A headline I ran across this week: “AG Lynch Testifies: Justice Dept. Has ‘Discussed’ Civil Legal Action Against Climate Change Deniers.”

At the age of 60, I simply cannot believe that this can even be considered in the nation I grew up in. If the climate issue is such a done deal, why are we spending so much money to tell everyone it is a done deal? And why would anyone in authority try to silence people who disagree with them if we are so absurdly wrong? At the very least, this was designed to intimidate, and it’s hitting its mark.

To people who don’t see this issue the way I do, or see things different politically, is this what you really want?

There is a line in the Bruce Springsteen song “Drive All Night” where he is questioning the boundary of how tough he really is: “I wish God would send me a word, send me something I’m afraid to lose.” I always listened to that with the understanding that it’s only by overcoming fear that you truly know courage. All my life I thought that applied to wrestling, training, endless hours of work, or trying to support my family. Never have I thought it would be something like this, where my fear would be of the nation and system that I fell in love with. But I guess the good Lord will send such things to reach into the depths of a man’s soul to bring out the best in him.

Things have changed. It used to be: What would you do to defend your country? But the fact the silencing of climate skeptics is even being considered means you have to think: What would you do to defend yourself from your country? And that is scary.

And more than that, it’s not what this nation has ever been about.

Joe Bastardi is chief forecaster at WeatherBELL Analytics, a meteorological consulting firm.