My Public Comment to State Dept. on the XL Pipeline

The Keystone XL project is wicked for many reasons: an ecological gash across North America, a commitment to dirty carbon energy for 100 years, displacing Indigenous peoples, allowing ahistorical industrial madness by dissociative corporations, and insuring the destruction of Mother Earth and human civilization by a Runaway Climate Crisis.

I accuse the XL Pipeline project of being "AHISTORICAL". It is outside the sweep of history, it is disconnected from the ecological realities of 2011, it is disconnected from current science, history and rationality. The XL Pipeline would go thru the Ogalla Aquifer, at a time when fresh water is becoming scarce. We are living during a Climate Apocolpyse, when the newspaper everyday reports evidence of the rapid change of our planetary ecosystem due to carbon pollution, and yet the XL Pipeline would produce 3 times more CO2 than regular crude oil.

I accuse the State Department and the US Government more broadly of negligence of duty to protect the citizenry from Climate Collapse.

I bear witness to the "revolving door" between government and business, and encourage the State Department to stop allowing former employees to be employed by Big Business in endeavors that undermine our country's safety and sovereignty. The State Department should investigate the corrupt relationship documented here at Democracy Now:

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/10/6/naomi_klein_keystone_xl_oil_pipeline .

The XL Pipeline is like a mad fantasy of 19th century industrialists, with 21st century technology, but without the 21st century's understanding of Ecology, Climate Science, and Indigenous History.

The XL Pipeline will endanger our country by being a terrorist target atop our largest aquifer. It will endanger our country by creating a strip of ecological damage down the center of the North American continent.

There are Indigenous People's living amidst the Tar Sands project. They get run over by big trucks, get cancer from poisoned water, watch their lives erode amidst ecological devastation. The First Peoples have suffered so much. Our Planet's very survival depends on learning their wisdom about respecting Mother Earth. During the Tar Sands Action this summer, I made this short film that brings forward their voices:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYU9IF-mVE

If the XL Pipeline is approved, we will mobilize to support a candidate for President that is a true Climate Champion. The Obama Administration's lack of action on the Climate Crisis is unacceptable. We don't have four more years to wait for action. If the Obama Administration is at all serious about addressing the Climate Crisis, the XL Pipelines should be cancelled right away.

I was arrested at the White House protesting the XL Pipeline because I understand the Climate Science. If we don't mobilize to stop this problem, we are NO PLACE. Everything valuable and beautiful in this small planet will be ruined because we will have ruined our sky. If you feel I'm being poetic or rash, I encourage you to study the climate science much more closely. The Climate Science is very clear: more carbon, more heat = disrupting a tightly wound atmospheric system = floods, hurricanes, ecocide.

Please, people, get on board. Provide some leadership and help save the planet before it's too late.

sincerely,

Theo Talcott

Manchester, Vermont

Last day for public comment is Oct 7th: at http://www.keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/clientsite/keystonexl.nsf/CommentFset?OpenFrameSet

Advancing VT Climate Legislation and Climate Leaders

Vermont has a historic opportunity to lead America in responding to the Climate Crisis. Governor Peter Shumlin spoke as a true Climate Champion during the 350.org's Moving Planet rally in Montpellier on Sept. 24th. How can Vermont's vibrant Climate Movement support legislators in creating aggressive and effective Climate legislation?

We need to start playing "The Inside Game". Climate activists have gotten used to being "voices in the wilderness" and lonely Cassandras. That was before "The Wakeup Call" of Hurricane Irene swept away covered bridges and excuses for inaction. Our political leaders are agreeing with us now, and so the Climate Movement enters a new phase. We can make ourselves useful and help 'getter dun' in the legislatures.

After Shumlin's speech, I found myself asking "by what miracle did we wind up with a Climate Champion governor?" And then I asked, "what does the governor do again? How much power does he actually have? What could the Vermont state legislature really do?"

This are the right questions because State Government is smaller and has less tricks it could pull off. Like Washington DC, Montpellier is a place where people talk about budgets and we shouldn't delude ourselves with magical thinking that somehow our elected leaders can flip a switch and Solve the Climate Crisis. The problem is REALLY BIG. Probably bigger than the Federal Government could deal with, even if it wasn't being run by oil companies. Bigger than the United Nations, whose best effort so far, the Kyoto Protocol, hasn't even caused the overall levels of Carbon going into the atmosphere to decrease.

Still... State Governments are useful as "Labratories of Democracy". We can work up solutions in the tiny state lab, and then scale them up for the nation and planet. So let's imagine Vermont passing aggressive climate legislation that helps governments of the world begin to effectively and legitimately respond to the Climate Crisis.

Like...

1. Developing methods for collecting Carbon Taxes. We need to put a price on Carbon. Taxes on Carbon should drive down the amount emitted. Think of it as Sin Taxes for the 21st Century. The political climate in Washington is so knee-jerk anti-tax in rhetoric that leadership on Carbon Taxes needs to come from the states. We could do a real service to the nation by getting the ball rolling and figuring out how to do it. We don't' have to reinvent the wheel. Other countries are already experimenting with carbon taxes, especially those smart northern european ones. Carbon Taxes might replace income taxes. How about a penny per gallon gasoline tax and the money raised buys solar panels to go on the schools?

2. Vermont should "sign the Kyoto Protocol." The United States has not signed the only meaningful international treaty on Climate created by the United Nations. Instead, every year the US goes to the 'Conference of Parties" (who actually have signed the treaty), and roadblock progress. In Copenhagen and then Cancun, the US has a track record of self-absorbed obstructionism. The Climate Movement should force the US to sign the Kyoto Protocol, and take up a LEGALLY-BINDING commitment to cut national levels of Carbon.

This isn't to say that Kyoto is perfect. (Overall, carbon levels have continued to go up since it was begun.) But it's the start. We need even stronger, fiercer globally concerted laws and action to avert the worst that the Climate Crisis could bring us. The US should at least get on-board with the relatively weak Kyoto "Commitments to reduce carbon levels."

Vermont could symbolically sign Kyoto (it's really a treaty that the US has to sign) and agree to take on the Commitments to reduce carbon levels. Vermont can start abiding by the Kyoto Protocol and hopefully US will someday do the same. Vermont can befriend the international Climate Negotiations and introduce our country to this useful ally. Vermont should send delegates to next round of international negotiations, in Decemeber, in Durbin, South Africa, with the intention to getting Vermont to abide by the Kyoto Protocol.

3. Vermont could get serious about creating 'complete streets' and promote bike lanes and public transportation. "Green Island" in Bellows Falls could get start support. And so on.

What Climate Legislation do you want to see?

I'd like to propose a few actions to help the Climate Movement to get political.

A) Let's have forum/symposium soon that brings together legislators and Climate Activists to discuss what is possible. Let's host a "Forum on Potential Climate Legislation for Vermont" will chew on our real options.

B) Let's create a Citizen & Politician Climate Alliance. Citizens and Public Servants can work together for Climate Justice. Citizens offer: work on campaigns, funding, advice, education to politicians, etc. Politicians get dedicated volunteers, some street cred, and help promoting legislation to the general public. "Cooperation and reciprocal good will are necessary for any important work" said spiritual teacher Mirra Alfassa. How can we cooperate with good will with the Climate Champions who are in power? We don't want to be "precious" about our outsider activism. Perhaps hipper to be in the streets with signs and slogans, but more truly useful to engage with the political process and really affect meaningful change.

C) Encourage Climate Activists to run for public office. We try to move from beseeching those in power to BEING THOSE IN POWER. We need to elect 10,o00 Climate Champions. Will you run for Senator?

The goal of the Climate Movement is to save the planet from Runaway Climate Change. We need to start using the tool of Government for this purpose. The Political Class is waking up to the Climate Crisis, at least the smart ones, like Clinton, Bloomberg, and Shumlin. Let us find ways to be in support of our elected allies who understand the "fierce urgency of now" of the Climate Crisis.

Climate of Private Obsession

I spent much of the winter thinking and writing about the Climate Crisis. I organized with climate activists who all agreed it was a major problem. Then Spring came like flicking on a light switch and I dropped back into my body to work like a horse on a friend's farm. Suddenly, I'm back in a world where people don't know or aren't concerned about the Climate Crisis.

It's a relief. Who wants to always be thinking about 'The End of the World'? Not me. I want to think about Girlwalk videos, Further shows at SPAC and growing garlic. Caring about Climate feels like a private madness, a pet peeve, a dark private vision of planet death, especially when surround by people who are blithely unconcerned.

On April 7th, I attended a meeting for the State of Vermont's effort to create a Comprehensive Energy Plan. I was surprised to find very little talk of the Climate Crisis. It was an energy conversation that could have happened in another era on another planet. And these were smart gov't people.

So, clearly, the Climate Movement is still in the movement-building phase of "raising awareness" and "creating mass consciousness" and "making sure the public knows there is a problem".

The Climate Movement hasn't achieved mass consciousness because the science is so complicated that it's easy to refute. Like 5th graders, Climate Deniers have just said "Nah-uunuhh" and Climate Scientists are forced to mumble back "No really, arctic ice samples gives us a very clear record of the relationship between carbon in the atmosphere and temperature. More carbon, more temperature." Climate Deniers say "Oh, yeah?!!" And around it goes, a stuck debate between PhDs and tweens about the proper atmospheric composition if we want to preserve life on earth as we know it.

The Climate Movement must get better at explaining the science. It's not enough that Bill McKibben and James Hansen understand the mechanics of the problem. We need 8th graders who can explain the carbon/temperature connection to their Senators. Someday I’d like to make videos of citizens explaining the Climate Crisis to legislators.

It took me about two years to eat, digest and understand the Climate Science. In total, it's complicated: planetary chemistry, geological records. But in summary, it's not too complicated: more soot in the sky, more heat held in by the greenhouse effect. We need to get millions more people understanding the Climate Science so that creating a Zero-Carbon society becomes a priority.

The Climate Crisis has a time-lag. The Biggest Effects are still far-off in the future. The planet is taking some time to adjust to the new atmospheric composition of (currently) 390 PPM (parts per million) carbon. Already we are experiencing big changes, but the changes haven't deeply settled in. If it was 390 PPM for 100 years, we'd probably have no ice-caps. In Cancun, the last time it was two degrees warmer, the sea level was two feet higher. The changes are happening now in miniature, but in a few years, they'll flesh out. Already we are seeing big changes: hottest year on record, record snowfalls and rainfalls, Pakistani floods and Russian fires. I mean, damn, we're in the middle of it now.

So, why the indolent indifference, people? What is it going to take to get on with the business end of creating a carbon-neutral society?

Probably more folks like Tim.

The story of Tim DeChristopher is encouraging because he has challenged the prevailing societal indolence with Gandhi-like ethical sturdiness. He punked an illegal Bush-era sell-off of public land to oil companies and effectively blocked the auction. Follow the story of this brave prankster Earth Protector at bidder70.org. We need more people able to act on what their heart's know to be true.

May humanity bravely face the Truth and save the sky, the Earth and ourselves.

Vermonters Asked to Help Remake State’s Energy Plan

Got ideas about Vermont’s future? The State wants your input on the revision of the Comprehensive Energy Plan. This public process is an excellent opportunity to

environmentalists to ‘speak truth to power’ and help Vermont get on-track to a sustainable zero-carbon economy.

The State of Vermont’s Department of Public Service has begun a yearlong public engagement process to ask “what do you want?” This listening process is designed to find good ideas and policy. Next year, the Legislature will create actual laws based on the findings.

Like the excellent Farm-to-Plate process, this is government at it’s best: starting in low-gear by listening to people and crowd-sourcing best practices.

The second stake holder meeting on April 7th will focus on Transportation and Land-use, giving environmental advocates the chance to ask for bike lanes, carbon taxes, sustainable farming, legal hemp, and so forth.

Or you can also submit your comments on line to: ed.delhagen@state.vt.us

Both meetings will happen at Union University on a hilltop above Montpellier. The first stake holder meeting on March 23rd focused on Energy Supply and Renewable Energy. The crowd was a mix of energy company lobbyists, environmentalists and gov’t people. The discussion had a strong ‘hive-mind’ feeling, created by smart people talking a mutual language of energy and environment. And humanity’s energy plan will decide the fate of our collective survival, so there’s an electrostatic charge that comes from discussing the Most Important Thing.

The meeting was well-organized. Speakers gave brief presentations to introduce the subjects. A Green Mountain Power guy spoke from industry perspective. Joanna Miller from Vermont Natural Resource Council (VNRC) brought the environmental perspective.

Then we broke out into some fairly dynamic small-group discussion. The topic was interesting and there were a lot of smart people in the room. The discussion went well, partly because meeting organizers took time to present a powerpoint slide on “Working Agreements for the Day”: mutual respect, keep it brief, stay on topic. Good conversational council doesn’t happen automatically, it needs to be coaxed into existence by ‘rules of engagement.” Organizers need to tell people, “we invite all voices, but keep it brief!”

I encourage more environmentally minded folks come to the next meeting on April 7th. Joan Knight and I were the lone voices talking about the Climate Crisis. The day’s discussion reminded me that most people haven’t understood the seriousness of Climate Crisis. The conversation could have happened on different planet that wasn’t amidst a traumatic disturbance of planetary equilibrium. There was little talk of cutting carbon and of aiming for a zero-carbon society.

I was shocked to hear people talk politely about “natural gas from Shale.” To properly describe “natural gas”, we need dusty Old Testament language, so we can say “HYDRO-FRACKING IS AN ABOMINATION.” Hydro-fracking is deeply decadent, immoral, sinful and a crime against Creation. Hydrofracking makes oil companies rich and externalizes the costs on poor people in Pennsylvania whose water supply gets ruined. Hydrofracking is amoral Nazi-like technological prowess in service to the inhuman dissociative demon-logic of sociopathic corporations.

Hydro-fracking is a great environmental crime against the Earth and people. Hydro-fracking works by the explosion of the earth’s inner layers to release gas. The details are ugly and polluted. They pump water and chemicals into wells at great pressure. This cracks the rock and releases gas that gets siphoned off. Afterwards, the water rises up again after the pressure is released and brings up water filled with chemicals and radioactivity. Bad news. I hope Vermont passes laws that make “natural Shale gas” illegal. I intend to say this at the next meeting on April 7th.

Speaking of radioactivity, another thing I like about this process is that Governor Shumlin has made clear that the process will not include yes/no discussion of Vermont Yankee because the legislature has already decided to shut it down.

On April 7th, you come too and let’s get Vermont on the right track for energy. Or send your comments to: ed.delhagen@state.vt.us

Eat seaweed for iodine for today's nuke fallout (and other facts and rants)

Eat seaweed for iodine for today's nuke fallout (and other facts and rants)

As low-level radioactive fallout from Japan’s nuclear accident drifts thru our skies, let's review about eating iodine as antidote to radioactive exposure. This essay gathers useful knowledge on the entwined topics of iodine, radiation, seaweed, the thyroid, corporate sociopaths and Solartopia.

Taking iodine can help limit the ill effects of exposure to nuclear radiation. Short version: Eat lots of seaweed and iodised salt, maybe get iodine supplements. Definitely, 2011 is the year of seaweed-miso soup for the whole planet. Seaweed has iodine, and draws out toxins to boot. It won’t hurt anyone to go the health food store and buy Iodine Supplements and Iodized salt and seaweed and enjoy a few months of an intentionally salty seaweed diet. The more the body is filled up with regular iodine, the less inclined the thyroid is to uptake radioactive iodine isotopes created by nuclear fission.

An herbalist friend tells me of a Japanese clinic in '45 that fed everybody miso/seaweed soup. The staff who ate it every day didn’t get cancer and most patients too. But this isn’t just hippie wisdom. (Praise be to the Hippies!) Potassium Iodine (whose initials are: KI) was widely given out after Cherynobyl and it worked great to stop thyroid cancer. In Poland, they gave Potassium Iodine (KI) to 1o.7 million kids, and they didn't get thyroid cancer. In the Ukraine and right around Cherynobyl, people got cancer who didn't get the medicine because supplies ran out (and/or nobody wanted to drive into the nuke’s secondhand smoke with it.)

So the evidence is very strong for encouraging taking the KI pills, especially if you are within 500 km from the radioactive plume. Thyroid cancer was pretty much the only cancer that people got 10 years after Cherynobyl. People who got the KI medicine didn’t get increased rates of cancer. This suggests that Potassium Iodine is super helpful, especially right after initial exposure.

The thyroid concentrates “various radioactive isotopes of iodine produced by nuclear fission. The uptake of radioactive iodine can, in theory, be blocked by saturating the uptake mechanism with a large surplus of non-radioactive iodine, taken in the form of potassium iodine pills” according to Wikipedia. “So what is the thyroid again?” we both ask of Wikipedia. “The thyroid controls how quickly the body uses energy, makes proteins, and controls how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.”

The thyroid system is made of glands including and around the Adam’s apple. If you rub your fingers around your neck to the sides of your Adam’s apple, you’ll be massaging your parasympathetic thyroid, sort of backup glands to the thyroid. Recently I was exposed to some strong industrial chemicals and I noticed my thyroids were enlarged and irritated, as if they were processing toxins.

Taking the KI pills are no piece of cake, so everybody probably doesn’t want to race to Rite Aid for it. Wikipedia suggests that there are some tough "adverse reactions" to the KI medication. More mildly, upset stomach and acne! More seriously and call the doc, skin rash, vomiting, irregular heartbeat. Who should take Potassium Iodine (KI) because of the Japanese nuke explosions? Probably every Japanese person under 18 should take it right away. Young people in nearby Asia, maybe. For those beyond 500 km, it’ probably not worth the unpleasant side effects like nausea, acne, etc.

The World Health Organization recommends the treatment for young people up to 18 in particular, presumably because the thyroid is still growing and thus is more susceptible to some radioactive flyby by some bit of nuke soot. People over 40 shouldn’t bother taking the Potassium Iodine, because they probably wouldn't get the thyroid cancer anyway as compared to the unpleasant side effects from taking it.

The WHO report says there is some disagreement on the dosage amount to take. The WHO recommends 1/10th the dosage that is recommended by the ”International basic safety standards.” On the question of who should take the KI, Wikipedia says that up to 500 miles around Cherynobyl people got thyroid cancer, so, I guess it follows that you'd have to be 500 km from Japan's reactors to get it.

Here are some quotes from Wikipedia on the topic: “The US Food and Drug Administration recommends 150 micrograms of iodine per day for both men and women.

“Iodine is a micro nutrient that is naturally present in the food supply of many regions. However, where natural levels of iodine are in the soil are low and the iodine is not taken up by vegetables, iodine added to salt provides the small but essential amount needed by humans.

“Iodized salt is table salt mixed with a minute amount of various iodine-containing salts. Worldwide, iodine deficiency affects about two billion people and is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation. The use of iodised salt is an efficient way to add iodine to the diet. Iodide-treated table salt slowly loses it’s iodine content by process of oxidation. When table salt comes into contact with the oxygen in the air (oxidation), it releases iodine.” (So open a fresh container of iodised salt and treat the whole dang family to the Salty Food Diet.)

A sailor friend tells of being on a sailboat somewhat near Chernobyl at the time. The gov't's official weather reports suddenly stopped reporting the accurate movements of the winds. The sailors knew the winds because they were watching closely and gathering weather news from other sources. If they had listened to official weather reports they would have sailed to France and gone into the plume. (Cue Bob Dylan: “Don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”) And the wind matters, Chernobyl poisoned the fruit trees in Greece and Turkey, and rain deer in Finland, sheep in Scotland, all depending on the wind drift of the plume.

For years, calm and smart people have been working to get Vermont to shut down the Nuclear Reactor that just like the one that exploded in Japan. Democracy Now reports both were built near the same time, by the same company GE, and with the same crapp-o design, with crap engineering on the too-small containment cooling part. Good thing that Vermont’s Governor Shumlin is committed to shutting down VT’s doppleganger nuke and creating a post-Yankee Comprehensive Energy Plan, complete with citizen input!

Usually I picture Homer Simpson when thinking about nuclear power plant employees. And so it happens, an earthquake and suddenly, “Doe-!Uh!” the cooling system doesn't work cause the power is off, and suddenly this incredibly complicated nuclear fission cooking process is overheating above 2200 degrees and water molecules rip apart and the hydrogen gathers out of the water (H20!) and KA-BOOM! Damn this is a complicated chemical process to be left in the hands of the Homer Simpsons, and worse, the Montgomery Burns of the world. There are reports that the Japanese plant owners waited too long before flooding the plant with salt water because it ruined their investment. Wow, a new low. Oh greedy people, please throttle back and live within the reality of our biologically-based world.

In terms of the Climate Crisis, humanity's excessive burning of fossil fuels may break the sky, and thus expose our soft skin to the radiation coming from our great nuclear Sun. The sky is so precious as our blast shield/sunglasses in cutting the sun’s nuclear glare. There may come a time in the future when people are taking potassium iodine as a daily dietary supplement to counteract the increased radioactivity of the world because of climate collapse. Boy, that’s a dire scenario instead of just early-adopting a green Solartopia future of clean Carbon-Neutral energy.

May the better angels of Humanity’s Nature lead us into a living future.

Eating to protect ourselves from the nuke soot

Here's some good wisdom on what to eat for antidote the nuclear fall-out from Japan.

This healing protocol for exposure to radiation came to me from a west coast healer via local healer Sandra Lory. Take this opportunity to review the protocol and incorporate some of these suggestions into your diet over the next weeks and months. Feel free to pass this along to friends and family.

Best, Annie McCleary, Director, Wisdom of the Herbs School

From Dori Midnight:

As you've probably heard, there may be some radiation moving across the pacific in the next weeks heading towards the west coast from Japan. To keep going, be alive, and not shut down, we need courage, nourishment, and support - make a pot of soup!

1. SEAWEED: eat nori, put wakame, kombu, and hijiki in your soups and stews. The iodine in kelp helps draw out the radiation and protect your thyroid from radioactive uptake.

2. MISO: good medicine full of live cultures, amino acids, minerals, and protein. I'd recommend making a big pot this week, having a bowl everyday and feeding it to all your friends- recipe follows.

3. MUSHROOMS: strengthen your immune system with some shitake mushrooms, sauteed or in soups.

4. Eat vegetables, especially DAIKON radishes and BURDOCK root- stick them in your soup too or make a shredded salad (recipe below). Daikon has been used for drawing out radiation, post nuclear fall out- it's cooling and detoxifying.

5. BATHS in epsom salt and baking soda (1 lb of salt, with a bit of baking soda 2x week)

6. DRINK lots of WATER

7. IMMUNE support: do the things you know boost your immune system- sleep well, eat garlic and Vitamin C rich foods, and go easy on the sugar.

8. LOVE: send prayers, love, healing thoughts for those who need it most. Instead of freaking out or shutting down, let your anger, fear, and grief flow- it's what makes us human and feel connected to what's going on in the world right now. Crying is a potent way to detox, friends.

9. HERBS: if you want to get herbal, some great allies are nettle tea, cilantro (eat a lot of it or take a tincture- it helps draw heavy metals out ), and milk thistle (helps your liver process toxins). Also Yarrow Environmental Essence from FES is a beautiful formula to support the body in environmental disasters.

RECIPES:
Magical Medicinal Miso Soup
Saute one onion, sliced thin, til translucent. Add water, seaweed of choice (I like Kombu and Wakame), shitake mushrooms (dried or fresh), burdock root, carrots, and any other hearty roots you like. Simmer for 25 minutes.
I like to add shredded or sliced ginger near the end, so it's strong, and some garlic, which I like really strong. You can also add greens, like kale or spinach. Simmer another 5 minutes.
Because you don't want to boil your miso, I usually put a large dollop of miso paste in my bowl and then pour the broth on top to dissolve it.
Drink and offer bowls to all your loved ones and neighbors, kiddos and pets, family and friends.

Get your Daikon
Easy Shredded Salad
Shred carrot and daikon radish (2-3 roots)
Mix with sesame oil and a little umeboshi vinegar (also a great medicine!), sesame seeds, whatever fresh herbs you've got on hand (I love mint or cilantro), and a little tamari. Eat and feel alive and well thanks to the plants, the sun, the water and the farmers.

Dori Midnight
community folk healing + magic + apothecary
www.dorilandia.com

http://midnightapothecary.blogspot.com

Annie McCleary, director

Wisdom of the Herbs School

1005 County Road

East Calais, Vermont 05650

802-456-8122

www.wisdomoftheherbsschool.com