Back to Basics

People in the Washington, DC area like to worry. Part of it’s because leftists are required to show “concern” about the darnedest things and part of it is because a large government workforce has to discover something to do or at least find a way to look busy.

For example, the National Weather Service suffered a crippling budget cut of about 3 percent when the sequester went into effect. I had assumed that after the cut hit, a spokesperson would inform us there would be no more rain or rainbows due to evil Republican budget cuts.

Instead the service is now under a hiring freeze and unable to begin what the WaPost called “a major pilot project aimed at helping the local community prepare for extreme weather.”

For those of you who tuned in late, “extreme weather” is what used to be “global warming” before it stopped getting warm.

According to the Post, “Previously, the emergency response meteorologists were tasked to assist “on the scene” during major weather events, offering on-demand briefings to emergency managers and stakeholders. They also were charged with developing more event-specific forecasts, explaining possible impacts in detail, and getting key messages out using new communication technologies and social media.”

In laymen’s terms this means highly–paid government meteorologists would appear during a hurricane or tornado to tell damp citizens with frizzy hair that they had just been hit by a hurricane or tornado. The weather people would then pass out small, waterproof maps with colorful depictions of pressure zones and isobars. Then advise survivors to take shelter, cut down on salt and keep hydrated. Once the citizens were dispersed, the weather service employees would be free to teach elected officials how to post heroic photos of themselves in galoshes on Twitter.

How they intend to accomplish this without power remains to be seen. A more practical plan would involve teaching Pepco customers how to buy and install a generator, since long term loss of electricity is much more common here than severe weather.

Somehow, Oklahomans have managed to endure weather without federal intervention. Twice during my youth I lived in Duncan, OK. Smack dab in the middle of tornado alley. In spite of the fact we did not have weather service types parachuting in to state the obvious, we managed to survive. The municipal tornado siren sounded, you picked up the babies, grabbed the old ladies and headed for the nearest tornado/bomb shelter or leaped in a nearby bar ditch.

I distinctly remember one evening when we gathered in our neighbor’s backyard shelter to wait out the alert. Since I was just a kid, I had no idea how long a tornado lasted. My idea of a long duration was waiting for Christmas and that took forever.

What’s more, I was a chubby kid who suffered “food anxiety” before it came to Michelle Obama’s attention. Not wanting to add hunger pangs to potential tornado problems, I filled my pockets with cheddar cheese. (It could have been that I also wanted to prevent diarrhea, but my memory is fuzzy.) This caused something of a commotion later in the week when Mom opened the washer and saw the laundry looked like nachos.

“Superstorm” Sandy killed more than 100 people, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and left millions without food, water, electricity, sanitation or shelter for days or even weeks. Our thoughts and prayers remain focused on its victims, many of whom are still grieving as they struggle with the storm’s wintry aftermath and try to rebuild their lives.

Unfortunately, too many politicians continue to use the storm to advance agendas, deflect blame for incompetence and mistakes, and obfuscate and magnify future risks from building and development projects that they have designed, promoted, permitted and profited from.

Sandy was “unprecedented,” the result of “weather on steroids,” various “experts” insist. “It’s global warming, stupid,” intonedBloomberg BusinessWeek. “Anyone who says there is not a change in weather patterns is denying reality,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared. We must protect the great NY metropolis from rising oceans, said the Washington Post. This storm should “compel all elected leaders to take immediate action” on climate change, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pronounced.

Unfortunately for the politicians and spin-meisters, the facts do not support this obscene posturing.

North America’s northeastern coast has been battered by hurricanes and other major storms throughout history. A 1775 hurricane killed 4,000 people in Newfoundland; an 1873 monster left 600 dead in Nova Scotia; others pummeled Canada’s Maritime Provinces in 1866, 1886, 1893, 1939, 1959, 1963 and 2003.

Manhattan got pounded in 1667 and by the Great Storm of 1693. They were followed by more behemoths in 1788, 1821, 1893, 1944, 1954 and 1992. Other “confluences of severe weather events” brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 mph.

Experts say such winds today would rip windows from skyscrapers and cause a deadly blizzard of flying glass, masonry, chairs, desks and other debris from high-rise offices and apartments. People would seek safety in subway tunnels, where they would drown as the tunnels flood.

Sandy was merely the latest “confluence” (tropical storm, northeaster and full-moon high tide) to blast the New York-New Jersey area. It was never a matter of if, but only of when, such a storm would hit.

People, planners and politicians should have been better prepared. Instead, we are feted with statements designed to dodge responsibility and culpability, by trying to blame global warming. The reality is, even as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose to 391 ppm (0.0391%) today, average global temperatures have not changed in 16 years, and sea levels are rising no faster than in 1900. Even with Hurricane Sandy, November 2012 marked the quietest long-term hurricane period since the Civil War, with only one major hurricane strike on the US mainland in seven years. This is global warming and unprecedented weather on steroids?

In Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath – with millions freezing hungry in dark devastation – Mayor Bloomberg sidetracked police and sanitation workers for the NYC Marathon, until public outrage forced him to reconsider. While federal emergency teams struggled to get water, food and gasoline to victims, companies, religious groups, charities, local citizens and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie worked tirelessly to raise money and organize countless relief efforts.

Reports of recent blizzards in the Midwest and Northwest filled the television news and print media, but blizzards have always been part of the history of the nation and are occurring worldwide, taking a human toll.

We tend to dig out and forget them, but they are testimony to the power of Nature and have nothing to do with “climate change.” The four seasons are “climate change.” Blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods are “climate change.” It is wise to keep this in mind.

In the northeast, the great blizzard of 1888, March 11-14, wrote a chapter in the history books as one of the most severe. Snowfalls of 40-50 inches fell in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. It had sustained winds of more than 45 miles per hour and produced snowdrifts as high as 50 feet.

In a new book, “Disaster! A History of Earthquakes, Floods, Plagues, and Other Catastrophes” by John Withington ($14.95, Skyhorse Publishing, softcover) provides a look at some of the greatest blizzards to strike the nation. Writing about the Blizzard of 88, the author notes that “It paralyzed the east coast of the United States from Chesapeake Bay to Maine, as well as affecting parts of Canada.” The great plains of the nation had been hit by a comparable blizzard just three months earlier in January 1888. It killed an estimated 236 people.

The Blizzard of 88 literally shut down life for those impacted by it. “On land, an estimated 400 people died, including 100 in New York City. At least 100 seamen died.” It led to the creation of a subway system that was authorized in 1894.

There was no blather about “climate change” because people understood it was a natural event. Just like Hurricane Sandy or, earlier, Hurricane Katrina, that struck New Orleans and the Gulf States.

While there have been any number of big storms that  have struck the nation, a blizzard in March 1993 was called “the storm of the century.” As with Hurricane Sandy, it was forecast due to advances in meteorology such as weather satellites. “On 12 March, though, snow began to fall as far south as Georgia and Alabama, with Birmingham recording twelve inches.” It closed airports from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Atlanta, Georgia. Altogether, 500 people died, many from heart attacks as they shoveled snow.”

IceAgeNow.info, a website maintained by Robert W. Felix, the author of “Not by Fire, But by Ice”, arguably the leading authority on past ice ages and based on the best science available, notes that the planet is on the cusp of a new ice age. His website tracks news of frigid weather events.

Since December 21, IceAgeNow has reported that dozens died in a Ukrainian “cold snap” that recorded at least 83 deaths, gripping that nation. In Poland, more than 60 have died since October. At the same time, heavy snowfalls occurred in Bulgaria. Russia has been particularly hard hit.

In the U.S. up to 18 inches of snow fell on West Virginia and we have noted the recent blizzard that hit the Midwest. California’s mountains have experienced heavy snowfall with 13 feet recorded on Mt. Shasta.

There is a strong possibility of more monster storms in America and worldwide.

ManBearPig just won’t quit. According to new e-mail documents I’ve obtained, global warming cultist Al Gore continues to pressure an independent videographer for his stunning footage of a fire tornado in the Australian outback.

You may recall that in September, Chris Tangey of Alice Springs Film and Television had rejected Gore’s request to use the firestorm film in his alarmist climate change presentations. (You can watch a snippet of the footage Gore wants to get his green, grubby paws on here.) As The Australian newspaper reported at the time, truth-teller Tangey told Gore’s office that it would be “deliberately deceptive” to license the footage for Gore propaganda. He added in his exchange with Gore’s office: “I am aware that you may have missed the reporting on the very localised nature of this firestorm,” Tangey wrote. “However, in any case, I am confused as to why you would offer to buy a licence to use it at all unless you had conducted even elementary research which might indicate that this Mt Conner event had direct linkage to global warming/climate change.”

Two months later, Gore’s reps are still after Tangey. The battle comes as Gore prepares for his “Dirty Weather Report” two-day online broadcast scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Tangey received his first correspondence from Gore’s Carthage Group in September. Here’s a recap of that first correspondence:

On 25/09/2012, at 2:52 AM, Jill Martin wrote:

Hi Chris,

I work for former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Mr. Gore recently saw the amazing footage of the fire tornado taken on September 11th, and is interested in showing it during some of the presentations he gives on environmental topics.

Could you give me an idea of what you might charge to license that footage to us? Here are some details about how it would be used:

Usage: in live, PowerPoint-type presentations to live audiences
Where: worldwide
Term: for up to five years
Context: Mr. Gore often shows photos and video of wildfires in his presentations. This video would augment that section.

Thank you very much,

Jill

Jill Martin | Office of the Honorable Al Gore
Jill@carthagegroup.com | +1 408.348.7269

Tangey replied:

From: chris tangey chris@alicespringsfilmtv.com.au
Date: 30 September 2012 5:29:32 PM ACST
To: Jill Martin jill@carthagegroup.com
Subject: Re: Licensing the “fire tornado” film clilp

Jill,

Sorry for the late reply but I have been in Melbourne on a shoot down there.

I’ve now had time to look at your offer to license my footage, no doubt for a substantial amount of money, and have carefully considered it.
Having now had time in the last couple of days to research Mr. Gore and his usage of third party material previously I have to say I am a little concerned about the context in which my footage might be used.

To be honest, in terms of a global warming/climate change presentation it is difficult for me to imagine a fire event less relevant. This was, by all accounts and as reported, a highly localized event. The fire occurred in a patch of highly flammable spinifex grass, renowned for its intense heat, which had remained unburnt for a period of over 50 years, possibly causing an unprecedented build up of oils and resins in that small area. The local cattle ranchers had been protecting the habitat of the nearby mesa, Mt.Conner right up until this month’s fire.

As East Coast states, cities and towns brace for Hurricane Sandy, emergency response personnel will implement the Homeland Security Department’s “All-Hazards Plan” that addresses man-made (terrorist attacks, industrial accidents) and natural (earthquakes, hurricanes) disasters, according to several police chiefs and unit commanders in the New York metropolitan area, which includes New Jersey and Connecticut.

President Barack Obama’s national security team, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security notified law enforcement agencies and associations, such as the National Association of Chiefs of Police, about the Obama Administration’s policy of using more military resources during “emergencies.”

Government officials reported that the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator met with the Commander of NorthCom (U.S. Northern Command), to discuss pre-disaster planning, response and recovery in support of the federal response to the hurricane as well as any floods and other potential disasters, according to law enforcement and emergency management sources.

The meeting reinforced the important relationship between the two organizations and focused on the operational role of the National Guard and NorthCom and what resources and skills they will bring to any major Federal effort related to all-hazards preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. It was also an opportunity to meet operational leaders who would fill key positions in those support efforts, according to Captain Carl Lepatina of the Alton Grove, N.J., Police Department.

According to officials from the Homeland Security Department, FEMA and Northern Command share a common interest and a unified approach to disaster response and recovery.

“Both organizations also understand that the most effective plans to save lives and protect property begins with preparedness. This meeting was an important stepping stone to ensure mutual preparedness and effective planning in support of state and local officials,” said former New Jersey police commander Stephen Rodgers.

Homeland Security Department officials offered these two rationales for their joint ventures with the Department of Defense:

“Emergency preparedness is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone should have a personal response plan for a disaster, everyone should know who their first responders are at the local and state level, and everyone should be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least the first 72 hours.

“FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”

NorthCom was established about a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and is responsible for an area of operations that includes the United States, Canada and Mexico. It serves as a “one-stop-shopping” point for military support in case of an attack on American soil.

However, according to officials speaking during a teleconference, the Obama Administration expanded that role to include natural disasters or emergencies that were once the domain of state and local authorities.

For information on hurricanes and hurricane safety visit the National Hurricane Center web site.

Paging the Goracle: Antarctica has broken the record for the greatest sea ice extent ever measured at either pole:

Here’s where it gets fun because we can play the same extrapolation game Gore always plays while getting a pass from the mainstream press: If the above trend continues the world will be completely covered in ice within mere decades. Everybody panic!

We won’t see this topic mentioned on Al’s Dirty Weather Report.

(h/t Steve Goddard and Climate Depot)

PHOTOS.COM

The Department of Homeland Security is purchasing another 750 million rounds of ammunition.

Weather forecasting must be dangerous work. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is buying bullets and paper targets — and lots of them.

It needs, according to solicitation for bids, .40 cal. 180-grain hollow point ammunition and .40 cal. 125-grain ammunition. It’s ordering a total of 42,000 rounds of ammo for delivery at its offices in Ellsworth, Maine; New Bedford, Mass.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Wall, N.J. Paper targets go to the Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey offices.

People in Florida can be comforted by the fact that weather forecasters there don’t need to practice with paper targets.

On the heels of its purchase of 450 million rounds of ammo, now the Department of Homeland Security is purchasing another 750 million rounds. DHS is also in the market for large quantities of high-density ammonium nitrate and A-5 flake RDX.

Ammonium nitrate was used in the false flag Alfred P. Murrah Building bombing on April 19, 1995. Ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer, requires a boosting agent to make it explode. Racing fuel was used in Oklahoma City. A-5 flake RDX is a boosting agent fare more explosive than racing fuel.

DHS says the fertilizer and RDX are for training dogs. That’s a lot of dogs.

Something’s afoot.

It is snowing heavily in New Jersey where I live. I keep wondering how long it will take some Warmist to announce that it is due to “global warming.” This is a measure of how stupid they think we are. For the record, the Earth has been in a cooling cycle since 1998.

If the meteorologists are correct, this snow storm may set a few new records, not the least of which is its early arrival.

I cheated death last Saturday. I went outside to work in the yard. No doubt, in light of the last week’s crippling heat wave smothering the East Coast, you think my decision foolhardy.

Here we had Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Incompetano hovering over the DC area in her helicopter — Grope One — burning up the bullhorn batteries as she ordered people to have their ID ready and move into nearby shade.

There was the heart–rending video of the long lines of women and children waiting patiently to be admitted into the cool, subterranean interior of Greenbrier, VA’s Cold War–era Congressional missile shelter after it was opened to the public.

And who could forget coverage of PEPCO executives furtively stopping at 7/11 to hire a coyote to smuggle them across the Mexican border — one step ahead of an enraged customer base that was not only without power and air–conditioning, but also left without shade after roving bands of PEPCO’s pruning trucks had scalped their trees.

For a while I was so caught up in the fear of the sun god’s wrath that when I spotted a foursome on the golf course it was all I could do to not to slam on the brakes and burst out of the car shouting, “Save yourselves!”

So of course I fully expected to be vaporized like a mosquito in a Bug Zapper the minute I set foot out the door. But instead of becoming a particulate cloud that contributes to “Global Warming!” I found myself hot, sweaty and alive just like I’ve been in every other summer during my lifetime.

Government officials and TV hairdos like to portray heat hysteria warnings as a public service to keep people “safe.” But it’s actually just another step down the road to the complete infantilization of America by a self–appointed group of we–know –best busybodies who don’t think the average American has enough sense to come in out of the sun.

There was less concern shown over the fate of the intrepid Fukushima nuclear plant workers exposed to potentially lethal doses of radiation than there was over Yankees wandering out into the sunshine.

Athletes sometimes enter a hyperbaric chamber that creates a pressurized environment that exposes them to increased concentrations of oxygen. The theory is more oxygen promotes healing and recovery.

We are forced to live in a hyperbolic chamber exposed to exaggerated high–pressure warnings, alarms and rules for living. The theory being more exposure to hysteria promotes a citizenry that no longer relies on its own wits and instead is afraid to make a move without consulting some government “expert” for guidance.

As a result the Manassas Battlefield Park canceled all outdoor activities during one afternoon of the 150th anniversary celebration, because the summer became hot. When the real hazard for tourists was sprains and broken bones from stumbling over drifts of bottled water cluttering the landscape after we were carpet–bombed by Air H2O.

My son’s undefeated Rugby team missed three games when opponents canceled after deciding they would rather be safe than sweaty. [I suppose this means the sport’s supporters are going to have to order longer bumper stickers since the game’s motto has evidently changed from “Give Blood. Play Rugby.” to “Give Blood. Play Rugby.

A warming planet continues to cause snowstorms, and as of now, only Florida is being spared the wrath:

You might recall that last February, we posted about the news that there was at least a trace of snow on the ground in all 50 states. Well, according to the National Weather Service, the only state that this morning didn’t have at least a bit of snow on the ground was Florida.

Yes, according to the Weather Service: “This includes Hawaii where about seven inches of snow is atop Mauna Kea.”

Snow is currently on the ground in 69.4 percent of the lower 48 — it would be on 70.2 percent of the ground but Al Gore covered a field of Tennessee Irises with one of his sport jackets so they wouldn’t frost while he was wintering in his new California mansion.

On the topic of climate change, since a heated debate is now raging over “violent political rhetoric” and metaphors, remember this explosive video about what the future might hold for global warming deniers? Of course you don’t, because the left doesn’t participate in such ugliness.

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