As man expired His last Once agin Mother Nature breathed in A parent excrement Concrete and steel Leaving not Even a scratch In geologic time Merely having caught a cold Cold virus Feverish bout Something to sneeze about Un-till returning To natural appetites Where awe is better than knew In the tree of knowledge With wisdom of what can and cannot be forest Upon Mother Nature
Ultimately, this poem is a testament to the sustaining and healing power of Mother Nature. So many times I am struck by the unsustainable practices of so-called civilization. While I am not confident that humankind (unkind?) will be able to avert a monumental collapse of civilization as we know it today, I suspect that humans will survive in some form. Similarly, I strongly suspect than nature will survive. I suspect that humans are not smart enough, nor stupid enough, to end life on this planet. I suspect that humans are not strong enough, nor weak enough, to end life on this planet. While our blind greed is frighteningly persistent, this poem is one vision of Mother Nature, quite naturally, recovering from a virus and fever, and returning to health. Mother Nature is awesome and powerful. In this envisioned scenario, humans don’t make it, at least not in any form resembling our current civilization. In the first line of the poem, I reference the word “man” as expiring, that is, lowercase man, not humankind. I snuck this in as an opening to survive, if in fact, in the yin and yang of life, the patriarchal male force is brought into balance with the nurturing/healing female force. I don’t think that it is any accident that nature, Mother Nature, is typically viewed as female across many human cultures. If we don’t respect females, then we are doomed to an existence far short of our awesome potential, or, perhaps, simply doomed to extinction. May we as a species, one among many, find a balance befitting the awesome benevolence of Mother Nature.
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
JUST FOR THE HEALTH OF IT: Public Health Radio Show on WAKT 106.1 FM Toledo JUST FOR THE HEALTH OF IT: Public Health Radio Show on WAKT 106.1 FM Toledo Just for the Health of It is my weekly half-hour public health show on WAKT, 106.1 FM Toledo. You can listen at 9:00 AM Tuesdays and Thursdays (after Democracy NOW) on-air or on-line ToledoRadio.org. To listen anytime you want online, […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
JUST FOR THE HEALTH OF IT: Public Health Radio Show on WAKT 106.1 FM Toledo
Just for the Health of It is my weekly half-hour public health show on WAKT, 106.1 FM Toledo. You can listen at 9:00 AM Tuesdays and Thursdays (after Democracy NOW) on-air or on-line ToledoRadio.org. To listen anytime you want online, below are links to the latest shows.
You can follow the program and shows on facebook here.
Just for the Health of It brings you fresh perspectives on the science of health for all; plus local, state, national, and global health news, as well as local guests for home-grown perspectives and connections to local resources. Just for the Health brings you the best of both social justice and personal health.
Just for the Health focuses on putting the JUST in Just for the Health of It.
My aim is to equip you to live healthily in a healthy community on a just planet.
For you of those folks who are perhaps too busy to catch a whole show, or just want to sample my sense of humor, here are a few of my parody PSAs:
Parody PSA: Cory the Coronavirus
Parody PSA: Pla-ce-bo Pharmaceuticals’ Elimin-all
Parody PSA: PR Medica and Merciless Health Systems
Featuring: Biden’s bet on rapid COVID-19 home testing starts with $239 million deal with Australian company (2:39); “inspired choice” — Biden appoints sociologist Alondra Nelson to top science post (5:14); debates on school reopening continues as Biden administration looks to reopening by April (8:32); experts say it’s time to double up or upgrade masks as virus variants emerge (13:43); Lucas County COVID-19 update (20:15); as cases drop nationally, more dangerous coronavirus variants are coming and poised to complicate vaccines’ ability to crush pandemic in U.S. this year (26:55); communities of color getting left behind in vaccine rollout (48:23); $44 million vaccine software system from CDC gets few takers among states (54:40); if poor countries go unvaccinated, study says that rich ones will incur most of the economic losses (56:50).
Week of January 25, 2021:
Featuring: U.S. COVID-19 numbers drop, but race against new strains heats up (2:32); more contagious COVID-19 variant cases identified at at University of Michigan (4:50); Fauci says “we have to assume now” that British virus strain can “cause more damage” (6:28); coronavirus variant in Brazil raging in already extremely highly infected region (9:23); emerging evidence suggests new coronavirus variant could be problematic for vaccines (11:36); Europe’s growing mask ask — ditch the cloth ones for medical-grade coverings (12:31); staying safe in the time of coronavirus — pay attention to “the guy you know” (15:13); people most likely to follow COVID rules when friends and family do (16:34); the risk of a middle-age person dying of COVID-19 is about 100 times greater than dying from an automobile crash (18:10); Lucas County COVID-19 update (18:43); disjointed vaccine distribution poses early test for Biden (30:14); Biden inherits a vaccine supply unlikely to grow before April (32:22); de-prioritizing those who have already been infected (have antibodies) will speed vaccination’s path to protection (37:00); experts tap into behavioral research to promote COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S. (39:58); the best evidence for how to overcome COVID-19 vaccine fears (43:55); another record decline in U.S. cancer death rate, largely due to declines in cigarette use (1:00:16); the recent large increases in e-cigarette use will lead to more regular cigarette users, reversing the decline in smoking among U.S. young adults (1:01:36).
Week of January 18, 2021:
Featuring: new, more infectious coronavirus variant(s) could become dominant in March, and could make things much worse (2:49); Lucas County COVID-19 update (18:38); darkest days for L.A. doctors, nurses, EMTs –“The way most people leave is by dying” (26:28); no additional vaccine doses coming, despite Trump admin promises (33:57); COVID-19 reduced U.S. life expectancy, especially among Black and Latino populations (37:37); Black men have the shortest lifespan of any Americans, due to “John Henryism” (42:42); Biden’s appointment of a health disparities advisor historic — but will the White House empower her? (46:24); communities recognizing racism as a public health crisis — declarations grow (53:29); Affordable Care Act’s coverage gains decreased income inequality (56:15); get ready for a lot of Biden executive orders on health care — here’s a list of what to look for (57:23).
Week of January 11, 2021:
Featuring: in wake of violent insurrection, violence as a public health issue — violence interrupters using tested methods to save lives in peace model replicated globally (1:57); (2:03); Gov. DeWine outlines new COVID-19 vaccination steps and eligible groups (9:45); Lucas County COVID-19 update (12:23); as virus surges, new studies suggest warning for school reopening (20:33); Deborah Birx overreaches in coronavirus task force assertion in less than transparent report (30:16); U.S. blind to contagious new virus variant, scientist warn (31:50); along with vaccine rollouts, the U.S. needs a national hi-fi mask initiative [N95 masks for all] (41:52); why COVID-19 has left so many hospitals running low on oxygen (48:39); new COVID vaccines need absurd amounts of material and labor (51:28); COVID-19 outcomes for patients on immunosuppressive drug on par with non-immunosuppressed patients, study finds (58:11); study finds time spent outdoors during pandemic is associated with higher levels of happiness (58:52).
Week of January 4, 2021:
Featuring: COVID-19 status update — what can we expect in 2021? (2:03); Lucas County COVID-19 update (10:43); New Year’s resolution territory — updated national dietary guidelines released [see DietaryGuidelines.gov] (15:30) and more than 100 reasons to quit tobacco [Ohioans can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW] (26:34); police involvement a major racial justice issue in psychiatry (42:42); suicide rates did not decrease when antidepressant drugs were introduced (47:21); giving poor people money is more effective for mental health than brief therapy (48:05); as a physician and a patient, I’ve seen the damage caused by the stigma of addiction — it must end (53:06).
SHOWS from 2020:
Week of December 28, 2020:
Featuring: the looming questions scientists need to answer about the new variant of the coronavirus (2:05); a “duty to warn” — an ER doctor, shaped by war and hardship, chronicles the searing realities of COVID-19 (16:43); Lucas County COVID-19 update (25:41); beware the danger of “vaccine euphoria” (31:56); COVID-19 vaccines are safe — but let’s be clear about what “safe” means (38:04); employers can require workers to get COVID-19 vaccine, says U.S. (44:56); a temp worker died on the job after FedEx didn’t fix a known hazard — the fine: $7,000 (49:56); “Every day is an emergency” — the pandemic is worsening psychiatric bed shortages nationwide (54:52); implementing policies and strategies to eliminate racial disparities could improve outcomes for both COVID-19 AND cancer (58:12).
Week of December 21, 2020:
Featuring: COVID-19 vaccine rollout update (1:56); BIG STORY — a new, more contagious COVID-19 strain has been reported in the U.K. — is it headed for the U.S.? (3:24); problems in rural America — she collapsed in her kitchen from COVID-19 and the next day she was nearly 300 miles from home (6:33); 78% of those infected with coronavirus refuse to help with contact tracing in N.J. (10:54); political division is dangerously defining our COVID-19 conversation — we need new ways to speak to one another (13:48); Lucas County COVID-19 update (20:30); despite years of effort to combat infant mortality in Ohio, racial disparity increases (26:46); emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines could hinder global access to them (31:11); one-quarter of the world may not get COVID-19 vaccine until 2022, experts warn (37:09); hospitals boost security as seek to stop vaccine “line-jumping” (43:51); the wealthy scramble for COVID-19 vaccines — “If I donate $25,000…would that help me?” 48:04); to get the COVID-19 vaccine right, we must close the confidence gap and stop pathologizing communities of color (49:55); FDA authorizes the first fully at-home, over the counter COVID-19 test (57:11); how hope can make you happier with your lot in life (1:00:35).
Week of December 14, 2020:
Featuring: follow-up to big story last episode — by FDA eliminating addictive nicotine from tobacco products, the single largest preventable cause of death, more lives could be saved than by even Medicare for all (1:55); U.S. enters brutal stretch of pandemic. even with approaching vaccines (5:26); Lucas County COVID-19 update (12:50); Operation Warp Speed head says 40 million doses of vaccine will be distributed by end of month, but need 75-80% of Americans immunized to achieve herd immunity (20:37); supply is limited and distribution uncertain as COVID-19 vaccine rolls out (21:56); here’s why vaccinated people still need to wear masks (24:33); what motivates COVID rule breakers? (30:52); research provides tools for achieving the “how” of mental well-being in daily life (35:16); Big Picture in three stories — food marketing and nutrition — kids gain weight when new conveniences stores open nearby (39:34); facing two pandemics — how big food undermined public health in the era of COVID-19 (40:57); hospitals profit on junk food (50:01).
Week of December 7, 2020:
Featuring: COVID-19 big picture — Ohio and nation in big trouble, but science alone can’t save us from ourselves (1:46); Lucas County COVID-19 update (20:16); Trump’s Operation Warp Speed promised a flood of COVID-19 vaccines — instead, states are expecting a trickle (26:00); state and local officials plead for vaccine distribution funds already overdue (33:50); replace the “cold steel” of hospital-bed shackles with the warmth of compassion (37:23); the easy way for Joe Biden to save lives: eliminate addictive nicotine from tobacco products, the single largest preventable cause of death (43:40); can local food feed big cities? yes, if we cut down on meat (50:28); concentration in the food business — to high, too risky (54:53).
Week of November 30, 2020:
Featuring: COVID-19 big picture — is the U.S. COVID-19 epidemic the “worst of both worlds? — both a public health AND economic failure (1:56); COVID worsens bus driver shortages nationwide and in many Ohio schools (6:27); major glove factories close after thousands of workers test positive for COVID-19, threatening global supply (11:14); recent COVID-19 surge forces Franklin County to cut back on contact tracing efforts (12:20); beyond burnout — for health care workers, this surge of COVID-19 is bring burnover (14:58); Lucas County COVID-19 update (23:47); Lucas County Health Board orders schools to go virtual — what’s the deal? (28:23); COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes hit record high (36:01); winning trust for vaccines means confronting medical racism (42:03); children in U.S. may miss 9 million vaccine doses in 2020, report warns of falling below thresholds for herd immunity (53:33); science supports new dietary guidelines limiting alcohol consumption, especially for reducing cancer in men (55:27).
Week of November 23, 2020:
Featuring: COVID-19 big picture — with where we are at, are we doomed to “too little, too late”? (2:40); Lucas County COVID-19 update (22:27); “It’s not enough” — health experts say Iowa governor’s new COVID-19 order is “weak” (30:07); business group calls for national mask mandate and COVID-19 relief (36:22); “People are going to die” — hospitals in half the states are facing massive staffing shortages as COVID-19 surges (39:02); hospitals know what’s coming — even the best cannot prepare for a tsunami of cases (47:17); World Health Organization advises doctors not to use Remdesivir for COVID-19 (54:32); GOOD NEWS –“They have been following the science” — how the Cherokee Nation has curtailed the COVID-19 pandemic, as a nation within a nation — what a real tribe looks like (56:29).
Week of November 16, 2020:
Featuring: COVID-19 big picture — where are with we with the layers of protection: mask wearing, physical distancing, community restrictions, testing, contact tracing, and hospital capacity? (1:55); Lucas County COVID-19 update (42:11); health experts want to prioritize people of color for COVID-19 vaccine, but how should it be done? (49:36); proportion of pediatric emergency room visits for mental health increased sharply amid pandemic (57:22); suicide rates increase after hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters (57:58).
Week of November 9, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County, Ohio, and U.S continue to smash COVID-19 records — get the latest (1:54); counties with worst virus surges voted overwhelmingly for Trump (14:59); United Nation votes to hold summit in December to push action on COVID-19 pandemic — U.S. abstains (18:46); face masks don’t hinder breathing during exercise, study shows (21:16); pregnant women with COVID-19 are at increased risk for serious outcomes (23:53); the hidden public health hazard of rapid COVID-19 tests — worsening data collection (25:12); how your brain tricks you into taking risks during the pandemic — the difficulty of incorporating accurate risk decision-making into our daily lives (29:15); Medicare fines half of hospitals for readmitting too many patients, a sign of poorer quality health care (42:35); more U.S. patients to have easy, free access to doctor’s notes (46:17); updated colon cancer screening guidelines recommend beginning at age 45, down from 50 — especially for blacks (48:53); one-third of people with disabilities experience frequent mental distress (50:08); make America healthy again by paying more attention to nutrition, the #1 factor in health (53:22).
Week of November 2, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County, Ohio, and U.S continue to smash COVID-19 records — get the latest (1:56); winter COVID-19 wave poses threat to nation’s hospitals (16:22); sewage testing shows a country flush with coronavirus cases (21:27); study finds faster, wider spread of COVID-19 within U.S. households (28:51); Yale study shows child care can be relatively safe with mitigation efforts and lower rates of community spread (31:15); winter is coming for bars and restaurants — here’s how to save them…and us (35:20); why isn’t routine COVID-19 testing happening in prisons and immigration detention centers? (40:51); latest COVID-19 polling shows most know someone who’s had the virus, a third have had someone in their household tested in the last month, and this doesn’t differ much by age, race, income, or party affiliation (47:23); states say they lack federal funds to distribute COVID-19 vaccine as CDC tells them to be ready Nov. 15 (51:08); as COVID-19 intensifies, shortages of staple drugs may grow worse (56:10).
Week of October 26, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County, Ohio, and U.S smash COVID-19 records — get the latest (2:02); persons infectious with COVID-19 up to 10 days if only mild symptoms, or up to 20 days if severely ill (16:47); CDC expands definition of close contact after spread from “multiple brief encounters” (17:32); COVID-19’s wintry mix — as we move indoors, dry air will help coronavirus spread (19:24); “at a breaking point” — new surge of COVID-19 cases has states and hospitals scrambling, yet again (25:48); amid pandemic, U.S. has seen 300,000 “excess deaths,” with greatest disparities for people of color and persons age 25-44 (34:19); FDA show signs of cold feet over emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines (37:52); remdesivir’s hefty price tag ignores NIH investment in its creation (45:17); Trump’s antibody “cure” will be in short supply (49:31).
Week of October 19, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County and Ohio COVID-19 update, as nation’s cases surge (2:01); surge in COVID-19 cases mean fewer Minnesota schools meet in-person rules, while exposing hostility to public health efforts (11:48); “overwhelmed” — hospitals across America engulfed by rebounding virus (13;48); hepatitis is still a silent killer in Africa and elsewhere b(18:32); how the CDC and others are failing black women during childbirth (21:48); black maternal death rates and the implicit biases — how we can address them (31:20); what no one tells black women about breastfeeding (35:25); new research shows many children with mental health conditions don’t get follow-up care (41:15); how drugs damage the environment (44:07).
Week of October 12, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County and Ohio COVID-19 update, as Midwest hit hard (2:00); Midwest keeps reopening as states reel from new virus cases (7:26); COVID-19 surges in North Dakota, filling hospitals and testing attitudes (14:17); Mississippi’s governor revokes statewide mask mandate (19:16); Trump is “single largest driver” of COVID-19 misinformation, Cornell study finds (22:42); the confidentiality of Trump’s medical information has limits (23:29); the lesson from Trump catching COVID-19 — with this virus, there’s no magic bullets (25:27); “COVID is all about privilege” — Trump’s treatment underscores vast inequalities in access to care (31:12); inequality “surrounds you” — a black doctor returns to heard-hit Louisiana after treating and contracting COVID-19 in New York (39:35); battered, flooded and submerged — many Superfund sites are dangerously threatened by climate change (51:43); doctors offer guide for teaching the health effects of climate change in medical residency (55:50).
Week of October 5, 2020:
Featuring: “Donald Trump Memorial Studio” and the public health principle of nonjudgment (1:58); Lucas County and Ohio COVID-19 update (4:56); states loosening COVID-19 restrictions amid ongoing pandemic and expected fall surge (10:55); these coronavirus vaccine trials don’t answer the one question we need to know — will it protect against the most serious disease? (16:56); why it will take more than one vaccines to beat COVID-19 (21:37); keeping coronavirus vaccines at subzero temperatures during distribution will be hard, but likely key to ending pandemic (26;34); lessons from STDs on how to fight COVID-129 (33:27); why misinformation about COVID-19 keeps going viral (45:18); global rates of unplanned pregnancies still too high (48:06); the FDA approved the abortion pill 20 years ago — it’s time to make it available via telehealth (51:28).
Week of September 28, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County and Ohio COVID-19 update (2:06); three experts reflecting on the U.S. reaching 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths (5:20); new wave of COVID-19 cases builds in U.S. (8;43); four U.S. states report record one-day increases in COVID-19 cases (11:01); Florida to life all COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants and bars (11:55); Des Moines says no to governor’s demand for classroom return (12:42); government watchdog finds supply shortages are still harming U.S. coronavirus response (17:02); battle rages inside hospitals over how COVID-19 strikes and kills (17:38); massive genetic study shows coronavirus mutating and potentially evolving more infectious amid rapid U.S. spread (20:45); California’s deadliest spring in 20 years suggests COVID-19 undercount and massive disparities among racial/ethnic minorities (24:07); Africa has defied the COVID-19 nightmare scenarios — we shouldn’t be surprised (28:40); COVID-19 could reverse decades of progress toward elimination preventable child deaths (32:42); potent drug supply drop, not domestic drug policies, likely behind 2018 overdose death downturn — and underlying epidemic trend continues (38:37); a reversal in blood pressure control for Americans (42:37); more than 3 billion people protected from harmful trans fat in their food (45:22); “front of package” nutrition labels improve nutrition quality (48:59).
Week of September 21, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County and Ohio COVID-19 update (2:08); CDC reports that dining out increases risk of contracting coronavirus more than other activities (6:02); CDC director says masks more guaranteed to work than a vaccine (8:57); as controversies swirl, CDC director is seen as allowing agency to buckle to political influence (10:07); top health official echoes Trump’s COVID-19 views, drawing accusations of politicizing U.S. mental health agency (19:33); polls show eroding trust in scientific and political institutions (29:46); America is trapped in a pandemic spiral, characterized by 9 conceptual errors — 1) a serial monogamy of solutions, 2) false dichotomies, 3) the comfort of theatricality, 4) personal blame over systemic fixes, 5) the normality trap, 6) magical thinking, 7) the complacency of inexperience, 8) a reactive rut, and 9) the habituation of horror (35:01).
Week of September 14, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County and Ohio COVID-19 update (2:07); University of Toledo COVID-19 update (2:37); college football is coming and COVID-19 is already there (6:22); pandemic blind spot — it’s not easy to get coronavirus testing for children (14:21); COVID-19 hits men harder due to their weaker immune systems than women (17:58); obesity raises risk of death from COVID-19 among men (21:46); housing disparities and health disparities are closely connected (26:22); medical education needs rethinking to link medicine with public health (29:06); awareness of our biases is essential to good science (37:30); overcoming psychological biases is the best treatment against COVID-19 yet (44:08); the fires may be in California, but the smoke and its health effects, travel across the country (51:52); Des Moines river “essential unusable” for drinking water due to algae toxins (55:32).
Week of September 7, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County and Ohio COVID-19 update (2:05); COVID-19 is leading cause of death among law enforcement officers, killing more than shootings (5;24); COVID-19 update for colleges and universities (7:34); new rapid COVID-19 test begins distribution to states this month (16:34); COVID-19 vaccine updates and issues (18:21); meatpacking companies dismissed years of warnings but now say nobody could have prepared for COVID-19 (30:02); thousands allowed to bypass environmental rules in pandemic (37:51); low-wage workers face retaliation for demanding COVID-19 safety measures at work (42:13); COVID-19 has likely tripled depression rate (46:46); COVID-19 sparks 12-fold increase in remote delivery of psychological care across the U.S. (50:14); LGBTQ youth say cost, parental permission pose major barriers to mental health care (54:15).
Week of August 31, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County and Ohio COVID-19 update (2:06); first confirmed COVID-19 re-infections — what does this mean for us? (3:50); updates on university and school re-openings (9:53); Trump’s continued political attacks on scientific integrity and fragmented COVID-19 response (19:52); strain on health care system, even when not at capacity, kills more with COVID-19 (40:21); The U.S. Postal Service is a vital part of our health care system (44:47); more challenges, and some wins, in fight against racism in health care (47:04); Africa eliminates polio in historic health win (56:32).
Week of August 24, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County COVID-19 update (2:08); some people listen to health experts, others ignore them — what it means for America’s future with COVID-19 (3:32); how miscommunication and selfishness hampered America’s COVID-19 response (11:39); cloth masks do protest the wearer — breathing in less coronavirus means you get less sick (19:02); your cloth mask won’t protect you from wildfire smoke (23:58); Trump regime moves to exempt teachers from quarantine requirements (26:33); not-so-remote learning — college students return to campus even as classes move online (27:38); coronavirus is spreading in schools, but the federal government isn’t keeping track (28:58); cellphone data shows how Las Vegas is “gambling with lives” across the country (36:39): nursing home cases up nearly 80% in COVID-19 rebound (52:45); Amazon gold mining drives malaria surges among indigenous peoples (54:02); new Ebola outbreak in Congo raises alarm (57:43).
Week of August 17, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County COVID-19 update (2:07); seven months into pandemic, COVID-19 testing still falling short in Ohio (2:58); Ohio back-to-school plans amid COVID vary widely between metro, rural areas — statewide, over 1/3 returning to classroom (6:37); Ohio State steps up COVID-19 measures, including mandatory testing (7:57); when should schools use only remote learning? Massachusetts issues new metrics to help districts decide using COVID-19 infection rates (11:07); coronavirus testing plummets in Texas as school prepare to reopen (13:58); UNICEF finds 2 in 5 schools worldwide lacked handwashing facilities prior to COVID-19 pandemic (18:13); Florida sheriff bans masks as state COVID-19 death toll breaks new daily record (19:15); despite rise in COVID-19 cases, dozens of Tennessee Republican lawmakers continue to refuse to wear masks as required in special session (21:26); 26 states will soon face shortages of ICU doctors, and other shortages are growing in nurses, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists (23:51); winter is coming — why America’s window of opportunity to beat back COVID-19 is closing (25:49); CDC reports large increases in in mental health issues, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic (35:48); vaping linked to large COVID-19 risk in teens and young adults (38:11); black and other nonwhite NFL athletes report more pain, physical impairment, mood disorders and cognitive problems that white peers (40:54); globally, only half of women get treatment for preventable killer of newborns (45:59); Researchers say misleading whole grain labeling provides legal evidence to improve labeling regulations (49:43).
Week of August 10, 2020:
Featuring: COVID-19 and prisons (2:30) local and state COVID-19 update (4:52); local and national updates on school reopenings (17:50); ventilation should be part of the conversation on school reopening — why isn’t it? (33:25); poll — 35% of Americans, most Republicans would reject COVID-19 vaccine (41:03); U.S. obesity epidemic could undermine effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine (43:30); health care workers of color nearly twice as likely as whites to get COVID-19 (47:32); telemedicine is booming — but many people still face huge barriers to virtual care (50:03); experts urge evaluation of diet at routine check-ups (53:21).
Week of August 3, 2020:
Featuring: worldwide whirlwind of COVID-19 (1:44); local COVID-19 update (6:44); states with stricter COVID-19 restrictions watch lax neighbors warily, knowing the virus does not respect borders (10:08); 79% say they support national face mask mandate (16:59); in Texas, more people are losing their health insurance as COVID-19 cases climb (18:03); about 20% of New Jersey prisoners could be freed to avoid virus (20:12); young kids could spread COVID-19 as much as older children and adults (22:08); contact tracing is failing in many states — here’s why (23:16); how effective does COVID-19 vaccine need to be to stop the pandemic? (30:07); those coronavirus vaccines leading the race? don’t ditch the masks quite yet (36:06); liberal group warns that U.S. is unprepared to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine (43:06); COVID-19 vaccines may cause mild side effects, experts say, stressing need for education, not alarm (45:15); poorer communities face double burden during pandemic as they stay home less (50:48); one in three children worldwide have unacceptably high lead levels (52:37).
Week of July 27, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County, Ohio, and national COVID-19 update (1:55); new poll — 3 in 4 Americans back requiring masks, and other pandemic response support growing (9:26); COVID-19 will end up as a leading cause of death in 2020, CDC says (12:13); U.S. COVID-19 deaths back up over 1,000 per day (15:14); scientists publish findings from first statewide COVID-19 random sample study in U.S. (16:01); as long waits for results render COVID-19 tests “useless,” states seek workarounds (18:32); COVID-19 tests much easier to get in wealthier and whiter neighborhoods (26:03); U.S. prison population down 8% amid coronavirus outbreaks, mostly due to criminal justice system slowdown (30:07); what scientists know about how children spread COVID-19 (31:47); back to school? most major schools are heading to online class as COVID-19 cases spike (40:20); cost of preventing next pandemic equal to just 2% of COVID-19 economic damage (47:44); We are the first to applaud you regarding your efforts in COVID-19 — a message from the African diaspora to our brothers and sisters of Africa (50:14); after surgery, black children are more likely to die than white children (53:11).
Week of July 20, 2020:
Featuring: Lucas County, Ohio, and national COVID-19 update (2:18); “epicenter of the epicenter” — young people partying in Miami Beach despite COVID-19 threat (9:19); over 1,000 inmates at Texas federal prison test positive for COVID-19 (15:02); Texas nursing home COVID-19 cases jump 60% since July 1 (15:42); masks win political momentum despite GOP holdouts (16:53); Americans want evidence and data to drive COVID decisions — and they don’t believe that’s happening (19:46); public health groups denounce new Trump move sidelining CDC (23:17); testing is on the brink of paralysis — and that’s very bad news (27:48); world treating symptoms, not cause of pandemics, says UN (31:52); why are we so late responding to COVID-19? blame it on our culture and brains (36:02); the coronavirus-climate-air conditioning nexus (41:26); scientists’ warning on affluence (46:15); half of world’s population exposed to increasing air pollution (47;33); in shadow of pandemic, U.S. drug overdose deaths resurge to record (48:37); years-long push to remove racist bias from kidney testing gains new ground (50:06).
Week of July 13, 2020:
Featuring: lobbying brewing over access to COVID-19 vaccine (2:27); as U.S. buys up remdesivir, “vaccine nationalism” threatens access to COVID-19 treatments (5:51); COVID-19 vaccine research must involve Black and Latinx participants — here are 4 ways to make that happen (8:31); WHO, partners unveil ambitious plan to deliver 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine to high-risk populations (14:21); U.S. withdrawal from WHO threatens to leave it “flying blind on flu vaccines (17:42); rebroadcast of May 2019 episode on immunization history and benefits (25:15).
Week of July 6, 2020:
Featuring: national COVID-19 update (1:45); Lucas County and Ohio update (8:04); hollowed-out public health system faces more cuts amid virus (11:33); women in science are battling both COVID-19 and the patriarchy (21:20); structural racism is why I’m leaving organized psychiatry (29:31); expecting students to play it safe if colleges reopen is a fantasy (40:23); as COVID-19 tears through Navajo Nation, young people step up to protect their elders (47:18).
Week of June 29, 2020:
Featuring: local, state, and national COVID-19 update (1:53); “normal” is the problem (13:32); the emerging long-term complications of COVID-19, explained (24:14); “vaccine sovereignty” versus “a people’s vaccine” (39:12); lack of water fuels COVID-19 for 2 billion people around world and in the Navajo Nation within the U.S. (44:09); what “less lethal” weapons actually do (50:27).
Week of June 22, 2020:
Featuring: local, state, and national COVID-19 update (1:53); burgeoning activism (12:32) in journalism (13:08), among scientists (17:13), health care professionals (25:13), in scientific publishing (37:28), and connecting racism with environmental justice (42:32).
Week of June 15, 2020:
Featuring: local COVID-19 update (2;03); Ohio immigration detention facility has 100% COVID-19 positive detainees (9:07); COVID-19 spikes, but most governors signal they’re staying the course (13:39); Americans divided on return to regular routines (17:09); pandemic lockdowns saved millions of lives (19:03); face masks may reduce COVID-19 spread by 85% (22:48); black U.S. adults follow many COVID-19 news topics more closely, discuss the outbreak more frequently (28:12); researchers face hurdles in studying COVID-19 racial disparities (29:12); for a day. scientists pause science to confront racism (34;33); racism, not genetics, explains why black Americans are dying of COVID-19 (37:12); omission of air pollution from report on COVID-19 and race “astonishing” (46:10); George Floyd’s autopsy and the structural gaslighting of America (47:58).
Week of June 8, 2020:
A Double Special Edition on Racism and the dual epidemics of COVID-19 and police violence, featuring: Ohio Legislative Black Caucus declares racism a public health crisis (2:33); Physicians for a National Health program declare police violence and racism as public health emergencies (7:11); over 1,000 health professionals sigh letter saying, don’t shut down protests using coronavirus as an excuse (10:01); protest in top 25 hot spots ignite fears of contagion (11:23); protests draw shoulder-to-shoulder crowds after months of virus isolation (16:24); racism is the contagion in health care we need to eradicate (23:46); my nightmare — COVID-19 meets racism meets the killing of a Black person by police (27;41); the everyday health harms of racism (33:39); which death do they choose? — many Black men fear wearing a mask more than the coronavirus (42:17); tear gas is way more dangerous than police let on — especially during the coronavirus pandemic (48:58).
Week of June 1, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #12: Racism as a public health issue (2:08); amid COVID-19, U.S. should embrace the right to food (9:31); Bill Barr promised to release prisoners threatened by coronavirus — even as the feds secretly made it harder for them to get out (13:06); model testing blitz in San Francisco shows COVID-19 struck mostly low-wage workers (20:45); One-fourth of U.S. doctors are immigrants who, if they die of coronavirus, could have their families deported (27:27); COVID-19 cases shift to younger people (29:14); the latest on testing (33:17); the local situation (41:11); biopharma companies are spreading misinformation — and taking advantage of it (44:34); masks sold by former white house official to Navajo hospitals don’t meet FDA standards (50:45); status of Latin American epidemic (52:47); is defunding the World Health Organization really just a backdoor attack on sexual and reproductive health? (55:46)
Week of May 25, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #11: national situation (2:18); latest local news from Lucas County and Ohio (36:16); other news, including how bad is COVID-19 misinformation (48:06).
Week of May 18, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #10: national situation (2:48); what’s our status in re-opening and what does this mean? (11:11); latest local news (35:44).
Week of May 11, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #9: national picture (2:38); Toledo, Lucas County, and Ohio status and re-opening considerations (11:22); Americas has no plan for worst-case scenario of COVID-19 (26;34); coronavirus pandemic exposing long-term inequalities experienced by communities of color and in public health system (32:24); survey shows record high trust in government and widespread suspicion of businesses in COVID-19 responses.
Week of May 4, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #8: Donald Trump assures nation will continue to be full of baloney (2:07); status at prisons in Ohio and Lucas County (6:47); latest local update (13:08); national “non-plan” for testing (16:34); piecing together info on local situation (23:29); high-tech and low-tech COVID-19 treatment (28:29); what Jonas Salk would have said about COVID-19 — evolve socially (35:15).
Week of April 27, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #7: National and state roundup (1:43); jails could add 99,000 deaths to epidemic (14:42); physical distancing — how are we doing in U.S., Ohio and Lucas County (19:14); what it will take to get the U.S. open for business (29:08); what about antibody testing and immunity? (34:24); the latest on local testing and contact tracing (57:18).
Week of April 20, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #6: National roundup (2:05); local round up including county social distancing score from cell phone data, county COVID-19 response preparedness score, and nursing homes impact (9:57); thinking big and responding big (21:52); where are we with testing and what needs to be done? (32:50); where are we with contact tracing and what needs to be done? (46:42); more news on challenges facing (51:02); health inequities and racial disparities (55:18).
Week of April 13, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #5: Featuring: How does our local epidemic compare to the rest of Ohio and the rest of the country? (2:09); latest news and commentary (4:37); battle of the latest projections – a deep dive into the numbers racket (23:56); quick roundup of completely predictable bad news (57:13).
Week of April 6, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #4: Featuring my prediction – COVID-19 deaths will approach the leading cause of death this next year (1:45); good news – Ohio leadership (3:55); bad news – national lack of leadership (5;42); grade card on key interventions required to reverse epidemic (16:31); where is all of this leading? a look at the south going south (27:53); some lighter news (35:55); testing update – don’t expect anytime soon (37:52); drug treatments? “closed for cleaning”? should people wear masks? (50:01); pandemic will ravage lower-income countries (54:05).
Week of March 30, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #3: Featuring leadership bringing us to number 1 in the world (1:43); Ohio Sen. Rob Portman refuses call to advocate for a coordinated nationwide shelter-in-place strategy (4:31); my prediction two weeks ago that the U.S. will look like Italy in two weeks is panning out (7:10); local testing started — what does this mean? (9:14); a third of coronavirus cases may be “silent carriers” (18:45); playing the “hot spot” game is too little too late (18:45); the economy versus our public health is a false dichotomy and dangerous distraction (25:43); rationing and supply-line shortages will only worsen (34:32); multiple waves of epidemics from health care workers and other workers, institutionalized populations like prisoners, nursing home residents and active military, as well as homeless and displaced people worldwide (44:28); what would winning look like? (52:43).
Week of March 23, 2020:
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION #2: Featuring quick leadership assessment (2:16); the coronavirus paradox — our lowest point and finest hour (3:10); a terrified nation needs a leader during this crisis, not a salesman (8:03); World Health Organization expert explains why China’s cases of COVID-19 have declined and what we must learn from this (14:02); situation analysis of where we are right now and likely heading in the next few weeks (28:11); Lucas County local report on where we are at with testing, contact tracing and hospital preparedness, based on my interview with Eric Zgodzinski, Health Director, Toledo-Lucas County Health Department (33:01).
Week of March 16, 2020:
Featuring COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION: good news/bad news (1:43); majority of Americans have at least one underlying condition that puts them at greater risk (3:19); the biggest thing to worry with coronavirus is the overwhelming of our health care system (5:57); chronically deteriorating funding of public health has crippled our ability to respond effectively to this epidemic (13:56); aggressive social distancing is seriously important even if you feel well (23:30); absence of a truly coordinated national response leaves those potentially exposed or sick confused about what to do (25:12); White House classifies coronavirus deliberations as secret which hampers response (41:19); Science magazine editorial — disrespecting science and the laws of nature confounds response (45:51); FTC and FDA cites 7 firms falsely claiming products treat COVID-19 (50:05).
Week of March 9, 2020:
Featuring as coronavirus spreads, the bill for our public health failures is due (1:53); coronavirus testing could cost some patients extra and impede response to epidemic (7:07); America is botching coronavirus testing (10:26); prisons and jails are vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks (12:17); Ohio ranks at bottom in new national drug trend report (20:46); air pollution is one of the world’s most dangerous health risks (21:25); climate change leads to more violence against women and girls (23:29); every country on Earth failing to provide world fit for children (30:35).
Week of March 2, 2020:
Featuring my coronavirus pandemic prediction (1:44); if coronavirus sweeps America, blame our brutal work and healthcare culture (3:08); how you can prepare for the coronavirus epidemic in America (14;35); Bayer CEO quits over Roundup lawsuits (26:53); here’s the Medicare-for-all study that Bernie Sanders keeps bringing up (27;43); Obamacare favorability hits record high (31:02); survival of the friendliest — how close friendships help us thrive (32:19).
Week of February 24, 2020:
Featuring a public health case study on coronavirus epidemic — where are we headed and what lessons can be learned? (1:50); no clear rationale for 45% of Medicaid antibiotic prescriptions (21:39); changing clocks is bad for your health, but which time to choose? (24:45); largest publicly-traded health insurers profits grew by 66% in 2019 (28:39); 1 in 4 rural hospitals is vulnerable to closure, driven by states refusing Medicaid expansion (29:07).
Week of February 17, 2020:
Featuring Ohio gun safety laws get “D” on annual scorecard (2:19); puberty starts a year earlier for girls now than in the 1970’s (5:35); as out-of-pocket health costs rise, insured adults are seeking less primary care (7:02); Trump’s budget a non-starter for Great Lakes restoration (10:21); in agricultural giant Brazil, a new a growing hazard of illegal trade in pesticides (12:38); “Like sending bees to war” — the deadly truth behind almond growing (19:12); most Americans consider climate change the most important issue facing society today, with many struggling with eco-anxiety and changing their own behaviors (25:07); why sequencing the human genome hasn’t cured many diseases (27:46); Pittsburgh unveils master plan to significantly expand bike lanes (33:00).
Week of February 10, 2020:
Featuring Trump kept controversial pesticide on market and now its biggest manufacturer is ending production (2:18); spike in loneliness with two-thirds of adults feeling lonely (4:42); a sampling of interesting facts about what, when, and where America eats (10:07); consumers trust food and beverage corporations much less than other corporations (14:00); public health experts warn China travel ban will hinder coronavirus response (14:30); jail officials profit from selling e-cigarettes to inmates (19:43); the disturbing link between environmental racism and criminalization (23:20); female genital mutilation hurts women and economies (31:40).
Week of February 3, 2020:
Featuring Dicamba pesticide on trial (2:22); Trump regime forgets to renew its own opioid emergency declaration (4:13); putting the Wuhan coronavirus in relative perspective with the flu (5:14); containing new coronavirus may not be feasible, as experts warn of possible sustained global spread (10:27); FDA sunscreen report raises concerns over common sunscreen chemicals (14:54); hormone-altering chemicals threaten our health, finances and future (19:55); analysis of data gives insights into complementary health recommendations from U.S. physicians (34:55).
Week of January 27, 2020:
Featuring in opioid racketeering trial, pharmaceutical executive John Kapoor sentenced to 5.5 years (2:19); report finds most states lack crucial highway safety laws, with Ohio in bottom tier (5:17); the USDA never gives up on favoring corporate interests over kids’ health, in rolling back school food rules (8:38); new study debunks argument for weakening health school lunch rules (12:16); sepsis associated with 1 in 5 deaths globally, double previous estimate (14:34); Physicians for a National Health Program public letter on Medicare for All (16;49); The American College of Physicians’ endorsement of single-payer reform is a sea change for the medical profession (18:55); how non-compete clauses shackle physicians and hurt patients (22:01); the false promise of natural gas, aka, methane (25:21); world consumption of natural materials hits record 13 tons per earthling per year (35:02).
Week of January 20, 2020:
Featuring why drinking diet soda makes you crave sugar (1:44); slow carbs over low carbs – fiber matters (5:00); FDA and NIH let clinical trial sponsors keep results secret against regulations (9:02); putting air filters in classrooms could give student performance a serious boost (12:42); between 2005 and 2016, the shift away from coal saved an estimated 26,610 lives and 570 million bushels of crops (14:07); why Black doctors like me are leaving faculty positions in academic medical centers (16:42); McDonald’s in Black America (23:18); millions of “outdated” tests being performed on healthy females 15-20 years old (26:00); Kansas leaders announce breakthrough bipartisan deal to expand Medicaid (26:58); the most expensive health care option of all — do nothing (27:36); more Americans dying at home rather than in hospitals (33:17); helping patients prep mind and body for surgery pays off (34:35).
Week of January 13, 2020:
Featuring alcohol-related deaths have doubled since 1999, here’s why (2:18); 40% of gun owners reported not locking all guns, even around kids (6:25); Coca-Cola internal documents reveal efforts to sell to teens, despite obesity crisis (8:52); half of America will be obese within 10 years, unless we work together (10:48); more than one in three low- and middle-income countries face both extremes of malnutrition (13:48); Medicaid expansion linked to 6% decline in opioid overdose deaths (18:10); U.S. health care bureaucracy costs unnecessary $600 billion yearly (19:02); every American family basically pays a yearly $8,000 “poll tax” under U.S. health system (20:25); nurses get under 7 hours of sleep before a work shift — 83 minutes fewer than days off (25;40); health care providers are unrecognized victims of mass killings, and we are doing little to support them (28:26); U.S. cancer rate drops by largest annual margin ever (30:58); ecopsychology — how immersion in nature benefits your health (33:12).
Week of January 6, 2020:
Featuring Trump abandons sweeping vape ban with weak new rules (2:21); 7 women’s health topics we need to talk about in 2020 (5:48); advocates hopeful gun violence research funding will lead to prevention (12:16); long work hours linked to both regular and hidden high blood pressure (15:28); processed meat recalls rise dramatically as consumers bite down in metal, plastic and glass (16:48); animal agriculture cost more in health damage than it contributes to the economy (20:08); “completely unsustainable” — how streaming and other data demands take a toll on the environment (21:38); The IRS sent a letter to 3.9 million people and it saved some of their lives (22:32); “Medicare for All” ignores a bigger problem of community-level factors impacting health (25:22); Toledo needs to fix access to drug treatment centers (29:32); your DNA is not your destiny — or a good predictor of your health (33:04); huge drop in cholera cases worldwide as key endemic countries achieve gains in cholera control (35:10).
Week of December 30, 2019:
Featuring a special episode on conflicts of interest in health science research with: why scientists defend dangerous industries (2:32); scientists’ failure to disclose hundreds of millions by of dollars in conflicts of interest in federally funded health research (9:12); and how even public universities do a poor job of reporting their professors’ conflicts of interest (20:46).
Week of December 23, 2019:
Featuring context and broader perspective on Toledo’s reported ranking as #2 in mental health among American midsize cities, with wide look at Toledo health indicators compared to the U.S. as a whole (1:45), and how Ohio ranks compared to other states within another set of health indicators(10:00); and for Toledoans to feel relatively better, an in-depth report on the extraordinary danger of being pregnant and uninsured in Texas (15:44).
Week of December 16, 2019:
Featuring the latest Romaine lettuce outbreak — Just say NO (2:18); labeling foods with the amount and type of exercise needed to burn off the calories may encourage people to make healthier dietary choices (5:46); dramatic health benefits following air pollution reductions (8:03); climate change impact of hot temperatures shortening pregnancies (12:17); mental health and addiction care are poorly covered by insurance networks, even with parity law (13:42); half of homeless people may have experienced a head injury in their lifetime (17:04); large pharma companies don’t really provide drug development innovation (18:38); another generic drug company admits to price-fixing (23:31); how “Indian relocation” created a public health crisis (25:23); scientists take action to prevent sexual harassment and bias in STEM workplace (24:34).
Week of December 9, 2019:
Featuring no need for extra protein unless losing weight or gaining muscle (2:21); access to online grocery shopping can vastly reduce “food deserts” (3:47); Trump administration plays perfect Grinch with its new food stamp rules (5:31); red states expanding Medicaid points to its widespread political popularity (10:18); tobacco use among kids jumps from 3.6 million to 6.2 million in one year (14:48); the e-cigarette ingredient to really fear is nicotine (17:07); Ohio to test state drinking water supplies for “forever chemical” contamination (20:15); 1.9 million Michigan residents drink some PFAS as evidence mounts about its dangers (21:58); breast cancer linked to permanent hair dye and chemical hair straighteners, especially among black women (27:32); police killings of unarmed black Americans may effect health of black infants (29:39); how racism ripples through rural California pipes (35:08).
Week of December 2, 2019:
Featuring short-term air pollution linked to growing list of health problems (2:14); Americans’ drinking, drug use, despair wiping life expectancy gains (5:05); health care, mass shootings, 2020 election causing Americans significant stress (9:09); hospital alarms prove a noisy misery for patients (12:24); the $11 million Medicare tool that gives seniors the wrong insurance information (16:50); Mississippi forfeits a million dollars daily in Medicaid funds, severely affecting mentally ill (20:49); mental health studies limp transgender teens under one umbrella, missing clues to help them in the process (25:23); shooting victims have increased risk of mental harm long after physical injuries have healed (30:24); feeling loved in everyday life linked with improved well-being (32:24).
Week of November 25:
Featuring holiday commentary on eating for quality of life, and tips on mindful eating (1:43); public health case study — why the FDA was unable to prevent a crisis of vaping among youth (10:53); large health coverage expansions do not increase overall health care utilization (26:40); employees spending greater share of income on health insurance (28:58); Georgia waivers more costly and cover far fewer people than Medicaid expansion (31:10); Ohio Medicaid still hemorrhaging money to pharmacy middlemen (33:28); with half of brain removed, it still works pretty well (36:52).
Week of November 18:
Featuring new data-driven definitions of unhealthy yet persuasive ‘hyper-palatable’ foods (2:16); adult cigarette smoking rates hit all-time low in U.S. (5;37); e-cigarettes take serious toll on heart health, not safer than traditional cigarettes (7:18); High proportion of youth report using prescription opioids (8:51); vaping and prescription opioids — limbic capitalism in action (10:49); childhood trauma as a public health issue (18:47); getting a handle on self-harm (23:07); 35,000 Americans die of antibiotic-resistant infection each year (30:16); groundbreaking HIV vaccine design strategy shows promise in proof-of-principle tests (31:47); in a notoriously polluted area of the country, massive new chemical plants are still moving in (34:16); Delhi is engulfed by toxic pollution — why isn’t anyone wearing masks? (34:55)
Week of November 11:
Featuring how in health care so-called market competition and the “public option” is a poison pill (1:43); number of uninsured children rises for second year, topping 4 million (22:50); widely used algorithm for follow-up care in hospitals is racially biased (25:26); women scientists author fewer invited commentaries in medical journals than men (28:15); dementia impacts women more and new approaches are needed (29:03); tap water at Trump National Golf Course contaminated with toxic “forever chemical” (31:57); restoring native vegetation could cut air pollution and costs (34:22).
Week of November 4:
Featuring thousands of doctors paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by drug and medical device companies (2:20); pharma money paid to doctors is the cancer growing in cancer medicine (6:06); massive marketing muscle pushes more expensive 3D mammograms despite no evidence they save more lives (19:11); proposed opioid settlement could cost drugmaker only pennies on the dollar (14;12); Trump has already hired 4 times the former lobbyists than Obama had six years into office (15:13); wasted health care spending in U.S. tops annual defense budget (15:48); to treat chronic ailments, fix diet first (17;36); nutritious foods have lower environmental impact than unhealthy foods (20:42); study finds focusing on patient value and goals instead of problems yields better outcomes (23:02); in longer run, drugs and talk therapy offer similar value for people with depression (27:42); mentally ill die many years earlier than others (30:46); sleeps connection to gut microbiome reinforces overall good health (31:42); racial inequities in hospital admissions for heart failure (34:29).
Week of October 28:
Featuring the connection between pipelines and sexual violence (2:21); taking the cops out of mental health-related 911 rescues (5:42); when medical debt collectors decide who get arrested (7;22); children’s risk of dying before age 5 varies more than 40-fold (11:23); 7 million people receive record level of lifesaving TB treatment but 3 million still miss out (14:27); 2 out of 3 wild poliovirus strains eradicated (16;44); fear of falling — how hospitals do even more harm by keeping patients in bed (18:30); exercise can reduce artery stiffness even in those with heart failure (20:41); largest study finds greater reduction in cardiovascular disease and death from taking high blood pressure medication at bedtime rather than in morning (21;21); doctors argue for term limits to diversify medical school leadership (23:58); U.S. air quality was improving but is no getting worse (28:26); replacement flame retardants pose serious risks (31:07).
Week of October 21:
Featuring a call to eliminate all flavored cigarettes, not just the electric kind (2:18); JUUL announcement on certain flavored e-cigarettes is way too little way to late (6:32); Doctors are more likely to prescribe opioids later in the day, or if appointments run late (7:23); every hospital needs recovery coaches for patients with substance use problems (9:46); cultivating joy through mindfulness — an antidote to opioid misuse, the disease of despair (15:13); INVESTIGATIVE REPORT – inside the drug industry’s plan to defeat the DEA (19:03).
Week of October 14:
Featuring: lead scientist of controversial meat guidelines didn’t report ties to food industry front group (1:43); noise pollution as an emerging public health crisis (7:37); update on vaping recommendations (12:41); upcoming flu season may be fairly severe (14:33); STD rates hit record high in U.S. (16:22); global report on vision impairment (18:38); NIH funding disparity between black and white scientists (19:29); sheriffs avoid paying their hospital bills by foisting “medical bond” on sick inmates (21:33); unjustified drug price hikes cost Americans billions (25:31); antibiotic resistance in food animals nearly tripled since 1000 (27:20); EPA about-face lets emissions soar at some coal plants (28:24); PFAS levels rise in Michigan drinking water from Lake Erie (30:30); environmental and health harms are downshifting America’s obsession with the lawn (31:33).
Week of October 7:
Featuring the recent confusion around meat consumption research — a case study on nutritional science research (1:43); lack of sleep has detrimental effects on hunger and fat metabolism (19:00); smartphone dependency predicts depressive symptoms and loneliness (20:07); handgun purchasers with a prior DUI have a greater risk for serious violence (21:50); FDA refuses to classify ‘forever chemical” PFAS as hazardous substance (23:15); safe drinking water violations are higher for communities of color (27:50); role of racial stereotypes in assumptions that African-Americans are more violent (28:58); special series of articles in the American Journal of Public Health documenting role of slavery and racism in health inequalities that persist today (31:06).
Week of September 30:
Featuring American Heart Association statement condemning JUUL’s executive leadership change to long-time tobacco exec (1:45); how active shooter drills in schools are traumatizing our children (4:33); the Surgeon General’s deafening silence on gun violence (10:42); investigative journalist reveals startling flaws in generic drug industry, with FDA missing in action (14:20); World Health Organization calls for urgent action to reduce patient harm in healthcare (18:03); stressed out — Americans making themselves sick over politics (23:19); heart-healthy forager-farmers in lowland Bolivia are changing diets and gaining weight (25:35); many schools are putting brakes on making meals healthier for kids (27:52); some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup (31:02); in continuing trend, S.C. Johnson joins Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in ditching ties to Plastics Industry Association (34:34).
Week of September 23:
Featuring Ohio initiatives to fight youth vaping (2:18); sexual trauma as a global public health issue (5:57); Defense Department as single biggest polluter on planet (12:00); 15 governors lobby for provisions in defense bill to limit toxic chemicals (17:10); deforestation is getting worse, five years after countries and companies vowed to stop it (19:12); Man vs. mosquito – at the front lines of a public health war (20:57); the connection between residential segregation and health (23:48); national support for “red-flag: gun laws could prevent many suicides (25;47); obesity epidemic grows and disparities persist (28:39); despite growing burden of diet-related diseases, medical education does not equip students to provide quality nutritional care to patients (29:52); House panel investigating private equity firms’ role in surprise medical billing (32:16); more women and children survive today than ever before — U.N. report (33:29).
Week of September 16:
Featuring suicide prevention awareness month info (1:43); lifestyle, not genetics, explain most premature heart disease, and multiple risk factors raise risk exponentially (7:23); flu vaccination linked to lower risk of early death in people with high blood pressure (8:43); it matters that Detroit broke federal law when it razed asbestos-laden building (11:25); Juul illegally marketed e-cigarettes (13:26); if Ohio can’t pass the simplest health care price transparency laws, how will Congress curb surprise bills (15:59); Physicians for a National Health Program diagnose politicians and pundits with Corporate Talking-Pointitis (23:06); only a fraction of costs of excessive drinking are paid for by alcohol taxes (30:12); STAT wins long legal fight clearing way for release of Purdue OxyContin files (32:50).
Week of September 9:
Featuring a case study in nutritional fads — vitamin D — with a study of high doses of vitamin D resulting in decreased bone density (1:43); emails show Monsanto orchestrated GOP effort to intimidate cancer researchers (8:24); how Ohio’s Chamber of Commerce killed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights (11:14); EPA to roll back regulations on methane, a potent greenhouse gas (12:41); sexism in health care — in men, it’s Parkinson’s, in women, it’s hysteria (14:53); overeating wastes far more food then we throw away (18:33); big pharma sinks to bottom of U.S. industry rankings (21:14); advocates sound alarm as uninsured rates rise under Trump (22:02); Obamacare health insurance exchange prices to drop in Ohio for first time (23:46); opioid treatment is used vastly more in states that expanded Medicaid (26:23); plant-based fire retardants may offer less toxic way to tame flames (27:43); water treatment cuts parasitic roundworm infections affection 800 million people (28:26); a quarter of the world’s population at risk of developing tuberculosis (29:45); FDA approves TB pill that cures more hard-to-treat patients (30:15); for the first time, clinical trial results show Ebola drugs improve survival rates (32:01).
Week of September 2:
Featuring an in-depth investigative report into industry influence of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines development process (1:47); and Ohio drug deaths plunge in Ohio, but up in Lucas County (29:50).
Week of August 26:
Featuring the two largest health factors in your personal health: smoking and diet (1:44); nearly 200,000 trans people have been exposed to conversion therapy (16:02); toxic furniture flame retardants may not stifle deadliest home fires (18:35); Health panel tells doctors to screen all adults for illicit drug use (20:31); spending on illicit drugs nears $150 billion annually, similar to alcohol (21:17); American Medical Association leaves coalition opposing single-payer Medicare for All (22:50); and programs work from within to prevent black maternal deaths: workers targeting root cause — racism (24:56).
Week of August 19:
Featuring Brazil’s Bolsonaro administration approving 290 new pesticide products for use (2:20); in echo of Flint lead crisis, Newark offers bottled water (4:31); summer in the city is hot, but some neighborhoods suffer more (5:32); up to half of patients withhold life-threatening issues from doctors (9:18); how #MeToo is changing sex ed policies – even in red states (10:04); 140,000 women could lose clinical abortion access in 1st year if Roe v. Wade were overturned (14:55); 250,000 fewer Ohioans on Medicaid, but even the experts don’t know why (15:38); Half-a-million years of Ohioans’ life expectancy lost to gun deaths (19:13); review of 33 years worth of medical studies reveals key areas for new research to explore concerning gun deaths (23:13); the dangers of the mental health narrative when it comes to gun violence (25:17); racist words and acts, like El Paso shooting, harm children’s health (29:46).
Week of August 12:
Featuring lower weight bias among physicians who regard obesity as a disease; BPA substitutes linked to obesity; call for radical reform to address 3.5 billion people worldwide with poor dental health; Coca-Cola pushing to get FDA let it add vitamins to drinks; amid teen vaping epidemic, Juul taps addiction expert as medical director; high radiation levels found near U.S. nuclear dump from weapons testing in Marshall Islands; moral injury and burnout in medicine requires collective action; and how judges added to the grim toll of opioids.
Week of August 5:
Featuring growing PCB claims adding to Bayer’s legal woes for Roundup; floods and fires stir up toxic stew posing long-term dangers; new tool for Michigan officials to use to remedy environmental injustice; Florida sugarcane burning could switch to green harvesting saving lives and boosting economy; U.S. could have averted 15,600 deaths if every state expanded Medicaid; Trump proposal to push 3 million Americans off food assistance; one-third of food grown never makes it out of fields; relatively low-dose radiation from CT scans and x-rays favor cancer growth; fitbits and other wearables may not accurately track heart rates in people of color; and seeing greenery linked to less intense and frequent cravings.
Week of July 29:
Featuring the corrupting influence of conflicts of interest in medical research; UT exhibit on protest and social change includes “Condoms STOP AIDS” poster developed by your humble host; widespread aspirin use despite few benefits, high risks; child drowning rates dropping two-thirds driven by better building codes concerning pools; vaccinating dogs for rabies worldwide could save the lives 59,000 people yearly; nations with strong women’s rights have better population health and faster economic growth; Medicare for All unlikely to raise hospitalization rates much, if at all; climate shocks, conflict and economic slumps drive rising world hunger; taps run dry for half of Zimbabwe’s capital city affecting millions.
Week of July 22:
Featuring keto diets and other diets that severely restrict carbohydrates, how there is little evidence for their effectiveness, especially considering their potential risks and sustainability issues both individually and ecologically, and how massive carbohydrate restriction hamstrings consumption of health-producing carbohydrates like beans, fruits, vegetables and unrefined grains; capping medical residency training hours does not hamper doctor quality; primary care needs to be encouraged; patients provide input for first time in mental health definitions; how to deal with anxiety about climate change; and protecting forests and watersheds to treat water cost-effectively and sustainably.
Week of July 15:
Featuring why there is so much commercial corruption in nutrition; fiber and health and fiber as a good marker for intake of whole foods; indoor carbon dioxide levels could be a health hazard; most kids on public coverage have parents who work for big companies; international drug development processes are irresponsible and must be reformed; the burgeoning benzo crisis; psychiatric diagnosis “scientifically meaningless”; and environmental activists declare victory after Detroit incinerator closes.
Week of July 8:
Featuring alcohol and cancer; bullying and weight bias; the Veterans Crisis Line; austerity and inequality fueling mental illness; EPA moves to phase out animal experiments which could mean end to toxics regulations; mini-biographies help clinicians connect with patients; new guidelines aim to enlist primary care physicians in transgender care; poll: most Americans favor Medicare for All if they can keep their doctors; and children’s cardiac care dangerous when mixed with corporatized health care.
Week of July 1:
Featuring the continuing public healthcase study that is the obesity epidemic, with a call to move beyond individual behavior and focus on social determinants driving obesity such as fat shaming and bias, and access to culturally-competent health services; plus, medical groups declare climate change as greatest public health challenge of the 21st century; Agriculture Department buries studies showing dangers of climate change; dangerous DDT levels 50 years after banning; and how banning dangerous chemicals could save the U.S. billions.
Week of June 24:
Featuring the question: Is public health in America so bad among the young, supposedly healthier people, that the U.S. may eventually not be able to defend itself militarily? Plus, the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s busiest year; childhood adversity’s link to mental illness, sexually transmitted infections continue unabated; world’s rivers awash with dangerous levels of antibiotics, the U.S. continuing to use pesticides banned in other countries; and Ohio River moves to voluntary pollution standards in face of massive petrochemical plant build-out.
Week of June 17:
Featuring the importance of happiness and purpose in driving health and well-being, and the epidemic of meaninglessness in work life; the role of sleep in health; the celebration of Men’s Health Month through using male privilege to help bring about gender justice and defeat patriarchy; the secret to Latino longevity; and how skyrocketing out-of-pocket health expenses, particularly among employer-based and private health insurance is costing health and lives.
Week of June 10:
Featuring a public health case study offering several perspectives on the many factors which form the perfect storm of the obesity epidemic — with a few tips for weathering the storm; and a series of articles regarding racism and racial disparities in health — with some good news.
Week of June 3:
Featuring continued coverage of the health effects of processed foods, including two new major studies; concerns about the potential risks of the exponential growth of nanoparticles in food processing; toxic chemicals used in food packaging and how to avoid them; and why cutting down on salt is health promoting,even if your blood pressure is fine.
Week of May 27:
Featuring continuing Mental Health Awareness Month coverage including suicide, supposed mental health parity, and appealing health coverage denials, and another in a series of mental health poems by local poet, Justin Samson, with this week’s poem on PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome; Media Watch segment on MercyHealth claiming that nurses mean the world ironically while their nurses strike; landmark study on processed foods and overeating, and a series of stories on air pollution as a public health emergency.
Week of May 20:
Featuring Mental Health Awareness Month coverage including the debut in a series of mental health poems by local poet, Justin Samson, with this week’s poem on major depression; public health news and research roundup coverage of dementia prevention recommendations, childhood cancer prevention, and basic sanitation as a critical public health issue in the U.S. and globally.
Week of May 13:
Featuring Mental Health Awareness Month coverage, public health news and research roundup coverage of the ongoing Monsanto Roundup™ saga plus other herbicide/pesticide/plastics toxins, prescription drug prices, and the debut of another parody PSA.
Week of May 6:
A whole show about vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. SPOILER ALERT: immunizations profoundly improve the public health of our planet!
Week of April 29:
Featuring tips on cutting back on salt and sugar, and getting more whole grains into your diet. This episode debuts two new segments, Media Watch, looking at how public health is portrayed in the media, and Health Observances, April as minority health month, examining racism as the driving force in the so-called mystery of stubbornly high black infant mortality. The Public Health News and Research Roundup includes the health effects of fracking, and the effect of food waste on climate change.
Week of April 22:
Featuring “The three most dangerous food additives,” and good news in the Public Health News and Research Roundup. And look out for that parody PSA!
Week of April 15:
Featuring Public Health News and Research Roundup and a noncommercial break highlighting blood donation.
Week of April 8:
Featuring environmental health news and the question: Can you be a serious environmentalist without cutting down drastically on animal-foods, that is, cutting way down on meat, eggs, and dairy?
Week of April 1:
Featuring a far-reaching riff on epidemiology, the science of the distribution of health, disease and their determinants in populations; in laypersons’ terms, what are the most important things to consider in our community’s health. Regarding personal health, the show closes with a quick summary of evidence-based eating for health.
Week of May 25:
Featuring Public Health News and Research Roundup [not affiliated with Roundup™, the infamous human carcinogen].
Week of May 18:
Featuring Medicare for all testimony and Toledo Democracy Day coverage, plus conferring the award for the MOST CONSTIPATED View of DEMOCRACY.
PILOT Show from December 2015:
This is the original pilot show that started it all! This full hour show features an interview with local guest, Johnathon Ross, M.D., M.P.H., a local public health physician and former president of Physicians for a National Health Program.
As EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, resigns under a snowballing avalanche of ethics violations, the Trump regime doesn’t have to reach far into its deep bench of political hacks to find another swamp monster to clog up democracy, evidence-based policies respecting science, let alone clean water, clean air, or clean soil. Andrew Wheeler, former coal lobbyist, will carry on the polluted policies of Scott Pruitt, his boss, Donald Trump, and co-conspirators, congressional Republicans.
In tribute to the EPA under new mismanagement, I give you this FREE Environmental POSTER: EPA Under NEW Mismanagement – Scott Pruitt Swamp Monster OUT Andrew Wheeler Coal Lobbyist IN. Please feel free to share or print out.
As the Washington Post succinctly stated, the new EPA boss is the same as the old boss:
The change at the top of the Environmental Protection Agency won’t mean a dramatic shift in policy. If anything, President Donald Trump’s EPA could become even more effective at undoing Obama-era environmental policies under its new boss.
That’s because the incoming acting administrator Andrew Wheeler, who’s set take over Monday following the resignation of Scott Pruitt, is a politically savvy former Senate staffer, wise in the ways of Washington — and getting things done. Wheeler, 53, has crusaded behind the scenes for decades to quash climate change legislation and promote coal.
Wheeler, who was confirmed to be the EPA’s No. 2 official in April, could bring a quiet effectiveness to the top job that some environmentalists say will make him a more formidable opponent than Pruitt.
“There is no time for celebration,” said Tom Pelton, with the Environmental Integrity Project. Wheeler, he said, “has a background just as biased toward industry as Scott Pruitt, so we and other environmental advocates are going to have to watch Wheeler just as closely as we did his former boss.”
Wheeler shares Trump and Pruitt’s environmental agenda, including proposals to roll back regulations addressing climate change and pollution. And in a June 27 interview, Wheeler said he’s proud of his lobbying past. Although he said being called a “coal lobbyist” wasn’t derogatory, it irritates him because his advocacy on energy and environmental issues was broader than any single issue.
The replacement of Pruitt may mean a change in style at the EPA, but it won’t mean a change in substance, said Jeff Holmstead, a former deputy EPA administrator.
“Pruitt had never worked in a regulatory agency and didn’t fully understand the rulemaking process. He was certainly engaged in the politics of environmental issues, but he wasn’t always engaged in the substance,” Holmstead added. “In many ways, Wheeler is the polar opposite.”
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
Donald Trump’s promise to “Drain the swamp” from Washington, DC, is perhaps his most surreal promise of all. Today, President Donald Trump is campaigning for Senate candidate Roy Moore, who has been facing mounting credible evidence of his predatory sexual behavior, especially against teen girls. Roy Moore has proven himself a liar, not that The Don has a problem with that. With Roy Moore, Donald Trump wants to fill the swamp, officially bringing pedophilia to the Senate. Of course, Trump’s cabinet and advisers are replete with long-time corporate and political insiders. Trumpcare and the Republican tax scam were literally written by corporate tools and lobbyists. To top it off, the Trump administration is on course to be the most corrupt Washington administration in history. The Don may make Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon look like an amateur criminal. As Prez Donald Trump becomes increasingly unhinged, swamped with taxing situations, he arrogantly declares, “MOST UNDRAINING. EVER.” Thus, I have created a free political poster: Donald Trump Swamped With Taxing Situations, Declares MOST UNDRAINING EVER! Please enjoy and feel free to share with friends and enemies.
Donald Trump’s pledges to “drain the swamp” of corruption in Washington attest to his genius for unintentional irony. Nepotism, egregious conflicts of interest, flights on the public dime to see Wimbledon and the eclipse — the Beltway wetlands are now wilder and murkier than ever.
It would be a mistake, though, to dismiss the swamp metaphor on account of Mr. Trump’s hypocrisy. You can’t make sense of his shocking victory last year without reference to the downward spiral of public faith in governing elites and established institutions. Years of stagnating incomes, combined with dimming prospects for the future, have primed voters for the message that the system is “rigged” and that only an outsider not beholden to the corrupt establishment can clean it up.
In other words, one key to this populist moment in American politics is the link in the public mind between dysfunction in Washington and the economic malaise of the 21st century. An effective political response to this perilous moment begins with the recognition that this link is real — and that key changes in the policymaking process, supported by a major push from organized philanthropy, will be needed to turn things around.
The image of the swamp conveys a profound truth about the American economy. Our predicament of slow growth and sky-high inequality has many causes, but one important factor is the capture of the American political system by powerful insiders — big businesses, elite professionals, wealthy homeowners — that use it to entrench their own economic power. In so doing, they protect themselves from competition, fatten their bank accounts with diverted wealth and slow the creative destruction that drives economic growth.
Four key policy areas shed light on the growth of this political-economic swamp — financial regulation, intellectual property, occupational licensing and zoning. They show that the swamp isn’t confined to Washington; it can also be found in 50 state capitals and countless local jurisdictions.
Continue reading the main story In the financial sector, a web of regulatory subsidies sustains financial institutions’ unhealthy reliance on extremely high levels of debt. These subsidies, including policies that strongly encourage mortgage securitization as well as the implicit promise to bail out “too big to fail” institutions, swell profits in the near term while increasing the systemic risk of a catastrophic meltdown in the long run. The result is a financial sector much bigger than the economy needs, chronic misallocation of capital and the diversion of some of the country’s top talent into counterproductive work. Luring people into excessive debt, draining their savings with hidden fees, inflating the next asset bubble — these and other dubious “contributions” by finance to the economy need to be curtailed.
Intellectual property laws are supposed to encourage innovation by granting temporary monopolies to copyright and patent holders. But if those monopolies get too broad and too onerous, innovation takes a hit — and that is precisely what has happened, at the urging and for the benefit of Hollywood, Big Pharma and some interests in Silicon Valley.
Occupational licensing rules at the state level help explain why professionals in the United States are paid so much more than their peers in other countries. Primary care physicians, for example, make 50 percent more in the United States than in other advanced countries, and specialists do even better. State regulations protect the incomes of doctors, dentists, undertakers and optometrists — not to mention makeup artists and auctioneers — while also stifling innovation.
Increasingly severe constraints on building in high-income coastal cities inflate the asset values of affluent homeowners, contributing significantly to rising disparities in wealth. And by making housing unaffordable, they prevent the less well-off from moving to where the good-paying jobs are, reducing geographic and social mobility.
This regressive regulatory swamp isn’t a natural landscape; it grows because of forces in our political environment. The beneficiaries of upward redistribution are always far more organized than those who pay the costs. They can divert some of their artificially high profits into lobbying and policy research that bestow a patina of the public interest on schemes that are, in practice, legalized robbery. Drugmakers, for example, portray even the most modest retrenchment of patent law as catastrophic for American innovation, while financiers warn that any restraint on subsidized risk-taking (through higher capital requirements, for example) will starve American industry of the capital it needs to invest and grow.
This unequal battle for the minds of policymakers is particularly damaging at a time when the resources that Congress and the bureaucracy have for independent research have been systematically dismantled. In finance, in particular, Congress has a difficult time hiring and retaining staff with the technical knowledge and experience to assess the impact of new regulations, leaving them dependent on the abundant resources of the industry itself.
In addition, many regressive regulations are made in obscure places with limited participation, such as state licensing boards and town councils in charge of approving new housing. Insiders with narrow interests, whether self-serving professional groups or Nimby neighbors, have the motivation and resources to show up at poorly attended meetings and work the system, often at odds with the general public’s interest in low prices and economic opportunity.
Really draining the swamp means changing the policymaking process to shield it against insider takeover and manipulation. For starters, congressional staffs need to be expanded, upgraded and professionalized. Legislators would then be better able to make their own assessments of complex regulatory issues without having to depend on the biased expertise of industry lobbyists.
Philanthropists need to put their dollars behind a network of organizations to counter the organizational presence of the forces of upward redistribution. The Ford Foundation did this in the 1970s by investing in a network of environmental law firms like the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Defense Fund. More recently, the Eli and Edythe Broad, Walton Family, Robertson and other charitable foundations have made similar investments in educational reforms.
Whatever you think of the merits of these causes, the new interest groups funded by sustained philanthropy changed the political landscape in these issue areas, forcing policymakers to recognize that there were, in fact, two sides to be considered. A network of new organizations with the resources and expertise to compete with big banks, the medical lobby and other industry groups could have a similar impact today. Activist groups could show up regularly in all the obscure places where rules are set and make sure that someone speaks up for the public interest.
State and local governments need to institute regulatory review procedures that expose back-room deals to objective scrutiny. While cost-benefit analysis by the Office of Management and Budget is standard for new federal regulations, no such reviews are conducted when states propose to license new occupations or cities stymie new housing construction.
Courts at all levels need to be less deferential to regulatory schemes that — in contrast to environmental or labor regulation — have no justification other than the protection of incumbent interests. For example, courts could force legislatures to explicitly approve expansions in the scope of occupational licensing, depriving licensing boards of the power to do so in shadowy obscurity.
In the political arena, the issues of regressive regulation cut across the usual partisan and ideological battle lines, and so tend to be kept off the agenda by legislative leaders who emphasize issues that hold their caucus together. Libertarian-leaning conservatives and egalitarian liberals need to forge strange-bedfellows coalitions to tackle policies that are simultaneously bad for growth and inequality. In recent years, cross-party coalitions in the states have started to make progress on criminal justice reform. Opposition to upward redistribution can galvanize support for similar alliances on regulatory issues.
The administration of Donald Trump has shown no interest in draining the real swamp that is drowning America’s economy and corrupting its politics. If public-spirited Democrats and Republicans fail to do so, trust in democracy will continue to erode. And the next demagogue who cashes in by saying he alone can fix things is likely to be more disciplined and focused than Mr. Trump — and hence even more dangerous.
Check out these Cool RELATED POSTS:
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
As Houston endures that largest rainfall in American history, climate change deniers have a chance to get their feet wet in reality. Please feel free to share this free poster: “Mother Earth – Houston, We Have a Problem – Can You Hear Me Now?”
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
Donald Trump has gone buggy As in big ass hoarse drawn carriage Making hay and whips With great industry As unbelievable As nuclear-powered Amish A trial balloon Only to be led By nothing butt A horse’s ass
Here is another poem in honor of President Donald Trump’s continuing climate change buggery. One way or another, his way of thinking will become extinct.
Check out these Cool RELATED POSTS:
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
Sow culpable Too due nothing President Trump pulls out What little hand He had in Mother Earth’s Safe guarding His oily and gassy mates Coal for everyone! It’s like Christmas!! And stocks sore In the after math Of this unbelievable savior As he Really nailed this won Portending every faux In ascension into heavin’ His big short His wee altitude toward clime Single digit approval Or not As what gives Chump change In loo of climate change
This poem is in response to President (sic) Donald Trump’s pulling out of the Paris climate change accord. For badder or worse, this clear signal of climate insanity may provide the best united front yet for international resistance to American hegemony; plus, American abdication of global leadership offers opportunities to forge more sane efforts at worldwide solidarity.
“To the dismay of our allies, the White House could any day announce the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. But as a patriot and climate activist, I’m not dismayed. I actually want to pull out.
The value of the Paris Agreement is in its aspirational goal of limiting temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, not in its implementation mechanisms, which are voluntary, insufficient, and impossible to monitor. But that modest goal will be breached shortly, which makes the agreement a kind of fig leaf, offering political cover to those who would soft-pedal the runaway climate crisis a while longer.
The U.N. Conference of the Parties is certainly not the organization to constrain powerful, retrenched fossil fuel interests and other bad climate actors and rogue climate states. The Paris agreement affords oil, gas and coal companies a globally visible platform through which to peddle influence and appear engaged on climate change while lobbying for business as usual. That won’t save the climate. At what point do we give up wishful, incremental thinking — that reason will prevail, the free market will adjust, the president’s daughter and son-in-law will dissuade him from the worst climaticide, the Democratic Party will do something, or prior policies which tinker on the margins like the Clean Power Plan won’t be totally obliterated?
I’d argue we’ve reached that point. If Trump withdraws from the Paris Agreement, at least we will have clarity instead of false hope.
Who wanted to keep the U.S. in the Paris agreement anyway? People around the world, a majority of Americans, environmentalists and other coastal elites — constituencies for which Trump has shown indifference and/or contempt. Staying in was also favored by Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP, Peabody coal, eBay, HP, General Mills, Kellogg, Tesla and other multinationals the Trump administration would have preferred to keep happy. But let’s face it, they won’t be all that mad the U.S. is pulling out, and the political impact won’t be all that great.
Neither will the environmental impact. In fact, since the agreement lacks teeth, breaking it won’t have any effect on the climate in the short term. But in the longer term, the shock and rethinking it will cause in some circles just might precipitate political and cultural changes we need to stave off climate cataclysm.
Pulling out of Paris will also give the president a political boost. It gives Breitbart and Fox something to crow about and The New York Times, Washington Post and CNN something that’s not Russia-gate to fret over.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to justify or abet Trump and his supporters in climate denial, and I’m not thinking climate activists and the Trump administration will end up in some the kind of strange-bedfellows embrace. Personally, I loathe this administration and find the president’s actions mean, maleficent, and mendacious, though it’s nothing personal. On my very best days I can eke out a couple minutes of meta loving-kindness meditation for the president as a person, but it’s a struggle.
I welcome pulling out of the Paris agreement because it will disrupt our complacency and strengthen the most vigorous avenues of climate action left to us, which are through the courts and direct citizen action. It lends much more credence to the Our Children’s Trust legal argument that the federal government has utterly failed in its responsibility to consider the long-term impact of carbon emissions. It advances the arguments of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund in their federal lawsuit for the right to a livable climate. And it strengthens the case for climate activists attempting to raise the “necessity defense” as a justification for citizen climate action, as I and my fellow “valve turners” are doing as we face criminal charges for shutting off emergency valves on oil sands pipelines.
It’s also true that withdrawal from Paris deprives mainstream environmental organizations and the foundations and funders that guide them of a key deliverable, and that could risk eroding support for them. Perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. Many of them have pursued an utterly bankrupt strategy of understating the climate problem, negotiating with the fossil fuel industry, and cherry-picking small victories to showcase organizational accomplishments at the expense of a functional movement strategy.
Pulling out of Paris takes false hopes off the table, and opens the way for building an effective climate movement. So as committed climate activist who knows we’re running out of time, I say, let’s get on with it.”
The false propriety of incremental change is being smashed. Let’s join together as one planet, one humanity, to build a lasting consensus that Mother Earth deserves our love and undying respect.
Check out these Cool RELATED POSTS:
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
Oddly, with the presidential candidates from the two dominant and domineering political parties setting new records for low approval, voting for anyone else is met with bafflingly high contempt. My friend, local activist, and Green Party Jill Stein supporter, Shannon Frye, nailed it with this recent facebook post:
Facebook friends, I don’t think I’ve been shy expressing my views on our current election cycle, but I have tried very hard to remain respectful of the decisions you might make when you step into the ballot box. Even if we have sparred, I have still maintained your ability to elect the candidate of your choice. Know that this prerogative is not born of some feigned Victorian politeness, but rather out of desire to see each of you better articulate your realpolitik and claim your stake in the building of a better future for us all.
That being said, I have not, nor will I ever, tolerate the erasure of my person, my experiences or my conviction in order to capitulate to terror, be it tangible or intangible. I will not bend my moral arc in order that you may rest easy. And if you attack my position based on any difference between us under the false assertion that in that difference lies weakness, I will turn your blunt argument into a pointy reckoning.
One such example lies below. A person, who shall henceforth be known as Mr. Charlie, asserted on Jill Stein’s Dank Meme Stash that white privilege was the driver behind her surge in popularity and would be thusly responsible should Drumpf win the presidency. He erroneously held that the Green Party was the enemy, luring POCs, LGBTQ people and the socioeconomically disadvantaged away from their true salvation, Hillary Clinton.
I lost my cool…
“Mr. Charlie, what particular variety of White Savior Complex do you suffer from to make such an ignorant and ill-informed statement?
I am a queer feminist of color and I fully endorse Jill Stein for president precisely because self-righteous idealogues like yourself have absolutely no clue as to the remedy my people desperately need in order to set in motion our uplift.
It boggles my mind how the ONLY political party willing to stand up for racial, gender, socioeconomic and environmental justice has been so maligned by white neoliberalism under the supposed banner of care. How dare you attempt to whitewash the contributions of Green POCs motivated by the grassroots organizing and solution-oriented policies that would bring us into a new era of justice based not on our social capital – of which we have very little – but upon the mettle of our conviction?
You are speaking from a place of fear. Fear of a mango-faced minstrel who shouts deplorable things. Fear of an imagined confrontation with the rage born of over 400 years of oppression reigning. Fear of losing the mask of white indignation that threatens to reveal the fragility of your baseless, store-bought identity. Fear that causes a paralysis of logic and compassion. Fear.
On the social justice platform alone I’d vote Green for life.
The Green Party advocates for the continual challenging of racism, sexism, Homo/bi/transphobia, ableism, ageism, classism and religious persecution. The DNC has at no point in this election cycle or in its history committed itself to fighting inequality on every front in the manner in which the Green Party has fearlessly undertaken. What we, the underrepresented and oft voiceless, have instead received is a piecemeal equality, which is no equality at all. Hillary Clinton and the current incarnation of the DNC has done nothing but pay lip service to creating a level playing field. Clinton’s support for her husband’s 1996 Crime Bill, which contributed to the largest surge in prison populations since the Reagan Administration , has done nothing but ensure the institutionalization and disenfranchisement of scores of POCs – this did us no favor. Clinton’s silence during her tenure as senator amid the growing body of research that proved the inherent bias and disparate impact of stop-and-frisk police tactics on communities of color perfectly ensconced her ambivalence toward the further destruction of the Black and Latinx family. Had she desired more than the occasional Harlem photo op, she would have used her considerable privilege in service to the people she so shamelessly panders to every few years.
On the subject of LGBTQ people, Clinton supported the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell as First Lady; as a senator, Clinton could have been the alky she pretends to be and challenged her fellow New Yorkers to expand their definition of marriage, or at least advocate for the inclusion of domestic partnerships in benefit programs for state employees. She didn’t do this. In fact, as recently as April 2013, Clinton went onto CNN with Wolf Blitzer to assert her belief that marriage was an institution between a man and a woman; she didn’t throw her support behind marriage equality until the conclusion of several SCOTUS cases were completely forgone.
As for sexism, which the Clinton campaign loves to cry each time a reasonable critique of her ability to govern justly occurs, there is no better political organization than the Greens to address the systemic oppression of women in the US and beyond. Why would I support a white feminism that capitalizes on the rape of our natural resources, a gross, self-indulgent imposition of Western cultural norms across the globe, and the plundering of our social security net budget in order to fund an imperialist military force that does nothing but wreak havoc in Black and Brown nations in service not to democracy or liberation, but rather in service the corporate master class? Either your feminism is intersectional or its shit: And straight up, if you’re running for office and posturing aggressively against 2 nuclear powers and continuing to take money from and politically ally yourself with nations we know have direct ties to ISIS, then you are not a feminist.
Mr. Charlie, have you any idea what war DOES to women?
1. It kills the civilian population, namely women and children
2. War increases the aggressive violence against women: gang rape, genital mutilation & forced childbirth are all methods used by occupying forces to demoralize a people .
3. War restricts women’s freedom of movement: women, who wind up bearing the burden of being the sole provider for their families and often are hindered by curfews and checkpoints from gaining access to food, medicine, work opportunities and building effective social supports.
4. War forces civilian populations to flee from their homes: this displacement causes refugee surges all over the world, which only seems to respond with more aggression to those already traumatized. For the unwelcome refugee, war continues, as their labor and sexuality are often exploited due to lack of legal protections. Yes, war is a huge contributor to sex trafficking and modern human slavery.
6. War and imperialistic culture prioritizes weaponry over human services:The war machine makes victims all around. Me? I’ve gotten kicked off of Medicaid 4 times this year. But at least our military can afford to bomb the hell out of brown people in 7 nations right now.
As a feminist, I have no country. As a feminist, I want no country. As a feminist, my country is the world and I will do everything in my power to protect her. My question is, how can any woman look at Clinton’s trigger happy approach to foreign policy, her dogged pursuit of profit over the safety and well-being of our planet, and the furtherance of the destabilization of the 3rd world and actually vote to keep it going?
So again I ask, who in this conversation is wielding privilege? Certainly not my brothers and sisters in Green, who care enough about me and my continued existence to vote for the one candidate, the one party, that could help free me from this state of perpetual subjugation. Surely not Dr. Stein, whose mettle has been tested time and again and stills shines brilliantly, compassionately and with the strength of truth on her side. Surely it is not me.
Must be you.
Now take several seats, STFU, and let the grown folks discuss strategy. Your petty semantic games and sanctimonious neoliberal lies will not stop our revolution or my liberation.”
THIS. Enough said.
Check out these Cool RELATED POSTS:
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
IF you want a progressive presidential candidate that you can get excited about voting FOR, then Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential candidate is worth serious consideration. Jill Stein has selected her Green Party running mate, Vice President choice, Ajamu Baraka. Mr. Baraka is an internationally recognized human rights activist, organizer and geo-political analyst with a deeply progressive resume. Here is their platform:
Enact an emergency Green New Deal to turn the tide on climate change, revive the economy and make wars for oil obsolete. Initiate a WWII-scale national mobilization to halt climate change, the greatest threat to humanity in our history. Create 20 million jobs by transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, and investing in public transit, sustainable agriculture, conservation and restoration of critical infrastructure, including ecosystems.
Implement a Just Transition that empowers those communities and workers most impacted by climate change and the transition to a green economy. Ensure that any worker displaced by the shift away from fossil fuels will receive full income and benefits as they transition to alternative work.
Enact energy democracy based on public, community and worker ownership of our energy system. Treat energy as a human right.
Redirect research funds from fossil fuels into renewable energy and conservation. Build a nationwide smart electricity grid that can pool and store power from a diversity of renewable sources, giving the nation clean, democratically-controlled, energy.
End destructive energy extraction and associated infrastructure: fracking, tar sands, offshore drilling, oil trains, mountaintop removal, natural gas pipelines, and uranium mines. Halt any investment in fossil fuel infrastructure, including natural gas, and phase out all fossil fuel power plants. Phase out nuclear power and end nuclear subsidies. End all subsidies for fossil fuels and impose a greenhouse gas fee / tax to charge polluters for the damage they have created.
Protect our public lands, water supplies, biological diversity, parks, and pollinators. Ban neonicotinoids and other pesticides that threaten the survival of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Support a strong enforceable global climate treaty that limits global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius and provides just financial compensation to developing countries.
Label GMOs, and put a moratorium on GMOs and pesticides until they are proven safe.
Support organic and regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and sustainable forestry.
Protect the rights of future generations. Adopt the Precautionary Principle. When an activity poses threats of harm to human health or the environment, in the absence of objective scientific consensus that it is safe, precautionary measures should be taken. The proponent of an activity, rather than the public, should bear the burden of proof.
Invest in clean air, water, food and soil for everyone. Clean up America.
Enact stronger environmental justice laws and measures to ensure that low-income and communities of color are not disproportionately impacted by harmful pollution and other negative environmental and health effects.
Support conversion to sustainable, nontoxic materials and the use of closed-loop, zero waste processes.
Create living-wage jobs for every American who needs work, replacing unemployment offices with employment offices. Government would be the employer of last resort, and the unemployed would have an enforceable right to make government provide work. Create direct public employment, as the Works Progress Administration did, in public services and public works for those who can’t find private employment.
Advance workers’ rights to form unions, achieve workplace democracy, and keep a fair share of the wealth they create.
Enact the Green Deal full employment program to create 20 million green jobs in sustainable energy, mass transit, sustainable organic agriculture, clean manufacturing and improved infrastructure, as well as social work, teaching, health care, after school and home care, drug rehabilitation and other service jobs.
Provide grants and low-interest loans to green businesses and cooperatives, with an emphasis on small, locally-based companies that keep the wealth created by local labor circulating in the community, rather than being drained off to enrich absentee investors.
Replace NAFTA and other corporate free trade agreements that export American jobs, depress wages, and undermine the sovereign right of Americans and citizens of other countries to control their own economy and political choices. Enact fair trade laws that benefits local workers and communities.
Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act which banned secondary boycotts and permitted state “right-to-work” laws. Enact a federal just cause law (to prohibit firing without just cause,) and outlaw scabbing on striking workers.
End Poverty:
Guarantee economic human rights, including access to food, water, housing, and utilities, with effective anti-poverty programs to ensure every American a life of dignity.
Establish a guaranteed minimum income.
Reform public assistance to be a true safety net that empowers participants and provides a decent standard of living.
Free universal child care.
Health Care as a Right:
Establish an improved “Medicare for All” single-payer public health program to provide everyone with quality health care, at huge savings by eliminating the $400 billion annually spent on the paperwork and bureaucracy of health insurance. No co-pays, premiums or deductibles. Access to all health care services, including mental health, dental, and vision. Include everyone, period. No restrictions based on pre-existing illness, employment, immigration status, age, or any other category.
Eliminate the cancer of health insurance, which adds costs while reducing access to health care.
End overcharging for prescription drugs by using bulk purchasing negotiations.
Eliminate health disparities in communities of color and low-income communities. Ensure easy access to health care in communities of color, including community health centers.
Allow full access to contraceptive and reproductive care.
Expand women’s access to “morning after” contraception by lifting the Obama Administration’s ban.
Avoid chronic diseases by investing in essential community health infrastructure such as local, fresh, organic food systems, pollution-free renewable energy, phasing out toxic chemicals, and active transportation such as bike paths and safe sidewalks that dovetail with public transit.
Ensure that consumers have essential information for making informed food choices by expanding product labeling requirements for country of origin, GMO content, toxic chemical ingredients, and fair trade practices.
Prioritize preventive health care, including physical activity, healthy nutrition and pollution prevention.
Education as a Right:
Guarantee tuition-free, world-class public education from pre-school through university.
Abolish student debt to free a generation of Americans from debt servitude.
Protect our public school systems from privatization.
Use restorative justice to address conflicts before they occur, and involve students in the process.
Evaluate teacher performance through assessment by fellow professionals. Do not rely on high stakes tests that reflect economic status of the community, and punish teachers working in low income communities of color.
Replace Common Core with curriculum developed by educators, not corporations, with input from parents and communities.
Stop denying students diplomas based on high stakes tests.
Stop using merit pay to punish teachers who work with the most challenging student populations.
Restore arts, music and recreation to school curriculums.
Ensure racially inclusive, sensitive and relevant curriculums.
Use Department of Education powers to offer grants and funding to encourage metropolitan desegregation plans based on socioeconomically balanced schools.
Recognize poverty as the key obstacle to learning. Ensure that kids come to school ready to learn: healthy, nourished, secure and free from violence.
Increase federal funding of public schools to equalize public school funding.
Set a $15/hour federal minimum wage, with indexing.
Break up “too-big-to-fail” banks and democratize the Federal Reserve.
Support development of worker and community cooperatives and small businesses.
Make Wall Street, big corporations, and the rich pay their fair share of taxes.
Create democratically-run public banks and utilities.
Provide full protection for workplace rights, including the right to a safe workplace and the right to organize a union without fear of firing or reprisal by passing the Employee Free Choice Act.
Ensure equal pay for equal work, ending discrimination based on race, gender, or generation.
Enact paid sick leave and family leave, strong overtime protections.
Take action against wage theft.
Oppose two-tier wage systems (e.g., for young people and individuals with disabilities).
Freedom and Equality:
Expand women’s rights, including equal pay and reproductive freedom. Pass the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment).
Support immigrants’ rights. Create a welcoming path to citizenship for immigrants.
Halt deportations and detentions of law-abiding undocumented immigrants, including the shameful practice of night raids being used to terrorize refugee families.
Improve economic and social conditions abroad to reduce the flow of immigrant refugees, in part by repealing NAFTA, ending the failed drug wars, and halting CIA and military interventions against democratically elected governments.
Demilitarize border crossings throughout North America.
Protect the free Internet. Oppose the Online Piracy Act and all other legislation that would undermine freedom and equality on the Internet.
Criminal Justice Reforms
End the failed war on drugs. Replace drug prohibition with harm reduction. Legalize marijuana/hemp. Treat substance abuse as a health problem, not a criminal offense.
Release nonviolent drug offenders from prison, removing such offenses from their records, and provide them with both pre- and post-release support.
End police brutality, mass incarceration and institutional racism within our justice system. Support the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Demilitarize police. End use of SWAT teams and no-knock raids for drugs and serving papers.
Repair our communities rather than dump resources into the prison-industrial complex.
Establish police review boards so that communities control their police, and not the other way around. Appoint dedicated investigators to investigate every death or serious injury at the hands of police.
Enact laws to require independent outside legal representatives to investigate and prosecute any killing or brutality by the police rather than prosecutors involved in the local criminal justice system.
Eliminate harsh mandatory sentencing requirements which often result in unjustified sentences.
Enforce the Bill of Rights by protecting the right to free speech and protest, to be secure from unwarranted search and seizure and invasion of privacy, as well as our other Constitutional rights.
Terminate unconstitutional surveillance and unwarranted spying, close Guantanamo, and repeal indefinite detention without charge or trial. Repeal the unconstitutional provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act that give the president the power to indefinitely imprison and even assassinate American citizens without due process.
America’s youth should not be put in jail for offenses they commit.
End discrimination against former offenders who have paid for their crimes and should get a fresh start.
Abolish the death penalty.
End persecution of government, corporate and media whistleblowers.
Issue an Executive Order prohibiting Federal agencies from conspiring with local police to infringe upon right of assembly and peaceful protest.
Repeal the Patriot Act that violates our constitutional right to privacy and protection against unreasonable search and seizure.
Peace and Human Rights:
Establish a foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law, human rights, and nonviolent support for democratic movements around the world.
Cut military spending by at least 50% and close the 700+ foreign military bases. Ensure a just transition that replaces reductions in military jobs with jobs in renewable energy, transportation and green infrastructure development.
Stop U.S. financial and military support to human rights abusers. Barring substantial changes in their policies, this would include Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt.
End the US’ role as the world’s arm supplier.
End use of assassination as an instrument of U.S. foreign policy, including collaborative assassination through intermediaries.
End the destructive US economic and military intervention into the affairs of sovereign nations. Such intervention serve the interests of multinational corporations and global capitalism over the interests of the vast majority of the citizens of those nations.
Freeze the bank accounts of countries that are funding terrorism, including the Saudi royal family.
US policy regarding Israel and Palestine must be revised to prioritize international law, peace and human rights for all people, no matter their religion or nationality. End US policies that have supported the worst tendencies of the Israeli government in its treatment of the people of Palestine.
Restore the National Guard as the centerpiece of our defense.
Ban use of drone aircraft for assassination, bombing, and other offensive purposes.
End the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, withdrawing troops and military contractors.
Join 159 other nations in signing the Ottawa treaty banning the use of anti-personnel land mines.
Lead on global nuclear disarmament:
Rejoin the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which the US dropped out of in 2002 when it installed missiles and missile bases in Turkey, Romania, and Poland.
Agree to Russia’s proposal to jointly reduce US and Russian nuclear arsenals to 1,000 nuclear weapons each. Also call for all countries to the table to negotiate a treaty for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
Remove US nuclear weapons in Germany, Belgium, Turkey, Italy and the Netherlands.
Support Russia and China’s joint effort to open negotiations on a treaty to ban weapons in space.
Pledge to end any further laboratory or sub-critical nuclear tests at the Nevada and Novaya Zemlya test sites, and end all nuclear weapons research, design, and modernization at the weapons laboratories.
The US must take the lead in nuclear disarmament by itself starting to disarm. We should create a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East region and require all nations in the area to join.
Empower the People: Fix our Broken Elections with Real Democracy
Eliminate the doctrine of corporate personhood that among other things has been used to justify unlimited corporate spending in elections with a constitutional amendment to clarify that only human beings have constitutional rights.
Enact electoral reforms that break the big money stranglehold and create truly representative democracy: full public election financing, ranked-choice voting, proportional representation, and open debates.
Protect voters’ rights by enforcing and expanding the constitutional right to vote (including a new amendment if necessary). Enact the full Voter’s Bill of Rights guaranteeing each person’s right to vote, the right to have our votes counted on hand-marked paper ballots, and the right to vote within systems that give each vote meaning. Make voter registration the responsibility of government, not a voluntary opt-in for citizens.
Restore Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, requiring preclearance by the Attorney General or federal district court of DC to election law changes in areas previously found to limit voting rights.
Abolish the Electoral College and directly elect the President using a national popular vote with ranked-choice voting..
Restore the right to run for office and eliminate unopposed races by removing ballot access barriers.
Guarantee equal access to the debates to all ballot-qualified candidates.
Provide equal and free access to the airways for all ballot-qualified candidates, not just those with big campaign war chests.
Eliminate “winner take all / first past the post” elections in which the “winner” may not have the support of most of the voters. Replace that system with ranked choice voting and proportional representation.
Enact statehood for the District of Columbia to ensure the region has full representation in Congress, and full powers of democratic self-rule.
Restore voting rights to offenders, including while in prison.
Replace partisan oversight of elections with non-partisan election commissions.
Reduce barriers to voting by making Election Day a national holiday.
Enact simplified, safe same-day voter registration to the nation so that no qualified voter is barred from the polls.
Protect local democracy by making clear that acts of Congress establish a floor, and not a ceiling, on laws relating to economic regulation, workers’ rights, human rights, and the environment.
Increase government revenues for social needs by restoring full employment, cutting the bloated, dangerous military budget, and cutting private health insurance waste.
Require full disclosure of corporate subsidies in the budget and stop hiding subsidies in complicated tax code.
Rewrite the entire tax code to be truly progressive with tax cuts for working families, the poor and middle class, and higher taxes for the richest Americans.
Strengthen rather than cut Medicare and Social Security. Remove the cap on social security taxes above a certain level of income.
Maintain and upgrade our nation’s essential public infrastructure, including highways, railways, electrical grids, water systems, schools, libraries, and the Internet, resisting privatization or policy manipulation by for-profit interests.
Establish federal, state, and municipal publicly-owned banks that function as non-profit utilities and focus on helping people, not enriching themselves.
Create a Corporation for Economic Democracy, a new federal corporation (like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting) to provide publicity, training, education, and direct financing for cooperative development and for democratic reforms to make government agencies, private associations, and business enterprises more participatory.
Democratize monetary policy to bring about public control of the money supply and credit creation. This means nationalizing the private bank-dominated Federal Reserve Banks and placing them under a Federal Monetary Authority within the Treasury Department. Prohibit private banks from creating money, thus restoring government’s Constitutional authority.
Manage pension funds by boards controlled by workers, not corporate managers.
Regulate all financial derivatives and require them to be traded on open exchanges.
Restore the Glass-Steagall separation of depository commercial banks from speculative investment banks.
Housing
Impose an immediate moratorium on foreclosures and evictions.
Offer capital grants to non-profit developers of affordable housing until all people can obtain decent housing at no more than 25% of their income.
Create a federal bank with local branches to take over homes with distressed mortgages, and either restructure the mortgages to affordable levels, or if the occupants cannot afford a mortgage, rent homes to the occupants.
Expand rental and home ownership assistance and increase funding for public housing.
Use Department of Housing and Urban Development authority to grant or withhold funds in order to encourage state and local governments to take positive steps to desegregate housing, including ending zoning laws that effectively prohibit multi-family housing, prohibiting landlords from refusing to accept Section 8 vouchers, increasing Section 8 voucher amounts so that poor people can move into middle income neighborhoods, prohibiting the use of Low Income Housing Tax Credits to increase low income housing in already segregated neighborhoods, and building new public housing in middle income communities that is high quality and mixed income.
We can build a better future together.
Check out these Cool RELATED POSTS:
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
Things are heating up in America As round the earth Flatlanders are in a whirled Of applausable deniability As their scholar ship sales Off any known atlas Of shrugging turtles And histrionic elephants Lording over mice and men In the name of Republic and mulishness unleashing Wretched blaming Artless prey And blame ideologies In quakes of human faults Indifferent in effect To reason Snatched In a phallus logic As in is capable With mother earth getting hotter every day Only asking for it Her plea to cool it Only be lying A girl tempting To think too hard Effacing such a boner fide off her
This poem is about macho braggadocio and an abiding disrespect for nature and human kind. When such hubris enters politics, both Mother Earth and the body politic get screwed. Scientific illiteracy in general, and climate change denial specifically, are arenas where greedy ideologies are conveniently engorged on fact-free rations. Patriarchy and hyper-masculinity give a big hand to victim blaming, outwardly their natural outgrowth. Such masturbatory ideologies lead to blindness of natural consequences. That power is as power does masquerades as scientific acumen, as fore juggernaut of perverse cause-and-effect. In such phallus logic, the invisible hand magnanimously despoils the hole fecund planet. Meet market, free market, proving worth wile in every victim it volunteers. Such virulent virility vivisects Mother Earth and her children. And what remains, who could resist?
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
While I was busy Doing my busyness Over taking My competition Nature was successively Undertaking my previous busyness done Supplanting my decomposing legacy With crop worth feasting on In treating me As patience heel Going Won better Nature calls Barely distinguished from my sorry solicitations Yet as summon to love Plodding nature never climaxes Nevertheless, it will undoubtedly come for me In my ruin us substitute for vivaciousness
This poem was inspired by working in my backyard this Spring and being struck by how much nature marches on, particularly if you haven’t been paying that much attention to it for a while. The bulk of nature seems painfully slow compared to the fast-paced lives of highly evolved, huffing and puffing mammals that we call humans. Nature has a plodding patience that meekly, yet overwhelmingly, with grate irregularity to many, surmounts our well-kept yards and fields of concrete. There is a gentle awesomeness as nature unassumingly yields our very lives. Though, if we are too attached to sow called civilization, nature may creep up and out like that proverbial monster painstakingly slow but steadfastly only a step behind and foreboding. The veneer of our suppository importance is made bear as we do our busyness in the woulds of life. As we routinely pooh-pooh nature, nature brushes aside, as over bearing, such inattentive buy products. As nature’s patients, such hospitality and heeling is often times not welcome. Wile we unwittingly billed our own creation, nature rejuvenates with an irrepressible vivaciousness. Without won assent, nature secedes in making us hole. Perhaps it’s time to buy avowal or a singular consonant, that which would be, a whole.
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
Another martyr bides the dust And I was a stray Beside myself In the fog Of yet another mourning The missed over my heart Feeling only that ephemeral beaten The wait on my brain Fueled into thinking of the dread only And the little I no Of what remains As the truth is bared In ash holes with names Temping to soil Won an other’s life work Un-till arising from hour grounding Ready ourselves for a human race Wear blood is thicker then water Tearing at our soles And water thicker than heir The salt of the earth bides It’s time Too clear the weigh Of what thou dust Ahead razed for awe As be holding the sons rays Bringing a bout of sunshine An enduring lightness Out shining Any faux How ever clan destine In efface of such shrouding allowed In countering any illicit clout Ever looming Whatever we’ve Got together With standing any in thralling strayin’ Rapping up awe that is frayed For whatever may seam Know longer
I wrote this poem a while back, but I’m publishing it now to honor the passing of Father Daniel Berrigan who died over the weekend at age 94. Father Daniel Berrigan was the first priest arrested for peace and anti-war civil disobedience — or holy obedience. As recounted in the National Catholic Review:
Berrigan undoubtedly stands among the most influential American Jesuits of the past century…
A literary giant in his own right, Berrigan was best known for his dramatic acts of civil disobedience against the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons. He burned draft files with homemade napalm and later hammered on nuclear weapons to enact the Isaiah prophecy to “beat swords into plowshares.” His actions challenged Americans and Catholics to reexamine their relationship with the state and reject militarism. He constantly asked himself and others: What does the Gospel demand of us?
“For me, Father Daniel Berrigan is Jesus as a poet,” Kurt Vonnegut wrote. “If this be heresy, make the most of it.”
“Dorothy Day taught me more than all the theologians,” Berrigan told The Nation in 2008. “She awakened me to connections I had not thought of or been instructed in—the equation of human misery and poverty with warmaking. She had a basic hope that God created the world with enough for everyone, but there was not enough for everyone and warmaking.”
In 1963, Berrigan embarked on a year of travel, spending time in France, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Rome, South Africa and the Soviet Union. He encountered despair among French Jesuits related to the situation of Indochina, as the United States ramped up military involvement in Vietnam.
Berrigan returned home in 1964 convinced that the war in Vietnam “could only grow worse.” So he began, he later wrote, “as loudly as I could, to say ‘no’ to the war…. There would be simply no turning back.”
He co-founded the Catholic Peace Fellowship and the interfaith group Clergy and Laity Concerned about Vietnam…
In Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (1966), Merton described Berrigan as “an altogether winning and warm intelligence and a man who, I think, has more than anyone I have ever met the true wide-ranging and simple heart of the Jesuit: zeal, compassion, understanding, and uninhibited religious freedom. Just seeing him restores one’s hope in the Church.”
A dramatic year of assassinations and protests that shook the conscience of America, 1968 also proved to be a watershed year for Berrigan. In February, he flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, with the historian Howard Zinn and assisted in the release of three captured U.S. pilots. On their first night in Hanoi, they awoke to an air-raid siren and U.S. bombs and had to find shelter.
As the United States continued to escalate the war, Berrigan worried that conventional protests had little chance of influencing government policy. His brother, Philip, then a Josephite priest, had already taken a much greater risk: In October 1967, he broke into a draft board office in Baltimore and poured blood on the draft files.
Undeterred at the looming legal consequences, Philip planned another draft board action and invited his younger brother to join him. Daniel agreed.
On May 17, 1968, the Berrigan brothers joined seven other Catholic peace activists in Catonsville, Md., where they took several hundreds of draft files from the local draft board and set them on fire in a nearby parking lot, using homemade napalm. Napalm is a flammable liquid that was used extensively by the United States in Vietnam.
Daniel said in a statement, “Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order, the burning of paper instead of children, the angering of the orderlies in the front parlor of the charnel house. We could not, so help us God, do otherwise.”
Berrigan was tried and convicted for the action. When it came time for sentencing, however, he went underground and evaded the Federal Bureau of Investigation for four months.
“I knew I would be apprehended eventually,” he told America in an interview in 2009, “but I wanted to draw attention for as long as possible to the Vietnam War and to Nixon’s ordering military action in Cambodia.”
The F.B.I. finally apprehended him on Block Island, R.I., at the home of theologian William Stringfellow, in August 1970. He spent 18 months in Danbury federal prison, during which he and Philip appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
The brothers, lifelong recidivists, were far from finished.
On Sept. 9, 1980, Daniel and Philip joined seven others in busting into the General Electric missile plant in King of Prussia, Pa., where they hammered on an unarmed nuclear weapon—the first Plowshares action. They faced 10 years in prison for the action but were sentenced to time served.
In his courtroom testimony at the Plowshares trial, Berrigan described his daily confrontation with death as he accompanied the dying at St. Rose Cancer Home in New York City. He said the Plowshares action was connected with this ministry of facing death and struggling against it. In 1984, he began working at St. Vincent’s Hospital, New York City, where he ministered to men and women with H.I.V.-AIDS.
“It’s terrible for me to live in a time where I have nothing to say to human beings except, ‘Stop killing,’” he explained at the Plowshares trial. “There are other beautiful things that I would love to be saying to people.”
In 1997 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Berrigan’s later years were devoted to Scripture study, writing, giving retreats, correspondence with friends and admirers, mentorship of young Jesuits and peace activists, and being an uncle to two generations of Berrigans. He published several biblical commentaries that blended scholarship with pastoral reflection and poetic wit.
“Berrigan is evidently incapable of writing a prosaic sentence,” biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann wrote in a review of Berrigan’s Genesis (2006). “He imitates his creator with his generative word that calls forth linkages and incongruities and opens spaces that bewilder and dazzle and summon the reader.”
Even as an octogenarian, Berrigan continued to protest, turning his attention to the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the prison in Guantánamo Bay and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Friends remember Berrigan as courageous and creative in love, a person of integrity who was willing to pay the price, a beacon of hope and a sensitive and caring friend.
While technically, Fr. Berrigan is not a martyr, he sacrificed much and lived courageously in the belly of the beast called the United States of America of which he called its militarism and imperialism.
While I wrote this poem with a male character, this may not be truly representative of the martyrs in this world. Soon after penning this poem, Berta Caceres, whose activism reverberated around the world, was assassinated by a Honduran death squad, shot in her own home. This poem is dedicated to her as well, a well of hope deeper than any dam corporations. As recounted from Alternet:
On March 3, assassins entered the home of Berta Caceres, leader of Honduras’ environmental and indigenous movement. They shot her friend Gustavo Castro Soto, the director of Friends of the Earth Mexico. He pretended to be dead, and so is the only witness of what came next. The assassins found Berta Caceres in another room and shot her in the chest, the stomach and the arms. When the assassins left the house, Castro went to Berta Caceres, who died in his arms.
Investigation into the death of Berta Caceres is unlikely to be conducted with seriousness. The Honduran government suggested swiftly that it was likely that Castro had killed Berta Caceres and made false statements about assassins. That he had no motive to kill his friend and political ally seemed irrelevant. Castro has taken refuge in the Mexican embassy in Honduras’ capital, Tegucigalpa. He continues to fear for his life.
Berta Caceres led the Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras (COPINH), one of the most important critics of government and corporate power in her country. Most recently, she and COPINH had taken a strong stand against the construction of the Agua Zarca dam on a river sacred to the indigenous Lenca community. This dam had occupied her work. It was not merely a fight against an energy company, it was a fight against the entire Honduran elite.
Desarrollos Energeticos, SA (DESA) is owned by the Atala family, whose most famous member is Camilo Atala, who heads Honduras’ largest bank, Banco Ficohsa. By all indications, the Atala family is very close to the government. When the military moved against the democratically elected government of Manuel Zelaya Rosales in 2009, the Atala family, among others, supported the coup with their means. The Honduran sociologist Leticia Salomon listed this family among others as the enablers of the coup. They backed the conservative National Party, which now holds the reins of power alongside the military. Berta Caceres’ fight against the Agua Zarca dam, then, was not merely a fight against one dam. It was a battle against the entire Honduran oligarchy. Her assassination had, as her family contends, been long overdue.
May we be inspired and encouraged by the fearless lives of those who have gone before us.
Check out these Cool RELATED POSTS:
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
Kneeling before Mother Earth Shattering Knews Buy sum mirror mortals That scant except abundance Farced too Under stand That wholly lessen Taut As awe for one And won for all And what too due To be apprehended Those borne too big for their breaches Both yearning their keep And wanting to cry like a baby As partially dread King Solomon’s wisdom Discerning a real mom From a ‘mother’ in name only In every crook and nanny Of awe that might be Haunted by possessions Those who cull out For halve of everything As if Like some indivisible man In a crowd Stealing a weigh Amidst a pound of flash As a parent As won Divided buy too Is not twice one peace However disposed Won is to give Forbear Meaning less labor For priceless heir And each arrival Comes a bout In his stork visit That universal root Digs ever deeper Beyond belief Yet sum people Proffer a Roamin’ umpire A tempting A scuff-law-less Caesarean delivery To buy pass The belly of the best Dilatorily a void Mete cleave her Where even moderation can be excessive Only too grasp After brooding over In a so-so pregnant pause And sow ill-conceived Being a touch bankrupt Morally in half-way hows That irresistible fix Working for you And know won ails Halve the weigh homme Leaping twice across the chasm Returning To Mother Earth Won way or the other Making a hole world Of deference
Here is yet another poem about the ongoing crisis of Mother Earth’s destruction. To portray the half-ass response by so-called developed nations and industrial powers that be, I employ the metaphors of King Solomon’s infamous wisdom in dealing with dispute over motherhood and that of crossing a chasm in two leaps. To add another metaphor regarding our relationship with Mother Earth, we want to have our cake and eat it too! In the case of the King Solomon judgment, two mothers living in the same household claimed a baby as their own. After one of the mothers accidentally smothered her own child while they were sleeping in her bed (by the way, an ancient public health problem that persists today), she claimed the other mother’s baby was her own. Without enough evidence to make a reasonable determination, King Solomon wisely and shrewdly ordered the baby cut in half, so each mother could have their “fair” share, to determine their reaction. The true mother insisted the baby be given to the false mother to spare the baby’s life. The false and jealous mother said go to it. Of course, this revealed the true mother to which King Solomon ordered the whole baby as hers. Our greed and jealous protection of our own unjust interests would rather halve the world we live in than deal with a whole new world. As greed and envy continue unabated, we naively and vainly assume that things will “naturally” work themselves out. As if the day after we can reassemble two halves of a baby and have a whole baby. This is akin to jumping a chasm in two leaps. It don’t work that way! Our fundamental disrespect for motherhood is a parent to anyone who possesses the wisdom to differentiate between motherhood and smother-hood. Of course, in the real world, there is no second baby to even attempt to appropriate. And the chasm is too wide for even a long series of half-ass measures. I’ll take a flying leap here: we either return to mothering Mother Earth or we will return to Mother Earth, as a specious not suited to evolve any further.
Check out these Cool RELATED POSTS:
POEM: Innocence — An Owed In A Sense Her innocence Was immune to their dis ease As be wilder And a tempt However tempered Only to be Dis missed As just A guile His innocence Deified awe bravery In the face Of accusations summoned As subdude As never a cur to them Posing the quest in Guise will Be guise Her bosom leaped […]...
POEM: Breath of Fresh Heir Each mourning Brings that which is light Though wanting to rest As the whirled spins under my feet I am Still Razed Too my feat Standing on Perhaps a singular word Mysteriously helled Together In God-ordained gravity Until that thirst Breath of fresh heir As awe is knew This poem is about coming out of […]...
I want it awe
Yet what do you no
What measures
Must we take
From emanate ripples
He helled the earth in his hand
Of what intimated
Of know consequence
A dinky mount
To sky ward heavin’
Hoping only to rock the whirled
Impelled to sea
In escapable gravity
Never in visioning
That there is
None boulder
In his pond-erous
And Sisyphean weigh
Casting all he once held dear
As flippin’ grovel
Into an unbroken mirror
As just
Hanging in
Con centric circles
Learning too a bridge lessen
As a bait
Waving less and less
To say good buy
As their reach is their largesse
Only to leave us
With an eerie qualm
And little
If any thing
To take
To the bank
Shoring up any pausible hope
Un-availed by the human I
Wither or not
As poetry
Reduced to pros
As awe things reckon
As precisely quota’d
A praising every angle
Bent on wane
Every thing
That is
Having fits
The scale
Leaving us
The lit-less
And immeasurable whoppers
The won with abacuses and slyed rule
Counting upon the inevitable apple
Fallen from trees on shore
Given too fruity beaches
With nothing
Better to do
A Newtonian uni-verse
As if
Dispatching
A lagoon squad
In sum kind of egression analysis
In a bounty us pool of data
Free from water
Fishing
In err
With out-land-ish loch
On learning
Of fall-ibility
Grounded in certitude
Agitated a bout
Tsunamis of certainty
And faintest freedom
Fueled agin
Too buy too
An arc
Reliant up on
Being largely stoned
And heading south
All the faster
To murky depths
Still
In this abyssal life
Wear there is
Every thing but
Life re-sides
In a soul place
For awe
As be-wilder-ed
Knot mirrorly a void
A stones throw aweigh
As be guiled
Cursory-ing like a sailor
Skimming the mirror surface
A mist watery solutions
Crying out
Over an abyss
All armed a bout
Drowning in what
We are trying
Too divine
What you can count on
Ripple™
In hitting one’s bottom
Throne down a well
As per cent
100 proof
Making a wish
Of scientific rigor
Sow rarefied
As iron out
Of awe that is mist
Worshipping statutes
That no copper can enforce
Nailing the truth to dead wood
Caskets and buckets
Lowered
Hung out too dry
Bailing out
Awe that is well
A tempting
Sow perverse
Amiss under stood
Plunk rock band
Billowing out
In con sequential
To sum
So poor tending
The easily fluttered
And shirking
That beneath us
Or sow a peer
Do be us
As it may seam
Take me littoral
And fathom deeply
The coast of freedom
Fore who knows
More of that which swells
Those who lead
Unfetid lives
Learning their keep
In this
Life unearth
Or those who undertake
Properly measured lives
In a dogma eat dogma whirled
Vainly exacting an incalculable prize
On each and every won
For in
The sweet by and by
It is
Better to be
Taken in
Than taking out
Rulers
And measuring cups
In the see of life
This poem goes out to my friend, Toby, who in a conversation a couple of evenings ago inspired and quasi-commissioned a poem (and blog entry) around the metaphor of fathoming the ripples from a stone being thrown in a body of water. In our conversation this was about measuring the effects of our actions, specifically social justice actions, as to the effect they have on the world and its inhabitants. The hope was to better harness this knowledge in order to parlay it into more effective actions.
This poem tackles a familiar theme of mine: how a fixation on scientific-reductionistic methods weigh too often rob us of access to deeper meanings. So, here goes:
Most of my life, my working assumption has been that if other folks just knew what I knew that they would act congruently with me. I don’t put much stock in this assumption anymore. Hell, much of the time, I don’t even act congruently with the knowledge with which I have been blessed. I have spent many moments and years projecting my sense of rationality onto others. I have spent many moments and years projecting my favored modes of rationalization onto others. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that reality is deeply ordered and that this order is accessible, even more so than we usually think. I am still cursed with the double-edged sword of an abundance of right opinion. Still, I have come to more deeply appreciate that we act more out of our emotional sensibilities, which are profoundly molded by our self-interest, whether that interest is privileged or disenfranchised. I view our emotional sensibilities and the sum total in our life of our various privileges and disenfranchisements as the primary drivers of our actions, over and above our routine thinkings. In fact, motivational and behavioral research shows that the primary causal direction of changed attitudes is from behavior, not knowledge. In other words, our attitudes change more from changing behaviors than changing knowledge. This is caught up in a matrix of cognitive dissonance, where we have a powerful need to make sense of our lives as it is at any given moment, and rationalizations supporting any given status quo are favored. Changing what we do, voluntarily or involuntarily, shifts our attitudes much more robustly than even large changes in knowledge. This undergirds the suggestion of “fake it til you make it,” recognizing the power of cognitive dissonance to drive our attitudes and thinking to match our behavior. While this may seem inauthentic to some degree, simply compare it to the endemic hypocrisies represented by vastly incongruous knowledge and beliefs with our behavior. This also gives a tip of the hat to the classical liberal paradigm of the importance of environmental conditions. Our own personal collections of privileges and disenfranchisements, either personally or socially, are weigh more important to making sense of our behavior than cataloging, or even changing, our knowledge and beliefs. In sum, knowledge is routinely over-weighed in behavior change and social change.
My view is that plumbing the nature of our own privilege and disenfranchisement is a much firmer foundation upon which to build a life-affirming world. This self-knowledge can generate powerful insights into others and is a prerequisite to empathy. Reflecting on both grace (unmerited privilege) and unjust relationships (disenfranchisement) can leverage the attitudinal changes necessary for a better world for all. Mustering the courage to let go of unmerited privilege when it perpetuates unjust relationships, and change our behavior accordingly, even if it feels uncomfortable and scary, will align our lives at a deeper level of comfort and peace. Knowledge will follow. Knowledge will catch up to our passions. Life-affirming knowledge is wisdom. All other knowledge is unnecessary clutter, actually confounding the manifestation of wisdom. Where a whole heart rules, all is well. Living in won’s head can foster a perversely dangerous idealism, disconnected from the world of the living. If this strikes you as in any weigh anti-intellectual, you may want to delve into my blog — I speak from experience.
May you find a weigh in life that lifts up both yourself and others.
Below is my testimony at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) hearing regarding the proposed corporate welfare for FirstEnergy. There was an impressive show of force by the anti-nuclear and pro-environmental folks from the region. There was a show of farce by the usual parade of brown-nosers whose employment is closely related to Davis-Besse nuclear plant operations. Still, the greatest number of testifiers were opposed to the above-market rate hike to subsidize FirstEnergy’s uncompetitive and dangerous energy generation. In an unusual move, PUCO literally made every testifier swear. So, legally, this testimony is “the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” May PUCO deny FirstEnergy’s application to rip off ratepayers for private profit.
Testimony at PUCO Public Hearing Re: First Energy Robbery of Ratepayers January 15, 2015
My name is Dan Rutt. I am a citizen of Toledo and this great planet. I have a B.S. in biology. I have a masters degree in public health. I am a breather of polluted air from coal-fired electric generators. I share with you a planet that is threatened by global climate instability, due to pollution from carbon dioxide and co-called “natural” gas, more accurately described as methane. I live in the deathly shadow of Davis-Besse, the aging nuclear power plant with the worst safety record in the U.S., thanks to a couple of nuclear plants which have been wisely closed recently for safety and economic reasons. It’s Davis-Besse’s turn — hopefully to be decommissioned, not blow up. To you who live outside the region, welcome to Davis-Besse’s kill zone.
I will take my precious few minutes to plead with PUCO, charged with protecting public health and economic sanity. Do not allow the building of a pipeline from the First Energy corporate board room to the public purse. The boondoggle that is the Davis-Besse nuclear plant drives this issue. Davis-Besse is a poor investment economically, a perilous venture environmentally, and a catastrophic threat to human life along the Great Lakes. The federal government already indemnifies the nuclear industry from accountability for catastrophic events. PUCO should not further this lack of accountability by forcing the public to invest in nuclear plants. If anything we should disinvest from nuclear power.
First Energy has lobbied to prop up coal and nuclear, the way of the past. We need change, not infrastructure and rate plans which will lock us into an unsustainable future. Still worse, First Energy has lobbied to block the transition to renewable energy, the way of the future. If First Energy is allowed to pass on most or all of the risk of its increasingly risky ventures to the public — that is, ratepayers and biological entities susceptible to lethal radiation catastrophes — then I suspect that this could trigger a rush of entrepreneurial types wanting to PUCO all over Ohio.
The energy industry is quite adept at playing the hodgepodge of regulatory agencies for its own profit. They are experts at leveraging the narrowness of regulatory agencies’ perspectives and authority, which, given time limitations here, may be summed up as: “It’s not my job” and “I’m only doing my job.” Ironically, this may leave us with somebody’s job, even a so-called “good” job, but no livable world. If your work leads to the destruction of the planet, then it is not a good job. Job one must be protecting the planet. This includes accountability for those who would “invest” (sic) in the destruction of our planet for profit.
There is little doubt that we are being gamed. And if we don’t get wise to this, there are likely to be many losers, and few winners. I wonder if perhaps this issue might be better served by a change of venue. Perhaps we should add to the mix oversight by the Lottery Commission or Casino Control Commission; it might be more honest. Perhaps we could turn that ole Besse into a cash cow. Convert it from a white elephant into a casino. We could call it “Chernobyl on the Lake — an Eerie Adventure.” We could feature Russian Roulette. Unfortunately, we, the public, are already subject to a game of Russian Roulette, playing with nuclear catastrophe and the steamroller of climate instability. Free us from this deadly game. Help us pave the way to a new and sustainable future. Disapprove this proposed rate plan, the robbery of the many to enrich the few, and a dangerous course for all. Thank you.
[Note: I didn’t read this poem at the hearing, but included it in my written testimony]
Good Job
by Dan Rutt, alias “Top Pun” (it’s just, my pun name)
It was early Monday mourning When the Davis-Besse nuclear plant Finally ruptured At the base of Lake Eerie Weeping poison From the once-great lakes Now a watery grave for both sellers And consumers Of atomic drivel For what human remains The event became known Simply as “The rupture” Leaving sleepy millions In its wake Sucked into a glowing sky For who knows watt Feudal to press release Fore their heavenly reword A paradise rolled Entranced buy snake eyes In charge of all that meters Relegating us to hoarse power Silent partners Dealt a roil flush In a conniving casino Pain only in skullduggery Forging height reason And absolute faith in stonewall As a bet A dark wager Echoing in the empty halls Of unions and congress “Good job”
Bee The change That you wish In the whirled Too see O Mother Earth Undertaking Men o’ pause In-fertility rite As nature fecund wanes A roil buzzkill Soon with death teeming Wear is thy sting Extincting that human race Soully certifiable reproductions Unfit as a specious Forerunners to know end Yet today, this solitary caged bird sings Like a canary In a cold mine With its deadly presents Colorless and odious executioner The lynch pin of anonymous hoods Haunting all That which is called “natural” Sow fumes miasma Till hour last breath
This poem is another mournful environmental poem, with the steady decline of bees as the proverbial canary in the coal mine for the deathly threat to the ecology of the earth. Of course, the stoic denial and fatalism of human-induced climate change through fossil fuel consumption reaps a Mother Earth whose only defense may be to open a Pandora’s box capable of “naturally” selecting the human race from an internal combustion race to a mere foot race, where humans are no longer large enough scale to crash the entire planet’s ecological system. If we don’t change course and evolve into an ecologically-sustainable species, we will be devolved into a much less dominant species. Whether this would represent an evolution or devolution would have to be reflected upon by many fewer homo sapiens.
While we as a species are still living high on the fumes of burning fossil fuels, the buzzkill of bee genocide may lead the way to the end of agriculture as we know it, and the end of human culture as we know it. Our unchecked industrialism, fueled by the burning of carbon-based energy forms, may very well lead to our checking out as the predominant species on earth. Could this bee the end of the world? as so aptly asked in an article of the same title (with a now extinct link!):
Albert Einstein once said: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”
Einstein wasn’t an insect expert but he had a point. The humble honeybee is an integral part of the global ecosystem. Honey is just one aspect of what this entomological wonder does. As a pollinator it ensures crops reproduce, so although a world without honey would be a poorer place, man would survive. But without plants, we’d become extinct.
…On a global scale, it is estimated a third of the food we eat is pollinated by bees…
…The introduction to the 2010 UNEP [United Nations Environment Programme] report into global bee colony disorders puts the insects’ plight in context. It states, “Current evidence demonstrates that a sixth major extinction of biological diversity event is under way. The Earth is losing between 1 and 10 per cent of biodiversity per decade, mostly due to habitat loss, pest invasion, pollution, over-harvesting and disease.” It asked, “Has a ‘pollinator crisis’ really been occurring during recent decades, or are these concerns just another sign of global biodiversity decline?”
Unchecked domination is not the nature of nature. Either homo sapiens will learn to live in harmony with nature as a whole, or our ability to dominate will be cut down to scale. As throughout countless generations, we are faced with choosing harmony or destruction. Nature has patiently endured our penchant for destruction. Nature cannot be violated forever. Nature’s feedback is gentle and generous. Only fools destroy the hand that feeds them. Will we be fools in the largesse weigh?
I found myself In rare prayer A genus reserved for Mother’s ilk Only doing what Kin be done In udder neglect Of that long a go Cached in Fore more sensible weighs Now wholly saved For foxholes The mass Of desperate men And occasional women Re-sorting In rare prayer As raw flesh exposed With feudal armor flailing miserably In stoic winsome God’s mourning dawns As initiate Such supplication With a hesitant plea Claiming how sow little requested And sow far between Only mildly disappointed with the crop received In won’s life With such scanty solicitations The ground of my being Like an ungraceful sludge hammer cleaving diamonds Seaming as a sedimental journey at best A grime scene at worst A present cut to ribbons Stairing into a box Bound for eternity And still As I here, a response An uncommon sense A peel for more In treat awe Even the one Who reveres coarse And bars none The less The great I am Fooly in chanted Soully to that call Which cannot be herd Accept bye One’s self
This poem was inspired by a prayerful moment at a protest to stop the BP refinery in Oregon, Ohio, from investing 2.5 billion dollars to retool to process tar sands, the dirtiest source of petroleum yet sought after by oily men. Toward the end of the demonstration, I found myself at the fence reflecting on the unlikelihood that we would be able to stop this fuelish investment in an environmentally destructive infrastructure, a generations-long commitment of resources to a dirty energy future, an asphalt super-highway to perdition.
The “rare” prayer in this poem, not surprisingly has several meanings. While I quite easily, with great frequency, say a prayer of thanks, I rarely ask God for anything very specific. I can’t help but experience a feeling of hubris in the notion that God is waiting to align the universe according to my requests. Also, this is a personal spiritual practice and practical way for me to decouple from the many manipulative aspects of religion, as if God exists to serve my will. I am quite thrilled with God’s creation and how magnificently convenient it serves my will and purposes. In this sea of grace, any desire to bend the world to my will seems like disgruntlement. Most any traditional prayer life has been leveled by my integration into my heart of the mystic Meister Eckhart quote, “If there were but one prayer, ‘Thanks,’ would suffice.” However, there are the occasional moments when I feel particularly vulnerable or mournful. This is where the “rare” is “As raw flesh exposed.” The world is definitely a mournful place. Discord and loss are everyday experiences. Harmony-seekers must confront ignorance, apathy, and outright intransigence.
In the face of the powers that be at BP, I can fantasize about God sending down a pillar of fire to destroy such intransigent offenders. Unfortunately, this perverse desire is in much too scary alignment with the very BP offenders I wish to see punished or expunged from our shared reality we call earth. Such greedy and spiritually lazy offenders wish nothing more than to secure their own little world from its many vulnerabilities and impinging insecurities. Well, my God is not a mighty fortress! My God is the giver of life, unmerited as we turn out to be at times. My God mourns with me as discord and destruction rains. My God is present in “it all,” yearning and wooing us to live fully, not settling for lesser dreams, half-truths, and lives broken into pieces. I got the answer to my prayer before I even finished it. As I was engaging God with talk of how I ask for stuff so infrequently, and how I don’t ask for much, I was gently but firmly and unmistakenly reminded that God does not want me to make merely occasional, hesitant or apologetic pleas for incrementally better lives. God’s will for our life is for whole lives, lived boldly, even in the face of seeming intractable brokenness. God incessantly invites us to be people of hope, a living hope which becomes incarnate in the world by boldly living in consonance with that hope. In case this bold sentiment might be doubted, my quick prayer and swift response was punctuated with the crowd of witnesses present that day boldly singing about how we will not compromise, neither our hopes nor our demands for a world full of harmony. God works in strange in mysterious ways. Sometimes not so mysterious — though perhaps somewhat strange to some.
I awoke Too the rumble Of a river of cars Getting the goods Being trucked over and over As fuming motorists And fuelish consumers Whirled wide Tank up With great import As their gauges reach emptily A diction Beyond words Feeding this uneconomic engine Internally combusting A humanity greased Plunged into a vain artery So so leading To an err tight garage sail N’air to see O2 again Only lust C’ing a singular “O!” To be Fallowed buy Cryptic silence As nature returns A strange gift from smother earth
This poem was inspired by awaking to the rumble of cars and trucks from I-75 about a mile from my house. I am quite familiar with this noise pollution, a steady hum 24/7, though I usually only take notice of it at night or in the morning while lying in bed. Noise (and light) pollution are on my short list of pet peeves and everyday side effects of so-called civilization. However, this poem meditates on the constant stream of air pollution and inevitable environmental destruction from a carbon-based energy economy and transportation system. The congested arteries of our highways and buy ways consternate both motorists and Mother Earth — not to mention pedestrians and bicyclists. This poem also alludes to the military shenanigans (as we “tank up”) needed to assure a steady supply of a crude lifestyle. The addiction to petroleum leads us to morally depraved measures of success, such as the accepted norm that destroying the environment is part and parcel to a good economy. Such insanity brings to mind the wise aphorism: don’t shit where you eat. The metaphor of drowning in our own waste is incarnated in this poem as the suicide of exhausted and fuming motorists in their garages, the final resting place of going nowhere fast. This poem requires a certain knowledge of chemistry to be fully comprehended, specifically the chemical structure of carbon monoxide. If you also know that carbon monoxide preferentially binds, in place of oxygen, on hemoglobin, then you can more fully appreciate the breathtaking nature of this poem. The feedback of nature is neither random nor mean-spirited. Nonetheless, if humans insist on living in unsustainable ways, then nature will weed us out or prune us down to size. Perhaps this is poetic justice for smother earth…
Below is my testimony at the PEOPLE’S HEARING to respond to the Ohio EPA’s sham public hearing on BP-Husky’ Draft Air Pollution Permit as part of their Oregon Ohio refinery re-tooling to process oil tar sands, the dirtiest oil on the planet. This People’s Hearing was sponsored by the Toledo Coalition for Safe Energy. I was speaking on behalf of Occupy Toledo and planetary citizens everywhere:
Welcome to Oregon, Ohio — now with 50% less stench!
My name is Dan Rutt. I am a long-time resident of Toledo, a citizen of Ohio and these United States of America. However, I have an over-arching allegiance; that allegiance is to our planet, which sustains our life and the life of all living beings from all nations and ecosystems. I am a planetary citizen. I am calling on all planetary citizens to rise above lesser allegiances and protect our planet from British Petroleum and other transnational corporations who stand against the interests of humanity and life on our planet.
I am standing outside the formal EPA hearing, so we the people can have our own hearing, a people’s hearing, that is not limited to narrow, technical matters, while BP and others are literally mining our planet in order to burn it. BP wants to re-tool their refining to process tar sands, the dirtiest oil on the planet, the bottom of the barrel. This is exactly the wrong direction we should be headed. Spending billions on an infrastructure to process the most polluting, least economically viable and least sustainable fossil fuel will only lock us onto the wrong path for years — years that we and our planet cannot afford. We need to switch to safe and renewable energy NOW — not next year, not next decade, not next generation, but TODAY, June 5th, 2013!
How about investing billions of dollars to switch to clean, safe, renewable, and sustainable energy? Where is your plan for that BP?
Unfortunately, the Ohio EPA is powerless to stop BP from destroying Mother Earth. The EPA may be able to regulate the lethal injection of Mother Earth while BP euthanizes her. But I am here to say, that that is not good enough! Merely deciding how we are going to destroy the planet is insanity of the highest order. We need to end our addiction to fossil fuels or we will become fossils ourselves. BP is a pusher, profiting from this deadly addiction, and should be treated as such.
Real people suffer environmental destruction while corporate persons like BP are insulated from their crimes. Three years ago, BP caused the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. This was not an “accident.” It was a criminal act. Now, they want us to entrust Mother Earth to them, again. As the U.S. Department of Justice put it, “The explosion of the rig was a disaster that resulted from BP’s culture of privileging profit over prudence.” BP has pled guilty of felony manslaughter, environmental crimes, and obstruction of Congress. While no BP executives have gone to jail, planetary citizens resist their criminal behavior and fuelish business practices and these planetary citizens go to jail.
Inside, there will be a parade of people on the payroll of British Petroleum, some literally on the payroll, some just hoping to get some of the economic scraps from refining our planet into money. This is on the heels of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, which in 2010 cited Oregon’s BP-Husky refinery for 62 safety violations and fined the company nearly $3 million for “exposing workers to a variety of hazards.” Then, this year, on March 10th, the BP-Husky refinery malfunctioned and released extremely dangerous hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide pollution into the air.
Should we trust BP? Is BP a good corporate citizen? In the years leading up to the BP gulf oil spill, on about an annual basis, BP pled guilty to criminal acts, each time saying that they were going to change their ways. Mother Earth is a battered women, BP is a batterer, and it’s time to end the cycle of criminal abuse. Buying her flowers and offering her gushing words have not stopped BP’s gushing oil in the past. We don’t want your sweet talk. We want you to stop raping the earth!
The only real question here today is whether or not we can avoid the Native American prophecy that “When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.”
BP will you fundamentally change your fossilized business practices and switch to clean, safe, renewable, and sustainable energy?
I have in my hands 38 pages of documents from Ohio EPA regarding the draft Air Pollution Permit-to-Install for BP-Husky Refining, Limited Liability Corporation, with an accent on the “Limited Liability”! I have a Bachelor’s Degree in biology, a Master’s Degree in Public Health; I’ve even had a graduate level course in environmental genetic toxicology. I’ve spent years working in and with government bureaucracies. How can one adequately address the issues raised in a few minutes? What I conclude from this draft permit and tonight’s so-called public hearing is that they are a smokescreen. Buried in this smokescreen of technocratic minutiae is our planet being buried; or perhaps more accurately: unburied and burned — literally, the cremation of our planet. This Ohio EPA sham hearing today is lethal to democracy, thwarting the larger will of the people, as it stands by, impotent to protect our environment, the very environment it is sworn to protect. Meanwhile, BP and others are destroying our planet.
Anybody who lives or passes through Oregon, Ohio, knows that BP doesn’t pass the stink test. You don’t need a doctoral degree to know that our fossil fuels addiction threatens our planet and the life it sustains. We can’t depend on British Petroleum or other fossilized corporations to protect our planet. We can’t depend on politicians or bureaucrats to protect our planet. If the planet is to be saved, then it depends on you and me, we the people. Thank you for coming out to this people’s hearing. Thank you for listening.
I will now conclude by reading a poem, entitled, O Children of Mother Earth, Arise!
Listen, O children of Mother Earth!
Hear, those who have ears
Hear the streams of clean water, our tributaries of life
Hear the streams of cars and trucks dirtying the air we breathe
See, O children of Mother Earth!
See, those who have eyes
See the beauty of fields and forests, mountains and meadows
See the scars of strip mines and cesspools of toxins
Smell, O children of Mother Earth!
Smell, those who have noses
Smell the fragrance of wildflowers and gardens
Smell the stench of oil and coal combustion, and chemical cocktails concocted
Reach out and touch, O children of Mother Earth!
Reach out and touch, those who have hands
Reach out and touch the soil and sun which fuels nature’s bounty
Reach out and touch the concrete and landfills, the Alpha and Omega of so-called “progress”
Taste, O children of Mother Earth!
Taste, those who have mouths
Taste the fruits of her plenty, enough for all
Taste the bitterness of her children’s petty scarcity, robbing brother and sister
Feel, O children of Mother Earth!
Feel, those who have hearts
Feel the call of nature
Feel the greed of those who would of nature relieve themselves
Speak, O children of Mother Earth!
Speak, those who have tongues
Speak of the splendor of a Mother’s care
Speak of the horror of an orphaned race
Arise, every living creature, O children of Mother Earth!
Return to her lap, and breast, and arms
Turn away from her desecration
Take your rightful place, to neither rule from above nor rule from below
Work side by side
Play together
Live neighborly
For we share the same fate
Whether we share or not
O children of Mother Earth
NOTE: There were an estimate 18 to 18,000 people at the People’s Hearing. THANKS to all who showed up!
Here is the testimony of Kristina Moazed, Chair, Western Lake Erie Sierra Club:
The proposal that BP has revealed to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and to us, the public, has been improperly piecemealed and made to appear as if it will be just fine for this refinery to accept tar sands.
We must begin at the very source of these oil bearing sands. Canada’s government, and the province of Alberta are massively destroying Alberta’s pristine, northern ancient forests, poisoning the water sources of their native wildlife, and natives and other Albertans for one generation’s profit and greed. The desecration of this form of extraction is seriously forever.
> This permitting decision is being made in ignorance of recognized scientific principles that do predict increasingly worse consequences of global warming.
> The decision to go forward with tar sands as a source of petroleum rejects the scientifically-grounded conclusion that to even begin to slow down the global warming and that our over-use of fossil fuels has put into motion, we must keep as much of the remaining carbon fuels as possible in the ground: they must never be extracted and burned!
> There is no consideration in this decision process of public health effects on human populations in our Toledo-Oregon-Lake Erie shore region as a consequence of the higher volumes of known carcinogenic and other pollutants which will be emitted!
> There is no consideration given to otheralternate mitigation activities, such as the building and promotion of mass transit, which would consume less petroleum, create far more permanent jobs, and cause much less pollution than perpetuating North America’s one-car, one-driver folly.
> There is no certainty that high volumes of petroleum coke will actually be generated by the proposed altered refinement process. And if it is, that coke will not be sheltered from the elements and will accumulate less than a mile from Lake Erie and one of its estuaries.
Have any emergency plans been put in place in case of explosion or fire while processing these dirty bitumen fuels so close to our source of drinking water?
Have possible impacts to tourism and the maritime and fishing industries been considered?
I’m sure if we contact the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, the birding crowd will have plenty of objections to the increased pollution in and desecration of the surrounding habitat!
Just one example of tar sands refining immediately to our north, in Detroit will give us an example of what happens. Emissions of sulfur dioxide did decrease, but emissions of hydrogen sulfide increased as they do everywhere bitumen is refined. Hydrogen sulfide is known for its rotten egg odor and is potentially fatal in sufficient concentrations. Residents near this Marathon Refinery in Detroit participated in Air Sampling which was overseen by Global Community Monitor, an environmental group based in California. In 2010 they found high levels of benzene, a carcinogen, and hydrogen sulfide near the refinery. IN one case, more than 20 chemicals, including benzene were detected in a resident’s basement. An EPA investigation traced the contamination to Marathon’s dumping of wastewater into the city sewer system! “We were shocked to learn they did not have their own discharge pipe into a body of water like, I believe, every other refinery in the United States ,” said Denny Larson, Global Community Monitor’s executive director. How convenient that the BP Refinery is right on the shore of Lake Erie! I think we will need to watch their discharges very carefully!
> These production changes are being undertaken by a global corporation which has seriously poisoned the Gulf of Mexico through crass, careless and dangerous negligence and deliberately ignoring safety regulations causing the oil spill in 2010, and its still incomplete remediation.
Now that we know BP has gamed the regulators and the public into bring tar sands cracking here to Oregon, Ohio, exactly what basis is there for any trust that consideration of public health and avoidance of environmental destruction hold any priority for BP?
We must promote green, renewable and sustainable energy! We must conserve and become more efficient our usage!
I am finally uploaded a new batch of Occupy Wall Street designs. This batch of 125 political designs is mostly Occupy Wall Street designs, but there are also a large series of “stop socialism” designs, a large series of Fox news parodies, and a new line of designs: vegetarian. I still have hundreds of other designs made that I still need to upload, so stay tuned.
The designs below are linked to button products, but each of these designs is available in all of Top Pun’s products such as T-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, magnets, key chains, sticker sheets, posters, and caps.
If you like what you see, you can check out all of my political designs, which also include more Occupy Wall Street related designs.
Gandhi Quote: First Ignore, Then Laugh, Fight, Win – POLITICAL BUTTON
Top Pun's mission is to maximize prophets. Top Pun creates serious, funny, and seriously funny peace and justice designs which are available on your choice of
products such as buttons, T-shirts, and bumper stickers. Top Pun blogs to highlight additional facets of his word artistry such as pun-filled poetry and funny political satire, free posters, as well as political actions of local and global importance -- and don't forget the noncommercial, public health radio show available online, Just for the Health of It . Top Pun's serious playfulness ever reminds us that justice is no yoke, and the pun is mightier than the sword!
Mother Nature is awesome and powerful. In this envisioned scenario, humans don’t make it, at least not in any form resembling our current civilization. In the first line of the poem, I reference the word “man” as expiring, that is, lowercase man, not humankind. I snuck this in as an opening to survive, if in fact, in the yin and yang of life, the patriarchal male force is brought into balance with the nurturing/healing female force. I don’t think that it is any accident that nature, Mother Nature, is typically viewed as female across many human cultures. If we don’t respect females, then we are doomed to an existence far short of our awesome potential, or, perhaps, simply doomed to extinction. May we as a species, one among many, find a balance befitting the awesome benevolence of Mother Nature.
![Clean Up Your Mess, Love, Mom [Earth] POLITICAL BUTTON](https://toppun.com/Political/Clean-Up-Your-Mess-Love-Mom-Earth.gif)
![Globalize THIS - ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY [earth graphic] POLITICAL BUTTON](https://toppun.com/Political/Globalize-THIS-ENVIRONMENTAL-RESPONSIBILITY-earth-graphic.gif)
Just for the Health of It is my weekly half-hour public health show on WAKT, 106.1 FM Toledo. You can listen at 9:00 AM Tuesdays and Thursdays (after Democracy NOW) on-air or on-line 
![Clean Up Your Mess, Love, Mom [Earth] POLITICAL BUTTON](http://toppun.com/Political/Clean-Up-Your-Mess-Love-Mom-Earth.gif)
![Globalize THIS - ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY [earth graphic] POLITICAL BUTTON](http://toppun.com/Political/Globalize-THIS-ENVIRONMENTAL-RESPONSIBILITY-earth-graphic.gif)
