How dare you not assimilate!

I was at a baseball game the other day with a friend when the topic of global warming came up. He asked, “are you one of these people who don’t believe there is a problem?” This is always a tough question for me to answer—not because I don’t know what I think, but because I’m internally doing the calculus around “is this person going to bother listening to what I have to say?”

The problem with global warming is that it has fallen into the “everybody knows” category, meaning that the “fact” that man is killing the Earth through various activities is a known fact, and questioning this in ANY way puts you on par with the “Flat Earth” set. Well, I am not a global warming denier, but having doubts or even asking for clarification does not make me into a criminal. Perfectly “normal” everyday people will shout you down in a heartbeat, “oh come ON! Don’t know anything?”

The irony is that the people shouting you down are typically the ones that have been spoon-fed their information. They’ve heard it enough times that they’re more than comfortable feeling smart by tearing down your opinion, though they haven’t a scientific bone in their body, and haven’t bothered to ever consider a single dissenting opinion. Real “informed.”

The very real truth is that global warming is an uber-politicized issue. That by definition makes it ripe for misinformation and exaggeration. People who take the time to think about the issue would of course be on guard for biased opinion.

The Wall Street Journal had an op-ed the other day about the EPA’s silencing of a noted NASA scientist and global warming critic. (The EPA silences a climate skeptic). Alan Carlin, a 35 year veteran of the EPA doesn’t believe in global warming. Having amassed an argument against man made global warming, your government, in the form of the EPA management has silenced him. Essentially telling him to not publish or speak on the topic if he values his job.

If “everyone knows” that man made global warming is a fact, and the proof is absolutely incontrovertible, why are so many so threatened by people who ask questions? Hmmm… could it be that the Al Gore stands to benefit personally from the “fact” of global warming? Could it be that Democrats and their henchman at Goldman Sachs stand to benefit both politically (power grab) and economically from a massive Cap & Trade system? Funny, I don’t stand to make a dime from asking for a little more proof.

True now more than ever...

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' "

- Ronald Reagan