GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL
By Peter Moss

In his political report on the Fletcher Allen Hospital investigation, conservative newsletter publisher Dwinell says: "There are lots of qualified non-Chittenden County Mafia types who could join the panel. Take John McClaughry, indebted only to the truth" (Vermont Times, 8-7-02 at 6). The truth is that Mr. McClaughry has stated in public print that "There is no scientific evidence to support anthropogenic [man-made] 'global warming'." The last time we heard that bull is just before Big Tobacco settled with the attorneys general and in spite of "lack of scientific evidence" linking tobacco with diseases and death, Big Tobacco agreed to pay zillions in damages for decades to come. Mr. McClaughry is president of Vermont's conservative think tank and I believe Mr. McClaughry has earned a proposed award as LEAST CREDIBLE VERMONTER OF THE YEAR. Even his betters at the National Center for Policy Analysis, the conservative think tank central, admit that if every country meets their Kyoto obligations, the earth's temperature would be 0.126 to 0.342 degrees Fahrenheit lower in 100 years. We need not look into their assumptions and fabricated estimates. What we need to know is that U.S. coal consumption is a billion tons a year and reserves are estimated at 275 billion tons. President Bush and the coal based utilities would rather continue to profit from pollution for 275 years or until people wise up.

And as for Mr. Dwinell, he has earned SECOND LEAST CREDIBLE VERMONTER OF THE YEAR for claiming Mr. McClaughry is "indebted only to the truth."