straightUp wrote:
Of course there are many causes that spark the fires raging across the western states and we really can't track them down to one cause. But there's more to starting a fire than a spark. You need three things... heat (such as a spark) oxygen and fuel.
It's the fuel that makes these fires so much worse now than they used to be. There's more of it. Why? because of increased drought conditions... the lack of rain kills the vegetation and dries the biomass into fuel for fire. Of course droughts have always been a problem in the western states and so have fires, but for some reason the current drought which started in 2012, has been more severe and prolonged than any previous drought on record and with it comes a series of record-breaking fires with every year getting worse.
Scientists at NOAA are saying this drought would have been bad anyway but not nearly as bad as it is due to... yup, I'm going to say it... Global Warming.
I can remember reading the studies as far back as 1978 that predicted these conditions... if we don't curb our emissions, because of the greenhouse effect. Then I watched that concern turn into a political battle with Democrats asking for the concern to be addressed and Republicans downplaying the studies and denying the science upon which they were based. Obviously, the Republicans were protecting the oil business which didn't want to sacrifice any part of their profit for a cleaner environment.
The Republican people voted big oil tycoons to the White House and sent their loved ones to fight wars to advance oil profits. Republicans have always been on the side of burning fossil fuels without any concern for the consequences.
42 years after I first read about global warming and it's potential outcomes, I am witnessing exactly what they predicted. We did NOT curb our emissions. The Republicans got in the way. Everytime we tried, the Republicans would reverse our efforts. I watched it happen... for 40 years!
So when I see those fires raging, blotting out the sky, destroying forests and structures, killing people and animals alike, I blame the Republicans. I don't accept ignorance on this one. There is no lack of information on this. After 40 years, if people STILL don't get it, it's because they choose not to. Therefore the lives lost in the fires was by choice. The choice made by Republicans... election after election.
And that goes for ALL people who have voted Republican over the last 40 years. Even those of you reading this. Yes, I am telling these Republicans with the utmost clarity... YOU are to blame for the fires and all the lives these fires will claim. 100%!
Of course there are many causes that spark the fir... (
show quote)