News Burst: March 28, 2017 (Patreon)

Hey All,

Let's get right into it today, shall we?

I hope you're all doing very well! -Colin

Trump Begins Dismantling Environmental Protections: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/donald-trump-obama-climate-change-policies-236570

My Take: This was inevitable. While I believe that global warming is real, and while I believe that it’s being heavily exacerbated by human activity, I also acknowledge how complicated this issue is, and how dealing with the problem must be balanced with economic realities. As callous as it sounds, the dude in West Virginia who can’t provide for his family because his coal mine was shut down doesn’t care about global warming. He cares about surviving, right now. And no matter what anyone says, there’s a legitimacy in the way that hypothetical man feels.

To combat global warming will require a Kyoto Protocol-like agreement between literally every major country, but it’s also fair to say that China and India, as an example, are right to be hesitant to get involved, strangle their economies, and hurt their prospects because western countries were busy polluting to their hearts’ content while they weren’t even able to build workable factories. Like I said, this issue is massively complex, incredibly complicated, and has very real implications, both for today and tomorrow. It’s geopolitical to the nth degree.

Here’s my stance: Green energy should continue to be a priority. Start building nuclear power plants (why are we so scared of them?), give massive tax breaks to those who are studying alternative forms of fuel, and really get down to the nitty-gritty of reducing our carbon footprint over the coming decades, not years. In the meantime, keep drilling and extracting fossil fuels, driving costs down for consumers and keeping people employed. There are economic realities that must be dealt with here. Pretending those realities don’t exist doesn’t make them go away.

I know it’s very sci-fi, but am I the only one who thinks that science will end up solving this problem in an unexpected way in, say, 50 years’ time? Atmosphere scrubbers, or blocking off portions of the Earth from receiving sunlight, or any of the other really fascinating shit I read about from time to time? I dunno. All I know is that the gray area in between hyper-environmentalism and overt destruction of our ecosystem is where we need to be.

Will Sally Yates Testify?: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/326151-white-house-says-it-wants-yates-to-testify

My Take: This is more “Russia! Russia! Russia!” stuff, and I have no idea what’s real and what’s false. Same as I said yesterday. Trump can be the Manchurian Candidate, or he can be completely innocent. I have no idea, and I don’t trust anything anyone says about Trump’s Russia connections, whether it’s the media talking or the administration.

I read about this shit everyday, and I can barely keep up. Just imagine how people working real jobs and going about their lives in Anytown, USA feel.

The agendas on both sides have become far too big. Far too real. Far too impenetrable. Never in my life would I have thought I’d see a POTUS with possible illicit connections to Russia, nor would have I ever thought I’d see a Democratic party that seems hell-bent on going to actual war with our old Cold War adversary. What the fuck is even going on anymore?

Broadband Privacy Rules in Jeopardy: http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/27/15073162/fcc-broadband-internet-privacy-rules-congress-vote

My Take: First of all, some folks were upset I didn’t include this yesterday. Honestly, I had only read about it briefly, and didn’t know much about it. So, here’s where we stand.

The Senate has already voted on removing FCC regulations regarding a person’s right to privacy in regard to their private data. The House will now have to vote, and then the President will have to sign the bill. So there are still two steps to stop this from happening.

The article explains why this is a bad thing, if you need more information, but it basically comes down to this: Telecoms would, in this new future, be able to take and bundle your data, whether it’s browsing history or whatever else, and sell it to whoever, with no protection. It goes even further than that, but that’s pretty much all you need to know in terms of why this is inherently nefarious and wrong-headed.

Better act quick!

Silence U: What Has Yale Become?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK4MBzp5YwM&ab_channel=WeTheInternet

My Take: Watching this video actually made me livid. I can’t believe what’s happening to college campuses lately. This guy does a really fantastic job of explaining the issue, and noting how completely fucking insane it all is.

We need to reclaim academia for ideas and knowledge, not agendas and orthodoxy.

Storing Away Precious Cargo: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3197874/second-arctic-doomsday-vault-will-allow-the-worlds-precious-books-to-survive-armageddon/

My Take: I know folks aren’t crazy about The Sun, but I think this is an interesting story, nonetheless. Storing away what makes us human, and what makes our society tick, just in case something bad happens… well… that doesn’t seem like a terrible idea during times like these, does it?

Sean Spicer Fights Back: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/03/28/sean_spicer_vs_april_ryan_if_the_president_puts_russian_dressing_on_his_salad_you_say_its_a_connection.html

My Take: This is an interesting palate cleanser, because while I’m no fan of the Trump administration, and while I think Sean Spicer is clearly out of his depth as Press Secretary, I also think it’s clear that the mainstream media has a runaway agenda, and I think it’s good to reel it back in at times like these.