A Liberal Plot

We pay a heavy price when we elect fools to public office. I remember reading, about ten years ago, that scientists had determined that Sonoma County was undergoing climate change--it was getting hotter at a rate faster than average for the nation as a whole. It occurred to me that this might not be good for premium wine grapes. Much of the economy of Healdsburg depends on fine wine grapes. When I tried to discuss this with the City Hall Old Boys at the time--mostly Republicans--they told me to ignore science. "Climate change is a liberal anti-business myth," they insisted.

Today the main headline in the Press Corporate Democrat is "WARMING CALLED MAJOR THREAT TO GRAPES." All you really need to read is the first sentence: "Global warming could leave half of Napa Valley's famed vineyards unsuitable to grow premium grapes by 2040," according to a Stanford study.

For some vintners, that sort of news is best met by denial. There is one problem with denying the plans of Mother Nature, however: what Mother Nature wants will happen. The consent of vintners and goofy Republican ideologists is not required.

I don't doubt that smarter vintners are working on ways to mitigate the growing heat, and I expect public universities like Davis to find ways to help unless we close them down to save money. All is not lost. But what fools we be.