Blowing smoke
11/07/25 02:48
We used to sing a camp song that involved campers hitting their chests to make percussive sounds. Campers would complain that it hurt to hit themselves. I began to introduce the song by telling campers that they didn’t need to hit themselves, and if they did, to be gentle with themselves. “If you pound on our chest and it hurts,” I would say, “please stop hitting yourself so hard.” Eventually, I stopped leading that song. There are plenty of other camp songs, and I didn’t want the process of singing camp songs to be unpleasant for anyone. It isn’t the only time I’ve witnessed children and youth engaging in behavior that causes them pain. Our daughter learned to walk when she was very short. At one point, she could stand up under our dining room table without hitting her head. Then she grew. One day, she stood up under the table, bumped her head, and broke into tears at the pain. I felt like laughing and crying at the same time. I didn’t want her to hit her head. I knew that it hurt, but I also knew that she had to learn that she was the one who had caused the pain, and she could control it.
I was thinking of children and youth who cause pain to themselves and then complain as if the pain had been caused by someone else earlier this week when it was reported in the news that Republican members of the House of Representatives Tom tiffany and Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin; and Brad Instead, Michelle Fishbach, Peter Stauber, and Tom Emmer of Minnesota, wrote a letter to Canada’s ambassador in Washington complaining about wildfire smoke drifting from Canadian fires into their states.
First of all, shame on all six congresspersons for trivializing the pain and suffering of people who are in the midst of devastating fires. Entire communities have had to be evacuated. Many people have had to evacuate multiple times. Moreover, many firefighters from the US have gone north to help combat the fires. Complaining that the smoke hampers the outdoor activities of their constituents without considering the suffering of those who have lost their homes and faced even more ill health effects of wildfire is juvenile.
Even worse, the six lawmakers have all voted for legislation that cuts back efforts to control global warming, provide alternatives to carbon emissions from fossil fuels, while increasing subsidies and tax benefits to some of the world’s worst polluters. While other members of the Republican party, including the president, have made claims that wildfires are the result of poor forest management, there is no evidence to support those claims. Canada has some of the world's most advanced forest management practices. However, it is a vast country with extensive natural forests. And no nation can control the weather by itself.
Congresspersons, don’t go crying to Canada when you are responsible for the pain and suffering.
International boundaries do not restrict the spread of wildfire smoke. Increasing the number of agents on the border will not stop the smoke. And for the information of those misinformed congresspersons, wildfire smoke goes both ways. People in Canada have had to limit their outdoor activities and have suffered health effects due to wildfire smoke from fires in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
The international community is aware of the adverse effects of wildfires and has taken some steps to address the issue. The 2025 G7 summit in June produced the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter, which pledged to boost global cooperation in preventing, fighting, and recovering from wildfires. The agreement includes “Encouraging research to better understand local conditions to support and scale-up ecological restoration, finding best methods for sustainable forest management to help prevent and mitigate wildfires, including in rapidly shifting conditions, and using community-based, whole of society approaches that incorporate local and, where opportunities exist, Indigenous practices, and increased participation by women.”
The statement also includes the following pledge: “We will align with commitments to halt and reverse deforestation and forest and land degradation by 2030 globally.” The statement invited non-G7 countries, including Australia, India, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and South Africa, to join their global efforts.
Addressing the dangerous effects of global warming will require an international response. No single country is the cause, and no single country can solve the issues of the worldwide climate crisis. A handful of legislators pounding their chests and crying about the pain does nothing to address the real issues.
We live in a time of unprecedented polarization in US politics. The world is witnessing multiple actions where legislators put party loyalty over the concerns of the people they serve. Although the letter was addressed to Canada’s ambassador in Washington, it was primarily intended for a domestic audience, serving as a means of grandstanding. Voters in the United States, however, are intelligent and capable of understanding that such a letter does nothing to address the root causes of dangerous wildfires. It is just a group of lawmakers acting like children and pounding their chests.
Do they know the camp song?
In case they are as ignorant of the world's realities, here are a few lessons for lawmakers. While the United States is a large country, it isn’t the largest. Russia, Canada, and China all have more area than the US. The fourth-largest country in the world, however, is the second-largest emitter of CO2. Energy consumption in the US far exceeds that of Canada. The conditions that underlie the increased frequency of wildfires cannot be addressed without changing U.S. energy policy. The lawmakers may also benefit from understanding that while Canada is a world leader in forest management policy, the US has significantly cut back support for its agencies that manage forests and provide research into long-term management solutions for forests. Those cuts have been supported by the votes of those six members of Congress.
I am not a fan of wildfire smoke. I’ve had to change my plans due to the unhealthy air outside. I find smoky skies to be depressing. And I don’t see a group of reactionary lawmakers blowing smoke to help.
I was thinking of children and youth who cause pain to themselves and then complain as if the pain had been caused by someone else earlier this week when it was reported in the news that Republican members of the House of Representatives Tom tiffany and Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin; and Brad Instead, Michelle Fishbach, Peter Stauber, and Tom Emmer of Minnesota, wrote a letter to Canada’s ambassador in Washington complaining about wildfire smoke drifting from Canadian fires into their states.
First of all, shame on all six congresspersons for trivializing the pain and suffering of people who are in the midst of devastating fires. Entire communities have had to be evacuated. Many people have had to evacuate multiple times. Moreover, many firefighters from the US have gone north to help combat the fires. Complaining that the smoke hampers the outdoor activities of their constituents without considering the suffering of those who have lost their homes and faced even more ill health effects of wildfire is juvenile.
Even worse, the six lawmakers have all voted for legislation that cuts back efforts to control global warming, provide alternatives to carbon emissions from fossil fuels, while increasing subsidies and tax benefits to some of the world’s worst polluters. While other members of the Republican party, including the president, have made claims that wildfires are the result of poor forest management, there is no evidence to support those claims. Canada has some of the world's most advanced forest management practices. However, it is a vast country with extensive natural forests. And no nation can control the weather by itself.
Congresspersons, don’t go crying to Canada when you are responsible for the pain and suffering.
International boundaries do not restrict the spread of wildfire smoke. Increasing the number of agents on the border will not stop the smoke. And for the information of those misinformed congresspersons, wildfire smoke goes both ways. People in Canada have had to limit their outdoor activities and have suffered health effects due to wildfire smoke from fires in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
The international community is aware of the adverse effects of wildfires and has taken some steps to address the issue. The 2025 G7 summit in June produced the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter, which pledged to boost global cooperation in preventing, fighting, and recovering from wildfires. The agreement includes “Encouraging research to better understand local conditions to support and scale-up ecological restoration, finding best methods for sustainable forest management to help prevent and mitigate wildfires, including in rapidly shifting conditions, and using community-based, whole of society approaches that incorporate local and, where opportunities exist, Indigenous practices, and increased participation by women.”
The statement also includes the following pledge: “We will align with commitments to halt and reverse deforestation and forest and land degradation by 2030 globally.” The statement invited non-G7 countries, including Australia, India, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and South Africa, to join their global efforts.
Addressing the dangerous effects of global warming will require an international response. No single country is the cause, and no single country can solve the issues of the worldwide climate crisis. A handful of legislators pounding their chests and crying about the pain does nothing to address the real issues.
We live in a time of unprecedented polarization in US politics. The world is witnessing multiple actions where legislators put party loyalty over the concerns of the people they serve. Although the letter was addressed to Canada’s ambassador in Washington, it was primarily intended for a domestic audience, serving as a means of grandstanding. Voters in the United States, however, are intelligent and capable of understanding that such a letter does nothing to address the root causes of dangerous wildfires. It is just a group of lawmakers acting like children and pounding their chests.
Do they know the camp song?
In case they are as ignorant of the world's realities, here are a few lessons for lawmakers. While the United States is a large country, it isn’t the largest. Russia, Canada, and China all have more area than the US. The fourth-largest country in the world, however, is the second-largest emitter of CO2. Energy consumption in the US far exceeds that of Canada. The conditions that underlie the increased frequency of wildfires cannot be addressed without changing U.S. energy policy. The lawmakers may also benefit from understanding that while Canada is a world leader in forest management policy, the US has significantly cut back support for its agencies that manage forests and provide research into long-term management solutions for forests. Those cuts have been supported by the votes of those six members of Congress.
I am not a fan of wildfire smoke. I’ve had to change my plans due to the unhealthy air outside. I find smoky skies to be depressing. And I don’t see a group of reactionary lawmakers blowing smoke to help.
