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One of my favorite jobs on GOP3.com is posting columns from guests. We provide other students the opportunity to share thoughts on important topics when we believe their contribution would be interesting for our readers. Tom Kamenick, a law school friend of mine, certainly meets that standard with the below piece offered in light of last night’s heavenly happenings.

Let me tell you two true stories. The stories are remarkably similar, although 500 years separates them.
Near the turn of the 16th century, Christopher Columbus, on one of his later trips to the new world, became stranded in the West Indies. He begged and bargained with the natives for food and supplies, and they were happy to oblige, for they had plenty to give and sought harmony between their peoples, and it was good. Things went well at first – the two peoples traded and gave each other gifts, and they lived side-by-side in peace.
But Columbus’s crew was greedy and thought the natives weren’t giving them enough, so they raided the native’s villages and took what they wanted. The natives, furious at the way they were treated after their hospitality, stopped sharing their food with the rest of Columbus’s crew.
Columbus was knowledgeable in many of the advanced sciences of the time, and thought he would use that knowledge to appear prophetic and divine to the ignorant natives. He demanded a meeting with the native chief, and told him that the natives had angered the Christian God, and that there would be signs of His displeasure; He would show His anger by darkening the moon and painting it blood red that night.
And lo, that prophecy came to pass! That very night a total lunar eclipse occurred! The primitive, pagan natives, not understanding the science of revolving and rotating bodies in space, were terrified, and promised to give up even more food in supplies if Columbus would intercede with his God on their behalf. Columbus went to his ship, calculated how long the eclipse would last, and came out mere minutes before the eclipse began to recede and proclaimed his God appeased. Upon his words, the moon began to brighten and lose its bloodied appearance, and the natives rejoiced and obeyed Columbus’s every command that followed.

Now I will tell the story again, this time in our own, supposedly advanced, era.
The environmentalists came to the people and begged and bargained with them to give up things that they enjoyed, and the people were happy to oblige, for they had plenty and wanted harmony with nature, and it was good. Things went well at first – the sacrifices were minimal and they made great improvements in the environment.
But the environmentalists were greedy, and thought the masses weren’t giving up enough, so they demanded more and more sacrifices. They used their power in government to take things the people weren’t willing to give. The people, furious at the way they were treated after their good-faith cooperation, chafed at these demands and cried out against them.
The great leader of the environmentalists was knowledgeable in the advanced sciences of the time, and thought he would use that knowledge to appear prophetic and divine. So he spoke to the unwashed masses, the unbelievers, the ignorant, and proclaimed that they had angered his god, the god of global climate change, and that there would be signs of his displeasure; he would show his anger by causing changes in the weather, catastrophes and calamities.
And lo, those prophecies came to pass! Some places got colder and some got warmer! Hurricanes, tornadoes and floods all occurred! Cold climates experienced snowstorms, hot climates experienced droughts! The primitive unbelievers, not understanding the science of natural climate cycles, were terrified, and promised to sacrifice even more of their property and lifestyles.
This modern story, however, is unfinished. Who knows whether Al Gore and his crowd will ever declare their god satisfied, or whether they will keep demanding more and more sacrifice in the name of their religion.

• An Ecclesiastical Interlude - August 29th, 2008
• DNC Scorecard Day 3 - August 28th, 2008
• Thoughts on DNC Day 2 - August 28th, 2008
• DNC Convention Scorecard, Day 1 - August 26th, 2008
• Random Thoughts and Notes - August 26th, 2008