Does it outrage you that the United States has fallen so far in the world's esteem that we now have to be "cornered" or "forced" to go along with other countries wishes? Without regard, for now, to the merits of getting on board with solving climate change issues, it galls me that the United States of America has fallen so far that we have to be embarrassed into agreeing to consensus by some nations that probably already benefit from our largess.
The headlines that the "U.S. Relents..." is as irritating to hear as chalk on a blackboard, yet maybe we deserve this comeuppance for our lack of leadership in so many things.
I feel "uglier" now that America has to be chastised for not doing the right thing according to the other nations. We try to win the "hearts and minds" by our charitable work and foreign aid around the world yet we continue to make decisions that cannot win us anything but the booby prize.
Now to the climate issue. From my perspective, in this climate conference our representatives should have taken the lead, or failing that, should have simply agreed that larger nations should help smaller ones meet pollution goals. Sometimes we (as in our U.S. administration) seem just plain stubborn, often to the point of not just ridiculous, but maybe to the sublime.
The United States is and has been the leader of the free world for so many years that maybe we need to hear some opposition to our quirkier stances. Let's learn from the disrespectful Venezuelan president who calls our president the devil. We have emboldened so many tyrants to defy us, that it has almost become de rigeur to do so. Let's begin to see that occasionally "the Emperor really has no clothes".
The hue and cry over global warming seems to be waning now, but the newer phrase, climate change, may gain more purchase with the weird weather of the last year.
states one week last month. Floods and mudslides are becoming more prevalent.
