environment

Winter Games

Everything 

I see

lately

is curling-

in the Olympics

and in politics.

Meddling

at home

without

much medaling

in Italy

yet,

from the outset,

has been

great upset.

Booing Vance

in advance

of the games

brought me

no pride.

Inside

I cringed

at how fringed

our stature

is

on the world

stage.

The rage

against

Trump

is

justified,

as the 

slide

to authoritarianism

can not

be denied,

but mostly,

I felt sad.

And then

the great

losses

early on

by the bosses

of skating

and skiing,

felt metaphoric.

This season

of ICE,

the most

chilling

in memory,

could be

an opportunity.

But not 

yet.

Shutting down

Homeland Security

even partially,

may be

a Hail

Mary,

but it feels

like a lose-

lose.

And gutting

the EPA

and throwing

away

environmental

progress,

much less

democratic

process,

make today,

Presidents Day,

nothing more

than a day

to buy

a mattress.

If you’re feeling

powerless,

know that

you are not.

Politics,

unlike

The Olympics,

is not

a spectator

sport.

The dual

crises,

existential,

democracy

and environmental,

require your

participation.

Sure,

bring your bags

to the grocery

store,

but before 

you do,

take a few

moments

(literally, a few!!)

to take

actions:

Home
Dashboard for Democracy

Use the tools

of democracy

to save democracy

and the climate

crises.

Already crafted

emails

and petitions,

download the apps

for your signature

additions.

I get nothing

out of sharing

here

other than knowing

we are daring 

here

to do democracy

together.

It’s better 

than just watching

the screen

as we careen

off course.

And of course,

share with 

your friends

and family

and your 

networks.

Be a reason

democracy

works.

That’s

how we

win.

Going Greene?

Could this climate

change

be more strange

since

a faction is 

going Greene?

That anti-

Epstein

lean

lead by

Marjorie Taylor

Greene,

the conspiracy

theory

machine

amplifier,

is taking

a higher

road 

and putting

the load

on Trump.

The sport

of support

of a politician

becomes ammunition

in the next

election

round.

Support

is substantial

when it’s

financial;

it need not

mean

moral or

emotional

approval.

Still,

money spent

is acknowledgement 

and a willingness

to abide

on the side

of what 

money will 

buy.

Just look

at the guy

who will try

to get

in bed

with any

(and every)

naughty

Saudi.

But back

to Marjorie,

who can

see

with

laser-like

efficiency

the value

of the spotlight.

She just might

be

the perfect

thorn

as she persists

her endless

scorn

with seeming

righteousness

against the hideousness

of the monstrousness

of sexual predatory

behavior.

Once her enabler,

he’d now like

to disable her,

but Marjorie

Taylor

sees GREEN.

If you feel torn

about watching

with popcorn

this ick-fest

contest,

I suggest

you just

let it

rest.

The best

you can do

is to

continue

or start

to be part

of real

greening

solutions. 

All conclusions

point to

intrusions

of human greed

and the need

to live more

sustainably. 

Understandably

daunting

with disaster

ever 

haunting,

environmental

concern

should earn

more 

of your

attention

and support.

This Giving

Tuesday

I hope you’ll

pay gratitude

and/or express

your attitude

of stewardship:

Climate Action Now

Home

BeyondPlastics.org

https://www.beyondplastics.org/

Citizens Climate Lobby

Homepage

Fashion Revolution

Home

These are 

some orgs

with which 

I regularly 

engage,

helping

to assuage

my rage

and fear

and to use

the tools

of democracy

for a more healthy,

greener

place 

for humanity

to thrive.

Plastic Surgery

I’m a hypocrite;

I know it.

I admit it,

though

I think 

the problem

is public

as well as

corporate.

I know

it would be

drastic

to forgo

the use of

plastic,

because it

really is

fantastic,

but it’s 

poisonous.

Poisoning us

like smoking

does,

without noticing

thus.

Leaching into

water sources,

air and soil,

natural resources,

mammals

and all animals,

and the atmosphere

here

on earth,

is deceptively toxic

from so much plastic.

Who knew 

that from

the era of

“The Graduate”

we’d gradually,

inadvertently,

blindly,

slowly

kill everything.

Micro 

and nano

plastics

are found

underground

and inside us.

But the demand

for change

in how we 

arrange

our lives

for health

is rather strange.

We know

the plastic

problem

continues

to grow,

though we

dare not

abstain,

which is 

a stain

on our 

humanity.

Kennedy,

the Secretary

of Health,

and Human

Services,

has an opportunity

to shift away

from mRNA

funding cuts,

to finding 

the guts

to take on

Big Plastic.

It’s so ubiquitous,

this poisonous

stuff 

that’s poisoning

us 

and the environment,

but its

retirement

is not yet

a conversation.

It will 

necessitate

those who 

might hesitate

to boldly

demand policy

private

and public,

that plastic

becomes

less ubiquitous

and poisonous

to us

and every

living thing

around us.

Start here:

https://www.beyondplastics.org/act

https://www.beyondplastics.org/

NOAA’s Arc

In an atmosphere

of fear

and threat

and perpetual

distortions,

we get

flooded

with antediluvian

actions

compounded by 

distractions

of epic

proportions.

The contortions 

of explanation

from the current

administration

on everything

from reigning

in immigration

to raining

inundation,

when the

lapse in 

communication

seemed to

exacerbate

a biblical

situation,

severely

compounds

the loss

and frustration

that somehow

is still

siloed.

The National

Oceanic

and Atmospheric

Administration

endured

DOGE

job 

eliminations

which

seemed to

affect

communications

between

the National

Weather Service

and state

actors.

But detractors

will insist

that deathly

flooding

would persist

no matter 

what.

Yes,

the rains

were extraordinary

and likely

to cause

adversity.

But was

the calamity

necessarily

due to

an impossibility?

The unbearable 

tragedy

from the floods

in Texas

reminds us

that nature

can be 

quite cruel.

But humans

fuel

the result

of nature’s

tumult

one way

or another. 

NOAA’s

arc 

of expansion

decades since

its creation

has provided

communication

and exploration

tools

that only fools

in this administration

would find

dispensable.

We’ve seen

this with

other agencies,

like USAID

where the lack

from the cutback

means

more die.

Defunding research

and/or communication

leaves

those most

in need

in the lurch

in the most

horrible

situation.

Responsible

oversight

might

seem ancient

when the penchant

for disruption

is au curant. 

Until recently,

NOAA’s arc

was built

conscientiously

to protect

us 

and the environment.

As 911 

and Katrina revealed,

the politics 

concealed

breakdowns

between authorities.

The disparities

were ignored

until 

the devastation

was toured

and the discoveries

appalling.

NOAA’s arc

again

reminds me

that  we

must bend

the arc

of history

creatively

toward justice

and sustainability.

Urgent Care

Crisis centers

focus 

upon disaster

faster

than the usual

perusal

of a concerning

issue.

Discerning

misuse

or abuse

from the obtuse,

while trying

not 

to confuse,

we use tools

of expedience

for the 

triage experience;

a quick

fix,

if temporary.

Contrary

to ordinary

problems

of persistence,

when resistance

to change

allows for a range

of ways 

to cope,

the end of 

the rope

of crisis

invites us

to pivot;

to  apply

a tourniquet

to stop

the flow.

The distinction

between

an emergency

and urgency

may be

unclear.

The fear,

however,

is whether

or not

we’ve got

enough

stuff

to manage

the damage.

Just how deadly

is this?

The persistent 

quality

of urgency

insistently

demands

attention

for mitigation

of a critical

situation.

An emergency

emerges

more quickly

than urgency,

yet

both insistently

demand

intervention.

But convention

sometimes

clouds

the urge

to purge

the toxic

ways

that delays

imagined

discomfort.

With no

more room

for emergencies

or crises

imposed

upon us,

we retreat

in defeat

and claim

self preservation,

without realization

that earth’s

land, sea, 

and air

can’t self

repair

without

urgent care.

Urge your legislators:

Home

Getting Credit Where Credit is Do

I kind of 

love

that

Trump

is hocking

Teslas

to his 

base.

Hardly 

shocking

as the 

mocking

of libs

now taking

dibs

on the  EV

car

that has

so far

transformed

the American 

auto

industry,

forcing

the history

of fossil

fuel

combustible

engines

to reinvent

if not

the wheel,

then the 

real

possibility

of environmentally

cleaner

driving.

Once

the province

of mostly

progressives,

now the

MAGA

obsessives

are trying

to help

the  other 

aggressive

billionaire —

the richest

man on 

the planet,

the unelected

co-president,

who still

wants to

be a 

bazillionaire.

It’s fair

and sensible

to protest

the indefensible,

much less

the incomprehensible,

but I’m kind

of glad

that the ones

who once

saw the 

Tesla

as a liberal

symbol

are nimble

enough

to huff 

and puff

about 

now choosing

an electric

(well,

a specific)

vehicle.

Let’s not

forget

the climate

crisis

is environmental;

our natural

world

needs all

the help

it can get. 

Tell your

reps

to vote 

for EV

and clean

energy
tax credits.

Change of Life

Get rid of our Tesla.

Get rid of our Kindle.

Drive much

much further

than Whole Foods,

which is closer

than the other

grocer.

Get rid

of delivery

from Amazon

Prime,

though

I can’t find

basic stuff

as there 

isn’t enough

stock;

and what is 

present,

is

locked

away

in every 

brick

and mortar

store.

Get off 

Facebook,

so the Zuch

can’t monetize

what I publicize

only to

my friends.

The ends

may justify

the means

against

the mean

guys,

but I realize

the compromise

has already

given them

the prize. 

Blue Sky’s

attraction

as the alternative

faction

needs

to be

fun,

which,

in the long

run,

is why

we comply

in the

viral

virtual

spaces.

Meanwhile,

with traces

of plastic

everywhere

in everything

we are consuming

and doing,

abandoning

plastic

may seem

drastic,

but it’s fantastic

to think

we’ll not sink

further,

as we murder

our only

home.

Our way

of life

that you

see dismantling

quickly

by Elon’s

Department

of Government

Efficiency

is theatrical

cruelty

and insufficiency,

when 

the way we

live

is also 

driven 

corporately.

The real

collusion

is the intrusion

of his

and his

and his

and his………

businesses

in our government

when they

have no 

business

doing so.

These seemingly

adolescent

guys

with whom

we’re forced

to compromise,

have their

eyes

on the prize

of unending

wealth 

and power.

But they

won’t stay

fertile

forever.

Their periods

will stop.

They’ll get

the sweats,

as is characteristic

of the climacteric

time.

Past

their prime,

they’ll decline,

but we must

begin

to refine

and change

the way we 

engage

while

they’re on

and in

the current

stage.

Reservations Confirmed

I try to imagine

the equivalent,

and I’m ambivalent

at best.

I try 

to be fair

as I try

not to stare

at what 

looks like

a precipice.

I have grave

reservations

about 

what’s ahead,

when the future

head

of defense

is on defense

while evidence

points

to questionable

conscience.

It’s not

rocket science

to be in

compliance

with the chief

of defiance

and greed.

The demagogue

will be installed

to an enthralled

half

of the nation.

Among my

reservations,

are tariffs

and deportations,

incompetence,

and cruelty

throughout

the administration.

Confirmation

hearings

are media

sensations.

This theatrical

viewing

of political

screwing

by the cynical

to the critical,

seems more

kabuki-like

than before.

The qualification

for the new

administration

is disruption

(and corruption)

without 

having to pay.

To say 

I have 

reservations

beyond

protestations

is confirming

my polite

squirming

and yelping.

Real people

need helping.

Assurances

without 

insurance is

ridiculous,

yet the outrageous

persists

despite

conflicts

of interests.

Meanwhile,

as LA 

is still

in a hurricane

of fire,

an insane

situation

for any administration,

my reservations

have been

confirmed

once again,

as the verbal

arsonist

provokes

and stokes

while folks

have literally

lost everything.

It’s sickening.

and terrifying,

but ordinary

citizens

are helping

and you 

too

can be

among

us.

FInd ways

to donate,

and contribute

to help

those most

in need.

Our reservations

confirmed,

don’t just yelp;

Find ways

to help.

Gulf Club

A deep ravine

between

sides

abides

enflaming,

blaming,

renaming

gulfs.

Engulfed

in fire,

raging

politcal

and actual,

as of now

uncontainable

and utterly

unsustainable,

what 

are you doing

to be helpful?

The worst

disaster of the

catastrophe

era

in which

we live

in fear

is here.

Renaming

gulfs

as flames

engulf

LA,

while some

sneer

at the wealthy

who have lost

their homes,

and others

blame

diversity 

policy

in the current

polity-

this climate 

calamity

is a conflagration

of such 

enormity

and each

abnormality

is a part

of the new

normal.

Meanwhile,

Meta

made a new

formal 

mega

change

that feeds

the MAGA
base range

by no longer

checking

facts.

Social media

enacts

the euphemism

“freedom”

to further

enflame

the game.

The Tech Bro

Club

joined the MAGA

frat

and spat

once again

on truth.

The youth

deserve

for us

to preserve

nature

and nurture

humanity.

The club

mentality

that has engulfed

and enflamed

(and wants 

to rename)

everything

is worsening

a very real

and deadly

climate 

change.

HELP!! 

How’s Your Weather?

Learn to see

the forest 

through trees,

behind

the curtain,

certain,

while consumption

without assumption

of consequence

or sequence

of events

systemic,

seemingly

endemic

in our culture,

ignoring

nature

in danger,

due to

the illusion

of control.

Learn to see

blindspots;

hot spots

of regions

and reasons

for how we

unintentionally

perpetuate

this state

of climate 

crisis

for us

which 

we may not

be able

to reverse,

could relieve

this perverse

curse

of disconnection

between

decisions

and ramifications.

We have

solutions;

paths that 

we’ve proved

to behoove

us.

Technology

and policy

combined

with the necessity

of accountability,

helps us solve

what we’ve 

yet to resolve

without

yet

being able 

to see

clearly.

We need

the creativity

and participation

of everybody.

Use your

resources

and proclivities

for activities

where 

the priorities

engage

others

to bother

to do

more

than weather

current

conditions.