Sorry Shammy. Big mishap. We're dog sitting two additional dogs. Got within 30 feet of our back door and one was attacked by my next door neighbors pitbull / boxer mix. No serious injuries. Neighbors dog forced his way out of a gate. He fled afterwards and we tried to help in the search so we don't lose the neighbors as friends. Our barking dogs sort of caused their big dog to push himself through the gate, so they are likely to blame us for their lost dog. It's an awful situation, for sure.
About our discussion / debate. I will answer all of your questions. I won't dodge any of them that might back me into a corner. I'll give you links and use the best science I can find. This will be a fun debate. Since my wife has the next two days off work, I might not get up to speed until Monday. I'll apologize in advance for the number of posts that are likely to follow. There is so much information on this topic, it will be helpful to get as deep into the weeds as possible. Feel free to refer to me as a denier, as is the way these debates seem to work. I'll probably refer to myself as a skeptic and you as a member of the alarmist crowd. You can refer to yourself as the guy who doesn't believe the earth is flat, like I must. You know what I'm saying.
The hook was baited and you did what any fish would do. Piltdown, Climategate, and Freeman Dyson were my way of making an assessment. Sort of a Rorschach test. I'll get into each more in the coming days. Based on your responses, I feel we are playing chess at a similar level. That's not to say I have your advanced education. I do not. I am working without a net here, or rather, a degree. Oddly, I feel it gives me a slight edge over many people I discuss this topic with. When we get to interpreting feedbacks and other factors that I believe got us to where we are currently at, it will likely require both of us to do additional research. Your expertise in other disciplines may not be totally helpful, other than you know how to find, gather, and assess information so you can present an argument. You will have an advantage over me in that regard.
We both have been in debates online where the other person(s) simply responds to everything with a statement saying you're wrong and that has been thoroughly debunked. Or, they respond and say they refuse to read anything that comes from a site run by so and so. You know, if you don't like the messenger, the message must be false. Hopefully we can work out our sources to each person's satisfaction. Others here are welcome to jump in and comment. I will answer questions from and person who asks a question. I think it leads to a more vibrant debate.
You'll see me quoting contributors to this site...
Watts Up With That? | The world's most viewed site on global warming and climate change and sometimes this site...
https://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/author/stevengoddard/ from time to time. I will post up some of the climate gate emails for all to judge, despite your belief their was no wrong doing. Well, you didn't actually say no wrong doing, but it seems that like an investigation of Hillary Clinton, if it doesn't result in indictment and conviction, it must mean nothing wrong was done. We'll see. I'll discuss Freeman Dyson a bit more later. Yes, he believes that the earth has warmed as a result of mankind, but it's important to listen to everything he says on the subject. We also need to discuss the "consensus" that few people fully understand. How many people were given the questionnaire? How specific or vague was the question? How does that compare to the 20,000 people (scientists) who signed a document saying they do not believe in catastrophic global warming? Oh, will we be using AGW or climate change or global warming? It's important to understand that most skeptics will agree that the climate changes and the earth has warmed in the past. AGW theory is blessed in being impossible to disprove. Warmer = climate change. Colder = climate change. Wetter = climate change. Dryer = climate change. A pause with no increase or decrease = climate change.
The question I have not answered is why? Is there some sort of conspiracy? No, I do not believe that. Why are so many climate scientists stating we are in trouble?
I watched a movie called Manhunter in 1989. It was the prequel to Silence Of The Lambs. It was brilliantly directed by Michael Mann. The actor playing Hanibal Lector was fantastic. There was a scene when he was being interviewed by an FBI agent, while he was being held in detention. It went like this;
Will Graham: I know that I'm not smarter than you.
Doctor Hannibal Lecktor: Then how did you catch me?
Will Graham: You had disadvantages.
Doctor Hannibal Lecktor: What disadvantages?
Will Graham: You're insane.
I think the answer you are looking for is out there. These climate scientists are not insane, but they have some disadvantages. They are part of a group of people who mostly share the same beliefs. That caused several of them with particularly big egos, to manipulate data in order to become more well know and preeminent in their field of study. Michael Mann (different Michael Mann) and his famous hockey stick come to mind, along with Dr. James Hansen at NASA, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and we all know who Al Gore is and we have seen his mockumentary.
If you ever read Posner's Case Closed, regarding the Kennedy Assassination, you'll see that despite forensic science and even eye witness accounts, fairly intelligent people still believe in different accounts of who killed Kennedy. I believe that to this day, over 70% of Americans do not believe Oswald acted alone. How can that be? All of the false theories have been thoroughly disproved.
It goes both ways. You can say all of the deniers have been given ample proof. I will tell you that the alarmists have failed to make a case and their predictions have not come to fruition. Furthermore, they have been caught changing data, falsifying data, and hiding or deleting data, along with smearing the careers of those who question them.
This is going to be fun. Time for another dog walk. See you soon.