PRESS RELEASE August 2, 2012
Contact:
Matt Dempsey Matt_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov
Katie Brown Katie_Brown@epw.senate.gov
Inhofe Exposes Another Epic Fail by Global Warming Alarmists
Photo Posted by KFOR and Think Progress
The dumpster fire that caused the melting lights
Photo Provided by KFOR
Link to Think Progress Blog Post
Link to Watts Up With That: Alarmist fact checking – street lights don’t melt at 115°F
Washington, D.C. – Today the far-left blog Think Progress posted a photo (originally posted on KFOR’s facebook page) of street lights in Oklahoma that had melted, they claimed, because of extreme heat. Global warming alarmist Bill McKibben took to Twitter immediately to publicize what he believed to be proof of global warming, tweeting to Senator James Inhofe (Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, “Senator Inhofe, God may be trying to get your attention. Check out this picture.”
Not long after the picture surfaced, Oklahomans posted comments on Think Progress’ blog saying that these lights had melted due to a fire – which makes sense considering that the two front lights were melted while the two back lights remained unscathed. Once this news came to light, Think Progress immediately removed the post and provided an update that reads: “After we published this piece, we saw reports from people on the ground in Stillwater that the melting streetlights were due to a nearby fire. The person who took the photo, Patrick Hunter, described the scene: ‘Being the person that actually took this photo, I’d say that this was due to a fire semi-close by coupled with the unbelievable heat we are experiencing.’ Still an amazing photo and not fake as many are saying on here. Enjoy!”
This afternoon, KFOR confirmed that the melted lights in the photo were not caused by hot temperatures but a nearby dumpster fire.
“Poor Bill McKibben – he’s been trying to get something to melt for ages but it keeps backfiring,” Senator Inhofe said. “These alarmists never learn their lesson. Remember Bill McKibben was the one who was going to melt a giant ice sculpture in the shape of the word ‘hoax’ on the national mall, but his group had to cancel because there wasn’t enough interest. Now, after proclaiming that street lights in Oklahoma are melting because of global warming, we have confirmation that a fire caused this scene.
“Amid the resurgence of hysteria from my friends on the left, I appreciated climatologist Dr. John Christy who testified this week before the Environment and Public Works committee saying that instead of proclaiming this summer is ‘what global warming looks like’ it is ‘scientifically more accurate to say that this is what Mother Nature looks like, since events even worse than these have happened in the past before greenhouse gases were increasing like they are today.’
“This isn’t the first time alarmists have tried these stunts and it certainly won’t be the last – when will they finally realize they’ve lost this debate?”
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Sen Inhofe is basically saying “Bazinga!” to McKibben. 🙂
Answer: No they won’t ever admit to losing anything. The left never gives up. If this issue wasn’t so important, it would be a lot of fun to sit back and watch their antics.
I would say that you are lucky in the US because you have high profile sceptics in the Senate and in acadenia. Contrast this to the UK where every MP is a “believer” (with 3 honourable exceptions).
Europe is doomed to go through an increasing period of poverty and rocketing energy prices due the Global warming hysteria and there seems to be no mainstream politician who will stick his head above the parapit.
Ipso Facto
Comedy gold 🙂
Eventually the left will just get another tool, something different to beat the drum about. It is really all about them finding the right scare topic, to get the world to let them have more power. Sounds like a good book or movie topic, except that it’s already been done. I’ll just have to stick with what I’m writing.
Trivial. Irrelevant to the scientific debate. But FUNNY!
Weepy Bill and Think Progress with the Gore all inserting their foot in their mouths. Talk about jumping the gun!
Another reminder why it’s a really good idea to engage the brain before hitting “send”. Now I’m curious to know whether Bill McKibben really believes streetlights could melt in a Summer heat wave (maybe he knows the person with the city contract to supply them ???), or that he just believes that the general public will believe that, or possibly that he was simply so eager to ring any alarm on global warming that he didn’t think at all.
Now maybe these are new-fangled “green” streetlights which use CFL bulbs or LEDs and wimpy plastic covers, but for most streetlights in the US today the bulbs inside get much hotter than any exterior temperature ever recorded anyplace on this planet which actually has streetlights. Even with using cooler bulbs, streetlight covers tend to be fairly tough to resist casual vandalism.
Senator Inhofe, You have to be the most scientifically illiterate and brain-washed-with-oil excuse for Senator that the USA has ever seen. I wish that you would agree to take my “short course” on climate change that is available free of charge on my web site, ericgrimsrud.com. Mother Nature is going to do things one way – Her way – in response to the impacts of Man and the field of Science has historically provided our best means of predicting what that way is. Senator Inhofe, in addition to my website, read the position statements of all of the scientific professional organizations of your country. If you don’t, I need not wish your grandchildren to go to hell, they will because of their grandpa and his ilk.
Eric Grimsrud, Author of “Thoughts of a Scientist, Citizen and Grandpa on Climate Change”, website: ericgrimsrud.com
In the UK, local governments have switched-off many street lights, ostensibly to reduce carbon emissions as well as saving money.
Truly, the lights are going out over Europe.
Think Regress headline: “UPDATE: In Oklahoma City, It’s So Hot And Dry There’s Mandatory Water Rationing”
No they’re not; those are watering restrictions .. watering even/odd street addresses and certain days of the week on account of increased DEMAND by citizens to keep lawns green!
Silly alarmists; it’s like they just woke up today and traversed straight out of adolescence into senility (having skipped an intervening period of rational adulthood) …
.
BUT…. the fire was caused by global warming just like all those forest fires.
Shocking propoganda. It is publicise, not publize.
Even worse it is propaganda.
Considering they’ve monkeyed around with photos of polar bears and Photoshopped flooded homes, this should come as no surprise.
RCS says:
August 2, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Europe is doomed to go through an increasing period of poverty and rocketing energy prices due the Global warming hysteria and there seems to be no mainstream politician who will stick his head above the parapit.
Now, Václav Klaus is pretty mainstream, isn’t he? While Europe is a bit more than its Western fringe. Mitteleuropa, anyone?
“Senator Inhofe, God may be trying to get your attention. Check out this picture.”
To quote a character wiser than I, “What a maroon!”
Tim Walker: “Sounds like a good book or movie topic, except that it’s already been done.”
Yep. Ming the Merciless to Doctor Evil. You only have to read a few of the plots and character quotes to realize how much of this has been predicted.
Once again, the Left is incapable of accurate observation. Seeing a photo of two melted light covers next to two unmelted light covers, they conclude that Global Warming caused the melting. I would really like to know the thought process that took place from observation to conclusion.
Senator Inhofe is brilliant (in my humble opinion all the way from Australia).
Sanity spreads. The whole world is turning and waking up. This is exciting to watch. Yes, it may take an age, and yes, there is plenty of damage to repair, but it’s starting. As all countries are watching all other countries, it will spread and cannot be stopped. It’s already sneaking in everywhere. Skeptical views are getting into main stream newspapers here in Australia and I understand New Zealand has some good news, too, in their court case.
It’s happening, folks. 🙂
I know this may be a little OT. But NOAA has been touting this crazy drought for July being US wide.. Being an AZ resident currently tying to not float away by the amazing rains we have gotten. This graph showing AZ in a severe drought peaked my interest. http://www.droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_west.htm I looked at the rain totals for July throught AZ and most are above average.. Some by a lot. What gives? Did NOAA forget to check the rain gauges? Are they averaging that for the entire year?
That is all almost too good to be true !!!
Priceless !
eric grimsrude, you forgot your /sarc tag.
@ur momisugly Tim Walker
The left has a new drum to march to, sustainability. The left politicians have given up on Global Warming, it has played out its purpose of moving their agenda along. Obama’s last major energy speech didn’t even mention [Global] Warming. The left is now into wind power and solar because that is where the money is. And they call it sustainability as a handy catch phrase to sell it to the public.
My belief is that climate and global warming will soon be left to the scientists to sort out and all the alarmists will soon see their grants and paid vacations dry up unless they are wise enough to move to the new scam.
Alarmists – wise, not very likely.