> Ten states, 125 cities, and 1,100 businesses, universities and organizations insist “We are still in” – committed to the Paris climate agreement ... <
That’s a woefully incomplete list, because it doesn’t mention my dog. My dog is still in. But my cat thinks the whole thing is a scam.
More evidence that cats are smarter than dogs.
If you look at the numbers, we are going to exceed the Paris Climate Accord “goals” without paying the rest of the world our hard-earned tax dollars.
Except of course we are still in. Until 2020 at least. I suppose Trump’s declaration means we can skip the meetings, but the accord was carefully constructed to be very herpes like. So we are in, even though we said we’re out.
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., and Washington State Governor Jay R. Inslee have conspired to convene and have convened an alliance of states, which they have denominated the “United States Climate Alliance”. The stated intention of the allied states is to “uphold the Paris Climate Agreement”, which is an unratified treaty.
The Constitution prohibits states from entering into agreements or compacts with each other or with foreign powers:
“No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation” U.S. Const. art. I, § 10, cl. 1
“No State shall, without the Consent of Congress... enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign power” U.S. Const. art. I, § 10, cl. 3
Governors Cuomo, Brown, and Inslee have joined in concerted action to violate the U.S. Constitution by, 1) entering their States into agreements, compacts, or alliances with each other, and 2) entering their States individually or as a confederation into agreements, compacts, or treaties with foreign powers.
Led by Governors Cuomo, Brown, and Inslee, other states have joined this Alliance: Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, Hawaii Governor David Ige, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Vermont Governor Phil Scott, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, Delaware Governor John C. Carney Jr.
Each Governor has announced being a signatory to this Alliance and has published notice on their State’s website. The stated intent of these Governors is to defy the decision of the United States Senate to withhold ratification of a treaty.
Each Governor has agreed to and has committed overt acts which are an offense against the United States. They have violated U.S. Const. art. I, § 10. They have violated federal conspiracy statutes which carry a term of imprisonment of up to five years. 18 U.S.C. § 371
Emboldened by the unchecked offense of the governors, various city mayors and county executives have followed suit. They have formed themselves into a group which has published an “open letter to the international community”. The stated intent is to “meet our Paris commitment” - a commitment which the US has not made.
By engaging in correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government for the purpose of defeating the measures of the United States the mayors and executives have each violated 18 U.S. Code § 953, which carries a prison term of three years.
By joining together as a group which has committed overt acts to defeat the measures of the United States the mayors and executives have each violated federal conspiracy statutes which carry a term of imprisonment of up to five years. 18 U.S.C. § 371.
This can not be dismissed. Congress and/or the Department of Justice should warn each of these individuals that they may be prosecuted if they fail by a date certain to publicly renounce these activities. If any fail to do so then DOJ should immediately prosecute. Start at the top.
In more visceral terms, $93 trillion is roughly $900,000 per US household. Fork it over, America.