Variation, Behavior and Blame

They say that variety is the spice of life and I agree; doing the same thing day after day gets old quickly and my productivity diminishes when that is the case.  I thought the image of this "tiger stripe" steer was fairly representative of variety.  He was part of a group we bought a couple of years ago.  These were on grass for a brief pre-conditioning period before going into the feedyard.  They grew well, performed well and made a little money in spite of the huge variation in the pen.

Variety is good for some things, but not for others.  Because of the genetic variation in this group of cattle, the tendency for them to "grow apart" as they aged was even worse than normal.  They were ready to harvest at different times.  Fortunately, they were finished at a facility that was willing to "top the pen" which means they shipped them to harvest in groups as they were ready.

These days, this kind of discussion causes a very negative reaction among many people.  Talking about "harvesting" these animals creates a feeling of revulsion.  I personally think it is because we anthropomorphize them through making pets part of "family" and watching television shows that focus on the "cuteness" of animals as opposed to their true nature or, purpose in the ecosystems they occupy. 

Cattle, quite simply, are born to be food.  It is their primary purpose for being on this planet.  They are a mobile, reproducing, energy harvesting machine that stores the energy from the sun which is first captured in plants and then concentrated in the tissue of the animal for later consumption.  They are uniquely and amazingly suited for that sole purpose.

The natural world is designed to function in ways we are only now beginning to understand.  All of life on this planet is dependent on energy from the sun for survival.  Each animal, including humans, is designed to fit specific niches in the environment.  Within those niches, animals tend to attempt modification of the environment to suit their own specific needs.  A great example of this is the beaver which builds dams in streams which change the water flow and thus the surrounding local ecosystem.  Sometimes those beaver dams get taken out by the raging torrent of a flooding river.

Humans are by far the worst at modifying the environment.  We lay acre after acre of concrete and asphalt that alters the planet.  Sadly, in our ignorance of the impact we have, we change the earth to the point that in some places it is to our own detriment.  Flooding and altered weather patterns can be a result.  Because of our egocentricity, we tend to place the blame on other things.  Right now, one of the primary objects of "blame" is animal agriculture -- the production of food from animals.  It seems strange to me that we would blame a natural process for issues resulting from our unnatural behavior.  That's not exactly accurate -- our alteration of the environment to suit our purposes is part of our natural behavior, it's just that we have the ability to understand and reason through the facts that point to the ultimate consequences of that behavior; the planet will fight back. 

Romanticized Ungulates

The American Bison is an animal of folklore which borders on the mythological.  It once roamed over most of what is now the United States, but was almost exterminated in the late 1800's when Federal Policy determined it was the fastest way to gain control of militant tribes who dominated many areas of the continent.  At risk of being controversial here, I will state my position that the various wars fought for control of the North American continent were no different than other wars fought over land throughout history.

Some have argued that the American Bison should be reestablished on its original range -- or, at least a portion of it.  The primary area proposed includes the drier portions of the Great Plains which stretches from Montana to Texas.  Called the Buffalo Commons, the proposed 10 to 20 million acre reserve would allow the Bison to migrate freely as they once did.

The concept, first mentioned in a 1987 essay, has received much attention -- especially among "First Americans" (American Indians) and many that I will call "emotional ecologists."  I have to admit that it does have a certain romantic appeal.

The image above was taken in a feedlot in Kansas several years ago.  These animals were from a private herd established on the Smoky Hill River.  They were destined for a processing plant in Salina, Kansas, which specialized in "Buffalo" meat.  Many fans of American Bison tout the lean meat as being healthier than beef from cattle.  Both cattle and American Bison are in the same Family, Bovidae, and the same Sub-Family, Bovinae.  Because of this, they can be crossbred and virtually all of the American Bison found in the United States carry at least some Bos taurus genes.

I find it interesting and symptomatic of limited understanding by those who support the Buffalo Common concept that it would merely be replacing one type of Bovine with another.  After all, the area proposed by proponents is currently occupied by cattle ranches which supply nutritious beef to consumers.  Many more pounds of beef can be produced on the same amount of land in a shorter period of time with cattle than with bison.  Bison are inefficient in the feedlot and take much longer to reach a marketable condition.

Some would argue that Bison, through their grazing behavior, are better for the environment.  Many cattle herds are being managed in a similar manner through rotational grazing systems.  Methane production by the animals is named as one of the culprits of negative climate impact.  I don't really think it is an issue.  Estimates of the number of Bison that once roamed the continent vary greatly -- from about 10 million to over 60 million.  There are more cattle today than there were Bison, but there are also many more people consuming the meat.  Methane production by Bison was likely higher on a per head basis than in cattle today.  I think blaming climate change on grazing ungulates is pointing the finger in the wrong direction.  The greater culprit is burning of fossil fuels in our planes, trains and automobiles -- which would still be used by tourists to go see the roaming Bison on the Buffalo Commons.

It's Great When Things Work

It's great when things work the way they are supposed to work.  Cow eats grass, extracts needed nutrients, deposits remains where needed, rains come and break up organic material; fungi, microbes, insects and worms further break it into smaller particles which feed the grass which is then of even higher nutrient value to feed the cow again at some point in the future.  It's an amazing system of constantly recycling organic material (read that as "carbon") and it is all powered by the sun which regularly passes overhead.

As the grasses grow they extract carbon dioxide from the air and break it up, releasing oxygen back into the air for the cow and us to breath while incorporating the carbon into the fibers of its own body.  The way the plants, microbes, animals, sun and all of the various organisms work together into an almost flawlessly tuned system causes me to pause in wonder when I think about it.  It's too bad we can't design a system that works as well to capture the excess carbon we release into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels!  If we did so, there wouldn't be such an outcry against agriculture utilizing the false claim that it is the cause of global warming.

What if the exhaust systems of our combustion engines powered by fossil fuels contained a mechanism that fractured the escaping gasses into their component parts?  The vehicle, or power plant, could have a tank to collect water, carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and the other minor elements present in our fuel.  The atmosphere would be cleaner and we wouldn't have to breath the exhaust fumes.  Maybe all the carbon captured could be used to manufacture printer cartridges and drive their price down to something reasonable!

The reality is that most of the people pushing an agenda tied to climate change aren't trying to "save the planet," they have some other purpose in mind such as recouping their investment in Electric Cars, or perhaps they are Vegan and opposed to eating animals.  Too much of the hype is driven by people out to make a buck, or to gain power.  If they really wanted to save the planet they wouldn't be traveling around the world in their private jets and they would be focused more on transportation and the way our cities are designed.  They would try to develop building materials that were less reflective or, paving materials that allowed water to pass through, or reduce urban sprawl which covers productive land which works as described in the first part of this post as a natural recycling system for carbon.

As I mentioned above, it's nice when things work the way they should.  Mankind in his wisdom, though, continues to disrupt the natural processes with bright-eyed (read that "hair-brained") schemes to "fix" what isn't broken while breaking what doesn't need to be fixed.  It makes you wonder....

Trees, Trees, Trees!

We fight a constant battle with trees in our part of the world.  This is a seedling American Elm tree peeking through the grass on our place.  The elm are spread by wind.

Here we see a small pecan tree.  Birds and a few other animals such as squirrels spread pecan trees.  Squirrels will gather the nuts and bury them for later consumption.  Time in the soil softens the hard outer shell and makes it easier for them to get at the meat.

This appears to be another pecan.  These are native varieties and the nuts are small.  There are a number of very large ones on our place.  Water washing across the land can also spread pecans.

This looks to be a Redbud Tree.  The small seeds of the Redbud are spread by birds.  The seeds need the scarification action of the acids in the bird's alimentary tract in order to germinate.  Otherwise, they are just a hard, round bee-bee of a seed that will sit for many years before germination.

We have a constant battle with trees.  Generally, in our part of Northeast Texas, if land is left fallow for a few years it will become overgrown with trees.  One of the most common colonizing trees we have to deal with is the Honey Locust.  I didn't take a photo of any yesterday when I was out scouting the pasture, mainly because this year's seedlings are already from 1 to 3 feet tall.  They are very obvious.

The ideal way to deal with the encroachment of trees is with fire.  It is the way the American Indians dealt with them.  It is the way nature deals with them.  Now, in this modern time it seems we have become "smarter" than either nature or the earliest Americans; we think fire is something to prevent.  Because we no longer use fire as a management tool, our forests are full of dead, fallen limbs and trees and our open grasslands are being invaded by colonizing trees.

We hear a lot about the need to retain our forests as a means of capturing and storing carbon.  They are part of the equation, but only one aspect of it.  Forests, just like any other concentration of vegetation, are constantly dying and renewing.  That process releases carbon through decay which is then re-captured through growth.  The same happens in grasslands.  The same happens in animals.  Read about the Carbon Cycle.

In our part of the world it is difficult to do a controlled burn of pasture due to the bottomland forests which surround us.  The fuel load in some of those forests is so large that the fires would burn for weeks and be extremely hot.  Ideally, fire should occur periodically -- even in those bottomland forests.  It would clear out much of the dead, fallen limbs on a regular basis and allow a natural succession of hardwoods to take place.  Instead, the woods are full of fallen timber which washes into the streams during heavy rains, causing damming to occur which leads to the streams escaping their banks and eroding new channels.  It also cause the water to back up and flood many acres that would otherwise quickly clear of water.

There is much talk of how agriculture has changed land use practices.  That is true, but only part of the story.  One of the greater issues is how man has changed the natural cycle of fire and renewal.  Now, about the only way to effectively control the colonizing trees in areas such as the open meadows of our land which are crucial for wildlife, is through chemical or, mechanical means.  Chemical means risk exposure of animals to substances that may have temporary harmful effects.  Their use can impact the diversity of species on a localized basis -- even if it doesn't directly harm them, their presence seems to discourage some from utilizing the land resources.  Mechanical means are typically only marginally effective and there is often re-growth.

If you read about the Carbon Cycle in the link above, you will find that it points to the burning of fossil fuels as the single biggest cause of excessive carbon in the atmosphere which many claim is the reason for global warming.  It also refers to land use practices -- particularly by agriculture.  Here is where I take some exception; I suspect the "viral" spread of urban and suburban areas with the concomitant use of concrete and asphalt is a bigger issue.  It not only changes reflectivity of the land, it changes water runoff patterns and contributes to flooding issues.  Folks are concerned about burning the rainforests of Brazil, but I'm more concerned about the spread of urban areas.  I hate the loss of biodiversity in those lost forests, but I know they will be replaced by plant life that is part of the natural carbon cycle.  Land taken for houses, highways and parking lots will likely remain in those uses as long as mankind occupies this planet.  We need to seriously re-think our cities and surrounding suburban areas.

Sigh, I suppose I got on my soapbox a bit this morning.  

Climate Change Quarterbacks

Some folks are observers

As they pass through this old life;

They prefer the grandstand

With a perch high above

The nitty-gritty going on the field.

Often, they carry on

A running commentary --

A critical analysis of everything they see

But, in which have never participated

As if they were experts

In the field.

They see the execution

Of well-coordinated movement

Which sometimes doesn't

Work as planned

Because there is opposition

Equally bent on succeeding.

Those spectators

See only a small part

Because they had no involvement

In the preparation,

The investment,

The time spent

Honing skills

And developing plans.

They have no

Sweat and blood and tears

Poured into the ground of battle

Yet, they rage on

With blame

When the results on the field

Don't match

The expectations

Of these sideline quarterbacks.

So it is with the beef industry

Which daily fights the battle

Against the elements

To bring food to the table

Of hungry people

Who criticize them

For what they do

More efficiently

And sustainably

Than could have been imagined

By generations

Who have come before

And paved the way.

Climate change?

Look to your steel

And concrete

And luxurious living

As you jet around the world

Burning fossil fuel.

Fixing What is Broken - and Climate?

Sometimes you've got to fix what is broken.  We've had an amazing year of rain which began last Fall and has lasted until about a week ago.  It is time to turn on the sprinklers to keep the lawn healthy and green.  Yesterday, we ran a test on our yard system and found that one emitter near the driveway was a gushing fountain rather than a nice, pop-up spray as it was supposed to be.

Since I seem to have spent a large amount of my life working on irrigation systems of one kind or another, and being frugal, I dug it up and found the break.  It seems one of us managed to get an automobile wheel off of the driveway and run over the sprinkler.  With the damp soil, the weight apparently caused the tire to sink in deep enough that it snapped the line at the "T" beneath the sprinkler.  It will be a fairly easy fix, but takes time.

It's a good thing we tested the system before merely setting it and letting it run.  We operate our sprinklers late in the evening, after dark, to reduce evaporation.  We don't worry much about fungus on the lawn since the humidity is so extremely high most of the time that the grass is usually wet from dew anyway.  The test revealed the break, allowing me to repair it rather than to find all of the water from that section had flooded the driveway.

Why do we water our lawns?  Lawns are quite a drain on water resources.  Restrictions on watering lawns are one of the first things cities do in times of shortage.  I suppose we just crave the green space and are willing to expend the resources for our small piece of "nature."  As I think about it though, I believe there is more to the story.

I am not a meteorologist, but I have always been intrigued by the subject.  Yesterday, I watched a brief video of radar showing the outflow boundary of a pop-up thunderstorm over Lubbock, Texas.  The storm released its energy when almost exactly over the geographic center of the city.  Think about that for just a minute.

Cities are a complex of asphalt, concrete, rooftops and other surfaces that affect reflectivity.  If you don't believe me, take off your shoes and socks and walk on a street in August, then hop on those blistered soles to the sidewalk before tumbling onto the grass that is hopefully growing in a narrow band to the side.  Wow!  The grass is cool!

Urban development affects local weather.  I suspect the heat over Lubbock caused the thunderstorm to blossom through any strata that was capping its energy causing it to release the rain.  The cooling effect of that release created the visible outflow boundary seen on radar.  Sometimes that isn't the case.  Frequently, those heat domes over cities will cause clouds to "slide" around them and release their moisture over other areas.  The heat creates a barrier.

Now, to jump back to lawns.  I believe we need more "green space" in our cities.  We need lawns and parks and other areas covered with trees and water that help to mitigate the effects of the man made structures.  We also need to re-think how we build so that we change the heating effects -- perhaps with different materials.  We also might consider how to capture that heat when needed -- such as in the winter.

Maybe, the way we build cities is broken -- just like my lawn-watering system.

There is another piece to the puzzle that has to be considered.  It is well-documented that particulate matter in the atmosphere also affects reflectivity and therefore, heating of the air.  With the concentration of automobiles in cities, the exhaust adds to the heat-building effect of summer sunshine by helping to trap it rather than allowing the energy to be reflected into space.  As much as we hate giving up the independence of operating our own automobile, in the city environment, some form of public mass transportation is needed to reduce emissions -- it will improve the air quality as it changes the heat-trapping effect.

City dwellers often point to agricultural practices as the source of a warming climate.  They outnumber those in agriculture -- especially in highly developed countries.  The power of their voice and their vote is difficult to counteract, but they -- just like all of us -- need to look in the mirror before pointing fingers when it comes to "climate change."

We don't need to eliminate animal agriculture, or stop farming the Midwest and turn it back into a buffalo prairie, we need to figure out better ways to build highways and parking lots and skyscrapers and how to move people to-and-from their work without filling the roadways with automobiles.  It doesn't work so well out in the country where food is produced and people are spread over wide areas, but where people are concentrated into urban and suburban megalopolises, much could be changed that would make a difference.

Maybe what we need are strips of grass instead of sidewalks and gardens on the roof of every high-rise building.  Vertical greenhouses could be mounted to the sides of those same buildings.  High-speed trains might move people through green spaces of tree-lined spokes and concentric circles.  Sigh, I suppose I'm dreaming, but dreams are the stimulus for creativity.

People and Climate

Much of the country has been gripped in extreme bitter cold these last few days.  I know it is still winter, but it is time for spring to begin showing its face.  We are fortunate to live far enough south that, although it is the coldest spell we have experienced all winter, our temperatures are not too bad.  We have had to deal with frozen water tanks for the first time over the last few days.

It is amazing how people and animals adapt to the harsh temperatures.  If you are not a part of agriculture, you mostly cope by staying indoors rather than being out in it.  If you have livestock to feed and care for, it is a very different story.  Hopefully, there is adequate shelter for the stock to get out of the wind.  High quality feed helps also, because it provides the energy necessary for the animal to stay warm through biological mechanisms.  They should be carrying more fat and more hair during the cold months that help to sustain them when temperatures drop.

People bundle up in layer upon layer of clothing that holds the body heat.  Cold is the natural state of space and warmth only comes because of the input of energy which is trapped within the atmosphere.  Sunshine is an amazing "heater" only because of our atmosphere.  Otherwise the energy would pass right through and continue on its merry way through space, or be reflected back into the coldness never to return.  Instead, it bounces around between molecules of air and the water and other compounds suspended in it, exciting those molecules to a state of vibration which in turn releases more energy.  (I'm sure my description of the science here isn't perfect, but the gist of it is correct.)

The balance of heat capture versus release within the atmosphere is a delicate thing.  If too much heat/energy is trapped, we experience global warming of the atmosphere.  If not enough is trapped we experience cooling.  The earth tends to regulate itself thanks to the most important molecule to life -- water.  Evaporation due to heat adds water into the atmosphere which forms droplets around particulates suspended in the air -- such as carbon molecules -- which then precipitate back to earth carrying some of the heat from the atmosphere along with it.

It is fear of the long-term consequences that drive many to have an alarmist view of this action.  It is natural and cyclical.  Does human activity affect the cycle?  Probably.  Is it irreversible?  No.  Nature will correct the course.  The correction may be difficult for those who live through it because it will likely cause more and more extreme weather events.  Radical human-driven solutions will not change the natural cyclical nature other than to possibly affect the duration of the cycle in a very limited way.

Fortunately, mankind will adapt.  It has happened many times through the eons that mankind has been on this planet.  Just like the folks and their animals up north have adapted to the harsh conditions this winter, we will figure out ways to live through it.  We are amazing, yet sometimes foolish creatures.  Amazing in our adaptability yet, foolish in thinking we are in control. 

A Tentative Spring and Extreme Climate Change

As I look around the countryside of Northeast Texas I see trees that are almost completely leafed out, flowers blooming in profusion and grass that is waist deep.  The birds are singing and the skies are blue, but there is definitely a chill in the air.

Just this week as I watched the weather map I saw that places like Amarillo were in the 90's on Monday and in the 30's by mid-week.  The front-range of Colorado saw as much as a foot of snow in places.  Wyoming faced a blizzard.

Is it global warming? -- well, proponents of the theory that this is all the fault of mankind polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse gasses claim that global warming is a misnomer -- it should be called "extreme climate change".  I think the answer is that yes, we are going through some extremes in climate variation but, I don't accept that it is caused by the activities of mankind.

Should we as humans be aware of the potential impact of our activities on the climate?  Absolutely.  We should always be cognizant of our role as stewards of this planet.  After all, we are certainly the dominant species.  We are fulfilling the role assigned to us in the Biblical book of Genesis to have dominion over the earth -- to conquer it.  But, we are not always the best stewards of the resources in our care.  Often, our activities are very short-sighted.  That short-sightedness is symptomatic of the corporate Quarterly Report focus that drives the activity of most major corporations.

In recent years there has been much written about the role of livestock in generating greenhouse gasses.  Many studies have been conducted that showed they either were the worst culprit or they had little or no impact.  Outcomes seem to be driven by the source of funding.  Perhaps the answer is to take a common-sense look at it.

An easy example is that of cattle on the high wind-swept plains of the central U.S.  Today it is cattle, whereas in ancient times it was buffalo, elk and other grazing species.  In total, I suspect there is very little difference in the numbers.  Historically, the grasslands were maintained through grazing activity and periodic wildfires.  I don't see much difference today except that much of the livestock is more confined and much of the land has been converted to cropland which should mean a greater amount of carbon is stored.

If there is a place where human activity has impacted global warming it is in the cities.  Asphalt and concrete are reflective surfaces that return heat to the atmosphere rather than soaking it in.  High concentrations of automobiles generate various gasses that could contribute to the warming -- just look at the smog over most of our major cities.  Trees and grass have been replaced by buildings and roadways.  Yet, we never hear of articles pointing the finger at cities as the problem in spite of the fact that temperatures in the cities are often higher by several degrees than the surrounding countryside.  No, the finger is always pointed at rural activities -- even to the point of wanting to regulate the amount of dust that can be released by the act of plowing or driving down a dirt road.

I think the problem is envy.  After all, it is city folk writing the articles.

But, as to this seemingly very tentative Spring this year?  I suspect it is part of the millennial cyclicity of our planet's climate.  Or, perhaps it is George Bush's fault since he didn't support the Carbon Tax.....  That's what the media and the current administration in Washington would want us to believe I'm sure.

Cattle Emissions and Conspiracy Theories

OK. I’ve finally had enough of the ludicrous idea that the way to control greenhouse gases is to regulate emissions by livestock. I suspect it is really a plan to destroy the livestock industry by those who think we should all become Vegans. Or, maybe it is something even more sinister.


The carbon cycle is relatively simple to describe although its actions are complex. Living things are carbon-based. This includes plants and animals. Plants take carbon-dioxide out of the atmosphere, trap the carbon into their tissue in the form of various molecules such as sugars and then release Oxygen. Animals eat plants (or other animals) and through the process of digestion, break down the complex molecules (such as sugars) from the plant material and utilize the released energy to fuel their existence. In the process of digestion, some of the carbon is released back into the atmosphere as various gases and carbon dioxide is released through respiration. This process cycles the carbon in a somewhat continuous loop. Plants also release carbon when they die. The process of decomposition releases carbon into the atmosphere.

This carbon cycle has continued since the beginning of life on this planet. At one time in pre-history, there was significantly more carbon floating around in the atmosphere which fueled riotous growth of plants. Many of those plants were then trapped in sediment and over time changed to oil, gas and coal or were bound into limestone and other sedimentary rocks.

Until we began releasing the carbon that was “sequestered” in the form of oil, gas and coal, carbon wasn’t a problem. It was cycled through plants and animals just as it is today. It was this release from the utilization of fossil fuels of huge amounts of carbon back into the carbon cycle that created what some scientists today are claiming to be a cataclysmic problem for life on earth. In other words – it isn’t the cattle that are causing “climate change,” it is the burning of fossil fuels that released huge amounts of trapped carbon into the atmosphere that is causing the increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases.

So, why do our government and the governments of other nations throughout the world think the solution lies in regulating gas produced by cattle? Here is one possibility – it is part of the plan to control the world food supply. In the U.S. most crops are subsidized through various support payments. Livestock production is not. Placing regulations on the livestock producers under the guise of controlling greenhouse gas emissions makes sense only in the context of attempting to gain control of one of the few lightly regulated industries left.

It fits into what could be construed as a plan to force a one-world government. The way I see it, if one wanted to control the world you would begin with a series of induced crises. The crises would be designed to gain control of some key things – banking, energy and food. Hmmmm…..we recently saw manipulation of the first two of these items. That leaves food. I wonder what’s really going on behind the scenes in Copenhagen……

Global Warming Again

I can't decide what to think about "global warming". I don't trust the media, I don't trust politicians, I don't even trust the so-called scientists. They all have an agenda they are pushing which biases their positions. I think there are certainly observations and measurements of climatological factors that indicate that the earth is in a warming cycle -- at least some areas of the earth. Is the warming man-made, or part of the natural rhythm of the earth's climate?

I had a lot of training in statistics when I was in college. The old adage that "the figures don't lie, but liars can figure" is appropriate to consider, and certainly relevant to the question of climate change. If you have a particular point of view that you believe to be correct, the research that you conduct will be conducted in such a way that you will likely prove your point -- especially in an area that has as many variables as the earth's climate. If you believe that the polar ice caps are melting, you will look until you find evidence that they are melting. If you believe that the earth is warming, you will look until you find evidence of warming -- even if you have to measure the temperature in a thousand locations to do it! All research begins with the biases of the researcher. They cannot be removed from the process. I know that you "scientists" out there will disagree with this, but keep in mind that your disagreement is a bias in itself.

My training is in economics. Economics is a so-called social science. It is the study of the allocation of resources. It uses scientific methods to the extent possible. However, all economic problems are affected by huge numbers of variables. The larger the number of variables, the more inexact the conclusions. The large number of variables is one of the biggest problem with climatology. In economics, quite literally, the price of eggs in China can potentially impact the futures market for corn in the United States. Why? One possible scenario is that a high price for eggs in China could cause a shift in chicken raisers from meat production to egg production. This in turn could create a demand in China for imported chicken. Perhaps the chickens are imported from the U.S. as frozen, boxed chicken. The increased demand for chicken from U.S. suppliers could cause a price rise in chicken meat in the U.S. causing a shift in consumption by U.S. consumers from chicken to beef. In the feedlots of the U.S., corn is one of the primary feed ingredients. Therefore, the quantity of corn demanded would increase and the cash price of corn would increase -- at least temporarily until the farmers responded by planting more corn. The cash price increase would create a speculative increase in the corn futures market. An endless number of other scenarios can be concocted by any good economist that would provide the same or a different answer. It is likely that none of them are completely true.

Now all of that was said for this reason. How many variables affect the weather? Even solar flare activity affects the weather on earth. There is no way that scientists can know with certainty that human activity is causing global warming.

Al Gore has come to the forefront as one of the biggest "fear-mongers" of global warming. He's also making a lot of money in that role. Is he also running for President based on the questionable fears that he is creating in the American public? The general public notoriously follows the media. The media tends to give favorable treatment to the most liberal of ideas. It all just makes me suspicious.

It's time for the American people to take our country back from the vultures. If we don't, they'll soon be picking over our bones.