Romney Insults all Arabs?

So, I think we may be establishing a pattern here.  Diplomacy may not be Romneys forte.  Not a big deal for a CEO of an equity firm, but as President, this could be problematic.

It’s one thing to accidentally insult the Brits over their ability to manage the Olympics.  Its another to suggest that Arabs are simply not cultured enough to sustain a successful and productive country.

Let me remind everyone, I am Jewish (not like you can forget, I remind you people constantly I’m sure), but to suggest that culturally we are better than Arabs teeters is just plain stupidity.

Here are Romney’s words in context, because as we know, that is critical when analyzing statements.

“As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality,”
Romney then said some economic histories have theorized that “culture makes all the difference.”
“And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things,”
Romney then went on to dig his hole even deeper by saying that similar disparity exists between neighboring countries like Mexico and the United States.

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Skeptic Richard Muller does about face about climate change

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Perhaps it is the extreme weather conditions and the heat that make me take a closer look at a phenomena that I had previously not paid much attention to.  I am not one to jump on every environmental issue that comes along.  Apparently skeptic Richard Muller  doesn’t either.  Skeptic Richard Muller has not only done a 180 degree turn and said that climate change is very real. He also says that it is nearly all man-made. In a study funded by the Koch Foundation, Muller tells us that it isn’t too late to do something about it.

Muller tells us  volcanic eruptions do cause climate change but that their influence is short lived, usually 3 years or less.  He concludes similar opinions about the el Nino phenomena.

The cure, he says, will be switching away from the use of coal to natural gas.  He says we will need clean fraking techniques because natural gas causes 1/3rd the global warming.  Coal must be replaced because of CO2 levels.

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