So proud to have a president who focuses on the issues that affect all Americans: the economy and jobs market, rule of law, healthcare, education, the environment, our country’s status on the world stage, and our relationships with our historic allies.
So glad we aren’t being led by a petty a**hole whose only interests are his own enrichment and self-aggrandizement, and his ruthless, asinine attacks on his opponents.
So stoked to be an American right now.
Earlier today, I caught a radio show on geoengineering, at the conclusion of which the host solicited listeners’ thoughts of the subject. Here are a few of mine:
There are six completely different approaches to geoengineering, each of which has at least some scientific legitimacy, but which one is best? In particular, which has the greatest safety associated with it, i.e., fewer and least potential damaging unintended consequences? A client asked me to edit this paper on Sea Cooling and Tropical Cloud Generation, and I personally favor it over the others, for what that’s worth.
As a practical matter, it’s unclear how such a broad solution could happen in a world with more than 200 sovereign nations each demanding representation. Keep in mind that after initial implementation, periodic decisions must be made. Who would control the world’s thermostat?
At what point should we pull the trigger? That is, how far above pre-industrial times should we let the temperatures of our oceans and atmosphere to rise before taking such drastic action?
Being realistic, the decarbonization of our energy and transportation sectors is relatively easy, if we commit ourselves to nuclear and renewable energy, and more responsible uses of land. But since we are making such pathetic levels of progress in this much simpler endeavor, it seems an impossible task to get even a serious discussion of geoengineering on the table.
We’re a civilization that loves to disagree, often with great violence. Nations around the globe go to war at the drop of a hat, sending millions of young people to die each year for purposes that are usually judged to be meaningless soon after the conflicts end. If we can’t agree that vaccinations prevent disease, can we agree to shoot gigatons of some chemical into our atmosphere?
The vast majority of the wealthiest people on this planet have essentially zero interest in this subject, since they know that there are no scenarios in which they will be affected personally. Yes, more lives will be lost each year to the depletion of resources, floods, wildfires, and the loss of landmass due to sea-level rise, but rich people aren’t directly threatened by any of these events, and their pathological love of money is their only guiding voice.
The religious right believes that only God can destroy the Earth, as is explicit in the book of Genesis, and they’re going to have a collective seizure if our civilization gets anywhere close to implementing a science-based planetary solution to climate change.
If would be interesting to know how many Trump supporters have recanted their votes, and specifically why they feel this way.
After all, there have been few surprises here, in terms of what Trump promised to do on “day one.” And notably, there are still two major cable “news” channels that endeavor to make the president appear to be an honest and effective leader in their 24/7 coverage.
To the author of the meme here: I know exactly how you feel.
The majority of Americans strongly disapprove of Trump, and we hope something happens soon that results in his removal from office. But, barring an unlikely event, we’re resigned to wake up every morning, worried about an economic meltdown, the end of democracy and rule of law, more pain being inflicted on poor people, our nation’s cozying up to the world’s great butchers, the further degradation of American education, the shuttering of government institutions that formerly added real value to our lives, and military threats against (former) American allies.
As suggested by the cartoon here, some of us have brains that go ping! whenever we encounter a grammatical mistake.
I’m not sure this is good for our mental health, but for us, “just between you and I” is impossible to ignore.
Again, I have a feeling that this is, at a certain level, pathological. When you hear the song “One Less Bell to Answer,” do you, like me, recoil because its title should be “One Fewer Bell to Answer?” I hope not.
As shown at left, you have to be out of your mind to believe that there is an iota of honor or sincerity in our nation’s 47th president.
At left we have the words of rock icon Bruce (“The Boss”) Springsteen, who expresses what the majority of Americans think at this point.
What a tragedy.
Throughout his presidencies, Trump has been clear about his preference for white immigrants.
We recall what he said during his first term about his desire for Norwegians, and the hilarious response he received from one of Norway’s top officials, something like: “Are you seriously suggesting that a Norwegian would want to move to the United States?”
If it means anything, Trump’s second term means that the “gloves are off” with respect to his using the U.S. presidency for his own enrichment.
And as the author of the meme here points out, it’s hard to be surprised by all this criminality, given that the American people elected a convicted felon who was facing additional charges under three other indictments.
Perhaps the saddest part of all this is that we live among tens of millions of people who are shocked that a convicted criminal is not going to serve his nation honestly.
Apparently, there are people who believe that Donald Trump, who thinks that American soldiers are “suckers and losers,” wouldn’t befriend a senior member of al qaeda, because his organization is fond of killing American men, women, and children.
That’s some real stupidity.
