Winter Solstice 2021 Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Happy Solstice to you all. This year we are joined on the show by  Chris LaFond, a Pagan Animist Witch and Coordinator of Western MA Pagan Pride Day and member of the Earth Spirit Community here in the Valley and beyond. Chris will takes us deep into some of the aspects of the Solstice you may not have encountered before. Also Daniel Bullen, author of "Daniel Shays's Honorable Rebellion" returns to the show now that his years long journey has come to fruition. You will encounter the Winter Solstice and the other celestial observances of the year among the Massachusetts yeomen and their families in Dan's book, as they were closer to the seasons and the natural world than many of us are these days, as well as being a bit closer to direct action in the face of oppression by the ruling class. As always, we will also bring you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and, with good will to all, we'll be Abidin' with Biden as he stands up for democracy, but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters! We don't really want to be too much like the Grinch this time of year but there may be some Felines out there who have had it with all the consumerism. Watch THIS! 

This Fool-on-the-Hill might qualify as our Christmas wish for a plain old-school fool who isn't trying to trash democracy and install outright fascism into government........or not. U.S. Repugnican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky posted a Christmas picture of himself and what appeared to be his family, smiling and posing with an assortment of guns, just days after four teenagers were killed in a shooting at a Michigan high school. "Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo," U.S. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky wrote on Twitter. OK, so not old-school, right? Not to be outdone, the truly dangerous Fool-on-the-Hill, assault weapons fanatic Repugnican Lauren Boebert of Colorado did likewise, adding her and the kids have no spare ammo to give away for the Holidaze. So much for "Peace on Earth"!

As much as we are Abidin' with Biden for the spirit in his Democracy Summit we are also wondering why he isn't being a lot more engaged in overcoming growing fascistic anti-democratic forces among the Repugnicans here at home. “You can’t try to export and defend democracy globally when you can’t protect it domestically,” said Cliff Albright, a co-founder and executive director of the Black Voters Matter Fund, a progressive nonprofit group in Atlanta. “You can’t be the global fireman when your house is on fire.”  Bi-partisanship, with a few exceptions, is gasping for breath in the ICU and yet The Prez keeps doing the same thing over and over, hoping for some goodness from bad people. We follow the playbook of the Weimar Republic at our own risk, people! 

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber the Scientific American may be throwing cold water on your Holidaze with a headline like this: "Humans Are Doomed to Go Extinct". Strangely, the Climate Crisis isn't even mentioned. Clever humans can do themselves in even without trashing the atmosphere. 

Whomever came up with the part of the Kyoto Protocol sector claiming dirty woody biomass was renewable needs to be reminded "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" One can only wonder if they, like New Yorker writer Sarah Miller, ever paid a visit to the gigantic Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire, UK. "In essence, Drax is a gigantic woodstove. In 2019, Drax emitted more than fifteen million tons of CO₂, which is roughly equivalent to the greenhouse-gas emissions produced by three million typical passenger vehicles in one year. Of those emissions, Drax reported that 12.8 million tons were “biologically sequestered carbon” from biomass (wood). In 2020, the numbers increased: 16.5 million tons.."  BTW, much of that wood comes from forests here in the U.S., mostly from down south. That said, you can bet the lumber corporados have their eyes set on our precious northern forests next.

Time for The Enviro Show Quote of the Week and for another trip in the Wayback Machine:

“How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose if there was no winter in our year.”                                          

              — Thomas Higginson, correspondent and literary mentor to Emily Dickinson. 

Following our interviews we move over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

 

Wednesday, December 29,  8:00 to 9:00pm. Climate Emergency Watch Party. This compelling and accessible one-hour film features several Woodwell Climate scientists addressing the critically important issues of climate feedback loops. Host a watch party with friends and family. We’ll send you a host kit (sign up by 12/20 to receive before 12/29). Share a photo of your party to be entered to win Woodwell Climate goodies.  Event URL: https://woodwellclimate.org 

Wednesday, January 5, 7:30-9:00pm.  Extinction Rebellion WMass Zoom General Meeting. Mark your calendars for our next general meeting to start planning a new year of actions! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/XRwmass/     

Thursday, January 6, 2022, 12 – 1pm.  We the People: J 6 Day of Remembrance & Action. January 6 was a violent and deadly attack against all Americans – against our country, our democracy, and our freedom as voters to choose the leaders that represent us so that we have a government of, by, and for the people. One year later, the same faction that attacked our country on January 6th is hard at work silencing our voices by restricting our freedom to vote, attacking fair voting districts, and quietly preparing future attempts to sabotage free and fair elections and with it our democracy. Coming together, we can prevent another January 6th attack and realize the promise of democracy for all of us - no matter our color, zip code, or income - so we all have an equal say in the decisions that shape our daily lives and futures. Go HERE. 

Tuesday January 11, 6:30pm. XR Non-Violent Direct Action Training.

Learn how to take part in XR actions at this non-violent direct action training! This training is for people who are interested in potentially doing civil disobedience as well as people who want to play support roles for our actions. You will learn how to engage in non-violent civil disobedience. We will cover some theory behind direct actions, discuss the logistics of arrest and potential legal implications, and talk about the many different roles (beyond risking arrest) that are crucial to successful actions. You will get to talk to a few people who have gone through the arrest process and ask questions you might have. Location: Zoom, register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/.../tZMsdeqoqTMrHdW2Zvu... Run Time: 6:30 to 8:30 pm (we may end early, and are still finalizing timing). We recommend that you attend an 'Heading for Extinction' talk and an XR orientation before you attend our NVDA training. You can find these events on our calendar: https://xrmass.org/action/

 That's all for now folks, but do remember to listen to your Mother!