Rejoining Paris, News from Mars
Saturday, February 20, 2021
Vol. 10, No. 43
We’ll Always Have Paris: In his continuing effort to undo four years of Donald Trump, President Joe Biden formally rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement and declared that the days of “America First” diplomacy are over.
Unlike Trump, Biden believes climate change science. “We can no longer delay or do the bare minimum to address climate change,” Biden said. “This is a global, existential crisis. And we’ll all suffer the consequences if we fail.”
At least 189 countries joined the Paris Agreement in 2016 in a global international effort to join against climate change.
When he left the Paris Agreement in 2017, then President Trump said it would be bad for the US economy and, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”
There’s a strong argument to make that changing energy production and usage will create jobs, not just kill them. Biden announced plans to spend $2 trillion over four years to increase the use of clean energy in transportation, electricity, and building, while moving away from coal, oil, and gas.
Biden He has set a goal of eliminating fossil fuel emissions from electricity generation by 2035.
On the diplomatic front, speaking over video in the Munich Security Conference, Biden said, “I know the past few years have strained and tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined, determined to re-engage with Europe, to consult with you, to earn back our position of trusted leadership.
Stimulating Conversation: As President Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill wends its way through Congress and Republicans attempt to muster opposition, polling reveals that the majority of Americans want it.
More than 70 percent Americans like Biden’s aid bill, according to polling from SurveyMonkey for The New York Times. That includes nearly all Democrats, and 40 percent of Republicans.
Mars: Good morning, the weather on Mars today is a dry 18 degrees ranging to 101 below zero.
NASA’s six-wheeled Perseverance Rover is already sending back fantastic pictures of the landing and the landscape on Mars. One of the big improvements over previous Mars explorations is that the new equipment takes color pictures. Take a look, here.
Perseverance is only in its early shakedown. Engineers will check and update its software. In the next few weeks the rover test its robotic arm and take a short drive. It may be one or two months before Perseverance launches its mini-helicopter for the first rotary-powered flight on Mars.
A Riot, Alice: The Justice Department has charged six more members of the right wing Oath Keepers with crimes committed during the capitol insurrection. They call themselves “Guardians of the Republic.”
The leader of the group, Kelly Meggs, had posted on Facebook that he was answering the call of Donald Trump. “He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!! Sir Yes Sir!!! Gentleman we are heading to DC,” he wrote.
The Capitol Police have also suspended six members with pay pending investigation of their behavior during the incident. One took a selfie with a rioter and another was pictured wearing a red Trump “MAGA” hat. Another 29 officers are under investigation as well.
Gun Moll: During a video meeting this week of the House Natural Resources Committee to discuss a proposed rule to bar guns from its Capitol hearing room, the gun-obsessed Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado appeared against a backdrop of stacked assault rifles.
“This rule is absurd and discriminative,” Boebert said. “This is a blatant violation of our constitutional rights.” As if the hearing room is the OK Corral, Boebert said “I would like to request at this time personal security detail that the chairman pays for himself for every time I’m stepping into the committee room,”
Members of Congress are allowed to have guns in their offices but not take them on the House and Senate floors. The Natural Resources Committee approved the gun rule by a voice vote so Boebert will have to leave her hardware in the office.
The Bulletin Board: Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags lowered to half-staff in honor of radio host Rush Limbaugh, one of the most horrible people in America, who died of lung cancer at age 70 this week. Limbaugh was so hateful that his death made it acceptable to speak ill of the dead. — In a vital decision for workers in the “gig economy,” Britain’s Supreme Court, ruled that drivers should be classified as workers entitled to a minimum wage and vacation time. The court ruled that Uber acts like an employer because it assigns the rides, sets prices, and uses a rating system to discipline the drivers. — The Queen of England announced that Harry and Meghan of the royal Windsor family, after taking 13 months to think about it, will not return as working members of the royal family. No more cutting ribbons at new shopping malls.
Keeping Up: In one of the most predictable dissolutions in matrimonial history, celebutante and reality television star Kim Kardashian has filed divorce from her strange and estranged rapper husband Kanye West. You could see this one coming on their wedding day. She’s 40 and he’s 43. They have four children together. It’s the end of her third marriage and his first.
West has an ego bigger than a Kardashian mansion, but in fairness, he’s got bipolar disorder, as opposed to the Kardashians who just behave like it.
Famous Words: As Texas thaws out, turns the power on, and attempts to get the water flowing after the week’s deep freeze, the internet won’t let the state’s Sen. Ted Cruz forget that he famously once said, “I’ll believe in climate change when Texas freezes over.”
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