James Hansen makes sense...again

Whenever I feel especially frustrated with the affairs of the world, I consider that I might have been James Hansen.  Here is a man who has been absolutely correct about virtually everything he has said since he first appeared in the national consciousness in 1987.  Yet what has he gotten for his efforts but organized, public, well-funded, lying, ridicule.  One wonders where he gets the motivation to carry on.  It would be VERY easy for him to, in the words of a country tune, claim "MY give-a-damn is busted."

With a name like Larson, it is easy to believe Hansen is another member of the tribe--although I don't know this for sure.  And there is probably no culture on earth that values truth-telling like the Nordic Lutherans.  Luther's first and most famous document begins, "Out of a love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light..."  Actually loving the truth is rare in most cultures--yet loving truth is the prime directive of the faith of the people of the north.  And it turns out, the act of discovering a new truth is a total rush and very addictive.

My guess is that Hansen is such a truth "junkie."  And that is what keeps him going in the face of utterly preposterous obstacles thrown in his path.

Obama's Second Chance on the Predominant Moral Issue of This Century

Dr. James Hansen

Climatologist

Posted: April 5, 2010 01:03 PM

President Obama, finally, took a get-involved get-tough approach to negotiations on health care legislation and the arms control treaty with Russia -- with success. Could this be the turn-around for what might still be a great presidency?

The predominant moral issue of the 21st century, almost surely, will be climate change, comparable to Nazism faced by Churchill in the 20th century and slavery faced by Lincoln in the 19th century. Our fossil fuel addiction, if unabated, threatens our children and grandchildren, and most species on the planet.

Yet the president, addressing climate in the State of the Union, was at his good-guy worst, leading with "I know that there are those who disagree..." with the scientific evidence. This weak entrée, almost legitimizing denialists, was predictably greeted by cheers and hoots from well-oiled coal-fired Congressmen. The president was embarrassed and his supporters cringed. more