Mad Scientist Group Threatens Attacks On Hurricanes

By Joel Carlinsky

I recently had an e-mail from David Wells, the Commanding Officer of a group of weather-control fanatics called the Weather Rangers. At the conclusion of this letter, he wrote the following:

" A well placed .................. machine can bring them ( hurricanes ) down to tropical depression before they make land fall. We will see if they can be stopped this year".

The Weather Rangers are a world-wide internet-facilitated group of persons who suffer from a condition psychiatrists call "lilapsophobia", meaning an irrational fear of extreme weather. Persons with this condition consider the atmosphere to be dangerous. Indeed, normal weather is seen as a menace and they often think the human species cannot survive unless it gains control of the weather.

Lilapsophobia - Fear of Tornadoes and Hurricanes or Lilapsophobia
http://phobias.about.com/od/phobiaslist/a/lilapsophobia.htm

Before the advent of the internet, such people were isolated oddballs, but now, with quick, easy global communication, they can find each other and gain social re-inforcement for their feelings of anxiety. Unfortunately, they also have quick, easy access to information on forms of weather-modification technology that enable them to act on their delusions.

And act they intend to do. Alberto Feliciano, de facto Second-In-Command of the Weather Rangers, has re-located to southern Florida just so he can be in the right location to weaken or divert hurricanes that would otherwise strike the Eastern Seaboard. While this might make him popular with home-owners and insurance companies, it would be a disaster from an ecological point of view.

The areas where hurricanes are frequent are well-adapted to them and need them to maintain normal ecological conditions. A quick search on Google found numerous articles, including peer-reviewed scientific studies, showing the vital importance of hurricanes to coastal areas, and even far inland. There is no room for doubt: without the periodic hurricanes, the coastal regions of the southeastern United States would be a far different place, ---and from a biological and biodiversity standpoint, a far poorer one.

Science: The Benefits Of Hurricanes - TIME
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,907967,00.html

Answers.com - What are the benefits of a hurricane
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_benefits_of_a_hurricane

Hurricanes Bring Benefits to Barrier Islands and Beaches, Even as ...
http://today.duke.edu/2004/09/hurricane_tip_0904.html


None of which means anything to the Weather Rangers. Their psychological condition rules out giving any consideration to ecological concerns. Both Mr. Wells and Mr. Feliciano have been informed of the dangers associated with their plans, and both have decided to continue despite the scientific data that has been provided to them. Apparently, they fear the normal functioning of the atmosphere more than they fear an ecological disaster of their own making.

Of course, weather modification in the United States is subject to many laws and regulations,

Weather Modification Law in the USA
http://www.rbs2.com/weather.pdf

http://http://law.onecle.com/florida/public-health/403.301.html

http://law.onecle.com/florida/public-health/403.321.html

http://law.onecle.com/florida/public-health/403.411.html

including a Federal requirement to report any proposed weather-modification operations in advance to NOAA, and in the state of Florida, to obtain a license and carry insurance to compensate potential victims for any unwanted side-effects that may occur. The Florida law also requires anyone proposing to do any weather-modification to publish a notice in advance.The Weather Rangers have not made even the slightest attempt to comply with any of these laws.

Unfortunately, the authorities are in no hurry to prosecute. In fact, given the popular misconception that human interference in the weather is impossible, the prospect of convincing the legal authorities to investigate and bring criminal charges is remote. It is therefore up to concerned individuals to oppose this irresponsible scheme to interfere with the normal functioning of the atmosphere.

The prospect of initiating a civil suit for damages is somewhat better, since any private citizen could do that, but since the Weather Rangers are hobbyists, not a business, and do not have the funding that would interest a lawyer in taking a case against them on a contingency-fee basis, that possible avenue will have to wait until funding is available.

So, just in case, unlikely as it seems, the Weather Rangers can be persuaded by the pressure of public opinion, please take the time to send them an e-mail at:

"alberto feliciano" ( alfelici at gmail )
"David Wells" ( davidwells3 at gmail )

politely and diplomaticly pointing out the many legal, social, ecological, and ethical reasons why they should not be undertaking this project to prevent hurricanes.

Please send me a copy of anything you send them and any response you may get for my records.

And please forward this message to any person or group whom you think might be interested. Thank you.

Joel Carlinsky
( joelcarlinsky@yahoo.com )


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