October 16, 2009--Our Rights
After breakfast yesterday in Florida at the Green Owl, as we were about to leave, one of my best friends here—my favorite Republican—finally showed up. I had been concerned that he might be avoiding me since some of our recent exchanges had been unnecessarily overheated. But he is the last person I know to duck a good political fight and so I was not surprised to see him and was very glad at that.
After a few cursory catch ups (“How have you been?” “Fine.” You?” “Fine.” “You still look good.” “Thanks. So do you.”), we got right to it. This time we found ourselves arguing about global warming. For some weeks he had been sending me stuff from Michael Creighton and aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, both of whom are deeply skeptical about the data that indicate humans are contributing to it these environmental changes.
When I quoted Rutan back to my friend in order to suggest that these skeptics and others are as much motivated by political ideology as by their interpretation of the science, he countered that the Al Gores of the world were similarly inclined.
He hasn’t as yet found Gore saying anything ideologically equivalent to what Rutan said in his now famous speech this past July at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual conference in Oshkosh:
But even assuming that Al Gore has his own ideological axe to grind, I pressed my friend yesterday morning to take an objective step back and tell me why he thinks those on both the far Right and Left are so emotional about the subject.
In a whisper so as to perhaps prevent being overheard by some of his fellow conservatives who were still sipping their coffee and straining to listen in on what we were discussing—I have been told that many at the Owl enjoy our tussles—he said, “Look, most of the emotion is not about the fate of the planet. It’s really ideological, just as you say.”
“Why is that?” I also whispered.
“Think about it for a minute. You already know the answer.”
“Maybe I’m still a little jet-laggy, maybe I haven’t yet had enough caffeine, so please tell me what you think I already know.”
“It’s about our rights. Those on the Left want to see more government control. They don’t trust the people to make the right decisions. So they are using global warming as an excuse to have government tell us what kinds of cars to drive, what ways to heat our homes, and what industries should be allowed and not allowed to do.”
“And those on the right?”
“The opposite. They are denying that humans are contributing to global warming as a way to justify their call for smaller government. To get governments out of our lives, off our backs, telling us what we can and cannot drive and what business can and cannot do.”
“I think you’ve got it right,” I said.
“And I’ll tell you one more thing.” A few of the Owl regulars had joined us and there were by then five or six of us standing in a circle at the cash register. “Every time government passes a new law they take away more of our rights.” From all the head nodding I knew I was out numbered and that I wasn’t back in Manhattan anymore.
With that he said he needed to get to the office and promptly turned to leave. The others then drifted away.
I felt that I hadn’t acquitted myself very well, letting him get away with that final comment which had the sonorous ring of truth about it. Clearly my brain was not working for if it had been I could have offered myriad examples of how government action (constitutional amendments, laws, and court decisions) had done the opposite of what he so forcefully and succinctly asserted—they had expanded and protected rights. Many of which he and other conservatives fervently fight to protect.
Freedom of speech and the press. The right to practice or not practice any form of religion. The right to free assembly. To a trial by one’s peers. To privacy. The right to own property. And a local favorite—the right to bear arms.
Then there has been rights-expanding legislation that expanded democratic rights, including the direct election of senators and the president. And other amendments and laws to end slavery give women the right to vote, and to protect the civil rights of minorities.
I could have gone on. But then again there is tomorrow morning and I promise to be better prepared.
After a few cursory catch ups (“How have you been?” “Fine.” You?” “Fine.” “You still look good.” “Thanks. So do you.”), we got right to it. This time we found ourselves arguing about global warming. For some weeks he had been sending me stuff from Michael Creighton and aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, both of whom are deeply skeptical about the data that indicate humans are contributing to it these environmental changes.
When I quoted Rutan back to my friend in order to suggest that these skeptics and others are as much motivated by political ideology as by their interpretation of the science, he countered that the Al Gores of the world were similarly inclined.
He hasn’t as yet found Gore saying anything ideologically equivalent to what Rutan said in his now famous speech this past July at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual conference in Oshkosh:
I put myself in the those who fear expansion of government control group, and do not hide the fact that I have a clear bias on Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW). My bias is based on fear of Government expansion and the observation of AGW data presentation fraud--not based on financial or any other personal benefit. I merely have found that the closer you look at the data and alarmists’ presentations, the more fraud you find and the less you think there is an AGW problem. (Emphasis added.)
But even assuming that Al Gore has his own ideological axe to grind, I pressed my friend yesterday morning to take an objective step back and tell me why he thinks those on both the far Right and Left are so emotional about the subject.
In a whisper so as to perhaps prevent being overheard by some of his fellow conservatives who were still sipping their coffee and straining to listen in on what we were discussing—I have been told that many at the Owl enjoy our tussles—he said, “Look, most of the emotion is not about the fate of the planet. It’s really ideological, just as you say.”
“Why is that?” I also whispered.
“Think about it for a minute. You already know the answer.”
“Maybe I’m still a little jet-laggy, maybe I haven’t yet had enough caffeine, so please tell me what you think I already know.”
“It’s about our rights. Those on the Left want to see more government control. They don’t trust the people to make the right decisions. So they are using global warming as an excuse to have government tell us what kinds of cars to drive, what ways to heat our homes, and what industries should be allowed and not allowed to do.”
“And those on the right?”
“The opposite. They are denying that humans are contributing to global warming as a way to justify their call for smaller government. To get governments out of our lives, off our backs, telling us what we can and cannot drive and what business can and cannot do.”
“I think you’ve got it right,” I said.
“And I’ll tell you one more thing.” A few of the Owl regulars had joined us and there were by then five or six of us standing in a circle at the cash register. “Every time government passes a new law they take away more of our rights.” From all the head nodding I knew I was out numbered and that I wasn’t back in Manhattan anymore.
With that he said he needed to get to the office and promptly turned to leave. The others then drifted away.
I felt that I hadn’t acquitted myself very well, letting him get away with that final comment which had the sonorous ring of truth about it. Clearly my brain was not working for if it had been I could have offered myriad examples of how government action (constitutional amendments, laws, and court decisions) had done the opposite of what he so forcefully and succinctly asserted—they had expanded and protected rights. Many of which he and other conservatives fervently fight to protect.
Freedom of speech and the press. The right to practice or not practice any form of religion. The right to free assembly. To a trial by one’s peers. To privacy. The right to own property. And a local favorite—the right to bear arms.
Then there has been rights-expanding legislation that expanded democratic rights, including the direct election of senators and the president. And other amendments and laws to end slavery give women the right to vote, and to protect the civil rights of minorities.
I could have gone on. But then again there is tomorrow morning and I promise to be better prepared.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
4:57 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home