Posted on 07/08/2008 8:18:59 AM PDT by Captain McAllister
Environmentalist despotism is on a roll. From every corner of the globe, the Green movement has unceasingly inundated world citizens with a deluge of documentaries, articles, “hard facts,” “reliable models,” and “common sense” in an attempt to rally eco-warriors and build their cause.
Having used nearly every method at their disposal, the movement has now turned to the merciless and unrelenting strategy of shame tactics.
According to an article published yesterday at GreenBiz.com, the state of California has issued a mandate that all 2009 model cars be stamped with a “Global Warming Score” label. The label would display the carbon emissions score on a scale of one to 10 with the most earth-friendly, low-emissions vehicles earning a higher number. Logically, those vehicles deemed “earth-unfriendly” will earn a lower number.
This sticker will go hand in hand with the already-required smog score sticker which accomplishes the same task with regard to smog emissions.
Before the anger and indignation (or worse yet, resignation) sets it, however, it is vital to understand that tactics such as these are far from unique and that there really is nothing new under the sun. Consider World War II, for example.
Just as the German Nazi regime commanded its Jewish citizens to display a prominent yellow star to serve as a symbol of inferiority, so too have today’s Green despots mandated this “Global Warming Score” label. If you drive an SUV, a pickup, or any other type of vehicle with a low “score,” the Green police want the world to know that you are an inferior citizen. You are sub-human. You are despicable. Shame on you.
It would be foolish to assume that the totalitarianism ends here, though. When the shaming proves not to be enough, we can expect nothing less than blitzkrieg economic oppression of all types.
Frighteningly enough, this monster has already begun to raise its ugly head.
While our own government recently postponed a proposed carbon cap-and-trade system for America’s industry, a Wall Street Journal article pointed out yesterday that the British government is also considering a cap-and-trade system—for its own citizens. As the article articulates, a Parliamentary committee recently proposed issuing “carbon allowances” to all British adults. They would be required to spend this—along with your typical pounds—on anything that carries carbon-baggage. This includes gasoline, airline tickets, electricity and natural gas. Britons could have the “freedom” to trade carbon credits among themselves as the government sees fit.
The article quotes Environment Minister Hilary Benn as calling the proposal “ahead of its time.”
The only time this should remind us of, however, is the aforementioned Second World War. As the article argues:
“War-time-like energy rations are a clear illustration of the extent to which environmentalists hope to control every aspect of modern life…The global warmists want you to sacrifice for their cause. And the duration of their war on carbon will make the decade-and-a-half of British rationing during and after World War II seem like a fleeting moment.”
So how far will the carbon regulation go? Will each and every one of our carbon dioxide emitting breaths be regulated by the Government as well? Will we be rationed as to how many carbon-polluting pets we can own, or, eventually, how many children we can bear? While this question may seem absurd, it is worth considering.
Just how much regulation are we truly willing to allow?
All of these questions underline the stark reality that the entire Global Warming paranoia is merely a vehicle for Big Government expansionism. It was tried under the guise of fascism and was subsequently tossed out by the people. It was tried under the guise of communism and was subsequently tossed out by the people.
And one has to wonder: just how long will the Green elite be allowed to foist the new despotism of environmentalism upon the world before the people rise up and toss it out, too?
I think I’ll make a few “& PROUD!” stickers for SUV and classic-car folks to place next to the scarlet-sticker.
Save the World! Toss an Environmentalist into the nearest toxic waste dump.
I’ll go along with the pollution tag if California agrees to force pink triangle tags on gays.
Can’t wait for all this Green crap to go the way of Disco.
If I had the money I would buy the bigggest gas guzzling SUV I could find. Not a new one, but an older one with a carburator and no catalytic converter.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
"Shag Tags."
Issue 5 per month.
“And one has to wonder: just how long will the Green elite be allowed to foist the new despotism of environmentalism upon the world before the people rise up and toss it out, too?”
And how much blood will have to be spilled to do it?
At some point, all regulation becomes force. Those who will not bow to the will of the environmentalist/socialist combine will have to be broken.
I’m to the point where I say “F**k Mother Earth and the new Druids!”
Just my 2 cents.
everybody wants to rule the world.....
I would like to place an order for two right now, Seriously.
Might as well beat them to the punch
Buy your cars in Nevada.
Look at it this was, with them whining about the environment, the war effort must be doing great.
Dude, you can do much better.
These typically get 5-8 MPG. Much better statement than an SUV, IMO. :-)
I think every FReeper should get one. They can be had for about $3,000 in many places.
And to think that Freepers all laughed at me a year ago, when I proposed that we need an “American Climate Protection Amendment” to the US Constitution, whereby the government is specifically prohibited from making any law, regulation or executive order, or imposing any tax, for the purpose of changing or regulating the climate of the planet.
It’s the only way to preserve our natural liberties from the relentless onslaught of the global warming debate deniers, who continue to deny the indisputable fact that there is lots of scientific debate about global warming, and continue to pursue their half-baked social engineering redistributionist agenda despite the many, many credentialed scientists who reject the man-made global warming hypothesis outright.
Even if such an amendment is politically impossible, a serious debate on its merits would do much to put the pro-global warming policy makers where they belong — which is on the defensive.
I call them “pro-global warming” because they desperately want anthropogenic global warming to be real in spite of scientific evidence to the contrary, and they will not give up their draconian interventionist legislative agenda until we pry it from their cold, (legislatively) dead fingers.
Manmade global warming is an income re-distribution ponzie scheme benefiting socialists, communists, university researchers, and algore.
This truly terrifying! Especially since it is based on a hoax.
Do SUV drivers get a tattoo telling everyone that you aren’t green?
Rationing would be the perfect “solution” for watermelon red-green fascists. Not only would they get to regulate the minutia of people's lives — the rationing system would be the largest welfare program ever launched.
A “virtuous person” could sit all day sipping herb tea; and make a good living selling his surplus carbon credits to the “wasteful” dupes, who still insist on commuting to work.
” If you drive an SUV... with a low “score,” the Green police want the world to know that you are an inferior citizen... Shame on you.”
Okay Dokey Rosie O’Donnell, let’s see you drive your SUV around and shoot off your big mouth.
And you, George Clooney!
And you, Sheryl Crowe!
And you, Michael Moore!
And you, U2 Bono!
All of a sudden, the big-mouth frogs will have little to say.
As soon as the design for California’s TheScarletNumber sticker is finalized, I’ll do it.
“The bubble will pop soon.”
It’s beginning to happen. More Americans are spurning the global warming nutjobs and asking for domestic oil drilling.
Amazing how green everyone is until they have less of it in their wallets.
Outstanding column. Thank you. It was poetic, funny and spot on. A great illumination of The Road to Serfdom. Where are these stickers affixed on the cars? How big are they?
What’s funny is on Greenbiz.com, the conservatives have raided the comments section of the article and are shredding the socialists! Good job, people! We must not just talk amongst ourselves. We need to invade the looters’ sites and do a little mind-to-mind combat. Do some special ops.
Be a guerilla gorilla today and shred a liberal banana today!
See ya in enemy territory.
Don’t worry. Glow-bull warming will be cured once everything that spews carbon (including people) is taxed according to it’s rating.
Once taxed, carbon dioxide turns into “good” carbon dioxide and no longer causes glow-bull warming. So even though CO2 levels will be doubled by the year 2050 because of growing turd world economies, all will be well.
Stickers can be removed. Heaven help the bureaucrat who tries to penalize me for removing one from my own property.
Oregon doesn’t have sales tax. Incentive to buy cars there, too.
If the Greenies want to have fun, they should make it illegal to remove your Smog Sticker and Global Warming Score sticker. That way they can be a constant reminder of the damage you are doing to Gaia throughout the life of the vehicle...
On second thought, I better not give them any bright ideas...
Ya still have to have the money to fuel it...
The more I thought about the timing of this, it was very clear this whole movement transformed in the 1980s, when people started to refuse to pay higher taxes in almost all countries, into a scam to get money. There were some “honest environmentalists” before that, but I think they all figured out this was a massive wealth-transfer gimmick if they could sell this global warming dog-crap.
If it wasn’t embarrassing enough to fart, now you have to feel guilty about it, too.
What the liberal looters have in store for us next; the carbon credit is the aim (and the tool) of wealth redistribution. The producers and prime movers will have to pay the extortionist’s fee to the sedentary proletariat. The profitability of doing nothing but living in your mud hut and driving a tin coffin will become incredibly lucrative. -Until the producers light Wyatt’s Torch.
Producers of the world, unite!
p.s. Greenbiz.com closed the commenting on this story. Nobody can comment further.
Let’s see if we can get them to cover every square inch of the car with stickers. Let’s see, we have the:
Manufacturer’s Sticker Price sticker
The EPA Milage Estimate sticker (though your milage may vary...)
The Smog Score sticker
The shipper’s bar code sticker
The country of origin and domestic content sticker
To which we can add:
The Fair Trade sticker
The Union/Not Union sticker
The Recycled Content sticker
The Manufacturing Process Carbon Footprint sticker
The Frontal Crash Rating sticker
The Side Crash Rating sticker
The Rollover Resistance sticker
The LATCH Child Restraint System sticker
The Airbag Warning Sticker
The lawyers disclaimer that operation of this vehicle in an unsafe or safe manner may lead to accidental dismemberment or death that may or may not be related to actions of the driver or other drivers in addition to the operation or non-operation of standard or optional equipment in conjuction with vehicle safety systems, depending on external factors including vehicle speed, road conditions, occupant belting, the phases of the moon, zodiacal sign, etc... sticker.
And I think we can come up with a lot more!
Potato chips on monitor and keyboard alert!
I said on a previous thread that when SNL starts doing satirical "Green, Eco-" commercials, it'll be the end.
I for one, would be perfectly happy if I never heard the words "Green-" or "Eco-" anything, ever again.
Yeah and then the first time a CA resident gets the car they purchased in NV inspected, you can bet a carbon sticker will get slapped on it. Unfortunately, there will be no getting around this for CA residents.
You are going to be waiting a long time. It's being programed into children as soon as they are put in pre-school, and it continues all through grade school.
It isn't math, science and english skills they are being bombared with each and every day, it's feeding the poor, demanding the government and evil corperations and sucessful people (all evil and bad) pay for all their wants and needs, plus give them a job they can never be fired from if they have a desire to work.
Then it's on to sexual perversion is ok class, where they are taught that people involved in sexual perversions are really normal, and that it is those evil breeders, those who think natures design of opposite sexed creatures of all sorts who mate and raise their offspring, and those which mate for life and raise offspring, are the evil doers.
Afternoon classes are filled by showing children scary fictional films like Al Gores' of the earth self destructing because evil mankind has stunk up the planet. This is followed by fictional films of animals starving and sick, dying slow agonizing deaths while a narrator claiming to be a 'scientist' claims it's all mans fault, followed by films of cute baby seals , and evil man clubbing them to death.
Do you really think this garbage is going to go the way of disco anytime soon? Not unless we take back control of our schools and stop the social engineering of our children by these enviro nuts and communists.
Believe it or not, CA does not have inspections.
I used to work in the industry. I knew it had jumped the shark when the maximum allowable concentration of dioxin in soil was set below the limits of current detection. And they were enforcing it!
Wow. Then I stand corrected. However, I still think CA will find some way to make sure that sticker gets slapped on all cars.
This ECO friendly group world hug BS is not going away so how do I get my cut. American Foresters grow Millions of acres of timber where do we send the bill for cleaning the CO2 out of the atmosphere. Wonder what Al pays for his carbon credits.
Except that it will not work that way.
As the economy crumbles under the economic weight of "fees", their income will drop like a rock.
Hard times are coming for no good reason. The best part is, once people begin losing their homes and living in the woods, the environmental disaster will really happen as we start burning old tires and clear cutting woods for heat and cooking. Can you say "unintended consequences"?
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