Last winter Glenn Beck of Fox News made a comment on his TV show about the record blizzards and cold that were plaguing the northeast United States. He mocked Al Gore by saying in an Italian Mafia accent: "I've got your global warming right here" as if the record snows meant the planet wasn't getting warmer.
I disagreed in a Huffington Post blog trying to explain that the blizzards were caused by a heated ocean and an unusually warm Canadian winter forcing moisture and cold further south. Of course this made no sense to him.
So by his logic, now that we on the East coast are in the midst of a record third heat wave (and it's only the beginning of July) and the temperatures in Philly are supposed to reach 101 degrees today, does this not prove global warming?
No? Well, how about this past year of not only record snow amounts, but thunderstorms, floods, wild fires, earthquakes, mud slides, tornados, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and hurricanes around the globe? Is that a coincidence? Did our releasing of greenhouse gases and chemicals into the air and ocean have anything to do with it? Or is it just Mother Nature gone wild?
I am always suspicious of anyone who refuses to believe in climate change. Do you, Mr. Beck and others (Rush Limbaugh) have your heads in the sand? Is big business, including the main polluters of the environment, backing you? I know you are not a politician, but you may as well be.
I can see no reason why anyone would not want to support cleaning Mother Earth as it benefits us all by creating a healthier atmosphere where we can all breathe easier.
What if you are right and there is no global warming? Would it hurt to have clean air and water anyway? If you are wrong, the consequences of inaction are immense as the weather and storm warning signs are beginning to show.
Mr. Beck, I find it hard to believe that you are a Christian because God taught us to be good stewards of the planet. Selling one's soul to big oil and big business is not very Christian-like.
So, Mr. Beck, if you have any further doubts about climate change, I invite you to come to Philadelphia, PA. We've got your global warming right here.