BrianGarst.com

I recently watched the remake of the classic sci-fi movie (and Michael Crichton book) The Andromeda Strain. It was rather remarkable how thoroughly the producers managed to litter the 4-hour (with commercials) mini-series with leftist propaganda. Almost no liberal talking point went unmentioned, regardless of how irrelevant to the plot the subject may have been. Iraq, wiretapping, don’t-ask-don’t-tell, port security and terrorist detentions all got prominent mentions, along with swipes at “greedy” corporations who dared to provide natural resources for consumption. Furthermore, the military is of course controlled by a cabal of secret organizations working in the shadows and conducting various nefarious activities that endanger all of humanity. Even low level foot soldiers don’t think twice when ordered to kill Americans without any explanation.

All of that pales in comparison to the overall plot, which found future human society unable to deal with a super-virus (which we are led to believe was probably created by future society as a biological weapon) thanks to the loss of certain bacteria found near deep-sea vents due to a new plan to “strip mine” the ocean floor.

For sci-fi fans, this should sound familiar. Star Trek IV, all but written by the Sierra Club, followed a similar plot where mankind faced extinction unless humpback whales could answer the call of a malevolent space probe. In 2008, instead of feeling guilty for our whale hunting ways, we’re supposed to go even further and mourn the loss of deep-sea bacteria. Even as liberal propaganda, this effort of The Andromeda Strain strained credibility.

environmentalists