AN INCONVENIENT LIE
Had Hitler developed his atomic bomb by 1940, and later shared it with his ally, Japan, Germany would have controlled all of Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, South America and most of the Eastern coast of the United States and Canada -- while Japan would have owned the Near & Far Easts, India, Australia, and, of course, the West Coast of the United States and Canada.
In effect, America would have been reduced to the Red States and New Jersey (formally known as the "Bridge & Tunnel Crowd") -- those regions either unreachable by the nuke-carrying subs and plane-laden carriers of the 1940's -- or simply unwanted.
All that would have remained of the United States is a bunch of country-singing, red-neck farmers -- trying in vain to make a more fuel-efficient car than a Volkswagen or Toyota -- and of course, Bruce Springsteen.
So posits PNN's new movie, soon to be released, "AN INCONVENIENT LIE," a view of the world from a New York state of mind (Go Hillary).
Hitler only missed by a few years. The above may seem like the worst conceivable scenario, but is it really? If Al Gore and a majority of the world's climatologists are on the right track, global warming, plus a giant ozone hole, will envelop our planet within the next 50 years. Today, even with the United States intact, the greatest threat imaginable is not worth one defense dollar.
Had Hitler and Hiro Hito, God forbid, shared hegemony over the Earth, would they have been even worse planetary stewards than the Americans? We'll never know. But it's hard to imagine a worse fate than the 50-year future we may now face. I have a parrot that's older than 50.
When we think of George W. Bush, it is Iraq that first comes to mind. Only when we set Iraq aside, can we begin to focus on Katrina and everything else our president screwed up. But, of the two fiascos, only Katrina portended the true calamity we face. Fifty years from now, the real legacy of Bush 43 will quite possibly be as the man who refused to accept as fact, global warming.
Bush's claim that the science is not yet in, will prove to be a very inconvenient lie. Long after Baghdad and New Orleans are rice paddies, the decisions we are making every day in this country are pushing the day closer when the Earth is no longer habitable. Even the unspeakable horrors of fascism and communism will pale in comparison to a dying planet.
In the end, democracy will only prove to be the better system if it can prove to be iron-fisted enough to force the preservation of Mother Earth. Without a self-sustaining system, everything else is irrelevant.
Had Hitler developed his atomic bomb by 1940, and later shared it with his ally, Japan, Germany would have controlled all of Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, South America and most of the Eastern coast of the United States and Canada -- while Japan would have owned the Near & Far Easts, India, Australia, and, of course, the West Coast of the United States and Canada.
In effect, America would have been reduced to the Red States and New Jersey (formally known as the "Bridge & Tunnel Crowd") -- those regions either unreachable by the nuke-carrying subs and plane-laden carriers of the 1940's -- or simply unwanted.
All that would have remained of the United States is a bunch of country-singing, red-neck farmers -- trying in vain to make a more fuel-efficient car than a Volkswagen or Toyota -- and of course, Bruce Springsteen.
So posits PNN's new movie, soon to be released, "AN INCONVENIENT LIE," a view of the world from a New York state of mind (Go Hillary).
Hitler only missed by a few years. The above may seem like the worst conceivable scenario, but is it really? If Al Gore and a majority of the world's climatologists are on the right track, global warming, plus a giant ozone hole, will envelop our planet within the next 50 years. Today, even with the United States intact, the greatest threat imaginable is not worth one defense dollar.
Had Hitler and Hiro Hito, God forbid, shared hegemony over the Earth, would they have been even worse planetary stewards than the Americans? We'll never know. But it's hard to imagine a worse fate than the 50-year future we may now face. I have a parrot that's older than 50.
When we think of George W. Bush, it is Iraq that first comes to mind. Only when we set Iraq aside, can we begin to focus on Katrina and everything else our president screwed up. But, of the two fiascos, only Katrina portended the true calamity we face. Fifty years from now, the real legacy of Bush 43 will quite possibly be as the man who refused to accept as fact, global warming.
Bush's claim that the science is not yet in, will prove to be a very inconvenient lie. Long after Baghdad and New Orleans are rice paddies, the decisions we are making every day in this country are pushing the day closer when the Earth is no longer habitable. Even the unspeakable horrors of fascism and communism will pale in comparison to a dying planet.
In the end, democracy will only prove to be the better system if it can prove to be iron-fisted enough to force the preservation of Mother Earth. Without a self-sustaining system, everything else is irrelevant.
posted by R. Reynolds at 7:27 AM
11 Comments:
Hey, I'm from New Jersey. On 9/11 we managed to shoot down all the terrorsts over our skies and had time left over to drive our fire trucks over the bridge to fight your fires. As far as Bruce Springsteen, fair point.
I'm a Bruce Springsteen fan. You suck.
Interesting scenario. German spoken with a Boston accent. At least the Red Sox would have been more disciplined.
You've done it again. Only PNN peels back the obstructing layers to uncover the brutal truth: New Jersey drivers should be prevented from entering our bridges and tunnels.
Roadie:
They could just go up and over Albany. There is no security in this country.
So I take it you've bricked up your fireplace and turned your SUV into an organic vegtable planter.
to the last anonymous. yours is the false argument of an anti-environmentalist. this isn't about individual sacrifice. if the goverment limited the weight of cars, the size of engines, the level of factory emissions- or any activity that overwhelmed the earth's ability to clense itself- individuals would have no choice but to be green.
To the last anonymous: You want the government to coerce me into doing what you believe to be right, although you're not willing to do it on your own.
BTW: I already drive a high-mileage low emission car, I don't burn wood in my home to feel "cozy", I arrange my travel to make the most of every gallon and I don't live in a village with restrictive zoning that mandates single family homes on huge plots of land.
How 'bout you?
Oh yeah... the SUV phenomenon just happens to be the unintended consequence of gov't regulation.
Not that I'd expect you to understand.
i used to work for springsteen. you are dead on accurate.
to two anonymouses ago,
we are on are a voluntary system now, and look where it's brought us. you make my case that only govt can restrict earth-destroying practices. anything else is just a pissing contest over who has a larger carbon footprint.
The nitwits who cry wolf over every crisis (population, energy, health care...) always demand the same solution: Government control over our decisions, restrictions on our freedoms and the confiscation of our income.
Coincidence?
You want to adopt more responsible lifestyles? Who's stopping you? If everyone who voted for Al Gore halted their wasteful ways...
Never mind. To be a hypocrite you first must have a conscience.
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