Barking up the wrong tree

After apologizing for the “Access Hollywood” revelations, Donald Trump recently decided the voice on the tape may not be his.

Kind of puts you in mind of the old country lawyer defending a client in a dog bite case.

He argues, “My client’s dog doesn’t bite,” but quickly realizes that defense is doomed. So he changes his defense to “My client’s dog is kept on a leash,” but that too is demolished. What to do?

He decides on, “My client doesn’t have a dog.”

Las Vegas

Recently French President Emmanuel Macron made a very big show of awarding 18 American scientists research grants to relocate to France.

It’s very rare to think of people leaving America for a lack of scientific opportunity. Regardless of discipline, Americans tend to think that one does not have to the leave the States to become successful or world-renowned in their field.

Yet the Trump administration’s denial of climate science means that advances in clean energy will come from abroad. Part of Trump’s proposed 31 percent slashing of the Environmental Protection Agency budget includes a $234 million cut for environmental research grants.

Wind and solar energy are the two fastest-growing sources of power in the U.S., and America’s transition to a clean-power future has already begun.

Instead of the U.S. being a science and technology leader, as we’ve become accustomed, this administration is handicapping the nation to a future where we will constantly be playing catchup.

The administration is attempting to delay scientific progress for fear of the discoveries and efficiencies that will follow.

Such achievements will continue to happen elsewhere, as foreign countries poach our best and brightest for their own gain, the only difference being that Americans will not benefit from them.

Las Vegas

To me, as an activist for more than 25 years, the internet has been one of the last uncensored avenues for information exchange.

When efforts are made to control this vital portal we will all suffer, as democracies require an educated citizenry to thrive.

Corporations are beholden only to their shareholders/owners and are thus not interested in the public’s welfare. Their interests, rather, lie in profit maximization.

Governments, in theory, are accountable to their citizens and, thus, would be better suited to ensure net neutrality — particularly as the U.S. government created the internet.

The decision to rescind net neutrality was wrong and needs to be reconsidered.

This should not be a partisan issue but rather an issue of ensuring free and unfettered access to information for our citizens.

Henderson