OF OSTRICHES AND LEMMINGS: The Silliness of Climate Change Hysteria

By Martin Capages

This is a fictional history of the science of Climate Change from the perspective of a bunch of hogs.

 

The world has never experienced a method of mass communication as instantaneous as that provided by the Internet. Unfortunately, it has also sped up the ability for lies to spread. "A Lie will go around the world while Truth i

• Language: English
• Publisher: American Freedom Publications LLC
• Release date: Jan 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637523803

Book preview

DEDICATION

Professor Freeman John Dyson

Dr. S. Fred Singer

‘Sic itur ad astra’

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to thank my wife, Pamela for her love and steadfast help in proofreading the text of this little book. 

I am also grateful to my friend, Andy May for his encouragement at my pseudo-fiction and sketching as well as his courage in writing the Foreword.

Finally, I want to thank my son, Chris for his artistic rendering of the cover of this silly book.

Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

OTHER WORKS BY THE AUTHOR

FOREWORD BY ANDY MAY

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE AND HARMONY

MIGRATION

LAURASLAND

GODSWANDERLAND

MERICUS AND CHRISTOP

PATER CONTINUES TO EXPLORE

ELECTRICITY

ANIMAL FARM AND COMMUNE

THE FAR NORTH

FRAURASIA

REUNION

LAURASLAND CONFEDERACY OF FREE SWINE AND TRIBES

ENTER GORETAL

EPLER TAKES CHARGE

MILANKO

THE LAURASLAND CONFERENCE OF SCIENCE

THE KANNUCKS

FALSE HYPOTHESIS

FRALAND

THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF SCIENCE

CHORLEY’S CLIMATE EMERGENCY

THE THIRD SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE

MILANKO’S ONION

POLITICAL SCIENCE IS A DANGEROUS SCIENCE

THE TRUTH EXPOSED ON FRALAND

CHORLEY AND GORETAL ARRIVE

LAURASLAND PROSPERS

FACTIONS

CHORLEY SEES THE FUTURE

THE FOURTH SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE

THE AFTERMATH

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

REFERENCES

OTHER WORKS BY THE AUTHOR

BOOTS TO BOGIES TO BRONZE: The Authorized World War II

                                                        Biography of 2LT Jack C. Pyatt

THE MORAL CASE FOR AMERICAN FREEDOM

OZARK COUNTY HEART: Boyhood Memories of a Dora Missouri

                                            Farm

A WAKEFUL WATCH: The Authorized Biography of Charles

                                      Lindbergh Armstrong

HEARTLAND REBELLION

THE SILENT SECOND: The Biography of Martin Capages-

                                      Captain USMC

EPIPHANY: Before Time Zero- Faith of an Engineer

Why the Green New Deal is a Bad Deal for America

freedom oR SOCIALISM? The Millennial Dilemma

STARBOARD TACK: The Free Nation Makes a Course Correction

FOREWORD BY ANDY MAY

Dr. Capages has written a fun introduction to the scientific process and critical thinking as it applies to the climate change debate. He has compressed geological and climate history in an entertaining way so it can be observed in a few lifetimes, this gives the reader a perspective that is easier to understand.

The animals are fun to read about and recognizable, we see them every day. Dr. Capages has illustrated the book with his own fine drawings that are very helpful and entertaining.

The book emphasizes that observations of nature should always take precedence over opinions and conjecture, no matter how sophisticated and elaborate the conjecture is. That is a novel idea. Observations, that is data, trump opinions and models?

I liked the discussion of the greenhouse effect on pages 117-120, it is quite good and very understandable. Hat tips to Dr. Rich Lindy and Dr. Pencer!

Like geological history, Dr. Capages also compresses the history of science so that it is more understandable. Through the book we see how true scientists and engineers think, what facts are and what opinions are, we learn about critical thinking. We also learn that we need to teach critical thinking to our children.

The book is an easy and fun read, with interesting characters. The story will have you chuckling most of the way through it.

Andy May (aka Andrew Mayhog)

Author of:

Climate Catastrophe! Science or Science Fiction

Blood and Honor: The People of Bleeding Kansas

PREFACE

The world has never experienced a method of mass communication as instantaneous as that provided by the Internet. Unfortunately, it has also sped up the ability for lies to spread. A Lie will go around the world while Truth is pulling its boots on.  This proverb was mostly likely penned by Jonathan Swift in 1710 and eloquently restated by Charles Haddon Spurgeon in 1855. Now that lies can spread instantaneously, what recourse does Truth have? Truth must be patient and steady. Truth cannot go on offense. To call a lie a lie is to lose one’s own credibility. Truth must slowly reveal itself.

Ostriches do not really hide their heads in the sand on the hope that some approaching danger will just go away. They are really just pecking at the ground for food and grit for their gizzards to aid in digestion. Lemmings do not stampede in a blind panic to their death over a cliff. They just get over-populated in one area from time to time and migrate in mass to another area that is more appealing. But a compelling documentary film can change the public perception. In 1958, Disney produced a film on Nature that showed lemmings rushing over a cliff to their death in the sea. The producers of the documentary herded the poor lemmings to the cliff. It was spectacular but false.  Al Gore and David Attenborough did the same thing with polar bears.  So, you see, it is really just Created Myth versus Actual Truth.

Martin Capages Jr. PhD

Author of The Moral Case for American Freedom

A lie does not consist in the indirect position of words, but in the desire and intention, by false speaking, to deceive and injure your neighbor.

--Jonathan Swift

INTRODUCTION

In today’s world, with the shameless falsehoods of some Climate Alarmists circling the globe at the speed of light, many have sought to counter that juggernaut with contrarian scientific data and have been overwhelmed by the onslaught from their scientific peers of yesteryear. The Alarmists’ advantage is a matter of finance. Alarmism is a form of excitement to the general public and an excited public can become a mob that is easily directed away from its best interests. Alarmism also attracts funding without a great deal of effort.  Actual data gathering and testing using the Scientific Method is too slow for public consumption and the public loses interest quickly in the scientific-speak that accompanies most expert presentations.  On the other hand, Alarmism is made to order for today’s commercial advertising marketplace.

But eventually the general public discovers that it will receive no rate of return on investments driven by Alarmism, if the Alarmists are wrong. Only a handful of insiders will gain and will do so by funding the Alarmists and their only line of research. If the Alarmists are correct in their hypothesis, then the actions taken by the World should be those of practical mitigation and cost-effective resilience and an eventual adaptation to the changes in the climate. Investing in real problem solutions is a much better way for the general public to achieve a positive return. The problem is that word eventually. It can mean a very long time.

Real problem solutions cannot be implemented when the Problem has not been adequately defined, as is the case with Climate Change.  So, what should our action be? We should probably seek the Truth in the matter, but that is easier said than done. There are many camps of different opinions, some are in open combat, scientifically speaking. But some of the combat is under the radar and involves spreading conspiracy theories about the opposing side’s motives. In the age of the blogospheres, conspiracy theories are pablum. But the same communication network can also bring thought processes together once the human narcissism plays out. Everyone wants to be right, it is human nature. There is glory in being proved correct about some controversial matter.  Unfortunately, not everyone can be right.

CHAPTER 1

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE AND HARMONY

A Story with Apologies to Swift, Kipling, Lewis and Milne et al

OLD PANGEA

There once were four little pigs living on the massive island continent of Pangea with their mother, a very rational and contemplative sow called Matereve.  The pigs’ father, the mate of Matereve, had left on an exploration of the northern part of the island. From time to time, the old boar, Pateradam (but called just Pater by his family) would send back messages to Matereve on the discoveries he and his band of fellow explorers had made. The messages would be sent by courier chickens.  In theory, the chickens would be fast and able to carry the messages, but in truth, they would often be distracted, and the messages would be delayed.  It didn’t matter though since the discoveries usually didn’t carry any significant warnings for Matereve. Most news was just about the geography of the island and some of the inhabitants Pater had discovered.  Matereve, or Mater to her little ones, would spin the messages into bedtime stories that would be exciting to her four piglets.  The four piglets were all just one year apart in age. Sus was the oldest, followed by Porcus, Chordata (Chorley) and Babirusas (Babi). Since Sus was the oldest, she was more inclined to study things before taking action. Her siblings, her brother Porcus, sister Chorley and little sister Babi would sometimes listen to Sus’s advice but would generally ignore it.

Pangea was a beautiful land, teaming with life of all genre. There were the swine of course, the smartest of creatures they thought, as well as active members of the equine, canine, bovine, aquiline, asinine, and many other kinds of ‘ines.  There were even slithering serpentines and insects. Most of the ‘ines knew their place in what was called the Circle of Life. The serpentines and insects appeared to be regimented automatons controlled only by instinct. It