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Greetings Earthlings. Welcome to "Plastic Free July" ! Are we feeling very Independent yet? We sure should be given what's going on in DC these daze! With that in mind let's talk about some successful local action. Anita Ryan and Brian Seppala join us to talk about the struggle to protect Bare Cove Park in Hingham, MA. Their website is HERE. As always, we will also intro you to our Fool-on-the-Hill and "Those Whose Brains Were small", as well as ask "Who Left the Door Open?" and more but first it's time for......Revenge of the Critters! Tiny critters strike again.
This week's Fool-on-the-Hill was a Fool in the past and apparently will be in the future. "Speaker Mike Johnson said recently that "entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and things like Social Security — they have to be adjusted and fixed…desperate times call for desperate measures." This so-called Christian is no "friend of Jesus" as he plans the worst for "the least of these". It's time for all of us to "Block [His Malignancy] and Mike Johnson's plot to gut Social Security"
We had to ask "Who Left the Door Open?" when Fox News propagandists tried to convince viewers not to believe their own eyes when very few people showed up for " Freedom 250, the political [organization/event His Malignancy] launched to supplant the congressionally established organization overseeing the semiquincentennial, has turned America’s 250th birthday into a celebration of himself. After several musical acts originally slated to perform [last] Wednesday dropped out earlier [last] month in response to this politicization, [He] announced that he would be the night’s main attraction at what he termed “the Greatest Rally, EVER.” .....But the event turned out to be a low-energy dud, with the listless president praising himself and his administration’s accomplishments to a shockingly small audience." Have a look! Apparently "Freedom 250" also had a hand in the tall ships flotilla in NY Harbor on July 4 where the White House captured U.S. Coastguard officials demanded no "political banners" and threatened Clearwater Sloop with arrest if they flew messages " "Save the Clean Water Act" and "Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions". Meanwhile, do your nation a favor on its 250th B-day and tell the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to hold [His Malignancy] accountable for diverting national park entrance fees to bankroll his self-serving ventures. Go HERE.
We seem to recall The Mad King's (#NoKings) ICE were the subject of a previous "Their Brains Were small and They Died" segment but so be it when we read headlines like: "Armed With New Slush Fund, ‘Lawless and Rogue’ ICE Arrests 10,000+ in Just Five Days." The Common Dreams Alert goes on to report: "(ICE) officials were “told that 2,000 arrests a day was the new standard for enforcement.” The agency, flush with cash following [the] President signing of a reconciliation package containing another $70 billion for immigration enforcement, has been instructed to assign 80% of its officers to 'arrest operations' according to the Times." These dinosaurs may be under the impression they are the new Gestapo but that boat sailed long ago, boys.
We are celebrating our nation's 250 B-day by purposely NOT posting a segment focused solely on His Malignancy (not to be confused with his troubled soul, if he has one and not celebrated with toxic fireworks 1 & 2 either) . As you know, he likes nothing better than all the focus being on himself, The Mad King (#NoKings) but we say......Nah!
We have Breaking News! An entirely new candidate for Election 2028 has stepped....um...slithered forward? THIS just in!
Our Doublespeak of the Week is dedicated to the recent "Extreme Heat Warning" here in the Northeast U.S. courtesy of the New York Times: "Some events at London Climate Action Week were canceled because of the stifling temperatures.....Among the casualties was a session titled “Extreme Heat: Improving governance and strengthening action around the world,” which was scheduled for Wednesday." Did someone say "heat"? Did you know: "Trees are countering nearly half the urban heating from pavement and buildings in the world’s cities" ? That's the good news. The bad? "but they’re not doing enough cooling in hotter, poorer cities where it’s needed the most as the world warms, a new study found."
Obviously, few of the above attendees needed to be told "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" On the other hand there's this lot: "On Wednesday the Interior Department announced that it would pay the energy developer Invenergy $765 million not to develop three offshore wind farms. This [was] the third such payment by the administration to undo offshore wind projects that have been years in the planning. [The Prez] has so far committed $2.5 billion in taxpayer dollars to killing renewable energy projects. The administration has also tried to stop offshore wind farms already under development — moves that have been blocked by the courts — Then another for Duke Energy. "Duke Energy would then reinvest that money in other sources of energy favored by the...administration, which could include new nuclear and natural gas projects, according to the utility." Meanwhile the Pentagon has been refusing to grant routine permits for onshore wind projects." But wait! There's more: A small group of former government workers has recreated a valuable climate-science website that had been shuttered last year under the administration. The new site, climate.us, is an effort by former staff members at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to present climate science previously housed at climate.gov, including data, reports, articles, and congressionally mandated national climate assessments." Sound familiar? Yes, the present occupants in White House tried to trash their last effort but they persist! And still more? Yes, remember "No Nukes"? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) this week proposed to get rid of the requirement for nuclear plants to ensure that radiation exposure is “as low as is reasonably achievable.” Nukes aren't the solution, they're just another pollution. 😟
Our Critter of the Week is Rice's Whale and they have a tale to tell: "In 2021, scientists announced something extraordinary: a newly described whale species found only in the Gulf of Mexico, the Rice’s whale. This unique and beloved species has been heard calling throughout the Gulf, from Texas to Florida. But this species is on the brink of extinction. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster devastated Gulf wildlife and killed around one in five Rice’s whales. Today, scientists estimate only 51 individuals remain alive. Rice’s whales received protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), helping safeguard their habitat and requiring industries operating in the Gulf to take precautions to avoid driving the species to extinction. Now, those protections are being stripped away. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), under the direction of Under Secretary Neil Jacobs, is moving to eliminate important protections for the Rice’s whale. After already approving sweeping exemptions for the oil and gas industry during a March 31 federal committee meeting, NOAA is now taking steps to remove Rice’s whales’ ESA protections entirely. The science is clear: Rice’s whale is a distinct species in urgent need of protection. Without strong Endangered Species Act safeguards, this species could disappear forever. The Endangered Species Coalition Action Link is HERE. Also a note to Cruise Ships too.
Here's our Quote of the Week's backstory: "Two people display[ed] a banner atop the Empire State Building in the Manhattan borough of New York, July 1, 2026. The pair were self-identified via social media as Russian couple Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau, daredevil climbers who were the subject of the 2024 documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story”. The banner read:
"When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace"
That said, passersby would hardly be able to read the banner over 103 floors below. 😉
After our conversation with Anita and Brian it's 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. ALSO:
12 to 1pm. Send Citizens Bank a clear message: financing private prison and immigration detention facility operators The GEO Group and CoreCivic is bad for business. We'll stand out on the public sidewalks on King Street Northampton, MA in front of Stop and Shop Plaza (Citizens Bank has a branch inside Stop and Shop). Saturdays, 11am to 1pm: No Fear w/Street Theatre, Burlington ICE Facility, Burlington Mall Rd. @ District Ave., Burlington, MA Go HERE .
Sunday July 26, 5:30 to 6:30pm. New National Parks for New England with
Michael Kellett and Susan Masino. Free and open to the public. 7:00 PM Dinner RVSP Call: 413-743-1591 or email: mail@bascomlodge.net. July Dinner Menu: https://www.bascomlodge.
OK, Happy B-day USA. Don't forget to listen to your Mother!
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