...if you do live in the USA, ple..e..e..ase don't vote for any of the GOP's not a scientists (or any "not a scientist" for that matter), and I promise I won't vote for any Australian denier politician.
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Global warming and climate change.
Eavesdropping on the deniosphere, its weird pseudo-science and crazy conspiracy whoppers.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Scary Movie
Here's something to entertain. I don't live in the USA so am completely impartial on this score. Not quite. What I mean is, I have no say in the matter. However I'll make a pact ...
...if you do live in the USA, ple..e..e..ase don't vote for any of the GOP's not a scientists (or any "not a scientist" for that matter), and I promise I won't vote for any Australian denier politician.
...if you do live in the USA, ple..e..e..ase don't vote for any of the GOP's not a scientists (or any "not a scientist" for that matter), and I promise I won't vote for any Australian denier politician.
35 comments:
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This may be good for Hillary, given that even in the USA the majority accept the science and will see the GOP leadership as fools in this matter. However, I am not sure if such a video helps to convince more people that climate change is a problem. It could make the issue even more of a political one and thus not something you think about with your brain, but decide upon with your gut.
ReplyDeleteWe have seen the effects of reasoned arguments in the USA. Michael Mann is attacked, slandered, gets death threats; the same probably applies for Jim Hansen and many other climate scientists.
DeleteRidicule is as good or better an approach.
At a certain point you have to decide that these people are unpersuadable; they just have to be defeated! Ridicule is as good a strategy as any, and God only knows - the Pope sure does! - they deserve it.
DeleteThis is hardly the only issue on which GOP recalcitrants bloody-mindedly refuse to abandon their comprehensive fantasy world - if you 'debate' them they think you think they have a point, and that they will beat you (because privileged, reactionary bastards usually 'win', sadly...)
I cannot understand US politics. So many views and so much talk, but do they get out and vote much on the day?
ReplyDeleteNo all that bad but not al lthat great https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_the_United_States_presidential_elections They are in the same ballpark as most Canadian elections but AIUI they vote for everything from dogcatcher to sherrif to judge to president in one single election (I don't think I'm joking about the dogcatcher) in one massive ballot so there probably is more reason to turn out.
DeleteOn the other hand, voting rates might be higher but over the last few election cycles, there have been very determined efforts to disenfranchise (mainly black Democratic) voters or to make voting so difficult in some areas (black/latino?) Democratic voters so participation rates might be five or ten percent higher without the deliberate obstructions but I'm just guessing.
While there probably is an undercurrent of racism here, well of course there is, the main reason for hitting these communities is that it is easier to disenfranchise poor Blacks and Latinos than wealthy white enclaves who also might vote Democrat.
Voting is not compulsory and I think the prospective voter must make sure to register to vote in most or all states.
Voters must register ahead of time to really count in almost all jurisdictions in the US. In some, they can cast a provisional ballot with same-day registration, but provisional ballots are only opened if the result is very close.
DeleteRacism is more than just an undercurrent; it pervades everything. At the national level, the GOP is explicitly racist (though they try to be careful about language, it's obvious), Democrats less so. At the local level, all bets are off -- the Democrats after all *used* to be the southern racist party, until the in the 1960s, the northern branch of the party decided it was untenable. The GOP saw the opportunity and ran with it. That leads to a situation where blacks almost never vote for the GOP. So the GOP is generally in favor of disenfranchising them.
And don't forget the gerrymandering - distortion of voting precinct boundaries to favor one party or the other, regardless of whether the included neighborhoods are close together or not. Every ten years, after the census, the party in power in each state legislature gets to redrawn the district lines, supposedly to equalize population amongst districts, but really to influence what party gets elected.
DeleteA cute trick in Michigan in 2011 was when the Republican legislature reorganized 3 districts in such a way the two sitting U.S. Representatives, both Democrats, ended up living in the same district. Rather than run against each other in the primary, one of them ran for Senate instead, and was elected.
And yes, Democrats do the same thing. There's been a fair amount of litigation about redistricting since 2010.
Gerrymandering - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering
DeleteGerrymandering runs wild in my district. In order to water down my vote, they've split my district into two and linked us to the rest of the districts by redrawing the lines over an uninhabitable military bombing range. That's right, most of the land in my district is a bombing range.
DeleteDoes the US Republican Party require standardized test scores for selecting their political candidates? WAIS-R less than 70, S.A.T <= 620? I mean the cut-off must be fairly stringent. You don't get that level of stupid easily.
ReplyDeleteI can say that none of our major Con politicians deny the reality of climate change here in Canada. They just lie instead and proceed to show by their actions either they don't believe in climate change or else believe that the END TIMES are upon us and so they really don't have to worry about anything more than a year or two from now. My guess is that the Rapture is due on August 22 2017 at roughly 18:30 Eastern Daylight Savings Time (20:00 in Newfoundland.
Their stupidity is bought and paid for by the Koch Brothers and other fossil fuel interests. Sadly today in American politics "Money talks and bullshit walks" (per Ozzie Meyers of Abscam infamy)
DeleteWell, for climate change I suppose so, but a lot of rabid (I use the word advisedly) Republicans seem stark raving mad / totally impervious to reason on all kinds of topics. I mean, seriously the Governor of Texas mobilized the Texas Guard (whatever that is) as a precaution again an invasion and coup by the American Army this spring.
DeleteConnedspiracy and superstition, fear-mongering and knee-jerk reactionism rule their daze. It's far more then just bible-thumping stupidity, Republicans ooze fright from their very pores. Don't ask one to open its mouth, unless you want to be entertained by a moron.
DeleteI can't imagine living that way. It's probably why they've all clumped together in herds (so called "Red States" and neighborhoods). Safety in numbers is also a breeding ground for contempt for the rest of the world and how they might live / think.
I would divide them into engaged and not engaged politically. So the engaged are the ones that vote in the Republican primaries and probably a majority share what I would call irrational political views. While the not engaged are normal people but are practically apolitical and they don't vote.
DeleteParody can be effective - this may have some impact considering that it seems to represent a Clinton campaign theme.
ReplyDelete---
The current situation in the US is quite odd. The Republican party is being dragged around by the hyperconservative no-government Tea Party (an 'astro-turf' group manufactured by big tobacco, the Koch brothers, and lobbyists), which acts on the margins of voting numbers to swing far above their weight.
For those in countries with parliamentary systems, it's quite similar to the effect of tiny parties brought in to edge out a majority - they can demand far more than their representation should justify by making the difference between winning or losing.
Add to that the fact that every national level election is now a national referendum, with outside groups pumping in money wherever a race is close, rather than reflecting the views of the local constituency, and we've ended up with a bi-polar government.
There are no longer conservative Democrats from the South, or liberal Republicans from the North-East or the coasts, because with national attention and national money there is no variety in the candidate positions. And thus we no longer have political cross-over to support compromise - all votes become all or nothing along party lines.
I wish I saw any potential resolution to this partisanship. But sadly I don't.
Proof positive that idiots abound everywhere, ESPECIALLY within the government, politics, media and industry. Anyone expecting to find intelligence or informed 'leadership' from these sources should have their own heads examined.
ReplyDeleteDo not underestimate them. You do not get to the top if you are stupid. They only act as if because that gets them votes.
DeleteNo, they are mostly not stupid, but they are so ideologically driven that often they appear stupid. They are also incredibly out of touch with people who have to live in the real world. One of the things contributing to the complete lack of collegiality in Washington (which did exist before about 1990) is that members of Congress spend so little time there. With just a two year term, they are always running for office, so they go home every weekend (almost) to stay in touch with the people who contribute money and the ones (like the TeaPartiers) who will actually get out and vote in the primary. Ordinary people generally not welcome.
DeleteAnd since they don't spend time getting to know each other in Washington, they can continue to look at each other as enemies instead of colleagues. No cooperation with the enemy!
Chomsky and Orwell agree - to be truly Evil and/or Stupid requires a philosophy. Or ideology.
DeleteThese people are stupid - in fact, they're as stupid as people ever get; their world-view is actually too maladapted to successfully survive in even the medium term.
They're just not necessarily thick (though some, being Dunning -Krugerites of the first water actually are, but because they don't - in fact, can't - know it their confident bluster takes in far too many.)
It's an irony: a lot of stupid and dangerous people are the first to bewail 'political correctness', and yet, in the West, the truly dominant political correctness is that you're really not allowed to tell such people that that's what they are!
I agree with Victor, the people at the top are not necessarily stupid.
DeleteAnd some of them are very cunning and very ruthless.
They get where they are by appealing to a particular demographic to build up a power-base. So you can say many of the people they represent ARE stupid.
The beasts of Bentonville are especially cunning and ruthless. The stupid reason Trump has soared is because so many GOP voters actually blame Reaganomics for why they're life is now rough and insecure. They wrongly think the Donald will be different. I wouldn't doubt, more likely than not, he's part of Sam's Quail Hunting Club just like everyone from Richard Nixon onwards. Under Wal~Mart's policy of demanding that its suppliers supply goods to them at ridiculously low prices, the only way the suppliers can possibly accomplish this is to shut down production in the United States and ship it to sweatshop factories overseas. Which has caused the exodus of multi-millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs. Wal-Mart pays its workers below subsistence wages & benefits and destroys communities. Wal~Mart buys political hopefuls early in their careers and their assured that there's more to come if you follow the instructions. The Walton's DNA needs to be tested, especially the Robson side of the clan.
DeleteAlso, rated "D" for the grades they got in science classes!
ReplyDeleteBut Donald Trump is as close as the red states will ever get to voting for Boss Hogg of Hazard County fame.
DeleteTrump can afford the biggest clown shoes, but yes, none of the stupid party should ever be allowed to have the launch code.
It is simply mind boggling that the only country to ever bomb civilians with nuclear weapons (the Japanese were surrendering) tries to say who can or cannot have nukes.
I suspect Ben Franklin set up an unworkable US federal government system deliberately.
ReplyDeleteWith the president, the legislature and the judiciary pulling in different directions it becomes impossible for anyone to effectively wield power.
Franklin was only part of the discussion for the US Constitution, being 81 and of poor health. And a number of his ideas, such as a unicameral legislature, didn't pass. He certainly doesn't deserve majority credit for it.
DeleteI do see Hillary Clinton from time to time in places like Chicago or Boston. So one time I get behind her bus and following, I look back and what the hell?
ReplyDeleteHillary doesn't really scare me. And I believe you can relax a bit about Donald Trump, he's probably simply there to try to hand it off to Hillary Clinton.
Be very CAREFUL about WHO YOU VOTE FOR. Even though we celebrate a socialist Jew every December 25th. Personally I'll probably vote third party again if that's possible where I live.
I was a huge Henry Ross Perot supporter. The Reflubitcans took steps to ensure that tremendous threat was removed. The GOP should never be forgot for that one.
Yeah sure, vote for a third party. It worked so well back in 2000 when Ralf Nader attracted votes from the left allowing GW to win by a hanging chad. If Gore had won this would be a very different planet today.
ReplyDeleteI also remember reading that certain environmental groups in Florida were upset with Gore because he wouldn't take a firm position against expansion of Homestead Air Force base in the Everglades, then either didn't vote or voted for a third party. Apparently the Florida race was so close that Gore would have won the state if all those dissatisfied people had voted for him.
DeleteI saw that happen in the Michigan governors race some years ago - Detroit Democrats not turning out to vote because the mayor (and main motivator) was miffed at the sitting Democratic governor. Result? New Republican governor elected who hung around for three terms and managed to cut taxes and spend the state into a deficit.
Maybe the Republicans have an advantage in that their voters follow blindly.
How would this planet be any different? They are two sides of the same coin, it's not left vs right, it's top vs bottom with no tolerance. The Brezinski Strategy and the Wolfowitz Doctrine of global domination are pretty much identical.
DeleteThe conservative Supreme Court decided Florida's vote. A count done after the event showed that Gore won Florida. He should have been the elected President. Instead the conservatives installed a moron puppet Bush. The rest is a sordid history of idiocy only exceeded by the moronicity and greed of the GOP flunkies that do the bidding of the military industrial owners. They are still doing their bidding now! Bert
DeleteIt appears to be just like the myth that Perot caused Poppy Bush to lose to Bubba Clinton. Where is the evidence that Nader was indeed a spoiler? I don't mind backpedaling if I'm wrong...
DeleteI've really missed you folks, been so busy it reminds me of the time ruthless Sam Walton burned us out building stores and doing the grand opening work. Just now it's for different greedy Khazillionaires... SpaghettiO has been a blessing for me so far. If Hillary wins I'm probably toast.
Well, well, well........
ReplyDelete"GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush says human activity is contributing to climate change and the country has an obligation to work to stop it.
“I think it’s appropriate to recognize this and invest in the proper research to find solutions over the long haul but not be alarmists about it,” Bush said in an interview published Thursday with Bloomberg BNA.
“We should not say the end is near, not deindustrialize the country, not create barriers for higher growth, not just totally obliterate family budgets, which some on the left advocate by saying we should raise the price of energy so high that renewables then become viable,” he added.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/249771-jeb-bush-humans-contribute-to-climate-change
Dubya2 has already had a private chat with the people from the coal industry. There's a fair chance we are going to something rather like Groundhog day: the presidency bought for a Bush by the fossil fuel industry, and the Bush tearing up not Kyoto but the Paris agreement this time around. Don't forget that Dubya1 said similar things about climate, but did nothing because he felt it was more important to have a strong economy than a viable planet to live on. Oh, and then he trashed the economy anyhow.
DeleteThere's nothing like a fossil fuel industry funded Dubya to really wreck things. But a lot of people now are unable to remember how much better the world was before Dubya1.
"Alarmists", "deindustrialise","obliterate","left", and on the other side "higher growth", "family budgets" and an implied "the poors". Apply thesaurus, shuffle around a little, day to day, and there's the essential Jeb Bush climate snippet for the duration, I predict. Others may well steal the template.
DeleteThe problem with "I'm not a scientist" is the introduction - "I'm not". People don't want someone who's not something. They want people who are things and will say so firmly. "I am ...!" - that's what they want to hear.
See how that works? I do and it horrifies me but there it is.
I'm more concerned about the arms makers he's been courted by. Also, the biggest source of emissions by far is the world's defense and war machines. Jeb has all the dastardly dudes who invaded Iraq the first time, invaded the second time and sold Saddam anthrax & various munitions. Sold all kinds of shyt to Iran and plenty of others. With Mena connection drug money$.
DeleteJeb Bush made $10m in speeches since 2007 - 10 to a Korean metals company called Poongsan that makes cluster bombs & US coins.
Have you noticed that a new planet has been found that can support life and is habitable, the same week Humpty Trumpet soared to a double digit lead?