I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above "have mercy now, save poor Bob if you please"
Back in 1936, Robert Johnson recorded Cross Road Blues, one of the all-time blues classics. Johnson’s lyrics speak to regret and despair; he shares the story of a man who sold his soul to the devil and learned the hard way that he has to pay the ultimate price.
Standin' at the crossroad, baby, risin' sun goin' down Standin' at the crossroad, baby, eee-eee, risin' sun goin' down I believe to my soul, now, poor Bob is sinkin' down
Johnson’s cautionary tale has echoed down through the decades, a warning for those who think they can cut a deal with the devil and walk away with their soul intact.
Sadly, it looks like the new head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, has ignored Robert Johnson’s warnings and signed his own Satanic pact. But rather than paying the price himself, he’s trying to trade our children and our future—not to mention our fishing—to satisfy his debt.
As anglers, we know that clean water and healthy landscapes are the foundations for our sport. Without intact watersheds, our fishing diminishes and eventually disappears.
As Americans, we know that viable ecosystems are necessary for agriculture, for human well-being, and for a strong economy. If we don’t have healthy landscapes, everything else fades away.
Most of us understand that the EPA is tasked with preserving our health and our landscapes. In a very real sense, it’s the wall that keeps pollution and environmental ills from walking into our schools or climbing through our bedroom windows. It’s the buttress between clean air and dirty air; between drinkable water and sewage. Because of a 2007 Supreme Court decision and the ongoing inability of Congress to do its job, it’s also the primary shield that protects America from the impacts of global warming.
In case there’s any doubt in your mind, human-caused global warming—or climate change, as it’s frequently referred to—is the single greatest threat to our families and our fishing.
And now Scott Pruitt, the head of the EPA, has dismissed decades of research, thousands upon thousands of peer-reviewed climate papers, and the near-unanimous opinion of the scientific community. Yesterday, he stated publicly that humans are not responsible for changing the climate.
“I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it’s a primary contributor to the global warming that we see.”
Seriously? Human activities—like burning fossil fuels—are not the “primary contributor to the global warming?”
We can’t know what Scott Pruitt is thinking, or what’s in his heart. But every indication is that he has sold his soul to the fossil fuel industry, and that he is placing industry profits ahead of his duty to protect our health and our landscapes. That’s reprehensible. It’s also unforgivable.
Pruitt’s actions are no different from a theater manager who cautions moviegoers to stay in their seats as fire consumes the building, or from a public official who tells residents along the river to pay no attention to the huge dam failing just upstream.
There is no excuse for what Pruitt said yesterday. None.
We can not afford to have a morally-challenged climate denier heading the EPA. Mr. Pruitt should resign immediately. If he’s not willing to resign, he should be removed. He is not fit to hold his position.
Yvon Chouinard
Ted Williams
Craig & Jackie Mathews
Kirk Deeter
Greg Thomas
Tim Romano
Hilary Hutcheson
Chad Brown
Marshall Cutchin
Tom Bie
Phil Monahan
Brandon Shuler
Tim & Joanne Linehan
Steve Hemkens
Wade Fellin
Bill Klyn
Steve Zakur
Chris Madson
Mike Sepelak
Chad Love
Marc Payne
John Arnold
Rich Paini
Brian Bennett
Paul Moinester
Terry Gibson
Tim Harden
Earl Harper
Matthew Reilly
Tom Davis
Seamus McGraw
Erin Block
Tom Sadler
Johnny Carrol Sain
Pat Clayton
Dylan Tomine
Chad Shmukler
Comments
Dave Hudak replied on Permalink
He's "sold his soul" for fame and fortune - it's unfortunate for us and the future of the world.
Guy Franzen replied on Permalink
Signed,
Guy Franzen
Todd Tanner replied on Permalink
Thanks, Guy!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I feel like I'm above the freeway watching a huge wreck about to unfold. My prayer is that in the hopefully short time these clowns are in office, the collateral damage is readily reversible and the ship turned about.
Seth Bershadsky replied on Permalink
I agree with you 100%
Marcel Siegle replied on Permalink
Amen. Thanks for taking a stand. We
sm replied on Permalink
The Cuyahoga River, which runs through Cleveland, Ohio, became a symbol of industrial pollution for having caught fire 13 times starting in 1868. The most famous of these fires occurred in 1969.
Stirred to action by this fire Congress passed the National Environment Protection Act in 1970. This act created the EPA. One of the first acts of the EPA was the Clean Water Act of 1972.
Now you can catch Steelhead in the Cuyahoga. Thank you EPA and the Clean Water Act.
Scott Ballinger replied on Permalink
There is no proof of human caused global warming. Those who believe in it are useful idiots of a very demonic political conspiracy! Dig into it deeper and you will find this is true.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Yes! Thank you
Chuck Miller replied on Permalink
That was 1968 for the fires on the Cuyahoga, which shows how fast things can recover if we only give them a chance. In a lifetime, eagles and other once species threatened by pollution have come off the endangered and threatened lists. The EPA has certainly done a lot more good than harm. After 40+ years of EPA regulations the USA economy is still the strongest in the world, and the air, food, soil, and water are a lot better off than when I was a kid growing up in the 60s. Changes made by the EPA have saved millions of Americans from premature morbidity and mortality, and other countries often adopt EPA based regulations as their own so the they can protect their people and environment. What could that be worth? Perhaps it reaches into trillions of dollars.
Jeffrey Greendyk replied on Permalink
Signed.
Todd Tanner replied on Permalink
Thanks, Jeffrey!
Craig Buckbee replied on Permalink
signed,
Craig Buckbee
- NYS guide
- FFI Master Casting Instructor
Todd Tanner replied on Permalink
Thanks, Craig!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Signed,
Jamie Oxley
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I am all in from the Gulf coast and central Texas.
Steve replied on Permalink
HatchMag, thanks for your comments. Have you determined your own contribution to global warming? Promoting trips to Kamchatka, and 7,000 mile Alaskan road trips towing a camping trailer?
We need to know a specific percentage of climate change that each of us is responsible for, and what lifestyle changes we each must make. Otherwise, we are all functionally taking the same position as Pruitt.
Quoted in the Washington Post article on this dust-up: “If I am interpreting Pruitt’s statements correctly, I do not find anything to disagree with in what he said: we don’t know how much of recent warming can be attributed to humans,” recently retired Georgia Tech climate scientist Judith Curry, who herself has questioned the extent of the role humans play in global warming, wrote on her blog. “In my opinion, this is correct and is a healthy position for both the science and policy debates.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/10/epa...
https://judithcurry.com/2017/03/11/scott-pruitts-statement-on-climate-ch...
Matt replied on Permalink
SIGNED
Kevin Hill replied on Permalink
Signed,
Kevin Hill
ricn replied on Permalink
To deny existence of man made global warming is not the same as selling one's soul to Satan (as represented by the fossil fuel industry). But California did a good job of cleaning the air is Los Angeles. Al Gore and company have gone "a bridge to far".
Joe Hirn replied on Permalink
The EPA needs to be taken down a notch. They decide that someone or some company is in violation and then it is up to the accused to prove their innocence. That is in direct contrast to American jurisprudence where you are innocent until proven guilty.
Most entities can't afford to fight the government's limitless resources and cave.
The EPA more resembles a Stalin era Soviet agency than an American one.
And mega corporations love more regulation. They have the resources to comply while the smaller companies get buried and the corporations have less competition.
Neal Hoffberg replied on Permalink
The Clean Air Clean Water Act was the hallmark of the Nixon administration. Donald Trump said he would gut the EPA. Just wait until all the oil drilling and fracking gets in the way of our backcasts! Time to listen to Mr. Chouinard and "vote the environment."
Fishing for 50 years replied on Permalink
Ahh, the snowflakes continue their crying. Read the article. The author admits he knows not what is in Pruitts mind yet you jump on him as if the world will end. It will, but not today and not tomorrow yet you snowflakes would make it seem its immediate. The Trump administration is doing what they were elected to do. You had your 8 years, and in another 8 you will have another chance to ruin this country. Until then, go fish!
Thomas Doyle replied on Permalink
I have been sending many emails to my congressman regarding the entire pending EPA rape and pillage as well as other conservation concerns. This chap response to my concerns is that the President ran on all of the things that will be repealed and it is his job to support the president.
The only way to make a difference is to start reminding the elected officials that they serve at the pleasure of their constituents not the president. Though I believe that it is like communicating with a stump Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell should be flooded with calls and emails daily letting them know that destroying the country is not acceptable.
There is just way too much short sightedness going on and these people should not be in office.
Gregg Mills replied on Permalink
You state that there is a near unanimous opinion amongst scientists in favor of global warming.
I'd like to see the list of scientists..... One doesn't exist guys. If you claim consensus then there must be a list of every scientist that has voted yea or nay. Publish it and you might get some traction.
Funny that the main contributors to the " global warming " faith are getting very rich because of it. When the weather patterns and true science failed to back up there claims they conveniently changed " global warming " to " climate change ". A neutral term that literally could describe any fluctuation in the climate. Again, funny.
We all ( all breathing animals and plants) expel carbon dioxide. When we pass to the great beyond, we leave behind carbon as we compost back into the earth.
To claim that living beings don't have a reflection on the earths atmosphere is just plain stupidity. But to claim that this is the sole contributor to climate change is equally stupid. As is the belief that we humans can change the direction that the earths climate is going is , well , arrogant.
I agree that clean air and water is the best and ultimate goal. Warm or cold. I just refuse to fallow you and your religion of climate change. The earths climate will and always has changed every so often. Get used to it. That is life on the rock......
I will leave you with this little bit of history.
In the early 70's these same "scientists and political hacks were warning of an impending ice age...... When that didn't pan out they came up with global warming.....
I feel that just maybe they are looking for funding , not science.
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