Happy New Year! Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer the Iranian people for risking everything to rise up against the corrupt, autocratic mullahs in Tehran and applaud President Trump for a much better response than the Obama administration offered in 2009. They also slam Democratic activists David Brock and Lisa Bloom for offering huge amounts of cash for additional women to publicly accuse Trump of sexual harassment or assault in the final days of the 2016 campaign. And they unload on the mainstream media for either ignoring the uprisings in Iran or offering misleading explanations or the protests – all to protect a political narrative.
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Famous Passings – Politics, Media, Sports
As 2017 heads for the finish line, it is appropriate to look forward to all the possibilities of the coming year. But it is also important to reflect upon the past 12 months. And for the next few minutes, we’ll be remembering the famous figures from many different walks of life who left us this year. For the next few moments, we pay tribute to those who passed away in the arenas of politics, media, business and sports.
In politics, Helmut Kohl was a voice for freedom in a divided Germany as chancellor of West Germany and then led the reunification of east and west after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Helmut Kohl was 87.
Two other prominent players on the world stage died this year who will be remembered in the U.S. as villains. Panama strong man Manuel Noriega once enjoyed a friendly relationship with the United States but a long track record of drug trafficking, suppressing democracy and eventually the death of a U.S. Marine led to an American invasion to depose Noriega late in 1989. Later sentenced to decades in prison, Noriega died in May. He was 83.
Before Osama bin Laden, there was Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. In 1993, the blind sheikh masterminded the first bombing of the World Trade Center. He also plotted to blow up other New York City landmarks. Successfully prosecuted by our friend Andrew McCarthy, Rahman spent the last two decades behind bars. He died in February at age 78.
Saudi billionaire Adnan Kashoggi was an international wheeler and dealer for decades, but he became best known for serving as a middle man in the Iran-Contra affair, as the U.S. traded arms with Iran in exchange for American hostages to be released from Lebanon. Adnan Kashoggi was 81.
Years earlier, foreign policy crises from the Iran hostage crisis to Soviet aggression in Afghanistan exposed some weaknesses in the Carter administration. One of Carter’s key aides was National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. He died in May at the age of 89.
Charles Manson wanted to start a race war back in the 1960’s. He succeeded in starting a cult that murdered several people, including actress Sharon Tate in 1969. The evil head of the Manson family died in November. He was 83.
Last decade, one of the biggest cultural scandals was the revelation that some in the Catholic Church had reassigned pedophile priests instead of reporting them and removing them from ministry. Boston Archbishop Bernard Cardinal Law was perhaps the highest profile figure in the U.S. to be discovered doing this. In response to the scandal, Law was reassigned to Rome. He was 86.
This past summer an international political and medical debate played out in Britain over the fate of a baby named Charlie Gard. Officials in the UK determined Gard’s rare condition was irreversible and refused to let his parents take their critically ill son to the U.S. for therapies. After losing several legal fights, the end was inevitable. Little Charlie Gard died a month shy of his first birthday.
Two longtime Republican congressional figures died. Pete Domenici served 36 years in the U.S. Senate and was the top GOP member on the budget committee for 12 years. Domenici was 85. Bob Michel spent 38 years as a Republican congressman from Illinois. From 1981-1995, he served as House Minority Leader. Bob Michel was 93.
John Anderson was a liberal Republican congressman from Illinois for 20 years. In 1980, he sought the Republican presidential nomination and lost badly to Ronald Reagan. Undeterred, Anderson launched a third party bid against Reagan and President Jimmy Carter. Anderson carried no states and finished with about seven percent of the vote. Anderson died in December. He was 95.
Two prominent political activists also died in 2017. Norma McCorvey was the plaintiff in the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case and while she won the case, McCorvey later became a vigorous pro-life activist and lobbied for the abolition of abortion. McCorvey was 69.
The space race was a major political endeavor in the 1960’s, and the U.S. met President Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. The last man to set on the moon was Gene Cernan in 1972. Cernan died in January. He was 82.
Dick Gregory was a comedian who became more famous for his political activism on behalf of the black community and the poor. Gregory was 84.
In the media world, past and present figures from the Fox News Channel died this year. Roger Ailes built Fox News from a fledgling newcomer to the dominant player in cable news. Sexual harassment allegations led to his ouster in 2016. He died from complications of a fall at his home. Roger Ailes was 77.
Alan Colmes was a frequent liberal voice on Fox News for two decades, including a long primetime stint as co-host of “Hannity and Colmes.” Colmes died of cancer in February. He was 66.
Brenda Buttner was a longtime business report at Fox and hosted the weekend financial program “Bulls & Bears.” Buttner also died of cancer. She was 55.
Before Fox News took to cable, CNN’s “Capital Gang” made stars out of conservative writers, including National Review’s Kate O’Beirne. A brilliant political mind who was beloved on both sides of the aisle, O’Beirne died of cancer in April. She was 68.
Two of America’s greatest columnists also died this year. Jimmy Breslin was a legendary New York City writer for Newsday, the New York Daily News and several other publications. Breslin was 88. Frank DeFord brought the human touch to the sports pages and to his television commentary. DeFord died in May at age 78.
Hugh Hefner turned the Playboy lifestyle into a business empire and became a major flashpoint in the culture wars, with liberals crediting him for somehow empowering women while conservatives blamed him for objectifying women and sexualizing society. Hefner was 91.
Liz Smith was perhaps the best known and most widely read gossip columnist in America. Writing for several New York papers, Smith was 94.
One of the most famous sports broadcasters left us at the end of the year. The versatile Dick Enberg was NBC’s top play-by-play man for the NFL, college basketball, tennis, golf and the Olympics for many years, always punctuating the game’s biggest moments be exclaiming “Oh my!” Also a hall of of fame baseball announcer, Dick Enberg was 82.
In the sports world, Ara Parseghian revitalized Notre Dame football in the sixties and seventies and led the Fighting Irish to a pair of national championships in eleven seasons. Later a broadcaster, Parseghian was 94.
Parseghian arrived in South Bend in 1964, the same year Arkansas stunned the college football world by winning the national championship. Frank Broyles was the architect of that memorable season. He spent 19 seasons on the sideline in Fayetteville and 33 years as athletic director. Broyles was 92.
Dominant quarterbacks with rifle arms are commonplace today in the NFL, but one of the trailblazers in developing the modern passing game was Y.A. Tittle of the New York Giants. Tittle took the Giants to the brink of multiple titles, but fell just short each time. Y.A. Tittle was 90.
Aaron Hernandez was a dominant tight end who was a favorite target of Tom Brady for the New England Patriots. But just a few years into his career, Hernandez was charged and convicted of murder. He committed suicide in prison in April. Hernandez was 27.
Cortez Kennedy was a dominant hall of fame defensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks. Kennedy died suddenly in May. He was 48.
Two championship-winning college basketball coaches died this year. Jud Heathcote coached Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans to the 1979 national title in a game that effectively launched March Madness. Heathcote coached the Spartans for 20 years. He was 90.
Rollie Massimino coached at multiple schools but will always be remembered for leading the Villanova Wildcats to a huge upset over the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas in the 1985 championship game. Massimino was 82.
Jerry Krause was a very successful NBA general manager for the Chicago Bulls. But he also rubbed his star players and coach the wrong way. Krause was the architect of six NBA championship teams in the 1990’s. Krause died in March. He was 77.
In baseball, we lost a pair of hall of famers. Bobby Doerr was an outstanding second baseman for the Boston Red Sox during the Ted Williams era. Also a World War II veteran, Doerr was 99 when he died in November.
Jim Bunning pitched a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964 and was an ace for three other teams as well over a 17-year career. Bunning won 224 games and had the second most strikeouts in history at the time of his retirement. Bunning later served six terms in the House of Representatives and two terms in the U.S. Senate. Bunning was 85.
Roy Halladay was a dominant pitcher for the Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays and helped Philadelphia win the 2008 World Series. Halladay was just 40 years when he died after crashing a plane he was piloting in Florida.
Darren Daulton was an all-star catcher for the Phillies and was a critical factor in the team capturing the 1993 National League pennant. Dutch Daulton died of brain cancer. He was 55.
Dallas Green also pitched for the Phillies and later managed them to the their first championship in 1980. Green also managed the Yankees and Mets and served as general manager for the Cubs. Green was 82.
Don Baylor played for six teams, most often as a designated hitter or first baseman. Baylor picked up a World Series ring with the Minnesota Twins in 1987. He later managed the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies. Baylor was 68.
Jimmy Piersall was probably better known for his mental health issues than for his play on the field. Piersall played for five teams, most notably the Boston Red Sox. His book and the subsequent film, “Fear Strikes Out,” greatly raised his profile. Piersall was 87.
Mike Ilitch was the billionaire founder of Little Caesar’s Pizza who later bought the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings. The Tigers never won a title during Ilitch’s reign but the Red Wings captured four Stanley Cups. Mike Ilitch was 87.
In the fighting world, Jake LaMotta was a middleweight champion in the late forties and early fifties. Later immortalized in the film “Raging Bull,” LaMotta was 95.
Jana Novotna was an elite tennis player for years on the women’s tour. She gained worldwide notoriety for losing a commanding lead in the 1993 Wimbledon finals and sobbing on the shoulder of the dutchess handing out the trophies. Five years later, Novotna secured the Wimbledon crown. She died of cancer in November. Jana Novotna was 49.
Two famous pro wrestlers also left us. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka died in January at age 73. George “The Animal” Steele was known for his green tongue, incomprensible babbling, and eating turnbuckles. In reality, he had a master’s degree and was a high school teacher and coach. Steele was 79.
That’s a look at the famous people we lost in politics, the media, and sports. Please look for our look back at those we lost in television, the movies and music.
Free Market Advocates Hail ‘Net Neutrality’ Repeal
The Federal Communications Commission voted to reverse Obama-era ‘net neutrality’ regulations Thursday, cheering free market advocates and sparking fierce resistance from opponents who fear customers will be at the mercy of service providers.
The final vote, as expected, came along party lines. Three GOP appointees voted for the change, while the two commissioners appointed by President Obama voted against it.
In recent weeks, critics of the reversal intensified their protests, claiming that reversing net neutrality would allow internet service providers to gouge consumers and force them into buying more of their products. They also suggest removing government control increases the likelihood of fewer players in the industry.
However those verbal protests have escalated in ways that draw alarm, going so far as to publicize the names of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s children. Thursday’s proceedings were briefly interrupted by a security scare.
After the vote, the mainstream media posted alarming headlines. “End of the internet as we know it,” stated the headline at CNN.com.
On the CNN cable channel, the bottom of the screen read, “Party-line vote ends rules to keep internet open and fair.” On Twitter, the Associated Press reported, “BREAKING: The FCC votes on party lines to undo sweeping Obama-era ‘net neutrality’ rules that guaranteed equal access to internet.”
But is that what happened?
“Those folks obviously don’t need to know what they’re talking about to put out what they call news,” said former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who is now director of the Regulatory Action Center at FreedomWorks.
“What happened today is that the internet was returned today to the state of light regulation. The word ‘light’ was used by Congress – you know the people who write the underlying laws for this stuff – way back in the nineties, that it had for its entire life until 2015,” said Cuccinelli.
Nonetheless, in recent weeks, critics of the reversal intensified their protests, going so far as to publicize the names of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s children. Thursday’s proceedings were briefly interrupted by a security scare.
“Violence is acceptable to many on the left to achieve their political goals. Let me say that again. Violence is acceptable to many on the left to achieve their political goals. Those goals always involve more government control and power,” said Cuccinelli.
For those fearful of what a reversal of net neutrality might mean, Cuccinelli offers a challenge.
“I would challenge any of the conspiracy theorists on the left to identify one thing that was impaired before 2015 that was suddenly fixed by those regulations or in the whole two years since then that is suddenly imperiled again. The answer is they can’t. What has been provided is certainty of the freedom of the internet again,” said Cuccinelli.
But while opponents of the reversal face that challenge, critics might fire back by asking how the internet supposedly got worse over the past two years, thus requiring such a move from the FCC.
Cuccinelli says internet service providers slowed down the expansion and upgrading of their networks long before 2015 in anticipation of net neutrality from the Obama administration.
“Investment in the internet began to drop. We’re talking hundreds of billions of dollars. The internet doesn’t just exist. It has to be built and the government didn’t build it. Private entities built it and it’s expensive to build.
“So what the Obama administration was trying to do was tell people who built pieces of the internet what they could and couldn’t do with their own property. If that’s your option, are you as likely to build stuff if the government’s going to tell you what to do with it. Of course not,” said Cuccinelli.
“We were freed from that with Chairman Pai’s proposed and now adopted freeing of the internet, the actual freeing of the internet from government. Leftists believe freedom comes from government,” he added.
But what about the concerns that rolling back federal regulations will be bad news for consumers? Cuccinelli says there are still plenty of provisions in the law to help any customers being gouged by their service providers.
“When consumers are preyed upon on the internet, the [Federal Trade Commission] is still there and state attorneys general – something I know about – are there to police fraud and that sort of behavior, whether it’s on the internet or not. That opportunity still exists,” said Cuccinelli.
He also says there’s little reason to worry that competition among service providers will suffer.
“The ability to capture market share with no one else having any option to close in on you doesn’t exist anymore because of technology,” said Cuccinelli, who asserts that there is a much greater likelihood of competition eroding with the government picking winners and losers with respect to the internet.
Cuccinelli says if any regulations need to be added, they should not spring up from government bureaucrats.
“Let’s do it in the accountable body, the Congress, the one people vote for,” said Cuccinelli. “Although I hope they end up right where they are now, that Congress looks at all this and decides we don’t want more regulation on the internet. That has never worked,” said Cuccinelli.
With one side proclaiming freedom reigns on the internet and the other dreading the future with net neutrality kicked to the curb, Cuccinelli says reality will prove who is right.
“Thankfully, we’re going to have years of experience without this Obama-era regulation in place. People are going to see productivity is going up, more access, more opportunity, more products available,” he said.
Cuccinelli says when it comes to opportunity, expecting progress through the federal government is a proven failure.
“More regulation from government has never expanded opportunity, freedom, or productivity in the marketplace. There’s no reason to expect it to happen on the internet,” said Cuccinelli.
Huge Air Force Error, Media Yawn as Rand Paul Assaulted, McMullin’s Tired Act
It’s all crazy martinis today. Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are furious as the Air Force discovers it never forwarded the court martial information on the Texas church shooter that would have prevented him from legally purchasing guns and Jim also details how the federal government often seems disinterested in prosecuting gun crimes. They also discuss the bizarre assault on Sen. Rand Paul by his neighbor in Kentucky and how the media just don’t care when GOP lawmakers are targeted for violence. And they unload on 2016 independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin, who has spent the past year focused on criticizing President Trump at every turn while advancing nothing of value to conservatism – his latest move being to urge people not to vote for the GOP candidate for governor in Virginia.
Kelly’s Critical Message, Revolting ‘Rock Star,’ Left Suddenly Respects Bush 43
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud White House Chief of Staff John Kelly for painfully explaining to reporters and the public what the family of a fallen service member goes through and why he was stunned at Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson going public with her condemnation of President Trump’s phone call with the grieving widow of a slain soldier. They also vent their disgust as Wilson reacts to Kelly’s criticism by claiming she is stunned at all the attention she is getting from the White House and planning to tell her children she’s now “a rock star.” And they roll their eyes as many liberal writers and commentators claim they’ve always thought George W. Bush was a decent guy in the wake of his speech that many see as a rebuke of Trump. Jim reminds lefties of how they compared Bush to Hitler on a regular basis and accused him knowing about the 9/11 terrorist attacks ahead of time.
Trump Decertifies Iran Deal, Health of GOP Senators, Media’s Giant Blind Spot
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome President Trump’s refusal to certify that Iran is honoring its part of the 2015 nuclear deal but wonder whether the deal will eventually be scrapped or be allowed to stick around. They also approach the delicate issue of aging Republicans missing considerable time in the U.S. Senate and when the right time is to decide another term is not a good idea. And they shake their heads as Chuck Todd of MSNBC rightly castigates the rise of activism cloaked as journalism but cannot see or admit that’s what his employer does on a daily basis.
GOP Plays Hardball on Judges, Trump & Free Press, NBC Spiked Weinstein Story
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for squashing the “blue slip” system and expediting the confirmation of judicial appointments. Even though they’re pretty sure President Trump is joking about pulling network licenses in response to “fake news,” they explain why a president should never be threatening the existence of a media outlet over their content. And they cheer Ronan Farrow for his impressive reporting on the extent of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assaults and harassment, while also blasting NBC for its lame explanation for refusing to run the story months ago.
Huckabee Talks Trump, New TV Show
Mike Huckabee has a new TV show and he has plenty to say about it and his first guest.
“We had a little difficulty getting somebody who makes news, but we got the next best thing we could. President Trump is going to be our very first guest on our very first show,” said Huckabee.
Huckabee was governor of Arkansas from 1996-2007 and later sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016. In between those campaigns for the White House, Huckabee hosted the highly-rated “Huckabee” each week on the Fox News Channel.
His new program, also entitled “Huckabee,” premieres Saturday, October 7, at 8 p.m. ET on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, or TBN.
As he prepares to interview Trump, Huckabee says he, like many other Americans, is frustrated by the lack of progress of major legislation.
“I think he’s got to get the Republicans to understand they weren’t elected to go up there and sit on their hands. Many of us are extremely frustrated that after seven-and-a-half years of saying they would repeal and replace Obamacare if they had an opportunity. They’ve had two great opportunities and they’ve blown both of them. There’s just no excuse for that,” said Huckabee.
However, he is quick to assert that Trump does not deserve the blame.
“I can’t blame that on the president. I’ve got to blame it on the members of the Congress who were very disingenuous in saying they were going to do something and it turns out they didn’t have any intention of getting it done. That is a leadership issue in the Congress. The president has done his part,” said Huckabee.
Huckabee also has strong words for GOP members who he believes allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
“Some of the Republicans have to understand that if it’s an all-or-nothing, now-or-never proposition for them, they’re going to get nothing and they’re going to get it forever. You can’t have people walking into the kitchen, 535 members of the House and Senate, all bring their spoon and their spice and saying, ‘I want it just like I want it.’ Doesn’t work like that,” he said.
Huckabee is known for his good-natured political sparring, so what does he think of Trump’s combative style with the media? He sees Trump doing an excellent job of taking his message straight to the people.
“Clearly the media does not care much for President Trump and I think they make that so very vividly clear. But he has a way around them. He has social media. He can go on shows like mine, which he’s going to do this weekend. He’ll be able to talk to America, where he doesn’t get filtered by a reporter from the New York Times or the Washington Post,” said Huckabee.
Huckabee has a very personal connection to the Trump administration’s confrontation with the left-leaning press. His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, serves as White House Press Secretary. Huckabee says her unflappable style is very impressive in a fairly hostile atmosphere.
“People ask me, ‘Are you nervous when she goes up there?’ Absolutely not. I have every confidence that’s she’s absolutely capable of doing that job and doing it well. I watch, basically saying, ‘Way to go, girl. Good job,'” said Huckabee.
He says the secret to Sanders staying calm is her refusal to escalate the tensions in the press room.
“She never takes that stuff personally. She’s lived her whole life, since the time she was a little kid, in the world of politics. So she’s not shocked by all of the stuff that she sees and hears every day. It’s kind of old hat to her. They’re just not going to be able to get under her skin,” said Huckabee.
From his daughter’s work in the West Wing to his own endorsement of Trump last year after ending his own campaign, Huckabee has spent plenty of private time with President Trump. He is very impressed with the man he’s gotten to know.
“He’s really an incredibly gracious, personable, warm individual. His relationship to his children is enviable. There’s no father in America that would not to have the kind of closeness and repoire with his adult children any more than he does,” said Huckabee.
“I’ve seen a lot of political people who would come from backstage, they would walk out to the crowd. They would hold hands, they would wave and they would smile. I would see them backstage and it was anything but that. With Donald Trump, the most warm moments are the ones backstage when no one is there but his family,” said Huckabee.
While some Republicans are wary of Trump doing business with key Democrats on immigration and federal spending, Huckabee says it sets a positive precedent.
“It’s kind of like how we’re going to approach issues on the show. I want to get Democrats on the show and ask, ‘How do you fix this? What is your idea?’ They may have some good ones. And I’m not going to yell and scream at them and talk on top of them so we can’t hear what they say,” said Huckabee.
“Sometimes what they say may come across as ridiculous. If it does, it does, but we need a country where there really is that kind of give and take that I feel like we have been missing for a long time,” he added.
In that vein, Huckabee vows his show will not be the traditional fare of competing talking heads.
“I want to make sure that we don’t do it in a way that’s become increasingly prevalent, which is what I call political ping pong. You get a couple of people, one on the left and one on the right, and they just bounce back and forth between very predictable talking points,” said Huckabee.
How will his program be different? Huckabee says he’s taking a “vertical” approach as opposed to a horizontal one.
“Rather than focus so much on the left versus the right, I want to talk about what makes [things] better, what makes [them] worse, what are the real solutions and not just to play the blame game and point fingers. How could we fix health care? Why haven’t we? I want to give the viewer an understanding of how government actually works and why things either happen or don’t,” said Huckabee.
The show is not just politics. Huckabee says there will be a lot of music and other entertainment. He is excited to host the show from Nashville and tap all the talent in Music City, but he also plans to highlight the uplifting stories found all across America.
He says the heroes in Las Vegas this week are a perfect example.
“There were people who were laying their lives down for others, risking their lives. Many people came out of their without their shirts because they had torn them to make tourniquets and bandages for people they didn’t even know,” said Huckabee.
“That’s who we are as a country. We’re not the guy on the thirty-second floor indiscriminately killing people. We’re the people who rushed to the sounds of the guns so that we could help those who had been shot. That’s the America that we need to put a big focus on and shine the spotlight on it,” said Huckabee.
Hillary Blames Constitution, ‘Shoot Irma’ Panic, Media’s Hurricane Madness
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are back from vacation. Before discussing the day’s martinis, they remember the horrific events of September 11, 2001 and why we must remember what happened that day. Then they welcome the news that Hillary Clinton will never run for office again and laugh as she blames the “godforsaken electoral college” among many other factors for her defeat last year. They also shake their heads as a tongue-in-cheek Facebook page encouraging people to “Shoot at Hurricane Irma” gets the media and even law enforcement very alarmed. And they sigh as the major networks once again send their reporters into fierce storms, somehow thinking we won’t believe there is a hurricane unless we see their people getting hammered by the rain and wind.
Humans Aren’t Responsible for Harvey
Within the dramatic coverage of Hurricane Harvey and the historic flooding that ensued, the mainstream media repeatedly assert that climate changes triggered by human activity are responsible for the amount of devastation seen along the Texas coast, but a leading critic of the climate change movement says science tells a very different story – that cooling is playing a key role.
Since Friday, record amounts of rainfall have inundated the Houston area, flooding countless homes and roads, and forcing thousands of rescues of stranded residents by emergency responders and area residents.
But as the media share the dramatic stories of rescue and loss, they are also suggesting human activity played a role in the severity of this storm.
“What is the role of man-made climate change in disasters like this one?” asked CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
CNN political contributor Ron Brownstein was even more assertive.
“There is no doubt that climate change, particularly because of the warming of the ocean waters and the gulf waters, makes storms like this more common,” said Brownstein.
CNN anchor John Berman presented climate change as a reason when speaking with former National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read.
“One of the thing we’ve from scientists over the last ten years is that climate change does impact the intensity of many of the storms that we see,” said Berman.
Read did not agree.
“I probably wouldn’t attribute what we’re looking at here. This is not an uncommon occurrence,” said Read.
So did human activity play a role in the misery being inflicted upon Texas?
“Man-made climate change is not occurring. There’s no evidence for that whatsoever, and climate changes all the time naturally,” said Dr. Tim Ball, a former professor of climatology at the University of Winnipeg and the author of “The Deliberate Corruption of Climate Science.”
He says partisans are cherry-picking information to advance a narrative.
“They’re taking things out of context. You’re looking at one event. When you look at the long-term history of hurricanes and severe weather events, this is well within the normal variability and nothing unusual at all,” said Ball, who posits that government agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is using Harvey to further a political point.
“NOAA especially, and the media amplifying it, are doing everything to hype these things because they want to push this whole human-caused global warming agenda,” said Ball.
Even worse, Ball says anyone with the temerity to dispute the government and media line is targeted for ridicule and humiliation.
“To try and get to the truth and to calm things down is almost impossible. If you dare to even question any of this, it’s ‘Oh, you don’t care about the people that are drowning or the loss of life and so on. How dare you say that?’ This is what’s going on. you’re immediately bullied into silence if you dare to try to bring some semblance of reason and evidence and facts to the issue,” said Ball.
So why have we seen record rainfall topping more than 50 inches of rain in Texas and why did the storm just linger on the coast for days? Ball says it’s actually just the opposite of what the climate change activists would have people believe.
“The reason it parked itself day after day is because the world is cooling down and the cold air is pushing down from the north. If you look at the weather maps, you’ll see that there were two high pressure ridges to the northwest of where the hurricane would normally go inland and they were preventing it from moving inland. So it’s actually global cooling that’s causing the problem,” said Ball.
He says tropical storms and hurricanes typically lose steam very quickly once they hit land but Harvey stopped at the worst possible place.
“With Harvey, that’s not fully happening. Half of it is over the land and half is over the water, so it’s continuing to pick up some of the moisture and that’s feeding the steady rainfalls that are associated with it,” said Ball.
While Harvey’s rainfall totals are the worst on record, Ball says that’s no reason to jump to conclusions about human activity playing a role.
“Has this happened before? Of course. It’s just that it hasn’t happened as far as I know in the modern record of hurricane events. To understand the meteorology of it and to say that this would have occurred in the past is perfectly reasonable,” said Ball.
However, experts who agree that humans do play a role in the changing climate say the volatility and severity of events such as Harvey are proof of their conclusions. Ball says it’s just the opposite.
“The increased variability of weather, that is what you get when the world starts to cool down. The cold air starts pushing farther south, That’s what’s caused the problems with Harvey, and what it does is amplify the variability of the weather and the climate and that’s what we’re seeing happening,” said Ball.
Ball says the cooling planet is just the latest failure of most climate scientists to predict what will happen.
“The fact that all the predictions of temperature that have been made since 1990 have been wrong. If your forecasts are wrong, your science is wrong,” said Ball.
Ball points to a new British study suggesting 2016 is the warmest year on record as an attempt to keep the political narrative in place in spite of the science.
“They cooked the data to show this. There is a warm patch down in the southeast of England right now, but the rest of England is below normal temperatures. So it’s this cherry-picking of data and selectivity of data to push the agenda you’ve sold to the public,” said Ball.
He says the politicians pushing the climate change agenda are too far down the road to turn around now.
“As a bureaucrat, you don’t want to come out and say to the politicians who put their political lives on the line with this, ‘Hey, what I told you was wrong.’ That ain’t going to happen. This is the difficulty. When you get it in a bureaucracy, it takes on a life of its own,” said Ball.
Ball says the cooler the earth gets in the coming years, the more the public will see the truth in the climate debate.
“There will be a continued attempt to keep it going but the evidence for cooling will continue to grow. Gradually, people will start to realize that they’ve been fooled by it,” said Ball.