Freethinker's corner

Human beings are not descended from Apes. Modern apes and humans are related and are descended from a common ancestor. This common ancestor split into two branches or more with one branch becoming through progressive states  modern day apes, and another progressing through differing states into the present day human form. Each branch experienced differing pressures from the environmental surroundings and through the process of natural selection, assumed their present forms.

Why is this natural “miracle” so hard to accept? Instead people insist on inventing a supernatural one.

These are some of the undisputed facts or signs of climate change:
Fact 1 – Heat waves increasing common and extreme heat is perhaps the most common sign of climate change, and also signs of global warming. It is true that there have been periods of warming and cooling over the last 5 billion years, but the change has never been so extreme. Global warming has raised the temperatures in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in the melt down of ice glaciers.
Fact 2 – Melting of mountain glaciers Over the last 150 years, scientists have been monitoring mountain glaciers and have reported that they are indeed shrinking. This is particularly true of glaciers at the lower latitudes where many of them have simply disappeared. If climate change continues all existing glaciers will have disappeared within 100 years.
Fact 3 – Ocean warming Over the last 100 years, sea level has increased to 25 cm. It is projected that over the next hundred years sea levels will rise even higher – to about 100 cm. This rise in sea levels is attributed to the melting of ice glaciers due to warmer temperatures. What does this mean? Beaches are set to lose about 50 square feet for every foot the sea level increases. Many Pacific islands will simply disappear!
Fact 4 – Wild Storms Storms are occurring more frequency and with higher intensity. Counter intuitively, water in the soil will evaporate faster, resulting in dryness between rain periods. Dry regions will become drier. In addition, hurricanes will be more severe and winds are expected to blow stronger. Wind patterns may shift.

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1011

There was a time not long ago that I used to listen to Limbaugh fervently. Being a conservative I shared many things in common with the man. I wondered at the time why there were so many dissenters calling to argue with him.

There was that time though, when he said that despite protests to the contrary, that the environment was not endangered, that the world had unlimited potential for supporting life, and that global warming was a hoax. This seemed to buck against reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHYqbAjHbT8

http://www.global-warming-statistics.org/climate-change-facts.html

(I also caught him in several instances where he would say something, then later deny ever having said it, or qualified it so it meant something else.) Nevertheless, anyone who lives in Northern latitudes are aware that warm weather is coming earlier each year. They are aware that the swings in weather are more pronounced than ever. Severe weather is more severe than in past times. More snow, which surprisingly can be tied to Global Warming, is evident.

Then, later on he said, that there should not be any unemployment insurance, as this promotes people lying around not looking for work. I have had need of it twice in my life: Saved my house, provided for my family.

I found he was totally out of touch with the common working man. Almost every thing he said promoted the welfare of the fat-cats in business. Of course he would qualify this by saying that the fat-cats in business produced jobs. He believed in the trickle down effect. If the top people were well off then it would trickle down to us little folk. I often wondered why nothing ever trickled down to Mansfield.

Rush has said many things that certainly do not endear him to women. He has also jumped on the racist bandwagon with many of his comments concerning blacks and their issues.

The way some of his callers fawn over him, complimenting him, you begin to think he is the head of some cult or perhaps he might be the second coming of Christ.

Whenever a dissenting caller does get through the screening process he usually ridicules them, demeans their intelligence, or hangs up on them when they have him on the ropes. Many times just before he hangs up, the caller has him on the ropes, he will say,"Well, I can see we can not have a meaningful discussion."

Rush Limbaugh is bad for America because he is so well accomplished at what he does. He has a wide following who are mesmerized by his voice. I feel he is leading people along the wrong path, perpetuating hate and perpetuating division in America. He is also persuading people to inactivity, as in the climate changes which are evident for everyone to see. He pooh poohs scientists’ reports of polar cap melting, and shrinking habitats for wildlife. He in fact denies that there is any Global Climate changes of any kind that are out of the ordinary.