Greetings Earthlings & Happy Every Day is Earth Day. Regardless of what lunacy is slithering around our so-called Federal Government and in the dwindling ranks of MAGA, the vast majority of the human race is still clinging to some semblance of sanity. The largest demonstration of that race was on the first Earth Day, April 22 1970 when "20 million Americans — at the time, 10% of the total population of the United States — [took] to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts." This year, on March 28 the second largest demonstration in history consisting of some 8 million souls returned to the streets on #NoKings Day 3, not just in support of the planet being plundered by the MAGA freak show but also in protest of that fascist freak show and its horrific agenda. Jeromie Whalen, school teacher and regional super-hero running for Massachusetts’ First Congressional District U.S. House of Reps seat now held by Richie Neal joins us. As always, we will also introduce you to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill, Who left the Door Open, and Those Whose Brains Were small, as well as our various "...of the Week" segments and our ever present reminder that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and more but first it's time for.......Revenge of the Critters! Don't feed the Bears.
The ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, Dem Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut is this week's Fool-on-the-Hill. It seems "The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that had been scheduled for [a vote last week] was not, Politico reported. The move gives critics of the law more time to push for reforms, including a requirement that federal agents get a warrant before searching for information on Americans.[Ya' think??] If the bill ultimately advances to the House floor, some top Democrats — including Himes are already lobbying colleagues to vote for [His Malignancy's] request.....One House staffer who asked for anonymity to speak freely said they were surprised that Himes has not pushed for concessions on FISA or other legislation — in exchange for Democratic support." Surprised indeed!
While Rep. Himes may be a DINO as in "Democrat in name only," the Repugs are more akin to the dinosaurs of old "Whose Brains Were small and They Died" as in White Nationalist Secretary of "War" Pete Hegseth who fancies himself a modern day Crusader. He even has the Crusader logo tatooed to his chest, presumably under his armor? Raw Story notes: "Pete Hegseth, the man put in charge of our entire military, is a devotee of a radical fringe that wants to replace our laws with a "biblical" autocracy. And his hand-picked pastors are now calling for the death of their political enemies. Joshua Haymes and Brooks Potteiger, Hegseth’s own pastor, were caught praying against James Talarico, a powerhouse Democratic elected for Senate in Texas. Their prayer? "I pray that God kills him... stop him by any means necessary." Talarico is an actual Christian. Hegseth? Arrested development comes to mind. Take Action: Healthcare Not Warfare.
Speaking of belief systems gone awry, how about reminding self-described believers in The War Against Nature that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!". This is timely: "A powerful panel of administration officials voted unanimously on Tuesday to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from measures to protect endangered whales and other imperiled species. The panel, the Endangered Species Committee, a high-level group that is often called the God Squad because it essentially holds the power to decide whether a species lives or dies, adopted the move during a brief, closed-door meeting." We got into this last week on our April fools show. This week how about some pushback? Us humans aren't exempt from this disaster either. "A new study calls for atmospheric composition and population biomarkers to be tracked alongside traditional climate indicators to better understand how gradual environmental change may influence human biology over decades." CO2 overdose, anyone? How about pushing back on zombie biomass still coming at us in Mass? On the brighter side we are closing in on Earth Day and Earth Week as we are already in Earth Month when every year is Earth Year, right? Do you have an event in mind? Let us know and we will announce it here on the show. An "Arts & Nature" event d.o.'s reading from "It's the Trees" will already have passed but checkout the Bus Stop Billboard for more and check this video extravaganza out from Earthday.org
His Malignancy The Mad King (#NoKings), despite all his madness, is pulling out all the stops to throw our next election. Checkout Rachel Maddows interview with Sen. Mark Warner on April 6th regarding a scheme to declare a fake national emergency in November. Actually, doing so WOULD constitute a national emergency, only not one he intended. That said, His Malignancy actually did something good recently. He fired Pam Bondi the worst Attorney General in U.S. History. Some believe he was thinking she can't be subpoenaed to testify against him regarding the Epstein files but his thinking is wrong as usual. Regardless, where ever she ends up she'll do less damage. Another monster down the tubes. Meanwhile, last week during No Kings Day 3 (#NoKings) some folks gathered in Amherst, MA, Northampton, MA, Orange, MA and thousands other folks all over the Valley, the region, across the nation and around the world 8 Million humans to say....well, NO KINGS! There were a few bogus arrests one of which was of a penis?? That and if [His Malignancy] succeeds in extending Section 702 [of the FISA Act] without any privacy protections, then Stephen Miller, Kash Patel, and the FBI can continue their warrantless searches through Americans' electronic communications. And Pete Hegseth can use AI to supercharge mass surveillance in America." And ICE can continue filling their horrific prisons. < Checkout those Action Links! The Mad King (#NoKings) and his underlings are THE worse thing that has ever happened to the U.S. Government, not just because of their fascist policies but also corruption that would put the Gilded Age to shame. Selling off our Public Lands; cashing in on the bullshit war on Iran; threatening journalists with treason charges—and even death—for reporting the truth; payoffs to fellow felons; and a long list of other corrupt transactions HERE and far too numerous to cover in one show. Surely you heard His Malignancy announce "a whole civilization will die tonight" if no deal is reached with Iran? We call him The Mad King for a reason. He must be banished.
Our Doublespeak of the Week goes to the erroneously named U.S. Department of Justice (may they reclaim their title in the future). Daily Kos tells us: "Michael Flynn, who served as [the] President's national security adviser for a hot minute during [the] first term before he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts, tried to reverse his plea, got [the] Department of Justice to drop the criminal charges, and then got a pardon, still doesn’t feel like he’s been adequately compensated. So the administration set out to take care of that..... he did just get $1.2 million in taxpayer dollars in this settlement with the government. This isn’t a real settlement, of course, because a settlement in a lawsuit is something hammered out by parties with adverse interests. This is just the DOJ openly siding with Flynn. Like, really openly, as in having a DOJ spokesperson issue an official statement that the settlement helped redress the “historic injustice” of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Also, this cash grab is apparently just the start.“This Department of Justice will continue to pursue accountability at all levels for this wrongdoing,” some DOJ mouthpiece said. “Such weaponization of the federal government must never be allowed to happen again.” Whoa! A Double Doublespeak?
Not sure how creepy Elon Musk managed to evaded most of our name-the-shame segments until now but Who Left the Door Open for this lot?? We surely had a lot to say when Elon pranced upon the stage at His Malignancy's inauguration tossing out the nazi salute not once but twice to the adoring hordes but now we find old news from the aptly named Department of Homeland Security: "DHS has come under particular scrutiny for its style of communication, which often evokes white nationalist rhetoric and symbolism. Posts by the agency have cheered “remigration,” a term that far-right parties in Europe have often used to describe the forced repatriation of nonwhite populations, including citizens. Other posts have referred to [the] President's “mass deportation” campaign as part of an effort to defend American “heritage” and “culture.” Sound Familiar?
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber (yes, we know this entire blog is an echo chamber but hey, think of it as one-stop-shopping for the news!). Where were we? Ah, in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we repeat Tipping Point's action alert on the plight of our feathered friends. "A new peer-reviewed study published in Science finds that bird populations across North America are declining faster than ever, driven largely by the combined pressures of industrial agriculture and climate change. Researchers analyzing decades of data found many species are not just declining—they’re declining at an increasing rate, pushing some closer to extinction. This isn’t just a wildlife crisis. It’s a community crisis. Birds are essential to healthy ecosystems that people depend on every day. They help control crop-damaging pests, pollinate plants, disperse seeds, and keep natural systems in balance. When bird populations collapse, it signals that ecosystems are unraveling—and that the services nature provides to our communities are breaking down as well." The alert goes on: "Unfortunately, federal leadership has failed to confront these interconnected threats and, in some cases, such as the expansion of glyphosate production, has actively made them worse. The US Department of Agriculture continues to subsidize and support farming systems that accelerate habitat loss and biodiversity decline. If Washington won’t act, states must lead. We call on state leaders to direct their agencies to limit the most destructive forms of intensive agriculture and protect wildlife..." The Action Link is HERE.
Our Critter of the Week is very much a harbinger of Spring. Mass Audubon says, "American Robins (Turdus migratorius) are one of the most familiar feathered friends in all of North America. Among the earliest avian vocalizers each spring, you can often hear them singing before dawn and late into sunset. Their iconic red breast and yellow bill make them easy to recognize and admire." Soon enough the Robins start their mating & nesting. "Nearly all birds will display aggressive behavior when they perceive a threat to their nest or young. Birds that nest near people, like the American Robin, are the most frequent assailants—harassing, people, domestic animals, and other birds. Defensive behavior toward people can take the form of loud vocalizations, feigning injury, or pursuing or attacking the intruder. Birds are most aggressive towards humans during the nestling period (the interval between hatching and the young bird's departure from the nest), a span of about two weeks in common backyard nesters." It's best to avoid areas where Robins are nesting because, you know, Revenge of the Critters!
Now it's time for our Quote of the Week.
It is true that the Earth’s temperature does change a lot over millions of years. In fact, scientists believe that about 125,000 years ago it may have been even warmer than it is right now. What is disturbing, however, is that temperatures are rising much faster now than at any time in the past two million years.
- Bernie Sanders
That brings us to our conversation with Jeromie where we'll ask him about his position on the Climate Crisis. After that, it's on to the Bus Stop Bill Board:
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 HERE
Saturday April 11, 1:30 to 4pm. (Evening program at 6pm.) 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 D. O. Go HERE. Show Contact: Sue Kassirer, suekassirer@gmail.com, 978-239-6746
Saturday April 11, 9:30 to noon. Making Way for Wildlife: Reconnecting Nature Across our Landscapes Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA. REGISTER HERE. From frogs and turtles to bears and bobcats, more than a million animals are killed on roads every day in the U.S. alone. Creatures from antelope to salmon are losing their ability to migrate in search of food and mates, and the very noise of traffic chases songbirds from vast swaths of habitat. Learn from road ecologists how humans are seeking to blunt that destruction through innovative solutions.Berkshire Environmental Action Team
Monday April 13, 12pm - 1:30pm. “The Carbon Cost of the Internet”. In 2023, data centers enabling digital activity accounted for 4.4% of American energy consumption. The growth of AI is expected to cause that to double or triple by 2028.What can climate advocates do to help reduce this carbon footprint? Join us on 4/13 at 12:00 PM for a virtual presentation on these critical questions by Professor Eric Masanet, an international authority on data center energy usage. We will present and have a Q&A for the first hour, followed by open discussion from 1-1:30pm. Go HERE.
Monday April 13, 6:30pm. Screening of "Bad Faith - Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy" Greenfield, MA Garden Cinema, Main Street, Greenfield, MA. Followed by a facilitated discussion with multifaith Chaplin Rev. Leslie Fraser and interfaith teacher and minister Jonathan Rehmus. Free entry.
Tuesday April 14, 6 - 8pm. Eversource’s clear-cutting proposals, including the project titled “WT-11 Transmission Right-of-Way Reliability Program (TRRP) Project” forum. In response to the extensive clear-cutting that Eversource proposes in our area, Senator Comerford and Representative Domb worked to secure a community meeting with Eversource, and we’re all encouraged to attend. In a project that’s currently under review with the state, Eversource proposes to clear-cut 278-acres in our towns and seven others. This particular project has been generating a lot of public concern, in part because it impacts sensitive areas. Location: Town Room at the Amherst Town Hall. Zoom attendance HERE. More Information For more information on the 278-acre proposal
Thursday April 16, from 7 to 8 PM, The De-ICE Citizens Bank coalition is hosting a national mobilization call to update individuals and groups already involved in the campaign and to recruit new participants. Sign up HERE.
Tuesday April 21, 10:30am. We the People - Not Data Centers. The rapid proliferation of data centers comes at a significant cost to the environment and with a significant threat to democracy. In response, Actions Lab will be convening in Washington DC on April 21 at the prestigious Data Center World conference to demand a MORATORIUM ON THE APPROVAL AND CONSTRUCTION OF NEW DATA CENTERS. Location: Apple Carnegie Library, 801 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Earth Day Wednesday April 22, 6pm. Screening of "Microplastics Madness" is a terrific, family friendly and very informative film on the impacts of plastic waste. It will be screened for free at Leverett Crafts and Arts on Earth Day. The local Plastics Action Group is hosting in collaboration with the gallery which is currently showing the ART for the EARTH exhibit. The event includes a follow up panel discussion with professionals in the field of waste management. Students from LES' sixth grade class that is studying the subject will be invited to join the panel. LCA is located at 13 Montague Rd. in Leverett, MA.
Wednesday April 22, 8pm. Come join UU Ministry for Earth for an Earth Day worship ritual that
celebrates the sentience (and sapience) that surrounds us, in loving
memory of Dr. Jane Goodall. Human beings often believe that our emotions and intelligence uniquely set us apart from nature, yet this could not be further from the truth. In fact, it is because we are part of nature that we sense, feel, and think. The natural world is alive, vibrant, and buzzing with multiple intelligences – some of them different or beyond our human capabilities. Science confirms what ancient wisdom already knew: Earth is full of creatures who are both sentient (capable of deep feeling) and sapient (capable of complex thinking). Go HERE.
Thursday April 23, from 8 to 10 AM, the De-ICE Citizens Bank coalition is holding a major protest at the bank's corporate annual meeting at its headquarters in Providence. The coalition is looking to have hundreds of protesters singing and chanting as shareholders enter the annual shareholder meeting, which starts at 9 AM. Sign up 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.
That's all, folks........until next time and please do remember to listen to your Mother.
