Is nothing sacred for the Republican platform committee, when they meet to draft what defines the party’s official principles and policies? Alongside forced LGBT “conversion therapy,” no same-sex marriages, focus on Bible studies in school, and coal inexplicably deemed “clean” energy, an amendment was proposed to do away with national public lands,
“Congress shall immediately pass universal legislation providing a timely and orderly mechanism requiring the federal government to convey certain federally controlled public lands to the states. We call upon all national and state leaders and representatives to exert their utmost power and influence to urge the transfer of those lands identified.”
This means that our country’s treasured national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and wilderness areas could lose federal protection. If so, the states could choose to spend their resources to maintain the lands, or… Choose not to, and choose instead to profit by giving them up for development or privatization.
This would be truly devastating not only for the land and thousands of species dependent on it for habitat, but also for our well-being as citizens. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) addressed the matter during a recent floor speech on ALEC-funded land seizure legislation,
“I have long believed that public lands are an equalizer in America, where access to public lands ensures that you don’t need to be a millionaire to enjoy the great outdoors or to introduce your children to hunting, fishing and hiking.”
He didn’t sugar coat his words when describing the craziness behind such a decision,
“This land grab idea is just as ludicrous as denying climate change, just as detached from reality, and similarly comes at the expense of our public health and protection of our public lands and resources.”
In a similar manner, delegates approved an amendment which would severely limit the President’s ability to protect our national landmarks. The Antiquities Act of 1906 has protected national monuments ranging from the Statue of Liberty to the Grand Canyon, but these monuments would, with the new amendment, need,
“The approval of the state where the national monument is designated or a national park is proposed,”
The environment has never been a priority of the Republican party. The delegates also wanted the sage grouse, prairie chicken, and the gray wolf exempt from the protections of the Endangered Species Act.
It’s hard to grasp the greed behind penning such proposals, putting national parks, forests and living species at risk to be eliminated.
Maybe that the GOP determined coal to be “clean energy” can help us understand how such proposers can sleep at night. The reasoning appears to be something along these lines; coal is lucrative, so let’s just call it clean energy to justify our exploitation.
Science says otherwise, but we believe in the Bible and not in science, so that’s OK. Therefore we’ve done everything right and can sleep very well at night, with our consciences clean as coal.
Party delegates at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next week will vote to adopt the draft document. Meanwhile, you can watch the Republican platform committee inexplicably determine coal to be clean energy here:
Featured image by WildOne on Pixabay. Permission to use under Creative Commons CC0 Public Domain.
