The Kids Are Doing All Right

As a member of notoriously ironic* Generation X, I have to admit that I'm impressed by the sheer grit of today's young people.

As reported by the Washington Post:

In the first ruling of its kind nationwide, a Montana state court decided Monday in favor of young people who alleged the state violated their right to a “clean and healthful environment” by promoting the use of fossil fuels.

The court determined that a provision in the Montana Environmental Policy Act has harmed the state’s environment and the young plaintiffs, by preventing Montana from considering the climate impacts of energy projects. The provision is accordingly unconstitutional, the court said.

The win, experts say, could energize the environmental movement and reshape climate litigation across the country, ushering in a wave of cases aimed at advancing action on climate change. [...]

The ruling represents a rare victory for climate activists who have tried to use the courts to push back against government policies and industrial activities they say are harming the planet. In this case, it involved 16 young Montanans, ranging in age from 5 to 22, who brought the nation’s first constitutional and first youth-led climate lawsuit to go to trial.

They sued their State government, claiming that right-wing climate denialism and fossil-fuel-industry corporate welfare violated their constitutional rights... and they won. They WON! 

The kids aren't just all right, they're kicking ass and taking names. I don't believe that I ever had this kind of hustle. 

“People around the world are watching this case,” said Michael Gerrard, the founder of Columbia’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

You go, kids! Save the planet! We'll be cheering you on... ironically**, of course. Because that's how my generation does everything.

*   Ironic ≈ apathetic.

**  Ironic ≈ sincere (but not wanting to admit it).

An ongoing exercise in political futility and stupidity

Danielle Smith, newly minted leader of the United Conservative Party of Alberta and thus, by default, also the Premier of Alberta, has a pretty easy gig right now.

Through absolutely no policy or effort of theirs, the UCP is currently benefiting from high oil and gas prices in a province whose revenues are largely dependent on oil and gas royalties. This means that they are currently flush with cash, and could very easily buy some political good will by giving raises to nurses and teachers, spending money on public health care to reduce waiting times, spending money on ambulances to improve response times, and maybe even helping Albertans cope with high inflation.

Danielle Smith is a die-hard, far-right culture warrior, though, so she's resolutely ignored all of that low-hanging political fruit in order to pick a fight with the federal Liberal Party of Canada instead. The result, the hilariously named Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act, has been so poorly received that Danielle Smith is now having to walk it back.

"When Someone Shows You Who They Are, Believe Them." ~Maya Angelou

 With that quote in mind, consider this:

 

Yeah... There's a reason why we voted this omnishambles out of office, the last time she was Premier. 

Quoting the piece from CBC News:

Timothy Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta who focuses on debunking pseudoscience and unproven health advice, said he's noticed a pattern in Smith's posts — one that embraces fringe voices that are drawn to a conspiratorial worldview.

"As someone [at the university] who is deep into that space, the world of anti-vaxxers … she's basically embracing the stars of that movement," Caulfield said, noting the numerous times she has also highlighted the work of well-known fringe voices.

"Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Peter McCullough, these are individuals who are well-known anti-vaxxers who spread harmful misinformation."

Caulfield said he was familiar with the blog Smith had linked to, describing it as one that embraces a philosophy that warns of the looming advent of a nefarious global agenda. Such conspiracies often warn of a so-called Great Reset.

Nazi is as nazi does, and Danielle Smith done did a nazism here. Again.

I cannot express how badly I do not want this woman heading my regional government for one minute longer than absolutely necessary. I voted against her twice already; here's hoping the third time's the charm.

If you live in Alberta, and have any desire at all to be governed by someone who has both the skills to do the job, and principles that won't leave you embarrassed to tell people where you live, then you should be considering the NDP, right about now. You don't have to love their policies; you just have to agree that they're better than the alternative.