To the Editor:
I am a Democrat, and I am proud to be one. I chose this party because of my grave concern for the environment and my strong respect for different cultures and races of people. As of January 2023, in the Senate, there were 15 women Democrats, and 9 women Republicans.
In the House of Representatives 92 are women Democrats and 33 women Republicans. In congress, 80% of the Native American, Hispanic, and Black people in congress, are Democrats, while only 20% are Republicans. So, this shows that the Democrats hold the diversity and strong representation of this country much more so than do the Republicans.
I have many concerns about what is happening to this country. But I will primarily focus on one issue and that is our environment. As do the Native Americans, I believe this earth is sacred, along with the water and all life forms.
The earth is our mother in a sense and provides us with everything we need to survive. Yet we treat her with no respect and take and take with no sense of gratitude or understanding of the damage we are doing to all life forms, and the earth itself. It has taken the earth millions of years to come to the balance she was in and now so much is off balance, that the results are death and total extinction to millions of species with an increase each year.
Climate change has been denied for years because it meant a reevaluation of the use of fossil fuels which is the number one cause of the planet heating up — 97% of the world scientists agreed with this analysis, but not the Republican party.
There are 2½ times more billionaire Republicans than there are Democrat billionaires in this country and many of these billionaires are billionaires because of big oil. So out of greed they lied and used every plot imaginable to disagree with the analysis of climate change.
These billionaires strongly supported FOX news and any Republican who ran against the idea of climate change. We had years to make this correction but because of their powerful influence and greed, in 2023 we reached a 2.1 degree Fahrenheit warmer temperature than ever recorded in history. Just so you know if we get to 6 degrees hotter nothing will survive.
Did you hear me?
Nothing will survive!
I remember very well the hatred the Republicans had for Al Gore because he was very concerned and learned much about what was happening worldwide from scientists and tried very hard to make us aware for the much~needed changes. Now we have climate change in the making and the disasters will increase each year. In the last three years the manatees in Florida died off by the thousands. This was due to starvation from dying ocean plants.
There are places on the Florida coast where the water 20 feet down is now 92 degrees. This is extremely alarming but still the denial of climate change exists in the Republican party.
In science we have been able to go back 800 thousand years by examining the layers of ice in the north and south poles and what they found is that the earth has been in a pattern of ups and downs in temperatures lasting for several hundred years each — BUT never in all that time has the temperatures rose to the degree they are in now.
Starting in the 80’s, the temps began to rise above recorded history, and they have not stopped since and is now rising at an alarming speed. Now the Jett stream is going to extremes in its fluctuation allowing both north and south poles to melt at an alarming rate.
Then this cold air comes down farther than ever before and the hot air rises higher on the planet than ever before. So, extremes is the result. We are now experiencing extreme droughts, extreme flooding,forest fires, and extreme heat and cold. And it is going to just get worse. This has been the alarm sounded and Republicans continue to ignore it.
So, with this bit of history here, for you all who think Trump has done so much for this country, lets look at what he has done to our country regarding the environment starting with his very first year in office.
Trump rolled back more than 100 environmental regulations. He dismantled major climate policies and many rules governing clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals. These new changes weakened the Obama-era limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, cars, and trucks. Trump removed protections for more than half of our nation’s wetlands. He withdrew legal justifications for restrictions of mercury emissions from power plants.
In the meantime, the Interior department worked to open more land for oil and gas leasing by limiting wildlife protection. Why? So, businesses could make more money. After all this, for the first time, high levels of toxins from foundries in this country were now being dumped into our rivers, streams, air and land.
All told, the Trump administration deregulated actions were estimated to significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade and lead to thousands of extra deaths from poor air quality each year.
There were so many wildlife slaughters that a judge in 2019 overturned the Trumps administration’s move to gut the endangered species act and tried to restore the protections for hundreds of species. Trump could care less about the earth or wildlife as over 2,000 wolves were shot and killed within the first 6 weeks of his presidency. It took 45 years for the wolf population to rebound and now they are again struggling as so many Republicans out west have moved their huge herds of cattle unto government lands.
I remember back in the early 90’s when we went to visit the state of Wyoming, we went through the Big Horn mountains, and you could see incredible lands for many miles along with a herd of wild horses. Now after all these years later, the horses were slaughtered or given away, because they said there was no room for them. The reason being, that the cattlemen moved in their huge herds of cattle and now this mountain country is full of high and powerful fences to keep in the cattle in and the Elk and deer out. It is no longer a land for wildlife but for money.
Republicans claim to be so pro-life yet the love for their guns is so pro death for so many children each year, resulting in death by guns as the highest form of death for children in this country. So pro-life yet death from climate change weather patterns for both people and animals grow each year and yet is still denied by most of Republicans.
One recent event by Trump was a fund-raiser where the price to attend was $250,000. Trump made it known to these oil profit attendees that he was “going to remove even more regulations for oil” and one his favorite lines while campaigning is “Drill baby drill.” As a result he made 25 million dollars.
In closing I have no respect for a man who lies more than he tells the truth, 16-thousand lies in his first year in office, and 45-thousand at the end of his third year. I have no respect for a man who speaks so disrespectfully about women. I have no respect for a man who cares nothing for the earth or it’s creatures.
And I have no respect for a man who is in love with power and control.
Trump breeds hatred, and divisiveness. The hate filled flags and warnings to leave this area abounded because of him. The fact that our mailbox was torn down and demolished 8 times shows how much disrespect there is around here for anyone who is for the earth and conservation.
Compassion is what will heal this country. Compassion comes from the heart energy. A person who lies more than he tells the truth is not a man of compassion. A person who cares nothing for the earth or it’s creatures is not a man of compassion. A person who watches January 6 unfold and just smiles and says nothing to stop it is not a man of compassion. A person who loves and respects Puttin and the north Korean leader is not a man of compassion. A man who is out to destroy the earth all for money is not a man of compassion. A man who proclaims he will release and forgive all the rioters of January 6th is not a man of compassion.
One quality that is so obvious in Biden is his compassion. He can heal this country.
Ginny Blankenship, Owensville
