Osama bin Loco

"Osama bin Laden sought to draw a wider public into his fight against the United States in a new message Friday," reports the AP, "dropping his usual talk of religion and holy war and focusing instead on an unexpected topic: global warming."

But why is this choice of topic so "unexpected," given that a blind faith in global warming theory has itself become a religion, which true believers adhere to with a holy warrior's zeal. This new religion is called Catastrophism. Its catechism is taught by Al Gore (a former divinity school student, not coincidently) and his ilk. Its messianic mission is "saving the planet," by restoring a lost Eden to this wickedly wasteful and despoiled world. Followers do penance for their environmental sins by reusing grocery bags, driving hybrids and buying offsets for their "carbon footprints."

That Obama's latest tirade echoes the rhetoric and themes of environmentalism should surprise no one. Fanatics of the feather flock together.

Obama's statements, with only slight modulation, faithfully mimic what you hear from many environmentalists, whose agenda is as much about economic revolution as ecological protection. "The world is held hostage by major corporations, which are pushing it to the brink," he said on the latest tape. "World politics are not governed by reason but by the force and greed of oil thieves and warmongers and the cruel beasts of capitalism." Obama decries America's failure to sign the Kyoto treaty. He calls for the "wheels of the American economy" to be brought to a halt. "This is possible," he says, "if the peoples of the world stop consuming American goods."

Obama is saying such things for effect, according to an expert quoted by the AP. "The change in rhetoric aims to give al-Qaida's message an appeal beyond hardcore Islamic militants, said Evan Kohlmann, of globalterroralert.com, a private, U.S.-based terrorism analysis group," reports the wire service. "If you're looking to draw people who are disenchanted or disillusioned, what better issue to use than global warming?" Kohlmann asks.

But environmentalists say such things because they actually believe them. And that, in my opinion, is even more alarming.