Greetings Earthlings. This April Fools Day we've got a fishy story from MassWildlife and the joke is on residents of the Commonwealth both human and not. Chelsey Simmons, Stewardship Director at Berkshire Environmental Action Team joins us as we take a deep dive into the issues. As always, we will also introduce you to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and "Those Whose brains Were small" as well as finding out "Who left the door open", a reminder that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and our "...of the Week" selections but first it's time for.......Revenge of the Critters! Bear attacks in Japan increase as climate worsens.
This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is an old fool and you know what they say about them, yes? In this case it's true. Yes, it's Repugnican Senator Lindsey Graham. Just recently the old fool was praising the unprovoked bombing of Iran engineered by His Malignancy and his "Secretary of War", Pete Hegseth. Of course, national polls show little public support for this bullshit war (not to mention the killing of innocent civilians). Yet, Lindsey can't stop there. Now he's promoting the invasion of Cuba. How's that for old-school fool! He even took a cue from The Mad King's penchant for merchandising as a side hustle, displaying a "FREE CUBA" ball cap for fans on Faux "News". We like him better when he bailed on His Malignancy in the wake of J6. That lasted about 24 hours.
Let's stick with the fools for our "Who Left the Door Open" segment. One of the MAGA worst of the worst is Kari Lake, former fascist newscaster. In The Mad King's (#NoKings) infinite wisdom he illegally put Lake in charge of: "The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM).. an independent federal agency that oversees the Voice of America (VOA), the US’s largest and oldest international broadcaster, and provides grants to Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other news agencies." Obviously in over her head, "Lake cut contracts and over 1,000 staff positions at the agency when she was appointed to the role on 31 July before she relinquished the position on 19 November." Now however, "A federal judge ruled.... that Kari Lake unlawfully led the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) for several months last year and [the judge] voided mass layoffs and other actions taken during that period to dismantle the agency." Sorry Kari, mission not accomplished.
Did someone say "the worst of the worse"? Why yes, we did and this whole MAGA leadership lot belong, once again, in our "Their Brains Were small and They Died" segment. We'll move on to any MAGA slime associated with Stephen Miller, who bares some resemblance to Joseph Goebbels? Maybe it's just his actions that give that impression: "White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller uses graphic images and an encrypted messaging app to covertly exert influence over President Donald Trump. A report in The Wall Street Journal says Miller has gone rogue with his extreme social media posts and uses encrypted voice and text-messaging app Signal to communicate his demands, leaving no written trail leading back to him.", reports The Daily Beast. "When he’s not accusing journalists of harboring a “cosmopolitan bias” or denying that the Statue of Liberty symbolizes America’s identity as a nation of immigrants, he is shaping policy and provoking the President’s most combative impulses" noted The New Yorker six years ago. More recently, "In the aftermath of Renee Good’s killing, Miller went on Fox and encouraged ICE agents to have no fear of retribution for their actions enforcing his policies. “To all ICE officers: You have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties, and anybody who lays a hand on you, or tries to stop you, or tries to obstruct you, is committing a felony,” Miller said on Fox. “You have immunity to perform your duties and no one — no city official, no state official, no illegal alien, no leftist agitator or domestic insurrectionist — can prevent you from fulfilling your legal obligations and duties.” This Rolling Stone commentary also tells it like it is: "The president’s most trusted adviser has pushed the country to the brink with his draconian and now tragically deadly policies. America has not seen anything like this in living memory. Miller has turned ICE into a de facto secret police force and unleashed them around the country. He has pushed to have the U.S. military operate in city streets. He has questioned bedrock American jurisprudence by suggesting suspending habeus corpus for migrants — which would effectively allow the administration to haul away and detain anyone without making a case. His conduct inside and out of the White House has made him a fearsome adversary to any who oppose his extremist views. Over the past year, Miller has ushered in a domestic reign of terror like no other unelected official and in doing so has earned a place among America’s most loathsome characters." May he go the way of the dinosaurs ASAP but for now how about "Oust Miller"?
Ofcourse, Miller would still be talking up the fascist wannabe women on the bus to the next “White Power" rally if it weren’t for His Malignancy sitting in the Oval. The whole of MAGA is just one sorry sample after another. The Mad King (#NoKings) should have stuck with that lame-ass TV "reality" show. It did damage but only to the minds of those who watched it. Now it's a whole other matter. “Our data on the USA goes back to 1789. What we’re seeing now is the most severe magnitude of democratic backsliding ever in the country.” That from "A report released...by the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden has found that [the] President and his administration are dismantling democracy in the US at a speed that “is unprecedented in modern history” to which We the People say #NoKings! He must be stopped from trying to crown himself NOW or declaring negative news reports on the Iran war as "treason"? Or cashing in on that war? Or declaring a non-existent organization as terrorists? Or bankrupting USPS to stop vote by mail? Or banning books? Or rewriting American history? Or clearcutting our public lands in a giant tag sale. Or placing an illegal oil blockade on Cuba? Or his $10 billion scam to fund an Orwellian Board of Peace? Or flat-out racist Orders? Do you recall our Quote of the Week last time? "...at this moment in history, the fate of virtually everyone on the planet is being impacted by the toxic cocktail of character flaws, insecurities, and pathologies that are shaping the actions of the President of the United States."
We guess David Rothkopf, the author of that quote, was thinking "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" when he said "virtually everyone on the planet is being impacted". With that in mind, the New York Times reports: "A coalition of 24 states, along with a dozen cities and counties, sued the Trump administration on Thursday over its decision to relinquish the government’s legal authority to fight climate change." Surely you know what's behind such a decision? The White House of Lies, where MAGA Repugnican fraudsters spin their webs of deceit proclaim the climate emergency as a hoax. “It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” Trump said of climate change, speaking to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “The entire globalist concept of asking successful industrialized nations to inflict pain on themselves and radically disrupt their entire societies must be rejected completely and totally, and it must be immediate.” That said, even His Malignancy's NASA site reads: "Yes, the vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists – 97 percent – agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change." Yet, even with a mega heat wave headed our way our alleged "leaders" in DC continue with their denial, disruption and cruelty. They even resort to bribery: "The administration will pay $1 billion to a French company to walk away from two U.S. offshore wind leases as the administration ramps up its campaign against offshore wind and other renewable energy." Meanwhile, here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who is delaying climate action? (PDF). Here is one glaring culprit: "Despite strong public support for climate action, most pro-climate bills and legislative priorities fail before reaching a vote."
Our Doublespeak of the Week is an in-your-face one: "The...administration announced last week that it will convene the Endangered Species Committee, also known as the Extinction Committee, on March 31 to exempt Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities from the requirements of the Endangered Species Act," notes our friends at The Center for Biological Diversity. “The...administration is attempting an illegal end-run around the Endangered Species Act to benefit the fossil fuel industry at the expense of Rice’s whales and other wildlife. These endangered animals could be pushed into extinction just to pad the coffers of the largest polluting industry in the world,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity."
This week's Critter of the Week is just now coming out of his or her den following an unusually cold winter. The Black Bear population is increasing here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in part due to reforestation in the wake of farming and herding having moved west in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Our bird feeders here in WMass will soon be disappearing from yards as these burly critters start moving about. Yet another reason to slow down out there on the road. Defenders of Wildlife inform us: "Most black bears undergo torpor during the winter months. During torpor bears enter a den, limit their activity and may completely halt their digestion – meaning they do not eat, urinate or defecate – sometimes for up to 7 months! This behavior is driven by low food availability and is dependent on latitude... They will den under heavy brush, in hollow areas under rocks or logs and in hollow trees." Also: "The greatest threats to black bears across their range include habitat loss and fragmentation, Natural food failures and disease. These bears also have to navigate increasingly urban environments, which can lead to human-bear conflicts and vehicle collisions." And, we might add, bear baiting, a bullshit hunting practice that must end.
Our Quote of the Week this time is totally political 'cuz it is what it is:
“The SAVE Act amounts to a Republican voter suppression bill, designed to disenfranchise millions of voters, including married women and the 50 percent of Americans without a valid passport. It is a total nonstarter for Democrats in any form.” [and we might add Independents & Progressives as well]
- Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and yours truly
After our conversation with Chelsey it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:
Saturday March 28, All Day. No Kings Day 3 History is on our side. On June 14, 2025, five million people rose up to say “No Kings.” On October 18, 2025, seven million more made it unmistakable: America does not do dictators. On March 28, we rise again — stronger, broader, and more united than ever. Every No Kings event is rooted in nonviolent action. We de-escalate conflict, act lawfully, and never bring weapons. When People Power United says “fight,” we mean fierce advocacy — never violence. Our work is grounded in peaceful protest, free speech, voting, and collective action to defend our rights, freedoms, and democracy. Go HERE. At least 20 other Western Mass communities have No Kings Day actions scheduled. Look here for locations and times. List of Massachusetts No Kings events.
NO KINGS... NO NUKES! The partial core meltdown at Three Mile Island on March 28, 1979 shattered the myth that American nuclear plants were safe.
The Clamshell Alliance is calling a national action this March 28!
March 28 is the next No Kings Day.
Let’s bring
this message
to millions of
people:
Remember Three
Mile Island.
Deadly
radiation and
mass
evacuations
from the March
28, 1979,
nuclear power
meltdown in
Pennsylvania
alerted the US
and the world
to just some
of the lethal
consequences
of nuclear
energy. Now
federal and
state
governments
(from Massachusetts to Kansas) and the oligarchs and
authoritarians
we resist are
forcing new
nuclear power
on the
American
public. For more
information: https://clamshellalliance.com/
Sunday March 29, 2-4pm. The Reproductive Justice Task Force of FCCPR & Amherst Feminist Generation are pleased to host a book event, including a discussion with the authors, a brief Q & A and book signing with noted reproductive justice activists and scholars, Marlene Gerber Fried and Loretta Ross, educators, authors and feminist social justice activists. Their new book is Abortion and Reproductive Justice: An Essential Guide for Resistance. Mt. Toby Friends Meetinghouse, 194 Long Plain Rd. (Rt. 63), Leverett, MA.
Wednesday April 1, 4:30pm. Harvard Voices on Climate Change: Measuring Forest-Based Carbon Emission Reductions. The Salata Institute and the Harvard Alumni Association invite you to the latest installment of Harvard Voices on Climate Change, a virtual series featuring Harvard faculty and fellows on different dimensions of the climate challenge. Go HERE.
Thursday April 2, 6 - 7:30 pm. Film Screening: Salamanders of New England. The film will give us a close look at every salamander species that inhabits New England. We’ll see examples of the typical complete salamander life cycle, from egg to larva to adult, as well as some interesting behaviors. Timelapses will show larvae developing in their transparent eggs. All 12 New England salamander species will be featured, with scenes we promise you’ve likely never witnessed. There will be a Q&A session following the film, and UMass herpetologist Alan Richmond (retired) will be with us to answer all those questions you’re bound to have. Register HERE.
Wednesday April 8, 8am to 5pm. 2026 MassEnergize Community Climate Leaders Conference — a powerful one-day gathering bringing together 250+ passionate climate leaders from across Massachusetts. After two consecutive sold-out conferences, we’re back and bigger than ever at Bentley University in Waltham. Get inspired, learn what’s working in other communities, and connect with the people driving real climate impact. Expect a full day of dynamic sessions, practical tools, and unmatched networking with organizers, municipal staff, students, advocates, and partners committed to accelerating local climate solutions. Go HERE.
Thursday April 9, 3:30 to 7pm.* Join us for a conversation with journalist Abby Martin, host of The
Empire Files and director of EARTH'S GREATEST ENEMY. The discussion will
begin promptly at 4pm in Science Center
E212 at Amherst College, Amherst, MA. Enter through the main entrance on the west
side of the building, and head up the staircase to your right. Head
right, and the room is at the end of the hallway. Street parking is available in town. The
second documentary from journalist Abby Martin uncovers a shocking
blind spot in the climate conversation: the U.S. military. Go HERE. *Other venues:
Saturday April 11, 1:30 to 4pm. ART
for the EARTH coming to Leverett Crafts & Art, Leverett Center, MA.
Beginning the first Saturday in April, this month-long exhibit will
feature more than 40 artists – painters, illustrators, poets, musicians
and dancers – offering
their work in honor of the Earth in all its
glories and complexities. The highlight of the exhibition is the
Celebration and Reception on April 11, from 1:30 to 4 pm, which will be
as diverse and wonder-inducing as Mother Earth herself. Festivities will
begin with a group of friends from Wendell singing just outside the
galleries, followed by introductions to the local Plastics Action
Committee and Andre Strongbearheart Gaines, a representative for the
Native Land Conservancy, and a grounding Qigong exercise offered by
Roxanne Bogart.
Attendees will then be invited to browse the art in
the galleries and enjoy bites and beverages while listening to poet and
author readings from Roxanne Bogart, Rema Boscov and Don Ogden. Show
Contact: Sue Kassirer, suekassirer@gmail.com, 978-239-6746
See you next time BUT do remember to listen to your Mother, OK?
