Letters to the Editor for December 26

I have been told to study history to keep from making mistakes. I just finished another book that covered fossil-forming ice ages.

Most of the books I read in this field are written by someone with Ph.D after their name. (Yes! I do believe in science!)

They seem to think there have been five major ice ages in our planet’s past life and, for the most part, they think changes in orbit caused the earth to spend more time further from the sun, traveling an elliptical path that slowly becomes more circular, only to be dragged back to elliptical by planetary alignment, asteroid interference, or a comet.

All of this has gone on without input from homo sapiens or fossil fuel — on ice age timelines, homo sapiens and fossil fuel are very, very, very recent.

Between ice ages, there was global warming each and every time. Elliptical equals cooler minus circular equals warmer.

At this time, the earth is in a slightly elliptical orbit, getting more circular, we are going to get warmer!

According to what I have read, ocean levels have been 300-400 feet lower when water has been tied up in ice, and as much as 20-30 feet higher than present levels when the earth was ice-free.

Based on history, ocean levels are going up!

Al Gore and his friends are flying private jets to climate seminars, then tell me to lower my carbon footprint. If they really mean and believe what they say, they might try setting an example.

Until then, I can’t change the orbit of the earth.

There has been climate change for eons of time, warmer and cooler than the present and I intend to keep driving my car back and forth to get my groceries!

Michael Fifer

Hood River

Work on it

Do I remember correctly that the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled in favor of keeping Morrison Park, and not re-zoning it for residential housing?

I would like to know why the developer is again proposing to build. At the rate our orchards and other green areas are disappearing, we should hang on to what is still natural. Yes, there might be poison oak, blackberries and other undesirable plants. I bet we can get a work party together to remove those unwanted plants.

Maria Kollas

Hood River