STATUE OF LIMITATIONS

NO, THIS ISN’T A TYPO. IT’S A MEANS OF POKING FUN at those thinking climate change is a “hoax.” Are you reading this, Trump? Er, no; I forgot you don’t read.

Oliver Milman describes, “Melting Ron DeSantis Statue Unveiled to Call Out His Inaction on Climate Crisis,” The Guardian, October 19, 2026. Milman observes, “Florida governor has consistently opposed any legislation to curb planet-heating emissions, calling it a ‘radical climate agenda.’ ”

How typical of MAGAs to blame any of the world’s problems—the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cost of transportation fuels, this past summer’s extreme heat, the student rioting in France, potholes in your neighborhood streets—on radicals.

Think Science—and Gallium. Milman recounts, “The silvery statue, revealed to an audience of onlookers last week, melted away to show a skull under DeSantis’s face. The structure was cast from solid gallium, a metal that melts at 85.6F (29.8C), which is below summertime high temperatures frequently reached in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital.”

“Gallium,” Wikipedia describes, “has symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Discovered by the French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in Paris, France, 1875, elemental gallium is a soft, silvery metal at standard temperature and pressure with a complex orthorhombic crystal structure. In its liquid state, it becomes silvery white.”

Wikipedia continues, “If enough force is applied, solid gallium may fracture conchoidally. Gallium does not occur as a free element in nature, but rather as gallium(III) compounds in trace amounts in zinc ores (such as sphalerite) and in bauxite.” The latter, you may recall, is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminum content. (Note the element immediately below it in the Periodic Table.)

Thank Uncommon, 350 Action, and M ss ng P eces. Milman recounts, “The environmentalists behind the statue-based protest said it was a fitting monument to DeSantis’s eight years as Florida governor, which comes to an end in January. The Republican has frequently criticized what he has called a ‘radical climate agenda,’ blocking the ability of Florida municipalities to slash planet-heating pollution and even erased terms such as ‘climate change’ and ‘greenhouse gas emissions’ from Florida state law.”

Poisoning the Air; Poisoning Kids’ Minds. “This law,” Milman observes, “has hindered the ability of state agencies to even mention a climate crisis that poses an outsized threat to Florida. In classrooms, meanwhile, state education regulations are also ensuring the steady elimination of any reference to climate change.”

Milman continues, “Southern Florida is acutely threatened by sea level rise, while homes and businesses across the entire state have been increasingly lashed by powerful hurricanes, worsened by rising global temperatures. The increasing damage wrought by storms supercharged by ocean and atmospheric heat has proved so costly that several major insurers have exited Florida entirely.”

Florida Voters’ Minds Already Poisoned? “The state’s stance towards the climate crisis looks unlikely to change, however,” Milman says. “Florida has become a Republican bastion in recent years and Byron Donalds, the GOP candidate, is heavily favored to win the governor’s race in next month’s midterm elections.”

Milman continues, “Donalds has said he wants to maintain Florida’s environment but has said he doesn’t accept the link between climate change and human actions, despite scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is causing temperatures to rise.”

An Opposing View from 350 Action. Milman cites Candice Fortin, campaign manager at 350 Action: “The climate crisis is one of the top issues facing our planet today. And yet, some candidates running for office still deny it’s happening, and deny the bold climate action that the people want. That’s why it’s more important than ever to deny them back at the ballot box. If everyone who cares about people and our planet makes their voices heard on election cay, we’ll be too loud to deny.”

Yet, DeSantis Continues: “We’re restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots.”

This brings to mind another potential sculpting medium: B.S. ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2025