Global Warming, Climate Reality: Hogwash

By Diane
Source: chicagonow.com


Cartoon by Joel Pett, Cartoon ArtsInternational

I am repeating myself when I say that I along with 1499 other souls spent three days learning about the reality of climate change.  We spent an entire day with V.P. Al Gore and hundreds of slides with scientific evidence of global warming and heart wrenching photographs of the results in weather craziness being produced by climate change. 

Frankly I was a believer before I ever walked into McCormick Place.  I have a hard time understanding why everyone isn’t.  Just look at the fraudulent campaigns perpetrated on the American people in the past.  For example, did you know that hemp, a plant capable of replacing plastic has been cultivated all over the world for 12,000 years but the American Corporatocracy successfully had it classified as a schedule one controlled substance?  This is amazing considering a century ago hemp was considered one of the most important cash crops and vital to the economic health of our country.  What happened?  Cotton did not want to lose its position as king.  Hemp was a threat to many other cash cows.  It can be used as fuel, food, fabric.  The Declaration of Independence was drafted on paper made of, you guessed it hemp.  The fight between corporate interests and a lowly plant was on.  Corporations 10, hemp 0.  Poor hemp got linked with marijuana though hemp has no properties that cause intoxication and banned.

Then there is the other plant, tobacco.  We now know how many tall tales were told about how safe tobacco was.  Ad campaigns touted the substance was smoked by doctors.  It was said to be good for us.  Lies!  Burl Ives once said in the movie Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, “There ain’t nothin’ more powerful than the odor of mendacity… You can smell it. It smells like death.” The American public is smelling death.

There is a battle for our minds.  The scientific community is armed with graphs, data and all sorts of empirical data about the changes in climate. The deniers want us to believe there is a debate about the data.  Hogwash! 97% of reputable scientists, universities say it is real. By God even NASA says it is real and it is dangerous.  So why all the carp attempting to persuade us otherwise?  Think about it.  Who suffers if we start putting all of our efforts into research and development of alternative energy?  Who gets hit with carbon taxes for not cutting emissions?  What happens if we the people join Buffett in asking that the ultra-wealthy be taxed?  There are a lot of fossil fuel big wigs in that group.

Skip the science.  Use common sense.  We the people are being sold another bill of goods.  If the climatologists are wrong and human beings are not causing a rise in CO² and global warming that’s great.  Something is causing it.  So why do we have to contribute to it?  If you didn’t start the forest fire do you still need to throw kindling?