Dear Editor,

For those who are curious, a Luddite is someone who is opposed to new technology or industrial progress. Historically, they were early 19th-century English workers who destroyed machinery, fearing it threatened their livelihoods.

Trump’s latest fury over Iran locking down the Strait of Hormuz has the world watching him try to extricate the US from this war of choice. Bibi Netanyahu, an accused war criminal, who can only travel to countries which don’t accept the World Court’s jurisdiction (like Russia and good old USA), visited Trump six times since his second term began. One can just imagine him whispering in Trump’s ear how he could be the engine to re-shape the Middle East forever. 

Israel’s stated enemy is Iran. Trump attached the US to Israel’s goal to bring Iran to its knees.  Lately Trump, to force Iran to negotiate, has openly floated the idea of bombing the energy infrastructure and desalination plants in Iran (a potential war crime as well). That will bring massive suffering to the Iranian people and possibly create more militants.  

Yet with three aircraft carrier groups in the area, and 5,000 marines and sailors on standby, the urge to use them increases daily. He fumes that Iran won’t open the Strait, tells NATO and other countries to go get their own oil, says he doesn’t care if it is ever opened, says it will be easy for “others” to open the Strait, rants expletive-laden threats on “Truth Social” whose title is an oxymoron in itself.  

He’s caught between his promise to his base to never get involved in another Middle East forever war, and rising oil and gas prices globally… unintended consequences of signing onto Israel’s agenda. 

But this is supposed to be about windmills. Trump’s animosity toward windmills began when he sued to halt one in the view of one of his Scottish golf courses…and lost. According to Science Friday, in his second term he has tried to halt five major wind farms which were in various stages of completion and lost in court on all five. One windmill project offshore from New York State would provide energy for over a million homes.  

The Republicans under more predictable leaders used to support “all of the above” as a strategy for gaining energy independence. That included nuclear, as well as green initiatives. Biden passed the Inflation Reduction Act which supported renewables in multiple ways and included thousands of green energy jobs. 

Now we have Trump cancelling renewable programs and incentives, gutting environmental protections, and putting all his chips on Oil. Hence the shut down of the Strait has him fuming.

Even if we have a nuclear disaster, it would pale in comparison to what we are doing every day to this fragile world we are lucky enough to inhabit. All scientific data tells us that we need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. Although that will take much effort and time, we need to get on with it. 

The tipping points of climate change are closer every day. The continuous heating of the planet, the crazy drought / flood cycles, the thawing of the permafrost, the expulsion of millions from their homes because they are unlivable, the heated ocean waters and coral bleaching, the wars fought for diminishing resources, like water and of course OIL, are manifestations of what we are all seeing with our own eyes. 

We are in a tricky place, yet our Congress cannot bring itself to challenge this whimsical, misinformed man…a luddite wrecking ball.

Bill Thibedeau

Gilpin County