A climate-change denier tees off on Driscoll, and a GOPer asks him to stop being mean to conservatives

It’s time, once again, for my monthly, “You rip, I respond,” column.

You know how it works: Angry folks write or call, and I respond and make an awkward video. Then hilarity and sometimes a climate change denial ensues.

I hope you enjoy.

Rising seas! This is a joke, right? Of all things to be concerned about. In the ‘50s it was, ‘We are entering a new Ice age. The ‘70s and ‘80s, acid rain and the ozone. Flash forward to the Greenhouse Effect, Global warming, and on and on. What is the purpose of all this? Could it be control of a population through fear and propaganda? With respect I ask: “Doesn’t the weather always change?” — James

James,

Yes, weather does change. Rising seas have nothing to do with weather, however.

The emission of greenhouses gases thanks to human activity is by far the biggest contributor to global warming and climate change. That’s what’s behind rising sea levels. It’s science.

And, no, sadly, it’s not a joke.

Quite frankly, arguing about the reality of climate change only serves as a distraction from the work ahead of us. This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. The fact that it has become one is indicative of our broken politics and the state of discourse in this country.

Also, I hate to disappoint, but I can say with certainty that I take no pleasure in having to advocate for the significant societal changes it will take to address climate change. It would be far easier for you, me and everyone else to simply maintain the status quo. Believe me, there are plenty of other things I’d prefer to focus on.

The problem is, that’s not really an option, at least if we want future generations to enjoy some of the things we’ve unfortunately taken for granted — like, say, glaciers, polar ice caps and life as we know it.

I’ve been a subscriber for 30 years, and I love the town that I live in — University Place. I consider myself a moderate Republican, and I do a lot in this community. I just have to say that your articles are very inflammatory, and they really paint the wrong picture of people. It would be nice if you would do a little bit more moderation and not be so anti-conservative. It takes both to work together and make this a great, great city and state. — a message left on my voicemail

The caller makes a very valid point. There is absolutely a need for a variety of voices and viewpoints in society, especially when it comes to crafting sound policy.

This may surprise a few readers, but I don’t consider myself to be purely partisan. There are a number of local elected Republicans — like Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier or Pierce County Council Chair Doug Richardson, for instance — who I often see eye-to-eye with.

Now, we don’t always agree, but that’s kind of the point. First, it would be weird if we did. Second, the viewpoints they bring to the table often cause me to challenge my own assumptions, and that’s never a bad thing.

This particular call, however, came in response to a column from earlier this month about Marty McClendon, a Republican state Senate candidate. Back in 2016, when he was running for lieutenant governor, McClendon appeared on a hacky online talk show hosted by a known birther and offered up a number of offensive, coded and intolerant statements about his then-opponent Cyrus Habib, an Iranian American.

Pressed on the issue, McClendon subsequently apologized. As he should have

The column in question was not a critique based purely on party, as the caller suggests. Rather, it was about common decency and, as I wrote at the time, the danger of “cozying just close enough up to hate and bigotry to reap the evil rewards and then sheepishly backing away when confronted about it.”

Increasingly, it’s a tactic that certain Republicans — including the president — have made a habit out of.

And it needs to be called out — whoever is doing it.

Our society is not as disturbed as the letters that you cherry pick for publication. There are a great deal of people who are thoughtful, compassionate, patriotic and do not share the harsh rhetoric that you publish. … When you cherry pick letters to push a specific narrative YOU are only adding to the problem. — Michael

Hi Michael,

I appreciate the note. You bring up a fair concern, and it’s one I’ve addressed before.

I agree — society, as a whole, isn’t as disturbed as my inbox sometimes suggests. Thank goodness for that.

I’ve grappled with how to approach this endeavor since it started, and it’s something I continue to wrestle with. For instance, last month’s installment left me particularly conflicted. Some of those emails were just gross and disheartening, and I’m not convinced publishing many of them served any greater good.

As I’ve mentioned before, I also get plenty of emails from supporters. In fact, emails from supporters probably make up the majority of the notes I receive. But I doubt there would be much interest, or much service, in publishing those. It would be boring and self-congratulatory.

Believe it or not, I do try to include thoughtful critiques when I receive them — including yours. In a perfect world, this column would be made up entirely made up of well-reasoned, thoughtful emails.

Unfortunately, this column is a pretty accurate depiction of the emails I get from those who disagree with me. At the end of the day, I do think there is some — admittedly debatable — value in accurately depicting the vitriol that exists online. It’s real.

It’s something I’m subjected to, and it’s something that almost anyone who dares to express an opinion online also might be subjected to.

So it goes, I guess.

Hi Matt. It’s obvious you voted for Clinton and Obama. …. You need to get a grip on reality. I canceled my TNT, except for Sunday. So have thousands of other Tacoma citizens. — Bob

Hi Bob,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Sundays are one of the days my column appears in print.

Sorry about that.

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 8:00 AM.