The earth's got a fever and all that will cure it is more cowbell

Well, almost. But if this isn't the biggest crock of steaming dog poo, I don't know what is. Earth's Temperature Is Hottest in Centuries WASHINGTON (June 22) - The Earth is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years, probably even longer. OK, I can't let this go a sentence without a comment. Two comments actually. How the hell do they know what temperatures were 400 friggin' years ago!?! I don't think even our most sophisticated equipment will tell us if it was 2 degrees warmer back in 1606 than in other centuries. And secondly, assuming they can detect temperatures 400 years in the past and those assumptions are correct. if it's been a degree or two warmer before who's to say temperature shifts like that aren't normal? Can't your make centuries old temperature taking devices go back any farther? The National Academy of Sciences, reaching that conclusion in a broad review of scientific work requested by Congress, reported Thursday that the "recent warmth is unprecedented for at least the last 400 years and potentially the last several millennia." Ooh, they can see what temperatures were millenia ago! So what, they were 2, maybe 3 degrees warmer overall? A panel of top climate scientists told lawmakers that the Earth is running a fever and that "human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming." Their 155-page report said average global surface temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere rose about 1 degree during the 20th century. Again, if this has happened before, and could very well be part of a cycle of weather for the planet, how do we know it's humanity's fault? People have been around for a while. Why are things falling apart at the seams now? And FYI, earth's fever? Needs more cowbell.... The report was requested in November by the chairman of the House Science Committee, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., to address naysayers who question whether global warming is a major threat. As a naysayer, let me say I don't question that global warming is a major threat. Ice ages happen every few hundred millenia and kill most of the life on earth. That's a bad thing. I'm a naysayer because I think all the chicken littles running around screaming, "The sky is falling because of global warming! Global warming is our fault! We've got to do something like Kyoto and cripple the global economy!" are idiots. I don't think it's the fault of humanity that the temperature may be one degree hotter than 400 years ago. And other than common sense approaches to the use of water, energy supplies, and waste disposal I don't think we want to go messing with earth's climate and weather. It is what it is. Then again, we could listen to Al Gore... Al Gore says global warming is YOUR fault! "He betrayed this country! He played on our fears!" You don't say...