For the life of me, I am unable to find a single justification for the Trump administration’s war on science, on rationality, and their refusal to accept the continuing need to expand opportunity to educate, train, and expand our pool of doctors and nurses and medical researchers.
One upon a time, politicians watched what they did and said in public, and often they paid a price for either bad behavior or slips of the tongue. But these are the days, my friends, where even monstrous behavior seems to matter not.
I have read too many words, written too many. For me, there is always the reality of a poisoned Rising Pond, but the enduring dream of a fishable, swimmable river.
Thanks to our share of Aroclor, we in Berkshire County have been victims of GE and Monsanto’s gross incompetence, remarkable negligence, and their unrelenting impulse to put profit before worker safety, and the public health and our environment.
While recent events may preclude legal action against GE, that is not the case when it comes to pursuing claims against the Monsanto Company, the ultimate responsible party for the widespread PCB contamination in the Commonwealth.
I realize now that I was extraordinarily lucky to see Glacier when there were actual glorious glaciers. So, to me, there is no battle that makes more sense than fighting as hard as possible to protect that special space.
So much about this cowardly new MAGA mad world view tests our sanity. It has been hard to recognize—and name—the descent into our own homegrown authoritarianism.
A close look at the lyrics of Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell’s “Georgia On My Mind” reveals that nothing is as simple as it seems. And that might yet hold true for Donald J. Trump.
“There is overwhelming documented evidence that the proposed toxic-waste site in Lee (Upland Disposal Facility) has long been known by the key players to be a poor choice for dumping PCB’s or any other ‘forever’ chemical.” — Lee Select Board Chair Bob Jones, September 11, 202
Shouldn’t the decisions about what to do about our Housatonic be made by and for the people. While there is no denying democracy is important in Georgia and Washington, D.C., it is important in Berkshire County as well.
There are so many consequences for the rest of us as the few maximize their wealth, as a grievously unfair tax structure enables them to keep far more than they need while proper housing and adequate healthcare is unattainable for so many.
It is yet another grand irony. The ignorant imagine they know better than those who labor for years to better understand, who read and study and hypothesize, make mistakes and correct them, who appreciate that, while perfection is impossible, trying to get it right is essential.
Those Americans who still hold onto what used to be everyday pre-Trump values, like respect for the law and a concern for our national security, might have been shocked by the outrageous carelessness and treasonous behavior detailed in the indictment. But to me, it all seemed so eminently believable.
It’s so very hard to acknowledge and confront the climate crisis, so very painful to fully appreciate the depths of human stupidity and out-of-control greed that has brought us to this point. To destroy the very place that provides us life.
Personally, I’m glad Kaitlan Collins allowed Donald Trump the opportunity to be the scorpion he is. As he proudly told multiple lies and provided a clear picture of who he’ll be if he occupies the White House a second time around.
