Don’t believe global warming theory? Are you nuts?

Former US Vice President Al Gore has now come out publicly comparing disbelief in the theory of global warming to such things as believing the world is flat.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/27/60minutes/main3974389.shtml

“Gore’s message to climate change skeptics”

“Self-avowed “P.R. agent for the planet” Al Gore says those who still doubt that global warming is caused by man – among them, Vice President Dick Cheney – are acting like the fringe groups who think the 1969 moon landing never really happened, or who once believed the world is flat….

….Gore’s campaign to make the world more aware of man’s role in global warming won him the Nobel Peace Prize last year. He donated the $750,000 prize money to The Alliance for Climate Protection, the non-profit he started to help him on his quest. He and his wife, Tipper, tell Stahl they not only matched the Nobel money with their own, but they are also donating to the organization the significant profits from his book and Oscar-winning documentary film about global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth.” The funds will help The Alliance for Climate Protection execute a new $300 million ad campaign on global warming set to start next week.

Some of the ads will feature unlikely alliances to drive home the message that people of all stripes are concerned about global warming. These include the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Pat Robertson, Toby Keith and the Dixie Chicks, and Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich.”

But wait…is he (or another other personalities) appealing to people’s reason? Has Gore assisted in spreading facts to the world so that even experts and scientists may have a larger platform to spread the truth? Or is he like a bully in a schoolyard calling people names who don’t agree with his point of view?

The reason this and similar issues may be of importance go beyond global warming. As I have discussed in earlier blogs, it is the mere public scare tactics that are used. Does one have to believe in the theory of global warming in order to take care of the earth? If not, why do they seem to be equated with each other constantly? Is that really fair? And if the general public does see itself being manipulated into accepting a theory which may be flimsy at best according to scientists: If there are so many questions about it, why are so many life-altering, expensive changes being made and precious time spent on a theory which is as of yet seemingly incomplete and questionable?

Sometimes when you feel pressured, it is best to try and take a step back and ask yourself, “Why?” Whether it be a used car salesman…someone trying to win over new religious converts…or even former politicians claiming global collapse is coming if we do not agree to accept less and pay more for the same products or services, it may serve us well to ask ourselves: “If the figures or evidence doesn’t quite add up, why are they applying so much pressure for me to go along with this?” And furthermore…if you find that someone is trying to manipulate you against your will and your own sense of judgment, what does that say about your trust in that person? Are they truly looking out for your best interests, or are you simply a cog in their scheme?

It is one thing to care for the environment….is it the equivalent in believing in global warming?

And if global warming is in the end giving us more laws, regulations, and government oversight than ever…who is truly being helped? The earth, which is still being polluted (only at higher cost to the consumer)? Or those wanting money or power?

And furthermore…with things like this global warming movement, war on terror, war on drugs, war on poverty, etc: Are these programs really helping us? Or are we simply receiving less freedom and more global government? (And if that is the case, isn’t that a sign of prophecy?)

What do you think?

Daily dose of Big Brother: Drones & Work Fingerprinting in US; Citizen Spies in Australia

 

Authorities across the world seem to agree: the general public seems to be a potential threat which may need to be tracked, searched, and surveiled constantly.  Here are three typical articles which came across my pc today, and short excerpts from each:

“Spy drones in demand by U.S. police departments, but approval pending

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/27/business/drone.php

…And the Miami-Dade police are not alone. Taking their lead from the U.S. military, which has used drones in Iraq and Afghanistan for years, law enforcement agencies across the United States have voiced a growing interest in using drones for domestic crime-fighting missions.

Known in the aerospace industry as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, drones have been under development for decades in the United States.

The CIA acknowledges that it developed a dragonfly-sized UAV known as the “Insectohopter” for laser-guided spy operations as long ago as the 1970s. And other advanced work on robotic flyers has clearly been under way for quite some time.”

“Fingerprint Scanners Help Companies Track Workers

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/Fingerprint.Timecard.Popularity.2.685864.html

NEW YORK (AP) ― Some workers are doing it at Dunkin’ Donuts, at Hilton hotels, even at Marine Corps bases.

Employees at a growing number of businesses are starting and ending their days by pressing a hand or finger to a scanner that logs the precise time of their arrival and departure—information that is automatically reflected in payroll records.

Manufacturers say these biometric devices improve efficiency and streamline payroll operations. Employers big and small buy them with the dual goals of keeping workers honest and automating outdated record-keeping systems that rely on paper time sheets.

The new systems have raised complaints, however, from some workers who see the efforts to track their movements as excessive or creepy.”

Police seek volunteers to spy for them

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23444234-5006301,00.html

Police are seeking hundreds of volunteers to spy on crime hot spots and trawl through surveillance tapes to help catch criminals. 

Each police local service area will organise and equip the volunteers to undertake the often time-consuming task of crime surveillance. In some cases, the volunteers will use binoculars to monitor areas and pass on details of suspicious activities to police.

The upgrading of volunteer duties is a long-term project of Police Commissioner Mal Hyde and will be run by a state co-ordinator of police volunteers.”

Are these typical examples of ‘big brother’ in our lives?  If so, how does that impact each one of us?  Should everyone’s every move and thought be tracked, traced and recorded?  Why or why not?

If absolute surveillance…tracking…and recording are the norm:  Are we truly free?  Or does the cost of safety necessitate our liberties?  (And if so, how much is too much?)

Are we tracking prophecy?  Do these things fit with the system of government the Bible describes in prophecy, or not?

What do you think?