As I look out upon the frozen tundra that once was my lawn, and prepare to shovel the yards and yards of snow from my drive, I cannot help but wonder, where is all the Global warming? According to the "green" folks the temperature has increased so dramatically that we as a species are in great peril of extinction. Al Gore, that magnificent prophet of the movement, even went so far as to boldly predict the destruction of the polar ice cap within five to seven years.
Contrary to the scientific evidence that proves the exact opposite, which is that the ice cap has grown in size.
To give the warming acolytes and their prophet some due, I have to note that once faced with incontrovertible evidence that the world is not warming, they took action to address it. Holding a summit in which all the best and brightest of the disciples attended they decided to rephrase their stance, so instead of fighting Global Warming they now rally behind the banner of Climate Change.
It seems that every action we as people perform in our daily lives has a negative impact upon the environment. Our cars emit pollutants, our warm homes use up fossil fuels, even our very bodies produce carbon dioxide every time we exhale. Cattle flatulence has been measured and determined to have weakened the ozone, (what a lousy job that must have been) the list goes on and on. No matter where one casts his or her eye, they cannot help but be assaulted by some form of heresy or another against the planet.
To have faith one must believe beyond the manifestations of physical evidence; to believe in a god one merely needs to accept his or her existence as truth. This often brings solace and understanding to the human experience which given the complexity of life and society is much needed. I have no problem with faith or religion as its benefits are great indeed, however, once the views of the faithful are imposed upon me through force or legislation I do get a bit defensive.
The religion of Climate Change has already crossed that line with me.
This past week one hundred of our State legislators signed a letter calling on Maine's U.S. senators to take action to promote clean energy jobs. The intent of the letter is twofold; first to show support for Senators Snowe and Collins, if they decide to vote in favor of a climate change bill, second, it gives the new found faith validity of sorts. The faithful didn’t bother to add Chellie Pingree or Mike Michaud as recipients, for those two are already amongst the converted.
Forgetting, or ignoring all that is right before them, our leaders are happily wasting time on writing missives to one another of faulty and frivolous substance. Of course the devoted authors of this letter were sure to peak the voters interest with the word "Jobs" thrown in for good measure. Somehow, dedication and confidence in something that cannot be proved will create sustainable employment for the people of Maine. This must be the "hope and change" I have heard so much about. If my unemployed neighbor just hopes and prays for a job it will come to pass with a little faith in Al Gore that is.
I see now that reason has left our leadership completely.
Any legislation that effects the lives and livelihoods of so many people must be based in more than faith. Truth and facts are the keys to logical, practical governance. Ignore these keys and the laws become but whims of fancy. As a consequence, the law itself suffers as it loses the respect of the citizens. The danger in this should be self evident even to the most doltish of our politicians.
Perhaps we would be better served if those we elected to office could take a moment to look out the window and see the snow piling up. A quick gander at a thermometer might not hurt either what with the record cold we have been having.
I realize that what I am writing and thinking brands me an ignorant heretic, and that those true believers in Climate Change will find great discomfort in my calling to task their faith. Blasphemy is always discomforting. However, before they flay me alive for sacrilege or draw and quarter me as a warning to others of like mind, I must go now and shovel the drive.
Sláinte
Allen Butler
2 comments:
The latest best-selling book entitled SuperFreakenomics has an excellent chapter on global warming- in which the authors cut through all the emotional miasma that always surrounds the subject. It would be worth a look, if you can get your hands on it.
As I see it, continuing to depend on fossil fuel (as we do) is unwise even if one discounts global warming. Fossil fuel is a finite resource (no one can deny that)and one which the US must depend upon the cooperation of other countries to feed its need, thus putting national security at risk.
Garnet, I cannot disagree that our dependence on fossil fuels has put us at considerable risk. The need for this country to become energy independent is greater now than ever before, especially considering the aggressive and unfriendly attitude of the supplying nations towards the United States.
But, to achieve independence from Foreign Oil, several actions must take place in concert.
1.We will need to drill for and refine those oil reserves available to us here. This will allow us as a people to buy domestically thus allowing the billions of dollars that normally go overseas to stay within our borders. Which undoubtedly in turn will boost our economy?
2.At the same time we are making use of said resource, we will also be fostering green technology development. As we begin to implement the technology we can slowly wean ourselves off fossil fuels. Probably not completely, but we can reduce the overall consumption by millions of barrels a year by using that technology to create power for electricity.
3.Lastly the use of Nuclear Power will have to come to the fore and become a mainstay of providing energy to the grid.
Quite honestly, I see none of the above necessary steps coming to be individually let alone in conjunction for a variety of reasons. When someone proposes drilling others fight against the option as anti environment and scream about “Big Oil”. When we broach the Nuclear option we get to see the terrible images of Three Mile Island, the Love Canal, and of course Chernobyl. Flying in the face of all the advances and advantages of this power source and the evidence as to its safety the opposition is steadfast. They will not be swayed, especially if the proposed plant is to be built in their home town.
Which leads me to Green technology; this last source which can be of great benefit is slow in coming and is in no way ascetic. Many people say they want wind energy but by all means let’s not have a wind farm close to home. Look at the 10 year battle over the offshore project in Massachusetts. Because it would be fifteen miles out but still within view of Nantucket the people and their representatives have fought it tooth and nail. Hydro electric is another fine option but did we not jus destroy all the dams and plants in Maine so we could see the return of the Atlantic salmon?
It seems we as a nation have decided that, our hatred of big companies, our unreasonable fear of disaster, and empathy for the animal kingdom takes precedence over our security and safety as a people.
I’m sorry rambling on a bit. Thank you for replying.
Cheers
AL
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