You’re probably familiar with the Whos of Dr. Seuss. Little, tiny, architecturally-challenged humanoids, frequently sporting seemingly vestigial antennae. Their two major literary appearances, in “Horton Hears a Who” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” are somewhat problematic: They’re about the size of amoebae in “Horton,” with their whole world situated on a speck of dust, yet there’s no indication of this relative size in “The Grinch.” Given the earlier evidence, though, one has to conclude that the Grinch himself is also nearly unicellular, which makes him a slightly less imposing firgure.

But that’s not important right now. What’s important about the Whos is that they’re masters of collective action. Fun-loving, perhaps a bit righteous, but when the chips are down the Whos pull together and either yell or sing, usually to great effect. They manage to save their world, or melt a tyrant’s heart, and they do so just by the force of their convictions and indominable spirit.

Frankly, I always found the Whos a little smug.

Even as a child, I was aware that these little goody-goodies were insufficiently prepared for crisis, and it didn’t surprise me that a single villian could rob their entire city in an evening or that their whole planet could be sent spiraling towards its doom so easily. Anyone who ignored the larger world until they were dangling over a vat of boiling beezlenut oil… well, toddler Adam wouldn’t have felt too bad if those heedless little bastards turned out to find themselves deep-fried one fine evening. Would’ve served ‘em right, cute though they were.

But I’m thinking about the Whos today, because of this story, “Americans Take Local Road to Kyoto”:

MONTREAL (Reuters) - While U.S. President George W. Bush refuses to accept the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions, at least 40 million Americans will find themselves bound to the international treaty to curb global warming.

“Since the protocol took effect last February, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has convinced 192 cities to agree to cut emissions 7 percent from 1990 levels by 2012 — the recommended target for the United States, which emits 25 percent of the world’s heat-trapping gases.

The cities join an increasing number of states, including California and New York, and leading corporations choosing to follow the Kyoto lead even while their country doesn’t.

They can act by using renewable energy and alternative fuels, placing tougher controls on auto emissions or building energy-saving green buildings.

“We reject the idea that is put forward by our national leaders in the United States that we have a choice to save the environment or save the economy,” Nickels said on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 189-nation United Nations conference on climate change.

Bush pulled the United States out of Kyoto in 2001, arguing that the mandatory emissions cuts for some 40 industrial nations would hurt U.S. growth and wrongly excluded developing economies like China and India.

And since then his administration has shown no sign of budging on accepting mandatory curbs, to the frustration of European leaders and environmental activists huddling in Montreal.

[Jerome] Ringo said mayors, governors and congressmen are “filling the leadership vacuum left by the Bush administration…”

“We are all part of the solution on climate change. The governor recognizes that, while California is only a piece of that, leadership is important and we can play that role,” Alan Lloyd, California’s secretary for the environment, said….

“It is inevitable that after the cities and states show it is safe, the politicians in Washington, D.C. will join and again the United States will take its moral responsibility,” [Mayor Nickels] said.

The analogy is pretty clear. Just as in the war with Osama bin Wickersham and his brothers, the American people have woken up to their impending doom and decided to do something. And as with Christmasgate, the out-of-touch President Grinch is going to have to learn about the Whos’ real values from a lofty, lonely mountain perch.

Though I expect the ending will be slightly different, even if we do manage to save this benighted dust speck:

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?
“It came without Hummers! It came without oil!
“It came without burblers, chugglers, or smoglers a-boil!”
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!

“Maybe,” he thought, “This is all due to me.
“Maybe, just maybe, it’s MY policy.
“Why, I secretly meant this, though I never said it.
“If the planet is saved, then give ME the credit!
“I forbled the taxes and kruptizzled the budget
“Why, I LOVE the world and NEVER would smudge it.
“It’s just like I say when I am electored
“The good in this world is ALL private-sectored!
“Yes, that’s it. That’s right, this is all what I meant
“I meant it, I meant it, I meant meant meant meant!”

And so the Grinch went on, unreconstructed,
And claimed he saved Earth, though really he’d fucked it.
And the Whos, well, some cheered, and other Whos seethed.
But every last Who threw their heads back and breathed.
And breathing’s the point, not who rescued who,
Breathing, it’s true, is what all the Whos do.

The irrascible Toddler Adam would’ve told you that the Whos deserved to choke on fumes, and wouldn’t have cared if the Grinch forced them to suck on a tailpipe. But I’m older now, and paradoxically more open to a good holiday story.