It was the summer of 74

Yes, wind is weather but extreme meteorological events are climate change. Just because these extreme weather events occur rarely or follow repetitive patterns doesn't mean there's no casual connection to be made with pollutants.

I clearly remember the "super outbreak" of tornadoes in the summer of 1974 when 148 of them swept through the entire southeast US for two days running. It was scary. Felt apocalyptic as I watched the teevee with my infant daughter sleeping in my arms. It happened at a time when our corporate overlords were going full bore with flouro-carbon propellants for aerosol products because they were cheaper to manufacture.

The oligarchs of that era fought bitterly against the EPA's ban on flouro-carbon use. Back then it was the long term ozone layer they were destroying for short term profits. But the ban was ultimately enacted and adopted by countries around the world. Now the new Galtians are trying to destroy the EPA altogether over regulations to mitigate climate change. And this week one monster tornado, or maybe two on a rare path, killed more people than all 148 did in 74.

Granted the population has increased since then as well, but still, these things don't seem entirely unrelated.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]