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1) S. Jetchick (2007-February-07)
2) S. Jalsevac (2007-February-07)
3) S. Jetchick (2007-February-08)
4) S. Jalsevac (2007-February-08)
5) S. Jetchick (2007-February-08)
-----Original Message----- From: Stefan Jetchick Sent: 2007-February-07 09:33 To: Steve Jalsevac Subject: Biblical defence of Kyoto Good day Mr. Steve Jalsevac, I've been noticing some articles related more to global warming than abortion lately on LifeSite. Wouldn't it be fair to balance those articles with something less blatantly anti-Kyoto, once in a while? How about a "Biblical defence of Kyoto", if such a thing is possible? Here's my best try: Global Warming, And Frozen Christian Brains In Christ, Stefan Jetchick
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Jalsevac Sent: 2007-February-07 07:51 To: Stefan Jetchick Subject: Re: Biblical defence of Kyoto Stefan, You have made an assumption that LifeSiteNews is an abortion issue website. In fact, we report on far more than abortion, although it is one of our most important issues. The LifeSiteNews mandate is to report on issues of life, family and culture and many related issues. Kyoto and the global warming issue certainly have connections to our mandate, especially since a substantial percentage of the strongest promoters of Kyoto are known anti-life, anti-family leaders and organizations and the measures being proposed to "solve" global warming, including more population control, would considerably impact families and cultures. There is clearly a connection. However, our stories generally do not dispute that there is some current global warming or that there might be some connection between global warming and human activity. The emphasis is on a healthy skepticism towards the catastrophe scenarios and extreme political and economic solutions being proposed to a still poorly understood and obviously also heavily exploited (for political, ideological agendas) situation. As for balancing our reports with "something blatantly anti-Kyoto" I would suggest such a balance is hardly necessary. The entire mainstream media, school curriculums at all levels and most government related publications at all levels provide all the "balance" that anyone could ever want. Our role is to be an alternative media source to the mainstream sources that usually, on certain issues, tend to present only one rigid, ideological or politically determined view to the public. We were formed specifically to counter this information monopoly. Thanks for your article. It is interesting but also highly personal with a great deal of strong personal opinion. The numbered statements are far too simplistic and I should add, quite unfair characterizations of views held by those who sincerely question the current global warming hysteria. A number of those titles frankly do not deserve serious attention. Your main title says it all. There is no reason to continue reading the story after seeing that judgmental, demeaniing headline. It cannot be considered a serious piece. As for the use of biblical quotes in the manner that you do, well, it just doesn't fit. You obviously have some strong opinions but we do not often publish items of that nature and our readers would not be pleased if we did. LifeSiteNews is a professional news service and, on the global warming issue for instance, we have published stories and links to stories that normally come from professional and credible sources. There are thousands of professionals in many fields who are seriously questioning the current global warming hype. Your article does not do them justice. Like yourself, we are not professionals on this issue. That is why we quote others who are. As well, though, we are professionals with many years of experience, in being able to sort through reports, interviews and past stories and spot questionable trends and potentially harmful agendas for life, family, faith, freedom and the maintenance of a socially healthy culture. LifeSiteNews has published over 17,000 articles since its beginning and some of us were involved in these issues for many years prior to LifeSite's establishment. Steve Jalsevac LifeSiteNews.com
-----Original Message----- From: Stefan Jetchick Sent: 2007-February-08 11:55 To: Steve Jalsevac Subject: RE: Biblical defence of Kyoto Good day Mr. Steve Jalsevac, Thanks for your prompt reply! Sorry I took so long to respond. >> You have made an assumption that LifeSiteNews is an abortion issue >> website. [...] The LifeSiteNews mandate is to >> report on issues of life, family and culture and many related issues. As you know, I've sent you money several times, you've also used my French translation of one of your articles, and I seem to remember exchanging e-mails about another topic with you, not to mention the fact LifeSiteNews is part of my daily Internet round! So no, I didn't make that assumption. But that's OK. You must get thousands of e-mails a day, whereas I might get hundreds a year! You can certainly be forgiven for forgetting one or two of them! >> Kyoto and the global warming issue certainly have connections to our >> mandate, especially since a substantial percentage of the strongest >> promoters of Kyoto are known anti-life, anti-family leaders and >> organizations Yes, I also talk about the suspicious link between pro-abortion and pro-Kyoto in my article. >> the measures being proposed to "solve" global >> warming, including more population control, would considerably impact >> families and cultures. There is clearly a connection. Yes. And the connection is even clearer if you look at the possible impacts of global warming, which (should they occur) increase droughts and desertification in some of the poorest parts of Africa (i.e. human beings would die of starvation), as well as more serious storms and floods in lower lands (here again, human beings would die). There certainly should be a connection between many dead human beings, and LifeSite! >> The emphasis is on a healthy >> skepticism Amen! I'm all in the favor of healthy skepticism! But skepticism is not defined as "let's make sure people we don't like have solid arguments". Skepticism is supposed to check the solidity of arguments, period. Whether they are offered by "their side" or "our side". >> As for balancing our reports with "something blatantly anti-Kyoto" Hum, here I'm not sure whether that's a typo on your part, or a Freudian slip! "Something blatantly anti-Kyoto"? My e-mail speaks about giving balance with "something less blatantly anti-Kyoto". :-) >> I would suggest such a balance is hardly necessary. The entire >> mainstream media, school curriculums at all levels and most >> government related publications at all levels provide all the >> "balance" that anyone could ever want. I beg to differ! The definition of "balance" is not "to balance silly pro-Kyoto sophisms with silly anti-Kyoto sophisms". Or you could also say: that kind of "balance" is the Devil "balance"! Jesus Christ is Truth, and real balance is attacking sophisms, wherever they may be, so that truth may shine forth. As dear old Saint Thomas Aquinas would say: "Convenienter ergo ex ore sapientiae duplex sapientis officium in verbis propositis demonstratur: [...] et errorem contra veritatem impugnare, quod tangit cum dicit, et labia mea detestabuntur impium [...]". >> Our role is to be an >> alternative media source to the mainstream sources that usually, on >> certain issues, tend to present only one rigid, ideological or >> politically determined view to the public. Precisely! I'll give you an example. Sift through "the mainstream sources", and look for articles like: "A fun introduction to inter-satellite calibration biases in the measurement of Channel 2 microwave data on atmospheric temperature", or "A layman's initiation to the GFDL CM2.X (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Coupled Model, version 2.X)", or "How to explain to your Mom the paleoclimatology techniques used to date Siberia ice cores", etc.
(I'm adding this after sending my response. I should have explained that "inter-satellite calibration biases" is related to Temperature data from satellites, "paleoclimatology techniques" are related to temperature data from the historic ice record, and the "GFDL CM2.X" is related to climate models.)
In other words, Science is one of the first victims of "the mainstream sources"! They would probably never publish such articles or show such TV programs, because it would require intellectual effort from their audience. The Devil wants everybody to be dumbed down, so Science, real Science, is always feared by the Devil. Now, for the fun of it, find me an article like the ones listed above on LifeSite! I'd be surprised if there was one! Yesterday, LifeSite referenced two articles related to Kyoto: Planet Gore (by "the Editors") and Global Warming: The Cold, Hard Facts? By Timothy Ball In the second article, Mr. Ball says this about the Scientific Method: "I think it may be because most people don't understand the scientific method which Thomas Kuhn so skilfully and briefly set out in his book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." Compare that with GAUCH, Hugh G. Scientific Method in Practice, London, Cambridge University Press, 2003: 3.6.3) "Incommensurable Paradigms". Gauch summarizes Kuhn thus: "A paradigm is the broad common ground and disciplinary matrix that unites a particular group of scientists at particular times". Paradigms are incommensurable, i.e. "no common measure or criterion can be applied to competing paradigms to make a rational, objective choice between them". Science according to Kuhn is "arational". Incommensurable paradigms imply arational choices. In other words, Kuhn does not permit truth to be a criterion of scientific theories". Public Enemy #1: Religious Obscurantism Thomas Kuhn is an enemy of Science: 3.7) Some scientists help destroy Science. "There are very good reasons why twentieth century philosophy of science, under the malign influence of Popper through to Feyerabend, is profoundly hostile to Science itself... It is indeed unfortunate that many scientists, through ignorance, quote these philosophers approvingly. The most effective victories are those in which the losers unwittingly assist their opponents". Public Enemy #1: Religious Obscurantism If LifeSite was doing its job, it would be defending Science, not attacking it! >> The numbered statements >> are far too simplistic and I should add, quite unfair >> characterizations of views held by those who sincerely question the >> current global warming hysteria. Honest, I heard or read every single one of those arguments. I did consider posting names and hyperlinks to Christian blogs or transcripts of Christian political meetings, but I have enough enemies as it is! ;-) But I can swear to God I've heard every single one of those arguments, and several times. Of course, some of them were dressed up with lipstick and hair spray, which I've removed so we could see the logical structure. Are these silly arguments so rare? Consider one of the texts on LifeSite yesterday. It concludes that we must "eschew the starvation diet of the Kyoto Protocol", i.e. reject Kyoto. But based on what arguments? - Al Gore is nasty - The New York Times is nasty - The IPCC published the Summary before the actual Report - The uncertainties acknowledged by the scientists in the 2001 report are reduced, but not eliminated - etc. Notice the main conclusions of the nearly 5000 pages are not even outlined! That article has 590 words, and the main conclusions would have apparently taken about 90 words: - It is "unequivocal" that global warming is occurring - The probability that this is caused by natural climatic processes is less than 5% - The probability that this is caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases is over 90% As a result it is predicted that, during the 21st century: - It is more than 90% certain that there will be frequent warm spells, heat waves and heavy rainfall - It is more than 66% certain that there will be an increase in droughts, intensity of tropical cyclones (which include hurricanes and typhoons) and extreme high tides. I don't know about you, but the connection between their conclusion and their arguments would appear worthy of a bit of scrutiny. But of course, if "skepticism" is defined as "casting systematic doubt on what is said by people we don't like", then there is nothing wrong with that article! >> Your main title says it all. There is >> no reason to continue reading the story after seeing that judgmental, >> demeaning headline. It cannot be considered a serious piece. Yes, if you consider all anti-Kyoto arguments to be good, whatever they may be. But if you are a Christian in search of the truth about Kyoto, then you will try to eliminate all bad arguments, whether pro or against Kyoto. Notice I clearly say in my Introduction that: "Strictly speaking, it's currently impossible for me to agree or disagree with Kyoto, since I don't yet have enough information about it" >> As for >> the use of biblical quotes in the manner that you do, well, it just >> doesn't fit. What do you mean, "doesn't fit"? Aesthetically? Or are the quotes incorrectly used, from a logical or theological point of view? I'm interested! >> You obviously have some strong opinions but we do not often publish >> items of that nature and our readers would not be pleased if we did. Well, the Timothy Ball article on LifeSite contains very strong personal opinions against Kyoto: "Believe it or not, Global Warming is not due to human contribution of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). This in fact is the greatest deception in the history of science." He is actually quite funny at times, like: "Personal attacks [...] shouldn't occur in a debate in a civilized society." and then he says: "most [politicians] have no knowledge or understanding of science" or "you have no idea how nasty people can be" :-) Hilarious! Especially since: "LifeSiteNews is a professional news service and, on the global warming issue for instance, we have published stories and links to stories that normally come from professional and credible sources" >> There are thousands of professionals in many fields who are seriously >> questioning the current global warming hype. Your article does not >> do them justice. Please! You have to actually read my article before criticizing it. I clearly state in the Introduction that some anti-Kyoto articles are interesting. I also state that the topic of my article doesn't not concern them, since I want to discuss the worst anti-Kyoto articles. If I write an article specifically about the worst cars I've driven, can you blame me for not talking about all the good cars out there? >> LifeSiteNews has published >> over 17,000 articles since its beginning Well, if you've published so many articles, adding just one more won't be very difficult for you! ;-) Seriously Steve, I really enjoy your work, I thank God for LifeSite, and I'll certainly continue to contribute financially to what you do. I honestly don't expect you to publish my article, since it would seriously harm donations to your site. I know many people who donate to causes like yours, and some of them are very nice and prayerful, but also human. In other words, as Dale Carnegie so brilliantly said (I quote from memory): We are amazingly heedless in the formation of our beliefs, but find ourselves filled with an illicit passion for them, if someone proposes to rob us of their companionship! In Christ, Stefan
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Jalsevac Sent: 2007-February-08 18:38 To: Stefan Jetchick Subject: RE: Biblical defence of Kyoto Thanks Stefan. Well, I don't think I am able to continue this dialogue but it has been interesting. We are on quite different wave lengths on the subject and I can't see that there will be much agreement, but I do wish you well and your comments are obviously well attended. Yes, I did make one typo as you rightly point out. God Bless, Steve Jalsevac
-----Original Message----- From: Stefan Jetchick Sent: 2007-February-08 22:52 To: Steve Jalsevac Subject: RE: Biblical defence of Kyoto >> We are on quite different wave lengths on the >> subject and I can't see that there will be much agreement, but I do >> wish you well and your comments are obviously well attended. OK! Take care! Stefan
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