I’d like to talk to you about something that’s been weighing on me. It is not any one thing – nor is it happy, for if it was it would be under “Maglev to Shambala.” It is a series of cultural readings I’ve been taking off the wind for awhile, and the picture they make up isn’t good. What it amounts to is that this decade is almost over, and we, the world’s last superpower, have accomplished precious little.

Of course, I’m not holding any of you, or myself, or even President Bush, personally responsible for any single one of the problems that collectively form the creeping cultural mildew that grows with every passing day. The nebulous origin of the over-problem makes it that much harder to pin down, and we do not have the luxury that historians have of looking back at an era and rendering it down to its key components. But we’ve got to start somewhere. Historian, heal thyself.

Quick, what does “JSC” stand for? Right – “Just Start Conserving”! Conserving energy, that is. Let’s face it folks, it’s now way past time for everyone to do their part to help keep the negative effects of global warming - not to mention the conflicts over scarce fossil fuel resources and the pollution that results from them - to as low a level as possible. What this means on campus is for all of us to build upon JSC’s just-completed participation in the February 2008 National Campus Energy Challenge by making conservation a part of our lifestyles from here on in.

The U.S. occupation of Iraq has only accounted for three percent of news coverage in television, print and online media, and only one percent of cable news network coverage in the past year. As we enter the sixth year of the Iraq War, former U.N. weapons inspector turned outspoken critic of the war, Scott Ritter, wants to bring the war back into the public sphere.

Starting at Johnson State College on March 31, Ritter, having recently returned from a trip to the region, will be touring Vermont colleges to promote dialog on Iraq and Iran in the midst of a presidential election and lack of media criticism about the ongoing occupation.

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy will speak at Johnson State College’s May 17 commencement.

According to Academic Dean and Acting President Daniel Regan, Leahy was an obvious choice “…He’s been closely involved with the major issues of today like the Iraq war and the attempt to sustain civil liberties in America during war time,” he said. “Those involvements alone make him an apt choice as commencement speaker, but if you add to those his commitment to Vermont and accessible high-quality public education for students in Vermont, it all amounts to a terrific choice.”

There has been a renewed interest in all things environmental lately, and that has translated into more students and staff talking about and working on exciting campus greening issues. Projects include a bigger and better campus garden, one that Johnson community members will be invited to participate in; a First-Year Seminar course on campus greening; incorporating green building practices into the Stearns renovation; a trayless cafeteria – perhaps enlisting the support of TREY Anastasio, who will be asked NOT to show up in support of this idea... a comprehensive eco-audit of the JSC campus (so we know the best areas to focus our greening efforts upon)…and much more.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant has lived a good life. Established in 1972, it has sat by as the world experienced a few energy crises, several wars, the advent of computer technology, the mapping of the human genome, the “Star Wars Trilogy” (I think there was some radioactive leakage when the prequels came out), and the continued destruction of and subsequent attempts to save the rain forests, ozone layer and our souls. Now there are only four years before VT Yankee’s 40-year operating license expires and, while no one really knows what will happen to the world in 2012, the people of Vermont have little time to decide if it will be the end of VT Yankee’s world.

I stress that it is the people of Vermont who will make this decision, because Vermont is one of the few states that harbors a government with enough resemblance to democracy to allow citizens to vote on such an important issue. Using the Vermont Department of Public Service as our conduit, we can actually have a say, so pay attention.