Dec 22^nd

George Will, the intellectual standard bearer for all the right wing columnists, has constructed a column belittling the recent international climate change agreement. Will’s column is titled, “Another false ‘turning point’ on climate change.” He refers to an agreement by nearly 200 nations to monitor and otherwise concern themselves with climate change. Will claims that this is just another in a long history of “turning points.” For Will it seems that a turning point must require a reversal of direction. A simple movement away from the primary path doesn’t count as a change in direction.

He says, “Any agreement requiring U.S. expenditures and restriction on wealth creation would founder on the reef of representative government.”  Of course this “representative” government will tolerate no restrictions on “wealth creation.” This is because those who function as representatives represent primarily those into whose pockets go the created wealth.

Will then quotes Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky who says, “Before they pop the champagne, they should remember that this is an unobtainable ideal based on a domestic energy plan that is likely illegal, that half the states have sued to halt and that Congress has already voted to reject.” Well of course; what else would you expect from the Senator from Kentucky who represents the coal industry.

Will treats us to a history of the coal industries’ role in the upward and onward progress in the civilization of mankind. He waxes most eloquent about coal being important in civilization’s progress. He says, “…let us praise the solar energy source most responsible for the surge of human betterment that began with the harnessing of fossil fuels around 1800.” Now he wants us to think of burning coal as just another manifestation of solar energy. Considering his eloquence on this issue one is inclined to suspect that Will may have some financial ties to the coal industry.

He says that “the Paris agreement occasions slight excitement among the billions who lack electricity and the millions who lack potable water.” Some of these people probably live in Bangladesh and others in the Nile delta in Egypt.  Will fails to understand that if something isn’t done about global warming the people living in these regions will value swimming skills far more than they will be concerned about getting electricity. Much of the coastal lowlands in Florida will be on the real estate market within the next few years at greatly reduced prices. Florida’s Republican  Governor Rick Scott has discovered a new way to handle this problem, at least in Florida; he has banned the terms “climate change” and “global warming” from all state documents including emails. He must believe that if the issue isn’t discussed it will disappear. Welcome to the Republican world of magical thinking.