Making light of the phony Earth Hour
BY JOE WARMINGTON, TORONTO SUN
It's unclear how many GTA homes will partake in turning off their lights to honour Earth Hour Saturday.
But don't count in the Menzies in the collective, self-imposed blackout!
"We will not be in the dark," journalist and conservative commentator David Menzies said Thursday.
Instead, what you will find is a giant beacon in the sky emanating from his Richmond Hill street between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.
"While everybody else has their lights off I will have every light in my house on," said Menzies, as he prepared for his second installment in mocking the "phony" Earth Hour movement.
He's also gone a step further.
"I have rented four rotating Hollywood movie lights which will light up the sky for miles," he said.
"I don't need to give you my address because all you need to do is look to the sky."
Last year the lights attracted people down to the darkened street, sans that one home.
"A lot of people who followed the lights came in and all they saw was a guy out with his kids having a barbecue," he said laughing. "It went so well we are going to do it again."
There will be no need for a flashlight at this springtime BBQ.
Menzies, a regular contributor to the John Oakley and Charles Adler shows on AM 640 and on Michael Coren's TV show, relishes sticking it to the global-warming-gurus who he believes have been blowing environmental Armageddon smoke for years.
"All it is, is income and wealth distribution propagated by former Communists and socialists looking for something to do," he said of the movement.
"What's it called this week? Climate change? Next it will be global icing."
Of course, the always colourful Menzies is having some fun making the point of the hypocrisy of Earth Hour and the Cadillac conservationists who push it.
It's them, and the double-speak of the high-polluting, resource-dependent multinational corporations sponsoring it, that got him off his couch to organize an unofficial anti-Earth Hour.
"It's a joke because after Earth Hour is over everybody will go back to doing what they always do including the celebrities jumping back on their corporate jets."
That's why he has created his own way to honour it.
"Let's just say I am re-branding Earth Hour," he said. "I am calling mine Human Achievement Hour."
The achievement is that in a capitalistic society he was able to achieve owning a home, having the ability to have power, to own a fossil-fuel burning car and be able to provide heating and electricity for his wife and children.
"The best part is they can't stop me because it's my property, my power, my money and I live in a free society," he said.
"You want to see darkness? Fly over North Korea and you will see the success of not having enough electricity to turn on the lights."
Last year he said he had several "hippies" drop in and ask, "why?"
"I offered them a hamburger but none of them took me up on it," he said.
"This year I will make sure I have some veggie ones on the grill and maybe some tofu sausages, too."
Wonder if Dr. David Suzuki will drop by?
"Probably not, Scrawler," said a colleague. "Not unless there is grant money available or a fee."
joe.warmington@sunmedia.ca