Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Carly Fiorina is dead to me. She says Hillary Clinton will "wipe the floor" with Donald Trump. Let's examine her logic:

• Hillary would beat Donald.
• Donald is trouncing Carly.
• Carly would beat Hillary.

This woman ran a major corporation? I wouldn't let her run the local dog pound.

To the editor:

I am a victim of Donald Trump. My political party has been hijacked, turning the Grand Old Party into a grand joke. I registered as a Republican because I believed in some of the core values of the party, but Trump has completely bastardized the concept of a free election determined by informed voters.

He beats his chest to drum up votes. He completely ignores the prospect of educating the public and instead panders to the narrow-minded.

Trump claims that he will make America great again, and the only way he can do that is by dropping out of the election. But he won't because we the people are giving him a spotlight.

Instead of feeding his fire, the media should report on thoughtful, informed candidates with platforms that weren't stolen from “Mein Kampf.” Right now, more polarized than ever, I don't even recognize this country.

Will Dawkins, Orlando, Fla.

Note from KBJ: You have it backward, Will. It's not that your party has been hijacked. You and your ilk hijacked the party. We're taking it back. There's nothing you can do about it, so you may as well lie back and enjoy it.

Note 2 from KBJ: Will Dawkins was more than happy to get conservative votes for his favored candidates, all of whom were drawn from the Washington establishment. (Think John McCain and Mitt Romney.) This time, we conservatives expect his vote. What do you say, Will? Are you going to cast your vote for Donald Trump or Ted Cruz? If not, why not? Does party loyalty go only one way? Head I win, tails you lose?

Progressives don't really care about blacks. They care about themselves. The affirmative-action industry benefits the white elites who run it. Because the aim isn't to help blacks, no amount of data showing that affirmative-action programs harm blacks will change their minds. Keep in mind, too, that, to progressives, what matters is not outcomes but intentions and motives. If you mean well, it doesn't matter that what you do is ineffective or self-defeating. Think of it as moral preening.

This is the Little Stone Church on Mackinac Island. Click to enlarge. The interior is beautiful.

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To the Editor:

I believe that federal employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have altered temperature data to try to refute an 18-year plateau in global temperatures that numerous other scientific studies have reported.

A Dec. 4 editorial, “The Latest Attack on Climate Science,” and a Dec. 8 Op-Ed essay by a climate scientist, Michael E. Mann, “The Assault on Climate Science,” unfairly described my efforts to get the American people the facts.

Atmospheric satellite data, considered by many to be the most objective, has clearly showed no warming for the past two decades. But NOAA inexplicably omitted satellite data to reach the conclusions it wanted.

Federal employees whose salaries are paid for by American taxpayers have an obligation to be open and honest. Current law allows official communications to be made public, and that is why I have subpoenaed NOAA communications about its study. The American people have a right to know the real motivations behind this study, which are clearly suspect.

The climate is always changing, and human activity likely plays a small role. But what climate alarmists say is sometimes untrue and often exaggerated. We should rely on good science, not science fiction, when we evaluate climate change.

Alarmists like Mr. Mann seek to promote a political agenda, then claim to feel intimidated when anyone asks questions. But claiming that the debate is settled is the opposite of the scientific method.

If NOAA has nothing to hide, why not provide the evidence to support the agency’s claims?

LAMAR SMITH

Washington

The writer, a Texas Republican, is chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

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