Quote Of The Day - "He Didn't Take Civilization Seriously"

"It’s a stupid and reckless decision — our nation’s dumbest act since launching the war in Iraq. But it’s not stupid and reckless in the normal way. Instead, it amounts to a thorough repudiation of two of the civilizing forces on our planet: diplomacy and science. It undercuts our civilization’s chances of surviving global warming, but it also undercuts our civilization itself, since that civilization rests in large measure on those two forces... And so we will resist. As the federal government reneges on its commitments, the rest of us will double down on ours. Already cities and states are committing to 100 percent renewable energy. Atlanta was the latest to take the step. We will make sure that every leader who hesitates and waffles on climate will be seen as another Donald Trump, and we will make sure that history will judge that name with the contempt it deserves. Not just because he didn’t take climate change seriously, but also because he didn’t take civilization seriously."-- Bill McKibben in the New York Times, on Trump pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord.

Morning Reading

The Washington Post fact checkers had a field day with the firehose of lies that civilization destroyer Donald "Rump" Trump employed at his announcement withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accord:

In his speech announcing his decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord on climate change, President Trump frequently relied on dubious facts and unbalanced claims to make his case that the agreement would hurt the U.S. economy. Notably, he only looked at one side of the scale — claiming the agreement left the United States at a competitive disadvantage, harming U.S. industries. But he often ignored the benefits that could come from tackling climate change, including potential green jobs. 

Trump also suggested that the United States was treated unfairly under the agreement. But each of the nations signing the agreement agreed to help lower emissions, based on plans they submitted. So the U.S. target was set by the Obama administration. 

The plans are not legally binding, but developing and developed countries are treated differently because developed countries, on a per capita basis, often produce more greenhouse gases than developing countries. For instance, on a per capita basis, the United States in 2015 produced more than double the carbon dioxide emissions of China — and eight times more than India.

The fact checkers then go on to debunk lie after lie. To the Rump regime, there's no such thing as science, facts or observable reality, especially if they stand in the way of carrying out their nihilist agenda. (Good to know the idiot is getting counsel from only the best.)

Former Bush speechwriter Michael "Mushroom Cloud" Gerson asks a familiar set of questions regarding the civilization destroyer's curious affinity for all things Russian, and concludes with:

If Trump’s tax returns and financial information are exculpatory, why not release them? And how does this unwillingness relate to Donald Trump Jr.’s 2008 statement that Trump businesses “see a lot of money pouring in from Russia”? 

For Mueller, Trump is innocent until proved guilty. But citizens judge their president according to reasonable inferences. We are now at a point when it is reasonable to believe something disturbing is occurring. A point when it is reasonable for citizens to demand of Trump: Disclose, or confirm our worst fears. 

Yes. Follow. The. Money. At the end of the trail will be found the leverage that the Russians have over Rump, and why he's so eager to please his masters in the Kremlin with plans like this:

President Donald Trump’s administration moved quickly to try and lift economic sanctions on Russia and other punishments former President Barack Obama had put in place as soon as it took office in January, according to multiple sources who have spoken with Yahoo News. 

“There was serious consideration by the White House to unilaterally rescind the sanctions,” according to Dan Fried, who retired in February as Coordinator for Sanctions Policy at the State Department.

It should be obvious to any sentient person that there's a scandal here greater than any other in this nation's history. It can't stay unrevealed for long.

Today's Cartoons - Trump Pulls U.S. Out Of Paris Accord

As we've noted, the shitgibbon officially pulled the plug on U.S. participation in the Paris climate accord. F*ck the fool.

(click on images to enlarge)


(Jeff Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)


(Matt Davies, Newsday)

Climate Change and The Trump Con

As sociopath and environment despoiler Donald "Rump" Trump nears the announcement that the U.S. is backing out of the Paris Climate Accord -- joining Syria and Nicaragua as environmental pariahs -- the question of motive remains. Saving jobs? The fading coal industry only employs 53,000, while the solar/renewable energy sector employs 374,000, more than the oil, natural gas and coal industries combined. With utilities and industrial plants having converted to other energy sources, coal won't be coming back as a major energy source. Also, major corporations have also lined up in support of the U.S. remaining in the accord. Fossil energy pressure? Yes, that's a big part of it, especially from the coal interests, but a number of major fossil energy companies (Exxon, BP, and Chevron) have voiced support of the Paris agreement. Our view: Rump's delusional and reactionary "nationalist" view that  America does best when it acts alone and looks to the past, coupled with his perverse desire to destroy the legacy of the first African-American President who will always overshadow him, are likely the motivations.

As Natasha Geiling notes at Think Progress, Rump's decision should also put to rest any remaining questions about first lady daughter Ivanka "Complicit" Trump's interest in climate change or her influence with her father. We hear "sources close to Ivanka" saying she's an advocate for protecting the climate from man-made carbon emissions, but have never heard her speak publicly about it. Either she's ineffective in persuading her father (despite having the world community, corporations, and overwhelming public opinion at her back), or her advocacy was a pretense geared toward preserving her "brand" with the majority of Americans who believe the climate science that we must reduce carbon emissions or doom the planet. We're going with the pretense option.

Trump To Pull U.S. Out Of Paris Climate Accord

White (Supremacy) House sources are telling news organizations that twitter twit and Putin puppet Donald "Rump" Trump has decided to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, making the United States one of only three countries (Syria and Nicaragua being the others) not party to the landmark agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The debate now is over whether to utilize the 3- year withdrawal process in the accord or abrogate the underlying United Nations treaty (which would speed up the process).

Perhaps spurred more by animus toward President Obama and Democrats who helped negotiate the accord -- bypassing the nihilist Republican Senate -- than even by advisors such as climate change denier and Polluters' Man of the Century EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, the increasingly erratic Rump ignored the counsel of other advisors, the Pope, our European allies and even many in the business community who welcomed U.S. leadership and having set targets for emissions:

Mr Trump has ignored the advice of a string of senior advisers, including his own daughter Ivanka Trump, Defence Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who all advocated keeping 'a seat at the table'. 

Mr Mattis and others in the Department of Defence have noted that the Pentagon does a substantial amount of work addressing rising sea levels, changing sea routes for battleships due to melting glaciers, and the affects of drought and floods on US national security interests.  

It could be a sign that he plans to ditch environmental regulations and attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a much greater degree than he has so far. [snip]

Germany, France and other leading nations have expressed frustration with Mr Trump's stance on climate change. Even Pope Francis tried to persuade the US President during his recent visit to the Vatican by presenting him with a papal letter, or encyclical, the Pontiff wrote in 2015 regarding the need to address the multi-faceted issue of climate change. 

Beyond the sheer, catastrophic stupidity of withdrawing from the accord and the potentially serious effects it might have (the U.S. is, after all, one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the world), Rump's move essentially cedes global leadership and the moral high ground on the issue to China, which is making significant strides toward reducing its own greenhouse emissions and is investing heavily in clean energy technologies for domestic and foreign markets. Meanwhile, Russia is quite happy to see their troll in the White (Supremacist) House drive more wedges between the U.S. and the rest of the world.

BONUS: Some are saying this decision marks the end of the American Century.

BONUS II:  Greg Sargent on the lies that would underpin Rump's rationales.