In a recent appearance  President Bush contended that rather than arguing about whether human activity is a factor in global warming, we should take concrete steps to alleviate it. Said he:

The truth of the matter is, if this country wants to get rid of its greenhouse gases, we've got to have the nuclear power industry be vibrant and viable

Some may applaud this as an ingenious stratagem to foist a piece of the president's own agenda on environmental kooks. But there is something fundamentally amiss with this approach, because one should never sacrifice truth on the altar of expediency.

There is also another reason. Environmental kooks are people too, and as such they should not be subjected to trickery of this sort, no matter how clever or satisfying the game may be. Regardless of how ridiculous, confused or annoying these people are, they deserve better. What they deserve is the truth — straight and unadulterated truth. And the truth it is there is no conclusive scientific evidence that human activity increases the earth's temperature. It is a fact that our planet's climate has fluctuated wildly all throughout its existence. Only recently there was an article in the New York Times reporting on a study which found that the Artic was once as hot as Florida is today. This obviously was long ago before man burned the first ounce of fossil fuel.

This truth may be too painful for the environmental kooks to bear, but ultimately it is the only way to cure them of their illusion. As they like to say, the truth will set you free (if, that is, one is a man — or a woman — enough to acknowledge it).

President Bush is, of course, right. We do need more nuclear plants, but not because they will stop some fictitious man—made global warming. We need them because nuclear power is an economical, efficient, cheap and clean type of energy that will go a long way toward making us energy independent.

Vasko Kohlmayer   6 27 06