25 mile march for Palestine coming up (was supposed the be Dec 10th but got postponed to Dec 16th due to rain/flooding).

4: my 16 y.o housemate, in the prime of her able-bodiedness, keeps asking her great aunt to drive her the 1.2 miles to high school.  Why, my child, why?? ( and so many other high schoolers.)

Timmon Wallace and Vicki Olsen just finished their book Warheads to Windmills. ( I’m only announcing it.  no interview yet.)

10: Pedal People picks up compost for L3Harris, the big military contractor.   We have mixed feelings about that. (only me talking, no interviews yet)

14: at the conservation commission meeting last night, one of the things on the agenda was to repave the end of Northern Ave where it goes in to the woods/wetlands.  (the Bike Lab is on Northern Ave)  This is so Sovereign Builders can then put a bunch more pavement and housing back there in the woods along the wetlands.  Where there is pavement, there is no life.  Conscom says existential concerns are not with their purview.          Did you know that asphalt can continue to cause air pollution, on hot days, for a long time after it is put down?   (only me talking, no recordings)

Next we have speeches from the Dec 3 rally for Palestine in downtown Northampton.  It was steady rain and about 40  degrees.

25: Umass Faculty for Justice in Palestine

27: Islamic Society of Western Mass (Mohammed Dastigir)

35: Jewish Voice for Peace: Rachel Webber, who is also a N’ton public defendant defending UMass students arrested for protesting Israel’s attacks.  Rachel educates us about the creation of Israel, the history of Zionism, the political power of  Christian conservatives in the United States who are pro-zionist, pro-military, and anti-semitic.

45: Dina, a young Palestinian woman from Springfield, shares poems from the bombardment, as well as a story about the every day impact of the occupation, checkpoints, and harassment by the IDF.

55: Marvin Gaye sings Mercy Mercy Me