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Global warming analogy

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Ryan Avent has a great comparison:
Let me reiterate this. We’re not talking about a nuanced, Jim Manzi-argument in favor of a recognition of the science but inaction on the policy. If that were the median GOP position, a bill much tougher than any placed on the table would have flown through Congress. No, it’s far worse than that. No GOP leader of consequence is able to make and sustain the argument that climate change is occurring as the scientists say it is. That’s remarkable! Imagine the world’s major powers sitting down in the early 20th century to negotiate a treaty on the law of the sea, only to have one of America’s major political parties vow to defeat any settlement, on the grounds that the world is in fact flat.
His conclusion:
We are sowing the seeds of catastrophe. I keep thinking that at some point, a conservative of conscience will take a stand and force the GOP to do some soul searching on this issue. There are hundreds of millions of lives depending on the decisions the American government makes. Surely some Republican of some importance values those lives over short-term political gain!

If America doesn’t get this right, and soon, it will be among the biggest and most unforgivable failures in our history. And we will be dealing with the fallout for as long as you and I live. We will be the bad guys. Worse, we are the bad guys.
Pretty much.
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Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 13, 2010 at 7:27 AM

    not only America, everybody!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RyanOctober 13, 2010 at 1:01 PM

    Well yeah, the consequences are for everyone, but only in America do we have such levels of flagrant denialism.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 12:15 PM

    Hey, I can't view your site properly within Opera, I actually hope you look into fixing this.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RyanOctober 25, 2010 at 1:05 PM

    Well, I'm not much of a webmaster, but what's the problem? Is Opera telling you anything specific?

    ReplyDelete

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