Trump Administration's Obnoxiousness With Greenland Is Tacit Acknowledgment Of Climate Change

The United States is again making dumb noises about
annexing Greenland, diplomacy and legality be
damned. While the Trump administration denies
climate change exists, this whole mess
is largely about climate change. 

Greenland is back in the news again, as the Trump Administration is ramping up its efforts to take control of the big Arctic ice heap.  It's a move that practically nobody else wants other that Donald Trump and his not-so-merry band of MAGA cultists. 

One irony is that Donald Trump denies the existence of climate change, yet that very real warming of the planet is a big part of what's behind all this. 

To back up here, Trump last week appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as his envoy to Greenland. Landry said he would travel to Greenland to convince people living there to become part of the United States. 

Good luck with that. 

Greenland is a self-governing Danish territory. Officials in Greenland, Denmark and the European Union unanimously condemned Trump effort to annex Greenland.  A big majority of Greenlanders want increased independence from Denmark, but they really, really don't want to become part of the U.S.

Somebody from MAGA always says the quiet part out loud, and the ever-reliable Fox host Brian Kilmeade gave us this:

"Greenland has been ignored by Denmark for decades. Now they're not, because we have shown interest. They have about 60,000 people there and we have a huge military base. Look, we are going to need their natural resources to mine them - you'll (Denmark) be able to get some of that. But in the meantime, we have to expand our base there and access to the waterways, because the Arctic is melting and we need access there. 

Russia and China is (sic) trying to dominate. Plus, what are we in, the era of the Viking? What is Denmark doing in our backyard?"

Phew! There's a lot to unpack there. Our "need" for natural resources, as if we could just go in and take them.  Sure, Donald Trump said we need Greenland for security, not minerals. But it's about the minerals as much as it is about security. Especially in the sense of  how much money the grifters associated with Trump can make from exploiting Greenland.  

Kilmeade seems to think it's horrible that puny little Greenland wants to control its own future and puny little Denmark should have the gaul to be in control of Denmark.

Greenland is in our backyard, since it's hooked on to North America. Trump is like the homeowner who sees a ball accidentally thrown into his yard by neighborhood kids. He's the type that would keep the ball instead of throwing it back over to the kids. 

CLIMATE CONNECTION

But since this is a climate and weather blog, there's one piece in Kilmeade's screed that I want to focus on. It's where he said "the Arctic is melting."

I thought all the MAGA types deny human-caused climate change. They say it's a hoax. So why is the Arctic melting? It's true that Greenland is pretty steadily losing some of its massive ice cap to a warming world. 

Maybe Kilmeade will sputter that the climate changes "naturally," but how do you explain such a massive melt that developed over decades, not centuries like most of Earth's past episodes of natural warming and cooling?

Ultimately Trump's one-sided crush on Greenland is about the climate change that he publicly denies exists. 

As Al Jazeera tells us:

"Climate change and a rapidly melting ice sheet are the main reasons the Arctic has become a geopolitical hotspot

The Arctic is heating at a rate four times faster than the global average, increasing its accessibility for maritime trade routes and resource exploration - including by non-arctic countries as well as those with an Arctic presence. 

China has deployed vessels capable of serving both military surveillance and research functions in the region. The purposes are to collect data and secure access to resources and shipping lanes, which are emerging as a result of melting ice."

In addition, Russia is deploying missile systems and weapons testing in the Arctic, and has grown its naval presence near the top of the world. Canada is planning to shore up its military and diplomatic presence in the Arctic because of those Chinese and Russian moves in and near Greenland. 

So the security risk is real, but as usual, Trump's bluster, lies and utter untrustworthiness is botching it. 

Russia and Chinese military and espionage geeks are undoubtedly loving all of this.

What probably would have made a lot more sense was to light a fire under the European Union over the Arctic security threats, then negotiate some sort of alliance involving Denmark, the U.S. and other European nations as a counterweight to Russian and Chinese threats in Greenland and elsewhere in the Arctic.  

But nope! Trump just has to be a clownish bully to appease his own fragile ego and the expense of the rest of the world. 

For years we've been told that a warming planet would make political, social and military conflicts more likely. It's too bad Trump is working os hard in aiding and abetting the "hoax' climate change to make all that happen sooner and more dangerously than most of us thought.   

The Elephant In The Post Election Room

I post this photo of Shelly Winters when the boat
turns upside down in the "Poseidon Adventure"
whenever I feel like things re heading south, so....

You might have noticed that until now, I have not yet mentioned the election, which apparently has been decided in favor of Donald Trump. 

Readers of this blog know full well I'm a vocal critic of Donald Trump.  Like many of you - nearly half the nation - this isn't a good time for us, to put it mildly.  

To be honest,  I'm disappointed in the people who voted for Trump.

We have to accept that lots of people were willing to throw away so much of what many in this country holds dear in favor of reducing the price of a dozen eggs at the supermarket.

Or something like that. 

Yes, I'm cynical. But you knew that already. 

Something snapped in me Wednesday morning. It's clear that until now, I was misunderstanding the rule of the game. 

The whole thing is about bullying. That's the name of the game voters have decided upon. Trump is a bully, his minions are bullies, and so are his most ardent fans. They're proud of it. 

I knew right along they were bullies. But until now, I thought our better angels might prevail. I was wrong. 

Trump gave his worst follows "permission" to be the awful people they really are. I'm not talking about all Trump voters, of course. Just the snarly ones you always see at his interminable rallies.

The situation we're in now is way different than other instances when a presidential candidate whom I didn't favor won. In those cases, I didn't like their policies, but could easily agree to disagree with them and their supporters.  I still respected these presidents and like-minded politicians. I knew they would (mostly) uphold the law, adhere to the Constitution and were serving their country. 

Here, despite his fans' beliefs, we'll have a president who is only serving himself and perhaps some of his minions. Some of his more thuggish supporters will continue to menace their enemies, especially the more vulnerable. Just because they can. You can't respect anything like that. 

One of my regrets in life is I haven't adequately stood up to bullies, whether their aim was against me or someone else. No more. I'm now ready to be as nasty as the rest of them. 

Of course, I will continue to show kindness and warmth to everybody who deserves it.   But if I encounter the lying liars who lie who created this whole moment in history, then I'm coming out with guns blazing.

Not literally, obviously. I'm never been a violent person and I'm not going to start now.  Any "cruelty" I show toward those who deserve it will be with words and non-violent deeds. I'm not Crazy Harry, the mad bomber from The Muppet Show, after all. 

The lying liars who lie I refer to are mostly the mendacious operatives who spread disinformation regarding just about everything. With the aim to get richer and richer by gaslighting their fans into submission. A lot of 'em fell for it hook, line and sinker in this election.

Brace yourself for a ton more fabrications during the Trump administration. 

This is of course a weather and climate blog, so that's what I'll continue to focus on here.    I'm sure there will be a lot of denying of climate change, or anything to do with basic science during the next four years at least.  Might we see another Sharpie that will "alter" the path of a  hurricane?

You know I haven't been shy at criticizing those who spread all these lies, like the weather conspiracy theories, the supposed nonexistent federal response to recent hurricanes, you name it. 

I've determined I need to step up my efforts to name and shame even more. 

That's not to say this blog will just be a grim vendetta against the people I don't like. I'll happily celebrate the people and organizations who are making a positive difference. There will be plenty of regular news, forecasts, even fun. In fact, the fun element might be me bullying the bullies every once in awhile. 

I know my efforts won't change the world, and it might have me end up in the gulags or something, but like I said, I'm done with the bullies.

To quote the classic movie "Network," I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore. I'll just need to work on the right way to not take it anymore. Suggestions are welcome.

I also won't become a bitter old man in this process. I don't have the stomach for that, either. 

Through the Trump administration, I'll continue to see beauty and feel the joy in my flower gardens glittering in the sunshine after a spring shower. I'll embrace the kindness in my husband's eyes and the sound of his goofy laugh when he watches some slapstick comedy. 

I'll experience the awe of watching those summertime storm clouds erupt into displays of strength and majesty. And I'll savor the companionship as me and Jackson the Weather Dog, his tail wagging, when we go out first thing on a winter morning to measure how much snow fell the night before. 

There's still a lot of good in the world, and good people in the world, despite the fact the bad seems to  have taken the lead in the game of life right now.  .

This whole screed I've just written could well lose me some regular readers. It's the price I have to pay, I guess.  

When I woke up Wednesday morning, the future looked a lot more uncertain than it ever did. I guess I don't get to coast quietly into older age as I'd planned and hoped. I'll probably lose a lot, but I'm going to cling to my self-respect. 

Much more importantly, I'm going to respect and love the people that really matter, from climate scientists and meteorologists to innocent Trump victims to my own family and friends. 

And to the bullies that are on top of the world right now, I have one not so friendly message: Sooner or later, reality comes around to bite you in the ass.