The government released a list of 23 extinctions. Hawaii has the most of any state; eight birds and one plant.
The good news is that a number of plants and animals on the endangered list in the past have since been taken off the list, including the bald eagle and the brown pelican. The other noteworthy item is that we are concentrating less on individual species and more on the preservation of habitat. That makes sense.
That was the headline in a front page article in the Times News. The state police are investigating the discovery of dead cats located in a dumpster in Lower Towamensing.
I am not making this up.
This morning I read that the U.S. has determined that 23 species in the U.S. are now declared extinct, including two birds from Hawaii and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
The next time your cat that you allow to run outside brings home a bird it killed, please call 911 and have the state police investigate. After all, cats are not endangered or even threatened. Many bird species are.
The film “The Organizer” was released in 1964. Marcello Mastroianni plays a labor organizer in late 19th Turin. The film is a gritty depiction of conditions in the early days of the industrial revolution when workers worked 14-hour days and had no hope of advancement. I love that film and the determination on the part of the workers to fight back, even though they lost in the end.
Which brings me to Linda Christman. When she realized the PennEast Pipeline was slated to cut across our farm, she decided to fight. She had yard signs made, raised money, reached out to environmental groups, organized demonstrations and bus trips to the Delaware River Basin Commission meetings, put together a group called “Save Carbon County,” arranged for people to testify to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, taught them how to become intervenors, learned eminent domain rules, partnered with New Jersey activists, organized rallies, testified at public hearings and recruited others to testify, and worked with local officials.
When people were discouraged, she gave them hope. She kept telling people we could beat this pipeline, even though to stop a pipeline seemed nearly impossible. I know there were hundreds of people and many groups who fought the pipeline, and I know the New Jersey governor and environmental agencies were important, but I also know in Pennsylvania it was Linda who led the opposition and saved wetlands, state game lands, and state parks.
She is an organizer and truly amazing. This time we won.
I attended an “informational meeting” about the PennEast Pipeline in Lower Towamensing Township seven years ago. The company had hired guards, construction workers sauntering around looking tough, a table of federal officials from something called FERC were there, and the PennEast company had slick publications touting the need for this pipeline that would carry fracking gas from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.
Our state Senator (Yudichak) and our state Representative (Heffley) both supported the pipeline. One of the largest employers in Carbon County supported the pipeline. Officials in Kidder Township supported the pipeline under the impression it would bring jobs.
Testimony at “public hearings” on the pipeline was taken in private. Land agents tried to scare landowners. The company refused to move the pipeline an inch, even if it wrecked the water supply and crossed state parks and wetlands. The arrogance of the company was appalling.
For seven years a determined coalition of environmentalists, homeowners, farmers, local government officials, and community activists fought this pipeline. Every now and then a David beats a Goliath, and that is what happened. The pipeline is dead, kaput, deceased.
PennEast announced its death this morning.
A few weeks ago Linda asked me, “Why doesn’t our government just ban Bitcoin?” She pointed out that it uses an incredible amount of energy at a time when the world is starting to focus on global climate change. Not only that, but it is often used as payment for ransomware attacks because it is so hard to trace.
This week China issued a nationwide ban on cryptocurrency mining. The central bank announced that services offering trading, order matching, token issuance and derivatives for virtual currencies would be prohibited.
So why can’t the U.S. do the same? Because our government may not even be able to raise the debt ceiling. One party is completely irresponsible, interested only in protecting the rich and “owning the libs.” The other party is a collection of factions, some of which are more interested in scoring points than being responsible. I’m looking at you, Joe Manchin.
We weren’t always like this. Look at the New Deal or the Civil Rights legislation of the Sixties. At one time our government worked. Now it can’t even pass legislation guaranteeing the right to vote.
In a review of two books on the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan in the latest issue of The New York Review of Books, Fintan O’Toole sums up the problem of the U.S. attempt to bring democracy to Afghanistan:
]The prevailing assumption over those years was that a stable democracy could be created and sustained without a commitment to telling the truth, without controlling the distorting effects of money, without standing up to the avidity of the rich, without proper mechanisms for open scrutiny and rational deliberation, without a commitment to moral standards that apply as much to our allies as to our enemies. Democracy without those values and systems has no substance. It will fall–and not just in Afghanistan.
Read those last five words again.
The U.S. is still holding 39 prisoners in the prison at Guantanamo. Over half have been held for more than a decade with no charges being filed against them. Sone have been tortured. Some may be completely innocent, rounded up and turned over for monetary rewards.
For a country that prides itself on its judicial system and rule of law, this is unacceptable. If these men are thought to have committed crimes, then charge them and try them. This is our own gulag. If we are ending “forever wars,” it’s time we ended “forever imprisonment.”
Facebook has a new program called “Project Amplify.” Because Facebook has been criticized for actions like misinformation on vaccines, often by its own employees, the company has decided to reshape its image by posting positive articles about itself on its own “News Feed.” It is also increasing its positive advertising, explaining how wonderful the company is. Zuckerberg’s own posts recent posts show him in a positive light. In one he is riding a surfboard with an American flag.
What a company.
What a guy.
Sen. Vandenberg was the Republican Senator from Michigan from 1928 to 1951. He was a conservative who spent much of the Thirties in opposition to FDR’s New Deal, and he was also opposed to American involvement in overseas entanglements.
In 1946, when the Republicans won a majority in the House and Senate, Vandenberg became chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was a supporter of the United Nations, and he was instrumental in passing the the bill that aided Greece and Turkey in resisting Soviet interference in their affairs. You may have heard of the phrase “politics stops at the water’s edge.” That was coined by Vandenberg.
Vandenberg and Harry Truman, ideological opponents on most domestic policy, worked together in the late Forties to shape U.S. foreign policy. When Vandenberg died, Truman issued the following tribute:
A patriot who always subordinated partisan advantage and personal interest to the welfare of the Nation.
In his passing the Senate has lost a pillar of strength in whom integrity was implicit in every decision he made and in every vote he cast during a long tenure....
He formed his opinions only after deliberate study of every aspect of every problem that came before him. His courage was fortified by a good conscience. So he had no fear of the consequences to his personal fortunes when the time came for him to differ from men of great power and influence within his own party on the paramount issue of foreign policy.
Of course we know that his independence cost him dearly in everything save honor. But to him his country’s welfare, the security of the Nation and a just and enduring peace in a world of free men were above and beyond all other considerations....
What will they say about Mitch McConnell when he dies?
I thought you might like a letter I sent today to Rep. Russ Diamond, a Penna. legislator.
Dear Rep. Diamond:
I read in the Allentown Morning Call on Monday, Sept. 20, that you posted a meme that compared children wearing masks to child abuse. According to the article, you justified this by saying, “That’s kinda my job is to make people think.”
I have thought about this, and I think you need to talk to some social workers who deal with the problem of abused children. Believe me, wearing a mask is not child abuse. Not even close.
Another of your jobs is to be rational and lead by good example.
Sincerely,
Roy Christman
An article on spotted lanternflies in today’s Times noted that some people may be reluctant to squish those invasive insects because they are very pretty. People don’t think in terms of the overall ecology, but rather in terms of individual species or even individual animals.
Urban ecologist Marielle Anzelone pointed out: “People are feeding feral cats in the pandemic. Meanwhile, feral cats are slaughtering songbirds. But people understand what domesticated pets are, and they feel sorry for them. The majority of humans are not ecological literate.”
Ms. Anzelone is correct, and it is unfortunate.
In grad school my area of concentration was International Relations. I had a month’s internship at the U.N. and a summer internship at the State Department. I feel well qualified to give advice. It’s needed.
First, I understand that the largest threat to U.S. security, other than global warming, is China. Not international terrorism, not Russia, not wanna-be dictators like Bolsonaro, not Haitian refugees under a bridge, but China.
I also understand that we will be in another period like that of the Cold War, where both the U.S. and China will do their best to avoid a nuclear war but will engage in a cat and mouse arms race. Finally, I understand that U.S. submarines are able to do a better job at hovering off the Chinese coast than French subs can.
Nonetheless, France is a U.S. ally. It has not always done everything the U.S. wanted, but the obverse is also true. You don’t cost a good friend a $60 billion deal without some consultation. You don’t go behind an ally’s back. It’s a rule you learn in grade school–don’t crap on your friends.
Pennsylvania Republican legislators are trying to subpoena the voting records of every Pennsylvanian who voted in the November 2020 election. They want the last four digits of our Social Security numbers or our Pennsylvania driver’s license.
While I don’t think they will be able to determine how we voted, I will make life easy for them. I voted for Biden, not Trump. I live in Carbon County where a large majority voted for Trump. Since I do not think the people around me are that dumb, I believe that massive cheating must have occurred; otherwise there is no way that tax-avoiding racist clown could have received that many votes.
I also think that while this crack team of “forensic auditors” is investigating “voter fraud,” they might also determine if Elvis is still alive, if injecting bleach cures Covid, and if stepping on a crack in the sidewalk really does cause maternal spinal injuries.
Later this month I’ll be giving a talk on “Critical Race Theory.” Hence I read with interest “Harper’s Index” in the Sept. 2021 issue of that magazine.
Percentage of Democrats who have a favorable view of critical race theory: 86
Of Republicans who have an unfavorable view of it: 91
Percentage by which Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they have a “good idea” of what it is: 34
Years ago I saw a cartoon with two vultures sitting on a tree limb looking out at the land below, One turns to the other and says, “I’m hungry. Let’s kill something.”
Fast forward to 2021. Farmers in Indiana have reported that black vultures are swooping down and eating newly-born calves. A scientist who studies vultures says this is very unlikely, and that the vultures are no doubt eating calves that are stillborn or dying.
On the other hand, a study in Kentucky found that lambs, kid goats, free-range chickens, and turkeys have been killed by vultures.
See Jim Robbins, “Black Vulture Attacks Put Farmers on Edge,” New York Times, (Sept. 14, 2021), p. D-1, D-3.
Our daughter had a hip issue known as “leg perthes” when she was little. I won’t go into detail–you can google it–but many people who have that condition need an early hip replacement. She received an artificial hip today and is already home from the hospital.
That is not the normal procedure. The surgeon told her that ordinarily she would be kept overnight. As anyone who has had a hip or knee replacement knows, things can go wrong. So why was she sent home early? Because Butte County, California, is full of unvaccinated people, and Chico hospitals have filled up with unvaccinated Covid patients. The surgeon said she would be safer at home than if she stayed in the hospital.
These assholes who won’t get vaccinated and these political leaders who egg them on are putting our daughter at risk. I am so tired of them. Just think of the thousands of people who have needlessly died, including children, because of stupidity.
This isn’t the type of thing I usually post, but it is a feel-good item I want to share. On Oct. 21, 1952, J. Uhnak, Sr. lost three fingers on his left hand while harnessing a bull on his farm in Walnutport. He was employed at the Zinc Company in Palmerton in Vertical Furnaces. Not only was he unable to work, but he was also about to lose about nine acres of corn that had not yet been husked. Keep in mind there were no automatic corn huskers in 1952.
His fellow workers heard about the accident, and after working the 11-7 shift Sunday night, they reported to the farm art 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 27. By noon they had husked all nine acres of corn and had most of it in the corn crib.
“Zinc,” a magazine published by the New Jersey Zinc Company, ran a picture of the 40 corn huskers in the Feb. 1953 issue.
The Palmerton High School Class of ’60 held its 61st reunion today. We had planned to hold it last year, but Covid.... We probably should have postponed it again, since a number of classmates with medical issues decided not to attend. On the other hand, six classmates have died since the last reunion, so we didn’t want to wait another year.
We are not looking all that great. At 78 and 79 the youthful vim and vigor have been gone for decades. Nobody flirted with old high school flames, nobody got drunk, nobody was bragging about their wonderful jobs, since everybody is long since retired.
I think we may have more reunions down the road, but I don’t believe they will be the formal type with a sit-down lunch. (In the past it was a dinner, but many of us don’t drive so well at night so this one was a lunch.)
It’s a new series on Showtime starring Jeff Daniels, who is worth watching any time. Daniels plays a police chief in a small town in the Monongahela Valley. I’m afraid the show for me will be like “Mare of Easttown,” too close to home for me to really enjoy it.
Today Kovatch Motors of Nesquehoning, manufacturer of fire trucks, announced it was leaving Carbon County. The company had been bought out a few years ago, and the new owners decided to close down the Carbon County facility, which employees about 300 workers. That was one of the largest employers in the County.
Today’s Morning Call ran an article about a dispute in Vermont between residents who live in the country and ATV owners who want to use anearby road. The caption for a photo accompanying the article states, “Interest in ATVs has only intensified as more people got outdoors during the pandemic.”
Ripping around in an ATV is hardly being “outdoors,” but it is part of the common American belief that if something is sold, the buyer has an automatic right to use it however she or he wants. Thus jet ski users tear around “no wake” zones, snowmobile drivers harass wildlife in Yellowstone, fireworks are used at any time of year, dune buggies wreck beaches, and boat motors cut up manatees.
Here is what should happen to ATVs. They should be banned except for use by emergency personnel. They are loud, tear up trails, waste fossil fuel, add to air pollution, and make lots of noise. Absolutely useless.
Can the U.S. trust the Taliban? No, of course not.
Are the Taliban still fanatics who will kill innocent people in the name of their religion? Of course they are.
Are these the same people who destroyed the world heritage Bamiyan Buddhist statues? The very same.
Should the U.S. continue to deal with them on various issues? Of course we should.
One of the problems with modern diplomacy is that too much of it takes place in the glare of publicity. The Taliban are now in charge of Afghanistan. They are terrible people, but they are in charge. Members of Congress and news pundits can pontificate about never making deals with them, but if you are in Afghanistan right now and you want to get out, you are praying for the U.S., perhaps working with other countries like Qatar, to engage the Taliban. As distasteful and repulsive as that sounds, there are times we need to make a deal with the devil.
The latest newsletter from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania features an article on the suicide rates in Pennsylvania. Urban Pennsylvania counties have significantly lower suicide rates than rural counties. Carbon County, where I live, is considered a rural county. It also has one of the highest suicide rates in Pennsylvania, coming in third among the 67 counties at 34.3 suicides per 100,000 residents (2018 figures). Susquehanna (34.5) was second, while Cameron at 66.8 was a complete outlier. Cameron has such a small population, however, that three or four suicides would cause a distortion.
Just in case you were wondering, Schuylkill came in at 21.8, while Philadelphia’s rate per 100,000 was 10.1.
What drives up the rates? Here are a some factors: higher number of handgun sales per 1000 residents, lower levels of education, lower incomes, larger populations over age 65, and higher levels of unemployment.
I don’t understand why people who oppose mask mandates as an imposition on their freedom are still willing to wear seat belts and stop for red lights. What’s with that?
In Britain, according to media reports, three-quarters of five-to twelve-year olds now spend less time out of doors than prison inmates.
\In 2007 the Oxford Children’s Dictionary dropped “acorn” and “buttercup” and “heron” and “lark” and “magpie” and “newt” in favor of such words as “broadband” and “cut and paste.”
This information is from a book review of Losing Eden by Lucy Jones that appeared in Harper’s Magazine, August 2021, p. 73.
In 2019 Pennsylvania legislators passed a bill making it easier to vote by mail. Prior to that you had to be out of town on business (not vacation) or have a medical excuse (and name your condition and your doctor). The new law permitted people to request mail-in ballots without an excuse. It came just in time for the Covid pandemic and probably saved lives.
Now 14 Republican legislators have filed a lawsuit to overturn the law, saying it is unconstitutional. Are you ready? ELEVEN OF THOSE 14 HAD VOTED FOR THE BILL IN 2019. (Two hadn’t been elected yet; one had voted against it.)
Rep. Twardzik from Schuylkill was one of the 14. Doyle Heffley, bless his heart, was not one of the 14.
Today we received our flu shots at the RiteAid drugstore in Mahoning. They must be making thinner needles these days; the shot was painless. I asked about getting a Moderna booster. The druggist said they were only available for the immune-compromised.
I don’t see why more supplies aren’t available. After all, people aren’t using them in Florida or Texas. Why can’t we have theirs?
Yesterday Jamelle Bouie wrote in the Times that Republicans really don’t want the pandemic to end. Biden came into office promising to fight the pandemic. If it continues, however, won’t the Republicans be able to point to Biden’s failure? In fact, Biden’s popularity had already gone down before the Afghanistan withdrawal.
So, if you can ban mask mandates (DeSantis), pass legislation punishing businesses that require vaccines for their employees (Abbott), give funds to families to school districts that reject masks (Ducey of Arizona), and cheer the super spreader Sturgis motorcycle rally (Noem of S.D.), you will increase the number of deaths, and you will be able to point the finger at the president for not keeping his word.
And if people die, it is a small sacrifice in order to aid the Trump wing of the Republican Party.
It is obvious that we are returning to what is basically a bipolar world, resembling the rivalry between the USSR and the US after World War II, except this time the rivals are China and the US. Russia, which would like to pretend great power status, really isn’t in the running.
In the new bipolar competition, who is winning? With the increasing global climate issues, to talk about “winners” might be completely misplaced, but it seems to me that China is emerging as the #1 power. In an article in Foreign Affairs, Wang Jisi, President of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University, explained the Chinese attitude.
He pointed out that by mid-May of this year, Covid deaths in the U.S. reached nearly 600,000, while China, with many more people, lost fewer than 5000. What comes out of the U.S. are stories about police brutality, mass shootings, and urban unrest. The 2020 Presidential is still contested by many Trump supporters, and the January 6 riot at the Capitol showed political instability.
“Against this backdrop, many Chinese analysts highlight the political dysfunction, socioeconomic inequality, ethnic and racial divisions, and economic stagnation that plague the United States and other Western democracies.”
They have a point.
