Letters to the editor

Proud moment for America Most of you have never heard of the IMO, the International Maritime Organization; I know I hadn't. But who is watching out for us when it comes to the health of our oceans and the air around them? One very important group is the IMO. We know that transportation (trucks, cars, buses) on American roads is the leading cause of air pollution, but how about on the "Seven Seas?" For the past ten years, IMO negotiators in London had worked on a plan to cut global shipping emissions; last April, shipping became the world's first industry to adopt their internationally mandated targets to reduce emissions. In October, more than 100 countries met in London to approve the deal that would levy fines on heavily polluting vessels, thus pushing the industry as a whole to do their part to reduce the global carbon footprint. The money gained would be used for research on better fuels and technologies for these maritime vessels. And then the "Bully of the White House" (or what is left of it) sent his toadies to the telephones. Ambassadors to nine of the countries, speaking anonymously because they feared Trump's wrath, reported to the IMO and the UN that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and members of their departments had called a number of the IMO representatives, especially those from small Pacific and Caribbean countries and threatened them with various outcomes if they voted in favor of the mandate. All this was done at Trump's behest. The Philippines were told that a "Yes" vote would mean their sailors would be denied docking privileges in American ports. A Jamaican negotiator was told he would never be allowed to visit the United States again. Most countries were told that new tariffs would be imposed on any nation that favored the resolution. Others were informed that people from their countries would automatically be denied visas if they voted to regulate large-ship pollution. As a result, the motion was put on hold for a year, effectively killing it. U.S. greed and thuggery won and the world as a whole lost. As a U.S. senator stated: "It was like a bunch of gangsters coming into the neighborhood and smashing windows and threatening shop owners." In the past, Democratic and Republican presidents have swung their weight around the world, but experts say that the use of intimidation, if true, is new and particular to Mr. Trump's second term and probably violates diplomatic conventions. Trump, of course, denies the science of climate change, calling it "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world," and has stated that all of climate science was developed by "stupid people." Sorry Bullyboy, this science was developed by some of the most brilliant minds in the world, people that your intellect couldn't touch. Climate Change is not a Hoax, Mr. Trump – You are the Hoax and your methods of intimidation are destroying America's reputation in the world. Bob Murray Tiffin