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 A:    And therefore, global warming is the greatest de-

       ception of the early 21st century. Questions?

 B:     Uh… yeah. In the lecture you said there ’s more

       evidence in the scientific record supporting global

       cooling?

 A:    Well, yes, essentially 1, the historical record sup-

        ports a theory of climate cycles. Warming and

       cooling are cooperating processes in the plane-

       tary eco-system.

 B:     If that’s true and the planet is getting cooler,

       what explains the rapid melting of the polar ice

       caps and the dramatic rise in the global average

       temperatures?

 A:     But are global temperatures rising?  If you look at

       the data from nineteen seventy-five you ’ll…

 B:    You ’ll be misled. If you were serious, you would

        look at the record starting in the 1880’s. Then

       you would see how dramatically the earth ’s tem-

        perature has changed.

 A:    Young lady, I beg to differ. Look, the point of

       the lecture was to emphasize that there is evi-

       dence for both sides, and I’m putting forth 2 the ar-

       gument that there’s greater evidence in support of

       the global cooling hypothesis.  Look, it’s an indis-

        putable fact that the public is being manipulated

       and scared into believing there ’s some kind of

       climate crisis; this scaremongering is done, quite

       simply, for political reasons.

 B:     But even without the uncomfortable reality that

       greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide contribute

       to global warming, isn ’t the topic appropriate for

        politicians to discuss?

 A:     Not if they want to use your tax dollars and mine

       to fund completely unnecessary initiatives.

 B:    Yeah, like conservation, protecting endangered

       species and investing in renewable energy. At the

       very least, you have to concede that this debate

        has the potential to end our dependence 3 on for-

       eign oil. Buying oil supports autocratic countries

       that use these revenues to devastating 4 ends.

 A:    Why, I ’ve never been so disrespected in all of my

       days. I ’m a professor, a scientist and researcher

       of high regard.

 B:    Yeah, and a duplicitous one at that. Everyone

        knows you’re in  the pocket of the oil lobby.

       Why should we trust your so-called findings more

       than tobacco institute studies which say smoking

       doesn ’t harm health? You ’re full of it.

 A:    Some people just cannot handle civil debate!