The Republican Senate is attempting to rush hearings for President Trump’s cabinet choices. Everyone has to act now to insist that Congress follow established procedures and law for vetting ethics and conflicts of interest. Several candidates with many interests involving the government have yet to file the paperwork necessary to show how they will separate their businesses from their work in government, led by the President himself who appears determined to skirt rules that should apply to … [Read more...]
Kaci Hickox’s Heroism v. 1 World Trade’s Architecture of Fear
I admire the guts of Kaci Hickox, the Maine nurse who put herself at risk to help stop the Ebola scourge in Africa. Her idealism and that of others who do this work is so inspiring at a time when we seem to be surrounded by cynicism and lack of leadership. On her return to the US, she resisted a quarantine and stood up to fear-mongering media and politicians who panic rather than lead. I don’t hear her saying it, but clearly this is a crusade against bogus science: Creationism, climate-change … [Read more...]
Rising Seas Are Not Shoreline Doomsday
Climate change is not a death sentence to vulnerable coastal communities in North Carolina. Unfortunately the political reaction to new flood maps, according to this Washington Post story, has been to deny the threat rather than to engage with it. The only other option seems to be to write off the billions of value on barrier islands whose future is likely measured in decades not centuries. The Federal Rebuild by Design disaster-resilience effort is essential because it develops alternatives … [Read more...]