Birther Lawyer Raising Money on Climate Treaty “Dictatorship”

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Lawyer Gary Kreep has drawn attention for defending Glenn Beck and fighting a court battle for a client who embraces the “birther” conspiracy theory that Barack Obama is ineligible to be president. Now Kreep and his conservative legal group, the United States Justice Foundation, are trying to raise money off a new cause: protecting Americans from the “Global Socialism” and “Global Dictatorship” that will come if a global climate treaty is signed in Copenhagen, Denmark later this year.

USJF, which calls itself “your conservative voice in the courts,” is involved in many extreme conservative causes. Kreep has fought to protect the anti-immigrant “Minutemen,” railed against gay marriage, and allied with the extremist anti-abortion group Operation Rescue. But this anti-Copenhagen advocacy seems to be new. In an email to members of a conservative website’s mailing list, Kreep warns of dire consequences if Obama is allowed to pursue a climate treaty and suggests that only by donating to his organization can conservatives avert disaster:

 

The sovereign and independent status that America has cherished for over 200 years may come to an abrupt end in December, 2009, if Barack Obama signs the Copenhagen Climate Treaty.

What is the Copenhagen Climate Treaty?

The Copenhagen Treaty has two stated goals:

* Transfer wealth from Industrial Nations (The United States) to Developing Countries.
* Dictate energy use and consumption to Industrial Nations (The United States)

Now, just so we are clear…

* Goal Number One is Global Socialism
* Goal Number Two is a Global Dictatorship

Kreep’s list of the “devastating immediate economic impact of the Copenhagen Climate Treaty” is a complete roundup of conservative paranoia about climate change mitigation measures:

  • Limit manufacturing in the U.S. by cap and trade regulations = Loss of Jobs
  • Limit personal consumption of energy by law and costs = Loss of Freedom
  • Hyper Energy cost Inflation
  • ALL goods and materials to become more expensive = Double Digit Inflation
  • Transportation to become more expensive = $10 per gallon gas prices
  • Halt the US Recovery = Prolonged Recession / Depression
  • Assure and accelerate the shift of economic growth and profitability from the U.S to emerging markets = Loss of Opportunity
  • Increase Imports for emerging countries who will not be subject to the same carbon emissions limits = Unfair Competition, Increased Trade Deficit
  • Cause the U.S. to become an even greater debtor while China becomes an even bigger creditor = More Red Debt
  • Add momentum to the movement away from the U.S. Dollar toward an alternate single or composite world reserve currency = One World Currency
  • Increase the cost of Treasury borrowings = Ballooning Deficit
  • Drive up federal and state taxes = Suffocating Taxes

His conclusion drives the paranoia home:

The Copenhagen Climate Treaty will strip America of its Sovereignty, and subject us to laws, rules and huge taxes levied by a one-world, leftist, elitist governing body that wants to steal America’s wealth to punish us for our success as a nation. Worst of all, Americans will NOT have the power to vote these elitists out of office, impeach them, or hold them accountable in any way whatsoever…. If we do not stand firm and united against this treasonous treaty, the greatest country in the world may be forever subservient to a One World Order and it will have happened on our watch.

Kreep’s not alone in his worries that climate change mitigation measures will lead to dictatorship or one-world-government. Fox News host Sean Hannity is a big fan of pushing similar fears. So, for the matter, is Sen. Dave Vitter (R-La.). It’s just another example of how congressional Republicans are increasingly embracing the ideas and rhetoric of the far right.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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