A scene from 'Animatrix', when humans decide that the only way to stop the machine army of Zero One is to deprive its solar cells of sunlight, for good. 'So the leaders of men conceived of their most desperate strategy yet. A final solution: The destruction of the sky.' Graphic: Animatrix6 February 2019 (Desdemona Despair) – There are many reasons to despair when Donald Trump speaks – the baseless nativist paranoia, the continuous stream of half-truths and lies, the thinly veiled appeals to bigotry – but last night, during his second State of the Union address to Congress, Trump extolled the “energy dominance” policy he pursues at the behest of the fossil fuel industry:

We have unleashed a revolution in American energy – the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy.

He was met with a roar of approval from the Republican side of the House.There was no mention of carbon pollution, global warming, or the record-breaking California wildfires.When I hear people cheering the liberation of more fossil carbon, I’m reminded of a scene in Animatrix, when humans decide that the only way to stop the machine army of Zero One is to deprive its solar cells of sunlight, for good:

Thus did Zero One’s troops advance outward in every direction. And one after another, mankind surrendered its territories.
So the leaders of men conceived of their most desperate strategy yet. A final solution: The destruction of the sky.

The human leaders enthusiastically applaud this obviously self-destructive plan – undoubtedly, any dissenters would have been shouted down. This was the mood among Republicans last night, when Trump bragged about increasing U.S. carbon emissions.A scene from 'Animatrix', when humans decide that the only way to stop the machine army of Zero One is to deprive its solar cells of sunlight, for good. 'So the leaders of men conceived of their most desperate strategy yet. A final solution: The destruction of the sky.' Graphic: AnimatrixAs Trump supporters in Congress roared their approval, Desdemona could almost hear their phalanges clacking together.So the leaders of men conceived of their most desperate strategy yet