Our Halloween Fool-on-the-Hill is the Bad Witch from the North, Senator Susan Collins who fell body and soul into the Dark Side when she voted to seat what for all intents and purposes appears to be a drunken predator fratboy on the Supreme Court of the United States. She threw a virtual bucket of ice water on all women and a lot of men in this nation BUT she's the one who will cry out, "I'm melting! What a world, what a world!" when she's up for reelection in Maine.
On to His Malignancy The Mad King who just stated: "I have a natural instinct for science" [insert laugh track]. The Inteligencer went on to point out he "asserted that, contrary to the scientific conclusion that pumping heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere has caused an upward ratcheting of temperatures, he sees it as random unexplainable variation.." We guess it's no longer a scam from China? Wait! Last week The Mad King "suggested that the world's climate might actually be 'fabulous' " Huh? And this: His Malignancy and his "emergency management" types have dropped the ball once again, this time with Mega-Hurricane Michael's devastation on the Florida panhandle. Also, given how much His Malignancy's choice for the Supreme Court has lied before Congress we guess you won't be too surprised to learn he lied about his environmental rulings as well? And speaking of the SCOTUS theft there's some court intrigue concerning what ever went down to get Justice Kennedy to bail so the fratboy could be foisted upon us. Finally, the Mad King's State Department just published another hastily-produced draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement that concludes the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would produce only "minor" impacts to land, water, endangered species and Native American sacred sites in Nebraska. Make your voices heard HERE. Finally, His Malignancy's fellow climate criminal, Lyin' Ryan Zinke over at Interior is entertaining the idea of using our military bases to.....are you ready? EXPORT COAL and FRACKED GAS!
We have Breaking News! The14-year old (yes, 14 years!) Taylor Energy oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is about to become one of the worst oil disasters in U.S. history. The Washington Post notes: "Between 300 and 700 barrels of oil per day have been spewing from a site 12 miles off the Louisiana coast since 2004, when an oil-production platform owned by Taylor Energy sank in a mudslide triggered by Hurricane Ivan. Many of the wells have not been capped, and federal officials estimate that the spill could continue through this century. With no fix in sight..."
In our Enviro Show Echo Chamber of Horrors we find unsettling news from WAMC that forest soils are absorbing less methane than usual. If that's not disturbing enough for you how about bubbling pools in the Arctic? This gives new meaning to Shakespeare's witches chanting "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble", yes? Remember those tacky old Japanese horror films with radioactive monsters? The monsters were always the result of dumped atomic waste. They're still working on that! In past shows we've discussed the shocking decline in insect populations. We guess it follows that there's also a corresponding decline in insect eating bird populations like Tree Swallows. And, since we're talking air bourn critters and we're coming up on Bat Week, how about our friends the bats? It seems the dreaded White Nose syndrome is working its way west but so are bat scientists studying it. Stay tuned: same bat channel! And another scare for everyone, this time from the Cape Downwinders: "the Oct. 9 NRC inspection report with highlights concluding corrective actions STILL have not been resolved. Entergy's operation of Pilgrim [nuke] remains in the "Multiple/Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone", the lowest NRC assessment matrix. Pilgrim is STILL the worst reactor in the U.S. and STILL one step from federally mandated shutdown." A real chiller for eastern MA.
After our visit with the Good Green Witch and Guy we move on to the Bus stop Billboard:
Saturday, November 3, 2pm. to Sunday, November 4, 6pm. "Body is a Guest". Art from the Natural World by Denise Beaudet. Cottage Street Studios 1 Cottage Street Studio #436, Easthampton, MA. Call 413-570-5027
Wednesday November 7, 7pm. Northampton Community Preservation Committee to consider a proposal to employ glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto's RoundUp) in an effort to eradicate a small stand of Japanese Knotweed a few feet away from the Community Garden plots. so please attend if you can! City Council Chambers, 212 Main St. in Northampton. Also, please send a comment to the Community Preservation Committee to oppose the use of glyphosate and to demand a more transparent process! Go HERE!
Wednesday, November 7, 7 – 8:30 pm. Acting Together in the Face of the Climate Crisis. Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West St, Amherst, Massachusetts. Come join us and this panel of local grassroots organizers -- Jacqueline Velez, Susan Theberge, and Marty Nathan -- to hear about local environmental justice issues and the great work these three community leaders are doing. Registration appreciated: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/acting-together-in-the-face-of-the-climate-crisis-registration-51810186663
OK, remember now, if your out Trick or Treating be sure to wear black.....No, wait! That's wrong. Remember to......LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!
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