Reasonable capitalists, Republicans, Christians, Democrats and Pagans can all agree that we need petroleum, transportation, inexpensive goods, good health and a sustainable economy. I am not redefining the wheel here or stating anything that requires a Harvard education. But for some reason when the term ‘climate change’ is introduced into the equation, all sides lose their minds.

Crazy Evangelical Christians begin to fight over the right to rape the planet because the term ‘global warming’ comes from dirt worshiping liberals who are inherently evil and didn’t read the part in the Bible about dominion over the animals (While neglecting to read the part in the Bible about taking care of the place themselves.).

Democrats and the enlightened proud pagans think we can go cold turkey because the ones who need our current dirty energy are just backward simpleton morons (Then they hop in their Prius on the way to their private jet.).

Right Wing Republicans default to defending the status-quo because they are getting rich and of course they know the default position of the intellectual hippies is to have their alarmist heads up their behinds crying wolf in a fit of financial jealousy (While they ignore their current mode of wealth is absolutely unsustainable).

To reiterate, climate change should not be the issue, it should be laid out pragmatically. It does not matter if climate change exists, here is reality–we cannot change overnight because destroying our economy would be a rather large calamity. However, we cannot do nothing because our current way of life is unsustainable whether or not it destroys the environment, our economy will collapse and everyone will be screwed. Humans, all ‘sane’ humans regardless of where they lie on the spectrum wants a comfortable and safe life for their families. Finding middle ground and trying to clean up our act is the only way to accomplish this and who cares if Al Gore is full of shit.

Rewarding Al Gore’s powerpoint with an Oscar does nothing but further alienate middle America from the debate just as rewarding the Dixie Chicks will do nothing to help them sell albums to their former fans in Texas. If anything, it will discourage them from doing so. There is a disconnect between the right and the left that stems from a pride in the way of life and a lack in trying to understand the other’s side. Californians need to admit that someone in Texas may actually have a brain that has been through a valid education and Texans need to admit that some Californians aren’t simply lazy over-educated hippies with no real world experience.

Perhaps we could have a therapy session wherein people like me, the west coast raised city dweller could admit to the middle American that I don’t know how to farm, but I enjoy eating and appreciate what they do (BTW, for the sake of semantics, I consider eastern Washington and the California central valley to part of middle America). Then the middle American could admit to us that computers and technology developed out here actually make their lives easier and they enjoy the money this economy makes that empowers them to feed us. Then we can collectively hug and agree to stop destroying the Earth. We can all dream can’t we?