Green with Insanity

Here's what I want to hear when ever the Left (which of coarse includes the media and the universities) brings up environmentalism. Actually, let me begin with what I don't want to hear.

1. I don't want to hear an apology that somehow or other the Republican Party is responsible for anything. We've taken blame for more than we've done and it's gotten us nowhere. It does not endear us to the Left nor does it win us one point with the American people.

2. I don't want to hear any sort of curtsy towards an acceptance that global climate change is the motivational issue for our actions. Not because it isn't, but because it isn't to many of us Conservatives. It's trumped up fodder to many people. Granted, probably not the majority of people, but plenty of us. Moreover, by not denouncing the hysterical motivation of the Left's environmental agenda we legitimize their position by acknowledging that they get anything right. Trust me, in case you haven't noticed by now, they are not extending to us the same courtesy. If we're serious about ever winning anything again it's way past time to take our ideological opponents seriously and make our stand clearly delineating ourselves from them.

3. I do not want to hear any Conservative or honest thinking Liberal say the words "clean energy" without, in the same breathe mentioning the virtues of nuclear energy which this country should be exporting by now. The technology, that is, to our allies. The Japanese aren't afraid of it and if any country should be it's them. The French aren't afraid of it. I'm restraining myself from making a comment using "French" and "not afraid" in the same sentence. The Left wants to be more like Europe, well here's one area that I agree with them.

What I do want to hear would go something like this:

1. We on the Right are motivated to having sensible environmental legislation not due to hysteria, but due to virtue. The Left by admission is trying to legislate environmentally hysterical laws based on supposed man-made global climate disaster. We Conservatives want to propose that if the Left ends up being wrong about their inconvenient lies concerning why we ought to pass their laws we as Republicans would carry on sensible environmentalism anyway. Because we are Americans and Americans are very responsible and conscientious people. Good people ought to do these things whether or not the planet is headed for ruin.

2. We on the Right are committed to not lying to the American people by pushing the obvious propaganda of the Left to scare them into action. We clearly see the agenda of the Left as frightening the American people into more government control. It is the Left that wants to take away rights on this issue not the Right.

I remember growing up in the 70's and 80's in a strong conservative home. We were rural people. Not well to do. Our family of 6 recycled long before it was cool or convenient. Why? because we knew it to be the right thing to do. Plastics were reused as much as possible. Card boards and paper were incinerated and the ashes scattered in our vegetable garden. Food waste was conscientiously dispersed for the wildlife which took quite naturally and gratefully to it. Our family of 6 only produced one and half 30 gallon trash barrels full of trash per week. My parents received an award for being life long conservationists.

The agenda of the Left regarding their environmentalism is predicated on several assumptions.
1. That the climate is changing.
2 That the change will be catastrophic.
3. That whether or not it is man made (almost all postulate that it is) we can do something about it through larger government legislation.

I'm suspicious of the 1st one and out right reject the last two.

We conservatives should well articulate our position and be at least as aggressive as the Left in making our claims. As an aside, I believe that we have lost so much ground to the Left because they have understood that the American people want reasons. They have argued their points and we have not really fought back in any way I believe that could be considered robust. That being said, I think the Right's agenda for responsible environmental concerns should be based on these assumptions.

1. Americans are good, conscientious and responsible people.
2. Good, conscientious and responsible people are not wasteful and tend towards conservation of our great land.
3. Therefore, Americans will support only environmental legislation that speak to the virtues of anti-waste and sound reason, not hysteria, fear mongering, or spurious science.

Happy Earth Day.