Author: Joanne Corey

Please come visit my eclectic blog, Top of JC's Mind. You can never be sure what you'll find!

Felling Trees by Samantha Terrell now available!

As promised, Samantha Terrell’s Felling Trees: Selected Poems 2000-2025 from Low Hanging Fruit Publishing is now available! You can order through Amazon or ask your favorite bookstore to order it for you.

The publisher describes the collection: “Felling Trees gathers twenty-five years of sharp, unflinching verse from Pushcart and Forward Prize-nominated poet Samantha Terrell. Known for her clarity of vision and emotional honesty Terrell charts the evolution of a voice both politically alert and deeply personal. With selections from acclaimed collections and anthologized work, this retrospective offers a resonant exploration of resilience, justice, and human connection.”

One of the things I most enjoy about Samantha Terrell’s work is her extensive use of nature imagery, which she brings to bear in conversation with our present day issues. Here is a sample of that from the collection:

Fourth of July at the Beach

Fireworks burst, then fall in glittery strands
Like willow tree branches

Stretch to the earth –
White phosphorous bursts –

Disappearing into
Liquid blackness.

The rhythmic roar
Of the ocean’s engine drones on –

A reliable backdrop;
Steady slaps on a shore

That we, in ignorance
Or arrogance,

Still dare to call America.
Here, where

Colors rage against the sky,
We wait to see

If this great experiment
Can survive its newest threat

Of tyranny,
And we

Can save us
From ourselves.

*****
Congratulations, Samantha, on your new collection! Thank you to Low Hanging Fruit for bringing it into print!

One-Liner Wednesday: Paper Clip Resistance

my paper clip bracelet

Following the example of Norwegians under Nazi occupation during World War II, some people in the United States have started wearing paper clips as a sign of our unity and our resistance to the erosion of our democracy.

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out how here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/09/24/one-liner-wednesday-why-2/

It’s Sun Day!

Today, September 21, 2025, is being celebrated as Sun Day in multiple locations in the United States, with a few locations in other countries joining in.

The brainchild of Bill McKibben, long-time climate evangelist, Sun Day is taking place around the time of the equinox and celebrates solar power, which is now the cheapest source of power on earth. And, yes, you can power your town with solar even at night, thanks to batteries and other energy storage mechanisms. Also, giving a shout-out to wind power, which is sun -related because it’s the sun’s differential warming of the earth’s surface that gives rise to wind. Wind energy is another way to provide power when the sun isn’t shining.

There are events organized by many partners in hundreds of locations, including concerts, e-bike and EV rallies, marches, speakers, technology tours and information booths, and art exhibits. I want to give a special shout-out to the event in my state capital, Albany, organized by my beloved Third Act Upstate New York working group. I wish that I could be joining them in person, but distance and my health situation are keeping me close to home.

My observance of Sun Day is confined to this post, but my celebration of solar power is ongoing! After a several years’ transition, our home and most of our transportation is powered by the sun. We weatherized our 70-ish-year-old house and adopted energy-efficient lighting and appliances. We installed a hybrid heat pump hot water heater and a geothermal heating and cooling system, enabling our disconnecting from the methane system, which had been delivering fracked gas that has caused so much pollution and sickness for our Pennsylvania neighbors. We drive a 2017 fully electric Chevy Bolt and a plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica minivan, so we only use gasoline when we need to take the van on a long trip.

Because we have large shade trees on the south side of our home, we weren’t candidates for rooftop solar, so we own panels at a solar farm. Over the course of the year, we generate enough kilowatt-hours to cover our needs. Currently, we pay about $20/month to the power company for distribution and about $28/month to the company that rents the land for the solar farm and maintains our panels. It’s really great to have such low energy costs and it’s thanks to the sun!

I was happy to see solar power expanding, thanks, in part, to the energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act passed under President Joe Biden and New York’s Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act. The implementation of programs under these laws were helping to expand access to solar energy, especially for lower-income folks. Unfortunately, President Trump has curtailed many of those programs and Governor Hochul and her administration are way behind schedule in implementing the CLCPA.

Even without subsidies, solar energy is still cheaper to install than fossil fuel energy, even though fossil fuels are still heavily subsidized, so the hope is that economic factors will prevail and solar will continue to expand. In some countries, like Germany, it’s become common to have solar panels that can be hung from a balcony railing and plugged into the electrical system of the home. Utah recently became the first state in the US to allow this. If more states adopt this approach, solar will be able to spread more quickly because it would available to renters and homeowners who don’t have an appropriate rooftop. Granted, you can’t power your home with a small panel like these, but you can reduce your bills and help reduce strain on the grid.

The expansion of cheap solar power is also a boon in places that don’t have a reliable electric grid available. For example, Pakistan has seen a huge uptick in solar power. In the United States, solar is an opportunity to provide power to remote locations, such as some reservations, that currently don’t have any electricity available. As we saw during the pandemic, these locations also did not typically have a source of clean, safe drinking water. Solar power can be used to power pumps for water wells, leading to much better health and quality of life for residents.

So, hurrah for Sun Day and for the sun powering our lives! I’m grateful that every day is Sun Day at our home and want to thank all that are working to make solar power available to ever more people around the world.

Freedom of Speech

Vote for Democracy #46

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

That is the text of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

The Attorney General, the Vice President, the President, the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and everyone else in the government would do well to re-read it and observe it.

The court system has ruled over and over that “hate speech” and flag burning are protected by the First Amendment and that press report are not subject to government censorship.

Yes, here we are with the Attorney General saying the administration would target hate speech. The Justice Department tried to re-characerize the remark as meaning they would target speech that incited violence, which can be illegal, but that was not what she had said or appeared to mean.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, the administration wants to investigate anyone critical of Kirk or his views, even though they have no legal grounds to do so because people’s right to free speech is guaranteed against government interference by the First Amendment. For those of you not familiar with the structure of the US government, Congress makes the law, the executive branch executes the law, and the judicial branch judges if the laws are in accordance with the Constitution and other statutes.

Note that the freedom of speech right is in regard to government interference. Private entities aren’t bound to allow free speech. For example, if someone makes an uncivil or inflammatory comment on my blog which I then delete, I am not violating the First Amendment because I am not the government and have the right to control what happens on my platform. (For the record, while I encourage respectful debate here at Top of JC’s Mind, I have on a rare occasion removed comments for using foul language or for spreading disinformation.) There was an instance of a copy shop employee refusing to print a flyer regarding Kirk. While the business owner could choose to sanction or fire the employee, the government has no right to investigate on free speech grounds.

The administration upped the ante a few days ago when the FCC Chair publicly pressured ABC affiliates to stop airing comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show because of a comment he had made regarding the right’s actions after Kirk’s murder, implying that not doing so would harm them in getting approvals and licenses from the FCC. This caused a couple of large media ownership groups to say they would suspend airing the show and ABC/Disney then suspending production. It’s unclear if the show will return or not. This situation does appear to violate the First Amendment because a government entity intervened to inhibit Kimmel’s free speech rights.

To make matters worse, President Trump is again threatening freedom of the press, as well as free speech, by saying that entire broadcast networks should be disbanded because they run stories that are critical of him. There is a real fear that media companies will continue to cave to pressure from Trump and his administration and stop broadcasting facts and opinions that run counter to Trump’s viewpoint.

While most Republicans have been either backing Trump or staying silent, a few were shaken enough about the concept of hate speech – or opposition speech – not being protected by free speech provisions that they are speaking out. I’m not sure if they are standing on principle or if they fear what might happen to them when Republicans are no longer in power, but it’s good to see some of them willing to oppose the Trump administration when it is acting against our Constitution.

I also appreciate that having some Republicans speaking out will reach people who only consume ultra-concservative media. Everyone needs to realize that there are threats to free speech and free press so that we can make moves to protect our First Amendment rights. Some people are boycotting companies like Disney that are curtailing free speech by bowing to pressure from the administration. Many are supporting independent journalism sources, such as PBS/NPR.

It’s important for all of us to speak up for our rights. I plan to continue doing that here and wherever I find myself. I also plan to be on the lookout for further attempts to erode our rights and silence dissenting voices. We have to be careful that the United States doesn’t have its media coopted in the way it was in Hungary.

We also need to be sure that we don’t fall into the administration’s trap of calling any opposing viewpoints “hate speech.” If I say that I think it’s wrong to deport people who are in the process of getting green cards or who have refugee or other protected status, that is protected free speech. It is not hate speech.

I do try to heed the call in my faith to love everyone.

I refuse to engage in hateful speech or behavior.

I wish everyone felt that way.

One-Liner Wednesday: Save the Date for BHPC reading

For those in the North Adams, MA area, the Boiler House Poets Collective invites you to a reading in celebration of our 10th anniversary residency at The Studios at MASS MoCA on Saturday, October 4, 11 AM at the North Adams Public Library.

This invitation brought to you through Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/09/17/one-liner-wednesday-pockets/

JC’s Confessions #33

being high-maintenance

In the first few seasons of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert did a recurring skit, then a best-selling book, called Midnight Confessions, in which he “confesses” to his audience with the disclaimer that he isn’t sure these things are really sins but that he does “feel bad about them.” While Stephen and his writers are famously funny, I am not, so my JC’s Confessions will be somewhat more serious reflections, but they will be things that I feel bad about. Stephen’s audience always forgives him at the end of the segment; I’m not expecting that – and these aren’t really sins – but comments are always welcome.

In recent months, I’ve become very high-maintenance.

Not a fan.

My style for years has been no-muss, no-fuss. My hairstyle doesn’t require blowdrying and products. I don’t wear make-up. My clothing style is simple. I can get ready to go out in five minutes or less.

I could spend most of my time and brainpower on more creative endeavors and helping others.

Now, it seems that taking care of myself has become a full-time job.

In attempts to improve my current state of health, there are physical therapy exercises daily and near-constant attention to my posture and head/neck position. Needed rest periods. An increasing complicated array of medications, including one that needs to be mixed in a full glass of water and drunk immediately – four times a day – which makes it a bit tricky if I have to be away from home for several hours. Trying to figure out what to eat and drink when a food recommended for dealing with one of my syndromes is excluded by another to the extent where I sometimes don’t know what to eat. Dealing with my AutoPAP machine. Fussing with dental care and retainers. Going to appointments and tests with so many specialists that I’ve lost track of them all and trying to get information coordinated among them and with my primary care doctor, because, of course, the practices, despite all the electronic records systems, can’t seem to do it. Doing research on the various symptoms and diagnoses and trying to piece everything together.

It’s time-consuming and frustrating and doens’t leave much energy or brainpower for the thousand things I’d rather be doing.

There is some hope.

Lately, my brain fog and fatigue have diminished and it seems that we are finally getting closer to a more comprehensive diagnosis and clinical outlook.

Maybe that will translate into an easier daily regimen.

I don’t think I will ever be low-maintenance again, but maybe medium?

political violence in the US

Vote for Democrary #45

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Last week was very difficult in the United States.

September 11th was the 24th anniversary of the Al-Qaeda attack which used hijacked airplanes as weapons against the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, headquarters of the US military, in Virginia. A fourth airplane was prevented from hitting Washington DC, most likely planned to target either the White House or the Capitol, when the passengers fought against the hijackers and the plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board but no one on the ground. There are solemn ceremonies at all three sites and people pause to remember those who were killed that day and those who were impacted by the attack, such as the responders who worked amid the wreckage and suffered health consequences.

This year, the Spetember 11th observance happened in the immediate reaction to the murder of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing firebrand, during an event at a college in Utah. Although Kirk didn’t hold elected office, this was considered political violence because he was a major fundraiser and influencer through Turning Point USA, which he co-founded when he was 18. Much of his activity centered on high school and college campuses. His work was considered crucial to the Trump/Vance victory in 2024 and he was close to Vice President JD Vance, in particular.

Violence, including political violence, is unacceptable to me and the vast majority of Americans. Kirk’s murder was immediately denounced by leaders across the political spectrum. While many people looked at this as being part of a spate of political violence in recent years, including the attack on two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses that left two dead and two seriously injured, the arson attack on Pennsylvanis governor Josh Shapiro’s official residence hours after he had celebrated a Passover Seder with family and friends, the two assassination attempts against then-candidate Trump, and the attack that seriously injured former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband when a man broke into their home looking for her, some Republicans, most prominently President Trump, blamed Democrats or those on the political left for Kirk’s death, even though there was no evidence about who the shooter was or what their beliefs might be.

This is especially upsetting coming from Trump, who fometted the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the election victory of Joe Biden and then pardoned all those crimes when he took office. Trump’s supporters had injured scores of police officers and sought to kill Democractic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Vice President Mike Pence. This was a massive exercise in political violence whose implications continue to contaminate our national consciousness and discourse.

When the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk turned himself in to authorities, it turned out that he is not affiliated with Democrats. He was registered to vote without a party affiliation but had apparently never actually done so. He had etched message onto bullet casings that are part of online video gamer subcultures, but that are difficult to interpet for those who aren’t part of that community. Perhaps, he will make his motivations known in the future as the legal process unfolds, but, for now, we don’t know what his political motivations might have been. We do know that he came from a Republican family that were long-time gun owners. He was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).

I don’t know what will happen in the coming days and weeks. While there are calls for greater civility in public discourse – again – and calls for better mental health care – again – and calls for tightening access to guns – again, there is little hope that these will effect change among those who are promoting themselves by vilifying those who disagree with them.

There is also the real fear that political violence will continue to escalate as it did in the 1960s when I was a child. Then, as now, the perpetrators of political violence were more often on the right/white supremacist side of the spectrum than on the left.

I know that I am afraid.

One-Liner Wednesday: new book by Samantha Terrell coming soon!

I’m happy to share the news that, on September 25th, Felling Trees: Selected Poems 2000-2025 by Samantha Terrell will be released by Low Hanging Fruit!

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/09/10/one-liner-wednesday-not-a-duck-or-goose-in-sight/

One-Liner Wednesday: the US flag and the Constitution

“I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag.”
~~~ Molly Ivins

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/09/03/one-liner-wednesday-me-from-now-on/

new complications for COVID vaccines in the US

(COVID Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash)

Last week, after reading a newsletter from Your Local Epidemiologist founded by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, I got a COVID vaccination. I will be going to my annual poetry residency with the Boiler House Poets Collective at The Studios at MASS MoCA in early October and wanted my immunity to be as strong as possible while I’m there.

The newsletter had warned that there might be label changes coming from the US Food and Drug Administration that would impact the availability of COVID vaccines and that it might be advisable to get the vaccine soon, especially for people younger than 65.

I’m glad I took action.

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration changed the guidelines, making it more difficult for people under 65 to qualify for COVID vaccines without consulting their doctor. In response, CVS and Walgreens, whose pharmacies are a major source for vaccinations to the public, suspended giving any COVID vaccines to anyone in sixteen states, including mine, unless you have a prescription from a health provider. Part of the confusion is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has yet to issue its guidance and just suffered the loss of its top leadership through firing and resignations, grounded in the fact that they were being pressured to put forward recommendations not backed by scientific research.

That’s what happens when you have a Health and Human Services Secretary like Robert Kennedy, Jr., who does not have a background in medicine and disrespects rigorous scientific inquiry.

The fact is that COVID-19 vaccines have been rigorously tested and are safe and effective, cutting down on infection rates and keeping most people from becoming seriously ill and needing hospitalization. Serious side effects are very rare, so the benefits of receiving the vaccine outweigh the risks.

Tragically, vaccines have been politicized in the US, which has cost lives. The death rate from COVID-19 for Republicans is higher than for the population as a whole because of this.

I urge everyone with questions to talk to a trusted medical professional about the research and science behind vaccines. Don’t fall for the misinformation coming from Kennedy and the people he has put in place at the CDC and FDA who disregard valid scientific findings.

You can also look for recommendations from medical associations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Don’t let misinformation keep you from taking the best care possible of your and your family’s health.