Global Warming Alarmists Have Their Theories Questioned from Beyond the Grave

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Ahoy Alarmists!

The ship logs of Lord Nelson, Captain Cook, and other British sailors are casting more doubt on the theory that global warming is man-made.

The Telegraph newspaper reports that a group of British academics and scientists has examined more than 6,000 logs which describe an increasing number of storms over Britain in the late 17th century.

Many scientists currently believe such storms are caused by global warming. But these storms occurred during a period known as the Little Ice Age which affected Europe from about 1600 to 1850. The records also show Europe experienced a spell of rapid warming during the 1730s, well before man could have had any impact on climate change.

Sunderland University researcher Dennis Wheeler says, "Global warming is a reality, but our data shows climate change is complex. It is wrong to take particular events and link them to carbon dioxide emissions."

Trash Talking

A proposal by San Francisco Democratic Mayor Gavin Newsom would require garbage collectors to inspect the city's trash to ensure it is being properly recycled.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that legislation prepared by the city's environment department says residents and businesses could face a $1,000 fine and have their garbage service stopped altogether if trash is not put in the correct blue, black or green bins.

The program is designed to limit the amount of waste that goes into a city-contracted landfill and help achieve a goal of diverting 75 percent of the city's waste from landfills by 2010.

But some residents are not too happy about the proposal. Mark Cromwell says, "Good luck placing blame on the recycling criminal — especially in big apartment buildings. I will stop recycling if this law goes into effect."

Race Relations

Former President Bill Clinton is denying that he made racist comments about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Mr. Clinton was asked on ABC's "Good Morning America" if he blames himself for wife Hillary's loss in the Democratic primary. Clinton responded, "There are things I wished I said. Things I wished I hadn't said — but I am not a racist. I never made a racist comment and didn't attack him personally."

Back in January, the former president was criticized for comparing Senator Obama's win in the South Carolina primary to Jesse Jackson’s primary wins there in 1984 and 1988. Critics suggested that Mr. Clinton was downplaying Obama's win and casting him as a racial candidate.

Over the Legal Limit

A member of Saudi Arabia's religious police has been accused of having six wives at the same time. While it is legal under Islamic Sharia law for a Muslim man to have multiple wives, six wives is two over the limit.

The Al Watan newspaper reports that the 56-year-old man denies that all six women are currently his wives. He says he has divorced two of them.

If the accusation is true, it is particularly egregious because members of the Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice — or the religious police — are expected to enforce the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islam — particularly regarding relations between men and women.

— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.