Sunday, March 18, 2007

A new take on global warming - really!

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius! Aquarius!

Will Rogers is credited with saying something along the line that he doesn't belong to any organized political party, he's a democrat.

Rush Limbaugh opined for years that the Democratic party does not represent a cohesive organization held together by a shared, common, ideology, but rather a loose collection of movements who are willing to hold their noses and band together long enough to obtain political power at the voting booth. Having grown up in a solidly liberal, democratic family, I can attest they are both correct.

If you think about it, just how can groups that support abortion rights so easily coexist in a party that also abhors capital punishment? It's illogical. Yet they do. Big Labor wants to open the Alaskan oil fields to increased drilling for the union jobs it will create, yet this is considered a mortal sin by the environmental wing of the same party. There are an almost limitless number of other examples. I suppose it's a good thing that all these various groups must compete with each other within the party, which keeps democrats - despite their numerical superiority - from gaining too much power in government at all levels. In other words, they'll band together long enough to defeat their opponents, but when left to their own desires, they will start to squabble and fight amongst themselves. Watch the House debate on the next step for ending the war in Iraq. One third think the proposals on the table go too far, another third thinks it doesn't go far enough, while the other third thinks it's just about right.

Which brings me to my topic - Global Warming!

What on earth does all my babbling about the Democratic party have to do with global warming? I myself wasn't sure how to approach this topic, because there's so many people, with so many view points, from all aspects of society who believe human effects on the planet have caused the Earth to begin warming at an accelerated rate, putting us on a collision course with annihilation. Where to start? With the Democrats? With the scientists? With the UN? With the media? There's just way too many voices out there, stating far too many positions for any person to address each and all in an attempt to refute them all. Trying to debate with global warming fanatics is like trying to debate with a brick wall. Nothing gets past their firmly held beliefs. And that's what I found so strange. What an anomaly, all these various and varied organizations, speaking on many different topics, yet all with a sort of cosmic cohesion. Something is just not right. And that's when it hit me. All the different warring factions of the democratic coalition, have, for lack of a better phrase, entered the Age of Aquarius.

Something that I didn't believe could ever happen, seems to be happening right before my very eyes. The democrats and liberals have found the one common hook to hang all their agendas on: global warming. Modern liberalism's cornerstone has been victimhood for as long as I can remember. They divide the population up into groups, they choose one side and proudly proclaim them as the "victims" of something or other, then pledge to use the power of government to right whatever wrong they've decided to use as a wedge.

Take reparations for slavery for example. Many African-Americans alive today are the descendants of slaves, which means they have been harmed by the majority of Americans (always root for the underdog!), and therefore it's the liberal's duty to "fight" for reparations. I'm not debating the topic of reparations here, only using it as an example. Here's where democrats usually fall apart: while most African-Americans are democratic liberals, not all democratic liberals are African-American, so democrats can't get enough of a coalition to push for anything practical or substantial. Liberals may believe African-Americans have suffered because of the legacy of slavery and therefore are entitled to something, but it smacks enough of a government income redistribution that widespread support for reparations has never materialized.

When it comes to global warming, the liberal democrats have created the ultimate class of victims: everyone! If the world is coming to an end, then we all have a dog in this fight. But if we're all the victims here, then what is the evil, vile group that turned us all into victims? And that is my point exactly!

The evil ideology that's inflicting all this harm on us, is whatever any individual democratic and/or liberal movement is against.

Big Labor? Evil corporate interests are behind it. Trial Lawyers? It's evil corporations and government that needs to be brought to justice using the courts. Environmentalists? Its everything and every one who doesn't heed their philosophy. Big Academics? They're still working on figuring out who's behind it, so keep the government grants rolling in so they can keep working on it. Anti-capitalist, anti-free traders, anti-US, anti-whatever, it doesn't really matter, just point out they all contribute to global warming, and that is all the moral justification necessary to demand whatever action deemed appropriate to combat this atrocity.

Too many cars on the road are causing it, push for more public transportation and force Big Auto to keep redesigning products into forms that don't sell. Too many coal burning power generation plants belching sulfur into the air, push to shut them down, and prevent new ones from being built. Too many incandescent light bulbs? Force the government to outlaw them and force every one to use compact florescent light bulbs. Whatever any individual group believe ails society, blame it on global warming, and push for government regulation and laws to correct the outrage while simultaneously furthering their own political agenda.

School districts need more money to update their bus fleets, heating and lighting systems, and to incorporate global warming studies into their curriculum. Local and state governments need more tax money to upgrade their facilities and fleets in order to save the world from global warming. And on and on and on. I could list thousands of other examples, but I'll leave it to readers to simply turn on the evening news or pick up the daily paper to see all the examples they wish. Its everywhere. And each one has exactly three (maybe more, but at least three) things in common. First: there is a need to receive more money to accomplish something. Second: there is a need to more stringently regulate (voluntarily or legislatively) people's lives. And third: global warming. Always follow the money.

Former Vice President Al Gore is currently being hailed as the Prince of Environmentalism. He's the Grand Duke of Clean Living. He's a Hollywood top-shelf ticket. Not really. See, I don't believe Al Gore or anyone else has the brains and the organization and the contacts to pull off something this huge. Remember, we're talking about Democrats here. No, Al Gore is smart, but he's not nearly that smart, I don't believe anyone is. But Al Gore is smart enough to notice this trend, and to capitalize on it. He's not leading or guiding the global warming movement. What he is leading is the method for politicians of all stripes to take advantage of it. And its not just politicians that recognize this trend, the evil corporations of the world are jumping in with both feet. Just sign on to Al Gore's ready-made environmental platform, and by greasing his palm enough, he will personally bless your transition from the group of inflicter's to the group of victims who care. Any corporate marketing team that doesn't see the beauty of this plan should be sued for malpractice.

A perfect example of this is Hollywood itself. All the fabulous wealthy and beautiful people love their millionaire lifestyles. But, that puts them in the inflicter group, so how do they get back to the afflicted group while saving face? Enter the "Carbon Credit." Simply donate a few cents to plant some trees, and then jet off to Monte Carlo, guilt free, because they care and they made a difference. Nothing really changed, and I fail to see how planting a few trees could counter the effects of a one-way, cross Atlantic jet flight. But that's not the point. The point is, they are now certifiably in the group of victims that care.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the long term. An axiom of the free market is that government should regulate as little as possible, because by the time government acts, the dynamics of the situation have probably morphed several times over, which is one main reason government interference is usually so ineffective. It doesn't matter if their plan solves the problem, because the problem has already changed. So, seeing government starting to stand up on its rear haunches indicates to me the situation has already changed beyond the scope that government is attempting to solve.

What comes next is anyone's guess. One thing is for sure. If the moon enters the seventh house, that means it must also posses the power to exit it.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Global Warmongering

I have seen the enemy and they are us!

That's it folks, the party's over. Take down the posters, pop the balloons, sweep up the confetti. Some one help the drunks into the waiting taxis. Grab the closest drunk blond you can find, and head for the door. This gig is a done deal.

Right here, right now, in this very blog, I am officially declaring the war on global warming over, and we have lost. By we, I mean those who think science should be grounded in, well, science, you know - facts, reasoning, logic, observations, facts, deduction - we have lost. And what makes it all the more bitter is the absolutely pathetic attitude of those who won. The hippies, the greenies, the Hollywood elite, the mainstream media, and the politicians. They just handed us a shit sandwich, so it's time to belly up to the bar, and every sane person in Western Society needs to take a big bite.

Does this mean I agree global warming is happening, and I agree humans are causing it, and we need liberal democrats to save us from ourselves? Not at all. That battle will rage as long as there are independent people in this society who refuse to be lectured by Hollywood stars who couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel. That's not the battle I'm talking about. That battle will never be over. But while we fought that battle, the greenies fought the battle that - as it turns out - ultimately mattered. They convinced Pop Culture to accept their cause. And Pop Culture willingly drew them into it's smelly, festering, pustule-filled bosom. But there is a price to be paid for that victory, and pay it they will. More on that in a bit.

Global Warming/Climate Change (I use that term because that's what its called, in order to help prop up their rickety house of cards, to cover any example, no matter how innate, they choose) has entered the lexicon of today's modern Pop Culture. That now means its officially accepted, recognized, and morons who know nothing about science, climate, hell - about anything - will begin to lecture us on how stupid and ignorant we are, and smugly look down their noses at us, while they thumb through People magazine. I have a good friend who's got a heart of gold, but he's definitely a few burgers short of a Happy Meal. He is now lecturing me on how little I understand science, facts, and all the rest of those big words he doesn't really understand. My friend, with a heart of gold, empties bed pans at a state institution (read: state job). I have multiple college degrees and have been working in the high tech industry for the last 20 years or so. And he's now convinced he knows more than I do. His proof of his superior ideas? Everyone else in Western Society says so.

Call it conventional wisdom, group think, what ever you like. Personally I call it Pop Culture. Pop Culture is a shadowy concept. There's no official demarcation between it and reality. But trust me it exists. Why do people care what Madonna had breakfast? Pop Culture tells them to. Why do people care what people like Michael Jackson, Brittany Spears, O.J. Simpson, Lindsey Lohan, and all other forms of weirdness do? Because Pop Culture tells them that's what's important. And while we tried to use reason, logic and facts to keep the debate in the realm of science, they worked to ingrain this pseudoscience into the brains of those most easily manipulated. And they were victorious.

Every time I pick up a news paper, a magazine, or watch TV, anytime anything that has to do with the environment, in any way, no matter how tangentially connected, all mention global warming. Last week I read a local story in the paper about students at a high school who were implementing a school-wide recycling program. Why? Global warming. In National Geographic I read about a scientists studying the design of snow flakes. Why? Looking for clues to global warming. The governor of New York announced today he's going to enlarge government, guess why? He's creating an official statewide office on Global Warming. It's everywhere. And it's here to stay. Get used to it.

Try it yourself. Next time you read, hear or watch any type of program or report that deals in any way with the environment, notice if they mention global warming. And for extra points, count how many times they repeat it. It's scary.

I'm not here to argue about facts, theories, or anything else dealing with science. As I've said, that battle is over. I'm here to make a most ugly predication.

Pop Culture has embraced global warming. Pop Culture has also embraced Michael Jackson. Look where it got him. It embraced Jim Morrison and John Belushi and Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and Marylin Monroe and Kurt Cobain and the rest of the sorry, sordid lives that have been ruined and/or cut short. Pop Culture invited them in, celebrated them, then grew tired of them, and tossed them like scraps of tripe to the media wolves. And I predict the same will happen to the global warming environmentalists. They should and will enjoy the bright lights of Pop Culture. The fancy parties, the spot lights, the red carpets they will prance down before fawning "nobodies" who are thrilled to be in their presence.

And they should enjoy it while they can, because Pop Culture is a demanding Mistress. And when she's done with them, they will be ripped through the media's shredder.

And when that happens, the environmental movement will have lost its reputation, and that they will not be able to repair. Idiot people may enjoy getting quick peeks at Britney Spears' meat curtain, but they don't take her, or her vagina, seriously. And when this is all over, they will not take the environmental movement seriously either.

Enjoy your victory while those of us who really and truly care about the environment mourn.

Update:

As if you needed more evidence, I present you with Ellen Goodman.

And I quote: "By every measure, the U N 's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change raises the level of alarm. The fact of global warming is 'unequivocal.' The certainty of the human role is now somewhere over 90 percent. Which is about as certain as scientists ever get."
"I would like to say we're at a point where global warming is impossible to deny. Let's just say that global warming deniers are now on a par with Holocaust deniers, though one denies the past and the other denies the present and future."

If I drop a rock I'm much more than "90 percent" certain it will fall. If I walk far enough, I'm much more than "90 percent" sure I will not fall off the earth. This is the mentality that we face. And now anyone who refuses to swallow this crap is the modern day equivalent of "Holocaust deniers"? Some day, far in the future, when all this is revealed, we'll all have a good laugh. But until then.....

Editor Update: Check out this for more on the same theme.