I am about thirty pages from finishing Jonah Goldberg’s fascinating book Liberal Fascism and I have to say that this book is one of the most important books I have read in probably the last 10 to 15 years. If you have not read this book you should put down whatever book you are currently reading and run, not walk, to your local book store and buy this book.
In Liberal Fascism Mr. Goldberg points out that one of the traits both the jackbooted fascists of yesterday share with their kinder gentler cousins among today’s liberals is the regular use of so called “crises” to mobilize the masses and centralize power. Furthermore, the responses to these crises are often described in martial terms, such as a war on poverty.
A perfect example of Mr. Goldberg’s point was on display this morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough. Today Mr. Scarborough interviewed Rick Stengel, Managing Editor of Time Magazine. Mr. Stengel unveiled the cover for Time’s forthcoming environmental issue which will feature the historic Iwo Jima flag raising photo with the American flag replaced with a tree. The cover story will be “Winning the War on Global Warming.” Mr. Stengel explained how Time magazine in this issue would eschew a merely descriptive approach towards reporting on global warming in favor of a prescriptive approach. In short, the issue will be one big editorial promoting various environmental schemes.
I have a problem with all of this. Aside from the poor taste in doctoring an iconic Marine Corps image of heroism I am troubled by the description of the theory of global warming as not only an irrefutable fact but as a crisis of the same magnitude as war. First of all, there is no consensus in the scientific community as to the existence of global warming or, assuming it exists, what causes it. Furthermore, there is a wide divergence of opinion as to what, if any, long term impact global warming might have on the planet. Consequently, what is needed is more research in this area, not fear mongering.
However, a prudent and measured approach to the issue of global warming is the last thing the environmental activists of the left want. They want government action, lots of it, right now. That is why they want to describe the issue as a war that must be won. I have no doubt that framing the issue in this way is intended to frighten/motivate the citizenry to acquiesce to a whole host of new regulations and laws that will erode our freedoms and diminish the sphere of individual choice.
UPDATE: Here is the cover of the Article and a link to an atricle covering the reaction from Iwo Jima veterans. Needless to say they are not happy. Semper Fi
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