There's no such thing as global warming?

For you few idiots who don't think the planet is unnaturally hot:

You can now take a boat to the North Pole. In water, the whole way. On the ocean. No, I'm not kidding.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/09/20/arcticroute_pla.html?category=earth&guid=20060920100030

My second post today on global warming

Sir Richard Branson, the head of the Virgin family of Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Music, etc. has just announced he's donating 100% of his profit from his travel-related businesses to combat global warming. That's billions, folks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5368194.stm

My third (and final) post today on global warming

Just to show I'm not always a bleeding heart liberal, I turn now to yesterday's announcement that California is suing several major car manufacturers in an effort to continue the fight against global warming.

Specifically, my fine state is suing General Motors, Ford Motor, the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler, Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor. The state claims that "under federal and state common law the automakers have created a public nuisance by producing millions of vehicles that collectively emit massive quantities of carbon dioxide."

Hello? Excuse me, but aren't cars legal in California? Doesn't the state actually officially licence them to operate? And measure each and every car's emissions every two years? Doesn't California have a myriad of laws that hold automobiles to some of the highest environmentally-friendly standards in the country?

If all of that is true, how can we all of a sudden turn around and say, "Nope, these things are bad and those companies have to pay!"

Don't the very people who perpetrated this lawsuit drive cars to work every day? And, what, all of a sudden they're looking at their steering wheel while they're sitting in I-80 traffic on their way to downtown Sacramento and they think, "Wait a minute, this car is bad! We should sue those guys!"

And why just those six auto makers? What, they're the only people who make cars that are driven on the roads of California? What about BMW, Mercedes, Saab, Volvo, and all the rest -- those other guys are OK, but GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, and Honda are evil? What about the airlines that fly planes over the California skies, what about the boats and ships that travel through California's coastline, bays, rivers, and lakes? And don't even get me started on factory emissions.

Why the hell are we doing this? It doesn't make any sense!

Oh, wait, it's an election year. Never mind.