Re: The Bigger, Badder, Even More Serious Thread [5]

[David H]

However there's a counter movement:

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that he will join the governors of California and Washington state to form a new United States Climate Alliance – in the wake of President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

Cuomo, California Gov. Jerry Brown, and Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the coalition will convene U.S. states committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement and taking action against climate change.

“The White House’s reckless decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord has devastating repercussions not only for the United States, but for our planet,” Cuomo said in a statement. “This administration is abdicating its leadership and taking a backseat to other countries in the global fight against climate change. New York State is committed to meeting the standards set forth in the Paris Accord regardless of Washington’s irresponsible actions. We will not ignore the science and reality of climate change, which is why I am also signing an Executive Order confirming New York’s leadership role in protecting our citizens, our environment, and our planet.”

The states of New York, California and Washington together represent more than one fifth of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, and are committed to reducing emissions by 26 to 28 percent compared with 2005 levels – as well as meeting or exceeding the targets of the Federal Clean Power Plan.

So that means Halfy and I are still in!

[Lancebloke]

Do the coal states not get sun or wind? Surely investment in those sectors would provide more skilled jobs than the coal industry regardless of the climate change 'argument.'

How has this saved 6m jobs?

I suppose that although he is clearly just as establishment as Mrs C, he at least is keeping up this promise by default.

[David H]

he at least is keeping up this promise by default.

I think that's a lot of it. Trump is under attack on so many fronts right now, he'd rather talk about almost anything except health care and Russia...

[Lancebloke]

I really wonder if he can last the full term. I don't think he will be impeached but I wonder if he will get forced out somehow.

The whole thing is like a comedy sketch... but real life.

[David H]

Just remember to keep laughing Lance!

I'm just glad I live in a state that's almost as far from Washington D.C. as you folks in the UK are.

[Mrs Figg]

I think he will just get bored of it all and walk. there's golf to be played.

[halfwise]

Glad I'm still in the Paris Accords.

On another thought, I've been scratching my head for the last year trying to figure out why the religious right all went gangbusters for Trump, despite him proving over and over he's got no Christian values at all. I got it emotionally, but couldn't sort it out intellectually.

Today it finally struck me: the religious tend to like authority without relapse to logic. Trump's a perfect fit.

[Lancebloke]

Christian values? I am sure be fits in to some denominations values... plus he says god a lot and that is normally good enough as most people don't actually know much about what they believe in.

[Mrs Figg]

the religious right thought that Steve Bannon was going to rule the world.

[Mrs Figg]

just realized something. Most of the people who live near the sea like climate change restrictions. and those who live in the middle bits don't give a monkeys. I think a lot of us live near the sea.

[David H]

Six more states joined the alliance yesterday, and there are at least dozen more who are likely to join in the next couple days. From Wikipedia:

The United States Climate Alliance is a group of states in the United States which are committed to upholding the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change within their borders, by achieving the U.S. goal of reducing emissions 26–28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025 and meeting or exceeding the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan. The alliance was formed on June 1, 2017, after it was announced that the United States was to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

The member states, which make up 27.1% of the U.S. population and 31.0% of U.S. GDP as of 2016, emitted 14.3% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions in 2014.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Climate_Alliance

[Mrs Figg]

that's very heartening news.

[halfwise]

With the obvious exception of Texas, every state I've spent significant amount of my life in is represented in those six. (New Jersey's sort of drive-over state for me, so I think I'm fine discounting it.)

[Pettytyrant101]

{{I dont know how we deal with the sort of thing happened in London again. (Hope you were well out the way Lance and your friends and family too) There's a population of 8 and half million people live there and all it took was 3 people to cause this much carnage. How do you police that? How on earth can you safeguard against that?
And looking forward how we do stop individuals or small groups in the future- its a general rule so far that as technology advances more and more potentially dangerous information and skills become wider and wider in availability. In forty years we might all use 3d printers and theres a ton of uses for them would be brilliant- but then there are those who would use them to make weapons instead in their own home. And who know what other potentially dangerous technology or information is just around the corner. Chance are as time goes on the sort of means available to anyone who wants to just cause suffering pain and death will just grow. And I have no idea what the solution to that is. }}

[Lancebloke]

Petty - all ok here. Been dealing with contingency planning stuff as my building is inside the police cordon so nobody will be in today. I was due to be at home this week anyway! Sounds like most of the injured were foreign... a lot of Aussies in that area at that time if night.

People calling for more armed police... they had killed the guys within 8 minutes!!! What more can you ask from them?

It was always going to get worse before it get better with what is going on with ISIS being squeezed and other things going on across the Muslim world right now.

I think it is always going to be something. Humanity has a knack of finding ways to kill itself. If it isn't this kind of thing it will be something else. Just have to get on with it really.

[Mrs Figg]

glad you are ok Lance.

[Pettytyrant101]

{{I agree Lance this is hopefully the beginning of the death throes of ISIS and its ilk. Attacks are brutal and awful but they are noticeably of late been lower tech- resorting to just driving vans into people and using knives. Increasing seeming desperate.

In the vain of something vaguely satirical out of all this awfulness - this raised a smile at least- from the Guardian }}

[Mrs Figg]

[Lancebloke]

1 day left!

Who to vote for? Need some divine intervention I think.

[Eldorion]

OMRLP are the best choice, as usual.

https://www.loonyparty.com/2017-general-election-manicfesto/

Andrew Neil did an interview with party leader Howling Laud Hope about a week ago.



As they point out in the video, Hope is now the longest-serving party leader in the UK, though they neglect to mention that for the first three years he was co-leader with his cat, Catmando (RIP).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catmando

Also, I unironically support their proposal that MPs be required to wear the logos of companies they receive money from.

[Lancebloke]

They may be my choice. I have a feeling my area will be overwhelmingly blue again... just because of Brexit stuff.

The reds make some good points, then go and mess it up making bad ones and having Diane Abbott.

Blues just seem more of the stupid same slogan based bullshit with only a sprinkle of substance.

The rest are a joke and would be nothing more than a protest vote.

Corbyn seems to be doing a Trump (with less bad qualities) so think it will end up closer than most people think. Not sure I trust him to choose the right people for cabinet and actually be able to follow through with the good bits.

[Mrs Figg]

just vote Labour.

[Pettytyrant101]

{{{ Well I'll be voting SNP again- dont think Labour will win enough to beat May in england/wales, though I think her majority might not be as large as she had hoped, but still think Tories will win. So SNP are best placed to negotiate for Scotland in any Brexit deals.
And besides cant vote for Scottish Labour whilst that muppet Dugdale is in charge- she is a politician who is only top of her party due to casualties of war being so high- under any normal circumstances she would have been lucky to rise to mid-tier in the party let alone lead it. }}}

[Lancebloke]

just vote Labour.

But Diane Abbott!

[Pettytyrant101]

{{Well vote cast, but thats the quietest I've seen my local polling station in any an election- in fact I was the only voter there when I cast my vote and that was a time when a lot of people would be on their lunch break and I'd expect to see a few folk about. }}}