Hope. It’s a beautiful thing.
It’s been a long year and a half, on that I think we can all agree. As an educator, this last school year was one of the toughest of my life. Online teaching left me drained … Read more
Editorials
Editorials, essays, opinion pieces and subjective personal reports.
The “We’re F****d” To-Do List
We – the entire human and non-human populations of Earth – are now officially in the “We’re F****d” stage of climate crisis. Extinction Rebellion UK called it first, but the IPCC Report that dropped on Monday … Read more
“Since When Have Trees Existed Only for Rich Americans?”
Those words are the title of an opinion piece by Ian Leahy and Yaryna Serkez published in the NY Times on July 4th, 2021. They lay out the impact of long-term, systemic inequity in access … Read more
A Planet Without Social Justice Is Not Worth Having
A planet without social justice is not worth having. I made this statement to someone, almost reflexively, in response to something they said to me. What they said and why requires a little background. I … Read more
Is It An Emergency Yet?
NBC News: “Portland, Oregon soared to 116 degrees – hotter than Dallas, Miami and L.A. have ever been” The Guardian: “The hot weather had berry farmers scrambling to pick crops before they rot on the … Read more
Nothing to See at Zenith: A Photo Essay
The oil is invisible, but the stench is perceptible – a taint in the air as I get out of my Prius to take photos of Zenith Energy’s facility on Front Street. Here’s what I … Read more
Film Reviews: Indigenous People Fighting Back
From time immemorial indigenous people have lived on the land. Since 1492, Europeans have immorally exploited the land and its people. These three documentaries highlight the struggles of Indigenous groups fighting to protect their land and … Read more
Report Back from the Treaty People Gathering
An incredible action. When we headed back to the blockade site this morning, there were still 4 people locked to the boat blocking the road into the site. A few people across the road stayed overnight to provide some support. Activists with a lot of direct action experience and skills, and those with little or none, all worked together beautifully.
What the Water Protectors of Minnesota Taught Me
Here’s what I learned in Minnesota: Pipelines are not a climate change issue. They’re an Indigenous issue with global consequences. Pipelines always run through Indigenous territories because they’re politically disenfranchised, the result of half a millennium of persecution and genocide. It’s the path of least resistance.
A Year of Resistance
This week marks the anniversary of the brutal murder of George Floyd and the anniversary of the Portland uprising. This was a year of resistance. But we weren’t the ones resisting. It was the government. … Read more