Welcome to Copenhagen to Save the Planet From Global Warming

by Terry Easton
http://www.humanevents.com
12/04/2009

Well, gang, it’s time for Copenhagen, another of those great photo ops for the good and the famous and all the world’s leaders flying in to save the planet from Global Warming -- caused by all that evil Carbon Dioxide being emitted as exhaust fumes of…jet planes!

The parade of planes is led by the Progressive-in-Chief, Barack Obama, in his super-jumbo 747 Air Force One, and backed up by a cadre of additional planes for support personal, secret service, armored Limousine One, and the press. But wait, he’s really doing a two-for-one flight, making the extra effort to pick up his hard-earned Nobel Prize for Peace.

A modest suggestion. Since most jet fuel is used in just taking off, perhaps Obama could simply do a fly-by Stockholm and lower one of those navy tailhooks to snatch up the Nobel Prize from the Committee below. Think of all the drowning baby polar bears that would be saved by reducing the melting ice caps in the process. That action in itself would probably be worthy of another Nobel Prize -- in conservation -- to be issued by the political hacks on the Peace Prize Committee.


Then there’s the fleet of other government jets: 727’s, Airbuses, and baby jets like Gulfstreams which will all be fighting over parking spaces and refueling stations at the Copenhagen International Airport. I sure hope that Exxon and Shell can make some good money out of this. We need their tax payments.

But the most fun is always had by the great and good, the most highly esteemed and wisest members of our society: the Hollywood movie stars! And many will be in Copenhagen too. That’s where all the cameras will be.

It seems like lots of Hollywood Progressives who tell us it is important to save the world by cutting back on our own wasteful carbon dioxide emissions (like, perhaps breathing?) are themselves proud owners of their own big carbon dioxide spewing private jets. And no, it’s not an innocent plant food that helps trees grow. The 0.380% of the Earth’s atmosphere, this trace gas called carbon dioxide, is in fact a deadly human-produced killer, or so these good people tell us.

First there’s Oprah and her Gulfstream IV (it holds 13 people!). And Al Gore. And Paris Hilton. And Bob Geldorf. And Jennifer Aniston. There are hundreds more. Some are even a bit frugal in their ways. They “timeshare” their planes by sharing ownership with other important people or, lower down the food chain, renting time on global fleets totaling over one thousand jets.

Does the word hypocrite come to mind, here?

Perhaps the most interesting specimens of this interesting sub-species of “concerned folk out to save the world” are those superstars who own a fleet of private jets – and fly them themselves all over the world in their quest to help protect humanity from the deadly human-caused global warming catastrophe.

Top on the list are megastars like Tom Cruise, who bought his wife Katie Holmes their fifth plane, a Gulfstream. Tom is a global warming believer.

Then there’s Harrison Ford, close buddy of Bill Clinton who does commercials for EarthShare. He too owns 5 planes including a Cessna Citation jet, and a Bell 407 helicopter to boot. Now Harrison Ford is, in fact, a genuine real-life hero. He uses his planes to help firefighting around his Wyoming home, and he has even rescued a lost boy scout in Yellowstone National Park. So, maybe Ford deserves a pass.

But what about John Travolta and his fleet of 5 private jets, ranging from a 707 downwards? He helps support this hobby by standing in front of them wearing an expensive “up market” watch. The ads are everywhere.

There’s nothing wrong, of course, for talented people who’ve made a lot of money to spend it on their hobbies. Some collect cars. Some collect boats, some collect houses. Some collect all three.

But there is something a bit bizarre in these people having permission to preach to others what they don’t do themselves. Oh wait, many also own Hondas and Toyota Prius hybrid cars. They sometimes drive them to the airports to board their private jets. Question: has the Prius become the hypocrite’s “Get Out of Jail Card”?

Or sometimes they buy “carbon credits”, fictional guilt-payments, sort of like the old
Indulgences that Roman Catholics could pay the Church to assuage their sins during the middle ages. And who can they buy these carbon credits from? Why another Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore and his financier partner David Blood -- yes Blood & Gore -- who are making millions selling their carbon credit schemes out of London through their Generation Investment Management partnership. One goal of GIM is to clearly pass on lots of money - to the next Blood and Gore generations…

So when the “reporters” start gushing all over the TV channels from Copenhagen next week, talking about how everyone has come together to save the world from the impending doom of Global Warming, think about how all the great and good got there. Perhaps they’ll even show you a clip or two of each politician emerging from their private government jets, waiving to the adoring carefully-arranged crowds.

Then remember that these same politicians are now adding “carbon taxes” to the airfares of commercial airlines, so the poor suckers who have to fly in overcrowded coach can help subsidize the elites’ travel habits. Oh, and lots of objective reporters from the main stream media hitch a ride on these private jets whenever they can. “For the story”. Right. Oink. Oink.


Mr. Easton teaches University economics and is passionate about technology and entrepreneurship. He is rosy about the long-term future: The glass isn't half full, it's overflowing!