Evidently, when Ivanka wasn’t being inappropriately intrusive at the recent G20 meeting in Tokyo, her father was trying to talk other heads of state into abandoning their commitments under the Paris accords.
If you harbor any doubt that what remains of the Republican Party is an uninformed and anti-intellectual Trump cult, the party’s assault on efforts to ward off the worst effects of climate change is the most obvious evidence.
What happened just recently in Oregon is an example.
A major climate-change bill, which [activists] had worked on for the last several years, was on the verge of passing the state legislature, which, since last year’s midterm elections, has been controlled by a supermajority of Democrats. Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, had campaigned on its policies, and planned to sign it. On climate policy, Brown had said, “Oregon can be the log that breaks the jam nationally.” Then, last week, eleven Republican state senators walked out of the statehouse, fled the capitol, and apparently hid out of state, in order to deny the rest of the Senate the necessary twenty-person quorum required to move the bill to a vote. Representatives of fringe right-wing militia groups said that they would protect the state senators “at any cost,” and that protesters supporting the bill at the capitol should be warned of their presence.
The proposal had gone through lengthy negotiations and public meetings. Lawmakers had taken citizens’ comments. The bill was supported by all nine of the state’s federally recognized Native American tribes, and even by the state’s electric utilities. Major corporations in the state supported it.
In order to defy both the majority of the legislature and public opinion, the Republican lawmakers simply fled.
On Friday, members of right-wing militia groups including the Three Percenters of Oregon, who took part in the 2016 takeoverof Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, posted a different form of encouragement on social media, saying that they were willing to provide the hiding senators “security” and “refuge.” They also appeared to be organizing a weekend protest at the capitol, scheduled for when lawmakers gathered on Saturday. A commenter on Facebook offeredto bring “a few pickup loads of manure” to drop on the capitol’s steps. An unnamed source told Will Sommer, of the Daily Beast, that “dozens of armed militia members have ‘mobilized’ to protect the state senators, and said there was potential for violence if law enforcement officials try to bring the senators back to Oregon.” In response, Oregon state troopers recommended that the capitol be closed on Saturday “due to a possible militia threat,” according to a spokeswoman from the Senate president’s office.
Poll after poll confirms that a substantial majority of Americans is concerned about climate change, and believes government should forcefully address it.
I’m old enough to remember when politicians would reflect popular opinion–even when they didn’t agree with it– in order to be re-elected. Thanks to the demise of genuine democracy–courtesy of Citizens United and gerrymandering, among other assaults–today’s Republican lawmakers are responsive only to one constituency: their donors, who prioritize today’s bottom line over tomorrow’s planetary survival.
In an administration notable for lack of consistency (not to mention competence), there has been one area of single-mindedness: attacks on science accompanied by persistent rollbacks of environmental protections.
Self-destruction is by definition insane.
What if I had been told by trustworthy experts that my furnace had a 95% chance of blowing up at any moment, but I refused to replace it because I wanted to augment my already fat bank account and there was a 5% chance it wouldn’t blow? That would be nuts. What good would my bank account do me if my furnace blew up and killed me?
Yet that is the position of today’s GOP. There is no rational defense for that position, because it is indefensible. It is, quite literally, insane.
Unfortunately, in the immortal words of Tom Lehrer, “We’ll all go together when we go.”
Has anyone considered Ivanka could have been used to gather information for Republicans from actual world leaders at the G20 meeting: her uninformed intrusions could have been to cover her real job of spying? It would be too obvious to merely stand among them and remain silent. Could this be why Daddy so often takes her with him to international meetings and gatherings and plants her in the middle of the most powerful? Just askin’
“In an administration notable for lack of consistency (not to mention competence), there has been one area of single-mindedness: attacks on science accompanied by persistent rollbacks of environmental protections.”
Could the above mentioned Republicans have used the “flight” option of “fight or flight” decisions knowing they are fighting a losing battle regarding their attacks on science and those rollbacks of environmental protections? Again, just askin’
“Poll after poll confirms that a substantial majority of Americans is concerned about climate change, and believes government should forcefully address it.”
Republicans ignore not only the polls regarding this issue; they steadfastly ignore the proven and visible environmental changes around the world and in this country, they refuse to believe their lyin’ eyes. Using the “flight” option of “fight or flight” decisions.
They will also ignore Trump’s historical lack of history speech on July 4th when he combined the June 1775 battle of the Revolutionary war with the War of 1812 at Fort McHenry by stating; “Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets red glare it had nothing but victory, and when dawn’s early light came, their star spangled banner waved defiant.”
I must admit I enjoyed inserting that quote here as it defines “Your GOP In Action” and shows why we want to “Stop The World…”
That “substantial majority of Americans” who want the government to address climate change need to address the problem at home first. The government doesn’t take climate change seriously because the majority of Americans don’t take it seriously. When the majority severally dial back their consumption and travel perhaps then the economic impact will stir the government to action.
Republicans have certainly gone off the rails when they’re aligned with the militia groups in the northwest.
Protect short term profits at all costs. Let the future take care of itself as long as CEOs get their huge bonuses. It is such a wonderful system.
“Oregon state troopers recommended that the capitol be closed on Saturday “due to a possible militia threat,”” And the Dems FOLDED, ONCE AGAIN! The militias set the agenda. Unbelievable, but it’s what Dems do.
Now you know why the younger generation is pro-socialism. Capitalism has been running amok for decades in this country. When the government serves the minority we’re going to have problems. As we chip away at this broken system, there will be plenty of protests and walk-offs by the minority. Tough shit.
Forge ahead and even double down. Now you know why the corporate media hammers Bernie so much because their profits will be comprised under a more equal system. They benefit from a corrupt system tilted toward the minority.
Turn off your TV’s and use your Smartphone to research the topics. Sign up for Twitter vs Facebook. Quit looking at cutesy dog/cat pictures and get serious about where our country is heading. We’ve seen Fascism work and I don’t think it is popular. It’s time for Democratic Socialism where the power is returned to the people–not centered with the minority and their gun-toting activists.
My real concern is with the direct involvement of far right militias in our governing. They take literary the word “militia”in the 2nd Amendment and believe they are empowered by the Constitution to take violent action against Federal (or State) governing they don’t agree with.
Given that The Duck has dog whistled to them before, we should worry if the Supreme Court rules against him and/or he decides his failed re-election was “rigged”.
Yes, the Democrats in Oregon folded. Of course, if they didn’t there would probably would be shooting and deaths. Perhaps the only rational political party left isn’t ready to go to those extremes as the right-wing idiots seems ready to do at a moment’s notice.
Now, why would a collection of over-hormone laced, small-minded, insecure-in-their-own- manhood gun fondlers want to defend corrupt, backward-thinking fools who care more about money than the health of the planet and that of their children? What’s in it for them?
Is the Republican party so far down the rabbit hole of militancy that they need to have these lunatics defending them? Why didn’t THEY say “NO” to the “militia”? BTW, these militias are mostly cowards dressed up to play soldier. It’s just an extension of their G.I. Joe fantasies not fulfilled by their military service. Pathetic.
I would agree with Alphons: And the Dems FOLDED, ONCE AGAIN! The militias set the agenda. Unbelievable, but it’s what Dems do.
The GOP can now count this as a victory, for the GOP it is immaterial if the legislation would have had a positive effect. The power, if only the power to deny is still power and that is all that counts for the GOP. McConnell took this same approach and still is.
A number of years ago the House Democrats here in Indiana tried the same maneuver by going to Illinois to deny the Republicans a quorum. If I recall right they lost part of their salary and were possibly fined.
The New GOP of President Agent Orange is celebrated among themselves whenever they can obstruct. The GOP are superb at guerilla or asymmetrical warfare when called for. They may not have a complete victory but, they force the Democrats to stay on the defense.
Now that the Republican Party is a Trump Family Business as the result of the hostile takeover by Trump, Putin, Aisles, Bannon and Limbaugh in 2016 their business as a power platform has thrived. It turns out that significant minorities have as their mission the imposition of what’s best for them on we, the people and what better way to do that than using the power of profit. It seems so fitting in the declining years of propaganda/fake news/advertising/brainwashing on pervasive entertainment and social media to use them as the means to eliminate freedom and prosperity for all and the Socialistic Constitution that enshrines them.
One of the bedrock principles of democracy is that those who govern do so with the consent of the majority of those governed. So far as I am concerned, attempts to subvert that principle (whether via gerrymandering, militia suppression of legislative majority vote or other such subordination of the public will should be declared criminal and punished as such by state legislatures (since Madison gave the states the constitutional authority to regulate elections both state and federal). Now that the Supreme Court has decided that partisan gerrymandering is beyond the court’s jurisdiction to decide due to the Separation of Powers Clause since it is “a political question,” it is clear that states must become more active in regulating and perhaps criminalizing such conduct, especially since the Supreme Court, in order to remain consistent, must pass on judgment of appeals from such exercise of states rights via preliminary motion as “political questions.” If the regulatory vacuum created by the court is to be filled by the states’ exercise of their rights granted by the Constitution, then (unless the court has another Bush v. Gore moment) we are likely to have another patchwork of electoral reform that will nullify the one man-one vote holding of Baker v. Carr, all of which may cause such confusion that the court will re-invoke Bush v. Gore by selectively deciding that appeals from such differences among the states are not “political questions,” that a federal question is thus presented, and proceed to rule on the merits in a back to the future holding. Sheesh!
Thank you Sheila, as always,
I most unfortunately heard today that Mad Magazine is ceasing publication after 67 years in business. Given all the abject numb skull craziness that has been described throughout this blog post it’s a shame that the writers of this magazine aren’t going to be in the position to write about all of it. In actuality, however, the news articles are probably enough to suffice since what is happening is so wacko.
Between Trump’s big and mostly sophomoric 4th of July speech where he described the United States Army using its aviation assets that, apparently, existed during the American Revolutionary War to fight the Brits, the conduct of the Oregonian legislators and the crazed militia men that want to fight to the death to protect them over environmental legislation while they are in hiding, and the Democrats who cannot seem to get their heads out of their posterior section guarding anything, we are so far off the rails that the rails and the railroad ties are no longer visible.
Whichever pharmaceutical giant produces Thorazine had better up its production rates because to paraphrase a quote by author Ken Kesey in Tom Wolfe’s “The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test” – that “we are all bozos on this bus”. All of this is outrageously ridiculous and absurd and if this is how this country is going to melt down because of these lunatics running the asylum, seemingly on both sides of the political spectrum, we will all end up being mental cases ourselves from having to cope with this absolute insanity at virtually every level of our sociopolitical discourse.
More and more people that I know that are deeply concerned about what course this country is currently on, and these are all very thoughtful people, are slowly but surely turning away from this crap in order to preserve their sanity because all of this is so insane and so deeply disturbing. My guess is that is exactly the tact being used by these whack jobs in the Trump Party, either by design or by just the fact that they are truly screwballs that simply cannot think any better than this.
How much more of this are we going to take before we either take to the streets and do something to stop this or run away and hide somewhere? The rub is that if we do the latter someone’s going to win really big and it won’t be us. American democracy as we have known it will be dead and we will all be so damaged by this that this country will become one giant train wreck from coast to coast. Sorry to be so grim but it is.
No one takes climate change seriously. In fact,I would bet most here contributing to this very forum are unwilling to change their lifestyle to help ameliorate climate change.
As far as Democrats folding….They are the party that bathes in capitulation to the Republicans. Democrats are worthless,spineless and ineffective. The only souls willing to disagree to the aforementioned statement are the party apparatchiks…Those that rely upon the impotent party to fill their rice bowls.
One litmus test that is revelatory as to why climate change will not be addressed properly–even by Democrats– is how homelessness can/could be addressed appropriately,but it isn’t. Homelessness is happening at the bluest cities nationally. If the party cannot willfully tackle the issue of homelessness beyond empty canards and maudlin platitudes,how can it appropriately address climate change? The truth is it wont. Climate change is being bandied about as a distraction against issues the Democratic Party Donor-Class do not want mentioned or addressed.
Militia’s role in Oregon’s fiasco (without any consequences) is just the tip of the iceberg.. Just wait until the next presidential election…..if Trump loses, and yes, I have said this before..Trump has his own army via Devos and her brother. Combine that with all those ready and willing to defend the Orange one and all his hangers-on, well, need I say more. This country and it’s homegrown Nazi party, encouraged and supported by European counterparts is chomping at the bit to force itself on us all. Hate to be so negative but with the current administration cannon balling the rule of law 24/7 it’s obvious our confused and somewhat weakened state is just what the NeoNazis have been waiting for.
I pray for us all. Again, I really want to be wrong.