Democratic Senator uses Okla. tornado for anti-GOP rant over global warming

[rainbow_fish]

(Idt I'd call this a ~rant, but okay)

While many Americans were tuned into news coverage of the massive damage from tornadoes ravaging the state of Oklahoma, Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to rail against his Republican colleagues for denying the theory of anthropogenic global warming.

Whitehouse spent 15

Comments

[romp]

I'd go with impassioned. And it was my first thought too.

[hinoema]

Or justifiably fed up.

[lovedforaday]

51 confirmed dead with CNN reporting that the ME's office is expecting 40 more bodies. what a horrible day.

Moore's Congressman, Tom Cole, was apparently one of the few Republicans to vote for Hurricane Sandy relief. Makes sense Moore his hometown was hit with two powerful tornadoes in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

[windy_lea]

If tornadoes spring up in the area, they always seem to hit Moore, and rarely hit Norman. I don't know if that observation is down to confirmation bias or landscape or what, though.

[lone_concertina]

There are geographic characteristics that can influence where tornadoes fall. My granny lives in the area and when I called her to make sure she was okay she said, "Don't worry about me, honey. We get a lot of tornadoes here but they only ever hit Earl Smith's barn." Apparently the landscape there funnels all tornado activity into this one guy's property and has done so for the 50+ years she's lived there.

[mollywobbles867]

I came home from an afternoon swimming with my bff and goddaughters and then an evening of a lasagna dinner and movies to this news. My mom asked if we had seen the coverage and I had no idea what she was talking about. I cannot imagine losing a child like this. Those poor kids and their families and everyone in the town. Tornadoes are so terrifying.

[windy_lea]

Um, well, I don't really mind them calling the GOP out on ignoring global warming because it does seem to be playing into the greater severities of weather disasters in general, as well as the more unusual events, but I'm not sure tornadoes in Oklahoma in May are the best example. Is this outbreak spawning a greater number or severity of the damn things, or is the horrifically high number of people hurt down to the locations the tornadoes hit? I'm on wikipedia right now, and FB, but if folks have better sources, point me. I do have friends in that area.

[alryssa]

http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com

Some interesting statistics here if you want to spend some time looking at tornado histories and frequency and related statistics.

[windy_lea]

Thanks! Will take a look.

I'm from Oklahoma, so I'm just sort of used to associating May with the worst tornadoes, but it's always good to see actual data.

[alryssa]

Sites like this can occupy me for hours, ngl.

[little_rachael]

It was a good speech!

[carmy_w]

I agree!

And now if only they will listen....