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“Driving the Car Backwards, Part 2”

March 29, 2017

The steady “drip, drip, drip” of “revelatory news” continues regarding the Trump Administration’s relationship to Russia and whether there is collusion between Trump officials, Putin and the Russian government to sway the election to Mr. Trump.  The FBI, under FBI director Comey continues to report progress, albeit slow progress, in this investigation.  President Trump sought to shift blame to the Obama administration, possibly to cover his own tracks in this, but this proved to be unsuccessful because it is not even remotely true.  The Trump administration says “An investigation does not mean any crime has been committed.”  What is interesting, however, is that an investigation has to be done in the first place.  Such an investigation so close after a Presidential election is unprecedented in U.S. history.  This could be treason at the highest levels of government, or as the Trump administration claims, “it could be nothing at all.”

Even without this troubling series of events, the Trump administration is rapidly shifting its efforts to dismantle government regulations from first to second, even into third or fourth gear.  This administration, led by Alt-Right Steve Bannon is collectively moving to disassemble much of the legislation of the last fifty ears, as to environmental law.  Blaming President Obama as the “oppressor”, who put in place “too many rules that hinder growth”, President Trump in the past few days signed an executive order effectively eliminating many, if not all of the climate regulations enacted by the past administration.  Liz Perera from the Sierra Club has this assessment:  “This is, I think, one of the most historic attacks on climate and environmental action that the US has ever seen.”  (BBC News, Top Stories, March 29, 2017-Internet)

This new executive order allows the Department of the Interior to lift a moratorium on the sale of new coal leases on federal lands.  However, according to the BBC article by Matt McGrath, coal plants have shut down because of mercury pollution associated with burning coal.  Natural gas and other renewable energy sources have taken a bigger share of power generation.

In 2007 the US Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide gas was a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.  According to this same article, in 2009, the EPA ruled that C02 and other gases were responsible for contributing to climate change which then results in a threat to public health.  This “endangerment finding” compels the federal government to regulate C02 emissions.  Some environmentalists says this Supreme Court finding will bring to naught Trump’s plans.

But even if President Trump’s administration loses battle after battle in court, the delay in implementing rules to help mitigate climate change is in fact a win.  President Trump is driving the car backwards down the interstate, producing chaos and mayhem in the wake of his executive actions.

Even though CO2 emissions as directly related to human industrial activity have been proven time and time again, and now scientists are showing convincing evidence that the rise in C02 admissions beyond 400ppm will prove catastrophic in terms of weather patterns. The distribution of moisture and heat energy across the planet is the engine which drives extreme weather events.  Now, when the new leader of the EPA denies the whole body of Climate Change science as connected to human activity, he essentially ignores an entire body of recognized scientific truth!  Obviously, he reveals his true intention, which is the elimination of the very agency (the EPA) he currently chairs.

The Chinese, who have not lost their ability to be opportunists in areas of our national weaknesses, will undoubtedly present themselves as those who heed modern science and as the leaders in new, innovative technology for green energy and similar concerns.  They will fill the void in world leadership on green energy solutions, abandoned by the USA, and show how an industrial nation is able to cut C02 emissions.  They will likely redouble their efforts in the development of new technologies to solve some of the pressing global problems with green energy production, that is, to make green energy affordable for the average person and in the average home.

It is for these reasons and many more thoughtful Americans, indeed, citizens around the world are becoming increasingly concerned about this administration’s policies and intentions.  Hopefully, something or someone will “knock some sense” into the Trump officials and their emerging policies on C02 emissions and climate change!  It will be sad, very sad if this one administration so damages the credibility of the United States as to diminish our statesmanship and real power around the globe.  It could be years, if ever, for US prestige and power around the globe to recover.  We have a president who regularly makes up his own version of the news.  He also apparently does not know anything about the science of climate change.  We are already aware he is a neophyte in his knowledge of the health care system and how it both serves and fails to serve so many with and without insurance.

There are fundamental concerns at stake in each of President’s executive orders.  It is surprising how intent President Trump is to move quickly on all these matters of national and global concern.  Perhaps his intent is to move more quickly than his opposition can mobilize against his policies in the courts or in the larger court of public opinion.

The matter of internet privacy is another major concern.  Allowing the collection and sale of personal data without permission of the individuals whose data is being stolen and sold by Internet carriers is a serious breach of public trust.  One finds today there is no place left to hide to keep one’s self private.  Our deepest personal secrets, our shopping habits, our medical dossier and pretty soon our facial recognition and even our patterns of walking as means of identification of our person will be for sale to the highest bidder.  The right to opt out of this breach of privacy is taken away by the Republican Congress.  One group plans to publish all the personal data, internet searches and shopping habits of all the congressmen and their families who voted for this new law.  There are those who say this is not possible.  But in this day of “Wiki-leaks” and “the dark web” it is certainly plausible to consider.  Perhaps our congressmen and senators will think twice when they swallow down the same bitter pill they have voted into effect for all American citizens.

Indeed, this is “A Brave New World”, but whether this new world is brave or foolish remains to be seen.  So with the jury still out on Russia’s interference in our election, President Trump moves ahead, with an executive order gutting the Clean Air Act, attempting to hinder the ability of the EPA to enforce its own regulations.  If this is not driving the car backwards down the modern interstate, I don’t know what is!  As to what more can be done at this time to prevent these matters from becoming new law, except to raise awareness of our nation’s predicament, I am not able to say, in light of the new executive policies.  Our beloved and ill-informed President has gone to gutting common sense.

Christians says they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord and Ruler of the Universe.  I strive to be completely truthful in all these discussions, as they affect not just the Lord’s prepared people in Christ, but also may help lead others into Christ who are not yet ready to meet their Redeemer.

This concludes this short meditation for today.  But there is more, much more, which yet needs to be said.

The Voice of One Crying in this wilderness, “Make straight in the desert a highway for our God!”