What's New Friday June1, 2007

WHAT’S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 1 Jun 07   Washington, DC

1. CLIMATE CHANGE: BUSH PROPOSES A NEW APPROACH - SET GOALS.
President Bush rejected the Kyoto treaty six years ago, saying it 
would "harm our economy." "Climate change" did not show up in Bush’s 
vocabulary until his 2007 State-of-the-Union address.  Yesterday, however, 
pressured to take action, he trotted out his "new international climate 
change framework," declaring "the United States takes this issue 
seriously."  Other leaders at next week’s G-8 summit, who are leaning 
toward a bold German plan to reduce greenhouse emissions 50% by 2050, are 
unlikely to be impressed.  The plan outlined by the White House is classic 
Bush: it contained no concrete targets or dates, no enforcement mechanism, 
no penalties for noncompliance, and it wouldn’t take effect until four 
years after Bush leaves office.  

2. WHAT CLIMATE PROBLEM?  NASA HEAD IS ON A DIFFERENT PLANET.
Just two hours before the President’s remarks, Michael Griffin, the man 
Bush picked to head the agency charged with collecting climate change 
data, was interviewed on National Public Radio.  He defended cuts in 
programs to monitor climate change: It frees resources for a manned moon 
base, and a new crew transportation vehicle to take astronauts to the 
Moon, Mars and the space station.  He saw no need to take action against 
global warming.  "Who has the privilege of deciding that this is the best 
climate for all other human beings," he asked?  Just two months ago the 
IPCC report detailed the enormous cost of global warming on human life. 
Where has he been?   

3. BELIEFS: BROWNBACK DEFENDS SCIENTIFIC ILLITERACY BY EXAMPLE.
A month ago at the Republican Presidential debate, there was a show of 
hands of those who don’t believe in evolution.  One who raised his hand, 
Sam Brownback, was moved to explain why in yesterday’s New York Times: "I 
believe wholeheartedly that there cannot be any contradiction between 
faith and reason." Which faith does he have in mind?  Different faiths are 
often at war with each other, but no wars are fought over science.  
Science relies on Nature as the sole arbiter.  There was much more, all in 
the language of the intelligent design movement, including the 
substitution of "materialism" for "naturalism."

4. ANTIMISSILE TEST: LAST WEEK’S TEST WAS VERY REALISTIC.
The target missile never got off the ground.  After all, what rogue 
nation, even one as nutty as N. Korea, would launch a missile at the 
dominant nuclear power?  The return address is on the package.  The 
nuclear threat today is from weapons in cargo containers, or assembled in 
a target country. 

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
---
Archives of What's New can be found at http://www.bobpark.org
What's New is moving to a different listserver and our
subscription process has changed. To change your subscription
status please visit this link:
http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=bobparks-whatsnew&A=1