Call me crazy, but I think scientists are the best source of information on matters of science. Not the myriad of right-wing radio and television corporate hand-puppets with ideological and economic axes to grind, nor the miniscule number of scientists in the pay of those same corporate masters who shamefully deny the data, nor the odd scientist with the crackpot viewpoint. Though the crackpots are, on extremely rare occasions, right, that's not anything to rely on. As Jimmy the Greek said: "The race is not always to the swiftest, the battle not always to the strong, but that's how to bet 'em."

Just as the deniers (Barbara, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Bush, Beck, Savage, etc. etc.) first had to retreat from their position that there was no global warming as the evidence became incontrovertible, most of them have already started retreating from their position that it is not largely anthropogenic. The science behind the first conclusion is now so overwhelming and well-accepted by such an extremely high percentage of those really in a position to know, that only the worst of the ideologues and the most misinformed now take a contrary position. It has been fun watching the others finally come around. Just as it's been fun watching so many of the same people squirm so uncomfortably as their glorious war on Iraq begins to rot and stink in the hot sun. And, over the next year or two, we will finally hear the last of those voices proclaiming that the primary causes of global warming are not man's activities. The bravest will admit they were wrong, and the rest will just shut up about it and take up some other wrong-headed crusade.

The deniers remind me very much of those who deny evolution. They latch onto some small aspect of a major theory that that theory has some problem with, and grin ear to ear as they ignorantly proclaim they've blown that theory out of the water. As philosphers of science know, all they've done is increased the number of problems the generally accurate theory may have from one thousand to one thousand and one, without having put a dent in the main structure of the theory at all, which structure remains quite sound.

Barbara, the fact-based community stands ready to accept you with open arms whenever you feel like joining us!

Mike Williams