Poster boy for why government doesn’t work, in its present iteration. When you have rubes and know-nothing’s heading a science committee in Congress, you know we’re f’d.
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In future news:
Lamar Smith has threatened to charge the oceans with contempt of Congress for refusing to respond to subpoenas issued by Smith’s committee. The committee served subpoenas to the atmosphere and the oceans as part of an investigation into what he calls collusion to fraudulently create the appearance of a warming climate. The atmosphere appeared before the committee last week, but did not respond to any questions. Smith accused the atmosphere of assaulting him when he left the air-conditioned House building after that hearing. Capitol Police announced that they have closed the investigation, because they found no evidence of a crime.
This news follows Smith’s press conference on Wednesday, in which he announced that he was sending Federal Marshals to track down Arctic sea ice. Smith claimed that the ice had gone into hiding to avoid service of another committee subpoena.
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Otherwise known as ‘the good old days’ in Texas.
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He is a Republican Senator from Texas. Therefore Exxon OWNS HIM.
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FIFY
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I don’t think there’s really any doubt about who he works for.
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We really need to get rid of the states.
Of course we need local and regional levels of govt underneath the one national govt. Any nation bigger than Monaco needs geographical levels of govt. But we don’t need the states as the regional level of govt. And we don’t need any subordinate govt with any claim to any legislative authority independent of the national govt, as US states now have.
No, I don’t agree, at all, with Lamar Effing Smith’s take on climate change. But I hope this particular case will help people see the shortsightedness of people on our side hoping to forum shop for better public policy outcomes by maintaining state independence. The other side will always be more ruthless in using any part of the federal govt they control at the time to preempt state control, but also forum-shopping any relevant question to the states where they don’t have such control. Smith will win this one, because he and his R colleagues are entirely shameless at upholding states’ rights, even unto secession, if a state wants something stupid and reactionary, but then using federal preemption of state powers whenever a state wants to do something sensible and needful.
The only way we make progress is to get the federal trifecta at least sometimes, pass legislation to get good things done, then hold on to at least one leg of the trifecta to keep those good things from being repealed. We need to end the ability of their side to forum shop back to the states to block progress. The plan of having states’ rights as some sort of backup for our side’s use, in case we lose the trifecta, has not and will not work, because when they hold the trifecta they will not hesitate to snatch power back from the blue state that dares do something right, if that something right is of the least importance to them.
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Tell me about that horrible problem of government overreach again, Lamar…
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Last week I had some landscaping done on my property in Kansas City. during a discussion of one of my existing shrubs, my contractor, a gray headed generally conservative guy in his late 50s looked at me and said, “Don’t believe the folks who say there is no global warming. People in my profession know there is global warming. Today I can plant plants that thrive in your yard that would have struggled 20 years ago. There are plants I don’t plant in your yard now because they don’t do as well in today’s climate as they did 20 years ago. The transition zones have moved north. Anybody who tells you otherwise is a fool or an oil company guy.”
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I love how the Republican Party is vehemently in support of states’ rights. No, I meant, Big Government and Federal supremacy on all issues! No, wait, I meant states’ rights! No, wait, I meant Big Government/Federal supremacy. No… wait… hold on… I’m beginning to get it… they have no integrity whatsoever, and just use those phrases in order to please their campaign contributors. And once you’re a hypocrite, you have no honor, no credibility, and no authority. You’re a fool.
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I like that premise. Let’s try it and see (the part about removing the GOP, that is…).
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Owned by oil, the Saudi, and self-fulfilling prophesy – be it star or scripture.
Same denial-new phase.
Wait-it’s denial change!
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You’re more right than you know. Check out the origin of their nickname, “The Nutmeg State.” It isn’t for growing nutmegs!
That ‘state’s rights’ are an arguing position against Smith’s over reach is something slathered in awesome sauce with a bright red cherry of beauty upon the top.
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Pls. reference: Bear; woods; defecation
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Indeed. Democrats all the way down the ballot across the country should be hammering on this stuff: those college-educated suburban voters thinking of ticket-splitting to “keep a check on Clinton” need to realize the current Republican Party is a sick and destructive entity that should be kept far from any real power until/unless it can get healthy again.
And anyone contemplating a third-party vote needs to realize that a Trump presidency (lord, it gives me chills just to type that) would pretty much literally mean, to quote James Hanson, “game over” in the battle to save the planet for human habitation. This is not actually a game.
@ronbyers, hope your landscaping contractor and everyone in his profession are telling everyone they know to vote for Democrats…
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This is a House hearing, so he’s not a senator.
Situational federalism.
Just another lap dog for BIG OIL to block the truh
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