Environmentalists Want to Name Deadly Storms After Climate-Change Skeptics

[Redfairen]

We’re all at the mercy of the other people in the world who share our name. Consider how sickening it must have been to be an Adolf as the full extent of the Fuhrer’s crimes was revealed. Still, not just people can spoil a name: The most famous Katrina of the 21st century was a deadly storm, and in recent years its popularity as a baby name is reported to have collapsed.

The climate-change group 350 Action wants to take advantage of this guilt-by-association. Why, the organization asks, should innocent Andrews and Hugos and Sandys be tied to lethal meteorological disasters? Why not link the storms to people who have been complicit in creating them?

But who are those people? According to 350 Action, they are climate-change skeptics in public office. A warmer planet, many climatologists argue, is one in which tropical storms are more frequent and more violent. (This magazine has made clear its position on the issue.)

The organization is circulating an online petition to name storms after politicians who have publicly questioned the idea that human beings are causing the planet to warm or who have voted against legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions—legislators such as House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Representative Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.), and Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.). A Web video that accompanies the petition offers a series of mock news clips, complete with wind-whipped, sodden, on-the-scene correspondents, in which newscasters intone things like: ”Senator Marco Rubio [R-Fla] is expected to pound the Eastern Seaboard sometime early tonight” and “Senator David Vitter [R-La.] is turning out to be one of the hugest and costliest disasters in American history.” So far the petition has accumulated nearly 92,300 signatures.

http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-03/environmentalists-want-to-name-deadly-storms-after-climate-change-skeptics

[blkmusclmachine]

1. OK.

[greiner3]

2. "Consider how sickening it must have been to be an Adolf..."

On a side note, my grandfather, born in 1896, was given the name Friedrich, German emperor and father of Kaiser Wilhelm who was the driving force for WWI.

There was such a backlash after the war in this country for ANYTHING German, even names, that my grandfather had to change his name, for various reasons, to the Anglicized Frederick.

I have a better suggestion as for the naming of storms, that of Republican presidents and when that list has been exhausted, current Republican pundits, any person who was a presidential candidate, Vice presidents; hell, the list is rather long.

[Chan790]

3. How many storms can you name George, Ronnie or Dick really?

And appropo of nothing, most weatherpeople I've seen in my life are not meteorologists, but pretty faces hired to read off a prompter. I can only imagine the butchery of Condoleezza. If they can't spell it, they probably can't read it.

I mean really though, they had George, George, Ronnie, Dick. Dick, Dan, George, Spiro. As for pundits and other public officials...a lot of them were named Dick. Even the ones that weren't named Dick or Richard were dicks.

[Xyzse]

5. Use last names?

Then it will be:
Bush I
Bush II
Reagan
Quayle
Dubya
Agnew
ACoulter
B'O'Reilly

[mrgorth]

4. I love the idea

I love the idea. Politicians, fraudulent "scientists", pundits, donors...you name it.
Hurricane Inhofe, Hurricane Limbaugh, Hurricane Koch...I'm all for it.

[polichick]

6. Ha! Good idea - even though the skeptic would probably be proud of it.

[davidpdx]

7. That's offensive to the storm!

I wouldn't name a stray butthair after one of those freaks.

[lame54]

8. Imagine being hit with Santorum...

There aren't enough paper towels to clean that mess