Who's the Alarmist?

     As a Climate Change and Environmental Activist, I catch my fair share of shit. I am accused of being too dramatic, of exaggerating the environmental issues facing our world, of trying to scare people into driving electric cars and putting solar panels on their roofs. The horror! The blanket term most often used by those who do not believe in Climate Change for people like me is "Alarmist". I take exception to that name for a variety of reason.

     The most obvious reason I take exception is because it pretty much kills any chance of having an informed and productive conversation about Climate Change or any environmental issue, for that matter. "He's an alarmist" puts other people off and on guard, since the term carries a negative connotation. Any hope I have for an intelligent exchange, without emotion and conjecture, pretty much disappears like the O-Zone layer above Antartica in the 1980's. The swapping of ideas, beliefs and information is crucial to informing people why I stand for what I do and why I am trying to raise awareness about the effects Climate Change will have on our way of life. Trying to vault over the "You're an Alarmist" label becomes quite difficult, since many believe anything they read, or believe whatever their Congressman tells them, or when their religious leaders tell them they have to believe. People like me get shut out without a second thought under those types of circumstances.

     Which is why I REALLY don't like the "Alarmist" label. In my experience, the people most often tossing around the term "Alarmist", are alarmists themselves! I have realized that the strongest Climate Change Deniers are the very same people that say that society will fall apart if we try and switch to renewable energy, or that by allowing gays to marry will bring about the end of days and God's wrath, or that President Obama is secretly plotting to "invade" Texas with the US Army in his never ending quest to turn us into a Social State while he tries to take over the world. I mean, talk about alarmist!

     Being concerned about the Environment and wanting to prevent further damage to the world, nature and in turn our culture, doesn't make me an alarmist. It makes me a human being. One that is focused on making the world a better place for now and the future. Trying to convince me that gay marriage will bring our society down to its knees and allow Satan to take over the world? Now THAT sounds pretty alarmist to me.

Pluto Fly-By!!

Today, the New Horizons spacecraft is about to fly by Pluto today. Watch at the link below. This is what science and discovery is all about!

http://www.nasa.gov

Bubkis

     The planet is getting warmer, as we know. The warming is change climate patterns, as we all know. So, imagine my surprise when I read an article this week that said the opposite was true. A report out there this week that says the Earth will have a "mini Ice-Age" by 2030. Yeah, that report is bubkis. I just wanted everyone to be clear on that.

Jeb Bush Steps Out

     Jeb Bush, American Royalty and Republican Presidential Candidate, the other day said he believes that Climate Change will probably be solved by a guy tinkering in his garage. Of course, media outlets are having a field day with this, ridiculing Bush for his statements. I mean, what can a guy in his garage do to combat climate change, invent a freeze-machine like the one Mikkos Cassadine created that threw Port Charles into a sudden winter during the summer of 1981? (General Hospital fans know how close were are to the end.) Or maybe Bubba in Georgia will convert his three wheeler into a salt vaporizer that makes salt disappear when turning sea water into fresh water?

     Instead of focusing on how silly it sounded, I think we should focus on the fact that Jeb admitted Climate Change is real, is happening, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. This is a small victory for those of us who recognize we must take action before it is too late. The fact Bush recognizes global warming and climate change as an issue is a step toward. Instead of just ignoring it or dismissing it, Bush's statements have pushed the door ajar toward working toward real progress on combating something that threatens out way of life and the health of our global society.

     In a field of ostriches--most with their heads stuck in the sand--it's nice to see one potential Republican candidate looking at what's going on in the world around him. Its easy to poke fun of another Bush and say his idea that some guy tinkering in a garage would end the climate crisis, but many breakthroughs throughout history have come from unlike places. Sure, it is unlikely that Cletus in his shed in Mississippi is going to invent a freeze-pistol that can restore the melting glaciers to their pre-Industrial Revolution condition. But who knows? I would like to think that Bush's comments mean he is open to funding research and finding solutions, moving forward instead of falling farther behind. Sure, he may be against government regulations (which is is short-sighted and unfortunate), but the fact that he acknowledges what is happening is reason to have hope. Its a departure from the other ostriches in the "Climate Change isn't real and is a vast conspiracy to get people to buy solar panels" group.

     It should be fun to see if his acknowledgement of Climate Changes the rhetoric of the other candidates if Bush's statements appeal to conservative voters who want action on Climate Change. It could change the course of the 2016 election, considering the majority of Americans believe we must do something before it is to late. Of course, he may just be saying this to get elected. But I will take the small step forward. Anything to help Jethro distill a new carbon-absorbing moonshine that cools the Earth and saves us all.