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Last weeks’ House passage of the Waxman-Markey climate change bill highlights some of the major defects in our present political system.  Despite virtually unanimous agreement among independent researchers that the climate is rapidly changing due to our activities, 212 House representatives decided to vote “no”.We have a major environmental crisis on our hands, and 212 of our finest and brightest decided that instead of aggressive action, we should sit on our collective butts.  I understand that human nature is generally conservative, but the purpose of intellect is to illuminate and inform prejudice of all types.This political dithering in the face of critical needs is nothing new.  I can clearly remember when Rachel Carson’s warnings about the immense dangers of DDT were published in her now famous book, Silent Spring.  Despite well documented case studies showing the already apparent environmental damage caused by indescriminate DDT spraying, deniers, especially those in Big Business were legion.  The People, informed by scientific fact eventually forced the political establishment to take action. Global climate change is a subtle process, at least in it’s initial manifestations, however as time goes on the massive effects will become obvious to everyone.  Unfortunately, too late, The People will be demanding instant action from our political system.  In response to their first hand experience with abusive English monarchs, our framers created a government designed to prevent the concentration of power in few hands due to passions of the moment.  These brakes on political power mean that in an emergency, quick action is very difficult to produce as a political outcome.  Ultimately it’s when the yogurt hits the fan that the danger to our constitution comes alive.  I recall Franklin Roosevelt’s suspension of constitutional protections and subsequent interment in American prison camps of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.  More recently, serious erosion of our constitutional liberties in the Patriot Act by the Bush administration should prove instructive.  Remember, we fought a revolutionary war, in part, for the establishment of habeas corpus-but in time of fear we’re so easily thrown it away.  I suspect that when action on global warming becomes necessary for our very survival, we will be calling for a Strong Man in government to do what has to be done.  I fear the day. Jeremy Myers is the Owner of Lyssabeth’s monterey wedding officiants