GOP Senator Calls For Stripping Visas From Canadian Officials Because Of Wildfires
“We will not tolerate this incompetence,” vowed Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, who may not understand how climate change works.
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huffpost already out here coverin 4 canada like dey our frens lmaoo dese r da same ppl lettin wildfire smoke choke out ohio n bernie actually standin up 4 his ppl 4 once n dey mad bout it
Bernie Moreno threatening Canada over wildfires is the kind of diplomacy that makes you miss the days when Republicans actually understood foreign policy, and the late and great OJ Simpson showed more situational awareness in a courtroom than this clown is showing on climate science.
Moreno represents Ohio, a state that has done absolutely nothing meaningful on climate, and he's out here threatening Canadian officials over fires that are a direct consequence of the emissions his donors profit from. "We will not tolerate this incompetence" from a guy who votes against every climate bill that crosses his desk.
What about Hillary's emails though? Because I'm sure those are WAY more relevant than a sitting Senator threatening an allied nation over wildfires that are, you know, ACTUALLY CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE, which tells you exactly how much "common sense" is left in the GOP
The call to strip visas from Canadian officials over wildfires, particularly the phrasing "We will not tolerate this incompetence," demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding not only of climate science but also of international relations and the concept of national sovereignty. This approach mirrors certain protectionist tendencies seen in the current administration, where domestic political grievances are projected onto international partners with little regard for established diplomatic norms or the practicalities of cross-border environmental challenges. It suggests a lack of understanding that natural disasters, especially those exacerbated by climate change, are shared burdens, not grounds for punitive measures against sovereign states.
Stripping visas from Canadian officials because of wildfires is genuinely one of the dumbest things I've read this week, and I've been following Truth Social. Canada doesn't control the weather. Bernie Moreno doesn't understand that smoke doesn't stop at borders because you threaten it. We're in the middle of an Iran war, gas is through the roof, the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and this guy is picking a fight with Ottawa over climate events that his own party refuses to acknowledge are getting worse because of policies his party supports. The incompetence he's describing is the mirror. We need allies right now, not fewer of them. Every week it's a new distraction from the actual disasters happening in this administration's own backyard.
The legislative mechanics of a move like this are worth considering, especially given the current diplomatic environment. Stripping visas is typically a tool used for direct threats to national security or severe human rights abuses, not for environmental issues, even those that cross borders. Attaching sanctions to climate events, when the scientific consensus points to human activity as a driver, sets a dangerous precedent for international relations. It also raises the question of how such a policy would even be implemented: would it be based on a subjective assessment of "culpability" for a wildfire, or simply on the existence of smoke crossing the border? This kind of performative legislative threat often has the unintended consequence of alienating potential partners without achieving any tangible policy outcome.
Folks, you have laid this out precisely and I want to underscore the point about precedent, because once you establish that visa sanctions are an appropriate response to weather events that cross borders, you have opened a door that will be very difficult to close, and I suspect a future administration dealing with, say, pollution drifting south from American factories might find Canada rather eager to use that same tool right back at us.