Trump spreads ‘bug’ that makes people resistant to facts, compassion, and social responsibility on the world stage

Scientists from the University of Minnesota have discovered “a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life”.

The research “identifies a virulent strain of humans who are virtually immune to any form of verifiable knowledge, leaving scientists at a loss as to how to combat them.”

“These humans appear to have all the faculties necessary to receive and process information. And yet, somehow, they have developed defenses that, for all intents and purposes, have rendered those faculties totally inactive. As facts have multiplied, their defenses against those facts have only grown more powerful,” lamented Davis Logsdon, one of the scientists who contributed to the study.

We do not have to talk in abstract terms because we see that in our own country, and unfortunately, the president of the United States is leading that “new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life.”

The United States used to play a role in the Western alliance, being looked up to by other world leaders for leadership and direction in global affairs, but that has changed since Donald Trump became president.

His previous attendance at the G7 Summit in France is yet another testament to how isolated the United States has been from our allies in terms of the focus and vision of the seven largest and advanced economies in the world — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

This growing isolation of the United States stems from the fact that Trump himself does not subscribe to research and science-based facts if they do not fit his personal values, narrative and objectives, exactly how he governs the United States of America.

One of the agenda items of the summit was the climate crisis and how the world can help save the Amazon from the fire that has been burning the rainforests so critical to the planet.

“The Amazon are the lungs of the planet, and the consequences are dire for the planet,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in announcing the aid fund earlier this week.

This assistance intended to help not only Brazil, but also the nearly dozen states that make up the Amazon region in South America, including French Guiana.

During the G7 Summit, Canada and Britain pledged an additional $11 million and $12 million in aid, respectively, during the G7 summit, in addition to the $20 million in aid money offered Monday by G7 nations to battle the massive fires that have threatened one of the world’s greatest sources of biodiversity.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro rejected the aid, and said he would only accept this offer if Macron, who openly criticized him, would apologize. ‘In our territories, on my Earth, on the soil of our ancestors, destruction is menacing us.’ — This, despite the plea for help from indigenous communities and their chief to save their rainforests.

As Politico reported, “President Donald Trump gave Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro his full backing Tuesday as South America struggles to contain wildfires wreaking havoc in the Amazon rainforest and as Bolsonaro rejected a pot of international aid to fight the blazes.”

“Critics have accused Bolsonaro, a right-wing populist dubbed the ‘Trump of the tropics,’ of facilitating the fires and of taking a lax approach to preventing mass deforestation of the rainforest while also being too slow to respond to the fires. Macron last week threatened to upend a major trade deal between the European Union and the South American Mercosur trade bloc over the issue, claiming Bolsonaro was not living up to environmental commitments that had been made under the deal.”

Then Trump skipped a session devoted to climate change at the G7 summit, and instead had a press conference where he again attacked former President Barack Obama and boasted about the United States’ wealth for which he said he is more responsible for than President Reagan and other predecessors.

But Trump asserted in response to the question on climate change,”I’m not going to lose that wealth. I’m not going lose it on dreams, on windmills — which, frankly, aren’t working too well. I’m not going to lose it.”

Trump claimed, “I’m an environmentalist. A lot of people don’t understand that. I have done more environmental impact statements, probably, than anybody that’s — I guess I can say definitely, because I have done many, many, many of them.”

INSTEAD, Trump advocated for Russia to be invited back to the G7, formerly G8 with Russia, until Russia President Vladimir Putin’s illegal annexation of Crimea.

Think about this: The president of the United States is fighting against our allies, abandoning the leadership of the United States in global affairs and our shared values and advocacies, cozying up with dictators, and is acting as an “attorney” for Russia’s interest – the country which has been attacking our democratic processes and institutions and interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help Trump win.

WHEN will this madness end? Does Trump speak for you? Does he represent your values? Is he stearing the nation in the direction you want it to go?

OR, have you been part of that human species that “appears to have all the faculties necessary to receive and process information. And yet, somehow, they have developed defenses that, for all intents and purposes, have rendered those faculties totally inactive. As facts have multiplied, their defenses against those facts have only grown more powerful?” Are you among those “powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life”?

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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

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