More Snowy Winters, Global Warming Denial to Come

According to scientists, there are a lot more bad ass winters to come.

The culprit?

Cyclical patterns of heating and cooling—as opposed to long-term global warming—could herald a coming period of harsher U.S. winters, [Meteorologist Joe] Bastardi told National Geographic News.

"We know that Earth's cycles are changing," he said. "The Pacific is cooling. The Atlantic will join it in several years. When you get an El Niño with a cold Pacific, you get crazy winters in the East."

Still, other scientists say global warming is the main culprit behind this month's eastern-U.S. snowstorms—and it could cause more heavy snowfalls in future winters.

Attributing snowstorms to warmer weather seems contradictory, but climate scientist Amanda Staudt says relatively warmer weather causes more water to be evaporated from the oceans and thus creates more moisture for winter storms, as long as temperatures remain below freezing.

Staudt went on to say, "I think there's overwhelming evidence that global warming is happening and that human activity is responsible for it."

Meanwhile, in an attempt to out-crazy the field running for his seat as Governor of Texas, Rick Perry is suing the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of Texas because that agency decided to regulate greenhouse gases as a pollutant.

Perry is facing challenges from the right and left of his own party. Yes, there may very well be someone to the right of Perry. Everyone knows Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is considered to be somewhat moderate compared to Perry, but the race got complicated when Debra Medina jumped in. She says she's not a secessionist, but at a rally she had this to say, "We are aware that stepping off into secession may in fact be a bloody war. We understand that the tree of freedom is occasionally watered with the blood tyrants and patriots."

The Dallas Morning News takes a closer look at Medina.

A recent poll has Perry in the lead with 46% to Hutchinson's 36%. Medina was at 17%.