Editor, Gazette-Journal: We are being distracted by minnows while some very big fish are swimming around us. A changing climate is a big fish. Warmer waters, flooding, severed storms and unpredictable weather affect communities like ours. In Gloucester, where farms, waterways and the Chesapeake Bay are part of our identity and economy, these aren’t abstract concerns. They affect what farmers can grow, where people can safely build and, ultimately, what families pay for food, housing and insurance. American agriculture is a big fish. Farmers face unpredictable weather, rising costs, trade disputes, and increasing consolidation by enormous agricultural corporations. A nation that cannot protect its ability to feed itself has surrendered part of its independence. National security is a big fish. So is America’s ability to compete economically and technologically. We should be seriously discussing military readiness, energy, manufacturing, research, artificial intelligence, and the technol...