The furious denunciations of Tzeporah Berman in Alberta are unprecedented, hypocritical and dangerous

Orthodoxy means not thinking – not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness. — George Orwell, 1984

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The stream of vituperation directed at B.C. environmentalist Tzeporah Berman for her consistent opposition to Alberta’s pipeline demands is unprecedented, hypocritical and dangerous.

I am not just talking about the death threats and obscenities sent to Ms. Berman from the usual pseudonymous morons on social media.

This is about statements by Alberta’s Opposition United Conservative Party and its officials, who have also attacked the Alberta Teachers Association for daring to invite the high-profile environmental activist to address a meeting in the Edmonton area next month about climate change and the future of the energy industry.

And it is about the hysterical daily tirades by Postmedia’s four Alberta daily newspapers, whose political columnists all seem to have exactly the same opinion about Ms. Berman and her views, not to mention about Dr. David Suzuki, another well-known B.C. environmentalist once invited to address an ATA meeting.

For that matter, it’s about the silence of the NDP Government, which appears to have thrown Ms. Berman under the bus now that her views and her past role on an oilsands advisory committee have turned into a lightning rod for the UCP and its cheerleading squad at Calgary Herald, the Edmonton Journal and Postmedia’s two Sun newspapers.

Seriously, you’d think many of Alberta’s opinion leaders were from North…