At least 20 people have been killed in just the last week by the floods that have and continue to occur this week in Texas. Considering that around 57% of Texas voters voted Republican in the 2012 Presidential Election, odds are that most of them were Republicans. The reason for noting this isn’t to say their deaths are any less tragic due to the political party they belong to but to recognize that many probably agreed with their Republican politicians who deny climate change and do all they can to prevent their government from doing anything to reduce or reverse it.
We often discuss how puzzling it is that so many Americans vote against their own interests, especially those in rural areas who are very dependent on social welfare programs, kept in poverty by low minimum wages if they can find a job and neglected by their Republican politicians they elect who only serve the interests of the wealthy at their expense. Climate Change has grown to join the life and death issues that such Americans are more vulnerable to while they buy into the partisan manipulation of their party and oppose addressing it. As with their opposition to Obamacare, Republicans joining in on Climate Change denial are being killed by that which their political demagoguery tries to deny.
One would think that something as massively life and death and as plainly obvious as the planet’s environment becoming more destructive with each passing year, would rise above the petty political game playing. One would think that Americans of all parties would say, “Sure, let’s disagree on this and that but when it comes to us, our friends or families being killed by worsening natural disasters, we could at least agree that it’s a bad thing that we want to try to reduce.”
At least, in a previous era, one might think such simple common sense things. However, in this era of media fired division, where dying from a lack of health insurance or due to Climate Change is irrelevant to hating “the others” and fighting against all policies they try to move forward, it’s not really what one would think. The disconnect between those Americans essentially supporting greater Climate Change and more frequent and terrible natural disasters that some of them dying in, is astounding. It’s like blocking a national effort to prevent the spread of Black Plague simply because Obama wants to do it (no doubt a re-definition of Black Plague to them). “Us and Them” comes first before anything else, including self-preservation, this is how such people have been brainwashed and are being cynically used.
These 20 human beings (or more) who were alive last week are just a fraction of the unnecessary deaths that will continue to mount this year due to the natural disasters that are intensified by Climate Change. It should be a wakeup call for those blindly accepting the oil companies’ paid-for propaganda, spouted by their paid-for politicians, that Climate Change doesn’t exist or if it does, it isn’t caused by the billions of tons of CO2 pollution these greedy corporations get wealthy from being pumped into the atmosphere.
Republican politicians may not be losing votes from their base for policies that contribute to worsening Climate Change and natural disasters…but they are losing voters.
Ad, the pivot has already begun with the truly hardened and cynical. Less and less I am hearing “Its not happening”. More and more I’m hearing “It’s happening, but here’s why its actually a good thing!”
Funk – Or how about, “It’s happening but it’s not man made.” They’ll concede as little as necessary…as they and their friends and families drown in floods and denial.
Found this interesting article I wanted to share.
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Yes, Religious Conservatives Accept Climate Change — Just Not The Ones You Think
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/31/3664513/yes-religious-conservatives-believe-climate-change-just-not-ones-think/
Kalima, it would make sense that fundamentalists would be less concerned about Climate Change since they believe that the only way humanity ends is through The Rapture…every other worry is irrelevant to them.
Also, many of them distrust science and see natural disasters as God punishing people for sins.
Their version of God is more anti-Christian than those they condemn for being anti-Christian.
Well I have been Catholic all of my life and can’t ever remember any of us leading our lives through the Bible. Through the teaching of Jesus yes, but we didn’t have a Bible in any of the houses or countries I have lived in, just a prayer book to follow the Mass on Sunday’s, and the lessons I have learned were from my grandparents and my parents, not from a pulpit, so trying to understand these people is really difficult, especially when their extreme beliefs harm others. They are welcome to believe in anything they want to, but please keep it at home or in your churches.
Extreme is extreme in any religion, and in Christianity, it is very un-Christian.
Kalima, I salute you. This is how all people should feel about something as deeply personal as religious faith.
Hi KT. I have often expressed my views on religion here and yes, it is and should remain a personal thing in a person’s heart and mind.
We were taught not to judge but to extend a hand to those in need, I believe that this is a good enough life to live. Pity that some believe that their way is the only way, so many lives would have been saved and so much suffering could have been avoided.
A shoutout to our Pope. Long live Pope Francis!
Well, Francis does seem to have a more Jesus-like approach to Christianity.
I think Catholics, in general are more true to what Jesus taught, than any of the fundie fanatics. The fundies simply use Christ to manipulate others in to doing their bidding.
Amen, KT!!
Kalima, what you described is a perspective of those who are enlightened. What we have to deal with on the RW are people who are unenlightened and see their religion as an exercise in blind obedience and intolerance towards those who won’t march in lockstep with them.
Their “beliefs” really have little to do with Christianity and much more to do with an emotional need to conform and fear of all in the world around them that doesn’t affirm their small mindedness.
Hey Ad. The fundies DO seem to spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about what people do when they’re naked.
I hear Huckabee wishes he were transgender so he could peep at naked girls in the shower.
And this creep really is running for the highest office in America?
The Huckster is just that. In an earlier era, he’d be selling snake oil to the hicks. He’s inauthentic, just greedy and self-centered as his previous obesity reflected. Now, he’s put on a new facade but he’s so reminiscent of the frauds who have manipulated rural, religious people throughout the years to personally profit.
His run for President, like many of the Repubs, is just about trying to elevate his value in the RW marketplace. A cynical, hollow man who’s so obvious to the majority and so devious to the minority that buys into his scam.
I think conservatives will eventually jump on the green energy bandwagon once they see the enormous amount of money that can be reaped from it. Of course this will be after the rest of us have continued to pump money into getting it started as we have been for the last decade. And it will be after the rest of the world begins a major turning away from burning oil. It’s inevitable that this will happen, it’s only a question of when. Conservatives being who they are they will drag it on as long as possible. The trick will be how to get them to transfer their greed for oil to their greed for what they can reap from renewable energy. The Oil Oligarchs are holding them back.
In the meantime, we can watch with barely concealed amusement as extreme weather events ravage the American south and Midwest, since that’s where our climate is at its worst (in the summer of course, extreme winters will continue to ravage the North).
jjgravitas, it is going to have to be a financial thing for the RW to move over to green energy, never conscience or foresight.
From what I hear, wind power and other green sources are now cheaper than coal, use of coal plants is declining for that reason.
Relying on the conscience of Republicans is naive but relying on their greed always pays off.
jj, once these troglodytes realize that weather catastrophies are costing them much more than green solutions will, they just might come around.
My question is, how many relatives and communities will have to be destroyed before they see that climate change denial is a bunch of big oil bullshit.
Maybe when the coastal cities are underwater?
I know this is petty and admit it up front ok. Remember the talk from the evangelical crowd about Katrina being the wrath of god falling on the unbelievers and sinners of New Orleans? Oh it was retribution and hell and brimfire, well Texas, what now, still think god is on your side??
It’s a fair question.
gyp46, great point but I’d guess it’s lost on the RW crowd since they appear in the dictionary definition of “hypocrisy”.
As you say though, if natural disasters are caused by God’s wrath, he must be really pissed off at Texas!
Just tell the poor gullible slobs that it was sent by GOD because she doesn’t like Texas any more. More of them would believe that than the reality of human-driven Climate Change.
Don’t forget, as I think David Letterman once said: “There is a high number of people in this country who believe Wrestling is real, and the moon landing was a fake”
PPO, there are a lot of people who think the WWE is real. But the E stands for entertainment, and they do understand that. I have to agree that there seem to be a lot of folks who can’t seem to grasp reality in Texas. Cruz and Perry are two of them.
PPo, actually I don’t think they would believe it because they need to think that God is their superhero who only uses his powers against their “evil” adversaries.
You know, gays, women, Democrats, minorities, the evil people.
I think it’s precisely because they lack any abilities to reason well that they are Republicans.
With that in mind, your Letterman quote is right on the money!
Ad, Ted Cruz and Rick Perry are terrible people with no ethics. But that is no reason to deny the people of Texas help.
The people are learning that their politicians are WRONG on almost all issues. Now maybe they will vote the morons out and some decent people in.
One can only hope.
Nirek, what’s most disgusting is how they are happy to promote their politics as they kill their own citizens. Lex Luthor would be envious.