My favorite appeal to authority from progressives are the military/intelligence ones. (Please excuse the oxymoron) Check out this mindless Pentagon insanity from 2004.

Saturday 21 February 2004 20.33 EST

A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a ‘Siberian’ climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.

The findings will prove humiliating to the Bush administration, which has repeatedly denied that climate change even exists.

An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is ‘plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately’, they conclude. As early as next year widespread flooding by a rise in sea levels will create major upheaval for millions.

Senior climatologists, however, believe that their verdicts could prove the catalyst in forcing Bush to accept climate change as a real and happening phenomenon. They also hope it will convince the United States to sign up to global treaties to reduce the rate of climatic change.

‘Can Bush ignore the Pentagon? It’s going be hard to blow off this sort of document. Its hugely embarrassing. After all, Bush’s single highest priority is national defence. The Pentagon is no wacko, liberal group

Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us | Environment | The Guardian

You just can’t make up insanity like this.

h/t Ryan Maue