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    Butler Shaffer
    LRC Blog

    July 1, 2009 

    The political establishment’s response to the global warming doubts raised by EPA researcher, Alan Carlin, is remarkable. The mantra chanted by one EPA official – and dutifully echoed across the media – is that Mr. Carlin “is not a scientist.” This fact, of course, has not kept Al Gore from becoming the patron saint of the environmental religion. (Gore received his PhD in which of the recognized sciences?)

    • A d v e r t i s e m e n t
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    An assertion of this sort is evidence of the anti-intellectualism that has metastasized across academia and spread to other venues of expression. Universities have become so dominated by an insistence upon the inviolability of the “turfs” of various disciplines as to make one unworthy to speak on matters of which he or she has not been certified to utter opinions by fellow academics. There was once a time – many decades ago – when a “liberal arts” education was regarded as a means of introducing people to a wide range of subject areas that would permit them to think and speak intelligently on various matters affecting their lives. Collective thinking – which now permeates college campuses – rejects such an idea, conferring subject matter monopolies according to one’s acknowledged “expertise.”

    When my “In Restraint of Trade” book was first published twelve years ago, an academic reviewer from a respected history department spent most of his time acquainting his readers with the fact that I taught in a law school and not a history department. The review ended up being little more than a strident defense of turf, and a condemnation of my efforts to focus attention on matters unfamiliar to historians.

    I enjoy watching Jonathan Hoenig every Saturday morning on Fox News’ “Cashin’ In” program on investment analysis. He is a consistent advocate of free-markets, individual liberty, and private property. He recently stated that humans “must think in order to survive,” but that we have recently been “outsourcing” this function to others. Such a practice now prevails on university campuses, and helps to explain why academia is a source of so little original and meaningful thinking. Don’t wonder about what anything means: the “experts” whose jobs are dependent upon advancing the agendas of the political establishment will explain it all to you!

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    Comment Rules

    75 Responses to “The Decline of Thinking”

    1. joe Says:

      Gore has two PhDs. One in dooshbaggery and one in asshattery.

      braindead Reply:

      And I hear he just completed his third in jerkoffery.

      Dogfood Reply:

      RON PAUL SLAMS CAP AND TRADE AND THE GLOBAL WARMING HOAX!

      http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article11680.html

      Spread the word.

      jerdy Reply:

      Don’t forget cocksuckology.

      Mizz Fizz Reply:

      cocksuckology

      LMAO!!!!!!!!

      mike Reply:

      Yeah he graduated from Butt-Fuk U

      Vigor Mortis Reply:

      “braindead Reply:

      July 1st, 2009 at 4:10 pm

      And I hear he just completed his third in jerkoffery.”

      Would that make him a JerkOfficer?!

      Kim American Reply:

      Good one. (ha-ha)
      Old Global Warming Gore. He just keeps HAARPing.

      Ray Reply:

      And rumor has it he’s getting a fourth PhD in Groom of the Stoolery.

      Your jokes are not funny Reply:

      Ok Ok! The joke was funny up until you came along and killed it. Wow. Don’t you guys know about giving jokes.

      uncleeddie Reply:

      That you Al?

      Charlie Foxtrot Adm. Reply:

      Yes and he actually minored in Tomfoolery and Poppycock.

      mike Reply:

      ha ha ha !!! way to take the joke in another direction

      dd Reply:

      He has been studying courses in Dicklickery

    2. serfspublicist Says:

      Great article and joe i agree with you

      Dogfood Reply:

      Global Warming is a HOAX!

      “The Man-made Global Warming Hoax (Part 1)”

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpWa7VW-OME

      Show this video to your family.

      FreddyFigaro Reply:

      Al Gore is an Iron Mountain report terrorist who wants to disarm America and reintroduce slavery in America !!!!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtyEAttEthQ

    3. "ren Says:

      hey, they saw it on tv, it HAS to be true. that is the mentality of sheeple

      roaddog Reply:

      “ren—no s---, lady. It’s sickening.

      Dogfood Reply:

      Not always…

      “Weatherman: John Coleman slams global warming (1 of 4)”

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk8SSqc7ekM

    4. nobleUK Says:

      gores got a degree in climate bulls---, didnt i hear him claiming to have inventing the world in the first place-i believe he said that he did it in six days and the instead of resting on the seventh he said NO!- i will invent the internet

      Charlie Foxtrot Adm. Reply:

      Yep after he did all that he finally went and

      blew the huge s--- he’d been saving those 7 days,

      clogging up the cosmic toilet.

    5. maccer Says:

      But the greatest menace to our civilization today is the conflict between giant organized systems of self-righteousness — each system only too delighted to find that the other is wicked — each only too glad that the sins give it the pretext for still deeper hatred and animosity.

      Bup Majerski Reply:

      maccer,
      That’s about the deepest thought I’ve ever encountered on this website. “…giant organized systems of self-righteousness…” So many examples come to mind. Thanks.

    6. Kontrol Centrale Says:

      huh?

    7. dWaRf mApLe Says:

      http://911essentials.com points out the facts to Mr. Nobel Prize:

      Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) is a theory (hypothesis). It is an unproven theory. What you do with theories is put them to the test with scientific observations. Let’s see what data points we now have:

      1) Average annual temperatures have not surpassed 1998 (NOAA)
      (University of Alabama)

      2) Average annual temperatures are now trending downward since 1998
      (NOAA) (University of Alabama)

      3) Ocean temperatures have not risen since 2000 when the 3000 Argo buoys
      were launched. The buoys even show a slight decrease in ocean temperatures

      4) The Arctic ice froze to February levels by December 07, there are 1mm
      more sq km than before (previous was 13mm sq km)

      5) The Arctic ice is 20cm thicker than “normal” (whatever that is)

      6) All polar bear pods are stable or growing (NOAA/PBS)

      7) Mount Kilimanjaro is not melting because of global warming, rather
      “sublimation”
      8) The Antarctic is not “melting”, it is growing in most places, the
      sloughing off at the edges is normal as the ice mass grows

      9) The majority of the Antarctic is 8 degrees below “normal” (again,
      whatever that is)

      10) The coveted .7 degree rise in temperatures over the last 100 years
      has been wiped out with last years below “normal” temperatures (NOAA
      coolest winter since 2001)

      11) Al Gore’s film was just deemed “propaganda” in a court of law in the
      UK as many points could not be substantiated by scientists

      12) It was also just reveled that some of the footage in Als film was
      CGI. The ice shelf collapse was from the movie The Day After Tomorrow (ABC)

      13) One of the scientists that originally thought that CO2 preceded the
      warming has now found with new data that the CO2 rise follows the
      warming (Dr David Evans)

      14) August 2008 was the first time since 1913 there were no sun spots.

      15) The Medieval Warm Period was warmer than the 20th century (no SUVs)

      16) Many scientists are now predicting 30 years of cooling.

      17) The greenhouse effect is real, our small contribution to it cannot
      even be measured

      18) Several publications, including those that are warmist have recently
      written that the natural cycles of the earth may mask AGW. Give me a break.

      911essentials is a primer portal introduction to the New World Order Corporate Banking Police State, its plans for one world government and their worship of the fake science Eugenics.

      MMB Reply:

      great facts; it’s all lies for pseudo-scientific economics – NWO.

      I am not amused Reply:

      dwarf maple

      Basically I think you and I concur – Al Gore needs to get a real job.

      Charlie Foxtrot Adm. Reply:

      Why would he do that when most of his life

      has amounted to being paid by others to eat,

      s---, breathe, fart and sleep, (like 90% of

      the other politician/thieves in DC)?

    8. DErAngeD Says:

      when it all goes down, they’ll kick ole al to the curb to. when he comes a cryin, i hope somone breaks his f---in jaw.

    9. Dept. of Weather Terrorism Says:

      Every man, woman and child on this planet are given advanced degrees of barium and aluminum poisoning from the chemtrail spraying.

    10. Dark0 Says:

      I love the dooshbaggery and asshattery. Those that don’t think about everything that effects them are only playing into their hands.

    11. TheLawOfAttraction Says:

      **** THE REASON AL-GORE IS ALWAYS SWEATING, is not because it is hot, it is because he is a LIAR!!! Young people that are buying this crap ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOO DOOMED!!! You WANTED Liberal Fascism, You’ve got it! Now go back to your iphone and your game boy and your worship of filthy human IDOLS like michael jackson… You All are PATHETIC!!! John3:36! GOD, gives societies the kind of ‘leaders’ they DESERVE!******************************************************************* ALEX, There is STRENGTH in the Blood, Bud. Focus on ‘The Blood’…

    12. killtheempire.blogspot.com Says:

      Good article. The greenie movement is a religious cult without question. The new world order is the old world order, it’s the British Financial Empire!

      matthew Reply:

      u sure it’s not the new roman empire?

    13. roaddog Says:

      The college I go to pushes the un charter sustainable development agenda 21, but they forget to mention that to obtain that, they have to die. The sociology instructor thinks the nau might not be so bad and that fluoride is harmless.

      Armed*Serenity}-;='--- Reply:

      Well fluoride is harmless roaddog, well that is if you don’t ingest it.

      Kids, just say no to drugs, don’t be a fluoridated burn out…………..

    14. doosh slayer Says:

      careful guys… dont want the feds abducting aneone because of name calling. lol. what a joke.

    15. This Site Proves The Article Says:

      This site proves without a doubt that people have stopped thinking. 99% of the posts are written by right wing racist homophobic religious zealots that spew talking points and bumper sticker slogans they heard alex say and they believe they are thinking. 99% of the posters here couldn’t even explain their beliefs and they do not even understand them. There are a lot of conspiracies out there and many are true BUT listening to alex jones will only make you dumb and will make you run in circles.

      that's right Reply:

      Yep.

      99% Reply:

      Hey leave me outa this I gots me a third grade edgumacation, I is smarte, i no that if ya run in circles ya get dizzy………..awe now u dun mayd me thirste……..ima gona go get me a bigo glass of water…then ima gonna wach me sum tv

      ed2point0 Reply:

      Your statement proves how dumb you really are. Stop drinking the koolaid and take the blue pill. I took it and I saw the matrix for myself; a world where we are slaves and where the super wealthy control the worlds’ resources. We are heading towards international fascism and we will suffer as long as people like you exist. Here are my beliefs:

      1. 9/11 was an inside job
      2. The Republicrats control the false left-right paradigm
      3. The president serves the military industrial complex
      4. Fluoride is dangerous to the health of the population
      5. Hitler idolized Abraham Lincoln and even copied how he indiscriminately killed women and children in the South.
      6. We financed the likes of Hitler, Mao, Stalin, and even Ahmadinejad.

      Must I go on you left wing loon.

      matthew Reply:

      don’t forget bin laden

    16. gman Says:

      hey jp, as if we cant tell your a tree hugging peeder puffer God hating queer. and if you stop listening to your gay friends you would find out that most scientist dont believe in the al gore make me rich scam he is trying to pull. so take your butt plug out and check the facts maybe you could be converted from peeder puffin to something that can look at reality and know we are being sold out by our leaders

    17. MMB Says:

      wasn’t his film entitled, “convenient bulls---”?

      Charlie Foxtrot Adm. Reply:

      Yeah, and his book was called

      “Earth Is My Palace”

    18. G spot Says:

      First of all, you are a Dumba$$. Secondly, you have no right calling anyone an idiot when you don’t know the word drivel is what would follow the word bulls--- in your sentence. Drivel meaning nonsense and closet meaning of dribble would be leak or drool. “Hey pot, this is kettle, you’re black.”

    19. earl the earl of earl Says:

      Attack, attack, attack.

      No addressing the statements, just attack, attack, attack.

      Name-calling and mud-slinging.

      Grown up children.

      Slave to no man except Jesus Christ

      Armed*Serenity}-;='--- Reply:

      So I’m supposed to resist NWO slavery, yet be a slave to JESUS!

      No thanks I prefer freedom, I prefer to remain a constitutional republic with the right to any spiritual choosing of my choice.

      I choose my Native Ancestoral teachings, spirituality, without the guilt.

    20. Sir Baby De Porky Says:

      The decline of thinking about the money pouch and crotches ?!? O.K. we’ll try…but you’re talkin’
      slim pickles !!!

      P.S. Skating on thin ice !!!

    21. SevethSin Says:

      It is amazing that even Fox News puts an article on their web-site about Dr. Paul’s HR 1207 gaining strength in the house. Then, they remove it as quick. As for ole Al, he is a guy that never finished any of his PHD and Masters work after he graduated with a Bachelors in Stupid Ass. Yet, he has the ear of all the liberals around the US. Just the blind leading the blind, wonder if he hands out shares of Occidental Oil.

    22. ghfd Says:

      Gore is an IDIOT. He’s always been an idiot. He continues to be an idiot. And will die an idiot. He has got so much dirt being used against him that he will say/do anything. He is totally compromised and anything coming out of his mouth is BS. Total idiot.

      Charlie Foxtrot Adm. Reply:

      Yeah he’s only smart about ONE THING…

      Knowing how to STEAL and get away with it.

      matthew Reply:

      problem is, is that all the liberals are trying to control everything we can and cannot do or say

    23. rachel Says:

      the carbon levels were far higher during the days of the dinosaurs. as the late George Carlin once said:

      “Earth will shake of mankind like bad case of the flees.”

    24. Richard Says:

      Here’s a thought. Take yourself of the grid becoming self-sustainable and not only will you no longer be at the will of these people you “name” full stop, but the discussed issue will also be irrelevant. Take away the bullet and the gun is useless, so to speak!

      I certainly don’t have faith in a system where the rheutoric is, “Such and such a business cannot fail.” And taxpayers money is used to prop the business up. The economy should be like the internet which was created by the Military so communications could never be brought down. Otherwise it’s open to collapse whether purposely caused by people wanting absolute power or just COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE.

    25. john Says:

      WE HAVE TO HANG AL GORE IN A PUBLIC PLACE FOR THE OPROBIUM OF THE MASSES

      Charlie Foxtrot Adm. Reply:

      Yeah he can twist in the wind alongside of those

      suckers who pulled off 9-11.

    26. House Says:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOOc5yiIWkg

    27. NatureBoy Says:

      if al gore says it, its a lie. thats all his done all his life to make money. why do you think he was vice president for one of the worst presidents in history and a notorious lier himself bill clinton

      al gore has one big agenda, he wants the american public’s carbon tax money so his carbon trading company can make millions for his fat ass

      hes reptilian, hes scum, he needs to go..he contributes nothing to society but fear-mongering

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fpJwAajIuY

      “..the eyes dont lie chico”

      davidicke.com

    28. Pat Says:

      Very good. I’m not a musician, but I can still have an opinion on the matter.

    29. Charlie Foxtrot Adm. Says:

      Now isn’t that a rocket-scientist in the index pic?

      Looks like the dude who took over an hour to

      unclog my toilet.

    30. Glenn Beck is wierd Says:

      Watch out for man/bear/pig. Come’on!! i’m super serial !

    31. Danny Cunnington Says:

      BREAKING NEWS: The Gwers are spamming huge lists by e-mail and twitter about how to counter arguments from GW skeptics. This is desperation. As several have noted above, all publicity is better than no publicity. They should know better. What happens in PR is that only a fairly small % of your flock are even aware of GW skepticism. They just like the color green as it’s trendy, love house plants and re-use their shopping bags.

      As soon as you start informing them of THE EXISTENCE of skeptics and a propaganda list of counter arguments you awaken a human instinct called curiosity. “What’s this all about, let’s discuss this” Etc.

      One of the basic failures of amateur propagandists is their lack of judgment about when to shut up. (Check out Alex Jones’ pauses…..). Propagandist on a pulpit level have some control en-masse but can’t stop the consequence of grass roots debate. Just drawing attention to a counter argument that will inevitably penetrate the entire coalition of the carbon cult fantasy.

      By the way. I’ve been an eviromentalist my whole life. The argument for man-made C02 is very plausible until you start to consider some scientifically proven hard facts. I believed it for more than 20 years. I wanted to. I love the natural world.

      It seems that humanity (or at least the leaders), has an ego problem. They have a tendency to overestimate their impact of their input and activities. All human activity is a single digit percentage of Co2 global production period. It’s not causative to either reduce or increase output of manmade (fossil fuel burning) because overall the actual contribution isn’t significant. There’s no evidence that Co2 actually drives climate change in any significant way even if you consider that 95% of global Co2 production is natural, it’s simply not causative.

    32. acl Says:

      He specializes in Liealogy and Phonyalogy from the University of Criminology, hoping to get his next degree in VeryRichiaolgy. But his main goal is to buttf---youalogy. The only thing left, really, is to wakethef---upialogy if you don’t want a special degree in soreassalogy yourself, which is really useless and will only lead you to become a Dumbologist.

    33. Illuminazi Puppet-Master Says:

      Excellent, short documentary on the Global Warming hoax!

      Doomsday Called Off
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr5O1HsTVgA

      Al E. Gore(y) should talk to these guys who actually HAVE scientific PhDs.

    34. MARCUS Says:

      shame on all you CIA, NSA, FBI agents that are compiling info on all of us. You are a greater threat to liberty and freedom than a million of your CIA trained “Bin Ladens”. If you truly love your country, if you truly want to protect your country, then look into the mirror and ask yourself, “who is my master”? Who is calling the shots? Who is ordering you to trample the fundamental rights of the very citizens you swore to protect? How far are you willing to go in the name of “safety”? Is it okay to detain citizens with no representation? Is it okay to disarm a populace so they are unable to defend themselves? Why did you get involved in law enforcement in the first place? Was it to defend the LIBERTY of your fellow citizen? Was it because you like to wear a badge? Carry a gun? Is it because you want to be on the “winning side”?. What kind of country are you building for YOUR children, for MY children. Will it be a nation built on fear? A nation where if you say the wrong thing, or peacefully protest against government action you are labled a “terrorist”? Is this the world you want your children to live in? Do you want them to live in a world where we are controlled by fear and by corporate interests? Where we are simply sheep, our only purpose to fill the coffers of international bankers, weapons contractors, and out-dated energy cartels? Shame on all of you who took an oath to defend this country from foreign and DOMESTIC threats that are facilitating the very demise of our once-great Nation. Does the fact that our current Federal government is operating completely outside the law not bother you? Have you ever really read the constitution? How brainwashed are you? Are you so caught up in your law-enforcement sub-culture to realize that you are now treating the very people that you swore to protect as your enemy? Reach inside yourself and shake your soul. You have the power to stand up and make a change. You have the power to say ” I cannot follow this order, I will not follow this directive as it is simply unconstitutional. Or, will you sell your soul for your pension? Will you continue to violate our God-Given RIGHTS of privacy, Liberty, Freedom, and Happiness? Do you not understand that when you operate outside the constitution you are operating as a lawless thug? Do you not understand that when you compromise the constitution in the name of ” safety” that you are buying into a lie? I pray that you will listen to these words. They are the words of a fellow citizen. They are the words of a man that has worked since he was 16 to build a life for himself and his family. They are the words of a man who believes in the power of the constitution and power that it grants its populace. If you really want to protect your country, the real terrorists are not in a sandbox 5,000 miles away. The real terrorists are sitting in Congress. They are sitting in the white house, they own the Federal Reserve, and they are even sitting in your office. They are the people who are taking the constitution and setting it on fire. They are the ones who follow their own agenda’s under the guise of freedom. It is all very simple. Follow the constitution. It is no more complicated than that. If you are asked to perform a task, and that task is not constitutional than you must refuse that order. If you do not, then you have sold your soul and you are in fact commiting treason.

      Reply

    35. Phenix Says:

      You all sound like a bunch of insane idiots. One joke was enough but you all pile on with every single phallic reference possible.

      Global Warming is not a hoax. The science about Global Warming has not changed for decades but predictions have changed. Scientific ideas have a tendency to change but I am not surprised that most people I meet that do not believe in Global Warming/Climate Change are also skeptical about evolution. The 4th largest C02 emitter in the US is a volcano but 3 OTHER man made factories/power plants surpass the emissions of a climate changing volcano. We have the power to transforms the environment on a global scale. Our C02 emissions are creating a change in the climate. The question is what will happen in 50 years? I honestly do not know but I sure as hell know that the Cap and Trade scheme is meant to profit off of a crisis not solve the crisis. I do not believe it is impossible to accept Global Warming but fight against any and all elitist solutions that simply exacerbate the problem.

      And again I am not a CIA operative trying to kill Alex Jones. I simply disagree with him and most of you on this front.

      Legalize Freedom Reply:

      All the planets are heating up… not just Earth. I don’t think our carbon footprint is causing that

      matthew Reply:

      phoenix when the govt says that even cows are bad for the planet because they crap outside is a total power grap scam.

    36. WHAMMO! Says:

      You don’t need to be a Meteorologist to know it is raining.

    37. THINK! Says:

      I HAVE ALWAYS HAD A HUNCH THAT THE NOBEL PRIZE(LOOK UP THIS ASSHOLE)WAS A SHAM BUT WHEN THIS IDIOT SLAVE GOT IT WITH ICCP I KNEW IT WAS ANOTHER PRIZE FOR SERVITUDE TO THE HIDDEN MASTERS! THIS WORLD IS FULL OF FOOLS MAN!!

    38. Alex Trebek Says:

      A. The Hawthorne Effect/Panopticon economy- http://www.sacurrent.com/news/story.asp?id=69607

      Q. How did Americans go from being widely recognized as the SMARTEST people in the world (1930s-40s)… to the DUMBEST people in the world today?
      Its not all just Flouride, and the 2-party DUmbOPOLY, folks.
      Its should be well-known to anyone who studied social Psychology that OBSERVATON/surveillance *increases* performance on simple/repetitive tasks; but *decreases* performance on anything new or creative. The phenomenon is true for any creatures on this planet, down to the insects; regardless of sociality. The original research- almost half a century ago- was conducted on cockroaches.

      Observation-peer pressure typically kills creativity and the ability to perform complex cognitive tasks of any sort.

    39. matthew Says:

      hey jp where do you get your so called info.

    40. Anonymous Reader Says:

      All right… I told Kurt Nimmo to do this, I am going to say this to you. Please all authors of Infowars and Prison Planet news articles cite your sources. People will have a stronger opinion than “ Gore has two PhDs. One in dooshbaggery and one in asshattery.” I believe if you post the sources that are genuine and legitimate, people will post more intellectual responses than just hurtful epipthets and entirely irrevelant discussion commentary. If you want academia respect, cite your sources and show the legitimacy. Evidence is the best proof to change people’s hearts and minds about current issues. This news article is complete junk and please re-write it with good sources. If you are really hurting for a story, please just admit you got nothing for the week and not write junk.

      Junk is Junk. It is not enlightening or mentally engaging like Infowars.com typically is. Please do better on your next article.