If Eddie Markey were a true Green New Deal warrior, he would have deflated a few Beacon Hill SUV tires himself.
He might have even led the mob of climate change vandals—called Tyre Extinguishers—who deflated the tires of 43 SUVs a week ago that were parked tightly overnight on streets adjacent to the State House.
But perhaps the 76-year-old junior U.S. Senator was too busying holding an Earth Day press conference with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the reintroduction of the Green New Deal Resolution.
“The Green New Deal isn’t just a resolution,” Markey said, “it is a revolution.”
Perhaps the vandals heard him. These left-wing loonies called the SUVs “massive killer vehicles,’’ which even in their wildest dreams showed that they never came across a U.S. M1 Abrams tank.
So, in the middle of the night, the group stealthily went after SUVs parked on Mt. Vernon Street, Pickney Street, Brimmer Street, Cedar Stret, Otis Place and David G. Mugar Way.
They posted flyers on the vehicles which said, “your gas guzzler kills” and “you’ll be angry, but don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s your car,” as though the cars parked themselves.
“SUVs and 4x4s are a disaster for our health, our people, our public safety and our climate,” the group said on its website. “Bigger and bigger cars are dominating our towns and cities, and all so a privileged few can flaunt their wealth.”
One of the privileged few who avoided having SUV tires deflated on his Beacon Hill Street was millionaire John Kerry, Joe Biden’s climate czar, who lives in a $20 million mansion on Louisburg Square, just off Mt. Vernon Street.
His SUV was not there but was probably stashed at his other mansion in Martha’s Vineyard.
And it’s a good thing Kerry was not at home. Otherwise, he would have given them a lecture on doing more to save the planet.
It’s also fortunate that neither Gov. Maura Healey nor Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll had their gas guzzling Ford Expeditions parked on Beacon Hill that night or they too might have had their tires deflated.
Had that happened, climate-conscious Healey would have called a press conference to say, “Yes, tires are deflating, but that is how forests grow.”
As it was, Healey, shouldering both Markey and Kerry aside in climate change scams, earlier announced “a ton more money” ($100 million) in grants to 30 cities to fight climate change.
While unsightly trash mounts on the shoulders of state roads, Healey’s grants would allow cities to hire experts “with skills in climate resilience” and allow them to build community teams “focused on populations most impacted by climate change,” according to Healey’s office.
How about starting with picking up the rubbish on Routes 495 and 128?
Still, nobody is going to push Markey aside when it comes to pumping climate change and shaking down people for campaign contributions.
Only a day after his April 20 Green New Del press conference with Ocasio-Cortez, Markey was emailing constituents asking for donations as low as $5 to fight big oil in order to “notch more big wins for our planet and our future.”
The next day, April 22, he announced the opening of “the Ed Market (pun intended) online store” where people can buy Green New Deal merchandise or ‘merch,’ as Markey said.
For sale are Vote Markey posters from $15 and Markey, U.S. Senate bumper stickers for $5.
The “merch” also includes a “coveted Markey Mug,” Green New Deal baseball hats for $30, and $30 each for T-shirts labeled “Jobs & Justice,” “Organize,” “Ed Markey Senate” and “Protect others, wear a mask.”
The money raised, Markey said, goes “directly to our campaign as we fight for big, bold action on the climate crisis. So not only can you help power the nation-wide movement for a Green New Deal and a livable future for all, but you can look great while you do it.”
Boy, are we in trouble.
Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.
