Nations,” for the best defense & explanation of how Capitalism functions within a Civil Society. (Rule of Law)
Wayne

Think about this aspect of the presidency related to the “Hitler” potential theory. If you remember, Barak Hussein Obama actually laid out a dream of actually having a civilian element of the government that be armed as well as the military.

And this current president is well documented as promoting a racist agenda by his speech and actions and has fomented the amplified racist atmosphere in the country bring about violence towards the police and other “white” Americans.

Q: If Obama, who has plainly proposed fascist, Hitler, Nazi like ideas has not been able to bring about his dream then why is Trump now plastered with the same accusations. Clearly our system is able to stop out the Hitler like dreams of the very powerful in our government.

And I am not say to not pay attention to such scenarios but is this paranoia just that, paranoia?

I got this robo-call last night.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/trump-robocall-super-tuesday-william-daniel-johnson

The American National Super PAC makes this call to support Donald Trump. I am William Johnson, a farmer and white nationalist.

The white race is dying out in America and Europe because we are afraid to be called “racist.” This is our mindset: It’s okay that our government destroys our children’s future, but don’t call me racist. I am afraid to be called racist. It’s okay to give away our country through immigration, but don’t call me racist. It’s okay that few schools anymorehave beautiful white children as the majority, but don’t call me racist. Gradual genocide against the white race is okay, but don’t call me racist. I am afraid to be called racist. Donald Trump is not a racist, but Donald Trump is not afraid.

Don’t vote for a Cuban. Vote for Donald Trump. (213) 718-3908. This call is not authorized by Donald Trump.

Yes, this is not a failing of the Constitution. The Founders built in a whole host of firewalls to prevent self-destruction, and it took the Progressives in both parties 100 years to circumvent almost all of them. I advocate for an Article 5 Convention of the States but don’t want to get into it now or here.

Yeah. That is what the NAZIs did in Germany. They first won elections by threatening their opposition, sometimes even chasing them away from their campaign speeches or even beating them up. These were the Brownshirts, and intimidation was their job.

Cotour wrote: “Bernie Sanders is going away” Only because the Democrat Party has rules that make the choice of the voters moot.

Cotour wrote: “4. Yes, I agree, but can the Constitution warp the trajectory of all other civilizations and reconstitute itself without total destruction?”

The Constitution need not worry about the trajectory of other civilizations, and it was doing OK all by itself, until Congress amended it with the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments. Now, however, the three civil branches of our government: the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court ignore it almost completely ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgh-q4t0kzM one-minute), and there is no constitution anywhere, anytime that can protect itself from violation by the very government it is supposed to govern. Theoretically, the Constitution has the US Armed Forces to protect it, but they have yet to act on their oaths to do so, just as the three civil branches have failed to uphold it.

This is not a failing of the Constitution, it is a failing of We the People for not insisting that the Constitution be followed, upheld, and protected.

2. “Bernie Sanders can”: Bernie Sanders is going away, Hillary is about to gut and skin him and is about to make many, many people in the Democrat party so enraged that it may well turn into the destruction of their party.

3. “Cotour wrote: “I recently had someone say to me ‘well, America is a socialist country any, what about social security and medicare?’”” An excellent explanation of what is underway.

4. Yes, I agree, but can the Constitution warp the trajectory of all other civilizations and reconstitute itself without total destruction? An unknown.

“a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.”

Chris R wrote: “The only priority we should focus on is, who can beat Hillary?”

Bernie Sanders can, but do you really want to vote for that type of candidate? Then again, my cat could beat Hillary, and he has been dead half a decade.

Robert wrote: “Why should it matter what country this is? Americans are human, and are just as prone to bad behavior as anyone else.”

I agree. We are a nation of people whose ancestry comes from somewhere else. We are not better than everyone else, because we *are* everyone else. The original comment, “If this were a different country than the US, I would say that we were in danger of falling into fascism,” suggests that people believe that American exceptionalism prevents us from the same failings and traps that other countries have fallen into, but American exceptionalism is not being better than others, it is being free to experiment in ways that are opposed or oppressed by other governments. American exceptionalism is the ability and encouragement to freely express our opinions (except on many college campuses, etc.) and find better ideas and methods.

If we lose these freedoms through tyranny and intimidation, then we lose pretty much all that we are as well as all that we have.

BSJ wrote: “I saw Trump, or the equivalent, coming to this eight years ago. He’s the logical culmination of the Tea Party.”

Only if the logical culmination of the Tea Party is the antithesis of everything that it stands for.

Wodun wrote: “What was the threat?”

The threat was that a person of power would use that power to harm those who oppose him. The threat was to all others who would oppose him, too. It was a clear message of ‘do as I say or else.’ That is what he means by “They better be careful.” I’m not sure how you missed that. That you created your own straw men to knock down is unremarkable (except that I seem to have remarked upon it).

Cotour wrote: “I recently had someone say to me ‘well, America is a socialist country any, what about social security and medicare?'”

Social Security and Medicare are Ponzi schemes. Next time someone says such a thing to you, ask them if they believe socialism to be a Ponzi scheme. It is, in fact. This is why socialists believe that it will only work after a country has been capitalist — the country needs some previous wealth to account for the loss of production under socialism; it needs the ability to squander previously created wealth and prosperity. Through our ever increasing national debt, we are now squandering the wealth that our children and grandchildren will have to create. Squandering previously accumulated wealth is why existing socialist countries are falling apart, and it is why the Pilgrims, under William Bradford, were unable to feed themselves, as the Pilgrims had no previous wealth available to carry them through the lean times that socialism necessarily causes.

It was not the Indians showing them how to farm that saved the Pilgrims — they were already experienced farmers — it was their rejection of their experiment into socialism and return to free-market capitalism that saved them. Under Bradford’s experiment with big-government socialism (this was before it was called this), the Pilgrims quickly realized that there was no incentive to work hard, but under free-market capitalist individualism (also not called this at the time), there was a lot of incentive to work hard. The individual gained from his own productivity, encouraging innovations into improved productivity.

The first Thanksgiving was to thank God for the better system of economics, the Indians were invited because the Pilgrims had *so much* extra, under their new system, that they could easily afford to be nice to their friendly neighbors.

Cotour wrote: “Is the Constitution really that unique and Exceptional?”

Show me another one that comes even close. All others, to this day, grant rights to their people, while ours explains that our rights are pre-existing and cannot be violated by those governing us. Ours is the exception to the rule. As I said, above, it is because of these freedoms that we are allowed and *encouraged* to improve ourselves, our governance, and our productivity in exceptional ways. Unfortunately, the socialist policies of the left are leaving us with less and less each year. The insolvency of both Social Security and Medicare are cases in point. Even Obamacare is beginning to suck our disposable incomes from us. The loss of productivity is beginning to show in the reduced household income and the inability of the GDP to keep up with both inflation and the increased population.

Does the existence of the Constitution and its unique nature skew the natural cycle of total destruction that has been visited upon every civilization previous in history to the point that the cycle continues and evolves and moves into the future?

Is the Constitution really that unique and Exceptional?

Stay tuned, I fully expect the answer to that existential question to be answered very soon.

“…Miller asked the question in 1959. During the Cold War humanity proved that doom was not necessary, that civilized people could choose to avoid oblivion and rise above animals to be thinking creatures. Now, I am not so confident…”
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I share your fear, we are not the same society we were during the MAD Cold War days. We have been splintered by slash and burn Identity Politics and it’s getting worse not better.

And as far as the Tea Party having a “seedy underbelly”, while I can’t speak to your experience I can tell you that here in the People’s Republic of Mass. I have not seen any of that. The rally’s that were held in Boston were peaceful, fun, and full of normal everyday Americans who, like me. never thought they’d be out protesting…. LOL!

The media did their best to smear the Tea Party and Sarah Palin. And they were very successful at it. At the same time the Occupy trespassers were given a pass. While every movement attracts crazies, especially on social media, the Tea Party was/is a movement that was far and away a better, safer, non-racist, non-violent group of people than any other I have ever seen.

This question / statement always pissed me off.

I replied that America was not founded as a socialist country, we have a Constitution that creates the parameters that government must work within and our economy is based on capitalism and markets.

This conversation is related to Sanders running for president and his “free” everything and the right to redistribute other peoples money. I then had the same conversation in email form with a lawyer friend of mine who identifies as a libertarian and while I am correct about the founding of the country he correctly pointed out that when the income tax was implemented by Congress that fundamentally changed everything. When the government by law has the ability to tax (confiscate) one persons money and essentially redistribute it to another person that technically is the definition of a socialist society.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/hottopic/irs_history.html

So like it or not we are currently stuck with what we are stuck with, the issue now has to be the extent of that ability to tax and how and where and when that confiscated money is distributed. We recognize that to be a Democracy is to embrace certain degrees of liberal thinking.

America, not founded as a socialist country, but has morphed into a quasi socialist country.

For example, like how the Obama administration clearly used the IRS as a political weapon in many, many instances specifically against Conservatives. That’s no joke.

The threat was that he would expose something about the people attacking him. That seems very unremarkable in our system. Unless he taps their phones, or some other illegal means, to get dirt on them, I don’t see a fascism problem.

Ideally, he would counter whatever ads they paid for without personal attacks but personal attacks are very common. I don’t see why Trump should be held to a higher standard.

I do wonder how Trump would act as President. Would he be like Obama, constantly attacking the opposition and his critics? It looks like it from his campaign style. Would he use government to persecute the opposition and his critics like Obama? I don’t know. He doesn’t strike me as principled. He also doesn’t strike me as a law breaker.

There is doubt there though, and not just for Trump. The precedent has been set by Obama to use government as a weapon and I wonder how all of the candidates would fight off the temptation or if any of them would actually try to reform government to prevent these abuses from happening.

Hillary and Sanders have both said they would go farther than Obama. Rubio might not attack dissidents with the government but he might be open to imperial decrees. Cruz might try and reform the system but he might use imperial decrees to do so. I have no doubt Trump would use his phone and pen and would excel at deal making because buying people off is how you make deals in congress. But would he use his government powers illegally? I don’t know.

I get the speculation but I think its based more on a stereotype of Trump than anything evidence based. The problem I have with Trump, is that I think he will be like Obama and rule through ridicule, which isn’t illegal but just bad for the country.

A lot of the problems people have with Trump, are they think he will use government like Obama did. That is more of an indictment of Obama than anyone in the race today. The precedent has been set, no one has a time machine, and none of the candidates are running on explicitly preventing future Presidents from acting like Obama.

I don’t just fear that Trump could be like Obama, I fear that ALL of them could be because of the precedence that has been set, especially the ones who stated openly they would go further than Obama. Trump hasn’t made those claims so it an exercise in speculation.

I wanted to support the Tea Party for exactly those reasons. But then I started seeing the seedy underbelly… That’s when I started loosing hope.

I want to still believe the Constitution can survive all assaults from left and right. Sadly, I now fear we have crossed or are crossing a line of no return.

ps. I’ve voted against Bernie every chance I’ve got since I moved up here in ’94. VT’s electoral votes are going to whomever the Democrat is. So my presidential vote isn’t going to count anyway. But given the choice between Bernie or Trump, I’ll have to go with Bernie. (with the hope that he’d be a lame duck from day one)

I was deeply involved in tea party activities in Maryland and then here in Arizona, beginning in 2010. I never saw anything resembling what you describe. What I saw were people of all faiths and races horrified by what their federal government was doing and banding together to do whatever they could to stop it. Thus, they worked very hard to get Democrats defeated and give the Republicans a majority in Congress so that Obama’s agenda could be stymied and the federal budget brought under control.

Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in Congress squandered that opportunity. There now many people who are simply pissed off, have lost all reason, and simply want to burn the whole thing down in anger. The trouble with that is that burning it all down never produces a better result. It only makes it worse.

I know you were an early supporter of them, Bob. But you must not have been on the same email lists that I was back then. People whom I formally thought to be sane and rational Constitutionalists sent me some of the most racist emails I’ve ever seen! They were hardcore Palin supporters and then Tea Partiers afterwards. They’re all Trump supporters now.

I’m in Vermont, by the way. Not exactly a “Conservative” bastion by any stretch. I shutter to think about what it’s like in my native Texas.

I’m first and foremost a Constitutionalist. Which means I usually voted against liberals/Democrats by choosing their Republican opponent. But now I’ve got nothing! The lesser of two evils, is too still evil to contemplate.

To quote a truly wonderful science fiction book, A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959) by Walter M. Miller, Jr.:

Listen, are we helpless? Are we doomed to do it again and again and again? Have we no choice but to play the Phoenix in an unending sequence of rise and fall? Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Carthage, Rome, the Empires of Charlemagne and the Turk. Ground to dust and plowed with salt. Spain, Fraince, Britain, America — burned into the oblivion of the centuries. And again and again and again.

Are we doomed to it, Lord, chained to the pendulum of our own mad clockwork, helpless to halt its swing? [empasis in original]

Miller asked the question in 1959. During the Cold War humanity proved that doom was not necessary, that civilized people could choose to avoid oblivion and rise above animals to be thinking creatures. Now, I am not so confident.

As I very clearly said, Trump absolutely has the right to respond to the attacks. For him to threaten someone for criticizing or opposing his election however is a far different thing.

That so many people seem unable to understand this very basic distinction is quite depressing. It suggests to me that, because of this, our politicians will feel less required to understand it as well, and will move with increasing eagerness to threaten, harass, and destroy anyone who stands in their way, all in the name of their right to respond!

“…Why should it matter what country this is? Americans are human, and are just as prone to bad behavior as anyone else. Should too many Americans find acceptable fascist oppressive behavior, then we will not be a free country any longer. And in the 20th century it was clearly proven that democracies can devolve into evil tyrannies quite quickly. Do not be so confident, or you will do what Edmund Burke warned us about: “For evil to triumph good men need only do nothing.”…”
**********************************************

Depending on the day of the week, I still occasionally cling to the old fashioned notion that the USA is exceptional amongst all other countries that are or ever have been.

You do bring up a good point though, and I am also reminded of the old saying that no country is ever more than 3 meals away from a revolution.

Maybe we’re seeing the antithesis to that: The US may be so fat, dumb , and happy that we’ll succumb to a fascist takeover because we are too well fed and pampered to question authority (As long as they say the right focus-group approved words in our ear…).

Is that what happened to the Romans? Are we repeating history? Are we fiddling with our IPhones while our civilization burns?

The people in question are spending money to attack Trump, I am not sure how it is supposed to be off limits for him to respond.

Anybody who is so much of a fan of the Cubs to actually invest money in them is “special”. (My brother-in-law has worn a Cubs cap for years. Complete strangers have approached him on the street and told him; “I’m so sorry”}