Includes an intriguing assertion that the ‘long covid’ syndrome, with lasting neurological damage, is nothing new with flus.
I know, I know: Vernon denies that there’s a global warming crisis (shockhorrorstorm!!!). So obviously, absolutely everything he has to say must be dismissable as total nonsense, right?
Right? Or might it just be our old, virtually universal glitch of blind-spots/hot-buttons, which nevertheless don’t necessarily make the mis-perceiver wrong on all subjects outwith the blind-spot? Frequently spot on right, in fact. Think of our old buddy Keith le Bile. Is he a savvy commentator on a wide range of matters or not? Obviously he is; just de-trollies instantly whenever the subject is abortion/women’s rights.
And anyway, who knows - note that key verb! - that Vernon is wrong about the climate panic? Could it be that no-one anywhere is in a position to make an absolutely authoritative prediction about how exactly the climate shift, which is clearly happening, because they’re always happening, will be as apocalyptic as the unlucky Chicken Little* personalities fear it will be…?
I haven’t the least doubt that our current population overshoot and over-demand is helping to trigger the changes. But apocalypse now? As certainly as death and taxes? Really? Well, do everything you can to ameliorate the impact; there are indeed lots of materially-useful things to be busy with, such as planting and defending every tree we can (out planting conkers and acorns this morning, for example). And other than that, without succumbing to (inappropriate) terminal panic and despair… W&S!
* Term used strictly as a very handy, vivid designator of a particular unlucky type of strongly fear-prone personality. Not meant as an adhom.
The connection between the covid sceptics and global warming denialism is unfortunate, and widespread.
The Gt Barrington declaration, to pick just one recent example, was similarly hosted, funded and published by the American Institute for Economic Researc - an outfit (partially) funded by the Koch brothers and also well into climate change denial.
The GB declaration in particular smells exactly like the efforts used by well funded outfits to try and debunk climate science. Big public declaration, no research backing it up, the veneer of scientific authority.
I would suggest this is a great candidate for your highly developed sense of scepticism my friend!
Vernon? On the take from cruds like the Kochs? I doubt it. His scepticism is homegrown. No axe-grinding shillery that I’ve ever detected. That’s why I add him to my pile of people to heed. Got something authentic to contribute. But of course, always caveat blind-spots. I doubt whether I could name a single worthwhile commentator who doesn’t have them; in fact I doubt that any such Lieutenant Data exists…
PS: Let’s just burnish here, for the sake of quality at 5F, the old saw: ‘Never mind the messenger (and his/her backers), feel the message’. Is it true? If it is, that’s what counts. How will you know for sure? You won’t - ever. Just keep surfing, and suss out whatever intuitive gestalt begins to appear. In the weltering blizzard of mixed, contradictory messages roaring over us constantly, that seems to me to be the only way to grope towards even tentative conclusions.
By contrast, it’s always right to ask: ‘Who’s backing this speaker, and why?’ But the answer is never a definitive vindicator/de-vindicator of the arguments/facts presented. They stand or fall on objective criteria, always.
