Many in the Republican “base” found John McCain an outrage, his policy views and perspectives abhorrent, not least of which that he deigns to consider reality in stating that Global Warming is a serious issue meriting attention (even if his policy prescriptions aren’t enough).

Well, what does the Glorious Leader of the Republican Party have to say about this?

“Despite the hysterics of a few pseudo-scientists, there is no reason to believe in global warming.” Rush Limbaugh, 1993

Ah, words that could warm the cockles of even the cold heart of George “Will-ful Deceit” Will.
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As discussed in WashPost: Complicit in Disformation (or explicit collaboration)?, last Sunday’s George Will column was a disgraceful example of distorted discussion of climate change issues. This deceitful piece and the Washington Post’s seeming backing of it has created an uproar through the blogosphere that is seriously questioning what this sort of shoddy editorial management of opinion pages means for any Washington Post claim to journalistic integrity.

Now, this issue goes beyond this George F Will column to his serial stretching of fact to beyond the breaking point beyond truthiness. This issue goes beyond Will’s repeated will-ful deceit to the repeated Post publication of deception, often dishonest opinion pieces related to global warming and climate challenges. This is more than about Will’s deceit in Dark Green Doomsayers. Even so, it is worth returning to this specific deceitful piece to provide a simple summary of how it is deceitful with some quick references.

Here are just three of the explicit arenas of his deceit:

1. Claims that scientists (especially climatologists) were united in concerns over Global Cooling in 1970s. FALSE.
2. States that sea ice is same today as 1979. At best, misleading and disingenuous. And, his source disagrees with him.
3. States that there has been no global warming for a decade. At absolute best, misleading and disingenuous. And, his source disagrees with him.

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President Barack Obama is about to make his first trip to another nation flying aboard Air Force One. Traveling north in wintry weather isn’t necessarily the most comfortable choice, but Canada is a critical US partner, meriting being on the top of the list for foreign travel for many reasons.

When it comes to Canadian-US relations, there is one issue that lies amid the tangled heart of the intertwined economic, energy, environmental, and climate challenges: Canadian Tar Sands.

Now roughly accounting for 10 percent of the United States’ oil imports, the processes for transforming tar sands into fuel for America’s gas guzzlers makes traditional oil production (even into ANWR) look benign in comparison. Devastating for the local (water, forests), regional (air pollution, bird), and global (GHG emissions) environment, Tar Sands is the wrong answer to North America’s energy challenges.

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Jerome a Paris’ Wind power set to decline under Obama? highlighted how the on-again, off-again federal renewable energy policies have created a boom-and-bust cycle, with 2009 looking to be perhaps a minor bust after 2008′s record-setting boom period. And, that this might occur despite the Administration and Congressional focus on renewable energy. And, despite our desperate need to get off polluting energy sources via energy efficiency and clean energy production as quickly as possible.

Yesterday, however, also saw another important item: the wind industry now employs more American’s than the coal industry! Wind: 85,000 workers. Coal mining/extraction: 81,000 workers.

And, looking to the future, wind produces more jobs per kWh than coal while producing far (FAR) less environmental havoc.

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Whether it is avoiding fatty foods, saving money for the future, or taking cod liver oil regularly, somewhat unpleasant actions today to prevent disaster tomorrow are a struggle against our very nature. This struggle extends from individuals to society, as present consumption and today’s concerns too often triumph over a ‘discounted’ future.

With climate change, this problem is taken to nearly the penultimate extreme. Either we (individually, collectively as a nation, collectively as a global society, collectively intergenerationally) get our act together or we’re discounting future into catastrophe.

Now that we have an Administration where scientists will be able to speak about science without fossil fuel lobbyists or 20-something ideologues taking red ink to their science, the US government will be speaking more forcefully about Global Warming. Overshadowed by the President’s statement on energy and Global Warming, we have news of a new NOAA report that paints a very ugly and dry picture for a 1000 years out if we don’t get serious about our societal spoons of cod liver oil.
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My passion is clear: helping my/your family, my/your community, my/your nation, my/our world find a path toward a prosperous and climate-friendly society. A path that will help us (US) navigate the dangerous seas of the Perfect Storm combination of Peak Oil (and other peak natural resources), Global Warming, and the Financial Meltdown around the globe.

The bright spot in this gloom: it might just be possible to chart and navigate just such a course.

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DeSmogBlog has a project worth considering, a call for letters to one’s descendents a hundred years from now.

Sharon Moore offered an apology:

Most of all I want to tell you I am sorry for how short-sighted we were. I thought I was doing all that I could to leave a good world for you to inherit, but it turns out I could have done more.

Kevin Grandia offered hope.

Many people were scared of the massive changes that needed to happen, and many more refused to move on. But I’m glad to say, that in the end the world made the right decision and that’s why you today, way into the future, are enjoying a quality of life that I can only dream of.

I sought to offer both. Even though a bit late, it seemed time to post my thoughts here. To perhaps provoke others to think at a moment perhaps meriting reflection.

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Hybrids are too often thought of simply in terms of personal vehicles.

They are also penetrating the big vehicle market space. Consider the average delivery truck and all its starts/stops. There is a lot of energy to capture there, which is why UPS is pursuing hybrids. And, as per Walmart and its hybrid trucks, they are hitting the semi-trailer world. There are also efforts to apply hybrids to trash trucks and offer the opportunity to silence those squealing brakes at 5:45 am. Ann Arbor, Michigan, has started to get hybrid buses as is London. And, well, now they’re coming to a school system (maybe) near you.

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