State of Fear

Well, I've finally made my way through Crichton's State of Fear; it's the first Crichton I've read in no less than 10 years. I don't know what his personal opinion on catastrophic Global Warming is, but the novel is all about uncovering it as a massive, pseudoscientific scare campaign, employed by power-hungry individuals with seedy political motives.

I've been crunching on salt since I started reading it - Crichton himself readily admits that statistics can be twisted to prove, well.... anything - but nevertheless it's refreshing to hear someone shout "no clothes" for a change. Sane people know only all too well just how wearisome the endless apocalyptic prophecies of the Global Warming Cult can be.

All last week, Morning Edition on NPR ran features on the Arctic, and yesterday All Things Considered did the same. You can guess what they focused on as the major issue there. Now, I don't doubt that the climate is changing near the poles. Hell, I don't even mind people reporting on the effects of climate change. What I do mind is the implication that the truck I am driving whilst listening to your report is somehow responsible for other people's long summers, or the ice shelves calving. Fuck off and get a clue; the dynamic disequilibrium of the universe is bigger than me, and it's certainly much bigger than you.

I wonder what people blamed global climate change on 25,000 years ago when it was fucking cold, and following game herds required them to cross the Bering land bridge into the Land of Plenty.