Get to work by John C. Street

I got lambasted at a meeting the other night for things I had written about global warming.  The core of the lambasting (if I’ve filtered it out of the rancorous, condescending tone of his voice correctly) was that the “science” I used as the basis for my opinion was as plausible as a fairy-tale because it was not “peer reviewed” and that anyone who believed there isn’t a “consensus” in the scientific community (that man-caused global warming is real) has an IQ on par with an in-town speed limit.   

OK, so I extrapolated that last point – the one about the speed limit IQ – from his tone of voice.  But it gets the point across.  The people who believe (and the guy who did the lambasting is one of them) that man is causing global warming have a tendency to speak to those of us who don’t like we’re recalcitrant, ADD afflicted four-year-olds.  Obviously we’re too stupid to see … well, the obvious and we need adult (their) supervision.

Look, I’ve never made any claims about being a rocket scientist (or a climatologist either, for that matter) but I am relatively well educated and, given my life work and experience, more than a little skeptical about things that “everyone knows to be true.” 

From a personal standpoint, I don’t really give a rat’s patooty what you believe about global warming.  I do care, however, about the damage it is causing and by that I don’t mean the purported melting of the polar ice-caps, I mean the way the debate over global warming is being conducted.  The lambasting I took the other night is a perfect example. 

It is an historical fact that “Sportsmen” (and that means you, Ms., Mr. or Mrs. Hunter, Angler and Trapper) care about environmental issues.  Some of us might care more and others a little less but - I think we can agree - we all care.  Consequently, when environmental issues come up and the alarm bell is sounded, we sportsmen are the first ones to put on our work boots to go forth to fix the problem. 

I’ll not bore you (although I probably should, just as a refresher) with all the things we’ve accomplished because we “care” but let’s just say there’s an awful lot of wildlife – both game and non-game – running, flying, slithering and swimming around because we showed up with our work boots on.  And now, like Pavlov’s dogs, we hear the environmental alarm bell ringing again and we’re slathering to get to work. 

All around us we see sportsmen pulling on their boots and we’re anxious to join the effort.  “But wait,” a few are saying, “there’s something different about the tone of that bell.”  Disgusted at the delay, some of us nevertheless listen carefully and it really does sound different.  And so, with our curiosity aroused we seek the ringer of the bell and find a trusted friend at the cord.  “Get to work,” he admonishes us as we approach, “there’s not a moment to delay.”

Embarrassed because we doubted, we stand with our friend the bell ringer for a moment, hoping he’ll explain the emergency, but then we hear a metallic click, his mouth begins to move and he says again, “Get to work, there’s not a moment to delay, get to work, there’s not a moment to delay, get to work there’s not … “  Click.  Stepping closer we find, much to our dismay, not our friend but a mannequin made up to look like him.  And as his mechanical arm pulls the cord and the bell begins to ring, the tone really is different this time. 

Conditioned as we sportsmen are, it’s difficult to enjoy our hunting, fishing and trapping with the din of the environmental alarm bell sounding, especially when we see so many of our compadres pulling on their boots.  I can tell you, though, that I have gone to see the bell ringer (in other words, I have done my own research) and believe there is ample reason to be concerned, not about global warming, but about the people sounding the alarm. 

What I discovered by doing my own research is that there are a great number of highly educated, nationally respected scientists out there (type “petition project” into your favorite search engine and see for yourself) who have also been to see the bell ringer and have come to the same conclusion I have.  That’s why, when someone (like the guy who lit into me at that sportsmen’s club meeting the other night) says there is a “consensus” in the scientific community, I half expect them to add, “Get to work, there’s not a moment to delay, get to work, there’s not a moment to delay, get to….”  Click.

Whichever side of the global warming debate you’re on, please remember the operative word is “debate.”  An awful lot of our fellow sportsmen have heard that environmental alarm bell ringing and are pulling on their boots.  But an equal number have said, “Wait a minute, this bell really does sounds different.”

Because we care, sportsmen (like you Ms., Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, Trapper and Angler) have a long history of doing the right thing for the environment.  And if history is any indication, “Science” will eventually get its act together and give us a course to follow. 

In the meantime, listen carefully to the tone of that bell and be a little skeptical when someone tells you, “Get to work, there’s not a moment to delay, get to work, there’s not a moment to delay, get to …”

Click.