Yes! Thank you for using your platform to speak up for ACTION on climate change and other looming political disasters. And for anyone who thinks you shouldn't write about this crisis now upon us, they can plug up their ears and shut their eyes, but it won't make the threats go away.
GK, The Republican party is in denial over global warming because their reelection, necessary to maintain their positions of wealth and power, are dependent on campaign contributions from wealthy corporations and donors who who have great interest in a thriving oil industry.
Their devotion to an illiterate leader is another matter even more tightly tied to reelection.
I suspect that the Democrratic party has its own ties to big corporations. But the Republicans' position of denial is a dangerous one. IPeople are smarter than the GOP assumes, the party is walking a tightrope. People who can read and think are not going to buy ignorance as a philosophy.
You're right of course about the Democrats but even with their obligations to lobbyists, they are more sensible and caring than their colleagues. And, you were doing such work on the Republicans, I didn't want to toss any sand of reality into your peanut butter.
All true, every single word, sadly. Here's my prescription for the fastest fix: lower the voting age to 16. I'm serious. If they can drive a car, handle a gun, quit school...they can vote. I go one further: if I could, I'd happily assign my vote (I'm 71) to a young person. After all, they've got a hell of a lot more skin in the environmental game than I do, don't they?
Polar bears in zoos! Yes! What about the psychological effects of having to be a "displaced bear" rather than one wandering around in a pre-Global Warming Arctic?
I kid you not! For Real! In the world-famous San Diego Zoo, they had a polar bear there, in the 1990's. This poor bear paced, and paced, and paced, the same number of steps, the same route, all day long! A sign by her enclosure said that she was climate stressed - she couldn't adapt to the subtropical, sunny, people-friendly Southern California environment. She wouldn't even go swimming in the pond provided for her to cool down, at least a little!
On the strength of this evidence, I can bear witness that climate stress could give rise to psychotic polar bears. I bet that's an argument to save the planet's climate that Greta Thunberg and company haven't hit upon yet!
"Or if Yellowstone blew up and ushered in a year of darkness. That could be the Pearl Harbor that moves our country to action." IF Yellowstone blows -- it's one of the four super-volcanos on earth, and it's 40,000 years overdue -- global warming will suddenly be the least of our worrries. It would not be just a "year" of darkness. Global cooling would overwhelm us much faster than clobal warming.
For a fictional but accurate portrayal, check out "Super Volcano: Eruption" by Harry Turtledove, well-known "alternative history" writer.
Admit that Biden has been a disaster rather than incessantly railing at Trump who did a good job compared to what we are seeing now. People who support Trump are not at all what GK continually insists that they are. It is offensive and untrue. Finally, climate change is real yet the causes and solutions should still be open to debate. That is how science works. To view it otherwise is not helpful. Science continually questions supposed conclusions. We have lost that when it comes to this topic. My answer, is a plea for a little honesty and fairness (tempered by a sense of humor- once we lose that, we lose an ability to embrace differences of opinion). I know you probably think Biden is going a bang up job and that conservatives are subhuman, and that we all need to get on the Greta T train so this probably falls on deaf ears. Doesn’t mean we can’t have a dialogue…
Thank you for the the answer. I agree with some of what you say and not with others. And, yes, we do need to talk with each other without rancor, name calling or blaming and find a way to solve problems together. Definitely humor. It’s healthy to laugh at ourselves. And fun!
Your civil tone makes me wonder how you can support someone whose caustic rhetoric is still pushing us closer and closer to violence. Can't you feel it coming? How can you support someone who has established a new elections MO for the "GOP"--that if they don't win, the election was fraudulent. And all the rest of the lies! Trump did not do a good job by any measure. What he did was claim credit for everything and concede nothing. He ignored climate change--if you say it's real, how can you be okay with that? We are just supposed to have a sense of humor about all this? It's really not funny at all.
Just curious are you one of the people opposed to voter ID. If so, not really much more to discuss. That is all we really want and it is a reasonable and fair way to proceed. Can’t get on a plane without an ID so why is it reasonable to be able to vote without one? Common sense… If Trump did such a bad job, what adjective would you use to describe the Bidenator? Again, if he gets passing grades from you, further conversation is fairly pointless. Not trying to be pithy but come on Dana, be honest and fair rather than partisan and myopic.
Oops, I forgot it was you who previously commented that GK takes swipes at "traditional, patriotic, white Americans" in most of his columns. No wonder you'd dismiss concerns about violence, authoritarianism and compulsive lying by saying you just want fair elections. That in turn sheds light on what you meant by sense of humor. Not funny, but, hey, happy trolling!
You show your true colors when challenged a bit. I have always liked your writing yet I do not like it when you vilify Trump and conservatives. I will continue to point that out. It is not necessary and it is not helpful. Your groupies love it so you pander to your audience. Good Old Joe gets a pass despite some pretty large blunders and we get crickets as a response. Again, how is that fair.
Yes, the governments need to start working on fixing the climate, but I think it's even more important for us more citizens to start making changes in the way we live: Travel less, buy less stuff, recycle, eat more local food, find better ways to heat and run our homes... My husband keeps telling me that I can't save the planet by myself, and of course he's right: I'm just one little person - but if lots of little people make lots of little changes, it might all add up to a solution, maybe even more quickly than the ponderous governments can figure it out.
Yes, of course, but there are big sacrifices to be made and it requires a common spirit. My parents talked about how good it felt during WW2, when there was a national purpose and everyone sacrificed and America did an enormous leap from isolationism to all-out war against fascism. Science is pretty clear about what's in store. You and I are delivering our grandkids and their kids into a dangerous world thanks to our self-indulgence. This is not classic progressivism, it's quite the opposite, and true conservatives should be sympathetic to conservation of the planet.
We'll just have to keep working on it, so our grandkids and great-grandkids can see what needs doing. Kids don't take naturally to sacrifice, science-based or not - we grownups have to stop living like there's no tomorrow and start setting a good example for the kids, or someday tomorrow won't come for the younger generations. My father-in-law has been telling me stories about what he remembers about the war years, and he definitely didn't feel good about having to eat brains and liver and having to weed the Victory garden - but his parents did what needed to be done, and once he grew up, he understood why his family had to make those sacrifices. I very much appreciate this column. Thank you for writing it.
Hello Mr Keillor. Thank you for writing about climate change. As a mother of two very small children, it's an issue that gives me great anxiety. I came across this organisation recently and I was compelled to share it with you in case you, or your readership, are interested in getting involved: https://thirdact.org/what-we-do/
(I'm not based in the US, and have a couple of decades to go before I reach 60, so I personally haven't joined this particular cause).
Yes! Thank you for using your platform to speak up for ACTION on climate change and other looming political disasters. And for anyone who thinks you shouldn't write about this crisis now upon us, they can plug up their ears and shut their eyes, but it won't make the threats go away.
GK, The Republican party is in denial over global warming because their reelection, necessary to maintain their positions of wealth and power, are dependent on campaign contributions from wealthy corporations and donors who who have great interest in a thriving oil industry.
Their devotion to an illiterate leader is another matter even more tightly tied to reelection.
I suspect that the Democrratic party has its own ties to big corporations. But the Republicans' position of denial is a dangerous one. IPeople are smarter than the GOP assumes, the party is walking a tightrope. People who can read and think are not going to buy ignorance as a philosophy.
You're right of course about the Democrats but even with their obligations to lobbyists, they are more sensible and caring than their colleagues. And, you were doing such work on the Republicans, I didn't want to toss any sand of reality into your peanut butter.
I wish what you said wasn’t true, but thanks for saying it so well!
All true, every single word, sadly. Here's my prescription for the fastest fix: lower the voting age to 16. I'm serious. If they can drive a car, handle a gun, quit school...they can vote. I go one further: if I could, I'd happily assign my vote (I'm 71) to a young person. After all, they've got a hell of a lot more skin in the environmental game than I do, don't they?
If only enough young people were voting . . .
We know we are boomers when we post the wrong date :-)
Polar bears in zoos! Yes! What about the psychological effects of having to be a "displaced bear" rather than one wandering around in a pre-Global Warming Arctic?
I kid you not! For Real! In the world-famous San Diego Zoo, they had a polar bear there, in the 1990's. This poor bear paced, and paced, and paced, the same number of steps, the same route, all day long! A sign by her enclosure said that she was climate stressed - she couldn't adapt to the subtropical, sunny, people-friendly Southern California environment. She wouldn't even go swimming in the pond provided for her to cool down, at least a little!
On the strength of this evidence, I can bear witness that climate stress could give rise to psychotic polar bears. I bet that's an argument to save the planet's climate that Greta Thunberg and company haven't hit upon yet!
Why does the headings say October 12? It’s November.
We did it to get your attention.
"Or if Yellowstone blew up and ushered in a year of darkness. That could be the Pearl Harbor that moves our country to action." IF Yellowstone blows -- it's one of the four super-volcanos on earth, and it's 40,000 years overdue -- global warming will suddenly be the least of our worrries. It would not be just a "year" of darkness. Global cooling would overwhelm us much faster than clobal warming.
For a fictional but accurate portrayal, check out "Super Volcano: Eruption" by Harry Turtledove, well-known "alternative history" writer.
Soylent green is people
Your Hyperbole is Hyperbolic.
I get it. Trump is the devil and conservatives are knuckle dragging simpletons who need Greta Thornburg to sound out the big words for them.
Man, this schtick is getting old.
And, Mr. Cook, your answer to the so-called schtick is….what?
Admit that Biden has been a disaster rather than incessantly railing at Trump who did a good job compared to what we are seeing now. People who support Trump are not at all what GK continually insists that they are. It is offensive and untrue. Finally, climate change is real yet the causes and solutions should still be open to debate. That is how science works. To view it otherwise is not helpful. Science continually questions supposed conclusions. We have lost that when it comes to this topic. My answer, is a plea for a little honesty and fairness (tempered by a sense of humor- once we lose that, we lose an ability to embrace differences of opinion). I know you probably think Biden is going a bang up job and that conservatives are subhuman, and that we all need to get on the Greta T train so this probably falls on deaf ears. Doesn’t mean we can’t have a dialogue…
Thank you for the the answer. I agree with some of what you say and not with others. And, yes, we do need to talk with each other without rancor, name calling or blaming and find a way to solve problems together. Definitely humor. It’s healthy to laugh at ourselves. And fun!
Good words, thanks Jeannine!
And yours, too. Thank you.
It's very funny when Trumpers come out against rancor.
Your civil tone makes me wonder how you can support someone whose caustic rhetoric is still pushing us closer and closer to violence. Can't you feel it coming? How can you support someone who has established a new elections MO for the "GOP"--that if they don't win, the election was fraudulent. And all the rest of the lies! Trump did not do a good job by any measure. What he did was claim credit for everything and concede nothing. He ignored climate change--if you say it's real, how can you be okay with that? We are just supposed to have a sense of humor about all this? It's really not funny at all.
Just curious are you one of the people opposed to voter ID. If so, not really much more to discuss. That is all we really want and it is a reasonable and fair way to proceed. Can’t get on a plane without an ID so why is it reasonable to be able to vote without one? Common sense… If Trump did such a bad job, what adjective would you use to describe the Bidenator? Again, if he gets passing grades from you, further conversation is fairly pointless. Not trying to be pithy but come on Dana, be honest and fair rather than partisan and myopic.
Am I reading you correctly, that you're coming out against partisanship?
Oops, I forgot it was you who previously commented that GK takes swipes at "traditional, patriotic, white Americans" in most of his columns. No wonder you'd dismiss concerns about violence, authoritarianism and compulsive lying by saying you just want fair elections. That in turn sheds light on what you meant by sense of humor. Not funny, but, hey, happy trolling!
This is your idea of debate? It sounds like whining to me.
You show your true colors when challenged a bit. I have always liked your writing yet I do not like it when you vilify Trump and conservatives. I will continue to point that out. It is not necessary and it is not helpful. Your groupies love it so you pander to your audience. Good Old Joe gets a pass despite some pretty large blunders and we get crickets as a response. Again, how is that fair.
I'm sorry you don't believe in satire or freedom of expression, but it's really not my problem.
We were hoping for an intelligent response from you, Mr. Cook.
The boffins are already working on pee-power: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160418095918.htm
Yes, the governments need to start working on fixing the climate, but I think it's even more important for us more citizens to start making changes in the way we live: Travel less, buy less stuff, recycle, eat more local food, find better ways to heat and run our homes... My husband keeps telling me that I can't save the planet by myself, and of course he's right: I'm just one little person - but if lots of little people make lots of little changes, it might all add up to a solution, maybe even more quickly than the ponderous governments can figure it out.
Yes, of course, but there are big sacrifices to be made and it requires a common spirit. My parents talked about how good it felt during WW2, when there was a national purpose and everyone sacrificed and America did an enormous leap from isolationism to all-out war against fascism. Science is pretty clear about what's in store. You and I are delivering our grandkids and their kids into a dangerous world thanks to our self-indulgence. This is not classic progressivism, it's quite the opposite, and true conservatives should be sympathetic to conservation of the planet.
We'll just have to keep working on it, so our grandkids and great-grandkids can see what needs doing. Kids don't take naturally to sacrifice, science-based or not - we grownups have to stop living like there's no tomorrow and start setting a good example for the kids, or someday tomorrow won't come for the younger generations. My father-in-law has been telling me stories about what he remembers about the war years, and he definitely didn't feel good about having to eat brains and liver and having to weed the Victory garden - but his parents did what needed to be done, and once he grew up, he understood why his family had to make those sacrifices. I very much appreciate this column. Thank you for writing it.
Hello Mr Keillor. Thank you for writing about climate change. As a mother of two very small children, it's an issue that gives me great anxiety. I came across this organisation recently and I was compelled to share it with you in case you, or your readership, are interested in getting involved: https://thirdact.org/what-we-do/
(I'm not based in the US, and have a couple of decades to go before I reach 60, so I personally haven't joined this particular cause).