Only Money Matters

So apparently it is now true. The only thing that actually matters in America is money.  It used to be different. Some things used to matter more. Remember the anti-War protests in Washington? They brought out thousands to protest American government intervention in Vietnam. Eventually, under Nixon, America finally lost its first War, and our policy changed. We moved away from Vietnam.

It makes me wonder what the equivalent might be in the case of Mass shootings.  What’s a “mass shooting” you ask? Well, from Wiki:

“The Congressional Research Service defines it as "public mass shootings", defined by four or more victims killed, excluding any victims who survive.^[5][6] The Washington Post and Mother Jones use similar definitions, with the latter acknowledging that their definition "is a conservative measure of the problem", as many shootings with fewer fatalities occur.^[7][8] The crowdsourced Mass Shooting Tracker project has the most expansive definition of four or more shot in any incident, including the perpetrator in the victim inclusion criteria.^[9][10] A 2019 study of mass shootings published in the journal Injury Epidemiology recommended developing "a standard definition that considers both fatalities and nonfatalities to most appropriately convey the burden of mass shootings on gun violence."^[11] The authors of the study further suggested that "the definition of mass shooting should be four or more people, excluding the shooter, who are shot in a single event regardless of the motive, setting or number of deaths."^[12]

As of December 2021, 693 (of which 303 resulted in zero deaths) fit the Mass Shooting Tracker project criterion, leaving 703 people dead and 2,842 injured, for a total of 3,545 total victims, some including the shooter(s)”.

And this was only one year. We have similar losses every year, mainly because we refuse to deal with the gun lobby. And the gun lobby is all about money. The NRA and the gun manufacturers make a lot of money by making and selling guns of all types to citizens, regardless of the citizens’ actual needs.  Now, I understand the argument that asserts that, “Guns are not the problem, People are the problem.” But then I wonder, “well what might happen if all those gunmen had been armed with six-foot spears instead of semiautomatic rifles?”  Hmmm. That might have been more useful even than “Thoughts and Prayers”.

But instead, we continue to allow folks to give money to a domestic terrorist organization, the NRA, and for that organization, the NRA, to buy Congressmen who are willing to block any attempt to change laws regarding guns. Yeah, Thoughts and Prayers indeed.  I wonder what might have happened if Mitch McConnell’s grandkids had been shot and killed. Or maybe if any of the Trump kids had been shot and killed by a mass shooter. Hmmmm. Would real actions might then have occurred?

Oh, and then we have Climate Change—you know, that fake news event in which some silly folks keep yelling about cataclysmic changes to our globe, that threaten our very existence.  So, are there actual Facts about Climate?

Fiction: Climate Change is a Natural Phenomenon:

Fact: Well, NO, it’s not Earth, It’s US.  The climate has changed naturally in the past, but that’s not what’s happening today. Right now, the world is warming up to 50 times faster than it has previously. That’s because humans have burned billions of tons of coal, oil and natural gas, which release carbon pollution into the air that traps the sun’s heat. That pollution can remain in the air for thousands of years, making the planet hotter and hotter. Right now, there is already a thick blanket of carbon pollution surrounding the earth, dangerously warming the planet.

 Fiction: Climate change is way off in the future.

Fact: IT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. We’re not talking about some far off threat. Heat-trapping pollution is already harming people right here, right now. Across the country, we’re experiencing record-breaking disasters. In the west, hot, dry conditions are fueling massive fires, with smoke that blocks out the sun and poisons the air. In the southwest, historic droughts threaten our food supply. And in the south, warmer oceans are fueling stronger, deadlier hurricanes that are destroying people’s homes and lives.

Fiction: There is nothing we can do about it.

Fact: THERE IS STILL TIME TO ADDRESS IT! (BUT NOT MUCH.)

It’s not too late to prevent the worst case scenarios. But to do so, we must stop polluting, and that means moving from fossil fuels to the clean, renewable energy sources of the 21st century. As a society, we already have the technology to build a clean economy that creates millions of jobs and a stable world. But we must act now.

And how is money involved here?? Well, for one thing, coal and oil production and usage, which contribute to climate change involve money, i.e., the companies and regions that produce have zero interest in switching to renewable energy sources, because it means they might lose money.  And what areas are most suggestive of real and dangerous climate change?

From NASA:

Global Temperature Rise: The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century. The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and other human activities. Most of the warming occurred in the past 40 years, with the seven most recent years being the warmest. The years 2016 and 2020 are tied for the warmest year on record.

Warming Ocean: The ocean has absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 100 meters (about 328 feet) of ocean showing warming of more than 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969. The ocean has absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 100 meters (about 328 feet) of ocean showing warming of more than 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.33 degrees Celsius) since 1969. Earth stores 90% of the extra energy in the ocean.

Shrinking Ice Sheets: The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019, while Antarctica lost about 148 billion tons of ice per year.

Glacial Retreat: Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa. Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa.

Decreased Snow Cover: Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades and the snow is melting earlier. Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades and the snow is melting earlier.

Sea Level Rise: Global sea level rose about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and accelerating slightly every year. Global sea level rose about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and accelerating slightly every year.

Declining Arctic Sea Ice: Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades. Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades.

Ocean Acidification: Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30%. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30%. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the ocean. The ocean has absorbed between 20% and 30% of total anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions in recent decades (7.2 to 10.8 billion metric tons per year).

But these are just facts, and increasingly, Americans are not interested in facts. Americans want feel good stories that support their view that they personally do not have to do anything different.  They can just , “Keep on truck’n”.  And that’s the job of Tucker Carlson and his Fox News BFFs.  He and Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham are paid very large amounts of money to lie to us, with their lies reminding us that we do not have to do anything different. Just keep on watching them, buy their sponsors’ products and all will be good for the world.

Yep, this too is All About the Money.  And will voting matter? Well, it could but I would not bet your kids on it.  Remember, Pennsylvania just voted to nominate Doug Mastriano, who asserts: “ I am calling for additional funds in this year’s state budget to be utilized by school districts to improve mental health resources including increasing the number of guidance counselors and improving training for teachers and administrators to help them identify potential warning signs and proper referral and intervention techniques. Additionally, the funds could be used for armed resource officers, arming teachers, metal detectors, door fortifications, emergency response training, and other mitigation measures.” Yeah, gotta arm those teachers. That’s the solution.

So, will voting matter? Well, Take It Away, Pennsylvania voters.