Montana Constitution: that Clean and Healthful Environment Thing
The term "Climate Kids" has become common usage in talk radio, thanks to the Held v Montana lawsuit. Before this court case made the news, I'll bet most of us never heard of a "clean and healthful environment" as a right. Well, it is in the Montana Constitution, Article II on the Declaration of Rights:
Section 3. Inalienable rights. All persons are born free and have certain inalienable rights. They include the right to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life's basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways. In enjoying these rights, all persons recognize corresponding responsibilities.
So if the Climate Kids are going to use this phrase "right to a clean and healthful environment" to curtail industry and production, then I can ask...
Where else can this "Right" be applied?
We should definitely apply it to wildfires throughout the state. We should manage the forests and public lands against wildfire fuel because that smoke just ruins the summer and the views and threatens lung health. I may contact the Attorney General for this one.
Speaking of smoke, if we get smoke from distant fires from the Northwest, Canada and even China, can we sue them because they violated our right to a clean and healthful environment?
Now that I think about it, this right can be used against the environmentalists who oppose forest management. From this point on, every time they bring up some lawsuit to block forest management to mitigate wildfires, the countersuit should be that their motion violates Montanans right to a clean and healthy environment. Let's turn this right about on them.
What about this "Corresponding Responsibilities"?
If we are going to insist on the right to a healthful environment, then the last line about corresponding responsibilities should apply, right? You know what this means, Climate Kids...
CLEAN YOUR ROOM!!
I'll touch on the rest of this section another time. Gentle Reader, have a great rest of the day.
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