THREAD: T. Roosevelt, a Republican, established 5 National Parks & 18 National Monuments. He is a giant in the conservation world, & he understood that humans have to live in balance with our planet & its environments. 1/
Trump slashed lands designated as National Monuments today. I have dedicated my career to understanding our world & being a good steward of its wonders, & like Roosevelt, I know that .@realDonaldTrump & the GOP's gluttony will hurt our country's wild places. 2/
Protecting the environment is not partisan. It is fundamental to ensuring that future generations can live in peace & prosperity. It is our duty as the most apex of apex predators to keep our world in balance. This is not up for debate. 3/
As our global population continues to balloon, how we use our land and natural resources matters exponentially more. When a wild area is changed by humans, that change is permanent. Some change is acceptable & necessary to sustain lives, but other changes are pure greed. 4/
By stealing lands designated as National Monuments, Trump is desecrating the sacred, universal sanctuary that was deemed worthy of protection by his predecessors. He has elevated himself above other Presidents, all Americans, & nature itself - for the worship of profits. 5/
When I entered the race for Congress to defend facts & champion evidence in policy-making, I was told over & over that people don't vote when the environment is the issue. That's because we've never had to. Every previous President has seen our land's unique beauty. 6/
Not all presidents protect the land to the same degree, but they have respected the sanctification of previous Monuments & Parks bestowed by their predecessors. Not this guy. Trump believes himself better than all humankind, all wildlife, & all of nature. He's wrong. 7/
The infinite, intricate wonder of life on our planet is a mystery we're still unfolding. Everything is connected, & sacrificing our world for oil & gas we don't even need decimates the future for the next generations. I have studied climate change & environmental destruction. 8/
I have watched as great glaciers tumbled into avalanches, seen mylar balloons stuffed into mouse burrows, & watched online, horrified, as scientists pulled a plastic straw out of a sea turtle's nose. I have worked in mines, & I have seen their best & worst. 9/
Cutting up these Monuments serves no purpose aside from profit & massaging Trump's fragile ego. It does not honor the traditional stewards of the lands, the Native Americans. It does not bring greater appreciation for the wonders of our country to kids & families. 10/
.@realDonaldTrump's actions today prove what many have suspected: he does not care for the real United States. He serves two masters: profit and ego. It takes a big person to defend the voiceless, & he has shown just how small he & the GOP leadership are. 11/
In the words of a true American leader, President T. Roosevelt, "We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, & the gas are exhausted...12/
...when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation." He also said, "It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it." 13/
It is imperative that we elect leaders who appreciate all that our country has to offer, & who will balance our needs as people with our need for clean air, clean water, clean soils, & wild spaces for all to experience. It is our privilege & our duty to care for this world. #/
