More on Global Warming...

A couple of interesting articles this week: Michelle Goldberg on the "Christian nationalist" movement, which she says is perhaps motivated by "extreme individualism" and people who refuse to "recognize social links or obligations," and Katherine Mieszkowski on the possible short-term solution of "carbon offsets."

I thought An Inconvenient Truth was, on the whole, very good. There are a lot of good arguments on global warming, especially the early comment that many politicians keep the subject "at arm's length" because, otherwise, immediate action to confront the problem would become an "inescapable moral imperative." The information is a little dumbed-down in parts, and there are a few moments that some may view as "self-indulgent Al Gore moments." However, IMO, these transgressions are entirely forgivable if it makes the information more easily digestible for the average viewer, and/or if it makes it more likely that Gore would occupy the White House in 2008. He has my vote.

Even more entertaining is the panicky "Swift-Boat" response of the Right, which Paul Krugman writes about here and here. Take a look at a few typical criticisms of Gore and the movie here, here, and here... make it into a little game and see if you can spot a valid argument! You'll have to sift through a hell of a lot of loaded language, over-simplifications, ad hominems, and appeals to ignorance...