The Earth Day event in Kalispell was a multi faceted ‘circus act’.
Designated as “International Mother Earth Day” by the United Nations, this day is supposedly an opportunity to “educate the public on issues of concern.”
Apparently, one of the issues of concern here in Kalispell is the structure of our voting system. (Imagine that).
A booth promoting “Rank Choice Voting” aspires to “renovate the voting system” to make it more equitable and inclusive by allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than directly choosing the candidate they want in office.
Then there is “Climate Smart Glacier Country”, an NGO that “takes a three-pronged approach to sustainability by addressing mitigation, adaptation and education.” This, not surprisingly, is right out of the last United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 27, themed “Together for Implementation.”
Then, of course, there is Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the organizer of the event. This NGO heavily promotes a “carbon fee and dividend policy” (but Canada is already doing it!) to apply a progressively increasing fee (tax) to the fossil fuel producing companies to “incentivize” the transition to a clean energy economy, mainly by electrification supplanting wood, oil and gas alternatives.
Amid ten booths representing issues related to environment, habitat, emissions and sustainability, attendees can partake in learning about, preserving and exploring the Flathead Valley environment. There is even a computer climate simulator allowing climate-related variables to be interchanged to explore the simulated predictive results over time, and an educational film entitled, “Current Revolution: The Transformation Cannot Be Stopped.”
But, apparently, there are also those that wish to stop it, because not all attendees supported these motives.
A vocal contingent voiced their disagreement with this agenda, brandishing their own counter-literature and engaging with the representatives at the booths and the other event attendees.
A dynamic hubbub percolated and caused a glitch in the expected algorithm, for sure, reinforcing that in Northwest Montana, immersion in nature and independent living off the land is still alive and well despite the Kalispell Earth Day ‘Circus’.
