[Hoot Gibson]

I mistakenly believed that the "hide the decline" reference in one of the leaked emails referred to the current global cooling trend - it does not. In fact, this is a reference to the cherry picking of data used to construct the "hockey stick" graph made famous by snake oil salesman Al Gore.

The decline that was hidden was the failure of tree ring measurements to match actual temperature measurements after 1960. So, Michael Mann substituted actual temperature measurements to mask the decline that would have resulted from using the tree ring data. In other words, the tree ring data was used to hide global warming in the medieval period and then actual temperatures were used to achieve the hockey stick effect.

Why should you care? Do the math. If your electric bill doubled or tripled, how much additional cost would you and your family bear through the rest of your life? Global warming is the justification for sticking you with larger utility bills and for the government gaining more control over what and how much you drive, what kind of light bulbs you will be allowed to use. The next generation will have a lower standard of living if the cap and trade bill becomes law and we will have only ourselves to blame if we allow this hoax to continue unchecked.

The following two articles explain how data was manipulated to create the illusion that 1998 was the hottest year of the millennium.

Climategate reveals 'the most influential tree in the world'

Understanding Climategate's Hidden Decline