Global Warming and Uncertainty

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Sunday July 03, 2005 · 3:27 PM PDT

2005/07/03 · 15:27

Scientists have worked hard to retain integrity while making their work more relevant and accessible to society. One outcome has been the following in the Summary-for-Policymakers of the Climate Change 2001 Synthesis Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

"Confidence and likelihood statements"

"Where appropriate, the authors [of working group 1]... assigned confidence levels that represent their collective judgment in the validity of a conclusion....

virtually certain (greater than 99% chance that a result is true);
very likely (90-99% chance);
likely (66-90% chance);
medium likelihood (33-66% chance);
unlikely (10-33% chance);
very unlikely (1-10% chance); and
exceptionally unlikely (less than 1% chance)." Read More

My Email to Kyl

yorkst04

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Saturday May 28, 2005 · 2:10 AM PDT

2005/05/28 · 02:10

Dear Senator Kyl:

I read with consternation your comment regarding the vote to delay a decision on the Bolton nomination: "This filibuster is particularly disheartening after all the expressions of good faith." Assuming your statement was accurately reported, I can't help wonder: Is this a publicity stunt or do you really not know the difference between a vote and a filibuster?

Although I am not an Arizona resident, and therefore do not vote for or against you, I believe I have a right to expect honesty from all of the members of Congress in the United States, of which I am a citizen. There was no filibuster regarding Bolton. Please do not say or imply that there was. I think many of us would appreciate a public apology for your misleading remark.

Sincerely,

Noel Gurwick

My Email to Voinovich

yorkst04

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Thursday May 26, 2005 · 12:14 AM PDT

2005/05/26 · 00:14

Dear Senator Voinovich,

I write to thank you for continuing to voice your strong concerns and opinions about John Bolton and the United Nations. I am aghast that the United States is even considering such an appointment, and I find some reassurance in reading about your efforts to make a principled, internationally-relevant argument about this deeply-flawed nomination.

You have my strong support in this matter, and my thanks as a citizen of the United States.

Noel Gurwick

What I Wrote when I Signed the MoveOn Petition

yorkst04

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Monday May 23, 2005 · 11:13 AM PDT

2005/05/23 · 11:13

The recent actions of Dr. Frist fly in the face of reason and, if he succeeds in changing senate rules with a simple majority, raise the spectre of doing egregious damage to our government. I am thankful that the Democrats and a handful moderate Republicans -- the only ones remainign in the Senate -- are standing tall against these bullying, infantile, and nevertheless dangerous maneuvers.

The Constitution is clear: a 2/3 vote is necessary to change the rules of the Senate. It is clear for good reason -- to protect the voice of the minority, whoever that happens to be. Rhetoric about an "up or down vote" is misleading and an embarrassment to those who mimic the argument.

I implore you: do the right thing. Uphold the Constitution and the tradition of the United States Senate.

What I Wrote to NARAL

yorkst04

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Friday May 20, 2005 · 10:51 PM PDT

2005/05/20 · 22:51

http://www.naral.org/about/feedback.cfm

I read this evening that NARAL endorsed Lincoln Chafee for Senate 2006 in Rhode Island. I lived in Rhode Island for many years, and, as important, I follow Lincoln Chafee's actions in Congress.

Did this actually occur? If so, I am absolutely appalled. Has NARAL failed to notice that Chafee, despite being a "moderate" republican, nearly always defers to the GOP leadership? Has NARAL failed to grasp that, although we wish it were otherwise, our country's politics are polarized to the nth degree and that protecting women's rights, civil rights, and the environment depends largely on preserving and increasing the power of the democratic party?

yorkst04

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Friday May 20, 2005 · 7:30 PM PDT

2005/05/20 · 19:30

From the NYT, re.. photos of Saddam:

"These photos are wrong," a presidential spokesman, Trent Duffy, told reporters in Washington. "They're in clear violation of D.O.D. directives and possibly Geneva Convention guidelines for the humane treatment of detained individuals.

How nice that they are all of a sudden concerned with human rights and the Geneva convention.

Standards for confirmation (Bolton and others)

yorkst04

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Monday April 18, 2005 · 10:19 PM PDT

2005/04/18 · 22:19

What I sent to Senators Hagel and Chafee:

Dear Senator Hagel,

I read with some measure of reassurance your cautionary comments about John Bolton, as it indicates a willingness to look at the facts rather than run with the herd. I am disappionted, though, that the committee seems to set such a low bar for confirmation. To read the press, one would think that anyone can be confirmed so long as there is no firm and incrontrovertible evidence that the nominee would be a terrible choice. But should not the bar be much higher for these posts -- jobs that involve international affairs at the highest levels? Should not the standard be: "We want someone who we believe will do an extraordinary job based on 99% of available evidence?"

Why do we not use criteria such as those when we hire people for these all-important positions? Why are we not applying those criteria in deciding whether to recommend John Bolton for the job?

Sincerely,

Noel Gurwick

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Global Warming and Uncertainty

My Email to Kyl

My Email to Voinovich

What I Wrote when I Signed the MoveOn Petition

What I Wrote to NARAL

Geneve Now?

Standards for confirmation (Bolton and others)