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My work with TRANSCEND involves spending a lot of time researching, analyzing and writing up important developments on issues related to politics, environment, economic system change. I do the hard work of monitoring media outlets across the political spectrum to gain a fuller understanding of what is going on in society.
Then, I step back and look at the deeper, spiritual implications and opportunities. I point out timely actions we can take to move toward a world that works better for all beings and I regularly share some of the good news going on in the world that rarely gets mainstream coverage because hope is a powerful force.
I make nearly every article free to all readers so I need reader support to keep this model alive. Without ads or foundation money, reader donations are the only way to fund this work. If you can afford it, and you value real independent journalism, with both hard facts and doses of hope please consider becoming a paid subscriber today.
Fun Fact: The “dog days of summer” is a phrase used to describe the hot and humid days of summer. It can be traced back thousands of years to the days of the Roman Empire. It refers to the dates from July 03 through August 11, which is 20 days prior and 20 days after the star Sirius rises and falls in conjunction with the sun.
The Texas Flooding Tragedy is not a Fluke
I waited to weigh in on the horrific situation in Texas for a couple reasons. First, the only thing more traumatic than the death of your child might be the not-knowing when they are missing. My heart goes out to all those hit by this tragedy. The second reason I paused is that it still isn’t clear how much responsibility can be assigned to the wrecking ball the Trump regime has taken to the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other agencies that monitor deadly weather events and issue warnings. Lawmakers and agonized loved ones are now beginning to demand investigations.
When the regime started blaming this tragedy on a once in a generation weather event, calling it a freak accident, I felt called to point out some things. Republican officials won’t acknowledge it, but these types of events are our new climate reality. Environmentalists like me have been warning for decades but the addiction to extraction Capitalism has been too strong and leadership too weak.
As Thom Hartmann recently shared, The Potsdam Institute has mapped out nine critical components of a livable planet. Recent evaluations show that we have crossed a threshold of collapse in seven of them:
— Climate change: The most obvious. We’ve gone well beyond safe CO₂ levels.
— Biosphere integrity: Species are vanishing at a mass-extinction pace.
— Biogeochemical flows: Runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture is killing ecosystems.
— Land-system change: Forests and wetlands are being razed for short-term profits.
— Freshwater use: Droughts are intensifying; aquifers are being depleted.
— Ocean acidification: CO₂ absorption is turning oceans acidic, killing coral reefs and other marine life.
— Novel entities: Plastics, forever chemicals, synthetic toxins are now everywhere.
Yet despite this dire reality, the oligarchs keep ratcheting up the destruction.
In just the first six months of 2025, the Trump regime, enabled by the Republican Congress, have already:
— Slashed clean energy subsidies redirecting billions to oil and gas exploration.
— Revoked tax credits for EVs, solar panels, heat pumps, and green home upgrades.
— Lifted regulations on methane emissions and offshore drilling.
— Cut funding to NOAA and weather satellites, fired hundreds of climate scientists, removed climate change references from government websites, and is working to potentially repeal the 2009 "endangerment finding" that allows regulation of greenhouse gases.
— Gutted FEMA’s climate preparedness, slashing federal support for communities that experience catastrophic disasters like the flooding in Central Texas.
Just two days ago I learned that the regime has hired three scientists known for rejecting mainstream climate science consensus: Steven Koonin, John Christy, and Roy Spencer. These scientists argue that climate change is either "unsettled," exaggerated, or more influenced by natural factors than human activity, despite overwhelming scientific consensus that fossil fuel burning is dangerously heating Earth. This is just another step in the dismantling of science and public information in this nation.
Just today, it’s being reported that Trump’s Dept. of Interior is cutting public input out of the process for permitting energy projects. With the changes, instead of publishing draft environmental impact statements for public comment, agencies could simply publish the final version.
Historian Heather Cox Richardson recently pointed out:
“Project 2025 called for breaking up and downsizing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, claiming its six main offices – including the National Weather Service – ‘form a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity,’ by which it meant the fossil fuel industry.”
I’ve always been amazed at the ability of right-wing leaning people to dismiss the obvious fact that none of us will thrive for long on a sick and destabilized planet. My mother used to dismiss that problem through her belief that Jesus was literally going to come back to Earth and set everything aright. I think for many that belief has now been replaced by faith in the messiah of technology. Facing the need to change our own ways of being and doing business and admitting limits on our right to extract and consume is just beyond the capability of a lot of Americans. Most of the new billionaire class are certainly too drunk on extravagance, elitism, and power to curb the impacts of their lifestyles.
To me our treatment of wild places, forests, lakes, rivers, oceans, our fellow non-human species, and inimitable natural beauty is a spiritual issue. What do we consider sacred? What do we value?
Our current economic system and federal leaders clearly value extractive capitalism, consumption, and personal power above natural wonders and the health of our planet. It seems their plan is to take, take, take, mine, cut, burn and dump, raking in even more money while leaving the mess and depletion for future generations to deal with.
Conservatives constantly argue that we can’t afford to make a massive transition to low-carbon energy sources or investments in strong environmental protections. The Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund identified $54 billion in flood control needs across Texas, but lawmakers so far have devoted just $1.4 billion to fix them. Observers note part of this is ideological as Texas Republicans — who control the Statehouse and governor’s mansion — are big believers in fiscal conservatism. I wonder what they think about the fact that the current flood event is not only one of the costliest in terms of human lives but also set to be one of the most economically costly in U.S. history, with early estimates of total damage and loss between $18 billion and $22 billion.
The hard truth is government is not going to do anything to protect nature, ecosystems or our planetary life support systems as long as government is controlled by people consumed by greed, able to remain willfully ignorant of scientific facts, and unmoved by the majesty we are losing.
It just may take massive ecological disruption for humanity to change course. Some form of nature will win in the end and those of us who love and care for creation beyond our own personal consumption will be able to build anew, to create an economy and society that works better for all beings.
In the meantime, as a lifelong environmental activist, I believe it’s more important than ever to challenge the policies being put forward, to call out the greed, and when necessary to do civil disobedience to save precious places and species. It’s also important to note, despite the current regime, there’s tremendously good policy being forwarded by numerous states and successful conservation efforts still ongoing at local and state levels. Tribes are also doing some incredibly important work. My recent visit to the National Bison Conservation Range gave me hope (more on that below).
Finally, in an inspirational turn, I want to give a shout out to Coast Guard Petty Officer, Scott Ruskin, who was called out to help during the flood. It was his first mission, but he arrived by helicopter through tropical storm winds at Camp Mystic and led 165 people, mostly children, in small groups to safety.
Dark times often bring out the best in us. There is hope in that.
Actions:
· Keep using your voice and your love. Let your lawmakers know the health of the planet matters to you. Call them out when they fail to lead. Give them some love when they take action.
· Protect nature wherever you can. With a little less lawn and a bit more diversity every yard and park can be a mini wildlife habitat. This article offers some good info on rethinking and remaking lawns.
· Take part in the national Days of Action and Protest to resist the authoritarians and protect/strengthen democracy. The next big action is July 17. You can find a map of events in communities across the country at this link.
· Get engaged early in helping during the 2026 mid-term elections to get progressives into office. Taking Congress back from the Trump sycophants and cowardly republicans is essential to slowing the damage.
· Find joy, get rest, express kindness and love. These things keep us mentally healthy and strong for the long-haul.
Much Love,
Cylvia
National Bison Conservation Range – Tribes Reclaiming Culture, Restoring Earth
On our road trip back from the Midwest to Oregon John, Olive dog, and I laid up for a couple nights in an RV park in Bozeman Montana. The bison range is about twenty minutes out of Bozeman in an area called Charlo. Its history is a fascinating and at times maddening story of colonization and abuse, but that took a major shift just a few years ago.
By the mid 1800’s bison herds once numbering in the tens of millions had been reduced to near extinction. In the 1870’s a Qľispé (also known as Kalispel) man named Little Falcon Robe received approval from Tribal leaders to bring orphaned bison calves across the Continental Divide to the Flathead Indian Reservation for conservation and subsistence purposes. By the end of the 1800s those few calves had grown into the largest herd of plains bison in the world.
In the early 1900s, over strong objection from the Tribes, the reservation was opened to non-tribal settlement and the bison were sold to off-Reservation interests. Eighteen bison from the herd went to Yellowstone National Park to augment the tiny herd there and the rest were sold to private ranches and the Canadian government.
Around the same time the American Bison Society were arguing for a national bison range. The U.S. government continued to violate treaty rights and in 1908-09 unlawfully took the land that had been the bison range, paying an estimated $1.56 per acre. The National Bison Range was established on lands the Tribes had not ceded to the U.S. government. Bison were brought in from those that the Tribes had been forced to sell.
The Tribes consistently fought for return of the land and management of the bison range. In 1971 the U.S. Court of Claims found that the original taking of the land by the U.S. government was unconstitutional. In 2020 Congress passed legislation to return the bison range to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT).
Today the herd is 350 strong with 50-60 new calves being born each year. The new visitor center is fantastic, with engaging depictions of both the natural and cultural history, indigenous language tutorials, and explanations of the importance of the bison. The Tribes have also established numerous other wildlife conservation areas on adjacent reservation lands.
The main tour is a two-hour driving loop that climbs up into the higher country. In truth we didn’t see many bison and those we did see were a long way off. But the land and vistas were spectacular. The bison action occurred as we dropped back down toward the Mission River nearing the end of the drive.
The herd was grazing the lowlands. Enormous bulls, cows, calves, bison teenagers all roamed, groomed, took dust baths, and napped in the sun. We pulled the car over and became quiet. To my delight I was even able to convince feisty, fierce Olive to stop growling at the giant creatures. They grazed so close to the open car windows I could hear their breathing and chewing. I found it thrilling and hopeful.
Here are my favorite videos and pics.
This shows how close the big beauties came to our parked car -- https://youtube.com/shorts/CytDmhpWFkA
Here is the herd grazing and I think courting and me trying to keep Olive from growling at them and pissing them off! --
Big bull taking a dust bath, rolling and scratching 10 feet from me --
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