Environmental Conservatives? Why Not?
As we wait with bated breath for the Thursday release of the redacted Mueller report, the clown wars have reached a new peak of intensity. Confetti cannons are going off right and left. A new attack on Barr’s objectivity (as if more were needed) comes in this discovery that Barr himself has strong business associations with Russia. And clown-in-chief Trump is calling for an investigation of the investigators with— you guessed it —new investigators. This is turning into “Investigate-gate” (you heard it first here!).
https://www.newsweek.com/so-many-conflicts-so-little-time-1396435
There was also a very rare bi-partisan agreement to bring Mueller and his docs to the intelligence committee. Finally! But this will be done in secret, and it’s hard to say whether the outcome will be useful to anyone. Each of the two sides has different motivations for wanting the report in full. Schiff hopes to find evidence against Trump; Nunes wants to “investigate the investigators.” Still, it’s some action in a clown show that keeps repeating itself. And it will be interesting to see whether Mueller and/or Barr stonewall this request. If they do, the report is probably harmful to Trump. If not, not. But this chase after the report still reminds me of a clownish bullfight. The Democrats are chasing the cape, and there’s no way to know what’s behind it. But it’s not the matador they are after.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/15/schiff-nunes-request-mueller-briefing-1276442
Speaking of bi-partisanship, thinking outside the Democratic/Republican circus tent, I’ve begun to wonder about environmentalist conservatives. Environmental protection seems the most conservative of causes; conservation and conservative come from the same roots after all. There must be environmentalist conservatives out there. It even crossed my mind– dare I say it?– that there could be environmentalist Republicans.
A little research turned up some movement in this area, though nothing I would call an conservative environmental movement. Yet. As a non-partisan citizen, standing to the side of the two-party circus, I’d like to figure out how to reach out to conservative independent voters to join me in becoming Climate Voters in 2020. We all share the weather (as I’ve written before), whatever our views on other issues might be. “I’m a Climate Conservative” has a nice alliterative ring to it.
Here are two pretty good statements from conservatives about environmentalist conservatives.
“Yet when considered rationally, environmental issues actually call upon core conservative principles.”
And this from a young conservative environmentalist.
https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/5/23/17381960/millennial-conservatives-climate-change
One remarkable thing that stepping to the side of the two-party circus has done for me is open me up to a more international view of politics. Major environmental actions are happening in Europe with the Extinction Rebellion and the Fridays for Future movements. And important elections are coming up in the EU.
So I spent a little while this morning watching the live stream of Greta Thunberg speaking to the European Parliament. It was interesting for many reasons. Greta was clear and strong in her statement, as always. For the first time, I saw her cry. The politicians were different and the same as those in the US. The statements were far stronger toward an environmental view, with a much broader understanding of climate science, than US politicians typically display. Many of the statements were in languages I don’t know, but many were in English. It’s worth a watch if you have the time.
Here’s Greta’s speech by itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzgOaFsphjU
Here’s the whole hearing from the live stream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn7WHwlsOXU
From the side, it looks like the US has some real catching up to do.
Ducks Unlimited is another somewhat conservative, NRA loving people I suspect, that also works for environmental causes. You can’t hunt ducks if there are none!
Yes! A great thought. Hunters and fisher-folks I’ve known are usually environmentally aware to some degree, even if conservative in other ways. I’ll have to do a little research into those groups.