279 Comments

If you truly want to save the planet, rebrand climate activism to "Nuclear Power, NOW!!!"

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I've always struggled to reconcile certain protests with the inherent lack of humility associated with them, which by definition attracts a specific subset of the population. When I lived in Kansas City, for example, there would be these anti-Israel/pro-Palestine protests in a conspicuous part of town (at the Country Club Plaza for those familiar with the city) every couple months or so. During my musician days, I spent most of free time reading about the Arab-Israeli conflict, the history of the region, etc. I did this for a good six years, reading hundreds of books and essays from all the different sides I could find. And every time I would drive by those protesters I found myself thinking "I know enough about this to know that I don't know enough to take a side this passionately."

This, then, is the paradox of protesting in the information age as I see it. You have to be ignorant enough of at least some elements of a given issue, willfully or otherwise, to take that passionate a position with anything resembling genuine commitment. For those that are willing to consider a given issue in all (or at least some) of its complexity, we'd likely never allow ourselves to participate in such an endeavor.

Human beings, everybody! WOOOOOO!!!

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Am I the only person who feels like the crunchy modern activist is doing absolutely nothing, and their willfully ignorant, and loud, crude and obnoxious manner is making any potential allies repulsed by "the movement" instead?

I lived with one of these types around the beginning of the Iraq War, and he was getting arrested at protests outside our state capitol building almost daily for blocking traffic. He was one of the sweetest people I've ever known, and one of the dumbest. He couldn't really articulate a reasoned opinion about the matter and looked for all the world like a stoned dingbat. Most reasonable people who would maybe be sympathetic to an anti-war cause instead became team "can someone get these annoying kids out of the street when I'm trying to go to work?" My old roomie may not have changed any minds, but hey, at least he met some chicks.

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As someone who has done a fair amount of on street protests, mostly anti-war and anti-nuclear, I am not shocked by selective punishment by police. I am still amazed there is such ubiquitous agreement on Climate Change. I personally am quite afraid of the impending Climate Crisis — right up until I walk outside and see that nothing has changed at all in 50 years.

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The protests arise from Joe Biden's likely psychotic break with reality. He tried to have it both ways, first shutting down US fossil fuel production, then begging Saudi Arabia and other countries with a separate atmosphere from ours to increase their production, and expected no one would notice. He was correct only to the extent that the mass media and Big Tech ignored the fictions involved. The rest of us noticed.

The press clearly recognizes that unless Democrats hold onto complete control of the U.S. Government, the game is over. Thus, criticism from anyone - environmentalists, social justice warriors, even other Democrats - must be quashed. The blatantly partisan nature of the coverage is unlikely to make any difference. The only hope is to keep the bubble going as long as possible to further enrich the US Nomenklatura.

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Centralised Obscene Wealth is at the root of our collapse.

The notion that if we just unleashed and deregulated those that already had the majority of wealth, they would use it benevolently.... is childish, naive, ABSURD at best, in direct conflict with simple wisdom and understanding of human nature.

Remember that spoiled kid in school, the one who was given everything by shitty parents, doted on by administrators and power? were those sick kids EVER satisfied? NEVER.

Give them an inch, they will always take a mile. when did we forget this age old wisdom?

Governments have become NOTHING but proxies for those with the money to buy their desires, which, coincidently, usually means an even larger slice of the pie. Blaming governments, without acknowledging the money and power that is paying for the policy we endure, is nuts.

Government is supposed to stand in the breech between us, the majority, the 99%, and those that aspire to monopoly, totalitarian control of everything, the spoiled kids, because we already know, human nature is built like that. But money figured out, they can buy their way into control over the government. So incrementally, over time, the "spoiled kids" literally became the government. not the puppets we "elect", those are proxies, scare crows, props in a giant shakespearean tragedy.

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A few weeks back I read an article equating people who are anti-vaccination with people who are anti-GMO. They lumped both groups as "anti-science."

So my question is, these days what is an environmentalist?

Also, when you have a world system that runs entirely on fossil fuels, what do environmentalists expect to happen? Even if the US does everything environmentalists want them to do, what real effect will that have on global climate when Russia, China & India don't play along?

When the initial "Covid models" turned out to model nothing but the fantasies of the model builders why isn't there, at the very least, a modicum of doubt about climate models?

If the US had any real interest in science why aren't they testing the unvaccinated for anti-bodies before they a. give them an unnecessary shot and b. threaten the employment & living ability of people who don't need the shot?

Lastly, when it's obvious that every news organization has chosen the last UN climate report to wax hysterical over while ignoring the climate report that immediately proceeded it that showed the 1% are, by far, the biggest energy/pollution scofflaws on the planet, why does anyone think anything will appreciably change under any administration, Repub or Dem, that is owned by the wealthy?

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There is some genetic defect in a class of people that causes them to over-count the impact of a few extra carbon molecules in the atmosphere and under-count the impact of running out of other people's money.

It seems so rational to me that one US-technology-made Chinese supersonic nuclear missile exploding would harm the environment much more that all of the gas-powered redneck pickup trucks these nuts want to ban.

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Thanks Matt and Ford for making sure stories like this have a chance to be heard.

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Of course - any news that reflects poorly on the Biden Administration is no news to the NYT's, WAPO, LAT and the like... It seems that FOX is the only outlet that as least makes an attempt at "fair and balanced".

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400 is a very large number arrests.

Five days of protests and 400 arrests.

In Louisville, Kentucky there were five months of protests there were 850 arrests when protesters broke nearly every window in downtown Louisville.

In Portland, Oregon, between May 28, 2020, and February 26, 2021, the DA's office said they received 294 civil unrest demonstration-related cases. I'm that Portland, protesters continuously assaulted the Federal Courthouse and Federal Marshals with missles and molotov cocktails. It is worth noting that the Portalnd Federal Courthouse is the house of the Judicial Branch.

684 protesters arrested for January 6, 2021 at the Capitol building.

There are three Branches of Federal government: (1) Executive (President), (2) Legislative (Congress), and (3) Judicial. This is our checks and balances system intended to keep any one branch from allowing the other to take power. This is our guard against tyranny. Pay close attention to the arrests and killings of protesters and you will see the value placed on the Judicial branch and our nation of laws.

Consider the serious discussion regarding "packing" the U.S. Supreme Court.

This was the path used by Chavez in Venezuela. He undermined Venezuela's Supreme Court and "packed" it. He enforced the laws against opponents and allowed supports to wreck havoc. He took control of the media. Sound familiar?

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Ok, a bunch of people protest, an interesting story, as far as this piece goes. What would be more interesting to see, and learn, is who are these people?

It would be interesting to follow the activities of, for the sake of discussion, 5 of the “leaders” and 5 random participants, to see where they go after their thrill fades into nothing. Are these poor people who risk all to participate in an effort they believe needs to be accomplished; or are they the spoil brats many of them appear to be?

How do they get from point A to point B? How do they feed themselves and handle the cost of their activities? That is information that is part of the story, even if we are not made privy to said facts.

No matter their status in life, they have every right to be there and make their voices heard. But as we listen to them it would help to know who they are and why they are there.

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founding

The Government is reacting, by creating shortages. Biden's alienation of Saudi Arabia had the Saudis saying they were not increasing oil production to meet demand. The president also created policies that stunted oil and gas exploration. The 30x30 plan also is taking farmland out of production and putting it into conservation. Land in western Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota is being targeted. Food prices will be going up because of a lack of feed and range for cattle.

You are being nudged to consume less food, and energy. They then tell you Americans have to expect less. The thing that bothers me is they use negative behavioral techniques. They never offer an incentive to have approved behavior. A stimulus of $1000 to prove you got the shot instead of mandates. A stimulus for solar energy, a stimulus for buying an electric car then by 2035 it would be mandated. People not taking the stimulus would have regret for not having the approved behavior. Instead, they are creating distrust and anger.

What's more, is they make stupid promises like saying they would raise taxes on the wealthy. Elites just find loopholes or offshore their money. They have to change the TAX LAWS, no more loopholes, and roll back Regan's Tax Recovery Act of 1981 to 1970s levels to tas the wealthy. Stop hgh frequency trading. GIVE THE PEOPLE A STIMULUS FOR THE BEHAVIORS YOU WANT. STOP KICKING US IN THE ASS. Maybe we will TRUST YOU instead of hating your guts.

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The courage of the heroic Alyssa Milano in her brave protest must be noted. Like the other protesters, Ms. Milano has risked so much in bringing attention to herself. https://pagesix.com/2021/10/20/alyssa-milano-arrested-at-white-house-voting-rights-protest/

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When the conservation movement (life long member here)morphed into the radical environmentalist movement it made a mess out of what could have been a slow (by necessity) constant change for good. Like Joe Biden the fucked it up.

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When they inconvenience people who actually matter, they're called rioters, not protestors.</sarcasm>

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