The biggest story of the current news cycle is that California is on fire.
As of Wednesday afternoon, authorities estimated the Palisades and Eaton fires had grown to 26,000 acres combined. The Palisades fire (15,000 acres) is burning in a neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles while the Eaton firing is burning on the north side of Pasadena.
Five people have been killed.
Lots of blame going around, including Gov. Gavin Newsome (Nancy Pelosi’s nephew) boasting about knocking down four dams and emptying reservoirs over the last couple of years on the Klamath River, which was the result of pressure from Indian tribes.
“The tribally led effort to dismantle the dams is an expression of our sacred duty to maintain balance in the world. That is why we fought so hard for so long to tear down the dams and bring the salmon home.” – Yurok Tribal Chairman Joseph L. James
No water to fight wildfires, but hey, yay for the salmon!
I personally think that the victim matrix has caused too much trouble and that Indian tribes, while noble and unique, should not have the influence they do across this country (Keystone Pipeline, anyone?). Europeans conquered them and they should just be “American” now, just like someone with a Polish or Italian or Ukranian heritage can be American while honoring their ancestry in their personal lives.
I know that sounds harsh, but that’s the way of the world. We don’t find other countries (do we?) bending over backward to give segments of their population preferential treatment because of past offences.
Another contribution to the current disaster unfolding in California is the lack of forest management, which allowed undergrowth and brush to accumulate and become fuel for a fire that is being fed by 60 mile-an-hour winds. The reason for that? “California has been captured by radical environmentalists.”
But you will notice that in recent years, the acres burned have been creeping upward, although nowhere near the level of decades ago. Why is that? If you pay attention, headlines about out of control wildfires are, these, days, generally–I am tempted to say, almost always–from California. Most other states have continued to follow sound forest management practices, while California has been captured by radical environmentalists. The result? More wildfires in California.
So Trump likely is right with regard to the water restoration act to which he refers. Beyond that, liberal control of California, as currently manifested in Gavin Newsom, has been responsible for increased wildfires at a time when globally, wildfires are at an all-time low, and in the U.S., they are down dramatically from 80 years ago.
Oh, and add in the $17.5 million budget cut LA Mayor Karen Bass made to Fire Department spending last year and spent it instead on homelessness. She was on a junket to Ghana while wildfires burned out of control across her jurisdiction and 130,000 people are being evacuated.
Now, top it all off with LGBTQ female Los Angeles fire chief, Kristin Crowley, prioritizing DEI training over preparing for wildfires.
‘In recent years LA’s fire chief has made not filling the fire hydrants top priority. but diversity,’ [Megyn Kelly] fumed on The Megyn Kelly Show. ‘Diversity is at least among the top priorities for the Department.’
She referenced an interview in which Crowley expressed her desire to boost the number of women and LGBTQ+ people in the fire service.
Of course, Trump had something to say about the disaster, too.
California has a political dumpster fire for years now, but now it’s a real-life dumpster fire—as a result of its political one. I hope no one else dies in this predictable inferno, but the reality is that you get what you vote for. And Californians are getting it good and hard.