SORRY, FRANK, THE "SUMMER WIND" AINT ALWAYS NICE!

The stats and facts are being endlessly debated -- global warming or not? But while academicians studiously debate in labs, others furiously rage in streets. Their rage is usually described as "social unrest." Code-name in the mahogany-paneled halls of governments and corporations for: "The raggedy poor out there getting restless as they press their envious faces against our candy store windows!"

Is there some connection between global warming and global unrest...? Think about it.

Governments and corporations quite naturally believe the restless must be contained. Thrown some chocolate to sate their rage. Roman emperors did it with bread&circuses. Welfare states do it with vacations&pensions. Capitalists do it by flying the flag of the Great American Dream to which we are told everyone has a fair shot, so cool it a while longer.

Sometimes, though, the social unrest has little to do with ideology. Often it's simply what happens to us when temperatures go up. Currently they are predicted to rise worldwide between 2 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. As sociologist Matthew DeLisi at Iowa State puts it: "Hot weather is known to fuel hot heads. And because they are now outdoors more, there are more opportunities to engage in crimes."

According to his research, the number of violent crimes in the US between 1950 and 2008 rose with the rise in temperatures. Whoa, wait a minute...! If the power-brokers in those mahogany-paneled halls start projecting these numbers, what do they see...? "If the average temperatures in the US go up 8 degrees," DeLisi projects, "we'll see an extra 100,000 assaults and murders every year." He goes on to tell "National Geographic" it's a given that such trends can also trigger food shortages, increased poverty, mass border-crossing migrations, all having the potential for wars and even genocides.

Now you'd think here are some pretty big reasons for the big boys to take global warming more seriously. But then whoever said the big boys are that smart? Oh, right, "The Wall Street Journal" does. But then notice which side of the candy-store window its editors eat...