Flashpan: Helicopters Fanning The Flames

[Second post today]

I can remember a time in America when the shout could be heard in the streets, in the cafeterias, in the lecture halls. "You can't legislate morality!" was heard everywhere, particularly in the midst of debates about sexuality and abortion. Folks who described themselves as liberal or progressive were quick to yell this into the face of any would-be conservative who dared to advocate for social and cultural change, for moderation; these progressives usually followed such ejaculations with the daring "Get your laws off my body!" or "Keep Congress -- and the religious right -- out of our bedrooms!"

Last week Al Gore took issue with all of that, as you know, and nary a progressive said a word. For Al Gore, who spoke to committees in both the House and the Senate of the US Congress in order to influence legislation, said of global warming, "This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue."

Finally it is agreed upon even by leftists: you can legislate morality. And you must.
_______________What I am about to tell readers is absolutely true.

In 1973, when the gas and oil crunch swept over the United States, there was a family in my town who had a particularly abusive father running the household. Seeing the gas crisis as an opportunity to prepare his children for a bitter and difficult future without gasoline or oil, the father made this loving decision: He would make all of his children walk to school, despite the fact that they lived on a bus route and were the last house at the edge of town. So, everyday the kids would walk, first the three miles to the grade school in the village, and then three miles to the junior high and senior high schools. They would reverse the route in the afternoon. The kids did this routine faithfully -- for years. It was for practice, for preparation.

And in his benevolence their father did what any dad would do to instill proper discipline in his children: when his work did not take him out of town (it often did), he would hop in the family station wagon and FOLLOW HIS CHILDREN TO ENSURE THEY WERE NOT GETTING RIDES TO SCHOOL.

Big Father was good at watching. It was for the good of the kids.

________________
When Al Gore says that your use of carbon fuels is a "moral issue," he might be right. He might be as right as all those who believe that homosexual marriage is a moral issue, or abortion, or embryonic stem cell research. And he might be right to want to impose a sort of moral order on our lives. But the problem is that those who impose moral order on the world from outside often do so as tyrants.

Rather than encourage voluntary moral compliance, Al Gore and his panel of unanimous peers are suggesting a forced compliance. They are suggesting a form of tyranny. It's a "moral issue," after all, and there is "no longer any argument. The debate is over."

So says Big Father.

There is no skill required to divine exactly how this all will take shape, this lordship over the masses. Why? Because Big Father is already at work, and he is working exactly like that father did in my hometown in 1973. For if we can trust RIA Novosti, a noted Russian news agency -- and there is no reason for us not to -- then we can be assured that this story is reliable. Perhaps you've already heard it; maybe you've read about it. If not, then let me get you up to date:

BRUSSELS, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - The government of Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia, which has a population of about 4 million, has approved a tax on barbequing, local media reported.

Experts said that between 50 and 100 grams of CO2, a so-called greenhouse gas, is emitted during barbequing. Beginning June 2007, residents of Wallonia will have to pay 20 euros for a grilling session.

The local authorities plan to monitor compliance with the new tax legislation from helicopters, whose thermal sensors will detect burning grills.

Scientists believe CO2 emissions are a major cause of global warming. [emphasis added]

There is no doubt that Big Father has moved from New Hampshire to Belgium. He is about to move over the whole world. And he will follow you in his car; he will hover over your picnic with a helicopter. He wants to watch your barbecues. To make sure YOU don't emit too much carbon. To make you pay if you do. To make you submit (islam).

This is just the beginning of madness. Grab a cup and cover your barbie. You're about to get kicked in the coals.

©Bill Gnade 2007/Contratimes. All Rights Reserved.