[The state of Vermont] approved a measure that requires the world’s biggest fossil fuel extractors and refiners to pay for some of the damages and adaptation costs the state has incurred and faces because of climate change…The measure has been called “landmark” and “pioneering.” And it is. But at its core, the idea behind the law is simple. Vermont is seeking to reinforce one of the most basic rules children learn in kindergarten, if not before: When you make a mess, you clean it up.
— “Vermont Takes On Big Oil. Will Other States Follow?,” Lee Wasserman in the NY Times
Trying to Convince Myself The Dems Shouldn’t Cheat
Democrats and Never-Trump Republicans argue that Donald Trump’s potential return to the presidency poses a dire threat to American democracy. Some advocate drastic measures to prevent it, but true democracy demands nonviolent persuasion, even in the face of fear and uncertainty.