The sun causes global warming?

Continuing with my pet subject of late, here's an aricle that suggests what I've long suspected, that scientists don't really know what causes global warming. I'm not claiming to know either, but it's always been informative to question the oil industry's or environmentalists' science. With so much at stake, vested interests will massage numbers and sometimes outright lie.

I'm not trying to pick on environmentalists. The chemical/oil companies and such are far worse because they know they're lying. But let's be honest, know-it-all college hippie environmentalists are just spitting back what their professor said (he wrote a book!).

I definitely get the feeling that for most environmentalism is an accesory, a badge you wear to show how cool you are. When people ask you at parties what you do and you say you're an environmentlist, you're 17% cooler than you were before they knew. It's just the way it is (engineering causes the reverse effect, we call it "insurance salesman anti-mojo").

I'm prefacing with all this enviro-butt kissing because I'm about to offend them. Let me just say that I like environmentalists and I would consider myself one of them if they would have me (I'm concerned about the environment and I separate for recycling, does that count?).

But. But "environmentalism" is closer to a religion than a science. Bear with me before you scoff. All religions have the same basic structure: what we're saying is the real truth and you have to believe what we say and follow our rules otherwise the world is going to end. Sound familiar?

They even look scornfully at non-believers, try to win converts, and marry within the tribe. Once I noticed that environmentalism is more easily understood as a religion rather than a science, it became much simpler to deal with environmentalists. Don't question their beliefs, you may as well be arguing creationism with a Mormon. "Republican" is an epithet and wearing clothes made out of hemp proves that you care about the Earth. Just accept them as they are. If you respect their beliefs and allow them their quirks, they will prove to be great friends and concerned dedicated citizens. Alot like Christians.

So anyway, back to the subject of global warming. I know this is a little bit out there, but it seems to me that from a common sense standpoint, if we want to know why the temperature on the Earth is rising, we should look at the sun. Solar activity has increased alot in the last ten years and lo and behold, the temperature of the Earth has increased as well. It's amazing really, that when the sun radiates more energy into the universe, the things closest to it get hotter.

You all know the sun, it's that enormous flaming wad of fusion at the center of our solar system, aka the source of all our heat. And it isn't just Earth. Climates are changing all across the solar system. The only thing in common here is the sun. There aren't any smoke stacks or SUVs or godforbid, stripmalls on Mars.

I know I'm of the inexplicably despised "yuppie" class so everything I say is tarnished with the stain of ... having a job ... and living in the city ... (I'm so ashamed) but it just seems obvious that the sun is going to have a much larger effect on our climate than fossil fuels. Not that I'm suggesting we don't get off of using them, but I think our biggest concern should be that gigantic fusion orb that's been hurling heat and radiation at us for eons. I think we should concentrate on studying the sun and ways to calm it down.

And that's how we know the Earth to be ba-nah-nah shaped.