What do “freedom” and “patriotism” really mean?

In an effort to convince enough Americans to vote against their own vital interests, Republicans have co-opted much of our political vocabulary, and the distortions are putting our survival at risk.

The term “global warming” was changed by conservatives to “climate change” because the truth of ongoing global warming was seen as too disturbing, and would challenge support for the continued use of fossil fuels and lack of environmental regulations.

The earth is an interdependent system. One action affects the rest. The more we drill for oil and gas, the more CO2 is in the air, causing more heat, more moisture evaporating from the oceans, creating bigger storms, droughts and fires, and more moisture moving over the poles, creating severe cold and blizzards.

“Freedom” has never meant unbridled license to do whatever a person wants regardless of how it affect others. With freedom comes responsibility for one’s choices and actions.

Global warming is the greatest moral crisis of our time. We have the freedom, the capacity, and the patriotic responsibility to pursue a sustainable course of clean energy that protects and supports the whole earth, our whole nation, and our childrens’ children.

The Rev. Bonnie N Lawlor

North Bend