"So Much Easier"

Just when I was getting discouraged about the state of the world, young Greta Thunberg came to my rescue. The teenaged climate activist reacted perfectly this past week to the disturbing moment when Supreme Court nominee Barrett called climate change "controversial." 

Barrett made matters worse when she said she didn't have any "views on climate change."

 “To be fair, I don’t have any ‘views on climate change’ either,” Thunberg wrote on Twitter wryly. “Just like I don’t have any ‘views’ on gravity, the fact that the earth is round, photosynthesis nor evolution ... But understanding and knowing their existence really makes life in the 21st century so much easier.”

That exchange sums up what is a central problem of our time and of this election -- the persistence of anti-science crusaders in positions of power.

After all, anyone paying attention has known since at least 1974 that global warming is THE existential threat to the future of human life on earth.

As a reminder, it was in 1974 that Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland, two chemists at the University of California, Irvine, published an article in Nature detailing the threats to the ozone layer from chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases.

But their research was attacked by the fossil fuel energy industry and the politicians they funded, to such an extent that climate change can still be considered "controversial" by some to this day.

It is no surprise, therefore, that millions of people in the U.S., have ignored science even at the risk of damaging their own health. Case in point: unmasked supporters pressed together at Trump rallies.

It is also no surprise that demagogues like Donald Trump are able manipulate these uninformed people into thinking that critical scientific truths are "fake news."

Let me ask the climate deniers a question: If you were told a man with a machine gun was outside of your children's or grandchildren's house, would you care to look outside to see if it were true?

Or would you dismiss that warning as "fake news?"

If there is any cause to maintain hope in this age of ignorance, it is the calm, rational voice of young GretaThunberg. And that is so much easier than giving up.

***

On to the non-fake news:

* By Calling Climate Change ‘Controversial,’ Barrett Created Controversy -- Judge Amy Coney Barrett refused to answer numerous questions, but it was her avoidance of acknowledging climate change that particularly resonated. (NYT)

* More people watched Biden's town hall on ABC than Trump's town hall on three NBC channels (including MSNBC and CNBC) by over half a million viewers. (Nielsen)

* White House was warned Giuliani was target of Russian intelligence operation to misinform Trump (WashPo) * In a fiery personal essay, Caroline Giuliani, the daughter of Rudy Giuliani, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. With less than a month until the election, Giuliani urged her fellow Americans to do the same in order to put an end to what she calls Mr. Trump's "reign of terror."  (Vanity Fair) * The Trump administration has rejected California’s request for disaster relief aid for six recent fires that have scorched more than 1.8 million acres in land, destroyed thousands of structures and caused at least three deaths, a state official said. (NYT) * Justin Trudeau: Canada-US border will stay closed until America gets COVID-19 under control (USA Today) * France is reeling after its biggest ever covid spike with 30,621 new cases as a second wave smashes Europe. (U.S. Sun)

* As Trump’s Language Grows More Heated, Fears Rise of Political Violence (NYT)

* Trump bragged to a rally crowd, suggesting members of the U.S. Marshals Service executed an antifa supporter, Michael Forest Reinoehl, who was charged in the death of a right-wing protester in Portland, Oregon. (HuffPost)

* Earlier this week the government of Switzerland announced that it will no longer allow exports of five pesticides that have long been banned in their own country due to known health and environmental harms. Given that pesticide industry giant Syngenta is based in Switzerland, this is incredibly significant. (Pesticide Action Network)

* U.S.-born children of immigrants or immigrant students raised in the United States accounted for nearly 60 percent of the growth in university enrollment since 2000. (NYT)

* Trump" is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life." -- former White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. (CNN)

* Trump, Biden evoke different brands of masculinity. (WashPo) I've written about this. (DW)

* California governor says Trump, in reversal, approves wildfire aid -- Newsom said on Friday that Trump approved his request for additional wildfire recovery relief, reversing the administration's denial of the state request a day earlier. (Reuters)

* The latest polls in key states: Biden leads Trump 51%-43% in Michigan and Wisconsin and 51-44% in Pennsylvania. (CNN)

***

Probably even more important than who occupies the White House over the next four years is which party controls the Senate. One good way to monitor the latest data about that question is at Electoral-Vote.com. That site currently predicts that the Democrats will have 51 seats, the Republicans 48, with one race too close to call.

It is the Senate that confirms or reject the President's nominees to the federal courts, and the Senate that votes whether to impeach a President once charges are brought by the House.

It's so much easier to forget you when you're here with me
But I will always see your face
When I'm gone, gone, gone
And I don't need you now, I don't need anyone
It's so much easier but it's easier said than done

-- Kleenex Girl Wonder

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