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L.A. Fires Remind Us ‘Fat Felon’ Isn’t Fit To Run Garbage Dump

California disaster brings out best, worst of America

Manny Otiko
The Polis
4 min readJan 14, 2025

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Manny Otiko/Grok

The record wildfires that hit Los Angeles have showcased the worst and best in human nature. We’ve seen acts of great charity and bravery by Los Angelinos and also seen some of the worst demagoguery and racism from the Republican Party. But at this stage, this is all we should expect from Republicans. Conspiracy theories and racism are their bread and butter, especially with President-elect Donald Trump about to take the reins of the government yet again.

The natural disaster that beset Los Angeles shouldn’t surprise us. The Earth is experiencing record temperatures, and wildfires are not unique to the West Coast of North America. There have also been wildfires in Greece and Australia. As the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, we are currently experiencing the age of “global boiling.”

“Billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic — wilting under increasingly deadly heatwaves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world. That’s 122 degrees Fahrenheit. And halfway to boiling,” said Guterres in a 2023 speech.

A perfect storm of conditions helped cause the L.A. fires. Global warming has caused extreme weather, which means worse droughts and…

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The Polis
The Polis

Published in The Polis

Thought-provoking articles on politics, philosophy, and public policy

Manny Otiko
Manny Otiko

Written by Manny Otiko

Manny Otiko writes about race, politics and sports. He has been published in Salon and LA Weekly. Follow him at @mannyotiko.bsky.social

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