Below follows a jumble of would-be conversational excerpts from a March 5th New York Times Editorial, On Climate, Who Needs the Facts?, an actual email from Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and my response to said email.
That Portman will never see, much less contemplate, the havoc his environmental degradation wreaks is tragic.
But hey, a girl can fantasize.
Rob:
Dear Friend,
“Thank you for contacting me to express your concern about the Clean Air Act (CAA). It is good to hear from you.
Like you, I believe that protecting and preserving our environment should be a priority. In fact, while I was in the House of Representatives, I authored the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, which has helped protect over 60 million acres of threatened rainforests around the world by encouraging less developed countries to implement conservation efforts to protect essential tropical forests and reduce greenhouse gases.”
NYT:
"Regrettably, politics trumps science among House Republicans, who recently voted to zero out this country’s extremely modest $2.3 million annual commitment to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the leading international scientific body studying climate change.
The new Republican Congress has proposed “devastating amendments to the budget resolution that, unless reversed by the Senate,"(that's you Rob)"will undermine the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases.”
Rob:
“While I support the congressional intent of the Clean Air Act (CAA), which is to protect human health and the environment from emissions that pollute our outdoor air, I am concerned that in recent years, the EPA has taken an increasingly aggressive approach in expanding the CAA beyond its original scope.”
NYT:
(This is) "an appalling performance. But the worst of it was the House’s apparent belief that wishing/redacting (my word) away the evidence will eliminate the problem.”
Rob:
“Specifically, I am concerned by EPA's efforts to regulate greenhouse gases under the CAA.”
Me:
"Senator, I am profoundly disappointed in your stance and find it entirely befuddling that you don't understand that the air your children breathe, the water they drink and the chemicals that bombard their bodies on a daily basis will severely and without question affect their economic and physical futures in unimaginable ways."
Rob:
“The federal government should promote policies for a cleaner and healthier environment, but they should be balanced with the economic realities that currently face Ohio and our nation.”
Me:
"Without physical well being on this planet, nothing else will matter . . .not even the sacred profits the lobbies and corporations demand of politicians like you.
As a Senator, if you don't reexamine your priorities, your legacy to your family and mankind will be a haunting one. You were put into office to protect the country, not corporate America. Standing strong for the environment would be a good first step"
Rob:
“Thank you for taking the time to contact my office. Please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Rob Portman,
U.S. Senator”