The tough life of a skeptic

The Heartland Institute sent an educational package to over 200 Canadian schools, with material detailing the other side of the global warming debate. Without delving into an analysis of the content (because I haven't seen it), the words of a school teacher, interviewed by the Gazzette, kind of upset me:

"It took me a while to figure out what they were up to," said Eric Betteridge, who teaches at Hillcrest High School in Ottawa.

"I would be concerned because it was well written, and if somebody hadn't been aware of what the general consensus is among climatologists about global warming, you would begin to think, 'Wow, somebody's giving me the wrong story here.' "

Being afraid of losing people's minds unless they had been exposed to your arguments first is an unequivocal sign of weakness. Furthermore, the reference to consensus among climatologists (add an -ology to anything these days and you've got a PhD in it) is eery. Basically students in schools are expected to conform to a consensus of fallible mortal beings just because it's a consensus.

Global warming IS the wrong story. If the world's getting hotter, why does it snow in Baghdad? If this consensus tyranny wasn't enough, the Heartland Institute actually provides the letters schoolkids were encouraged to send to them by their teacher. They make a disturbing read indeed. Heartland's comment is simple:

Particularly troubling about the students’ letters, in light of the principles outlined in the official Science Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, by the California State Board of Education (2004), is the children’s utter certainty that they know everything there is to know about global warming, that there is nothing left to learn.

One wrote, “We’ve read article about global warming. And we know all the facts.”

Another said:

“Natural disasters have quadrupled in 20 years, 53 bird species face extinction, World must fix climate in 10 years, Air pollution shrinks fetus size. THIS IS CAUSED BY GLOBAL WARMING!!!”

'Nuf said!