The Command Post - 2004 US Presidential Election - Bush to blame for Hurricanes, Democrats to Ban Bible

September 25, 2004

| Bush to blame for Hurricanes, Democrats to Ban Bible

Attempting to take political advantage of the devastating hurricanes that have hit Florida and the southeastern section of the United States in the past few weeks, liberal political action group MoveOn.org is saying that President George W. Bush is to blame for “making extreme weather stronger.”
In an e-mail to supporters, MoveOn.org rhetorically asks “why such extreme weather” has taken place with Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan causing billions of dollars in property damage and loss of life.

Coincidentally, Space Daily criticised a recent conference of environmental experts for discussing a truly stupid idea.:

The group included noted skeptics Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas of the George Marshall Institute in Washington, D.C., along with three state climatologists and several university professors, and focused on the recent hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.
With the occurrence of such severe weather events - and regardless of the type of event, flood, heat wave, blizzard, cold spell or tropical storm - news stories seem to mention global warming as a possible cause, the group said in a news release.
[…]
Contrary to this assertion, neither the media nor other climate scientists are attributing the force or frequency of hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan or Jeanne to global warming.

So, having set up this straw man, the skeptics had little trouble knocking it down.

In contrast, CBS is in a Rlather over a single over-the-top graphic :

Campaign literature mailed by the Republican National Committee warns voters in two states that the Bible will be prohibited and men will marry men if “liberals” win in November.
The New York Times reported that the mass mailing was sent to voters in Arkansas and West Virginia, and was part of a GOP effort to mobilize religious voters.

The literature shows a Bible with the word “BANNED” across it and a photo of a man, on his knees, placing a ring on the hand of another man with the word “ALLOWED.” The mailing tells West Virginians to “vote Republican to protect our families” and defeat the “liberal agenda.”

The Times said RNC spokeswoman Christine Iverson had confirmed that the GOP had sent out the mailings.
[…]
Jim Jordan, a spokesman for America Coming Together, an anti-Bush group, described the mailing as “standard-issue Republican hate-mongering.”

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards issued a statement saying that President Bush “should condemn the practice immediately and tell everyone associated with the campaign to never use tactics like this again,” the Times reported.

Posted by Alan Brain at September 25, 2004 07:22 AM | TrackBack

Comments

..thanks Alan;you started my day..”We Report You Decide”..just gained a whole new meaning..

Posted by: Rob_NC at September 25, 2004 08:21 AM

When does the DNC start their Litany?

Mea Culpa…

I am not excusing the RNC.

Posted by: Cap'n DOC at September 25, 2004 10:15 AM

In an e-mail to supporters, MoveOn.org rhetorically asks “why such extreme weather” has taken place with Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan causing billions of dollars in property damage and loss of life.

As someone with multiple degrees in atmospheric physics, experience in climatology and operational meteorology, and atmospheric modeling…I can state unequivocally that the MoveOn statement is utter BS. The fact that the LLL would go on record with such nonsense says 2 things: the MoveOn organization is filled with people who have no more than an 8th grade understanding of science; and/or, the MoveOn organization is counting on the fact that their target audience is filled with people who have no more than an 8th grade understanding of science.

Posted by: anymouse at September 25, 2004 02:26 PM

Quoth anymouse:

I can state unequivocally that the MoveOn statement is utter BS.

So can I. I don’t have multiple degrees of any sort. But when it’s coming from MoveOn.org (or the DU, or lately CBS), I’ll assume it’s a lie until there is objective, verifiable evidence otherwise.

Posted by: gus3 at September 25, 2004 04:07 PM

This morning the AP had a story headline by Jennifer Loven. The headline was ‘Bush twists Kerry’s words on Iraq’. That demanded a call to the Milwaukee AP office, since they backed up the ‘booing’ story from here. I got a very defensive young aspiring journalist girl, who took the ‘home office did it’ defense. This afternoon I notice that the headline has now changed to ‘Bush AND Kerry twist each others words’…. ha ha ha
Do you think old Jennifer got stick crammed up her kazoo or maybe that she might be farmed out to CBS!!! ha ha LIBS everywhere…can you say LANDSLIDE!!

Posted by: dickmr at September 25, 2004 07:30 PM

I can now hear them now at the mornig staff meetings at the various MSM offices ending with a stern warning to all the journalists and reporters, “Remember, there are now thousands of editors and experts out there just waiting for you to show your bias and poor research work… you all be real carful out there!”

I even read it in the Time magazine article about the screw up at CBS. The author correcty reported that the bloggers quickly pointed out that the superscrip “th” was not available on type writers in the 70s. Then the article’s writer added the statement, “… which has since been proven to be false.” What a bunch of hog wash showing their bias with such a snide statement! The author did not state that even though the superscript “th” was available on a very limited number of typewriters, it is doubtful that a NG office would have had one of these available to them owing to the cost and difficulty in using.

The era of eliteist, lazy and incompetent journalism is now ending, hopefully… but we have to be vigilant.

Posted by: steve at September 25, 2004 10:28 PM

The original story I was mentioning above was noted on the Powerline site. So, I am sure I was not the only person protesting AP’s biased story. It is downright laughable when AP changes the headline…now its ”Bush, Kerry, twist each others words” Seems the pajamadeen started gathering info on poor Jenny and her Clinton Admin. husband named Ballentine. No wonder she got that headline changed before the spotlight of the wired world got on her. They sold a house in Washington last year….half way down on the following page; I found it interesting what little amount of house you get for $501,000

http://www.washingtonlife.com/backissues/archives/03may/real_estate.htm

Posted by: dickmr at September 26, 2004 01:26 AM

dickmr -

“the pajamadeen”

ROFLOL

Posted by: Jim at September 26, 2004 01:51 AM