Easter Special John and Tina Andrews
Wow! Climate issue civilly debated
Amazingly enough there was an actual debate on global warming the other night. True, Al Gore and his followers in “The Church Of Global Warming” are loath to debate the subject. But some of us yearning for knowledge, so that we might make up our own minds, were able to listen to actual dialogue at a Centennial Institute forum sponsored by Colorado Christian University on April 8. On one side, there was the esteemed Professor James White of the University of Colorado in Boulder. He believes that man has grown to the point where we actually have the ability to change most anything on the planet: That does include the climate. He showed us some very impressive charts, most of which we have seen. He did include the warming that has occurred since the 1970s, but did not really address the cooling that has occurred in the last 10 years. He did do a very good job of explaining the science behind “Greenhouse Gases.”
The most notable part of White's presentation was his acknowledgement that while he does believe mankind has contributed to Global Warming, he is not sure it is wise to actually change the climate or to make major economic dislocations to mitigate “the problem.”
On the other side, we listened to the fast-talking and self entertained Mr. Christopher Horner. He is a noted author and senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. Mr. Horner spent much of his time noting the past occurrences of Global Climate Change, that occurred before humankind had any influence. He accurately noted how there have been times in the past where Carbon Dioxide levels were much higher than today.
A great deal of time was spent on how there has actually been cooling for the past ten years. I felt Horner could have spent more time on the fact that NONE of the climate change models predicted this, and how convenient it is that no one is talking about this issue. To his credit, he did address the issue of how much of the discussion about “Global Warming” is political.
Overall, the fact that two people willing to have a rational, open discussion entertained us made it a very enjoyable and informative evening. However, I would like to tackle two of the issues I felt were not really addressed.
1. How “Cap ‘N Trade” is really nothing other than a massive tax transfer of wealth from rich nations to poor nations. Other than increasing taxes, there will be no real reduction in Carbon Dioxide or any real effect on the climate.
2. There really needs to be a discussion about how we address energy independence while we create alternative energy sources. Yes we need to get away from burning carbon, but that will take many years. What are we to do in the meanwhile; continue to send our hard earned dollars to people that hate us or want to kill us? How about create a whole new energy source like Hydrogen Power? Not only could we stop using oil and gas, but we would also create a whole new set of industries that we would own, we would control and we could sell to the rest of the world.
I guess here is where the wise guy in me comes out; I have a saying, that where government, science and actual discussion are concerned, why anyone would actually expect the right thing to be done. That is where we are today for the most part.
Wednesday's discussion was an excellent start. More of this needs to be undertaken. It is only when people talk, debate and listen that creative solutions can be achieved. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not believe for one second that the debate about Global Warming, or Climate Change as they are calling it now, is over. It is not. It is only over if we the citizens don’t stand up and speak out. Otherwise, it will be over and we will all pay dearly for something that we have no control over.
2.
Teacher's Desk: Secretary Snubs Us
It is too obvious why Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Denver public schools this week: to boost Michael Bennet, Colorado’s newest U. S. senator and former DPS superintendent. But why were Bruce Randolph and Montclair Elementary singled out as exemplars of school reform? Not to take away from their attempts at reform, but their results with an urban population are not yet fully documented. Why were proven middle and high schools with consistent results of academic success using reform methods with similar school populations not mentioned? Simple. They are charter schools. Giving Bruce Randolph kudos for increasing time on task is dishonest when KIPP Sunshine Peak made that a requirement when they set up shop over five years ago when Bruce Randolph was deemed one of Denver Public Schools’ worst according to Jeremy P. Meyer, April 8, “Aggressive Schools to Reap Reward,” denverpost.com. When parents and educators do not provide quality instruction by insuring elementary students are performing at grade level or higher, longer days, weekends, and/or summer school is absolutely necessary to support students’ academic skills so they reach grade level proficiency. KIPP schools, Denver West Preparatory, and Denver School of Science and Technology have always had requirements of more time on task and rigorous academics. These schools expect students to grow to grade level proficiency in time to graduate from high school and be prepared for college success.
When will all district schools look at the success of many charter schools across Colorado serving diverse student bodies? Denver, Jefferson County, Aurora, and Adams County charter schools also serve the same diverse urban populations, but instead of making excuses, the charter educators are rolling up their sleeves and getting it done. District schools should be replicating the best of these schools immediately. The legislation is there to allow districts to give freedom from state,and district regulations and union policies to schools wishing to reform. Why aren’t more schools taking advantage of freedom? Freedom means taking risks and not making excuses. Few educational leaders have the ability and skills to take on this daunting task.
Florida, through NOVA University, and the University of Arkansas actually have charter school leadership classes, and a department of educational reform, respectively. Colorado Universities need to pick up the pace and begin leading in the area of charter school leadership and educational reform training. In order for Colorado to win the “Race To The Top” federal funding, our Universities, as well as, our schools and districts need to innovate.
Kathleen Kullback is a licensed special educator with an M.A. in Educational Leadership and a former candidate for the State Board of Education.
Mere Christianity
Slated on Backbone Radio, Apr. 12 Listen every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver... 1460 KZNT, Colorado Springs... and streaming live at 710knus.com.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you Easter. It's the holiest day of the year for Christians, and an important day for everyone in the world because of Jesus' unequalled impact on the world these past 20 centuries. If you have ever read C. S. Lewis, you know there are few writers more gifted in explaining who Jesus was and why he matters, in a way that speaks to any thoughtful person, not just believers. If you have not read Lewis, let us read him to you this Sunday in a special edition of Backbone Radio.
Assisted by my daughter Tina, I'll present two hours word for word from the central chapters of Mere Christianity, Lewis's best-known work of nonfiction.
"The Rival Conceptions of God"... "The Invasion"... "The Shocking Alternative"... "The Perfect Penitent"... "The Practical Conclusion"... "Let's Pretend"... and "The Obstinate Tin Soldiers." Our selections from this Christian classic all originated as radio talks in the 1940s. Join us as we return them to radio for Easter 2009.
That will be the 5pm and 6pm hours of our April 12 show. At 7pm we'll present Women Speak Out, my interviews with three of the 39 women legislators who make Colorado tops in the country for female state reps and senators.
And that's fitting, too, come to think of it -- since Christianity has done more to benefit women than any other religious or political idea in history.
Whether this weekend for you is Easter, Passover, or just a family day with bunnies and eggs, we wish you a happy and blessed one. Remember that, as always, a full podcast of our show will be available on BackboneAmerica.net starting Monday night.
Yours for new life, JOHN ANDREWS
'Responsibility' vs. 'Do no harm'
Climatologist James White debated author and attorney Christopher Horner on policy responses to global warming, April 8 at the Lakewood Cultural Center, in the debut event of the Centennial Institute distinguished speaker series at Colorado Christian University. Interest from the campus community and metro Denver friends of CCU was high, with attendance of about 400 overflowing the 300-seat auditorium. "Global Warming: Is the Kyoto Agenda Warranted?" was the topic for an hour-long exchange between White, who directs a research center at CU-Boulder, and Horner, whose book Red Hot Lies alleges unfounded alarmism about CO2 emissions. The adversaries were respectful but forceful with their dueling slideshows. Audience questions continued past the scheduled hour of adjournment. If you'd like a DVD of the whole event, click here to request ordering information.
White insisted human activity is massively and adversely modifying the biosphere, but he stopped short of the doomsaying often heard from the Al Gore camp. People will get by even if warming worsens, he said, but we should take climate change as a warning to lighten our footprint -- "training wheels for sustainability." Change on earth is natural, he said, and that includes human-caused change -- "but unlike bacteria, we can control our actions. We can tell right from wrong, we have a sense of responsibility. What is our responsibility to the Earth?"
But Horner said that Obama's energy tax as contained in the cap and trade legislation before Congress violates the principle of "First do no harm." With 155 countries already signaling non-cooperation on carbon emissions, he said, stringent efforts by the US will have negligible impact on warming trends "while leaving us less well-off economically to deal with what's coming anyway."
If climate activists were serious about reducing carbon, he taunted, they would start with clean green nuclear power, not a job-killing tax. Further evidence that they are not serious, Christopher Horner noted, is in a 1991 strategy memo by Club of Rome which said in order to advance their no-growth agenda, "new enemies have to be identified [and] the threat of global warming fit the bill."
"Man has always adapted, and wealthier societies adapted best," Horner asserted in his closing argument. "Access to energy, not energy poverty," will position us to cope with whatever is ahead, another of his slides stated. For a future that may be literally more stormy than today, he pointed out, you'd rather live in affluent Florida than destitute Bangladesh. So the prescription is policies making all the world more like Florida and less like Bangladesh -- exactly opposite to the Kyoto agenda.
Centennial Institute Fellow Kevin Miller, an Aurora entrepreneur, commented afterward: "Can one begin to imagine such a debate being sponsored, let alone tolerated, on the CU-Boulder campus? That's the niche CCU is claiming with its new institute and thoughtful programs like this one."
John Andrews, institute director and former Colorado Senate President, joked that the event avoided being snowed out, only to be blacked out. The evening's mild weather put to rest worries about the "Al Gore jinx" of several recent warming conference, but the debate was ignored by mainstream media. For example, said Andrews, editors at Channel 7 for some reason didn't feel this fit their upcoming series on green issues, while the Denver Post environment reporter avowed Horner's presence made this occasion "not a debate... not news."
But CCU and the Centennial Institute shrugged it off. "Our two nationally-known experts on climate science and climate policy seemed to think it was a debate," said Andrews. "So did a century-old local university. So did our capacity crowd of several hundred open-minded Coloradans. If the MSM choose to be close-minded about this, it's really their problem, not ours."