Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Neil Young, After Losing Home to Fire, Denounces 'Unfit Leader' Trump as 'the Denier'
“It really is time for a reckoning with this unfit leader,” Neil Young wrote of Donald Trump Sunday. This time, Young’s wrath wasn’t just brought on by the president’s continued unauthorized use of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which the musician had railed against less than a week ago. Young has lost the Malibu home he shared with his wife, Daryl Hannah, in the devastating fires. Seeing Trump blame the deadly calamity on the state of California itself set him toward writing a response, not in the form of a tweet but rather a 300-word essay that he published on his website, Neil Young Archives.
“California is vulnerable — not because of poor forest management, as DT (our so-called president) would have us think,” the longtime environmental activist wrote on his website, Neil Young Archives. “As a matter of fact this is not a forest fire that rages on as I write this. We are vulnerable because of Climate Change; the extreme weather events and our extended drought is part of it… Our temperatures are higher than ever here in our hottest summer on record. That has not helped. DT seems to be the Denier. (I’m holding back and not using the word liar just because it rhymes with denier.) It really is time for a reckoning with this unfit leader. Maybe our new Congress can help. I sure hope so.”
Young ended the essay by writing, “Imagine a leader who defies science, saying these solutions shouldn’t be part of his decision-making on our behalf. Imagine a leader who cares more for his own, convenient option than he does for the people he leads. Imagine an unfit leader. Now imagine a fit one.”
Young was hardly the only celebrity responding to Trump’s tweeted assertions that the fires could be attributed to California’s bad management, although he might have been the first so directly affected by the firestorm. “This is an absolutely heartless response,” Katy Perry tweeted back to Trump. “There aren’t even politics involved. Just good American families losing their homes as you tweet, evacuating into shelters.” Rod Stewart posted, “Mr. President, while people’s homes are burning, while lives are being lost & while firefighters are risking their lives, California needs words of support & encouragement, not threats or finger pointing & accusations. Where is Winston Churchill when you need him?”
“California is vulnerable — not because of poor forest management, as DT (our so-called president) would have us think,” the longtime environmental activist wrote on his website, Neil Young Archives. “As a matter of fact this is not a forest fire that rages on as I write this. We are vulnerable because of Climate Change; the extreme weather events and our extended drought is part of it… Our temperatures are higher than ever here in our hottest summer on record. That has not helped. DT seems to be the Denier. (I’m holding back and not using the word liar just because it rhymes with denier.) It really is time for a reckoning with this unfit leader. Maybe our new Congress can help. I sure hope so.”
Young ended the essay by writing, “Imagine a leader who defies science, saying these solutions shouldn’t be part of his decision-making on our behalf. Imagine a leader who cares more for his own, convenient option than he does for the people he leads. Imagine an unfit leader. Now imagine a fit one.”
Young was hardly the only celebrity responding to Trump’s tweeted assertions that the fires could be attributed to California’s bad management, although he might have been the first so directly affected by the firestorm. “This is an absolutely heartless response,” Katy Perry tweeted back to Trump. “There aren’t even politics involved. Just good American families losing their homes as you tweet, evacuating into shelters.” Rod Stewart posted, “Mr. President, while people’s homes are burning, while lives are being lost & while firefighters are risking their lives, California needs words of support & encouragement, not threats or finger pointing & accusations. Where is Winston Churchill when you need him?”
https://variety.com/2018/music/news/neil-young-california-fire-trump-1203025945/
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
