On Social Justice

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the N.B.A.’s all-time leading scorer, is the author of 16 books.

“Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air.

“So, maybe the black community’s main concern right now isn’t whether protesters are standing three or six feet apart or whether a few desperate souls steal some T-shirts or even set a police station on fire, but whether their sons, husbands, brothers and fathers will be murdered by cops or wannabe cops just for going on a walk, a jog, a drive. Or whether being black means sheltering at home for the rest of their lives because the racism virus infecting the country is more deadly than COVID-19.”

Los Angeles Times and the Bleacher Report

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To my fellow elderly protestors — DemocracyNow! video
Watch from minute 7:21

Welcome to Buffalo, NY

Prosecutor: 2 Buffalo police charged with assault in shoving — PBS

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Will you join us this Thursday to learn what actions you can take individually and collectively to defend the lives of Black people and work to dismantle systemic racism? — 350.org

Contact Congress TODAY to stop police departments from buying weapons of war

Flu Virus Resources

Experiment shows human speech generates droplets that linger in the air for more than 8 minutes — Washington Post

What’s the Risk of Catching Coronavirus From a Surface?
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. — New York Times

Trump Death Clock: Creator Eugene Jarecki Says “Reckless Mishandling” of COVID-19 Must Be Quantified — DemocracyNow! interview

The essential coronavirus FAQ — PBS

Opinion

Commentary: Citizens assembly would seek consensus on climate — HeraldNet
State legislators want to call on residents to gather,
learn and craft solutions to climate change.

Solutions

Week 28: Find a way to do without one item on your shopping list.
Take part: June 7–13, 2020

How to Feed Ourselves in a Time of Climate Crisis
Here are 13 of the best ideas for a just and sustainable food system,
from saving seeds to curbing food waste. — Yes! Magazine

How Fast is Your Broadband? Take the test & see…
Clallam County is in the midst of a Broadband Feasibility Study along with our Team Partners – the Cities of Forks, Port Angeles and Sequim, the Port of Port Angeles, the Clallam County Public Utility District and the North Olympic Development Council. In order to succeed, we need to be able to document current internet speeds from every part the county.
We are focusing on ways to enhance and expand broadband access to the Internet throughout Clallam County. An important part of this study is use of the State Broadband Speed Test. You can help shape the future of broadband in Clallam County by participating. The documented results will be a vital component of the planning and feasibility study.
Please encourage others to participate. The more residents and businesses that participate in the speed test, the more accurate the results. Please take the speed test today!
Link to Speed Test:  wabroadband.speedtestcustom.com

Regional Actions

Election 2020 Webinar:
Evergreen Future Grassroots Action
June 10 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM

Public · Hosted by Washington Conservation Voters
Evergreen Future Platform website

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In Defense of Black Lives:
Solidarity and Amplification Toolkit for 350.org Local Groups

What we must do to dismantle white supremacy
There is no just recovery for climate, without addressing the systemic extraction, harm and violence towards Black communities.

Contact the UTC today and tell them to strengthen the 100% clean electricity law
— Washington Conservation Voters

Interfaith Earth Care Coalition Meeting | Tues. June 9, 4-5 pm
Join Zoom Meeting – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88462550106
Meeting ID: 884 6255 0106
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,88462550106# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,88462550106# US (Houston)

National Actions

Organizer Bill McKibben, leader, activist, scientist will speak online | June 6
A Crisis Inside a Crisis:
What Covid Might Teach Us About Dealing With Climate

Local/Regional News

For more information contact the North Olympic Peninsula Broadband Leader, Krestine Reed, at PNBVoices@gmail.com

Dana Lyons Concert | Sunday, June 14, 2020 at 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM PDT

National/International News

Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences
of the United States of America

Research Article
Vertebrates on the brink as indicators of biological annihilation
and the sixth mass extinction
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Mass Extinctions Are Accelerating, Scientists Report — Seattle Times
The Extinction Crisis Is Accelerating — HuffPost
Earth’s carbon dioxide levels hit record high,
despite coronavirus-related emissions drop — Washington Post

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World health leaders urge green recovery from coronavirus crisis
Open letter to G20 leaders says addressing climate breakdown key to global revival — The Guardian

Growing Climate Solutions Act set to be introduced in U.S. Senate
— Indiana U.S. Senator Mike Braun

Humans Are Only As Bad As The Systems We Build — NY Public Radio
This is a segment from our June 5, 2020 program, No Justice, No Peace

Stop the Money Pipeline fully supports the demands from the Movement for Black Lives and #BlackLivesMatter

Black Environmentalists Talk About Climate
and Anti-Racism
It’s impossible to live sustainably
without tackling inequality, activists say.

Monday June 8th – World Oceans Day – we’re organizing the first-ever international online rally to demand an end to cruise ship pollution
— Stand.earth

Inspiration

How I’m Trying to Not Be Miserable About the Planet
A weeklyish commentary about climateish stuff, and how to keep it together in a world gone mad.

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1. Carbon dioxide:
   Nature’s tiny solar panels
2. Take a deep breath
3. Galileo Fixes Everything
4. A Silver Lining
5. If You Don’t Like the Heat,
   Get Out of the Kitchen
6. Rainfall, Evaporation and Desertification

This is a series I’m writing on climate change for our local monthly newspaper. I wanted to go back to the basics of the science behind climate change.