tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2581891759488770965.post4982619901033957076..comments2023-05-16T11:33:40.343-04:00Comments on Dialogues On Global Warming: Republicans vs. Pope FrancisTales From The Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155749992445168195noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2581891759488770965.post-45060440151559368552015-06-16T21:25:06.305-04:002015-06-16T21:25:06.305-04:00Pope Francis' climate change encyclical is a r...Pope Francis' climate change encyclical is a rare moment of light for those of us hoping to find a way to get through to people on the far right, where climate change denialism seems to be the strongest. Another ray of light appeared recently with The Weather Channel's "The Voices of Climate 25" series of videos by mostly conservative-leaning financial, military, and political leaders and personalities. All the videos show these conservative leaders speaking persuasively about the urgent need to deal seriously with climate change:<br />http://weather.climate25.com/voices/<br /> I found it through this interesting article describing it by Joe Romm: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/06/15/3669379/weather-channel-climate-change/David Greenbergnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2581891759488770965.post-61697868254315234042015-06-13T21:40:57.273-04:002015-06-13T21:40:57.273-04:00I have already heard people saying Hillary is goin...I have already heard people saying Hillary is going to win simply because, while she may be a total incompetent and crook, she looks so much better in comparison to the Republicans there is no way they can beat her. What a sad state of our national politics - a choice between a bad candidate and a worse one.Christopher Keatinghttp://dialoguesonglobalwarming.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2581891759488770965.post-90770195067170592542015-06-13T21:26:54.488-04:002015-06-13T21:26:54.488-04:00These Republicans are either lunatics who know not...These Republicans are either lunatics who know not what they do or criminals who do know. What's more, this ignorance on the part of one party takes all the pressure off the other to be responsive to the climate crisis. Obama and the Democrats can be only half right (as opposed to halfwits). So long as they talk a good game with respect to climate, and do some good things -- as they have done -- like bringing in new rules on automobile efficiency and promoting renewable energy, they can pursue an "all of the above" strategy building miles of new pipelines, drilling offshore and in the Arctic (God-forbid), and still appear as saints by comparison. (To keep with the religious theme.) Whoever becomes the Democratic candidate isn't going to have to promise very much in the way of climate mitigation to look like the only sane kid on the block.cunudiunnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2581891759488770965.post-18398857444282284722015-06-13T12:01:37.352-04:002015-06-13T12:01:37.352-04:00I have never cared for the Catholic belief that pr...I have never cared for the Catholic belief that priests must be celibate, and it's fairly obvious that this policy may have something to do with the many child abuse scandals faced by the Vatican, but Pope Francis, like all true doers and shakers, isn't afraid to speak his mind and practice what he preaches. To begin with he insisted on living in the same modest quarters that lesser church officials inhabit, and I heard he actually washed the feet of some common people, (or priests), in the manner that Jesus did for his disciples at the Last Supper. Naturally these efforts to remain humble and austere, were met with concern by other church officials--just as sincere expressions of belief and tradition strike controversy into the hearts of all large religous organizations. All of this makes me extremely hopeful that Pope Francis will stick to his principles and explain why his views about climate change are real, and why the church has a responsibility to pass on accurate information in order to ensure the world's beauty and habitability in the future---what could be more in line with ethics and morality than a call for human beings to act as good stewards and keepers of the earth? The Republicans claiming to know more than scientists about AGW, and who now seem to be implying that they know more about what actions are spirituality justified, than the pope, are clearly off base. Even men of the cloth need to be politically active and hold ethical beliefs, which they then duty bound to try to communicate to politicians and the large numbers of believers which they symbolically lead. Good going Pope Francis---(Pope 1, deniers 0)!Peter Johnsonnoreply@blogger.com