Greetings Earthlings. Awhile ago we humans here on Planet Earth figured out we need a new title to explain the epoch we have entered into. Here on the show we've used the popular Anthropocene that indicates our mostly awful footprint on the planet, but how about the Moronocene for a time when far too many morons seem to be in charge? Prof. Eliot Jacobson, educator/ mathematician joins us for the interview. 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; our Doublespeak of the Week, as well as the ever present reminder that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and more but first it's time for......Revenge of the Critters! Unknown critter doesn't like parking lot patrons?
This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Maine Repugnican Susan Collins who was outed recently by Pro Publica: "In 2024, the FBI sought to launch a sweeping pay-to-play investigation examining interactions between Sen. Susan Collins and a top donor, records and emails show. The donor, an ex-defense contractor, told agents his company won millions in federal contracts by bankrolling campaigns of powerful politicians. After [His Malignancy] returned to office, the investigation died, a casualty of his purge of the FBI. Its closure shut a potential window into how Washington works." but kept open the window through which we see what a fool she really is. As for His Malignancy, he needs to go, OK?
We briefly touched on this last time but now we're demanding to know Who Left the Door Open for this lot? The fascists who gave you J6 are at it again, only this time we have been warned: "The Final Battle for America’s Democracy - Forget November 3. It’s January 3 when Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans might bury our democracy once and for all. Here’s how." That is a MUST READ for anyone who cares at all about protecting our nation from a white nationalist fascist coup. I am not joking. "Trump and his Republican allies have been preparing for this final battle since January 6, 2021. For the past six years, they have embarrassed themselves and the U.S. with their preposterous, win-at-any-cost denial that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election and their deceitful slander of America’s democracy. Since his return to the White House, Trump’s every unconstitutional act in his effort to seize control over the midterm elections—each hailed by his prostrate Republican Congress—has been toward the end of ensuring that Republicans retain a majority in the 120th Congress." Judge
A Russian disinformation campaign is targeting the midterms, and specifically Democrats, in what seems to be the first attempt by the Kremlin-backed operation to meddle in this year’s elections. The campaign is simple, and designed to reach voters on social media. In a series of doctored selfie videos posted to various platforms, Hollywood actors appear to disavow the Democratic Party and urge viewers to vote Republican." MS NOW picked-up on the story: "The videos are real — one clip featuring Julia Roberts is lifted from Gucci’s 2023 Chime for Change campaign for gender equality, and others were ripped from personalized videos the actors recorded for fans on Cameo. But the audio is fake, seemingly cloned from the actors’ voices with artificial intelligence and laid over a reel of right-wing bogeymen..." Thankfully, AI is still easy to detect given its lazy use of graphics and sound. That said, these hackers will follow the dinosaurs into oblivion at some point and trouble us no more.
Our Doublespeak of the Week comes from many many weeks ago when Repugnican Marco Rubio spoke at an international conference claiming: "To appease a “climate cult” we have imposed energy policies on ourselves that are impoverishing our people”. At this point in time it has become uncomfortably obvious who is impoverishing our people and they work in the White House and other captured agencies here in the U.S. Is it a cult when over 70% of the people here in the States are concerned about climate change? Nah! Marco is simply sucking up to His Malignancy's bullshit about the very real Climate Crisis being a "hoax". O wait, isn't MAGA a cult?
Which begs us to note....."It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" At a time when His Malignancy's "E.P.A. Erases Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants" and "..Loosen Methane Rules, Boosting Pollution From Oil and Gas Wells", over the most recent 12-month period, the planet has been warming on average at a rate of about 14.45 Hiroshima bombs per second, or about 1.25 million Hiroshima bombs per day (HpD). In total, this comes out to about 455 million Hiroshima bombs worth of planetary warming over the last 12 months." Our guest did the numbers, pointing out he's talking solely about the heat, not the blasts (otherwise we wouldn't be here talking about the metaphor). Last week a New York Times piece pointed out: "A decade ago, most of the world’s countries agreed in Paris to try to limit global temperature rise to “well below” two degrees Celsius while aiming for the more ambitious target of 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. But Wednesday’s 141-page U.N. report warned that the world is certain to breach that mark and should focus on finding ways to limit “overshoot” and eventually bring global temperatures back down." Obviously, the present occupants in the White House has no such focus, quite the contrary.
Which brings us to His Malignancy The Mad King (#NoKings), he who tells the EPA to come up with such suicidal madness mentioned above, as well as this: "Independent healthcare analyst Charles Gaba... published a detailed report estimating that up to 10 million people living in the US have lost their healthcare coverage since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term." Obviously that's just another of His Malignancy's "flood the zone" assaults upon us. The list of mean-spirited acts and policies seems endless, from the so-called Fix Our Forests Act to his also endless self-aggrandizement or the fact that "It's 3 times harder for blue states to get disaster funding" from him at the same time his gestapo wreaks havoc across the nation. Enough. Be prepared.
Moving on to something heartwarming (rather than mind numbing) we have our Critter of the Week. It is one particular Eastern screech owl, though we celebrate them all. First the one. The Brookline News reports: "Kayla Finn, who lives across from the Brandon Hall Station on Beacon Street, brought the plight of an unassuming yet historic red oak tree to the attention of the town’s Tree Planting Committee and the MBTA as they work on accessibility improvements for the Green Line C Branch. The roughly 50-year-old tree is home to an Eastern screech owl, a cavity-roosting bird whose active nest is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 from incidental harm as an accidental byproduct of construction or tree-removal activities." All About Birds tells us: "If a mysterious trill catches your attention in the night, bear in mind the spooky sound may come from an owl no bigger than a pint glass. Common east of the Rockies in woods, suburbs, and parks, the Eastern Screech-Owl is found wherever trees are... These supremely camouflaged birds hide out in nooks and tree crannies through the day, so train your ears and listen for them at night."
Our Quote of the Week is spot on for this week's show:
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything."
- Albert Einstein
Following the interview with Eliot we go 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. ALSO:
Friday July 24, 4 to 5pm. Indivisible West Quabbin's Wisdom Way Bridge Visibility Brigade Rte I-91 every 4th Friday. Overpass standout located on Wisdom Way, Greenfield, MA. For more information or to sign up go to Mobilize or contact westquabbinindivisible@gmail.com . Saturdays, 11am to 1pm: No Fear w/Street Theatre, Burlington ICE Facility, Burlington Mall Rd. @ District Ave., Burlington, MA Go HERE
Enough of policies that are devastating communities at home and abroad—from Iran, Palestine, Venezuela and Cuba to our own neighborhoods. Enough to the power of the Israel lobby over our lives. Enough to the growing power of billionaires and powerful institutions to shape both our politics and the boundaries of public debate. We insist that human needs, peace, justice, democracy, and a livable planet be placed ahead of endless war and corporate profit. Big E Fair, West Springfield. Gather at 175 Memorial Dr, W Springfield Sign up to join W Springfield protest.
Monday, September 28, 6pm on Zoom. Exit Strategies: Contesting the Future of Capitalism. Feinberg Series Plenary Panel with Jeanelle K. Hope, Tristan Hughes, and Clara E. Mattei. The planet is facing extinction. The causes of the coming catastrophe are as contested as the visions of the future. Some far-right thinkers and tech billionaires want to escape the current world order for techno-feudal and authoritarian enclaves, while some scholars and organizers are seeking anticapitalist and antiauthoritarian alternatives that could ensure the survival of all humanity, not just the rich. The Feinberg Series’s opening event will trace the development of these conflicting diagnoses of what’s wrong with capitalism
Read more about the Feinberg Series: www.umass.edu/feinberg
Tuesday September 29, 5:30—potluck. 6-7:30: Interactive Program. Climate Action Now Fall Gathering. "Nurturing biodiversity in a time of ecological chaos" at the Arcadia Center in Easthampton. Our ecosystem is enduring multiple assaults including pollution from fracking gas and burning fossil fuels, toxic chemicals, microplastics and war. We will explore how we can have a meaningful impact on the climate crisis by working together to nurture our local/regional ecosystem which supports and sustains us all. Go HERE.
Wednesday September 30, 11am. A state public hearing in the Town Hall Auditorium at the Belchertown Town Hall, 2 Jabish Street, Belchertown, MA 01007. Virtual attendance is also available via Zoom (registration required; link provided HERE). The state public hearing will take place regarding the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s (MWRA) proposal to increase water withdrawals from the Quabbin Reservoir. The Proposal: The MWRA has applied for state approval under the Interbasin Transfer Act to withdraw an additional 20 million gallons of water per day (MGD) from the Quabbin Reservoir. This represents roughly a 10% increase in total daily withdrawals to support expansion into additional eastern Massachusetts communities.This specific hearing focuses on donor-basin impacts in Western Massachusetts, evaluating how increased withdrawals will affect: * Local aquatic ecosystems, fisheries, and streamflows * Reservoir water levels and regional drought resilience * Recreational access and donor-region infrastructure.
Wednesday September 30, 1pm. A new coalition that includes the Alliance – called United to Stop Online Scams – will launch with a National Day of Action. The coalition is working to protect Americans of all ages from Artificial Intelligence and Tech-enabled online scams and fraud. Click here to register for a national briefing webinar at 1 PM.
Wednesday September 30, 6 to 9pm. 101 course’ in siting and permitting: each will provide a basic introduction to 225 CMR 29.00 - regulations for the siting and permitting of small clean energy infrastructure facilities – and other essential information that they will need to know as the regulations come into full force on October 1. In person at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, 12 Olive St, Bill Allen Meeting Room, Greenfield, MA 01301 (See above for details)
Thursday October 1, 10am-6pm. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a virtual public hearing to provide the public the opportunity to present comments and information regarding the Agency’s proposed Repeal of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Standards for Fossil Fuel-fired Electric Generating Units (EGUs). This action will provide long-term relief to fossil fuel-fired EGUs from GHG emission standards issued under Clean Air Act (CAA) section 111. The EPA is proposing this action on three distinct bases. The last day to pre-register is September 29, 2026. Please submit a separate registration form for each person attending or speaking. You will receive an email from GHG-EGU-Public-Hearing@rti.org with your unique connection information.
Saturday October 3, 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Join the Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter, Wendell State Forest Alliance, and Standing Trees on a guided fall hike to the renowned Elder Grove in Mohawk Trail State Forest. This grove of old growth trees contains some of the tallest white pines in the Northeast, most exceeding 160 feet in height. The hike will be on a trail that follows the Deerfield River and offers sublime views of the forest and river valley. If cancelled on October 3rd, the event will be rescheduled to October 4th, same time. Go HERE.
Saturday October 3, 1- 3pm At Pathways Cohousing, 25 Mountain Laurel Path, Florence, MA find out about all the ways Indivisible Northampton, MA is collaborating with national coalitions to protect our elections - and what concrete steps you can take with us to help! Space is limited - Please register here: Powering Up Together - Oct 3rd.
Thursday October 8, 7pm. A film screening of Old Growth Forests: Nature’s Biotic Pump at Patagonia Cambridge (39 Brattle St. Cambridge). Doors open at 7pm with pizza (including vegan) and seltzers. The Sierra Club Massachusetts Forest Protection Team will have information available about local and National forest advocacy. The 50 minute film will be followed by a ½ hour panel discussion and Q&A session. RSVP here. All are welcome
Saturday October 10 & Sunday October 11, Noon: HONK Festival & 11:30 HONK Parade with Boston XR. (See links)
Monday October 12, 10am. (Opening Service at 8:45 Hope Church 16 Gaylord St Amherst Ma.). Interfaith Peace Walk remembering Paki Wieland and Frances Crowe, honoring Indigenous Peoples. 9 (8.7) miles on Rt. 9. [Following the service] at 10 AM Starting at the common our first stop is the Hampshire Mosque 451 Russell St, continuing along Rt. 9 to First Congregational Church of Hadley on Middle st. Then across the river and onto the Meetinghouse 43 Center St. We will have a program featuring State Senator Comerford, former AFSC director. We are going to be honoring our teachers Paki Wieland and Frances Crowe. Then we will share some potluck food (light fare) and after the program have a silent (Quaker style) service at the meeting house. Possibly around 5pm.
For more information please contact Eric Wasileski: ericwasileski@gmail.com 413.557.4536
Saturday October 17, 1 to 3pm. Pulaski Park, Main Street, Northampton, MA. Go HERE No Kings: Vote Early is the next step of reclaiming our power after a year of mass mobilizations. It's not a protest. It's a day of nonpartisan voter participation, being in community with each other, and making sure every eligible voter has a plan, knows their options, and is ready to make their voice count. Get ready! Mark Your Calendar! National Page: Go HERE.
