Greetings Earthlings. Yes, it's a distress call but also the European festival Beltane of ancient Pagan origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on May 1. Also, May 1st was International Workers’ Day which began as a commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago. The day is officially recognized in much of the world, but not the United States 'cuz you know, "commies"? Hence, Labor Day falling on the first Monday in September so everyone must go shopping. Lots of distress to cover there but we'll stick with the present MAGA shitshow and the Pagans. Laura Wildman-Hanlon, Author & Wiccan Priestess returns to the show to delve into the Craft and the times. As always, we will also introduce you to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill, Those Whose Brains Were Small, Who Left the Door Open and more but first it's time for Revenge of the Critters! Another Fungus Among us! Go HERE....if you dare!
This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Representative Bruce Westerman (Repug of Arkansas) whose bill, the Endangered Species Act Amendments Act (H.R. 1897), would gut the strongest law we have for preventing extinction and protecting the wildlife and wild places future generations deserve. He is "an American forester and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Arkansas's 4th congressional district.......Westerman has a 4% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters. In January 2025, Westerman introduced the Fix Our Forests Act". Another vile duplicitous oxymoronic congressional lie we must confront NOW!
From trashing the planet to more trashing the planet we have to ask: "Who left the door open" and let these monsters in?? "A major study published in Science finds that the global wildlife trade is dramatically increasing the risk of dangerous diseases jumping from animals to humans. Researchers found that 41% of traded wild mammals carry diseases that can infect people, making this industry a major driver of future outbreaks." So now we're paying attention when humans are being endangered? Surprise! Civic Shout continues: "But beyond the threat to human health, the wildlife trade is also a crisis of cruelty. Wild animals are torn from their natural habitats, often enduring extreme stress, injury, and suffering as they are captured, confined, and transported across the globe. Many die before ever reaching their destination. Those who survive are frequently kept in inhumane conditions or sold into exploitative industries. This trade is not only dangerous — it is deeply inhumane. Despite this clear threat, the U.S. government still lacks a coordinated strategy to monitor and control the wildlife trade. Meanwhile, the United States remains one of the world’s largest importers of wildlife products." More HERE. Sadly, Civic Shout asks us to petition His Malignancy to come to the rescue. You've GOT to be kidding. Maybe those whose job it is?
On to our Doublespeak of the Week which is attributed to another MAGA freakshow candidate, Texas Repugnican Rep Chip Roy. Recently Roy displayed his "hateful, bigoted" cred by "introducing a new immigration bill that would make noncitizens who advocate for—or are affiliated with—socialist, communist, Marxist or Islamic fundamentalist movements inadmissible, deportable, denaturalizable and ineligible for naturalization." Roy, "has dubbed his bill the "Mamdani Act" after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist." Time to play Find the Doublespeak in Roy's ploy: ""Why do we continue to import people who hate us? Not just for the last six years, but for the last 60 years, our immigration system has been cynically used to disadvantage American workers' competitiveness in favor of mass-importing the third world. This has not just led to higher crime and lower wages, but also the promulgation of hostile ideologies fundamentally opposed to American values. By targeting the Red-Green Alliance, this legislation deploys new tools to fight back against the Marxist and Islamist advance that has devastated Europe and has now arrived on our doorstep, especially in my home state of Texas." Send us your scorecard, Enviro Show listeners.
We may as well continue with the bottom dwelling here and go straight to His Malignancy The Mad King (#NoKings) himself. Shall we begin with him thinking he's Jesus? Wait, isn't that what certifiably crazy folks do? Why yes! How about his war on Iran? "The conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel is creating the worst energy crisis ever faced by the world, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said....This is indeed the biggest crisis in history," Birol told France Inter radio in an interview broadcast.." We haven't seen the waiting lines at gas stations like back in the '70s but stay tuned! Ofcourse, the needless loss of life, especially in bombed out schoolrooms full of young girls is a war crime and His Malignancy has threated, outloud in public, more of the same. And don't get us started with his crusader "Secretary of War", Pete Hegseth. This from The Nation magazine: "Pete Hegseth isn’t facing impeachment over a single mistake—he’s facing it over a growing pattern of lawlessness that lawmakers say puts lives at risk and ignores the Constitution. Tell Congress: Launch a full investigation and move forward with impeachment proceedings against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth." And, "As U.S. and Israeli bombs began to fall in Iran — igniting a war that has embroiled more than a dozen countries, killed thousands, and triggered global energy and economic crises — traders were cashing in." Some reports indicate His Malignancy's own may be inside trading for blood money. Surprise! Let's not forget The Mad King (#NoKings) & company's War on Nature: "The.. administration wants to take an ax to the East’s last great forests" reports Grist. "Since his return to office last year, [the] President has pushed federal agencies to intensify timber production, an effort that includes making it easier to use legal loopholes to fell trees. With the Department of Agriculture aiming to overturn the roadless rule this year, the debate is shifting from Washington to the woods — and to the communities living alongside some of the last protected forests in the East." That includes two National Forests just north of us here in the so-called Commonwealth.
How about we cap off the bad news with a visit to "Their Brains Were small and They Died"? Isn't it fitting to nominate Big Oil for this one? After all, dinosaurs and their surroundings were Big Oil's origin story, yes? Back then, giant reptiles probably did a lot of damage blundering around the landscape, something Big Oil has inherited as Bill McKibben explains in his commentary "Big Oil Brakes Everything". Bill opens with this: "When I started writing about the climate crisis in the 1980s I was in my twenties, and I didn’t fully comprehend that there could be a force on this planet so steeped in greed and power that it would sacrifice the earth and its inhabitants for its own narrow interests. But there is, and it’s Big Oil." The piece gets into the details we've been talking about on this show for decades. It's a tough read. Suffice it to say, Big Oil has more in common with the dinosaurs and their fate than Big Oil seems to realize. Sadly, life on Earth gets to participate as well.
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we replay our regional media operation's Reduce/Reuse/Recycle publication HERE. They publish it periodically with updated info on ways to confront the waste stream. You can get the printed copy at news stands or as inserts in the dailies this time of year. Speaking of regional news, The Daily Hampshire Gazette covered a protest recently that may upset local foodies. "Northampton - Animal rights activists protested in front of the Provisions wine store at Thornes Marketplace Sunday afternoon, calling for the retailer to pull foie gras, a French goose liver dish some believe is made inhumanely, off the store’s shelves. Protesters from the animal rights groups For Animals Inc. and Western Mass Animal Rights Activists held signs reading “may our hearts overcome our habits,” and others bearing pictures of geese being forcibly fed with a metal pipe which read “birds are force-fed and tortured for foie gras,” as they encouraged passersby to sign a petition ending the sale of the goose liver delicacy." Speaking of birds, there's a new effort by the Center for Food Safety to challenge neonic pesticides: "Pesticide giants like Monsanto-Bayer have been selling neonicotinoid-coated seeds with no safety testing and inadequate regulation for decades. Now, almost half of all U.S. crop land is planted with these toxic seeds, and birds are paying the price." Petitions in the past haven't moved these corporados away from business-as-usual. Perhaps a shake-up in Congress this coming November might help?
On the lighter side, Our Critter of the Week is the rambunctious Magpie, both black & yellow billed. The latter were the model for The Heckle and Jeckle Cartoon Show [which] premiered on CBS Saturday mornings on October 14, 1956 much to the enjoyment of d.o. when he was a kid in New York. "The characters [were] a pair of identical anthropomorphic yellow-billed magpies who usually cause problems to others and for themselves with their bizarre antics. Heckle speaks in a tough New York style manner, while Jeckle has a more polite British accent". No longer a fan of anthropomorphic renderings, d.o. still enjoyed watching Black Billed Magpies when he lived out west in Colorado. They are highly intelligent critters and prone to mischief around human habitations. "A common folk belief is that magpies will wound cows to eat their flesh or drink their blood. Magpies will, in fact, stand on the backs of cows to probe and peck. However, the goal is typically not to eat the cow itself, but the parasites on the cow, such as ticks, that are doing just that. Cows are not the only beneficiaries of this behavior — magpies will eat ticks off of other large mammals, including bison, moose, elk, and deer." So, they often get a bad rap from cowboys & ranchers. Furthermore, "Despite their adaptability, magpies are sensitive to habitat loss, particularly of the riparian areas where they nest. Pesticides can also impact magpie populations, and they still face persecution and lack protection in some places." Wake-up, stupid humans.
Our Quote of the Week is in keeping with the above:
He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.
After our conversation with Laura we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:
First Here's Indivisible Northampton — Swing Left Western Mass's complete daily listing of all the pro-democracy events in WMass: https://in-slwm.org/wp-content/uploads/Calendar/cal.html. If you're looking for an easy weekday way to jump into the climate movement, you'll love the State House Stand Out! We gather at the Massachusetts State House in Boston between 10 am and 2 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Volunteers stand together for 2-hour "shifts," either outside or inside depending on weather, and talk with visitors and State House staff about the Climate Crisis. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 3 – 4pm.: Indivisible's What's the Plan with Leah and Ezra. Go HERE. Fridays, 1:30 to 3pm: De-ICE Hanscom Airfield Stand Outs, Hanscom Rotary, Lincoln, MA. Go HERE. Saturdays, 11am to 1pm: No Fear w/Street Theatre, Burlington ICE Facility, Burlington Mall Rd. @ District Ave., Burlington, MA Go HER
Saturday April 25, 9am. Celebrate Earth Day at Look Park, Look Memorial Park, 300 N Main Street, Florence, MA, 01062. Join us for a special Earth Day event at Look Park. We’ll be coordinating tree planting, working on our pollinator garden, as well as other park beautification projects throughout our 150+ acres. Go HERE.
Saturday April 25, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 14th Annual Amherst Sustainability Festival, taking place onon the Amherst Town Common, Amherst, MA. Details HERE.
Saturday April 25, 10am to 1pm. Deep Time Walk at Forest Park. Join this unique, transformative journey through time. As we walk
together, you'll experience Earth's incredible 4.6-billion-year story,
from the formation of our planet to the dawn of humans. No prior
knowledge needed - just bring comfortable walking shoes,
weather-appropriate clothing, and curiosity about our planet's amazing
story. Register HERE.
Saturday April 25, 11am – 12pm. Communities Not Cages: National Day of Action to Stop ICE Warehouse Detention. Memorial Park, South Main Street & Water Street, Orange, MA 01364. Join us outside as part of a nationwide day of action to oppose the Trump administration's expansion of ICE warehouse detention and its attack on the due process rights of immigrants and all Americans. The Department of Homeland Security is moving to lock thousands of people in massive detention warehouses — disappearing them from their families, their lawyers, and their communities. We're taking to the streets to make clear that stands for dignity, justice, and the rule of law. Go HERE.
Saturday April 25, 12-4 pm. Northampton Repair Fair at the Smith Vocational High School gym, 80 Locust Street Northampton, MA 01060 . Volunteer “fixers” will be available to sharpen knives, repair bicycles, repair clothing and bags, backpacks and other heavy-duty sewing projects, fix small appliances and provide simple computer assistance (list will expand as more experts commit). Various tools and basic supplies will be available, some via a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Some projects may require a participant to purchase additional supplies. Voluntary donations to offset other event expenses will be accepted. Call: (413) 270-1234
Sunday April 26, 1pm. Beltane Celebration at the UMass Sunwheel, Rocky Hill Road, Amherst, MA There will be a potluck meal after the rite, so please bring a dish (labeled with ingredients) to share. We ask everyone to bring a non-perishable food item for donation to a local food bank. $5.00 suggested donation, but no one ever turned away for lack of funds. Rocky Hill Rd. Amherst, MA.
Sunday April 26, 1-3pm. What We Need Is Here: An Earth Day Celebration. Davis Meadow, Smith College and surrounding campus, Northampton, MA Join us to celebrate Earth Day! Learn powerful protest songs with activist and composer Geoff Hudson, clean up invasives along the Mill River and Paradise Pond, help plant seeds in the Smith College Learning Garden, and enjoy music by the Smith College Smithereens and local rock bands.
Sunday April 26, 2 to 3:30pm. King Phillip's War in Your Backyard (1675 to 1676). It's the 350th Anniversary of the Great Falls Massacre. Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Great Falls (Turners Falls), MA. Learn about Indigenous history and their continued presence here and throughout the Northeast. Go HERE.
Wednesday April 29, 3pm. Utility Smart Meter Harmful? Eversource, National Grid and others are rolling out their smart grids with no informed consent. The science is very clear that the radiation pulsated 24x7 from these digital utility meters is a neurotoxin, carcinogen, causes infertility and more. "Smart" meters for electric, solar, water, gas and propane are being installed everywhere, so please share this widely. Children, pregnant women, the elderly and anyone with an existing health comprimise often experience symptoms first, but many previously healthy ratepayers develop EMR Syndrome after smart meters are installed. Join Cece Doucette and Building Biologist Ken Gartner to learn the science, symptoms, medical recommendations, and what you can do to protect your home, loved ones and pets from this man-made toxin! Go HERE.
Wednesday April 29, 4 - 5pm. Bird-Friendly Spring Q&A with American Bird Conservancy Experts. It's springtime in North America, and beloved migratory birds like the Wood Thrush, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Western Tanager are returning to breed and raise their young, often sharing space with us in our yards, parks, and communities. What do these travelers need to ensure they survive their perilous journeys? Go HERE.
Friday May 1, All Day. Join with unions as allies to protest on this date. Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition (IMC) suggests arranging field trips/ride shares to main large events in Boston, Worcester, Holyoke to show solidarity in large numbers rather than many smaller events like #NoKings protests have done. The message of this event is Families>Billionaires. More info on Holyoke action HERE.
Friday May 1, 10am to 6pm. UMass Amherst May Day Campus Sunrise Event. Metawampe Lawn, UMass Amherst, 1 Campus Center Way, UMass, Amherst, MA 01003. Join us in supporting public education this May Day at the Sunrise Campus Event. When billionaires and corporate interests rig the rules for themselves, it will take more than business as usual to stop them. Every gain working people have ever won came from collective action — and May 1 is our moment to stand together again. Go HERE.
Friday May 1, 12 to 1pm. Greenfield MA May Day 2026: Workers Over Billionaires. Town Common, Bank Row & Main Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Because when the billionaires break every rule, it’s going to take more than a rally to stop them. Our Demands for May 1st - Tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first. - No ICE. No war.. No private army serving unchecked federal power. - Expand democracy, not corporate power. Hands off our vote.. Together we will be flexing our collective muscle in a tremendous day of power - showing our unity through a day of marches, rallies, and actions including No Work No School No Shopping in many cities. Go HERE.
Saturday May 2⋅11:00am – 3:00pm. Earth Spirit Beltaine & Sacred Land Open House. Join EarthSpirit for Beltaine’s joyous maypole by the stream, celebrating the fullness of Spring & new beginnings! Bring instruments, flowers for wreath-making and your own plates and utensils for the potluck so we don’t need to use disposables. Children of all ages are welcome! Come celebrate the Spring!! At 1pm join us for the Sacred Land walk (especially if you have not been to the land before). The ritual begins at 3pm. (email openhouse@earthspirit.com for directions). Basic info about all Sacred Land events is at www.earthspirit.com, on the EarthSpirit fb page, or call the EarthSpirit office at 413-238-4240.
Saturday May 2, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Harvard Forest - Guided Tour, Join
Sierra Club MA Chapter on a guided tour of Harvard Forest, a
4,000 acre center for conservation and environmental research
with miles of public trails. Harvard Forest is located in
Petersham, MA. The tour will include a visit to the Fisher
Museum, which houses their internationally acclaimed dioramas,
as well as a walk on a trail to learn about local flora and
fauna and ongoing research projects. The
tour is expected to last 1.5 - 2.5 hours and will start in the
museum and end with a trail walk nearby. The walk will be from 1
- 2 miles with a minimal elevation gain. We will also briefly
discuss forest reserves, their importance in the state’s Forests
as Climate Solutions initiative, and the MA chapter’s campaign
to turn the Quabbin, Ware, and Wachusett watershed forests into
a reserve or park. Register
for this event using this RSVP:
https://act.sierraclub.org/
Sunday May 3, 2pm: Thoreau's Forests Confront Climate Change with Dr. William Moomaw In person at First Parish in Concord (a recording of the event will be available post-event): Q&A and refreshments. Sponsored by the First Parish in Concord Environmental Team. RSVP here
Thursday May 7th, 6:30 pm. Tick Talk. Shutesbury Public Library, 66 Leverett Road,
Shutesbury MA. Hosted by Public Health Nurse Sarah Fiske. No registration necessary!
Learn
about Tick borne diseases, treatment & prevention! Bug repellant,
Tick identification cards, disease fact sheets and tick removal kits
will be available while supplies last!
Saturday, May 9, noon to 2:00 p.m. (Rain date May 23). Guided Walk in Masson Ridge, a Protected Forest in Northfield, MA. Space is limited to 20 people - registration required and carpooling encouraged. To register write to wildlandscampaigncan@gmail.com Upon registration you we will send you detailed instructions about the walk. Please note that this walk is of moderate difficulty with some short steep climbs and descents, and uneven ground.
Tuesday May 12, 7pm. We invite you to join us for a special community meeting next month on the topic of data centers. Noah Berman, Senior Policy Advocate at the Acadia Center, will join us via Zoom to give a brief presentation on the risks and climate implications of data centers. Following his presentation, there will be a short Q&A. We hope you can join us in person or on Zoom! : Register here to receive the Zoom link
OK until next time BUT please do remember to listen to your Mother!
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