Huntsman Believes in Science - So?
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Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, who - pay attention, world, here comes a big endorsement - is rapidly becoming my personal choice for the office (default is a choice too), has staked out a bold position: He believes in science.
Wow! How controversial is that?
Apparently pretty controversial. He specifically mentioned evolution and climate change as subjects we should pay attention to. Come on, tea partiers, give the guy a break. Get real. He's right.
Unfortunately, on the climate change (global warming, if you will) front, any solution is not only out of sight, it is moving further away. Whatever the efforts of the current administration, or a future Huntsman administration, or even the endless ranting of Al Gore, America is becoming progressively less of a problem.
The real problem is China, and, to a lesser extent, India and other rapidly industrializing nations. They may pay lip service to managing the pollution that is raising the temperature of the planet (yes, it is), but their main concern is, like ours, jobs, jobs, jobs, and they're not going to let a little industrial crud stand in the way of creating them.
While we, and the entire Western world, dither over turgid economies, debt and green energy, China is busy cornering the global market in fossil fuels and industrial raw materials.
SINOPEC (China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation) has a $100 billion, 30-year contract with Iran for natural gas and petroleum development. Petrodollars for the ayatollahs.
China has a $3 billion contract with Venezuela for delivery of oil, as well as exploration rights in undeveloped areas. Petrodollars for Hugo.
China is competing with Japan for oil exploration and pipeline rights in Siberia. Petrodollars for Vladimir.
There are agreements with Brazil, Algeria and Kazakhstan.
The port of Newcastle, Australia, is backed up with coal shipments to China, as port facilities are limited and there are not enough ships available to move the coal at the desired rate. China also has rights to explore for uranium in Australia.
China has contracted with Chile for copper and Cuba for nickel.
The Chinese are being very democratic in their quest for the Earth's resources; they carry on without regard to race or religion. Equal exploitation for all.
In their various international exploration projects, especially in third-world countries in need of money, the Chinese have been notably uninterested in environmental protection, leaving piles of debris and clear-cut jungles in their wake.
China is importing all this stuff, building two new coal-fired power plants per week, and industrializing like crazy so its government can keep the peace and hold power over 1.3 billion people who want to drive cars and have toasters and electric lights.
And they are doing it while accumulating the debts of much of the world, notably ours. They also pay no attention to various world bodies trying to keep trade "fair" or the planet green.
Jon Huntsman's comment on believing in science got me started on this track. It is a puzzle to me why the most articulate Republican, the only one who has been ambassador to China and actually speaks Mandarin, who has been a businessman and a governor, is apparently at a dead end in his presidential campaign.
It might be time to try out a president who is experienced, smart, and actually knows something about our biggest creditor and economic rival. It might even be all right if he believes in science.
Fred Wolferman lives in Southern Pines. Contact him by email at fwolferman@sbcglobal.net.
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Comments
Bigguy 1 year, 6 months ago
Mr. Wolferman, have never agreed on anything you have written until now. Huntsman in my opinion the most qualified and ready to lead candidate on either side. And I'll state that I voted for Obama last election, and will vote for him again because there is no way way Mr. Huntsmen will got his party's nomination. You did forget to mention that China is more advanced in Solar energy and many more re-usable energy sources. They are not just burning fossil fuels they are looking a head to the future as well.
BigE 1 year, 6 months ago
I said it months ago on these very pages. Huntsman is the only GOP candidate with a chance to threaten Obama. Most of us are Moderates and like reason. Here and in the national media the extremists make most of the noise. To get elected you have to capture the middle.
blessherheart 1 year, 6 months ago
I have to agree... Huntsman is a good choice for the Republican candidate. I also agree he would give Obama a great rival for the Presidency. It's a shame that he is not being looked at more.
dustyrhoades 1 year, 6 months ago
For once, I (mostly) agree with Mr. Wolferman as well. I'd worry about Obama's chances against Huntsman. But it'll never happen. The Teahadists will destroy him.
Nezumi 1 year, 6 months ago
I agree with Mr. Wolferman as well. I'm at a total loss why Huntsman's obvious experience and intellect is lost on the majority of Republican voters.
fwolferman 1 year, 6 months ago
Dusty? Agrees? Maybe I'd better reconsider...
TreadLightly 1 year, 6 months ago
There are probably less than 1,000 "moderates" in the United States. There are millions who don't know what is happening, and wander between the poles. There are weak conservatives and weak liberals.
This is a case in point. If all Obama's voters are going for Huntsman as a "moderate," it smells like a bad sorting out of cause and effect. (Or, Dems voting for a RINO doesn't change either one of their stripes.)
JER 1 year, 6 months ago
VassDud: The folks in the greater Vass area have sent in a petition requesting you change the name you are using to post your comments. They say your making them look stupid. Perhaps NeanderthalDude would be better.
dustyrhoades 1 year, 6 months ago
JER-VassDude is clearly just trolling for attention, trying to get a rise out of you with the same old tired BS devoid of actual content.
Best thing to do with a troll is not to feed him.
Roorke 1 year, 6 months ago
If your heritage is non-African, you are part Neanderthal, according to a new study in the July issue of Molecular Biology and Evolution. Discovery News has been reporting on human/Neanderthal interbreeding for some time now, so this latest research confirms earlier findings.
http://news.discovery.com/human/genetics-neanderthal-110718.html
JimHeim 1 year, 6 months ago
Science says that 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest year ever recorded. VassDude disagrees. I'll go with science, as usual.
JER 1 year, 6 months ago
I'll bet _assdude is responsible for the car commercial that Infinity is currently running on TV. In it, the voice over states: "If nobody challenged the status quo, the world would still be flat." Here is the news flash: The world was never flat, regardless of anybody thinking otherwise and climate change is a reality, regardless of what _assdude thinks.
leftfield 1 year, 6 months ago
VassDude, You have got to be a liberal just trolling and making fun if the flat earthers, right? No one is that stupid.
JimHeim 1 year, 6 months ago
I fear VassDude spends a lot of time worrying about how Australians get through the day without blood running into their heads, what with being upside-down and all. Wait! maybe the earth isn't round.
JER 1 year, 6 months ago
_assdud: Thanks for linking me up with "the facts". You have certainly convinced me. Of course, I should have been able to see this all along, what with the temperatures being down into the 30's and 40's. How dumb of me to not be able to see your well thought out and well documented position. I have already taken a load of my Hawaiian shirts to Goodwill. Guess I would never have gotten to wear them in Hawaii anyway since I probably would have gone off the edge of the earth before I got there. Thanks again.
Also, I'm having my doubts about gravity, do you have a position on that? If so, please provide links.
JimHeim 1 year, 6 months ago
VassDude, those stolen emails have been examined by a number of governmental and scientific groups and found to show no impropriety. Stale, discredited stories do not help your cause.
Perhaps you might benefit by learning about the Koch-funded climate scientist (a prominent denier) who analyzed all temperature data available and, to his surprise, learned that temperatures are indeed rising, just as scientists have been finding.
I used the word "learning" twice to emphasize the importance of the concept.
JimHeim 1 year, 6 months ago
VassDude is still flailing. Any answer to Richard Muller's findings? No? Didn't think so.
I notice that you didn't mention the findings of the American Geophysical Union (hate unions?), the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee (UK); Independent Climate Change Review (UK); International Science Assessment Panel (UK); Pennsylvania State University (US); United States Environmental Protection Agency (US); or Department of Commerce (US). Why not?