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March 27, 2010 in City
Earth Hour event turns into face-off
Climate change backers, skeptics meet at City Hall
Global warming protesters generated a lot of heat Saturday night at the entrance to Spokane City Hall.
It looked for a while like candle-carrying environmentalists might come to blows with those who contend global warming is a hoax perpetuated by the United Nations. But the situation cooled a bit when police showed up and stood in the background.
“We are law-abiding citizens, trying to have a peaceful protest here,” said conservative activist Mike Fagan, who was frustrated as an environmental protester repeatedly interrupted the speech he was trying to deliver through a bullhorn.
The opposing sides were drawn to City Hall in response to Earth Hour, an international effort to draw attention to environmental concerns and call for a binding pact to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Lights were switched off in some 4,000 cities in more than 120 countries for an hour Saturday, starting at 8:30 p.m. in each time zone.
The Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Sydney’s Opera House and Beijing’s Forbidden City were among the landmarks that went dark, along with American icons such as the Empire State Building, the National Cathedral and Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta. The Capitol dome lights also were off in Olympia.
In Spokane, Mayor Mary Verner issued a proclamation supporting Earth Hour and encouraging city employees to participate.
Fagan, who last year ran for a City Council seat, accused Verner of “using city resources to perpetuate the falsehood of global climate change to advance her sustainability agenda.” His followers carried flashlights and spotlights, to light up City Hall.
Counter-protesters, meanwhile, shouted that science and youth were on their side.
For bystanders enjoying a warm spring evening, it was high drama.
Fagan, who earlier this month held a similar demonstration in opposition to health care reform, stood on a U.N. flag and led a chant of, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, United Nations gotta go.”
The man who most aggressively confronted him carried an Earth flag.
There were the obligatory signs.
From those who disbelieve global warming: “Freedom trumps sustainability,” and “My SUV, my light bulbs, my property. Back off!”
From the environmentalists: “Stop ignoring it.”
And both sides cheered when the occasional car honked. There was no way of telling which side any of the drivers supported.
Craig Steel, a West Plains farmer, said he’s worried that the United States is “going down, and we’ve got to put a stop to it.” He blames the U.N., in part.
“They’ve shut down our mines, they’ve dynamited our smelters,” said Steel, 54.
Elizabeth Gulick, 21, said she showed up to support Verner. The Spokane Falls Community College student said the protest was worthwhile, though “I don’t think any sides were swayed.”
Man dies following early Saturday accident 
spokanada on March 27 at 11:08 p.m.
hmmm, i don’t know who to believe about global warming. Mike Fagan or the world’s scientific community hmmmmm?
I’m glad the environmentalists were out there protesting against stupidity.
MJFixit on March 27 at 11:44 p.m.
Global Climate is changing, running in cycles both long and short. Man has little or no effect on these cycles., In fact I left every light in my home and yard on for an hour to help make up the difference.
I would sure hate for a power company to lay off workers because of this!
majorpain on March 28 at 3:11 a.m.
spokanada , Here’s a clue for you……..most scientist think that the world is warming……..contrary to your brainwashing, most don’t believe that it is caused by man. (you know, in the past, the Earth was in an ice-age. Now, we’re CYCLING through a warm period….I could go on how in the past 1000 yrs, the Earth was a lot warmer than it is now, while Co2 levels were lower….open your mind and look at the data yourself)
Here’s another interesting tidbit of knowledge for ya……other planets in our solar system were warming at the same time as the Earth, and are now cooling as we are….hmmmm…whats the common denominator?
If you believe that an increase of .008% Co2 in our atmosphere, is causing global warming, most of which was NOT caused by us, you need to educate yourself.
Do you even know how much Co2 is in our atmosphere? Well it’s a TRACE gas composing only .036% of our atmosphere.
Before the industrial revolution Co2 composed only .028%
out of the .008% increase over the last two centuries, we only caused .0001%
Yeah, we’re causing global warming (sarcasm set to high)
mikeln on March 28 at 7:12 a.m.
We humans have enjoyed good weather for the last 100,000 years. It won’t matter what causes an extreme climate change if we can’t adapt to it as we will no longer be here. All of our gods will not be able to do a damn thing about it.
JBlim on March 28 at 7:36 a.m.
majorpain, why do feel the need to misstate the facts? Isn’t the truth good enough:
“…PARIS, Feb. 2 [2007] — In a grim and powerful assessment of the future of the planet, the leading international network of climate scientists has concluded for the first time that global warming is “unequivocal” and that human activity is the main driver, “very likely” causing most of the rise in temperatures since 1950. …”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/03/science/earth/03climate.html
Corporate profiteers have sold you the notion that this is a right/left debate. Shame on you for your willful ignorance.
mmcspo on March 28 at 7:36 a.m.
Thank you, Mayor Verner, for Spokane’s participation in Earth Hour. Should we want to become a sustainable city…one that is less dependent on others for our own survival….we need to attend to how we are using the earth’s finite resources. We, in Spokane, are lucky to have the river as a life-giving resource, but that is definitely finite and easily fouled. Stewarship of the earth is neither a “red” or a “blue” issue. It is a human issue. Freedom comes from the conservation of the earth and its resources…..not from abusing what is precious and God-given. It’s Palm Sunday, but an Ash Wednesday Biblical quote is appropriate: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We are of the Earth.
I was fortunate enough to be with a group of GU students who were at a retreat on Hayden Lake. We turned off the house’s many, many lights, and stood around a campfire singing and enjoying each other’s company. Conservation and community. That is the message of Earth Hour. Too bad, while we were having a good time, others were protesting against proven scientific evidence and absolute good sense. Yes, too bad.
MrDavis on March 28 at 8:02 a.m.
Majorpain recites data, while the global warming crowd just chants about this alleged consensus of scientists, that’s a myth in itself. The global warming supporters need to read less conclusory political dogma and more science, and should start by dealing with the recent falsification of warming data that was disclosed in the UK.
misjustice on March 28 at 8:13 a.m.
Even if the naysayers on global climate change are correct, and that humans are not responsible for a trend in warming, wouldn’t it be the prudent thing to do, as the leaders of the free world, to err on the side of caution?
Afterall, we only have one planet, one home in the entire solar system. And if it becomes unihabitable then what?
There are islands disappearing into the sea near India, and Australia, a bell weather continent, has been dealing with increased droughts. China has been experiencing dust-bowl like wind storms, and worldwide, glaciers are melting at an alarming rate.
All of these are symptoms, all are indicators that the earth is warming.
I say let’s be at the vanguard on renewable energy and let’s get started on cap and trade (the hue and cry will be deafening on that one). If we are wrong about climate change then we will have developed new industries, new technologies, and we will benefit from new jobs and new ways of doing business. If we do nothing and continue to deny the possibility of global climate change then we fail future generations and we fail our planet, our home.
I’m glad that there are those in Spokane that are aware, that want to move ahead, that want what’s best for our earth.
JBlim on March 28 at 9:14 a.m.
MrDavis: majorpain recites data? What?? He said most scientists don’t believe in man-main global warming. That’s just another non-truth: In reality:
“The survey of 3,146 earth scientists from around the world found overwhelming agreement that in the past 200 years, mean global temperatures have been rising, and that human activity is a “significant contributing factor” in changing mean global temperatures.
Peter Doran, an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, along with former graduate student Maggie Kendall Zimmerman, conducted the survey late last year.
The findings appeared Monday in the journal “Eos, Transactions,” a publication of the American Geophysical Union….”
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-20-02.asp
I suppose you think calling C02 a “trace gas” is somehow relevant data and we should all aspire to regurgitate out of context facts like majorpain does.
riverlaw on March 28 at 10:05 a.m.
Fagan’s gathering certainly illustrated the impacts of our Nation’s poorly funded and substandard schools. Logic and fact-based reasoning should be part of our school curriculum.
majorpain on March 28 at 12:19 p.m.
Jblim…no facts are misstated…look up the data for yourself! Further more if a scientist doesn’t go along with the party line they are banished, as was revealed in “climate gate”.
misjustice the island you are referring to In India only appeared in 1970 after a cyclone hit the area, it was never settled because back then it was determined that the island was geologically unstable. here’s a link:
http://wikimapia.org/9533633/New-Moore-or-South-Talpatti-Island
So I guess during the 1970”s when these same scientist were screaming that we were heading for an ice-age they must have been right?
Rick I find it hilarious that you want to fix the “schools” the problem is the wonderful cultural revolution you, I am sure, supported during the latter 1960”s That destroyed common sense and reasoning. The “youth” that support this global warming scam, can not even point out their own country on a map. Why? because the left has been on a hell bent campaign to dumb down this Nation.
The ignorance, and lack of personal research by the duped people here who believe that global warming was caused by man is alarming….ignorant sheep looking for a cause.
JBlim on March 28 at 2:54 p.m.
But majorpain, you claimed that:
“most scientist think that the world is warming……..contrary to your brainwashing, most don’t believe that it is caused by man.”
But I have given two links refuting that statement, and you just claim you’re right with nothing to back it up. Sorry, buddy, you gotta do better than that. If I’m wrong PROVE it. Give us a credible URL.
misjustice on March 28 at 3:46 p.m.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/03/25/tiny-island-fought-over-by-india-bangladesh-vanishes-into-the-sea/
This tells about the islands in the northern Bay of Bengal; near India and Bangladesh that are disappearing, due to the rate of the sea level rise. And, yes, mr.major, the islands originally were discovered in the ‘70s after a cyclone.
What is important in this story is that they have disappeared due to the rising sea levels; some, like myself, would call this a bell weather, an indicator of something amiss…an alarm bell if you will.
But hey, you haters and deniers would rather posture and declare how right you are and how wrong everyone else is so, well, go ahead. But when the oceans rise, the water won’t care if you believe in global climate change or not…you’ll be under water, just the same as the rest of us that tried to tell you….but by then it will be too late.
In fact, it may already be too late; some think that we have already reached the tipping point. And if that is true, how sad for the human race is that?
misjustice on March 28 at 3:55 p.m.
www.aolnews.com/nation/…/texas-removes…jefferson…/19397481
This is for you, mr.pain, it tells you why kids today are just so darn dumb…hint; it has something to do with where school text books are printed and who is printing them…
You won’t even read the link…
You’d just rather rant and rave about you are right, and kids are stoopid, and President Barack Hussein Obama is a socialist…and global warming is a lie….blah,blah.blah,blah…..
wyoboy on March 28 at 6:01 p.m.
For all the chicken littles, take a geology class or two.
This old earth as been through numerous heating and cooling periods over millions of years as well as continents floating around and running into one another.
Why? no on is sure, lots of theories
Is it warming up?
probably
Will it cool back down into another ice age.
probably
Do I care
no
Just don’t’ raise my taxes or other expenses.
If you want to spend more for electricity and other items, go for it.
JBlim on March 28 at 7:21 p.m.
wyoboy, yeah, but geologic time is not decades, it’s millions of years. Anyway, should I believe some Internet clown, or should I listen to the world’s experts in the field? You’ve sort of given yourself away when you say “just don’t raise my taxes.” You don’t want to fix the problem so you pretend it doesn’t exist.
majorpain on March 28 at 9:54 p.m.
misjustice, when did I mention the President or socialism? Are you implying, due to the market size of Texas, is the reason for our failing schools? Are you implying the rag The Nation is news worthy? You’re kidding right? The reason that our schools are failing are do to pot smoking hippies taking over the school / entertainment system. The concerted effort by the left to dumb down this Nation so they could implement any hair brained idea they wish. You are, as are many who have posted here, are what the Soviets called “useful idiots”. The wonderful 60’s, “Turn on, tune in, drop out” that’s what happened, now two generations of people who have no clue, and a third one on the way conditioned like Pavlov dog’s!
Open your minds and do the research yourself.
Jbim ever heard of climate gate? There was and is a concerted effort to silence debate, it’s in black and white so to speak. So no, I don’t see any truth in those survey’s. Explain the warming on other planets in our solar system? Explain the mid evil warm period. Explain the Roman warm period. All of this while Co2 levels were lower than today. Explain why the temps then were warmer than they are today?
Some people have suggested that the global warming hoax is a conspiracy, well it is in the sense that the scientific community to some large extent sit on the left side of the fence. Whats really going on is a group think mentality, so very little traceable collusion is required. As most liberals have been conditioned to think in one way and silence differing opinions.
In closing I am all for alternative energy and conservation, I don’t like being lied to, or being driven into poverty by idiotic policies, that in the long run will have no effect, because we are not causing the natural cycle of climate.
JBlim on March 29 at 5:58 a.m.
majorpain, if you don’t like being lied to, turn off Fox News. Listen to yourself with your “all the climate scientists in the world are conspiring.” Just think for a minute what a ridiculous idea that is. What an idiot you are.
majorpain on March 29 at 7:26 p.m.
Well JBLIM, why don’t you answer the questions I posed? What are you incapable of thinking for yourself? All you do is spout off leftist, man made global warming swindle talking points. Use your mind, if you have one. I doubt you do, since all you have done is attack me and others on a personal level versus showing that you actually reviewed the data for yourself and drew your own conclusions. JBLIM you are a sheep and worse yet a useful idiot.
JBlim on March 29 at 11:05 p.m.
At some point, a rational person just can’t argue with someone like you. You really expect me to “Explain the warming on other planets in our solar system?” Gimme a break. I don’t pretend to be an expert on climate science. I think I’ll listen to the 99.999% of climate scientists in the world who actually study the issue and the vast body of peer reviewed academic studies they have produced. You can listen to your little crackpot right wing radio and TV show fronts for polluters if you want to be ignorant. Just find one article here in this unbiased search of academic articles for the term “climate change” that supports your point of view:
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=climate+change
There are 1,630,000 academic articles to choose from. Maybe the reason you won’t find any is because you’re WRONG.
majorpain on March 31 at 1:53 p.m.
JBLIM You once again show your stupidity and lack of brains! Must be sad in your world, not able to think for yourself. I do my own research and draw my own conclusion, point away at all the articles you want, i prefer to look at the raw data and draw my own conclusions. I have read plenty of peer reviewed journals, that systematically destroy the reputations of any one who has the audacity to disagree with their fraud/treason. You are so brainwashed, and yes I do expect you to answer those questions all of them. So I’ll ask them again and see if you can find the answers. Explain the mid-evil warm period. Explain the Roman warm period. And other warm periods over the last two thousand years that have resulted in average temps much warmer than today, while Co2 concentrations were lower than today. Explain the temperature rises on other planets in our solar system. Come on now I am sure their are plenty of explanations from all of those 1,630,000 articles..be a good tool for the left and prove me wrong right here in public.
JBlim on March 31 at 4:56 p.m.
majorpain,
Let me just ask you a few simple questions:
Did humans coexist with dinosaurs? Y/N
Do you believe the Theory of Evolution? Y/N
Did American astronauts really land on the moon? Y/N
Is the Bible is literally true? Y/N
majorpain on April 01 at 7:38 a.m.
JBLIM, you are a tool! HAHA. You can’t look up the info yourself, sad so sad! I mean dude you have 1,630,000 articles to choose from! Of course you could use your own brain and try to figure it out yourself, You know, use that super powered washed atheist mind of yours…hmmm. Well maybe not, your brainwashed mind is only used for conditioned responses as evidenced by your most resent post! HAHA!
Look at the data yourself, open your mind. I mean do you like being a tool? Can you think for yourself?