I love Christmas. Just enough time following Thanksgiving to not feel too guilty when you load up on food. The presents, the lights and the smell of a tree (in the house no less). Time spent w/ family and friends, time off from work, and basically a time to enjoy the season.

Of course there's the "real" reason for Christmas, the birth of our Savior. And as a Christian (albeit only recently) an opportunity to celebrate His glory. But this post isn't about that.

I guess I first noticed it a couple of years ago. A subtle change. I remember when my kids brought home their school calender and "Christmas Holiday" became "Winter Break". Or when the department store signage changed. You know what I mean, "Merry Christmas" became "Happy Holidays". Then the "inclusion" of the other "holidays" that fall this time of year.

But I noticed teachers were still giving and getting "Christmas" presents. They wouldn't call them that, but there was a look of recognition between students and their instructors that said, "this ain't about winter". And the major retail outlets were suffering a decline in their expected rates of growth in December. People wanted Christmas.

I've always been a "Merry Christmas" sayer. But the words "Merry Christmas" disappeared.  I still see it in their eyes when I plunk my merchandize on the counter at Walmart, or when I drive up to the drive thru window (I'm big on fastfood drive thru, assuming it was invented specifically for me...seriously).  But now when I speak the words, usually as a final farewell and thank you for the cd, kid toy or various burger, the response I get is quite different. Oh they want to say it, you can see it in their eyes, almost a fugitive-like  look. But the closest they dare come is, "thank you, you too".

They took it from us (they being the powers that be). They convinced, shamed and bullied us into submission. They convinced us it wasn't "inclusive", it wasn't polite, wasn't proper.

"Thank you..you too", that's almost brave. Almost. Where has our revolutionary spirit gone? Did we give in to the British, have we succumbed to the power of the dark side? I'm pretty sure Washington or Skywalker wouldn't have returned, "thanks, you too".  They took a stand, and so we should. So say the words "Merry Christmas" every chance you get..say Merry Christmas..and join the rebellion. 

The Basics
The most common use for the term"global warming" is the observed temperature increase in the worlds atmosphere and oceans. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) uses it for human caused change and "climate variability" for non man-made influences.

Greenhouse gases trap heat in the lower atmosphere and reflect it back to the earth. They are the basis for the term "greenhouse effect". Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas, followed by carbine dioxide (from the combustion of fossil fuels), agriculture (farming and land clearing) and solar variation (sun spots and solar flares). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminastration (NOAA)  state that greenhouse gases have increased from pre-industrialized levels of 280 parts per milloin to 370ppm.

Based on NOAA data average temperatures have increased about 0.6 C since the late 19th century. However, the warming has not been globally uniform. Some areas (including the S/E U.S.) have cooled over the last century. Temperatures worldwide were some of the highest ever recorded (since 1880) last year, but were about normal in the U.S. (49th highest in recorded history). Many scientist believe this was due to a waning El Nino and a gradually warming planet. 

The Set-Up
The IPCC's temperature chart, kown as "the hockey stick", because of its sharp upswing in temps in the later 1900's, is the basis for the Kyoto Protocol and a Noble Peace Prize winning, former Vice-Presidents Academy Award winning movie. Think "lock box". {note: The National Academy of Sciences have affirmed the existence of a Medievel Warm Period from 900 AD to 1300 AD and a Little Ice Age from 1500 AD to about 1850 AD}

The Sting
The Kyoto Protocol mandates emmision reductions for counties that sign on. Only the U.S. and Australia have not (change in Aussie leadership will narrow non-signees to one). Strangly tho, three large countries are exempt from reductions in emmisions: China, India and North Korea. Go figure.

Even now U.S. states (California) as well as national politicians push for mandatory greening of our energy sources. Nuclear power, clean air coal burning plants and other more enviromentally friendly means of power production have been taken "off the table". Instead the push has been for solar/wind (small output)and unproven hydrogen power sources that seem to defy common sense. It's as if there were other, darker reasons (pun intended).

Other Views
The 2004 Copenhagen Consensus led by Danish statistician and self described left-wing enviromentalist Bjorn Lomborg (auther of "The Skeptical Enviromentalist") lists the world greatest threats as follows: combating disease, stopping malaria, securing clean water and building infrastructure to help lift developing nations out of poverty; last on their list...global warming.

Other discrepancies exist in predicting future weather patterns such as unreliable past temperature reading (some due to Urban Heat Island Effect where temps are read in cities), outdated weather measuring equipment and human error in past recordings. See Nigel Lawsons excellent peice on the politics of global warming at http://icecap.us/images/uploads/mckaylecturelawsononclimatecatastrophism.pdf

Finally, perhaps the clearest perspective on our current obsession w/ global warming can be summed up by Richard P. Lindzen (Prof. of Atmospheric Science @ MIT)..."Future generatios will wonder in bemused amazment that the early 21st century developed world went into hysterical panic over a globally averaged temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree and on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to contemplate a roll back of the industrial age."

I can still remember my first time...as if it were today. Excited, nervous and alittle unsure; I just hoped that I was doing it right.  Starting off slow (would I have to be creative?) doubts crept in. My hands began to shake...was I ready for this or should I have waited? I realized at once that there was no turning back. Tentative at first, I soon began to relax. I was enjoyn this! It didn't last long...they say the first time never does. But I knew, just knew, that this wouldn't be the last time I blogged.

Somebody pass me a smoke.