There was an interesting article in the New York Times detailing how some fundamentalists and Tea Party enthusiasts do not believe in Climate Catastrophe, which is backed by almost every real scientist in the reality-based community.
Exhibit A of this backwards mentality is Norman Dennison, founder of Indiana’s Corydon Tea Party. At a forum for Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), the Tea Bagger chastised the congressman for supporting efforts to keep this planet from being ruined.
“It’s a flat out lie,” said Mr. Dennison, adding that he had based his view on global warming from the preaching of Rush Limbaugh and Scripture. “I read my Bible. He made this earth for us to utilize.”
During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama liked to say, “We are the change that we have been waiting for.” In the parlance of these dangerous fundamentalists: “We are the apocalypse that we have been waiting for.”
Unfortunately, the rest of us have to live through the dire consequences of their delusional fantasy that earth’s resources can mindlessly be exploited with reckless abandon. Indeed, in their warped worldview, God encourages, even applauds, when “God’s People” despoil precious resources.
When the polar bears eventually drown; when lovely homes on Florida’s coast wash into the sea; when drought, dislocation, disease and wretched refugee camps kill millions of people; when bloody wars are started over dwindling resources; when intense storms drown American cities; these fundamentalists should be blamed. Thanks to their remarkable ignorance, spiritual arrogance, and selfish disregard for their fellow man, we may all pay unthinkable consequences.
Isn’t it time that people take pause and ponder the viability of fundamentalism in modern civilization? What does it mean when a religious worldview is so neanderthal that it threatens the existence of humanity? How can America prosper and advance when leaders scorn science and potentially lead us off of a cliff at full speed? Is the majority just expected to sit around and reverently express our “respect” for such nihilistic beliefs?
No – we must speak out against such scripture-based suicide. Sure, fundamentalists have the right to believe such nonsense. But, we also have the right and responsibility to say such beliefs are destructive to the planet. It is our duty to do so, because we inhabit the planet their beliefs are strangling.
While our opponents like to idiotically say that marriage equality will end the earth, the archaic policies to keep the planet frying actually does present a genuine threat. These “moral” scolds love to talk a good game about “family values”, but what type of world are they leaving for the next generation and beyond?
The New York Times article listed recent polling data that shows the Tea Baggers are an unmitigated disaster for our planet and a threat to life as we know it.
Those who support the Tea Party movement are considerably more dubious about the existence and effects of global warming than the American public at large, according to a New York Times/CBS News Poll conducted this month. The survey found that only 14 percent of Tea Party supporters said that global warming is an environmental problem that is having an effect now, while 49 percent of the rest of the public believes that it is. More than half of Tea Party supporters said that global warming would have no serious effect at any time in the future, while only 15 percent of other Americans share that view, the poll found.
And 8 percent of Tea Party adherents volunteered that they did not believe global warming exists at all, while only 1 percent of other respondents agreed.
Someone has to say this: The Tea Baggers are by far the stupidest people in America. They operate in a blind, all-consuming rage, that includes not an iota of brain power. They consistently get suckered and duped into regurgitating lies from discredited sources.
For example, the Tea Baggers are the ones who are most likely to believe the garbage spewed by fake think tanks, funded by Big Oil money, that claim there is no such thing as Climate Catastrophe. They get their information from FOX News, which is a front for the corporate interests of the GOP and billionaire media baron Rupert Murdoch. What these pea-brained Tea Baggers don’t seem to comprehend, is that they are not working for “the people”, but doing the bidding of the royalists, such as Murdoch, and billionaire-brothers, David and Charles Koch.
With the elections only days away, our nation may be saddled with extremists placed in positions of power. Their retrograde policies will make us the laughingstock of the world, harm our national security, and put The United States of America at an economic disadvantage. While our Tea Party leaders are living in the past — busily extracting and profiting handsomely from fossil fuels — countries like China, India and Denmark are busy investing in the clean alternative energy of tomorrow.
It takes brainpower to remain a superpower — which means that America will continue slipping if Tea Party con artists candidates are victorious on Election Day. Without enlightened policies, the only thing America will be number one at — is claiming that we are Number 1. (We’ve already seen a great erosion in our worldwide education rank — thanks to the glorification of ignorance, exemplified by the Tea Baggers)
I’ve said this before: The more fundamentalist a nation, the more anachronistic it is — and the worse it is economically, spiritually and culturally. If our nation embraces stupid politicians with dumb policies, there will be consequences. And if disaster strikes mankind, there are many of us who are keeping score and will hold these religious fanatics responsible for the living hell they brought to our planet.










“When the polar bears eventually drown; when lovely homes on Florida’s coast wash into the sea; when drought, dislocation, disease and wretched refugee camps kill millions of people; when bloody wars are started over dwindling resources; when intense storms drown American cities; these fundamentalists should be blamed.”
And they’ll take no responsibility, they’ll say it is due to the sins of liberals, its a sign of the end-times and Jesus is returning – Halleluiah!
You are so right, that is Priya, they will blame others. This is why we must keep score and speak out against this now. It is crucial that we not allow them to get away with such evil.
Well said sir!
There’s a song I heard on the radio a few days ago, which expressed Christian mentality about causing the end of the world just fine…
It went: Blah blah blah all this stuff about being faithful and doing god stuff, “IN A WORLD I KNOW IS BURNING TO THE GROUND”
And that’s why we’re all going to be killed by Jesus and his friends.
These nutjobs should be rounded up at the point of a bayonet and stuffed aboard a modern day Botany Bay and locked on one of the islands threatened by rising seas.
Thanks for pointing out the truth Wayne.
I couldn’t agree more. I’m from Florida, which already knows full well the extremes of the weather AND of the Tea Party nutjobs and their ilk. I am flabbergasted by the “extremely extreme extremism” I’ve been seeing coming out of this movement, and their climate change denial and refusal to consider any science at all anywhere is fundamentally detrimental to humankind, not just to the United States. We’ve already become a laughing stock in Western Europe because of the religious fundamentalism and how strong a role it plays in our politics, and as we reject science in droves as a result of these people who would stop scientific discovery and advancement in its tracks because they reject the basic foundations of medical science and environmental science, other countries will shoot ahead of us and replace us as world leaders in scientific advancement. And the world will suffer as we refuse to take climate change seriously. This article is spot on about the potential ramifications of putting these people who are in such a delusional state of denial into positions of power. No good can come of it.
You posted:
“When the polar bears eventually drown; when lovely homes on Florida’s coast wash into the sea; when drought, dislocation, disease and wretched refugee camps kill millions of people; when bloody wars are started over dwindling resources; when intense storms drown American cities; these fundamentalists should be blamed. Thanks to their remarkable ignorance, spiritual arrogance, and selfish disregard for their fellow man, we may all pay unthinkable consequences.”
I agree that the religious right and teabaggers exacerbate the situation with their anti-science proclamations. However, on this one, the main culprits are big business, the government, and every American. For example, the US accounts for about 5% of the world’s population and yet we use about 24% of the world’s energy. And although I would love to blame teabaggers and all of those idiot christians, I can’t in good conscience.
When you have an alleged progressive president lift the ban on deep sea drilling in the Atlantic right after the worst ecological disaster in human history, what chance do we have of averting catastrophe.
If we want to prepare for the future, we have to elect politicians who give more than promises to do something. The Douche-Bag (Obama) agrees that global warming is an issue. He’s not a teabagging crazy, but what has he done?
I also suggest that every American needs to be more ecologically conservative. Instead of pointing fingers on this issue, it would be constructive to also write about what little things all Americans can do. Here’s my abbreviated list:
1. Timed four minute showers. I have a small 4 minute hour glass with a suction cup on it to put on my shower tile. I use this to keep my shower time mimimal.
2. I don’t flush if it is yellow. This is a no brainer and everyone can do it.
3. I bring my own cloth bags to the store. (I also save 15 cents a purchase at the two organic stores I shop at for doing this; it’s not much, but I like the sentiment.)
4. I don’t buy paper books. I either get e-books are go to the library.
5. I use earth friendly products. I use a plain olive oil soap for the shower and mild environmentally friendly soaps for the dishes and clothes.
6. This is the biggy: I buy only organically grown produce and pasture raised meat. It is more expensive. However, when you buy conventional food, you are dramatically destroying the environment. The biggest contribution to soil, water, and organism contamination come from Round Up, the pesticide used for genetically modified plants (gmo’s). Corn and soy bean are the largest gmo crops and tons of round up end up in the water supply. It is this corn that is fed to most live stock. Thus, buying standard beef, chicken, and pork contributes to environmental contamination.
If this is a concern for the blog owner, then might I suggest an open thread of what people do to personally be less environmentally toxic.
I’d love to blame christians and republicans on this, but this is a responsibility of every American.
Oops, sorry so long; guess I’m more passionate about this than I thought.
Rem the fundamentalist religionists provide the votes that prevent governments from reining in big business and taking evironmentally responsible steps. They further provide the propaganda that makes the public skeptical of global warming even though the scientific concensus is that its happening and humans are responsible.
“almost every real scientist”
The scientific process if often about the one lone dissenting scientific voice that may have more truth that the consensus view. But the GW or Climate Change issue is so dominated by the politics that any dissenting scientific voice, regardless of credentials or experience, is often denounced and thrown out of the scientific community. This is what many people are reacting to, the extreme politicization of the issue.
Yes the world is warming and yes there is likely some contribution from human sources however the politics has raced faster and further than the science. Claims of extreme warming and damage have been scaled back recently
and it is too soon to know just what to do and where to spend money since people are talking about trillions of dollars.
Here are two very small examples that represent the insanity of a world gone mad over Climate Change in an irresponsable way.
First, the completely absurd ban on incandescent lighting. Now, we have landfills piling up with poorly designed, environmentally polluting, ghastly compact florescents loaded with mercury. What the government should have done is offer a prize to create a far more efficient incandescent bulb.
Another example, just notice those wonderful new LED traffic lights almost everywhere. They were supposed to last a very very long time. You can see, and I am sure you all have seen, failure patterns in the lights popping up all over. That was not supposed to happen and I heard if from an engineer involved in the whole process. It’s a scandal.
Science needs time to sort things out properly and not political activism to force faulty, premature and costly solutions.
Oh, BTW, we would be doing a lot better regarding Green House gasses now if the environmmantal lobby had not destroyed the Nuclear Power industry in the 1970′s. That was a huge setback.
“lovely homes on Florida’s coast wash into the sea…”
Yes, Wayne, let’s cripple the world economy to save a few rich folks homes on the Florida coast. Hey, if your rich enough and stupid enough to build on the coast I have no sympathy.
All the worlds ills have not been caused by the “Tea Party” or Republicans or even Americans.
This should be a “must read” for every American before election day. Excellent piece.