Saturday, September 19, 2015

Why I plan to attend the Pope's historic address to the US Congress that will touch on climate change and global warming. Be there or be square!



''GET ME REWRITE!'' (famous newsroom words)

Why I plan to attend the Pope's historic address to the US Congress that will touch on climate change and man-made global warming. Be there or be square!

NOTE: AGW and confronting it is basically a moral issue -- either you ignore the situation and you risk the possibility of an uninhabitable Earth in the distant future, say 30 generations from now, say 2500 A.D., in Jesus years, OR....you face it and take action so that the given worsening situation might be halted before it is too late.

by Congressman You Know Who! (Republican, Arizona)

It is difficult to convey the excitement I first felt when it was revealed that His Holiness Pope Francis was invited to Washington D.C. to address the world from the floor of the House of Representatives. Many believe, like I do, that this is an opportunity for the Pope to be one of the world’s great religious advocates and address the current cliamte denialist brouhaha over man-made global warming. An opportunity to urgently challenge governments to properly address AGW. An opportunity to climate change head om, and n opportunity for His Holiness to refocus our priorities on AGW so far from wrong from right. In otther words, AGW is real. The Pope knows this. God knows this. Wake up, rightwing ''ostriches'' with your heads in the denialist sand worldwide!

Media reports indicate His Holiness istead intends to focus the brunt of his speech on AGW and that is good. As the Pope will stick to standard Christian theology on AGW, I will be the first in line. When the Pope chooses to act and talk with moral purpose about AGW, he has my support.


The Earth’s climate has been changing since God created it in six days, yes, and  on that, we should all agree. In Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment (written with the consultation of the EPA and its headwoman Gina McCarthy), he stood up boldly and bravely for the link between human activity and climate change and adopted the true science of climate change. To promote climate science and AGW as Catholic ideas is wonderful to witness.

 I am a proud Catholic. I chose to attend a Jesuit college in the Midwest, not just for my undergraduate but also my graduate studies (D.D.S.). I received an excellent education where I was taught to think critically, to welcome debate and discussion and to be held accountable for my actions; a trademark of a Jesuit education. And finally, I am a Conservative, a member of Congress, a constitutionalist and adamant defender of our Republic; an American that believes in strict adherence to the rule of law and a firm believer in our First Amendment protections, in this particular discussion, the freedom of religion.

So at this pivotal moment in world history, His Holiness, Pope Francis, will spend the majority of his time on one of the world’s greatest stages focusing on AGW and climate change. I salute this brave man of God. I have both a moral obligation and leadership responsibility to applaud leaders, regardless of their titles, who embrace the science of AGW. As the Pope plans to spend the majority of his time advocating for bold climate change policies, I will attend, of course. It is my hope that Pope Francis focuses on AGW and does't shy away from the issues confronting humankind.

As the leader of the Catholic Church, and as a powerful voice for peace throughout the world, His Holiness has a real opportunity to wake up the world on AGW.

Pope Francis' Climate Manifesto: We Read it So You Don't Have to
In an historic letter addressed to all citizens of the globe on Thursday, Pope Francis issued a moral and religious call to action on climate change and, more broadly, environmental degradation. The letter, known in the Catholic Church as an encyclical, is the first-ever such document devoted to the environment. The encyclical recognizes the mainstream climate science findings that the burning of fossil fuels is causing global warming, and it marks the Pope's entrance as a central player in international climate negotiations at a critical time for climate diplomacy.
Inform

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