Scott Pruitt, Trump’s E.P.A. Pick, Is Approved by Senate Committee

Feb 2, 2017 at 10:49 PM | Unregistered CommenterMartin A

I'll raise a glass to that. I'm still waiting for the BBC to notice it. They're doing it deliberately to deprive me of gloating-rights.

He'll settle the hash that's been made with 'sue and settle'.
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michael hart, Trump may have asked Pruitt to publish some accounts for EPA expenditure, and how it has "benefitted" different sectors of the US Economy.

I do not like Trump, and I have no great hopes for his Presidency. The "Israel's best friend" act has already produced an Israeli policy of building 500 homes in the contested east Jerusalem, which doesn't look like a policy conducive to finding a peaceful solution to that country's problems.

Jan 22, 2017 at 7:14 PM | Unregistered CommenterMark Hodgson

What policy would be "conducive to finding a peaceful solution" other than the eradication of Islam? Eradication of Israel (Islamic policy) won't bring peace to the Middle-East - Trump or no Trump.

Correction: Islamist policy

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/02/04/bombshell-noaa-whistleblower-says-karl-et-al-pausebuster-paper-was-hyped-broke-procedures/

Trump may have reason to have further questions asked about Karl and NOAA, and other countries can now cite untrustworthy science as a reason to bin the Paris Climate deal.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all Climate Scientists went on strike, and no one noticed?

Super Abund Karls,
Could be Chuckie, Chees, or Charles;
Pay up now these quarrels.
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Gwendolyn. " Wouldn't it be wonderful if all Climate Scientists went on strike, and no one noticed? "
But, but, but, the Earth's temperature could suddenly rise a one hundredth of a degree and we would never know!!

Horrors!

The data gap would eventually be filled by homogenized readings, so nothing new then. I wonder if climate scientists have gone on strike in the past and nobody did notice.

You do sometimes write the silliest things.

clipe, there is no easy answer to the problems of Israel and the Middle East, but I think it's wise to avoid taking needlessly provocative actions which are difficult to reverse. That's all.

You do sometimes write the silliest things.

Feb 5, 2017 at 4:41 PM | Supertroll

I was hoping to qualify as a Climate Scientist, but job security and salaries now seem less convincing than Mann's Holy Hockey Stick

Feb 5, 2017 at 8:35 PM | Mark Hodgson

I don't know whether you have been following the last 24 hours of Climate Lies, here, WUWT, Mail on Sunday etc, but it may be that Trump now has some Fraud at Taxpayers Expense to investigate, which COULD involve US Criminal Justice Departments.

https://judithcurry.com/2017/02/04/climate-scientists-versus-climate-data/

It all links Tom Karl (and Peterson) to John Podesta and John Holdren in the White House, just in time for the Paris Climate Deal/Stitch-Up

golf charlie

You've obviously noticed that my input has been limited of late - I go through phases of being busy elsewhere, but I try to keep an eye on what's going on. I've seen the fuss about Karl et al, the criticism of him and his paper, the extraordinarily rapid response* to try to ridicule the criticism etc, and am now awaiting further developments with great interest.

*Geoff Chambers over at cliscep writes in response to an alarmist linking to the defence of Karl:

"The Zeke Hausfather article at Carbon Brief which you link to is dated 05.02.2017 4:38am, and is a reply to an article by David Rose dated 22:57 GMT, 4 February 2017. Given that CarbonBrief is a UK based website, this suggests that it was commissioned and written in five hours. As journalism (and as damage limitation) this is admirable. As science, less so. It is as full of peas fleeing thimbles as there are neutrinos in a coalmine. Consider this:

The land record that NOAA used in the Karl et al paper was a sneak peak at their new GHCNv4, which increases the number of global land stations from the 4,400 currently used to around 25,000.

Well that’s great. And how does multiplying the number of present date sources by 5 NOW improve comparisons with data sources THEN?
And this:

If folks don’t like the NOAA data, they will get the exact same story using surface temperature data from any other group, with no detectable sign of a “hiatus” or “pause” through to the present.

Who ever suggested that there was a pause “through to the present?” It stopped when el Nino started. Zeke and CarbonBrief know that. They are pretending not to know so that they can be quoted tomorrow by “the 97%” at the Guardian and all the other serial liars.
And so on. This is damage limitation. It will work, no doubt. It’s got million dollar/pound financing, after all, and we haven’t. But we know it’s propaganda, and so do you.

One wonders, not at the money required, but the hubris required to paint a false narrative of nature. And then one realizes that this has been going on for three decades.

Heh, nemesis is just building up a head of steam.
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Mark Hodgson, I am not sure how much funding they will have soon.

Most of my career has involved "trouble shooting", working out what has gone wrong, why, and how to fix it. This has taken me into some interesting and sometimes murky places.

Botched-up damage limitation, face saving and arse covering, can cause more expense and damage, than the original thing that went wrong. Rogue professionals, whether Phil Shiner style, or MMR Vaccines, or the Police etc, can lead to the accusation of Institutional/Profession Corruption.

When Taxpayers money is involved in the UK, the Police can be brought in. UK Politicians and Civil Servants are normally wary of triggering Police investigations for fear of where the investigations may end up, however, Trump has nothing to lose. This is one bit of the swamp that may drain others too.

A Donald Trump thread seems like the appropriate place to talk about Bercow's attempt to prevent Trump being allowed to speak to Parliament. According to the BBC report, his justifications are as follows:

"House of Commons Speaker John Bercow would be "strongly opposed" to US President Donald Trump addressing the Houses of Parliament during his state visit to the UK, he has said.
Mr Bercow told MPs that "opposition to racism and sexism" were "hugely important considerations".
He told MPs that addressing the Lords and the Commons was "an earned honour", not an "automatic right".
He said he was one of three "key-holders" for Westminster Hall, and referred to the US president's controversial travel ban.
"Before the imposition of the migrant ban, I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall," he said.
"After the imposition of the migrant ban I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.""

On Thursday 29 November 2012, the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, welcomed the Amir of the State of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, on the occasion of his address to Parliament.

"Your Highness it is my privilege to welcome you here to our Parliament for this important stage of your state visit.

"Your presence here today is a welcome reminder of the many intimate ties that exist between our nations and our peoples, born of history, tested in conflict after the outrageous invasion of your country in 1990 and continuing to this day in the realms of diplomacy, trade and cultural exchange.

"Kuwait has long been a nation of innovation in its region, the site of the oldest directly elected Parliament in its area, a long-standing and potent force within the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation and the Gulf Co-operation Council, and a pioneer in the political representation of women.

"You are one of the most experienced statesmen in the Middle East having served as Foreign Minister for an astonishing 40 years, followed by 3 years as Prime Minister before your elevation to be the Amir.

"It is a record of remarkable duration which many colleagues might wish to imitate, but probably should not!

"Your visit comes after two years of extraordinary turmoil across the Arab world. Change, as you have publicly recognised, is essential if the popular demand for representation is to be met, human rights entrenched and prosperity enhanced.

"Our two countries are signatories to a range of international human rights conventions and compliance with their letter and spirit is vital. Equality before the law, irrespective of race, gender, disability or orientation, is fundamental to our society here in the UK and we expect to be held to that standard.

"Naturally, we hope that that principle of equality will be practised and championed across the world. Rest assured there are many, many friends of your country both within this Parliament and Britain at large and we all stand ready to support Kuwait in exercising leadership in a modern, open and progressive direction.

"Your presence here can only encourage dialogue between us. I therefore invite you to address this audience and I look forward enormously to hearing what you have to say.""

According to Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/middle-east/n-africa/kuwait

"Kuwait’s government aggressively cracks down on free speech, using provisions in the constitution, the national security law, and other legislation to stifle political dissent, as well as passing new legislation criminalizing or increasing penalties for various forms and means of expression. In an effort to curb local terrorism, according to authorities, Kuwait became the first country to pass a law requiring that all Kuwaiti citizens and residents provide DNA samples, in violation of the right to privacy. The government has yet to address the citizenship concerns of minority groups such as the Bidun, who are stateless in Kuwait."

Given China's appalling human rights record, Human Rights Watch's comments regarding China are much to long to post here, but the appalling list can be seen here: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/china-and-tibet

From Parliament's own website:

"The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, delivered a welcome speech prior to the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping's, address to members of both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 20 October in the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster.

Parliamentary colleagues and distinguished guests: welcome to the Royal Gallery. Mr President, Madame Peng Liyuan, it is my pleasure to introduce the leader of a nation that is both very ancient and truly modern to a Parliament that is both very ancient and truly modern. It is a reflection of our changing times that we have hosted no fewer than four prominent daughters and sons of Asia in our Parliament in the past three years, starting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, democracy champion and international symbol of the innate human right of freedom. Your visit here today, Mr President, reinforces the links between the United Kingdom and China. Those links are social and personal as well as economic and political and are all the stronger for that. This trip should provide the means for both sides to come to understand one another better. The Chinese people have many, many, friends in this Parliament.

Those friends are familiar with what you, Mr President, have described as the "Chinese Dream" and which others have referred to as a second Chinese Revolution. Your country is engaged in an experience and an experiment without equal in history. You are attempting to complete an industrial revolution which took Britain the better part of two centuries in little more than two decades. Your country has seen a transformation in how its people work and in what they rightly expect for themselves, for their families and for their society. The enormous challenge of how to deal with this falls to you and to your colleagues.

Yet what China does, economically but also politically, is seen by, and relevant to not merely your own 1.5bn citizens. It is seen by and relevant to billions more across the globe. The world will be watching and waiting expectantly on the outcome as the emerging superpower that is China takes its new place in the world. In this century, no country can exist in isolation: in all matters, from international law to individual liberty, we should all aspire to be seen not merely as a powerful force in the world, but as a moral inspiration to it.

In all this, we can usefully reflect on the wise Chinese words that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

We very much hope that your time here will assist the process of illumination. On behalf of our Parliament I invite you, Mr President, to address us."

Virtue-signalling (when it suits!) hypocrite!

Mark. Shouldn't each case be judged on its merits, not necessarily by reference to past occurrences? I regretted the invitations offered to the Chinese and Kuwaiti leaders, but what do those occurrences really have to do with Trump's possible invitation? In my view past "errors" should not be used as justification for a possible future one.

Well, Obama(grandmother a typical white person) is racist and Clinton(The future is female) is sexist. Find similarly revelatory quotes documenting Trump's racism or sexism, Bermadcow.
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Hello President Donald Trump. I am concerned about how the Democrats are pushing their agenda, regarding the topic of Transgender and their rights. Of all of the pressing issues that you must undertake within the White House, how can the Democrats corrupt what the term of gender become an issue for Transgender (Which is a choice) and gender which is not a choice. Please inform them that there are more pressing matters to be concerned about!!

Love you President Donald Trump

Mark Hodgson & Supertroll, John Bercow has lowered the bar for HofC standards on hypocrisy and double standards, so he may cross it at will.

I am sure that Mr and Mrs Bercow would have welcomed another President Clinton into their own (taxpayer funded) home, for an evening of drinks and merriment, and a previous President Clinton would have joined in.

Supertroll

In my opinion, Bercow's past behaviour is highly relevant, because I believe in consistency and despise hypocrisy. Trump hasn't actually DONE much yet; the hysteria is all about what he has SAID (with the exception of the temporary travel ban). China and Kuwait are both undemocratic states with appalling human rights records. Not only have those who protest so vociferously against Trump generally had nothing to say about human rights abuses in China and the Muslim world, Bercow's speeches of welcome (which I deliberately quoted in full) fawned over the leaders of these tyrannical states and glossed over human rights issues.

It seems to me that Bercow really doesn't stand for anything principled, but wanted to join in the anti-Trump virtue signalling. In doing so he has demonstrated his hypocrisy. If it's important to reach out to rights-denying, undemocratic China and Kuwait, why does it make sense to push the USA away because we don't like the temporary leader of the world's foremost democracy?

I have no problem with people protesting against Trump - I don't like the man myself. I do have a huge problem with the inconsistency and hypocrisy of most of the protestors. Apparently a woman in Afghanistan had her ears cut off by her husband recently. In Sharia Courts,the evidence of two women are needed to cancel the evidence of one men. Where are the pink-hatted women protesting about real sexism and misogyny?

Mark. You sum it up well - "Trump hasn't actually DONE much yet" . But he has spoken much. Some of what he has done is potentially unconstitutional. More importantly, state visits are reserved for leaders who have established themselves in post and Trump "actually [hasn't]DONE much yet".

Feb 8, 2017 at 10:58 AM | Supertroll

Is there a definition, or agreed protocol for a "State Visit?"

If there is, was John Bercow correct to decide on Trump's itinerary and right to speak?

Trump has not "done" very much, but Climate Science is already in meltdown because the Planet won't warm up.