Rising temperatures across the world's immensity warm not just the world beyond an imaginary walled in United States, but also Pittsburgh, dangerously altering life and certainly not making America great again.
Humanity occupies one world, no part of which is separated by "climate change walls" dividing and isolating "us" from "them." There is only "we."
The president's choice to reject the Paris Accords which, prior to today, represented the combined intelligence of all nations of the world but two (which wanted more strenuous goals in the universal call for climate protection), makes the United States a world class renegade and promise breaker, putting all life at risk.
This presidential choice is another expression of a personal, insatiable interest in denial, conspiratorial imagination and furtherance of an historically dangerous philosophy of "me."
America has been great, a leader in the world we share with others. The president's actions abandon almost 250 years of positive exceptionality, a "beacon on the hill" in the world community. By his climate change action, following his withdrawal of America from global economic (Trans-Pacific Partnership) commitments and his refusal to re-affirm commitments to mutual defense (NATO), the president does not "Make America Great Again," but thrusts America deeper into the dark ages of isolation.
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Magnus Ranstorp, an international expert in religious extremism and counterterrorism for nearly 30 years, was first educated at Minnesota's Gustavus Adolphus College. In discussing terrorism, Dr. Ranstrop told the Gustavus Quarterly (2017) that "the United States needs to be part of the world, not isolationist. We live in a global world. If one continuously builds walls, it doesn't work."
America should be alarmingly concerned with the president's behavior and should stand up-for Pittsburgh, Perham, Paynesville, Proctor, Pierz, Paris-and Brainerd.
John Erickson
Brainerd
