Today is World Nature Conservation Day, a global reminder that we all share a responsibility to protect the natural world and the resources that sustain life on Earth.

Living along the Mendocino North Coast, I am reminded every day that we are part of something much larger than ourselves. This coastline is not just a beautiful place to live. It is a living, breathing ecosystem shaped by the Pacific Ocean, ancient forests, rivers, and the many species that call this place home.

When I look out at the ocean, I am reminded how fortunate we are to live surrounded by such extraordinary natural beauty. On one side lies the vast Pacific Ocean. Beyond the shoreline, rugged forests rise across the landscape, with mountains and valleys stretching inland. Together, these interconnected ecosystems sustain wildlife, protect biodiversity, provide food and clean water, and enrich our lives in ways we often take for granted.

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I have spent much of my adult life working with others to protect nature, advocate for conservation, and raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding the ecosystems that sustain us. Over the years, I have learned that conservation is not just about protecting places — it is about people, relationships, and understanding that we are all connected. It is also about the many individuals, organizations, and communities that create projects, share knowledge, and take action to protect the natural world for future generations.

Last weekend, I covered an event for The Mendocino Voice about a remarkable woman, Catherine Breed. Her extraordinary journey along the California coast reflects a deep commitment to raising awareness about conservation. Her story is a reminder that one person’s passion and determination can inspire others to pay attention, care more deeply, and take action to protect our oceans and natural world. (See the article link below).

From the towering redwoods to the depths of the Pacific Ocean, this part of California’s North Coast represents a remarkable connection between nature, culture, and community. Protecting these places requires science, advocacy, collaboration, and the voices of people who understand their value.

One of the things I treasure about this coast is that, despite the pressures of development, people can still walk along the beaches, bluffs, and trails and experience this landscape firsthand. Those moments create a connection to nature — and that connection helps build a desire to protect it.

When I stand safely on a rocky cliff and watch the waves, I am always struck by their steady rhythm. Just last week, while waiting with a friend to attend a performance at the Mendocino Music Festival’s big tent on the Mendocino Headlands overlooking Mendocino Bay, we sat at a picnic table watching the ocean. As we talked, gray whales suddenly appeared offshore, their spouts rising above the water. It was one of those quiet, unforgettable moments that reminds us of the incredible wildlife that shares this coastline with us.

These moments put life into perspective. The ocean reminds us that nature is resilient, but it is not limitless. The places we love will only remain for future generations if we choose to protect them.

My commitment to conservation has only grown stronger as I have witnessed the impacts of climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and unsustainable development. The landscapes we cherish are not guaranteed to remain the same unless we make the effort to care for them

When I walk along the shoreline, soft sand underfoot, I think about all of our responsibilities. The beauty of our shoreline, forests, mountains, and valleys is matched by their vulnerability. Rising seas, stronger storms, coastal erosion, pollution, prolonged drought, and more frequent wildfires are changing the places we know and love.

I am also constantly reminded of the incredible diversity of life around us. Deer moving quietly through the landscape, wild turkeys, the occasional bear, foxes nearby, cormorants along the shore, harbor seals and river otters, sandpipers searching the beaches, gulls and osprey soaring overhead all remind me that we share this place with many others.

Even the hummingbirds and singing song sparrows and a tiny green tree frog that visit my small backyard let me know that nature is all around us. It is not something separate from our lives. It is right here, waiting for us to notice, appreciate, and protect it.

These are my neighbors.

They are part of the reason we must protect our natural resources.

Conservation is about much more than preserving beautiful scenery. It is about protecting the living beings that share this planet with us and safeguarding the ecosystems that are their homes. It is an investment in the health, resilience, and well-being of future generations — and our own.

We are part of a much larger story.

On this World Nature Conservation Day, I hope we continue to see nature not as something separate from ourselves, but as a relationship we are entrusted to protect.

The choices we make today will determine what kind of world future generations inherit. Ensuring that future generations can experience the same sense of wonder and connection to nature that we enjoy today is paramount.

– Let us think about that more deeply.

Resources:

State of California, Nature & Conservation, California State Parks protects and preserves the state’s natural biodiversity, while educating visitors about the importance of conservation and sustainability. Explore resources for interactive content, educational activities, and park events to learn about California’s incredible ecosystems, and how to get involved in conservation efforts.

https://learning.parks.ca.gov/nature-conservation/

An Athlete Making a Difference through her sport. The Mendocino Voice, July 27, 2026, by Mary Rose Kaczorowski, “Catherine Breed will set a record by swimming the length of California’s Coast” https://mendovoice.com/2026/07/catherine-breed-will-set-a-record-by-swimming-the-length-of-californias-coast/

IUCN BLOG: July 28, 2026 —by Kathryn Goodwin “World Conservation Day: Restoring Nature to Build Resilience, Cooperation and Lasting Peace”

https://iucn.org/blog/202607/world-conservation-day-restoring-nature-build-resilience-cooperation-and-lasting-peace

NOAA’s National Ocean Service Protecting our Planet Begins with You https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ocean/earthday.html

What initially appeared to be a break-in ultimately revealed a much broader operation of political espionage and a cover-up connected to U.S. President Richard Nixon’s 1972 reelection campaign. President Richard Nixon announced his resignation on August 8, 1974, making him the first American president to resign from office.

Watergate remains an important warning about what happens when a president engages in wrongdoing and the people around him fail to intervene. It demonstrated that the strength of democratic institutions depends not only on the integrity of the president, but also on the willingness of advisers, political allies, public officials, Congress, the courts, the press, and the public to uphold the rule of law—even when doing so is politically difficult.

The lesson of Watergate is not simply that a president can abuse power. It is that wrongdoing can continue and deepen when those closest to the president choose loyalty, silence, or inaction over accountability.

Watergate also demonstrated that presidential wrongdoing could lead to criminal prosecutions of administration officials and campaign figures and prompted greater congressional oversight of executive power.

So where is Congress now?

Why is Congress failing to challenge or restrain a president when abuses of power and wrongdoing are occurring?

The Watergate era demonstrated that Congress could—and would—exercise its constitutional responsibility to hold a president and his administration accountable.

The question today is whether loyalty to a president has replaced Congress’s constitutional duty to provide oversight and serve as a check on executive power.

When Congress fails to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to hold a president accountable for abuses of power, the people must act. Democracy depends on citizens who remain informed, speak out, organize, participate, and demand accountability from those who hold public office.

The lesson of Watergate is clear: No president should be above the law. And the defense of democracy cannot be left solely to those in power.

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Research Links:

Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (The Watergate Committee)

https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/investigations/watergate.htm

Watergate through a Harvard lens Is there anything to learn about Watergate?

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/06/is-there-anything-to-learn-about-watergate-new-history-says-yes/

Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal

https://www.britannica.com/video/overview-Richard-M-Nixon/-193173

The United States v. Nixon, The President of the United States, ET AL.

https://www.senate.gov/about/resources/pdf/us-nixon-watergate-1974.pdf

As this nation marks 250 years, reflecting on our past and our present moments must guide how we shape our future.

Inspired by the enduring principles set forth in the Federalist Papers and the writings of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, I offer this essay, a call to action, in that same spirit of civic responsibility and constitutional dialogue. It is written to encourage thoughtful reflection on the challenges facing our nation, to reaffirm the principles of constitutional self-government, and to support informed public discourse committed to preserving liberty, justice, the rule of law, and the enduring blessings of our Republic for present and future generations.

The Federalist Papers were a series of essays written to persuade voters in New York to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution. They are frequently cited by judges, lawyers, historians, and the U.S. Supreme Court to help interpret the original intent of the Constitution’s framers. However, they are often treated as if they provide clear, fixed answers to modern constitutional questions.

In reality, they were written as persuasive arguments for a specific political moment (1787–1788). That gap in historical context is where many misinterpretations arise. They reflect the views of three authors—Hamilton, Madison, and Jay—writing to win a political fight in New York, not to create binding legal rules for all time. The Federalist Papers are a powerful set of political arguments explaining why the Constitution should be adopted, not a definitive manual for how every future constitutional issue must be resolved.

Just an aside, Abigail Adams is often referred to as a key intellectual voice of the American Revolution, even though she could not participate as a formal political actor or sign either the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution due to the legal and political exclusion of women at the time.

Her influence instead came through her writings—especially her correspondence urging her husband, John Adams, to “remember the ladies,” a reminder of how deeply women were engaged in the revolutionary ideas even when barred from official recognition.

Recently, I pulled this following “essay” from my stack of writings and musings and reframed it to speak more directly to the crisis—and the opportunity—that now faces us all. I have incorporated and inserted material from the original “Federalist Papers documents” and other historical writings and relied on them as source material; and for a bit of the style, I am attempting to emulate.

I also imagine what the men and women of that era—and of those who came before and after them, as generations grappled with the meaning of liberty for all—would say if they could see our present moment today, knowing what they knew then, and holding to their hope that the promise of liberty would continue to expand and extend to all, while also reckoning with the harms of slavery and the displacement of Indigenous peoples from their lands, and seeking the moral accounting and forgiveness such history calls us to confront.

To the People of the United States of America...from the spirit of generations before us, who struggled to define and defend the meaning of liberty, to the present moment in which we now find ourselves, we are bound by a shared inheritance and a continuing responsibility:

After witnessing the unmistakable failures and inefficiencies of those entrusted with the responsibilities of our national government, you are called upon to deliberate a new course for the future of our Republic. The subject speaks for itself, for it concerns nothing less than the safety, welfare, and destiny of the United States of America and the generations yet to come.

The question before us is whether we shall preserve a government that exists to promote the well-being of its own people or permit it to drift further from the principles of equality for -upon which it was founded.

Masked agents operating in our streets, separating families, and detaining individuals without transparency have no place in a nation founded upon liberty, due process, and the rule of law. The exercise of governmental authority must always be accountable to the Constitution and carried out with respect for the inherent dignity and legal rights of every person.

A free society does not abandon its principles in moments of uncertainty or political division; it demonstrates its strength by faithfully upholding them. To those who speak of “just causes” for war abroad or on our own shores while advancing clandestine operations concealed from the people and falsely justified as serving the public interest, let it be plainly stated: no government can claim legitimacy when it abandons its obligation to protect the liberties of those from whom its authority is derived.

The gravest dangers to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness do not arise solely from foreign adversaries. They also emerge when those who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution fail in their allegiance to the American people. When the highest offices in our land cease to honor that sacred trust, they undermine the very freedoms they were elected to defend.

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It is a truth, however painful, that history records many leaders who have pursued war not because it served the nation’s interests, but because it advanced personal ambition, political revenge, ideological zeal, or private alliances. Military glory, partisan advantage, and the pursuit of power have too often outweighed justice and the genuine interests of the American people. Such conduct is more characteristic of absolute monarchies and authoritarian regimes than of a constitutional republic dedicated to liberty.

Equally dangerous is the continuation of domestic and foreign policies that invite hostility, weaken democratic institutions, diminish public confidence, and place the interests of the few above the welfare of the many.

When governments cloak military action beneath the sacred banners of patriotism while suppressing truth, manipulating public opinion, compromising the independence of the press, and imposing excessive burdens upon the people to finance policies that poison our air, waterways, and land and threaten the future of life itself, these actions constitute dangers that are real, certain, and formidable. Such abuses are most often born not from the common good but from the passions and interests of factions.

Where constitutional violations or abuses of executive power have occurred, the preservation of our Republic depends upon fidelity to the rule of law rather than the rule of individuals and corporate interests.

Therefore, we call upon the people to renew their commitment to representative government by electing women and men whose integrity, character, and devotion to constitutional principles merit the public’s confidence. Let our representatives reflect the rich diversity of all races, cultures, faiths, sexual orientations and communities that together comprise this great nation.

We have awakened to the concealments, distortions, and misrepresentations that too often obscure the truth from public view. Such deceptions have clouded our judgment, tempting us with false promises of security, distorted visions of patriotism, and illusions of national greatness detached from constitutional principles.

History teaches us that those who erode liberty rarely begin by openly rejecting freedom. Rather, they begin by elevating themselves above the law, seeking personal power, cultivating division, and persuading citizens to surrender their rights in exchange for promises of safety or prosperity.

Now, more than ever, we must ask ourselves whether we still believe the enduring promise of our Constitution:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity...”

These are not merely words inherited from another generation. They are a continuing covenant between the people and their government. Their fulfillment depends not upon any one leader, but upon an informed, engaged, and vigilant citizenry determined to preserve constitutional government, justice, equality under the law, and liberty for generations yet unborn.

The United States, long established as a constitutional republic, continues to strengthen and test its democratic institutions, norms, and stability. The preservation of self-government is not a finished act, but an ongoing responsibility carried by each generation.

The Constitution entrusts the American people with peaceful and lawful means to hold their government accountable. As this November’s elections approach, the people are called upon to exercise that sacred responsibility by electing women and men who will faithfully uphold the Constitution, protect the rights and liberties of every person, preserve the rule of law, and promote the general welfare rather than personal, partisan, or special interests. With a new vision, let those elected reflect the full diversity of our nation and govern with wisdom, justice, and respect for the equal dignity of every person, and to care for the earth that we call home.

Our national character has long been defined not only by the liberties we preserve, but also by the hope we extend to those who seek freedom and opportunity. The enduring words inscribed upon the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty continue to remind us of that promise:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

These timeless words express the ideals that have long inspired our nation: that liberty, human dignity, and equal opportunity are among America’s greatest promises. While every sovereign nation has both the right and the responsibility to secure its borders and administer its immigration laws, we must do so in a manner that reflects our constitutional principles, respects the inherent dignity of every human being, and preserves the United States as a beacon of hope, freedom, and justice.

The people must reclaim their rightful voice through informed participation, civic responsibility, and the ballot box. They are called to examine carefully those entrusted with public office and to elect leaders who will preserve a wise, balanced, and constitutional government. When the people of America reflect upon the questions before them—questions whose consequences will shape the future of the Republic for generations to come—it becomes evident that no responsibility is more important than the faithful exercise of the right to vote.

The right to vote is fundamental and must not be usurped or manipulated by the few; it must be upheld and not thwarted by the highest courts in the land.

Resources & Sources:

The Documents That Shaped a Nation https://ushistory.education/

The Atlantic: What the Founders Would Say Now-They might be surprised that the republic exists at all. By Fintan O’Toole

The Woman Who Built a Nation: The Epic Life of Abigail Adams

HAMILTON - The play and the Book:

Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. Penguin Random House, 2004.

Miranda, Lin-Manuel. Hamilton: An American Musical. 2015. Official site: https://hamiltonmusical.com/

Broader constitutional interpretation scholarship (limits of Founding texts) David S. Schwartz (Buffalo Law Review) https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/buffalolawreview/vol70/iss2/4/

Gregory E. Maggs (George Washington University Law School)
“A Concise Guide to the Federalist Papers as a Source of the Original Meaning…” (SSRN)
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=969675

I still have hope when I read the United Nations Charter. I strongly believe people can carry the Charter’s values forward in very practical ways — by standing up for human rights, working toward peaceful solutions in their communities, and supporting efforts that reduce harm and build long‑term resilience. Whether it’s advocating for equality and free expression, standing up against war, or demanding right to safe housing, ending poverty and hunger, or environmental protection, these actions echo the principles set down in 1945. When individuals or communities align their work with those commitments, they help keep the Charter alive in the world.

I remember one of the first things I did after arriving in San Francisco in the 1980’s, I walked through the War Memorial complex, the Opera House and the Veterans Building standing like quiet witnesses to history. In April 1945, representatives of 50 nations met there to shape and sign the United Nations Charter. The birthplace of the UN sits right in the heart of the city. I could feel the walls holding the weight of that historic moment. I could hear in the silence the murmur of history whispering to me.

June 26, 2026, marks the 81st anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco’s Veterans Building, inside the Herbst Theatre. The words still echo in those halls.

A memorable event for me was back on June 26, 2015, San Francisco hosted a major commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter in the city on June 26, 1945. The event took place at City Hall Rotunda and featured UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon alongside local, state, and national leaders. I managed to score a ticket to be there viewing it all from a great vantage point. That day still resonates with me deeply.

United Nations Charter (full text)

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED….

United Nations Charter (full text)

Preamble

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS.

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.

Read the rest at: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text

Why do we need the United Nations? Because history has taught us the cost of failing to work together. Are we at that point again?

Today, the challenges facing humanity are global. Wars, climate change, poverty, hunger, disease, displacement, and threats to human rights do not stop at national borders. In an interconnected world, no country can stand alone against challenges that affect all of humanity. From the local to the global we are all impacted.

Why the United Nations?

The United Nations was born from the ashes of World War II; more than 60 million lives were lost and much of the world was left in ruins. Its founders understood that peace could not be taken for granted and that future generations deserved something better than endless cycles of war, suffering, and division.

While World War II was still raging, many leaders were already looking beyond the battlefield and asking how future wars could be prevented. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss their vision for a more peaceful and cooperative world. Their discussions formulated the basis for the Atlantic Charter, a statement of shared principles that emphasized self-determination, international cooperation, economic security, and collective peace. Although it did not create a new organization, the Atlantic Charter became an important foundation for what would later become the United Nations Charter.

The Declaration by United Nations, signed on January 1, 1942, formalized the alliance of countries fighting against the Axis powers during World War II and laid the groundwork for the establishment of the United Nations.

In January 1942, twenty-six nations signed the Declaration by United Nations, committing themselves to work together in the war effort and in building a more peaceful world. This marked the first official use of the name "United Nations."In 1944, representatives of four major Allied nations met at Dumbarton Oaks to develop the framework for the United Nations. While they agreed on its basic structure, important questions about decision-making and the role of major powers remained unresolved.

Those difficult questions were addressed at the Yalta Conference in February 1945. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin negotiated the structure of the Security Council and agreed that the permanent members would possess veto power. This compromise was controversial, but many believed it was essential if the world’s most powerful nations were to participate fully in the new organization. Without their support, any international body would risk becoming ineffective, as had happened with the League of Nations.

The final and most significant stage occurred in San Francisco. On April 25, 1945, delegates from fifty countries gathered at the United Nations Conference on International Organization. The atmosphere was both hopeful and urgent. The war in Europe was nearing its end, millions had died, and the world desperately sought a framework that could prevent future global conflict. Delegates for over two months debated, revised, and strengthened the draft Charter. Hundreds of meetings were held. Delegates pushed for stronger commitments to human rights, economic and social development, international cooperation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

The negotiations were often tense as delegates struggled to balance the influence of the major powers with the concerns of smaller nations. While the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and China sought a leading role in shaping the Security Council, many smaller countries strongly opposed granting the permanent members broad veto powers.

When the United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco on June 26, 1945, the mood was one of hope, unity and determination as nations looked toward building a more peaceful world after the awful devastation of war.

While the San Francisco Conference is the most visible founding moment, women had been engaged in shaping the UN’s vision since the Dumbarton Oaks Conference (August–October 1944) in Washington, D.C., and the Yalta Conference (February–April 1945) in Crimea. These meetings laid the groundwork for the UN Charter and Security Council structure.

Although women represented only a small number of official delegates at the actual 1945 San Francisco Conference, they played a pivotal role in shaping the United Nations Charter. Bertha Lutz of Brazil, Minerva Bernardino of the Dominican Republic, Virginia Gildersleeve of the United States, and Wu Yi-fang of China successfully advocated for the inclusion of equal rights for men and women in the Charter, helping to establish gender equality as a core principle of the United Nations.

Eleanor Roosevelt did not participate in drafting the United Nations Charter in 1945. President Harry Truman had appointed Eleanor Roosevelt to the United States delegation to the United Nations in December 1945. As Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights, she guided the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948. Her leadership helped establish human rights as a central pillar of the United Nations and earned her international recognition as the "First Lady of the World."

Sources:

Lillian Goldman Law Library, Yale Law School The Avalon Project, Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy A Decade of American Foreign Policy 1941-1949
Declaration by the United Nations, January 1, 1942 https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/decade03.asp

United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld Library 80 Multilateral Agreements that Shaped our World: the United Nations at 80 https://research.un.org/en/UN80/1941-1945

ITU- United Nations specialized agency for digital technologies (ICTs) Uncovering women’s contributions to the creation of the United Nations https://www.itu.int/hub/2020/05/uncovering-womens-contributions-to-the-creation-of-the-united-nations/

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHR) The role of women in shaping the Universal Declaration of Human Rights https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2018/03/role-women-shaping-universal-declaration-human-rights

The United Nations Foundation The Women Present at the Founding of the UN https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/the-women-present-at-the-founding-of-the-un/

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History The United Nations Charter of 1945 and Women’s Rights, by Rebecca Adami https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/united-nations-charter-1945-and-womens-rights

How can these wars go on and on, and the hatred never seem to end? So many people are feeling heartsick and emotionally exhausted by the constant conflict, division, and anger woven through daily life and the media we consume. It can feel overwhelming to witness so much suffering, cruelty, and hostility, day after day.

Studies show that many people are quietly pulling away from social media and online communities because the tone has become too harsh and hurtful. Nearly one-third of respondents say they are tuning out of social networking sites, with many pointing to rude discourse and hostility as the reason. People are blocking others, leaving online groups, and avoiding spaces where insults, outrage, and personal attacks have replaced respectful conversation.

The signs of this loss of civility appear everywhere — cyberbullying, online “flaming,” cruel comments, hostile television exchanges, and bitter political mudslinging that encourages people to see one another as enemies instead of fellow human beings. Constant exposure to anger and conflict can leave people anxious, discouraged, and emotionally drained.

Yet even in difficult times, moments of peace still exist. Serenity by the sea — breathing deeply of the ocean air, hearing the sparrows sing, feeling the gentle coastal breeze, enjoying flowers planted along a sidewalk, watching a squirrel in a nearby park — all can soothe the heart and quiet the mind. Nature gently reminds us that another way of living is possible.

In those peaceful moments, we remember that kindness, compassion, and simple human connection still matter deeply. Even when there is no ocean nearby, no forest trail, or quiet place in nature to escape to, people still search for moments of peace and comfort.

Sometimes serenity must be created in small, simple ways — a kind conversation at the grocery store, listening to soft music or the laughter of a child, a candle glowing in a dark room, a window opened to fresh air, or simply sitting quietly for a few moments away from the noise.

Perhaps healing does not begin with grand speeches or winning arguments, but with small acts of humanity: listening with patience, speaking with respect, offering compassion, and remembering that beneath our differences, we all carry hopes, fears, grief, and longing. The world may feel loud with conflict, but peace often begins in quieter places — within communities, conversations, and hearts still willing to choose understanding over hatred.

Even in crowded cities or difficult circumstances, small acts of kindness can become their own form of refuge.

The world will not always be gentle, but we can be. And sometimes, that is enough to begin again

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Again Mother’s Day arrives with more advertising—flowers, jewelry, brunch reservations, pastel cards with perfect sentiments. And every year, I feel the same quiet resistance. Not because mothers shouldn’t be honored, but because this holiday has been turned into something commercial.

Motherhood is not a marketing theme. It is work—often invisible, unpaid, exhausting, and lifelong. It is emotional labor, caregiving, patience, advocacy, and sacrifice.

It should mean building a world where mothers are supported, protected, and valued every day—not just celebrated for a moment and forgotten again.

For countless mothers, the home has not been a safe place. Domestic violence is not rare, not private, and not a “family issue”—it is a social crisis. Many women have raised children while surviving abuse, coercion, financial control, and fear. Some are still living inside it. Others are rebuilding after escaping it. And many carry the lifelong scars of what they endured.

So, when society tells us to celebrate motherhood with brunch and bouquets, it can feel painfully disconnected from reality. A card does not protect a woman. Flowers do not stop a violent partner. A holiday does not replace the systems that too often fail to intervene, fail to believe women, or fail to provide real safety and stability.

Maybe honoring mothers has less to do with buying gifts and more to do with listening, showing up, sharing responsibility, and building a society where caregiving is properly valued, supported, and compensated. No excuse! Instead of spending billions on bombs and wars and we need to stop such destructive nonsense that harms mothers and families.

If we truly want to honor mothers, we should honor them with more than sentiment. We should honor them with protection, housing, healthcare, childcare, equal pay, and real resources for those fleeing abuse and war.

Yes, a holiday may be symbolic, but equal pay, legal rights, affordable childcare, paid family leave, and workplace protections are what actually honor mothers in real life.

So, when people say mothers would be better honored with equal pay, legal rights, childcare support, and workplace fairness, that’s not “politicizing” Mother’s Day—it’s actually returning it to its roots: a women-led movement aimed at improving real life conditions for families and communities. That would be a Mother’s Day worth celebrating.

In Summary--

Modern Mother’s Day in the U.S. grew out of women-led social and reform movements in the 1800s and early 1900s:

Anna Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” in West Virginia in the 1850s to improve sanitation and public health.

After the Civil War, women organized “Mothers’ Friendship Days” to help reunite divided communities.

Julia Ward Howe (who wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic) issued a famous Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870, calling on mothers to unite for peace and oppose war.

The holiday we recognize today was pushed most successfully by Anna Jarvis, who wanted a day to honor mothers’ sacrifices. She held the first official observance in 1908.

It became a U.S. national holiday in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law.

Ironically, Anna Jarvis later became furious that florists, card companies, and businesses turned it into a commercial event. She spent much of her later life trying to fight that commercialization.

Read More about Mother’s Day by Heather Cox Richardson:

​https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/may-9-2026?r=amfil&utm_campaignhttps://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/may-9-2026?r=amfil&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Porter has a plan for transition; Steyer wants to streamline the process and make it happen fast.

Porter is more system-compatible and therefore more predictable in execution; Steyer is more transformational in intent, but carries higher implementation risk and timeline uncertainty.

Katie Porter’s Core Approach

· Porter emphasizes investing in clean energy and infrastructure (solar, wind, grid expansion) and advancing climate justice while holding polluters accountable.

· She points to her record in Congress — oversight of oil companies and environmental protection — as her proof she can push regulatory and oversight mechanisms effectively.

Tom Steyer’s Core Approach

· Steyer explicitly markets rapid cost reductions (e.g., pledging to cut electricity bills by up to ~25%) and proposes ballot initiative-driven steps against utility monopolies to speed up climate technology adoption.

· He frames climate action as something that will make life cheaper and healthier, tying economics directly to technical policy outcomes.

Climate science consensus

The scientific consensus on climate change is primarily caused by human activities, and it is already producing measurable and increasing impacts on Earth’s climate system. This conclusion is based on decades of research and is summarized most comprehensively by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), along with national science academies and climate research institutions worldwide.

Scientists agree that the main driver is the buildup of greenhouse gases—especially carbon dioxide and methane—from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial activity. The consensus also holds that continued emissions will intensify warming, sea-level rise, extreme weather, and ecosystem disruption, while limiting warming requires rapid reductions in emissions and a transition to low-carbon energy systems.

Reaching net-zero goals far earlier than existing policy deadlines requires both acceleration of clean technology deployment and systemic reform across energy, transportation, and industry sectors.

That means both approaches — investment in clean energy and policy innovation that changes market incentives — are important.

The main takeaway—clear to anyone who has attended California Public Utilities Commission hearings or meetings online—is the understanding what is truly feasible.

Porter’s climate strategy builds on technologies already being deployed and policy tools already in place in California. That makes her approach broadly feasible, even if it may not move as fast as some climate scientists say is necessary. Porter’s proposals include keeping some fossil-fuel infrastructure online during the transition, while funding the shift by taxing high-resource technology industries.

Steyer, on the other hand, is selling speed—promising rapid cost reductions. His experience in climate advocacy and clean-tech investment could help drive innovation and attract capital, but his big promises depend on major restructuring of utility markets and grid operations. That is not only politically difficult, but also technically complex and typically takes years, not months. While competition may sound appealing, the electricity grid is not a straightforward marketplace. —it is a tightly coordinated physical set of systems where reliability, transmission planning and restructuring, storage integration, and load balancing (etc.) cannot be rushed.

Don’t forget distribution costs!

Distribution costs are a major factor driving most customers’ electricity bills. “Distribution costs” are the costs of running and maintaining the local electric system that delivers power to homes and businesses—things like neighborhood power lines, poles, transformers, substations, meters, and repair crews. These costs often make up a large share of what customers pay because they cover infrastructure maintenance, wildfire prevention, and system upgrades, even if the actual electricity generation is relatively cheap. In other words, even when energy prices drop, distribution costs can keep bills high because they reflect the cost of delivering electricity safely and reliably.

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Resources:

California’s Gubernatorial Candidates Focus on Affordability at Climate-Focused Forum https://www.kqed.org/science/1999931/californias-gubernatorial-candidates-focus-on-affordability-at-climate-focused-forum

Katie Porter For Governor— Protecting Our Planet

https://katieporter.com/priority/protecting-our-planet/

Tom Steyer for Governor —Defend the Climate and Environment https://www.tomsteyer.com/issues/climateAccelerating the timeline for climate action in California

California Releases World’s First Plan to Achieve Net Zero Carbon Pollution

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/11/16/california-releases-worlds-first-plan-to-achieve-net-zero-carbon-pollution/

CAL MATTERS: Tom Steyer vows to cut electricity bills by 25%, but experts say the details fall short https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/01/governor-steyer-electricity-rates/

The New York Times: The World Is About to Get a Preview of Life in 2035
The El Niño brewing this year might make 2027 the hottest year on record.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/opinion/el-nino-climate.html?smid=em-share

Today was the 13TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY!

When the world feels uncertain, I find myself returning—again and again—to community. It’s still the one place where people show up for each other, still offer kindness, still make room for care even when everything else feels like too much. When war, politics, and the daily static wear things down, I keep coming back to the simple, grounding truth: stay close, stay human, stay in community.

Today was Independent Bookstore Day, and it felt only right during these times of upheaval to be at Gallery Bookshop in the town (many of us call it the Village of ) Mendocino, which somehow always is the right place to be. Every time I walk through the door, it feels like stepping into a different rhythm of time, where the outside world loosens its grip and the magic of books on shelves take over. The friendly people who hold the bookshop together day to day have a way of making the world feel right again.

These small, local spaces are more than bookstores—they’re living rooms of imagination, where conversation unfolds slowly, and belonging is built one encounter at a time.

Of course, no visit is complete without checking in on the Great Catsby—the resident cat of Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino. Catsby has become part of the place itself, even featured in the limited-edition Book Shop Cats collection with his own paw-print “autograph.”

Catsby joined Gallery Bookshop in the fall of 2012, arriving in Mendocino with what can only be called impeccable timing and highly questionable transportation choices. He was first spotted roaming a nearby town, darting in and out of businesses as if he had a very full schedule—somewhere between important and entirely mysterious. Then, in a moment of pure feline strategy, he discovered an open car window and hitchhiked—completely without the driver’s knowledge—straight into the village of Mendocino.

Once there, fate (and a friend of the bookshop) stepped in, and he was quickly offered the only position he was truly qualified for: bookstore cat.

I’m always looking for Catsby. He may be getting on in years, but he’s still very much on duty—holding court among the books like he runs the place (because, let’s be honest, he does). Age hasn’t dimmed him one bit. If anything, it’s deepened his authority. He still is steady, iconic, and still the first “author” I go looking for.

The day itself at the bookstore was full of life—games, a raffle, prizes, snacks, giveaways, and easy conversation spilling between the shelves. Local authors met readers, signed books. Independent bookstores aren’t just where books are sold—they’re where stories are shared, sparked into life, and carried forward in conversation, memory, and connection.

Later, still in the spirit of National Poetry Month, I made my way to the Mendocino Art Center to read with other fellow poets at a poetry reading hosted monthly by Mendocino County Poet Laureate Deveraux Baker. This was entirely an open mic. These gatherings are never just events—they are community in motion. People gather through words, listening closely, reading aloud, and in each poet and their poems there is a recognition of ourselves in one another—words sounding through the times and experiences we’re all moving through

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Last week, we also gathered in a packed-house memorial for two beloved poets from our community who have passed—Joe Smith and Janferie Stone. It was a deeply shared evening of reminiscence, stories, and poetry, with a generous potluck of food and libations. The room held grief and gratitude at the same time, and language became a way of keeping them close.

We’ve also come together in recent years to honor other local poets we’ve lost—ruth weiss, Mary Norbert Korte, Bill Bradd, and Gordon Black. Each gathering has felt like a kind of weaving—stories, laughter, tears, and poetry moving through the room, carrying memory forward in ways that feel both fragile and enduring.

After today’s poetry reading, I headed back to Gallery Bookshop for the tail end of the celebration. I couldn’t stay away— too much fun. I ran into some friends showed off the books we purchased, and spent time chatting with the staff and had a wonderful conversation while sitting on one of the windowsill couches, talking excitedly about the books we’re reading and the authors we admire. We all agreed reading can feel like a kind of steadying force in uncertain times. Books invite us to slow down. What happens in the books we read—and what we later talk about—lets us step outside our immediate moment while still making sense of it. And of course, I made sure to say hello again to Catsby. By the way, Gallery Bookshop faces one of the most beautiful views of Mendocino Bay and redwood forests in the distance.

In the end, it always comes back to the same thing: community as something we practice, not just something we belong to. Community can be messy, but it’s the real deal—alive, imperfect, and always showing up in the ways that matter most. The vibrant Mendocino County poetry and literary scene—rooted in places like Gallery Bookshop, The Mendocino Arts Center, the Fort Bragg Library, and other gathering spaces throughout this county—is a living, breathing balm. Our poetry readings are a place you can step into, where familiar faces return, new ones are welcomed, and connection is built in real time through attention, and presence.

Books I am reading now:

Nobel Prize Winner Olga Tokarczuk’s House Of Day-House of Night transalated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones

The Great Derangement- Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh

Entitlement (a novel) by Rumann Alam

Books Waiting in the line for me to read:

Heart Wood - The Wisdom and Healing Kinship of Trees by Lindsay Branham

Project Hail Mary ( I saw the film 2 times!) by Andy Weir

And Books I keep handy, nearby by:

The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder

The Other by Ryszard Kapuściński

Boiling Point by Ross Gelbspan

Marina Tsvetaeva Selected Poems (several translators)

Posts - Poems by Tadeusz Dąbrowski

and a few hundred others— poetry (especially by friends) and prose books—too many to name

Earth Day still matters. But not in the clean, feel-good way it once tried to sell itself.

It matters now because the planet has become the battleground beneath everything else: ownership, war, extraction, human rights, housing, hunger, displacement, “development,” and the endless appetite to turn land into profit. It’s hard to speak of Earth Day without sounding naïve when bombs are falling, oceans are rising, species are going extinct, and forests are still being measured as future board-feet and tax write-offs.

The Earth is being battered like a victim of domestic violence, on a grand scale.

And yet that is exactly why Earth Day remains necessary.

The Earth needs protection from us and saving the Earth is really about saving ourselves.

Because the crisis isn’t only climate. It is a collapse of relationship—our relationship to land, to each other, and to limits.

Former astronauts have said that seeing Earth from space changes you—that from orbit there are no borders, no divisions, no separate nations, only one fragile world suspended in darkness. Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell described it as a sudden awareness: “You develop an instant global consciousness… an overwhelming sense of the oneness of nature, and the oneness of humanity.”

Christina Koch, a member of NASA’s Artemis astronaut corps came back to earth with this powerful message to all, “So I may have not learned (I know I haven't learned) everything this journey has yet to teach me. But there's one new thing I know, and that is, planet Earth: you are a crew.

Henry George a 19th century philosopher saw the fault line clearly: land is not something we deserve simply because we can buy it. Its value is created by the community, and its existence is created by none of us. His belief—that our equal right to land is as fundamental as breathing—still echoes loudly not as a slogan, but as a challenge.

Aldo Leopold made it even more intimate. The problem is not only policy, but perception. If we see land as property, we treat it as disposable. If we see land as a community we belong to, exploitation becomes unthinkable. His words still read like an indictment of the history of humans: “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.”

E.F. Schumacher offered the same warning in economic terms: land is not an “asset class.” It is the living ground of culture, continuity, and survival. When land becomes interchangeable, people become interchangeable too. That is the logic of extraction—gut the soil, gut the trees, gut the animals, drive people off the land, and you gut the future.

Dr. Professor Wangari Maathai gave the most human truth of all, “Healing the Earth is not separate from healing ourselves. Land holds memory, dignity, and belonging. When we destroy it, we destroy something in us.”

So yes—people still care. Not always loudly. Not always optimistically. But the caring has changed shape. It feels more like grief now. Or rage. Or quiet refusal

Earth Day is not just a celebration anymore. It is about listening to a scream from the trees, the heat of climate change, the warnings rising off the oceans and out of the toxic battered soil.

It is a reminder. A reckoning. A kind of prayer spoken in the middle of a burning world.

Recommended Reading

Braiding Sweetgrass by Indigenous ecologist, Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi) — This contemporary widely read book blends Indigenous knowledge, ecology, and scientific understanding. It emphasizes gratitude, reciprocity, and the idea that the Earth is a living relative, not a resource.

Jane Goodall (1934–2025) was a British primatologist and conservationist best known for her groundbreaking chimpanzee research and influential writing on animals, humans, and the natural world. Her most notable books include In the Shadow of Man (1971), My Life with the Chimpanzees (1988), Through a Window (1990), Reason for Hope (1999), and The Book of Hope (2021, with Douglas Abrams).

Henry George (1839–1897) During his lifetime, he was a world-renowned 19th-century American political economist, journalist and social philosopher, writing right in the middle of the Gilded Age, when railroad tycoons and industrial monopolies were consolidating enormous wealth and political power. His best-known book, Progress and Poverty (1879) was one of the sharpest moral critiques of Gilded Age extraction economics.

Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) was an American ecologist, conservationist, forester, and writer, widely regarded as the father of wildlife ecology and modern environmental ethics. His most famous book blends nature essays and reflections on humanity’s relationship with the land. It introduced the “land ethic,” the idea that people are part of, not separate from, nature. His essays and his book A Sand County Almanac (1949) had a major influence on the emerging environmental movement.

E. F. Schumacher (1911–1977) was a German-born British economist whose ideas shaped modern environmental thought. His book Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered (1973) challenged endless growth and industrial scale, advocating for an economy rooted in ethics, ecology, and human scale.

Dr. Wangari Maathai (1940 –2011) was a Kenyan environmental, social, and political activist, founder of the Green Belt Movement, and in 2004 became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Further reading: Unbowed: A Memoir (2006)

Heat Isn’t the Whole Story

I have been slowly reading Amitav Ghosh’s The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (2016, University of Chicago Press). A novelist and storyteller, Ghosh approaches the climate crisis not only as an environmental emergency, but as a profound cultural failure. He writes, “Quite possibly…this era which so congratulates itself on its self-awareness, will come to be known as the time of the Great Derangement.” Through literature, politics, personal observation, and lived accounts of climate impacts, Ghosh examines the hubris of modern society and its inability to fully confront the scale of what is unfolding. He argues that artists and writers must begin to engage directly with the apocalyptic realities of our time—because reshaping how we imagine and narrate the world may be one of our few remaining sources of hope,

Ghosh suggests that modern literary forms—portray ordinary human dramas: family, romance, ambition, social mobility. Climate catastrophe, by contrast, is vast, collective, and chaotic. It involves floods, wildfires, extinctions, and atmospheric systems that feel too large to fit into the “normal” plotlines of modern fiction. A

Climate events often appear in culture as anomalies—background noise, metaphors, or science fiction—rather than as the central reality that we are living with.

Reading his book had me to thinking about how we circulate ideas, categorize “things” and deal with concepts that are hard to grasp.

Understanding what is happening is key. Keeping up with science, technology, and the legal world demands an enormous amount of time and attention. In the end, it is often storytelling—shaped and passed down over time—that helps us make sense of a complicated world. Yet in much of our literature, Mother Earth has remained largely absent from the narrative.

Through stories and images, we glimpse the possibility of transformation, and in that vision, we find the spark to step out of the doomsday loop and into resilience.

We’ve been trained to solve problems by breaking them into parts: identify variables, isolate causes, categorize, simplify. Take the world apart, name the pieces, control the variables. That works well in math and engineering because it makes complexity manageable.

But the story of nature doesn’t work that way. Ecosystems aren’t neat compartments. The The health of a redwood forest, for example, can’t be understood by studying trees alone—you also need to observe soil microbes, rainfall patterns, fire cycles, insects, and the broader ecological web of life, along with human land use and climate pressures, all interacting over time.

Relying too much on a parsing out mindset creates blind spots:

· It encourages linear cause-and-effect thinking

· It overlooks interdependence

· It can lead to policies that “fix” one thing while breaking another

We tend to treat climate impacts as separate categories—wildfires, floods, droughts, heat waves, coastal erosion—as if they happen independently.

But everything is connected: a drought dries vegetation, which increases wildfire intensity; wildfires destroy ground cover, raising the risk of landslides during heavy rain; flooding damages infrastructure, worsening public health risks during heat waves; rising seas amplify storm surges. These events ripple into economic instability, displacement, and ecosystem collapse.

Cataloging disasters is useful for tracking and funding response, but isolating them leads to policies that treat symptoms instead of causes.

Sometimes understanding comes not from taking things apart, but from seeing how everything is interconnected. Biosphere Earth is the fragile living system that sustains life. The biosphere is the thin layer of Earth—land, water, and atmosphere—where all life exists.

Global Warming vs. Climate Change

People often use “global warming” and “climate change” interchangeably, but they are not the same:

• Global warming refers specifically to the long-term rise in Earth’s average temperatures, caused mainly by greenhouse gases trapping heat.

• Climate change is the broader, system-wide disruption that includes global warming plus shifts in weather patterns, oceans, ice systems, ecosystems, and extreme events.

Global warming is a symptom; climate change is the consequence. Focusing only on rising temperatures misses the bigger picture of how energy moves and interacts across the planet.

Heat Isn’t the Whole Story

Most people think climate change is simple:
“More heat in → planet warms.”

But incoming solar energy has stayed nearly constant. What’s changed is how the Earth lets heat escape. Greenhouse gases act like insulation—they trap energy that would normally leave. That trapped energy destabilizes oceans, weather, forests, water cycles, and ice systems. It shifts seasons, intensifies extremes, and pushes ecosystems past recovery thresholds.

Earth stays at a stable temperature only when incoming solar radiation is balanced by outgoing heat energy that radiates back into space. If more energy is absorbed than emitted, the planet warms; if the opposite happens, it cools. This balance is known as Earth’s energy budget. Greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide, methane, and others) don’t cause more sunlight to hit Earth — but they affect how heat leaves the planet. Sunlight warms Earth’s surface, which then sends heat back up as infrared radiation. Greenhouse gas molecules absorb much of that outgoing heat, then re-emit it in all directions, including back toward the surface. This reduces the amount of heat that escapes to space and effectively traps energy in the climate system — similar to how insulation traps heat indoors.

Climate change is about systems behavior. Heat is the energy input, but the movement, storage, and feedbacks of that energy across Earth’s interconnected systems drive impacts:

• Water cycle disruptions: extreme floods, droughts, altered rainfall

• Ocean changes: currents, sea level rise, acidification, marine heatwaves

• Cryosphere effects: melting ice and snow amplify warming through albedo changes

• Ecosystem responses: shifts in forests, agriculture, and wildlife affect carbon storage and local climates

• Atmospheric feedbacks: clouds, aerosols, and greenhouse gases interact in complex ways

Here is another way of looking at this

Energy flows matter more than Heat Alone—it’s about energy flows. When greenhouse gases rise, they slow the outward flow, creating a persistent energy imbalance:

Excess energy doesn’t just warm the air. Air temperature captures only a fraction of system response. Most of the energy is stored elsewhere, fueling climate change impacts far beyond simple warming.

That breakdown of where excess heat from global warming goes (about ~90 % into the oceans, ~3 % into ice melt, ~3 % warming land, ~1 % warming the atmosphere) comes from scientific assessments of Earth’s energy budget — particularly the way excess energy (energy imbalance) is distributed among components of the climate system: ocean heat uptake, ice melt, land heating and atmospheric warming.

A widely‑cited source for this specific distribution is the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), Working Group I: it notes that ocean heat uptake accounts for about 91 % of the total energy change, with the remainder going into land, ice melt and warming of the atmosphere.

Glaciers and Mega-Storms

Temperature is only one piece of the puzzle.

• Glaciers lose mass from reduced snowfall, changes in ice albedo, or warm ocean currents—even if local air temperatures aren’t extreme.

• Mega-storms intensify due to ocean heat, atmospheric moisture, wind patterns, and regional geography—not just hotter air.

Focusing only on heat or air temperature oversimplifies climate change and risks misdirecting adaptation efforts.

Glaciers are climate regulators

Glaciers are not simply bystanders of the climate crisis. They are active parts of the climate system, and their decline can amplify the very changes driving their disappearance. Their bright white surfaces (when pollution is not widely deposited) reflects sunlight back into the atmosphere, helping temper warming in mountain environments – something known as albedo. As ice and snow shrink, that reflective shield is reduced, exposing darker surfaces that absorb more heat and can accelerate warming and melt. The report also notes that glaciers play a role in regulating local weather systems as well as global hydrology patterns that are already being altered. Read more at: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/what-are-glaciers

Mega storms

Scientists using weather satellites have found that extremely cold clouds, called deep convective clouds, often correspond to extreme storms over tropical oceans. When precipitation from these clouds reaches the lower atmosphere, it can cause heavy rain and hail. By comparing daily counts of these clouds with sea surface temperatures, researchers found that more deep convective clouds form as sea surface temperatures rise. Read more at: https://science.nasa.gov/earth/climate-change/how-climate-change-may-be-impacting-storms-over-earths-tropical-oceans/#hds-sidebar-nav-2

The Takeaway

Global warming is the rise in average temperatures, caused by greenhouse gases. Climate change is the broader, system-wide disruption that results from this energy imbalance. The same energy comes in, but less leaves, so the system now stores and moves heat differently—destabilizing oceans, ice, ecosystems, and weather worldwide. Heat matters, but the dynamics of energy flows and feedbacks are what truly drive climate change.

When the world feels trapped in collapse, art becomes a beacon. Literature, painting, music, and film do more than reflect despair—they reimagine it.

And thanks to NASA/JPL-Caltech here is the simplified animation of the greenhouse effect.

https://assets.science.nasa.gov/content/dam/science/esd/climate/internal_resources/2282/20.gif?w=768&h=432&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint

References (select)

• NASA Earth Observatory. The Greenhouse Effect & Earth’s Energy Budget. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/GreenhouseEffect

• IPCC AR6 WG1 (2021). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/

• IPCC SROCC (2019). Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/

• Arts, the Environment, & Sustainability— by Ian Garrett —© 2015, Americans for the Arts https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/Arts&America_Environment.pdf

• UNEP (2023). Adaptation Gap Report 2023. https://www.unep.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report-2023

• UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025 Article: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/world-likely-exceed-key-global-warming-target-soon-now-what

• UNEP (2025) Adaptation Gap Report 2025

  https://www.unep.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report-2025

• IPCC Sixth Assessment ReportWorking Group 1: The Physical Science Basis Chapter 7: The Earth’s Energy Budget, Climate Feedbacks, and Climate

• PEW Research Center: Climate, Energy & Environment https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/science/science-issues/climate-energy-environment/

Yesterday, Thursday, March 26 I was on the Virtual Media Press Conference— Here’s the quick rundown for you. Take a look, and don’t forget to watch the recording.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 26, 2026
Contact: media@nokings.org

National No Kings Coalition Leaders Call Ahead of Saturday’s Historic Nonviolent Actions

No Kings Coalition: “No Illegal Wars, No ICE, and No Kings”

Recording available here.

TWIN CITIES, MN - National leaders and organizers from the No Kings coalition held a virtual call to preview Saturday’s historic Day of Action across all 50 states and around the world. Americans are fed up with the constant chaos of the Trump administration, and they’re ready to stand in solidarity against its overreach and attacks on the American people and immigrants.

Katie Bethell, Executive Director, MoveOn Civic Action said “The Trump administration made a terrible miscalculation that we would cower and capitulate in response to their chaos and cruelty. That we would put up with our healthcare being slashed, with gas prices and utility bills going through the roof, while they shower billionaires in tax cuts. Americans are no fools. A President and a government that prioritized our safety, and our futures, would invest in our people. That’s why millions of us are rising up from all walks of life from rural communities to big cities… to send the loudest, clearest message yet - that this country does not belong to kings, dictators or tyrants - it belongs to us. Together, we have the power to build the country we dream of.”

Naveed Shah, US Army Veteran & Political Director, Common Defense said “We did not serve this country so it could be handed over to one man’s ego. We served because we believed in something bigger - a government of the people, by the people, for the people. A constitution that means something. A democracy worth defending. That’s what No Kings is all about. That’s what all of you are - a people-powered movement that refuses to be props, refuses to be silent, and refuses to quit.”

Deirdre Schifeling, Chief Political & Advocacy Officer, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said “Peaceful resistance is the antidote to repression, and it’s the antidote to the despair and powerlessness that repression is trying to make us feel. We are powerful together. No Kings is more than a single day of protest. It’s a growing movement of people determined to act free, to be free, to stay free.”

Sarah Parker, National Leader, 50501 and Voices of Florida said “Anyone who says that this movement is not powered by love is using smoke and mirrors and trying to change the narrative with played out talking points. The people that are mobilizing on March 28th are refusing to cede ground to an authoritarian because they love their country.”

Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) said “[President Trump] has been elected to help us and our families have a better life – not to help the billionaires, not to create robots as teachers, not to create more ways for him and his family to get rich… It doesn’t matter if we’re fighting for voting rights, immigrant rights, our neighbors, or to make sure we can make ends meet for our kids and families… We the people make that decision, not a king, not a monarch, not a throne, not a crown.”

Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN) said “The threat to any of us is a threat to all of us. The sitting President, the wannabe king, is saying that he will not sign legislation unless you pass a bill that would, in many ways, impede the right to vote. So, this is not just some abstract protest, it is a movement that has seen numbers across racial lines and economic lines. We may not all agree on some issues, but we all agree that if we do not protect the right to vote and protect democracy, it doesn’t matter where we disagree – we will all be muted and ineffective.”

Lisa Gilbert, Co-President, Public Citizen said “The Trump regime wants to intimidate opponents, chill descent, and they want to silence us. They want us to be scared and isolated, but instead we are joining together in overwhelming numbers to speak out against authoritarianism and abuses of power. No matter where they take place, these events are nonviolent, they’re disciplined, they will be grounded in solidarity. This is what the administration is scared of – our unity in this moment. We will show them in droves on Saturday – our courage, our unity, our conviction, and that we will not suffer kings in America.”

Edwin Torres DeSantiago, Immigrant Defense Network, said “You don’t send masked agents into neighborhoods, into airports, into communities to keep people safe. You send them to keep people terrified. And that fear is not accidental, it’s part of a larger escalation. We’re already seeing the consequences. Keith Porter Jr., Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Dr. Linda Davis, Ruben Ray Martinez and dozens of others that have been killed by this administration’s escalation. This Saturday, millions of people across this country will come together to say enough — enough fear, enough harm, enough abuse of power — because power does not come from intimidation. Power comes from the people.”

Leah Greenberg, Co-Director, Indivisible, said “No Kings is not only a powerful day of defiance, but an organizing catalyst to support local organizing everywhere. The people coming out will be asked to show up on an ongoing basis for ICE watch, for mutual aid, for support of immigrant communities, for advocacy against this illegal and catastrophic war, for voter registration and all the work of building power locally. We will continue organizing with them for what comes next.”

With over 3,200 events and counting on the map, the third No Kings is on track to be one of the largest single-day nonviolent nationwide protests in U.S. history. Millions will be standing together at community, nonviolent demonstrations to say: No Illegal Wars, No ICE, and No Kings.

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All No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent and lawful protest and community safety. Organizers are trained in de-escalation, every local event has a safety lead, and organizers are coordinating closely with local partners to ensure powerful, nonviolent local actions.

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- No Kings Media Team

When I moved to the Mendocino Coast, I began taking marine science classes with the legendary Greg Grantham, diving deeper into the marine ecosystems that have always fascinated me.

While exploring tidepools and learning about bathymetry and tide calculations, Greg showed us how intimately tides, water depth, and the contours of the seafloor are connected— even small differences in depth can change which animals can survive and how tides constantly reshape these tiny ecosystems. Bathymetry isn’t just for scientists—it helps us understand how underwater landscapes influence life along the shore.

Most importantly, I saw that our ocean is full of hidden worlds, and paying attention to tides and depths gives us a window into how these amazing ecosystems function and survive. After taking a break from my studies due to a family emergency, I returned to the College of the Redwoods with a different focus. I decided to switch to Environmental Sciences, specializing in Redwood Coast Ecosystems.

While I’ve always loved being on the water, I had to admit that I don’t do well on small boats in the ocean. Canoeing was what I grew up doing.

I was already a true tree hugger from the moment I first encountered the redwoods upon moving to California. I wove my passion for these magnificent giants into my environmental studies, exploring the Redwood Coast’s ecosystems and deepening my commitment to conservation and of course there is the anadromous salmon! But that… is a whole other story!

Back to film — I was lucky enough to catch the local premiere of The Last Forests Project at our beloved Coast Cinemas, thanks to a friend who treated me to the screening. Sitting in the theater, I was swept into this breathtaking visual journey through the kelp forest ecosystem, witnessing its collapse and the tireless scientific and community efforts working to bring these underwater forests back to life.

I don’t say ‘amazing’ lightly—this film really is. It’s the kind of story that sticks with you and makes you see our ocean in a whole new way.

This film is really meaningful to our community on many levels— it’s local, it touches our lives, and because it’s about the future of our ocean. Many of the people featured are neighbors and familiar faces from along the Mendocino Coast— local community members, fishermen, divers, and scientists, who care deeply about the health of our ocean.

By the end of that evening, the message was clear: these beautiful surreal like underwater forests may be out of sight, but they are not out of mind. The film helps bring their story to the surface, reminding us how important it is to care for the ocean and the living forests just beneath the waves.

I think everyone needs to see a film like this, especially in times like these—it reminds us what matters and why we need to care for our world and e have only one ocean!

Resources:

About | lastforestsproject

Cal Academy of Sciences: California Academy of Sciences San Francisco — Museum, Aquarium & Planetarium— Dive into science under a living roof.

The systems meant to protect human life, dignity, and the Earth itself are being tested in ways that feel both frightening and deeply destabilizing. Silence can sometimes feel like the only response to such overwhelming events—but silence also allows these patterns to continue unchecked.

Where are the checks and ballances?

We must remember that international law, human rights, and care for our shared planet were created to prevent exactly this kind of unraveling.

The question now is whether we will defend those principles—or watch them disappear.

I have been trying to understand why there are still such staunch supporters of Donald Trump.

His shocking posts and actions go beyond accepted norms and undermine the rule of law.

I am deeply concerned about the direction of leadership in the United States. No leader nor elected offcials should tolerate or enable the bombing and suffering of civilians—especially women and children. Human rights and international humanitarian law must come before political games or media distractions.

Leadership requires responsibility, moral courage, and respect for democratic institutions. When actions or rhetoric threaten these principles, citizens have both the right and the duty to speak out.

The actions of Donald Trump and his circle have done the opposite—concentrating power among oligarchs and undermining the public trust.

In a democracy, accountability ultimately rests with the people. We must insist on leadership that protects human rights, defends the Earth and its ecosystems, upholds the Constitution, and acts with integrity.

That promise rang hollow in San Francisco this past week, when an elderly nanny was targeted and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Her case is not an anomaly. It is part of a broader system that increasingly operates beyond oversight or accountability.

According to ICE data analyzed by advocacy organizations, more than 90% of people in U.S. immigration detention are held in facilities run by private prison companies under federal contract. In practice, this means that the vast majority of immigrant detainees are confined in for-profit detention centers, not government-operated facilities—raising persistent concerns about incentives, cost-cutting, and conditions of care.

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The human cost is no longer abstract. Media outlets and civil-rights monitors report that as recently as January 2026, at least six people have died while in ICE custody, across detention facilities in Texas, Georgia, California, and Pennsylvania. A Reuters and the Washington Post reported that four detainees died in just four days, amid a surge in arrests and despite increased congressional funding for ICE. At least 30 detainee deaths were reported in 2025 alone, intensifying concerns that conditions inside facilities are deteriorating rather than improving.

Among them in 2026:

• Heber Sánchez Domínguez, found unresponsive in Georgia

• Victor Manuel Díaz, detained in Texas

• Parady La, who died in Philadelphia

• Jean Wilson Brutus in NJ

These deaths are drawn from ICE disclosures and publicly compiled lists, including the ICE & CBP Custody Deaths Archive.

In their February 13, 2026, letter to Noem and Lyons, Senate Democrats cite 30+ deaths since the start of the Trump Administration with concern over continued expansion of immigration detention. For a PDF of the letter, click here.

Defending freedoms, advancing equality, and ensuring justice for all. News from the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, led by Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL).Senate Judiciary Committee

Inhumane conditions inside detention and short-term processing centers are escalating alongside expanded enforcement. Civil-rights groups and legal representatives continue to report people being held for days without access to showers, adequate food, or legal counsel—conditions that function as detention in all but name, even when the government avoids formally classifying them as such.

U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, and Haley Steven U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District on December 23, 2025 sent a letter to Kristi Noem Secretary of Homeland Security and Acting Director Mr. Todd M. Lyons U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement:

“Indeed, DHS and ICE have a statutory mandate, internal policy obligations, and a fundamental duty to ensure the safety and humane treatment of individuals in their custody.” read more at:

https://stevens.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/stevens.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2025-1223-ltr-to-dhs-and-ice-re-north-lake-detainee-death-signed.pdf?utm_source

This inhumane system is deeply troubling, particularly when considered alongside reports of the Department of Homeland Security purchasing empty warehouses across all 50 states.

Mapping U.S. Immigration Detention

Freedom for Immigrants’s interactive detention map makes visible the scope, scale, and growth of immigration detention across the United States. By documenting detention facilities nationwide, the map helps impacted individuals, families, advocates, and local communities locate resources, track detention practices, and understand how detention affects their neighborhoods, cities, states, and the country as a whole.

The map exposes what is often a hidden system into publicly accessible data, supporting accountability, community awareness, and organizing.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights applies to everyone, regardless of immigration or citizenship status. Its language is intentionally universal:

• Article 2 affirms that all rights and freedoms apply “without distinction of any kind,” including national origin or other status.

• Article 7 guarantees equal protection of the law for all persons, without discrimination.

• Article 9 prohibits arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile, again without carving out exceptions.

If the United States claims adherence to equal protection under the law, then detention practices that endanger lives, outsource accountability, and deny basic human dignity demand urgent scrutiny and reform.

The United Nations matters because it brings nations together to protect people, promote peace, and solve global problems.

The United Nations does important work around the world.
It provides food, shelter, and medical care.
It supports education, health, and human rights.
Unfortunately, politics can get in the way.

In short, UN is not just about meetings and debates at it’s headquarters in New York—they ripple out to real people on the ground who rely on UN programs for survival, safety, and basic rights.

Important context:
The United Nations was founded after World War II with strong U.S. involvement in its charter and is based in New York City, but it is not an agency of the U.S. government; it is an international body made up of member states around the world.

Political attacks on the United Nations can have real-world consequences. The U.S. is one of the UN’s largest funders, so funding cuts or delays can slow humanitarian aid, refugee support, and disaster relief. They can also weaken peacekeeping missions, global health programs, and development initiatives.

When powerful countries undermine the UN, it makes international cooperation harder, affecting millions who rely on its work for safety, education, and basic rights.

UN Crisis Relief DONATE TODAY: https://crisisrelief.un.org/en/87million

UN Crisis Relief is run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Donations go to OCHA-managed global and crisis-specific pooled funds. Additional information about the funds can be found here.
Email us: crisisrelief@un.org

MEDIA SOURCES:

Reuters - Guterres warns of UN’s ‘imminent financial collapse’ January 30, 20265:22 AM PSTUpdated January 30, 2026 includes Video

https://www.reuters.com/world/un-chief-guterres-warns-imminent-financial-collapse-2026-01-30/

NY Times - U.N. Says It’s in Danger of Financial Collapse Because of Unpaid Dues

(Link below= Free access past the paywall to article)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/world/americas/un-finances-collapse-debts.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JFA.gAI2.xRE4XzPeaJRj&smid=url-share

Doing something, no matter how small, matters. Change rarely happens in a single dramatic moment; it is built from quiet steps, repeated over time, that ripple outward in ways we often can’t predict. We all have agency — the ability to choose, to act, and to influence what happens next. And importantly, we have the choice in how this turns out.

In August 1980, strikes erupted at the Gdańsk Shipyard, led by Lech Wałęsa and other workers, over low wages, poor working conditions, and political repression under Poland’s communist government. These actions sparked the Solidarity Movement (Solidarność), rooted in unity and mutual support, showing that ordinary citizens, acting together, could challenge an authoritarian regime.

I remember sitting in my parents’ kitchen, talking with a member of Solidarność who was visiting the U.S. to speak to groups and even Congress. My parents, along with their local church, helped several university professors who had come to the U.S. in temporary exile with nothing but their suitcases. They helped them find apartments, beds, and the basic necessities we all take for granted — small acts of support that made a world of difference to people uprooted by political oppression. I still have the recording I made of that conversation on an old cassette tape.

Watching —This is the link>: Conversation with Misha Collins and Emily Farallon and their guest Timothy Snyder, a historian known for his work on Eastern Europe and the Holocaust,

reminded me of that kitchen table conversation. It brought back how small acts of support — listening, sharing what you learn, helping others settle in — can ripple outward and make a real difference in the fight for freedom and justice.

We can exercise our agency in countless ways. Individuals can write letters or call elected officials, choose where to spend money to support local businesses, artists, or farmers, and share accurate information instead of rumors. Communities can organize cleanups, food drives, or art events, form coalitions around local issues, post flyers, hold demonstrations, and show up in numbers at hearings or forums. Civic engagement can include voting, participating in public comment periods, running for local boards or commissions, and signing petitions. Cultural agency — creating public art, preserving local history, hosting workshops — strengthens community identity. Even small acts, like checking in on a neighbor, volunteering an hour a week, donating a modest amount, or mentoring a young person, can make a real difference.

READING LIST:

Books: Autocracy, Inc., The Dictators Who Want to Run he World, by Anne Applebaum. The Siren’s Call, How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource by Chris Hayes,

Organizations

Indivisible — a grassroots advocacy network that mobilizes for civic engagement, protest actions, and policy change in opposition to perceived authoritarianism.

50501 Movement — the group that coined the “No Kings” slogan and helped launch the protests; emphasizes democratic participation and broad grassroots action.

MoveOn — a national progressive advocacy organization that often supports large-scale demonstrations and civic engagement campaigns.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — civil rights and liberties organization helping with legal support, organizing infrastructure, and public safety planning.

The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit organization in the United States that works to empower voters and strengthen democracy through education, advocacy, and civic engagement.

And Public Citizen, labor unions like the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Human Rights Campaign, United We Dream, and Reproductive Freedom for All, NOW,

Create and Share Art

• Use hashtags like #ArtistsAgainstFascism to post work online and connect with others doing similar projects.

Join Local or Online Art Activist Collectives

• Look for local anti-racist art groups, public mural projects, poster collectives, or progressive art clubs focused on social justice.

Partner with Social Justice Movements

• Many civil rights, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and anti-hate organizations welcome artists to co-create work, host exhibitions, or facilitate workshops.

From the UN News release, “The Daily Wrap” January 22, 2026:

The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed United delivered a keynote address to the Parliament of Denmark on “the future of the United Nations in a turbulent world.”

She urged countries to “stand up for a rules-based order” – or pay the price.

The UN’s founding document “is our moral compass,” she said, calling for renewed commitment to multilateralism rooted in solidarity, international law, and human dignity.

She stressed the need to invest in peace – which the Security Council and General Assembly have both affirmed through resolutions on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in support of the two-State solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

These are examples of how the Charter’s values “have been brought to life”, however “the very foundation those resolutions rest on is being attacked.”

Yesterday, Venezuela – tomorrow Greenland?

Ms. Mohammed said that “dangerous nostalgia is what’s threatening international cooperation now, that the rule of law can be interpreted by the whims and caprices of a strong arm.”

She noted that Secretary-General António Guterres recently reminded that the Charter is not an à la carte menu and all countries have an obligation to uphold it.

Today, it is smaller countries who are “holding the line on the Charter” because they understand that “if the rules don’t protect the vulnerable, they offer protection to no one,” she said.

“You either stand up for a rules-based order, or you pay the price of ignoring it. Yesterday, the price was Venezuela, tomorrow it may be Greenland,” she warned.

Trump Thinks he can take us out of the WHO?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations. It was created in 1948 and operates as part of the broader UN system, alongside other UN agencies. Public Law 80-643 acknowledges the U.S. right to withdraw from WHO and leaves withdrawal implementation to the President, but Congress retains financial and legislative control that can limit or counteract that decision.

Pandemics don’t respect borders. Pandemics don’t care what Trump or RFK Jr. say.

Under U.S. law, a president cannot formally withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) unless all outstanding U.S. financial obligations to the WHO are fully paid. This is because the 1948 joint congressional resolution that allowed the U.S. to join the WHO requires: One year’s notice, and payment of all dues owed before withdrawal becomes legally valid. Trump fufilled the first step.

The WHO runs the systems that detect outbreaks early — Ebola, influenza strains, new coronaviruses, cholera, polio, measles.

If the U.S. steps out, the U.S. loses direct access to WHO’s real‑time data streams and it weakens the global early‑warning network that protects Americans as much as anyone else in the world.

WHO First Media Briefing for 2026

The World Health Organization director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and experts hold news conference on global health issues. See Below YouTube Scroll to 14:25 in time line

More RESOURCES:

US believes its power matters more than international law, UN chief tells BBC on BBC Today

https://bbc.com/news/articles/c4g0zx0llpzo

UN chief warns of a world in chaos as impunity and unpredictability spreads

https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166772

Member states of the United Nations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_the_United_Nations

How can a nation claim to be pro-life while prioritizing geopolitical or economic interests over the care, quality of life and survival of human beings? Consider where your tax dollars are actually going: Are they funding bombs, guns, and the military-industrial complex, or are they being invested in helping those in need and strengthening society through quality healthcare and education for everyone?

We all see how people in so many communities nationwide are struggling—and in my own community, too—many working low wage and multiple jobs, fighting just to have their tax dollars spent on things that truly support life: child care, senior centers, food banks, school supplies for children, medical clinics, domestic violence shelters, and affordable decent housing. The list goes on!

I have been looking at the National Pro Life Score Card to see who is getting A+ in Congress and in the Senate. That scorecard tells you a lot about the priorities and alliances shaping U.S. reproductive policy. Let’s start with this business about “pro-life.”

Yes! Pro-life has become a business—profiting from moral claims while ignoring the real needs of people’s lives.

“Pro-life” s not just a slogan—it requires policies that actually sustain life, before and after birth, at home and globally and valuing the mother as a full human being, not merely a vessel for reproduction. Respecting maternal choice and dignity— matters!

Whether to have a child, and when to have one, is a decision that belongs to women—not to human-made religious rules or political agendas.

Christian nationalist proponents have helped frame “pro-life” policies that restrict reproductive choice while neglecting healthcare, paid leave, and childcare—treating mothers more as instruments for childbirth than as full human beings whose health and dignity deserve protection.

The term “pro-life” in American politics is often narrowly applied to abortion, yet the same society that claims to defend life routinely undermines it in countless ways.

In other words, being truly “pro-life” in practice isn’t about restricting choice—it’s about creating actual conditions where people can live healthy, safe lives.

Sweden, Norway, and Denmark combine reproductive rights with extensive social welfare. Universal healthcare, generous parental leave, subsidized childcare, and strong safety nets make sure children survive and thrive.

The U.S., by contrast, in many states now limit abortion while failing to guarantee healthcare, childcare, or protection from war and poverty.

A truly life-affirming ethic would demand universal access to healthcare, childcare, nutritious food, housing, and protection from violence. Yet in the U.S., millions lack basic healthcare, children go hungry, and poverty persists despite abundant resources.

Elders, veterans, single mothers and single fathers and families with children are homeless and many live in temporary shelters, cars or van parked on our streets.

The contradiction becomes even starker on the global stage. The U.S. keeps on with military interventions and bombings that kill civilians, often including children and creates displacements of populations. Economic sanctions and pulling out of humanitarian aid projects have caused famine and medical shortages abroad.

Being genuinely pro-life would require consistency: opposing war, supporting the vulnerable at home and abroad, and investing in programs and creating conditions that allow all of us to to thrive.

True respect for life demands a broader, more compassionate approach—one that the United States has yet to fully embrace.

A healthy, educated society is a thriving society. By investing in healthcare, education, and social support, governments protect both mothers and children, ensuring that life is valued consistently—not just before birth but throughout a person’s life. Maternal choice and dignity matter!

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I have spent a good deal of time looking at the numerous posts of horrifying videos of the tragic and brutal killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE in Minneapolis. Yes, brutal! So unnecessary!

Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem publicly defended the agent’s actions as self-defense and framed Good as a threat, even before independent investigations were complete. Trump and his administration’s actions continue on a unchecked bender of inflaming division and pushing the boundaries of federal overreach. Let’s not forget the administration’s misinformation amplified and spreading across social media, on pro Trump and right-wing sites.

Spending time on these platforms can be deeply disturbing. Many of these platforms are designed to be sensational, manipulative, or extreme, and even a short time there can leave you feeling shocked, unsettled, or angry. It’s normal to feel disturbed; exposure to that kind of content can be emotionally intense. Not only are facts missing or distorted, but the hostility is also shocking and mocks democratic norms. I am sure Putin is applauding. He loves seeing us turn against each other while innocent lives are destroyed.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz, flatly rejected Trump’s and Noem’s version of events, pointing to video and eyewitness accounts that contradict the fed’s story, and criticized the exclusion of state investigators from the inquiry.

While we can draw parallels to authoritarian tactics like the Nazi Brownshirts in terms of aggressive use of force, ICE is supposed to operate under U.S. law, but Trump’s actions in using federal power for political purposes illustrate how executive overreach is testing democratic limits. The importance of courts, oversight, and independent review is now so crucial, and we must stand up against this unchecked power.

The unprecedented rush to send ICE recruits into the field before completing background checks and cutting essential training is outrageous and mirrors tactics more typical of authoritarian regimes, where speed trumps accountability.

Here is a clear and factual summary of how ICE training was shortened, based on official and on-the-record sources (DHS statements, Congressional Record, and major news reporting) — not advocacy language.

The accelerated hiring practices, shortened training periods, and relaxed eligibility standards implemented by ICE in 2025 are widely described by lawmakers, watchdogs, and State officials as unprecedented in the modern history of U.S. federal law enforcement.

On December 10, 2025, the U.S. Senate Congressional Record included official remarks by Senator Durbin addressing ICE’s recent hiring surge and related changes to agency standards. The senator specifically noted that age restrictions for prospective agents had been loosened, the training period had been shortened from 13 weeks to six weeks, and significant cash bonuses were being offered to support the expansion.

These statements were formally entered into the official record of the U.S. Senate, reflecting an authoritative legislative commentary on executive hiring practices and raising concerns about reduced vetting and training standards. SOURCE: https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-171/issue-208/senate-section/article/S8590-2:

MORE SOURCES:

NY Times -By Michelle Goldberg Opinion: By Killing Renee Good, ICE Sent a Message to Us All

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/opinion/renee-good-minnesota-shooting-ice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DFA.A_SG.HvQltxxx20SS&smid=url-share

Senate Judiciary Committee: The Trump Administration is telling you to ignore what you see with your own eyes. Their narrative about what happened in Minneapolis is wrong.Renee Good should be alive today https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1197046365395160 WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO

MILITARY.com: ICE dramatically expanded its workforce — adding roughly 12,000 officers and agents in less than a year, more than doubling its size — as part of an aggressive recruitment campaign. This has raised oversight concerns on Capitol Hill and beyond about how properly recruits are vetted and trained given how fast hiring has proceeded. (source: https://www.military.com/daily-news/headlines/2026/01/06/ice-hiring-surge-triggers-oversight-concerns-over-training-standards.html)

NBC News San Diego

Some new ICE recruits have showed up to training without full vetting

The recruits have had criminal backgrounds or failed drug tests or were unable to meet physical or academic standards, raising concerns about the agency’s rush to hire immigration officers, sources told NBC News. (Source: https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/some-new-ice-recruits-training-without-full-vetting/3919882/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_knsd_eml_shr)

ICE Recruitment Drive Stumbles as Over One-Third of New Trainees Fail Basic Standards- Legislative Bulletin — Friday, October 24, 2025

https://forumtogether.org/article/legislative-bulletin-friday-october-24-2025/?utm_source

Legislative Bulletin — Friday, October 24, 2025

https://forumtogether.org/article/legislative-bulletin-friday-october-24-2025/

Law enforcement uses a chemical agent on protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Thursday, Jan. 8, in Minneapolis. (Tom Baker/AP)

From: WBUR: Minneapolis where an ICE officer killed a woman during an immigration crackdown See more photos at: https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/01/08/photos-minneapolis-ice-shooting

Lastly, I think we need to start calling some of these posts out. Shaming them. I blocked out names to avoid retaliation. This, from a pro Trump page: