Climate Change?

“Snows are less frequent and less deep. They do not often lie below the mountains more than one, two, or three days, and very rarely a week. They are remembered to have been formerly frequent, deep, and of long continuance. The elderly inform me the earth used to be covered with snow about three months in every year. The rivers, which then seldom failed to freeze over in the course of the winter, scarcely ever do so now.”

Those comments on climate change were made by a prominent Democrat — Thomas Jefferson in describing Virginia weather in 1785!

The Boston Globe is a knee-jerk liberal newspaper, but it also has a very wise columnist who “tells it like it is”. Jeff Jacoby used that quote from Jefferson in this week’s Arguable column while cautioning against panicking about a slight rise in temperature which has greatly reduced worldwide loss of life in contrast to periods of colder weather while providing wealth which allows us to deal with climate changes.

The Al Gore description of climate change involves both higher temperatures and a lack of rain. We do get periods of such weather, but I doubt if those living in N.J. feel they haven’t seen enough rain lately. Of course, stormy weather doesn’t count because it’s the result of climate change. In other words, it’s impossible to be wrong.

The result of Gore’s prediction would result in higher water temperatures sending species heading north while NOAA Fisheries told N.J. anglers to learn to fish for red drum. The result has been a mass of seals so thick during winter in the Shrewsbury River that it’s seemed at times you could across the river on their backs. Southern New England has been overwhelmed by seals that had never been a problem at all, Meanwhile, the red drum remain to the south instead of returning to the Jersey Shore where they were they were the major inshore game fish under the name of channel bass a century ago.

Yesterday’s mention of the blue marlin on fly opportunity in Guatemala included an error as I noted it came from Jim Jordan rather than Jake Jordan.

A small craft advisory is up until 6 p.m. Tomorrow starts with northeast winds at just 5-10 knots with a slight chance of precipitation in the morning.