More Fun With Jack Bauer

Joseph Farah, one of the many lunatics over at the wingnut fringe site WorldNetDaily posted an article today titled Life imitates '24', once again trying to justify our use of torture because Jack Bauer does it on TV. I already covered this absurd notion a couple weeks ago, but there was one thing about the show that I forgot to mention, and that's the fact that 24 is the first carbon neutral television production. Now, if the right-wing wants to use a work of Hollywood fiction to justify breaking the law, then how do they reconcile that with the idea that the people behind that show are championing the "liberal" cause of fighting climate change?

It's funny because I discussed this very same topic the day before I wrote about Jack Bauer in my Earth Day column; why is the party that uses 24 to support torture, not listening to 24 about the environment? It's an appropriate analogy for the Republican Party, wrapped up in fiction while ignoring the reality that's right in front of their face.

Here are some PSAs from the cast of 24 about climate change:

24 Going Green PSA - Kiefer Sutherland


24 Going Green PSA - Cherry Jones


24 Going Green PSA - Mary Lynn Rajskub

Pump and Pay

I know it's instinctual to be happy about the recent drops in gas prices, a few people told me that they paid under $2 a gallon today! Awesome, right? Well... no, not really. I know what you're thinking, "Oh c'mon, I can't even enjoy my $1.99 gas?! Why does this guy hate everything?" Hey, I'm happy about paying less to fill up too, but we can't allow ourselves to become comfortable again. Americans got a huge wake up call in 2008 when we started paying $4 a gallon, it was a taste of what it's like to live anywhere else in the world. If we get complacent because we're paying less for gas now, it's just going to come back and bite us in the ass in a couple years.

After 9/11, alternative energy should have been our number one priority, but surprise surprise, the ex-oilman president did nothing. It was irresponsible, has made our country less safe and has set us back a decade in breaking free of our dependence on foreign oil. When you hear Governor Avon Lady chanting "drill, baby, drill," the image that should pop in your mind is a drug addict needing his next fix. Oil is Republican crack, "c'mon man, just one more offshore oil rig... I'll suck your dick!" and just like when a crackhead offers, you need to turn it down from a Republican... God knows where that mouth has been. And just like drugs, it's great at first, but then you hit rock bottom; these low prices aren't going to last forever and neither will the oil. I read an article today about the possibility of the SUV craze returning due to lower oil prices, so let me say this: if you're thinking about buying a Hummer right now, you're a fucking tool. Well, you're a tool if you ever wanted to buy a Hummer, but you get my point.

There is no excuse to not start investing in alternative fuels and it should be a top priority for the sake of the environment, our economy and our national security. Offshore drilling won't provide results for twenty years, it's time to let it go and move forward. It's fantastic that my wallet is heavier right now, but if we don't start acting, this mess is just going to blow up in our faces again and we'll be right back where we were, and then how much will it take for Americans to be outraged enough to demand change? $5 a gallon? $10 a gallon? This year was our wake up call, we can't afford to hit snooze.