Cult Status
Cal Thomas minces no words about what he thinks Al Gore's sycophants are: a cult. (Something a lot of people, myself included, have mentioned before.) But he then goes on with a rational question: How does a conservative turn that to an advantage?
The Church of Global Warming (CGW) is a cult. A cult has a number of definitions, among them this one from dictionary.com: "A religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader." Cults wish to control others. Global warming fundamentalists wish to do the same through the power of government.
CGW members would reject cult status — which all cult members do — and Al Gore has never been accused of displaying charisma. But the CGW confers charismatic status on him because he tells them what they want to hear: salvation is available through the reduction of one's carbon footprint. Gore regularly violates his own doctrines by flying on big polluting jets, leaving tracks the size of Bigfoot.
I'd only point out that the bigfoot reference is an understatement. Gore emits more carbon than just about any individual out there. More like Godzilla. Anyway, Tomas then argues a completely different approach:
If we would launch an energy independence program with the intensity of a Marshall Plan for Europe, or a man-on-the-moon project, to liberate ourselves from the petroleum despots by developing synthetic fuels and finding new energy sources closer to home — especially nuclear power — we could strike a blow against the Islamofascists more damaging than bombs and bullets.
None of that is new. I doubt Thomas realizes he is echoing Koz Kidz talking points, either, right down to the "Manhattan Project" reference. Longtime readers know I am strongly in favor of nuclear power and believe many of the same people who helped stall that industry in this country for decades are the same folks who are now wailing about carbon. Unfortunately, many of the true believers dwell in a Cloud Cuckoo Land where laws of physics and real engineering barriers are simply wished away by the righteous. Aging musicians for example.
So while Thomas is partly correct, there are good arguments for changing the energy mix, there are also real obstacles that the cultists will throw at any constructive solution. There is no substitute for their one, true way that they would accept.
Energy, Environment, Left Wing | Gaius Tuesday, 16 October , 2007
By Maggie, Tuesday, 16 October , 2007 @ 1:00 pm
Don’t know if I’ve ever used the GWC (Global Warming Cult) and “Cultists” on this blog, but I HAVE on others (newsbusters in particular) …
Cal, if you’re a NB reader, I want credit, man!
By quilly mammoth, Tuesday, 16 October , 2007 @ 1:29 pm
Gore Derangement Syndrome? No. These Gaia Cultists aren’t the result of Al Gore. Al is just using them. Being no dummy he long ago realized, due in no small part to his father’s conflict with them,they are a fanatical army of myrmidons. Now he has that fanatical force at his beck and call
By Steev, Tuesday, 16 October , 2007 @ 2:30 pm
I’ve been very puzzled by our government’s muddled foreign energy policy (or lack thereof).
Hydrogen cars? That’s a joke considering most of the electricity used to harvest the Hydrogen would come from burning fossil fuels.
I’m new to this forum so forgive me if this has been stated in the past:
It would be fantastic to have a leader come forward with a plan to:
a) replace our coal, gas and oil plants with nuclear
b) store non-peak nuclear derived electricity as hydrogen
c) develop hydrogen distribution infrastructure
d) commit to developing fusion reactors with the zeal and resources on par with the Manhattan project.
By quilly mammoth, Tuesday, 16 October , 2007 @ 2:33 pm
Ah if only La Rouche wasn’t a lunatic
By Gaius, Tuesday, 16 October , 2007 @ 2:43 pm
Well, you’re pretty much on the same page I’ve been on for a long time. I dunno about the viability of fusion, though. The biggest problem I have seen is the massive neutron flux involved. It would mean almost instant embrittlement. Very hard to contain.
By sam, Tuesday, 16 October , 2007 @ 2:48 pm
I once read a comment from someone that said that enviros only like a generation technology until it becomes practical and cost efficient. So as soon as wind power becomes cheap and effective, then the enviros will turn against it. I think that is happening already. Someday, they will probably turn against solar as well.
A correlary to that idea is that enviros only like an energy technology until a Republican politician endorses it. Hydrogen and ethanol used to be darlings of the enviros until Bush endorsed them. Then they suddenly became dumb ideas. Actually, hydrogen is a dumb idea, but no one would say so until Mr. Bush endorsed it.
By Gaius, Tuesday, 16 October , 2007 @ 3:14 pm
Actually, the real extremists are driven not by love of the environment but by a loathing for humans. Much like animal rights activists.