Barton: We Shouldn’t Regulate CO2 Because ‘It’s In Your Coca-Cola’ And ‘You Can’t Regulate God’
Barton: We Shouldn’t Regulate CO2 Because ‘It’s In Your Coca-Cola’ And ‘You Can’t Regulate God’
Yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee began its markup of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The work is expected to continue through the week, as Republicans plan to stall movement on the bill by offering more than 400 amendments.
Discussing the bill on C-Span’s Washington Journal this morning, Rep. “Smokey Joe” Barton (R-TX) defended his head-in-the-sand approach to climate change by fundamentally misunderstanding the science, misstating the reality of carbon dioxide emissions, and mocking fuel-efficient cars. Some highlights:
– “I would also point out that CO2, carbon dioxide, is not a pollutant in any normal definition of the term. … I am creating it as I talk to you. It’s in your Coca-Cola, you’re Dr. Pepper, your Perrier water. It is necessary for human life. It is odorless, colorless, tasteless, does not cause cancer, does not cause asthma.”
– “And something that the Democrat sponsors do not point out, a lot of the CO2 that is created in the United States is naturally created. You can’t regulate God. Not even the Democratic majority in the US Congress can regulate God.”
– “If you think greenhouse gases are bad, life couldn’t exist without greenhouse gases. … So, there is a, there is a climate theory — and it’s a theory, it’s not a fact, it’s never been proven — that increasing concentrations of CO2 in the upper atmosphere somehow interact to trap more heat than the atmosphere would otherwise.”
— “You know, that life style is going to become more and more difficult if you get these vehicles smaller and smaller and less and less efficient in terms of being able to travel distances without having to recharge or refuel.”
Watch a compilation:
The idea that since CO2 is “natural” it cannot, by definition, be harmful is a popular one among the conservative climate-denying set — though totally irrelevant. Barton ignores the harmful effects of climate change itself, which will allow diseases to spread more easily, for example. Indeed, the Environmental Protection Agency found that climate change “is expected to worsen regional ozone pollution, with associated risks in respiratory infection, aggravation of asthma, and premature death.”
His complaint about smaller vehicles is also bizarre. He claims these cars will be “less and less efficient” because they will require more refueling stops. But the standards announced by President Obama today will create an average fuel economy rate of 35.5 miles per gallon — meaning cars can go farther between fueling, on less gasoline.
At one point during the C-Span segment, a caller told Barton he sounded like a spokesman for Big Oil. It’s no coincidence: Barton operates a “philanthropic” foundation that actually serves as a front group to funnel energy company funds.
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Where’s that straitjacket…?
May 19th, 2009 at 12:50 pmIt’s a shame there’s no regulation against stupidity. Barton would be thrown in jail.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pmColor me shocked.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pmIf there was a god, there would be no Republicans
May 19th, 2009 at 12:53 pmceltic cynic Says:
It’s a shame there’s no regulation against stupidity. Barton would be thrown in jail.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Barton and Morning Jo(k)e could keep each other company…
May 19th, 2009 at 12:53 pmCarbon dioxide is not a pollutant because “it’s in your Coca-Cola.”
WOW! Smokey Joe is definitely smoking something. We can count on Smokey Joe for at least 2 crazy comments per week.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:54 pmHe should be taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:54 pmHe speaks what he knows
May 19th, 2009 at 12:55 pmSmall brain less efficient too
Can’t regulate god
“you’re Dr. Pepper”: As in “I’m a Pepper, You’re a Pepper”? Somebody needs a proofreader!
May 19th, 2009 at 12:56 pmI think they should prove how harmless CO2 is. Put all Republicans in an airtight room with a bunch of running vehicles. It’s a harmeless gas after all so they are in no danger.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:56 pmBarton: “If you think greenhouse gases are bad, life couldn’t exist without greenhouse gases. … So, there is a, there is a climate theory — and it’s a theory, it’s not a fact, it’s never been proven”
So Smokin’ Joe asserts as fact that “life couldn’t exist without greenhouse gases” (which is true) but in the next breath he says that what he just asserted as fact has never been proven.
I guess it’s just a waste of time to point out that Joe Barton is an idiot.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:58 pmas silly as it seems to point out the inaccuracies of this man, its relevant to quote the words of randy newman about chemical pollution in the Cuayahoga River to refute man’s inability to regulate god: “the lord can make you tumble, the lord can make you turn, the lord can make you overflow…but the lord can’t make you burn.”
May 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pmThen an overabundance of water is perfectly fine, because it’s natural? Someone use the flooding metaphor with this idiot. We’re being flooded with carbon dioxide. Point to the planet, Venus. *sigh*
May 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pmWell gosh. That convinced me. Good job Barton. I’m going to go pray to my urine jars now.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pm” And something that the Democrat sponsors do not point out, a lot of the CO2 that is created in the United States is naturally created. You can’t regulate God.”
May 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pmSo this means we cant regulate marijuana? Or the poppy flower for that matter?
and further… the claim that “you think greenhouse gases are bad” is fu(king stupid. It’s another example of right-wing binary thinking. It’s always either “good” or “bad”. There’s no room in their tiny lizard brains for “it’s good if balanced properly, bad if out of balance”.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:00 pmYeah, “just lay back and enjoy it.”
May 19th, 2009 at 1:00 pmeyeswideopen1 Says:
I think they should prove how harmless CO2 is. Put all Republicans in an airtight room with a bunch of running vehicles. It’s a harmeless gas after all so they are in no danger.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
The carbon monoxide gets you quicker that way, eyeswideopen1. A better example would be to tie plastic bags over their heads. ;)
May 19th, 2009 at 1:00 pmWow with arguments like this, boy I am I reconsidering the whole approach to global warming and CO2. I just realized a lot of substances are “natural” I don’t want to be around, like arsenic, lead, uranium, let not forget about deseases they are “natural”, swine flu anyone? Its natural. What about anthrax? Oh what about drugs, a lot of them are natural, like marijuana, opium, so I guess they are ok too. The shit that comes out of you ass is natural, so you can just crap in the living room, its natural.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:00 pmHmmmm. So, how about few mouthfuls of arsenic, Rep. Barton? That occurs naturally so it can’t be harmful by your terms.
Chlorine? Mercury? Uranium? Plutonium? Its hard to think of anything that wouldn’t be harmful, in and of itself, in some quantity. Nevermind what happens with some of these things in combination – whether they exist naturally in those combinations or not.
I don’t know Barton well enough to know if he is truly that stupid or he just thinks the rest of us are. Unfortunately, if its the latter, he seems to be right about enough of us that he can get elected and get air time.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:01 pmSmoke!? I don’t care if you burn…
May 19th, 2009 at 1:01 pmAlso, proofs are for math. There is no proof in science. Only evidence.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:02 pmThey just don’t teach science like they used to…
May 19th, 2009 at 1:02 pmSmokey Joe: hook yourself up to a cylinder of CO2, breathe deeply, and see what happens.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:02 pmAs my old friend Bill leClair used to say…
“Natural!? … so’s ANTHRAX!”
May 19th, 2009 at 1:04 pmBarton: “I would also point out that CO2, carbon dioxide, is not a pollutant in any normal definition of the term. … I am creating it as I talk to you. It’s in your Coca-Cola, you’re Dr. Pepper, your Perrier water. It is necessary for human life. It is odorless, colorless, tasteless, does not cause cancer, does not cause asthma.”
Yeah. And “the internet is a series of tubes” and the “Earth is 6 thousand years old” and “Man walked beside the dinosaurs” and “Boy Howdy! Republican’s sure are stupid!”
Oh. That last part was me.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:04 pm“If you think greenhouse gases are bad, life couldn’t exist without greenhouse gases.”
Life couldn’t exist without the Sun, but you can get sunburn and/or die of dehydration.
Life couldn’t exist without water, but you could drown…
Or is dying called “enhanced living”, now?
May 19th, 2009 at 1:08 pmThere are natural processes that produce CO2 and man made processes that do likewise.
It’s idiotic to use the first as a rationale for doing nothing about the later.
Repugnican’ts strike again.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:08 pmSorry, plutonium is synthesized,not natural. Got carried away …
May 19th, 2009 at 1:10 pmBail out our country
May 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pmWe should tax stupidity
Watch dollars roll in
I’m putting my head in this plastic bag to get my “all-natural” CO2 regimen. snarcasm
May 19th, 2009 at 1:15 pm.
Let’s put a plastic bag over Rep. “Smokey Joe” Barton (R-TX) and let him go on, adinfinitum, about how CO2 shouldn’t be regulated. That will change his mind, and quick!
.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:17 pmBARTON: “If you think greenhouse gases are bad, life couldn’t exist without greenhouse gases. … So, there is a, there is a climate theory — and it’s a theory, it’s not a fact, it’s never been proven — that increasing concentrations of CO2 in the upper atmosphere somehow interact to trap more heat than the atmosphere would otherwise.”
Uhm.. life cant exist without greenhouse gases because they .. trap more heat than the atmosphere would otherwise.
What a moron..
May 19th, 2009 at 1:18 pm“I would also point out that CO2, carbon dioxide, is not a pollutant in any normal definition of the term. … I am creating it as I talk to you. It’s in your Coca-Cola, you’re Dr. Pepper,
Gee, I didn’t know the soft drink lobby had become so powerful.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:19 pmHe shoulda had a V8.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:20 pmBut you can regulate what god didn’t create — the hunkering SUV with a perversion of god’s goodness blowing out the tailpipe.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:20 pmThis is actually a very effective tactic from Barton and the rest of the anti-science types, as long as they don’t care about credibility.
And, really, if they’re gonna argue against man’s impact on the climate, then they have no credibility to begin with, so that’s a moot point. But basically, they just throw a bunch of stupid shit at the wall, and those who care about accuracy and thoroughness will set about cleaning up each splatter, thus eating up valuable time and distracting from the actual issue.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:20 pmI’m so tired of politicians trying to argue with scientists by making FALSE arguments.
Yeah … CO2 is in your coca cola. But if you had the same amount of CO2 in your can of coke that American Industry puts out in one day, it would cause the can to explode – what little bit of aluminum wasn’t vaporized would be flying through the air as shrapnel for miles, shredding people and flying THROUGH buildings.
It’s a good thing that ol’ Smoky Joe isn’t against table salt … he’d be starting panics by advertising that it is one half explosive, and one half poison! Run!!!
May 19th, 2009 at 1:21 pmonce someone shows they are gullible enough to believe in a magic man in the sky, selling them on trickle-down economics or climate change denial is pretty easy
May 19th, 2009 at 1:24 pmCrap is also natural, and more of it comes out of Sen. Barton’s mouth than carbon dioxide. Of course, he has a right to spew crap from his mouth, as he has a right to spew carbon dioxide. But the fact that he has a right to it doesn’t mean we should take him seriously.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:25 pm“You can’t regulate God. Not even the Democratic majority in the US Congress can regulate God.”
Joe needs to regulate his medication!!!
May 19th, 2009 at 1:29 pmNow, you’re all looking at this all wrong. These statements mean that the republic fascist party is now going to support the legalization of all natural substances, since “You can’t regulate God (TM).”
They will also stop supporting all medicine, as that is really a defiance of these natural processes created by God (TM).
“Less efficient” travel distances between refueling trumps “less efficient” fuel economy.
Furthermore, they will be clubbing you with their decisive and startling factoids like, “a lot of the CO2 that is created in the United States is naturally created.” Who can deny THAT, huh?
And from this point forward, any theory will be regarded as complete and utter falsehood until it is proven, beyond the shadow of the tiniest doubt, that it is truly an undeniable natural law. So, forget about anything that is a theory. Theories are completly meaningless. (nevermind the difference between a theory and a hypothesis — we are redefining them as equal).
May 19th, 2009 at 1:30 pmCO2 is everywhere, man…..just like Elvis…
May 19th, 2009 at 1:33 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hkIN38qnY
Good heavens — is there any lunatic point Barton missed? It seems he managed to channel all the idiocy of everything said by Michelle Bachmann, Glen Beck, and all the wingnuts in between.
It’s a desperate attempt to reframe the argument in terms of how toxic CO2 is. People fighting for the interests of Big Oil are having a hard time refuting peer-reviewed studies from climate scientists, so they have to set up a straw man they can fight.
The debate isn’t about CO2 polluting the atmosphere in the way that particulate matter does. It isn’t about getting cancer because somebody exhales on you. And it isn’t about God doing a bad thing by creating CO2.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:35 pmI’m interested in some thoughts on theories that are out there that we really need to stop treating as having any merit of truth whatsoever (since a theory is, according to the conservatives, a lie).
What do we all need to stop believing based on that?
May 19th, 2009 at 1:36 pm…along with ‘a wild guess’.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:37 pm385 parts per million…and rising. After Smokey Joe’s rant I’d hate to see what the total is now.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:39 pmshoeless Says:
…along with ‘a wild guess’.
well, you know that they slept through their science classes where the whole hypothesis, theory, law thing in the scientific method was explained.
Ahhh… they sure loves sum dumbed down peoples, don’t they?
Joe?…. Joe the Scientist?… where are you to illuminate us?……
May 19th, 2009 at 1:39 pmIf all this science stuff just didn’t have such a liberal bias.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:39 pmAll that fuss about the Apollo 13 astronauts possibly dying from CO2 toxicity was just a liberal plot by Al Gore so he could invent the internet.
And those so-called oxygen masks used in hospitals? Actually CO2 masks!
May 19th, 2009 at 1:40 pmDangit… gotta go… back later, I hope…..
May 19th, 2009 at 1:41 pmDo these people have ANY idea how ridiculous they sound?
May 19th, 2009 at 1:42 pmAnd scuba tanks? They are actually full of coca-cola!
May 19th, 2009 at 1:43 pmBarton – Where greed and stupidity collide.
We can’t regulate gawd but, we can hope gawd won’t let this guy hold a political office after 2010.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:48 pmIs it required that Republic Fascist Party members be this stupid?
Fcuk the Republic Fascist Party
May 19th, 2009 at 1:51 pmFirst off, it’s not called “CO2 poisoning” as much as it is called by its actual name “asphyxiation”. A doctor will not tell you someone “drowned from CO2″ but rather from “O2 deprivation”. If he could, however, he might call it that–it’s just that OXYGEN is more important to the body.
Second of all, just because a gas is “odorless, colorless, tasteless, does not cause cancer, does not cause asthma”, that doesn’t mean it is not toxic. After all, carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, tasteless, does not cause cancer, and does not cause asthma; it just kills you from binding to hemoglobin. Get your chemistry RIGHT.
As someone that has a degree in chemistry, I’m offended by Barton’s logic. However, I am more offended that Barton can’t count to three properly:
Yes, GOP logic. As easy as AB3.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:55 pm“And something that the Democrat sponsors do not point out, a lot of the CO2 that is created in the United States is naturally created. You can’t regulate God. Not even the Democratic majority in the US Congress can regulate God.”
Wonder how this maroon would respond to calls for cannabis legalization, since God, in Genesis, says “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food….”
May 19th, 2009 at 1:57 pmChrisdutch Says:
385 parts per million…and rising. After Smokey Joe’s rant I’d hate to see what the total is now.
386 ppm now. Increasing by 2 ppm a year. Until the rise of industrialism natural CO2 levels never went above 300 ppm for 650.000 years, and it was stable around 270-280 the last 10000 years
May 19th, 2009 at 1:57 pmChairman Heezee just moments ago: The era of apologizing for past GOP
May 19th, 2009 at 2:02 pmmistakeswaste-fraud-abuse is over before having begun.lzcrmc Says:
Sorry, plutonium is synthesized,not natural. Got carried away …
May 19th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
_____________
Actually, plutonium can be found in nature, as I’ve recently learned. Very very very very very trace amounts of isotopes Pu-239 and Pu-244 are sometimes found in uranium ore as a by-product of radioactive decay.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium#Occurrence
May 19th, 2009 at 2:05 pmQueue the CO2 denier trolls in …
May 19th, 2009 at 2:06 pm5
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Maybe Joe could get together with Gov. Perry to hasten the Texas secession.
Joe, if you guys secede, could you ensure Bush goes with you?
May 19th, 2009 at 2:10 pmrightwing-leftwing Says:
Queue the CO2 denier trolls in …
May 19th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
___________
They’re really late today. I don’t know what’s up. Perhaps there’s a science denier strike or something.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:14 pmUnless God has sent the Republicans to punish us. That’s my theory.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:21 pmI was wondering why they didn’t like regutations, or are they trying a feeble attempt to impersonate God. The more I see and hear from the Nixon and Reagan fan clubs, I see people inspired to do the following: lie, cheat, steal, ridicule, intimidate, immasculate, assinate, evesicerate, usually in that order. Their family tree resembles that of the Tick, blood sucking Tick, who, by the way, if you place them a mason jay by themselves, they will begin cannibalize each other, kinda reminds me of what they are doing right now, attacking Speaker Pelosi as they are. They know classified documents would have to be released, sooo, they keep hounding through the mega horns of faux news, ahead in the field in lying to the blind.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:21 pmHey this is great news for the hippies – if we can’t regulate God then it’s time to legalize Pot and Mushrooms.
“the wind in the willows playing tea for two,
May 19th, 2009 at 2:25 pmthe sky was yellow and the sun was blue.”
eyeswideopen1 Says:
I think they should prove how harmless CO2 is. Put all Republicans in an airtight room with a bunch of running vehicles. It’s a harmeless gas after all so they are in no danger.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
___________
Or they can talk to our oldest ancestor, Ida, who may have died of carbon dioxide poisoning: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30826552/
May 19th, 2009 at 2:41 pm“The idea that since CO2 is “natural” it cannot, by definition, be harmful..”
At least we now know the rationale for leting people drown in New Orleans after Katrina.
Water is natureal and it is actually, doctor recommended, good for you.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:42 pmThe right-wing and polluter-apologists continually argue that CO2 shouldn’t be regulated because it’s naturally occurring and therefore not harmful.
Water is naturally occurring, and is not only not harmful but necessary for life. But I suspect the people of New Orleans would argue that too much is NOT a good thing.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:43 pmThe two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
Stupidity is a natural occurrence, though for the conservatives it may seem unnaturally high.
- H. Ellison
May 19th, 2009 at 2:52 pmThere is a big difference between pumping out oil, refining it to gasoline, putting that gas into a man-made engine that then burns the gas releasing CO2 into the atmosphere; and a lighting strike on a dead tree in the middle of a dry forest that then burns up hundreds of acres also release greenhouse gases.
Also there is a whole equilibrium effect that occurs naturally, but with the use of fossil fuels and deforestation has thrown the delicate balance off.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:55 pmGod made coca-cola?
May 19th, 2009 at 3:36 pmHow ’bout we hook up ‘ol Smokey Joe to a hose spewing Co2 for a couple hours…oh wait maybe he has already tried that, hence his braindead comments week in and week out.
May 19th, 2009 at 3:39 pm“You can’t regulate God”
Why do I have a feeling God doesn’t like being drug into this?
May 19th, 2009 at 3:51 pmAnother GOP science expert. Look out James Hansen, there’s
May 19th, 2009 at 3:54 pma new sheriff in town.
A Guy with a ‘Smokey’ name, should know something about CO2 !!
May 19th, 2009 at 4:02 pmWater is essential to life, Joe. We drink it and it is good. Too much of it can be bad, ask the residents of New Orleans. If there is too much of it your environment, you won’t be ab;e to breathe–just like carbon dioxide. Your reduction ad absurdum only shows the absurdity and inanity of your thinking!
May 19th, 2009 at 4:45 pmThat should have beeen “reductio ad absurdum.”
May 19th, 2009 at 4:47 pmI was watching a CSI episode awhile back (dvd set) they had two teens enjoying themselves on the floor. of course they died. It turned out some nut put a tone of dry ice next door and the area along the floor was laden in Carbon dioxide. Wonder if any of these Republicans passed Chemistry? I didn’t do that great myself, but I didn’t flunk it either. Too much oxygen and you faint, or worse. But obviously just let the Republicans hold a garbage sized bag over their nose and mouth and see how long they last. Better yet, instead of drinking water, how bout drinking tons of their own urine and see if they stay healthy.
May 19th, 2009 at 5:13 pmOk…this guy proves you should have to take an entrance exam before you can actually serve in Congress. It wouldn’t have to even be above a 6th grade level to screen people like this out.
May 19th, 2009 at 5:23 pmThe “stupid” is strong in this one …..
May 19th, 2009 at 6:00 pmThe catalytic converters take out Carbon Monoxide.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:37 pmCan’t regulate it because it is in Coca Cola ?
Well, Coca Cola used to have significant amounts of Cocaine. So when does he start legalizing that ?
May 19th, 2009 at 8:48 pmGlobal warming has only been observed to occur in computer models/simulations.
Empirical evidence suggests that there is no global warming happening outside of the computer models.
May 19th, 2009 at 9:58 pmThis guy is insane, Listen to his incoherent “God Centered” irrational talk. I will say, the people who elected such a crook must be living in dark ages.
May 19th, 2009 at 11:11 pmHere are some facts about CO2 in the atmosphere and temperatures on Earth:
Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere by a variety of natural sources, and over 95% of total CO2 emissions would occur even if humans were not present on Earth. For example, the natural decay of organic material in forests and grasslands, such as dead trees, results in the release of about 220 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide every year. This carbon dioxide alone is over 8 times the amount emitted by humans.
The Earths atmosphere is only 384 parts out of 1,000,000 (ppm). If you look at figure 5.1 on the link below you will see that the ice core data from around the year 900 a.d shows the atmospheric concentrations of CO2 were about 272 ppm. A difference of only 102 of 1,000,000 parts over the last 1100 years is no reason to be alarmed, and certainly no justification for passing government regulations and imposing limits on and taxing emissions.
Source: U.S. Global Change Research Information Office
http://www.gcrio.org/ipcc/qa/05.html
As far as global warming is concerned, the solar cycles have much more to do with temperature changes on earth than CO2. Do you think that the early cave man burning fires to stay warm contributed to the last era of global warming?
Another link: http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/temperature has a figure that shows the temperature of the planet over the last 4.6 billion years. If you will notice, the Quaternary Period, which is our current geological period, the temperatures have oscillated widely numerous times. At present we appear to be at the upper end of the temperature spectrum. Many scientists that we are in fact at the beginning of a cooling period. Another figure on the website above shows that global ice mass has nearly doubled over the last 6 million years. If you are scientifically literate as I am, then please take the time to educate yourself by reading the whole article and come to your own conclusion instead of just believing alarmists like Al Gore.
May 19th, 2009 at 11:40 pmSo . . . god is in my coke. Is there pubic hair on the can?
May 19th, 2009 at 11:40 pm*
The Repbulicans should stop making talking points about things they learned in third grade biology. CO2 is not harmless. Very small rises in blood levels of CO2 can lead to respiratory acidosis and cause symptoms known as CO2 narcosis. The Republicans are starting to sound like they have CO2 narcosis, maybe it’s from breathing each others exhaust in the closed confines of the right wing echo chamber.
May 19th, 2009 at 11:57 pm“Don’t be a jackass” said…
As far as global warming is concerned, the solar cycles have much more to do with temperature changes on earth than CO2
Anyone who believes that the the Sun is responsible for the global warming observed over the past few decades is a complete idiot.
“jackass” also said…
If you are scientifically literate as I am,
My cat is about as scientifically literate as “jackass” is…
May 20th, 2009 at 12:24 amLet’s see…quick math.
102 / 272. That an increase of 38% over a millennium. Alarming? Perhaps not. Assuring? Not really. Especially when you can’t project how high or low that number COULD go.
First of all, do we know that the ceiling is on carbon dioxide here? The 384 ppm concentration for carbon dioxide…is that low? Is that high? Calling it “only” 384 ppm is misleading if 385 ppm is considered harmful. Gotta give us a ceiling here, and remember that we’re not talking about choking on carbon dioxide here. We’re talking about concentrations high enough to shield in heat to change climate.
Here’s the thing that I think people overlook when it comes to carbon dioxide control–we emit so much pollution and greenhouse gas because our system of energy production has been so inefficient. I’m currently reading a book that states we only actually used 1/3 of the energy produced back in the late 90’s. Wouldn’t you like to have a system that could use 90% of the energy produced instead, thus cutting back on fuel usage and conserving it for actual emergencies, thus providing a longer shelf-life for fuels?
I still have to read the rest, but the concept intrigues me.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:31 amThe Republicans should stop making talking points about things they learned in third grade biology.
You are far too kind in assuming Republicans actually learned any biology at the third-grade level. Trying to teach a typical Republican (like “jackass”) anything about science is rather like trying to teach algebra to a cow.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:32 amWow, he said everything he would have to say to completely destroy his own credibility. That’s actually rather impressive. Let’s start at the top, shall we? (Note: I haven’t read the other posts yet, so all apologies for repeats.)
1) Just because something exists doesn’t mean it’s not harmful. Uranium exists naturally, yet no one in their right mind would call it a safe substances for unshielded human use. Also, claiming something is safe by noting that it is used in soft drinks (one of the most unhealthy food substances available in American culture and responsible for quite a bit of the overweight/obesity problem in this country) is not compelleing in any fashion.
But since we’re apparently at a place where we can claim that all things that are naturally part of the Earth are safe and should not be regulated, I fully expect this particular Congressman to gather up the votes needed to legalize pot, since it’s natural and therefore both safe (no snark on that one, it actually IS safe) and without need for regulation (lots of snark there).
2) Same argument as above, with an added criticism: if you have to use the god excuse, then you’re officially out of arguments and need to just shut the eff up. You have nothing left to say, so stop wasting our time.
3) Since you insist on continuing the drivel, anytime you say “it’s just a theory” you prove that you’re a complete moron with no grasp of scientific concepts, and you frankly shouldn’t have graduated highschool with such a primitive and incomplete knowledge of basic scientific terminology. The word “theory” when use in the context of science is almost always a description of a mechanism, not a word that also means “conjecture.” To claim otherwise does nothing to prove your point, and only serves to prove you’re an idiot.
4) Well, here’s the crux of the entire argument. In fact, your point would have been much stronger if you had shyed away from proving you know nothing about that of which you speak and gone straight with what you REALLY mean: “Fcuk the planet, fcuk energy independence, fcuk creating new jobs with energy techonology (poor people suck anyway), I don’t want to have to change MY lifestyle, even a little bit because I’m a selfish bastard, and because I’m 100% owned and subsidized by the oil companies.
In summary, Congressman, the entirety of the load of complete and utter bullshit you just tried to sell was not only totally unconvinving and half-assed (in standard GOP fashion), and not only undermined your position so thoroughly as to rob you of any potential credibility on the topic (in even more standard GOP fashion), but in fact was such a perfect example of the stupidity of those who try to fight this, they should make a damn commercial out of it. So I suppose I should be thanking you, Congressman, for making yourself look so bad.
May 20th, 2009 at 9:09 amHep Me! Hep! Hep! I’m trapped in TX-06! My congresscritter is this idiot. Are You Smarter than a Congressman?
This just ain’t right. Some, but not all (who knows, maybe most) Texans are not this stoopid. Do not bury me in the cold, cold ground with these ijits.
May 20th, 2009 at 9:44 amO bet this idiot has a lot of Coca-colas per day… with rum.
May 20th, 2009 at 11:00 amRep. Joe Barton — a fine product of the Texas education system.
May 20th, 2009 at 2:03 pm