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The speedy collapse of his edifices

The Trump death cult comes for the "climate alarmism" of the National Center of Atmospheric Research. Also: the reptile sexpocalypse.

Author

Brad Johnson
December 17, 2025

PRESENTED BY AN ABSOLUTE DESPOT

At today’s markup of a GOP bill to gut the Endangered Species Act (and rename it to the Endangered Species Recovery [JKJK] Act), the climate hawk Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) called out the genocidal lies of the oil-soaked, climate-denier Republicans sitting next to her: “With all due respect, it’s complete fucking bullshit.”

Congratulations! We have a theme for today’s news.

“This would be as if an absolute despot, being neither a physician nor an architect, but knowing himself free to command, should undertake to administer medicines and erect buildings according to his whim—at grave peril of his poor patients' lives, and the speedy collapse of his edifices.”

Galileo Galilei, 1615

In 1960, the National Center for Atmospheric Research was established by the National Science Foundation as the flagship center for American climate science.1 That year, an article in Life Magazine warned:

“While all this local research goes on, scientists emphasize that man unwittingly is carrying out the largest-scale weather-control experiment of all time by upsetting nature’s balance of carbon dioxide. If there is an excess of this gas in the atmosphere, it forms an insulating blanket, warming the air by preventing the earth’s heat from radiating into space. Man is constantly burning coal and oil, which give off carbon dioxide. He also is turning forests, which absorb much carbon dioxide, into farmland, which absorbs little. Thus he is adding a half a percent every year to the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide. The oceans, which absorb carbon dioxide as insatiably as they do heat, will take up a third of this excess. But unless man switches to atomic fuels, the amount remaining might by the 25th Century raise the globe’s temperature 12°F., enough to make the whole U.S. a semitropical land.”

It’s only the 21st Century, but the results of the weather-control experiment are already here for all of us, including NCAR.

In 2022, the fossil-fueled NCAR Fire loomed over forced the evacuation of 19,000 people, not far from the location of the catastrophic, fossil-fueled wildfire that destroyed 1000 homes in 2021. Fortunately, NCAR survived.

Today, however, the Trump regime is moving to kill NCAR “immediately” for the thoughtcrime of “climate alarmism,” coup vizier Russ Vought announced:

“The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway and any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.”

With all due respect, it’s complete fucking bullshit.

Unsurprisingly, climate scientists are “in complete shock” about this “insane move.” “We need to fight this with everything we’ve got,” says Dr. Kate Marvel. Dr. Peter Gleick says, without hyperbole: “This is an intellectual war crime.” Dr. Bob Kopp responded with a call to action for the meeting of the world’s earth scientists now taking place: “Time to repurpose AGU25 as a mass mobilization in support of NCAR, NSF, NOAA, NASA, USGS, DOE BER, and the Congressional power of the purse.”

Dr. Daniel Swain held an emergency rapid response broadcast to raise the alarm:

“We will fight this reckless directive with every legal tool we have,” responded Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.).

In contrast, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a pathetic statement, which begins, “Climate change is real, but...”

A Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yesterday, a panel of the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals heard the appeal of Sophia Wilansky, the Standing Rock water defender whose arm was shattered in 2016 by Jon Moll, an Energy Transfer-mercenary cop who shot her with a flashbang grenade as she tried to flee his attack. A North Dakota judge ruled the cop enjoyed immunity from his crime.

From the oral arguments, it is clear that the three-judge panel with Trump-appointed Judge Jonathan Kobes, a former Republican operative and polluting industry lawyer, is prepared to rule the same way a three-judge panel led by Kobes did last month in the case of Adam Keup, a bystander who was deliberately shot with a pepper ball by a cop and blinded in one eye during George Floyd protests in Omaha. Kobes ruled that cop had immunity.

The two judges joining Kobes are former Nixon White House staffer James Loken, appointed by George H.W. Bush, and Republican activist Lavenki Smith, appointed by George W. Bush. How about that.

The same corrupt panel is hearing the appeal of Marcus Mitchell, the Standing Rock defender who was deliberately shot with a beanbag round by a cop and blinded in one eye, tomorrow.

With all due respect, it’s complete fucking bullshit.2

At what point, as a species, did humans decide doing the absolute most stupid shit possible is a great idea?

— Haides Noir 😈 (@bustedhalo.bsky.social)2025-12-17T04:34:41.690Z

Aaron Regunberg reviews a new Fossil Free Media and Data for Progress report on how to run on climate:

Neither party has a significant trust advantage on “electric utility bills” (D+1) or “the cost of living” (R+1). But Democrats do have major trust advantages on “climate change” (D+14) and “renewable energy development” (D+6). By articulating how their climate and clean energy agenda can address these bread-and-butter concerns, Democrats can leverage their advantage on climate to win voters’ trust on what will likely be the most significant issues in 2026 and 2028.

The formula for doing this is pretty simple: First, explain why bills are rising and who’s to blame (utilities, fossil fuel volatility, data center demand, climate disasters); second, commit to implementing visible cost relief (rate freezes, clean energy buildout); and third, name who will pay (polluters and profiteers, not regular people). Or, to simplify all this into one clear campaign-ready sentence: “We’ll take on rising electricity bills by building the cheapest power and stopping monopoly price-gouging, all while making polluters, not families, pay their fair share.”

This is pretty obvious stuff, except for one thing—billionaires and polluter interests are flooding Democratic candidates and elected officials with anti-climate propaganda.

Over the last several months, reports from billionaire-funded centrist advocacy groups, like WelcomePAC and Searchlight Institute, have insisted that Democrats stop talking about climate change—either in their campaigns or while governing. Climate change has little resonance for voters, they claim, comparing the polling on reliably unpopular policies like “create a carbon tax” with reliably popular policies like “lower the gas tax.”

Unfortunately, this message appears to be reaching its intended audience. In just the last week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul approved a new gas pipeline that President Donald Trump has been championing, while Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro dropped his state’s effort to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

With all due respect, it’s complete fucking bullshit.

No bullshit: Lead Locally is hosting Run for Climate, a six-week training course in February 2026 “for climate leaders that are interested in running for office, staffing a campaign, or getting more involved in electoral politics.” The course is completely free; you can apply to participate now or nominate a friend for the training.

Man answering his phone on the train: Yes? Correct, I’m not at work (pause) I’m not going to answer that because I am not at work today. No, you’re going to have to ask someone who is. Goodbye.

— Miranda Keeling (@mirandakeeling.com)2025-12-17T09:30:37.044Z

Hearings on the Hill:

Climate Action Today:

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1  NCAR’s founding came after years of planning by the nation’s top climate scientists, who had come together as the University Committee for Atmospheric Research in 1958, and incorporated as the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in 1959, the same year that nuclear physicist Edward Teller warned oil executives about global warming at the Energy and Man symposium in New York City organized by the American Petroleum Institute. NCAR’s headquarters facility in Boulder was designed by I.M. Pei and completed in 1966.

2  The only other reporter covering this major case of environmental injustice is independent journalist Brenda Norell, proprietor of Censored News. There’s plenty of news stories by dozens of well-paid reporters about Sarah Palin’s absurd libel lawsuit against the New York Times, though. With all due respect, it’s complete fucking bullshit.

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