Photo by Callum Shaw on Unsplash
Politicians in Montana are in court, defending their right to violate the state’s Constitution and to ensure that young Montanans who want a safe clean environment and a livable climate don’t get it. On behalf of climate abusers in all 50 states, these officials are determined to help fossil fuel profiteers (from whom they undoubtedly take “donations” — i.e. bribes) finish off destroying the biosphere in a bloodless pursuit of ever-growing profits.
Because trashing the Earth for money is “freedom.”
I would like to praise the New York Times for putting this important story on the front page. Unfortunately, they portray this as a story with two sides. Admittedly, there ARE two sides, just as there are two sides between a criminal and a victim. What doesn’t exist are two equivalent, credible and defensible sides.
Only one side — the one valuing the Earth, valuing human life, valuing the flora and fauna and others that share this planet with us — is the worthy side. Killers are…well, killers. They are NOT worthy and their values and clueless “arguments” must be dismissed. Those arguments are absurd rationalizations for unwarranted cruelty.
Regarding the Law
No law that puts corporate profits above the biosphere, above the health of the planet and everyone on it, can be legitimate. It doesn’t matter who passed the law, or what it says, or whether a judge upholds it. The Law of Nature and the Law of Human Decency is what counts. The rest is hubris and vanity.
For what it’s worth (probably nothing), the Montana Constitution guarantees its citizens “the right to a clean and healthful environment.” It also mandates that the state is responsible to not only protect, but to improve the environment “for present and future generations.” Their words, not mine.
And yet the politicians — both parties — are in court fighting to violate the Constitution they have sworn to uphold. The current governor, a Republican named Greg Gianforte, argues that 15,000 climate scientists are wrong and that fossil fuels are not driving climate change. Gianforte isn’t a scientist. He takes money from the oil and gas industry. Gianforte’s predecessor, a Democrat named Steve Bullock was quoted as saying that the climate crisis is “one of the defining challenges of our time.” Confirming the well-known fact that politicians lie, Bullock’s administration also fought in court for the fossil fuel companies.
Wrapping Up
I’d like to write more about this subject, but adults beating up on children and making cruel and clueless statements makes me sick. For example, the Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has said that the group representing the children — a nonprofit funded by a foundation — is a “special interest group that is exploiting well-intentioned kids — including a 4-year old and an 8-year old — to achieve its goal of shutting down responsible energy development in Montana.”
This raises the question — how does Knudsen sleep at night, and how will his three children regard him after he’s gone and they are struggling to survive on a planet with a climate that has collapsed?
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