For a long time, the trump card of conservatives was National Security. “Do you really care about the minimum wage, abortion, or gay rights?” they’d say, sneering at the very idea. “Are those namby-pamby Democrats going to protect you from Communi- I mean, terrorism?” One could argue that the Democrats had done a pretty good job in years past, and that terrorist attacks were sharply rising under the Bush administration, but that’d just make them mad. “Trust us, things would be a lot worse with Al Gore in the White House!” they’d yell, spewing crumbs everywhere. “IF IT WEREN’T FOR US, YOU’D ALL BE BLOWN TO PIECES! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!?! WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA!?!?!?”
Of course, that’s not what we wanted, and we did not hate America, and since it was fairly impossible to prove them wrong about a hypothetical situation, we usually shut up at this point and found someone more interesting to talk to.
But, even the threat of violent attacks pales in comparison with the total destruction of the human race as we know it. No, I'm not talking about nuclear weapons - though that should be dealt with sooner rather than later. I'm talking about something that, unlike its Republican equivalent, is a real, measurable phenomenon that is happening right in front of us.
It’s that old standby Global Warming.
Canada’s ice caps are melting away.
The original government release:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2005/Canada_Ice.html
For popular consumption:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050309142557.htm
What’s the response to this? Republicans certainly aren’t going to do anything about it; the unfettered free market isn’t concerned with such things. After all, it only seeks to maximize profit, not minimize losses.
How important is The Greatness of America if said Greatness is submerged under the Atlantic?
2 comments:
Assuming you're right about global warming, and further assuming that humans are a large cause--which is the bigger assumption, you make some good points. Namely, that the Republicans aren't going to do anything about it.
I'm just not going to lose a ton of sleep on this one. Maybe I've been spoon fed by the right-wing media, or maybe I'm just, as per usual, highly skeptical of the information disemminated by the "sky is falling crowd".
We've been keeping weather records for a relatively short period of time, approximately 120 years. I find that this time period is too small to deduce any conclusions from a planet that is 4.5 billion years old.
That being said, conservation is always a good thing, if somewhat ineffective on a small scale.
Well, golly, I believe the stars have aligned! I fully agree with you, Achates, that any government in power should promote conservation for posterity's sake.
But we don't have an *unfettered* free market, and thus, with proper regulatory measures, the environment can be protected without resorting fully to any other economic system.
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