Tag: Politics

Don’t Be Distracted by ‘Inactivists.’ Solar Is the Present and Future

October 14, 2024

Today, I have an opinion piece, “Don’t Be Distracted by ‘Inactivists.’ Solar Is the Present and Future,” published on StateCollege.com. It is a response to Josh Portney’s misguided and ill-informed opinion piece on the regional solar power purchase agreement (SPPA). While Portney presents himself as a sleuth and advocate for the truth proves he has a … More Don’t Be Distracted by ‘Inactivists.’ Solar Is the Present and Future

“I support action on climate change, but …” We know what that means.

October 11, 2024

Having read Jacob Michael’s article in the Sept. 29 issue of The Centre Daily Times on the Solar Power Purchase Agreement (SPPA), former State College Borough Council member Jesse Barlow and I wanted to add some clarifying details. We felt this was important given that we have both been involved with the project since its … More “I support action on climate change, but …” We know what that means.

The real, but hidden, social benefits of a solar power purchase agreement.

September 30, 2024

As readers know from recent posts, I have been working on an intergovernmental solar power purchase agreement (PPA). It is close to the finish line. Our citizens and taxpayers will be able to celebrate how a coalition of committed public servants assembled a triple win on fiscal responsibility, voter and youth demands for action on … More The real, but hidden, social benefits of a solar power purchase agreement.

Taking on the Merchants of Doubt in 2024

September 22, 2024

I’ve been watching people get wrapped up in manufactured controversies—manfufactroversies—lately. The zombie armies of climate change deniers, doubters, boomers, and climate inactivists are out in force. Their goal is to undermine the public’s confidence in good actions. Who are they and what do they do? When some special interest sees an issue as a threat … More Taking on the Merchants of Doubt in 2024

The Assault on Women’s Rights: Project 2025

July 12, 2024

Trump’s and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is a regressive manifesto that places far right fundamentalist Christianity over Americans’ liberty. It is an all-out assault on women’s autonomy. Two years ago, the six reactionary Christians on the Court wiped out women’s privacy, women’s autonomy, and a woman’s right to plan her family. On numerous occasions, … More The Assault on Women’s Rights: Project 2025

Schools are not and should not be apolitical.

June 24, 2024

“Schools should be apolitical.” I hear this a lot. Most recently, this has come up because Louisiana’s governor has signed a law that requires schools place the Ten Commandments in schools. Last year and the year before, it was the Moms for Liberty trying to ban books based on their religious hopes for indoctrinating your … More Schools are not and should not be apolitical.

Final letter to an enemy of American democracy

June 11, 2024

Pastor E,

You have told me many times that your religion is not politics and my politics are a religion. You are concerned with more eternal things, the teachings and words of Christ, and the end of abortion. For some time, I took these statements seriously, considering each of them a worthwhile proposition. As you know, I temporarily curtailed my own behavior, in part as a response to what you’d said. Having soberly thought about your behavior, though, and the behavior of many pastors in the Evangelical church, your collective flock’s behavior, and their unwavering support for the Make America Great Again movement, I have concluded that the Evangelical Church has become so fixated on power that it has subordinated everything to a single end—a Christian nation made its own warped image. … More Final letter to an enemy of American democracy

The real and present danger of The United States vs. Itself

February 25, 2024

In living rooms and at professional development workshops, on opinion pages and the halls of Congress, the people of the world’s only superpower are attacking one another. Fueled by disinformation, our representatives, party leaders, pundits, clergy, and other hyper-partisans have driven division so deeply into our collective psyche that many people — maybe most people … More The real and present danger of The United States vs. Itself

With climate change, what happens on campus doesn’t stay on campus

February 21, 2024

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or … More With climate change, what happens on campus doesn’t stay on campus