Lil Ricky, Climate Change, And Teh Gays

I'm not sure if former(because he lost by 18 points)Senator Rick Santorum is trying to out crazie Representative Michelle Bachman and former(because she quit)Governor Sarah Palin, but he's certainly giving it the old college try.

First he's on Rush Limbaugh's radio show and calls climate change "absurd":

Former Congressman and current Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is turning up the heat on the issue of man-made global warming, calling it "patently absurd," a stance putting him at odds with perceived frontrunner Mitt Romney.

"I believe the Earth gets warmer and I also believe the Earth gets cooler, and I think history points out that it does that," Santorum said on Rush Limbaugh's radio show this afternoon.

"The idea that man – through the production of CO2 (carbon dioxide) which is a trace gas in the atmosphere, and the man-made part of that trace gas is itself a trace gas – is somehow responsible for climate change is, I think, patently absurd."

Oops. I stand corrected. I should have said "patently absurd."

And yes, I got that from World Net Daily. Who better to track teh crazie than teh crazie itself?

But let's take a look at Rick's "evidence" shall we?

Today, Santorum of Pennsylvania was adamant in his stance against man-made climate change, saying there were numerous factors that help regulate the temperature on the planet, specifically citing El Nino, La Nina, sunspots, and moisture in the air.

He said the political left uses the issue to its benefit no matter what the temperature is: "It's really a beautifully concocted scheme because they know the Earth is going to cool and warm. And so, if it's been on a warming trend for a while, [they say] 'Let's take advantage of that and say that we need the government to come in and regulate your life some more because it's getting warmer.'

"Just like they did in the '70s when it was getting cooler. They needed the government to come in and regulate your life because it's getting cooler. It's just an excuse for more government control of your life and I've never been for any scheme or even accepted the junk science between the whole narrative."

Ok, let's establish the baseline here. The earth is warming. Here's a graph from NASA:


In one sense Rick is right. The Earth does cool. Sometimes. But then it warms up more. Just saying that the earth warms and cools is a knowing distortion. Of course the earth cools. It was cooler last night than it was during the day. It was cooler last December than it will be this July. There are always cycles but none of those change the fact that over time Rick, the earth is getting warmer and warmer.

I guess he hasn't read that NOAA has declared global warming undeniable. But given the fact that a few years ago he wanted to limit the public's access to NOAA in favor of his campaign contributors at Accuweather.

Via ThinkProgress we learn of Rick's future plans:

During an appearance on CNN this evening, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum (R-PA) hinted that he would push for a federal constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage if he were elected president, arguing that gay or lesbian relationships could destabilize the culture, rob children “of the potential of having a mom and a dad,” and undermine religious liberties

And he was quoted as saying:

nce people realize the consequence to society of changing this definition, it’s not that we’re against anybody. People can live the life they want to live. They can do whatever they want to do in the privacy of their home with respect to that activity. Now you’re talking about changing the laws of the country. and it could have a profound impact on society, on faith, on education. Once people realize that, they say, you know what, we respect people’s life to live the life they want to lead but don’t change how with that definition.

Really? People can do whatever they want in the privacy of their own homes? That's not what he said in 2008:

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything," Santorum said in the AP interview, which was published Monday.

Ok, I'll make the cheap shot.

Rick Santorum is patently absurd.