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<p>While the DAPL protests and actions by the N. Dakota government
have grabbed such news headlines as we have seen, it very well may
be that the most important action this month took place in an
Oregon court room. This is the ruling handed down by Judge Aiken
in the case of Juliana, et. al. vs United States of America et.
al. <br>
</p>
<p>I quote from Judge Aiken's ruling: <br>
</p>
<p>This lawsuit is not about proving that climate change is
happening or that human activity is<br>
driving it. For the purposes of this motion, those facts are
undisputed.3 The questions before the<br>
Court are whether defendants are responsible for some of the harm
caused by climate change,<br>
whether plaintiffs may challenge defendants' climate change policy
in court, and whether this Court<br>
can direct defendants to change their policy without running afoul
of the separation of powers<br>
doctrine.<br>
</p>
The Defendants in this law suit are many.<br>
President of the United States,<br>
the Council on Environmental Quality, <br>
the Office of Management and Budget,<br>
the Office of Science and Technology Policy, <br>
the Department of Energy, <br>
the Department of the Interior, <br>
the Department of Transportation ("DOT"), <br>
the Department of Agriculture,<br>
the Department of Commerce, <br>
the Department of Defense, <br>
the Department of State, and <br>
the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA").<br>
<br>
I quote here Judge Aiken's citing the words of Judge Goodwin,
another who stood up to the combined weight of corporate American
and it's governmental allies. <br>
<blockquote>The current state of affairs ... reveals a wholesale
failure of the legal system<br>
to protect humanity from the collapse of finite natural resources
by the uncontrolled<br>
pursuit of sh01i-term profits .... [T]he modern judiciary has
enfeebled itself to the<br>
point that law enforcement can rarely be accomplished by taking
environmental<br>
predators to court. ...<br>
The third branch can, and should, take another long and careful
look at the barriers<br>
to litigation created by modern doctrines of subject-matter
jurisdiction and deference<br>
to the legislative and administrative branches of government.<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
Nothing is more assured than the fact that an AG Sessions will
challenge this right up to a Supreme Court that could be filled by
Trump appointees. It is my fervent hope that the efforts of Dr
Hansen and the plaintiffs in this case receive our loud and
continuous support. They will need it. <br>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you
don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth"
- <i>Roberto Clemente</i></div>
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