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Is there such a thing as a hierarchy of concerns that the world needs to address? The photos and newsreels show the faces of children starving while we debate tariffs and politics. Some 96% of people in Gaza and more than 24 million people in Sudan are starving to death. These are just two places, but there are more than 10 on this dreadful list. The causes are numerous, but conflict and climate crisis are top issues. I want to see these issues targeted and tracked for reducing cruelty and starvation. The other issues are important, but not on the hierarchy of human needs and call for compassion.

Published June 23, 2025

A hungry child won’t see President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill as beautiful when her family’s food assistance gets cut.

People relying on Affordable Care Act subsidies to pay for their health care won’t see the beauty either.

My friend, who didn’t count on a stroke to disrupt her retirement, won’t see it. She now resides in a skilled nursing facility. A former elementary school teacher, she depends on Medicaid to supplement her monthly pension and Social Security income to pay for her care. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Medicaid is the primary payer for over 6 in 10 residents in nursing facilities.”

FactCheck.org, citing the Congressional Budget Office, said an estimated 8.6 million people will lose their health insurance by 2034 because of funding cuts.

I don’t see the beauty in slashing vital care for these vulnerable people to pay for a portion of tax cuts for ultra-rich people.

All of us have an urgent responsibility to tell our leaders in Washington — our Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand as well as our House Representatives (in my District, Paul Tonko) — to use every possible measure to stop these unprecedented cuts to food assistance and Medicaid from being part of a federal budget that is imposed on We the People.

This bill is not beautiful; neighbors, it is grotesque.

Published June 23, 2025

Harvey Milk was a warrior, one of the most dogged, determined and successful warriors of the last century. He sacrificed his life in public service. He had a positive impact on millions of Americans. He had precisely the strength and commitment to mission that should be celebrated and remembered by all those who serve in the U.S. Navy and his name should not be removed from the vessel that, from its launch until now, has honored him.

Published June 23, 2025

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The first “Make America Healthy Again” report from Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Health and Human Services Department looked at child health. The document was described as being a transformative, revolutionary improvement in our government’s approach to public health. But, soon, reviews of the report showed that many of its cited references were nonexistent and, in some cases, authors were listed on publications to which they never contributed. In still other cases, the results of cited papers were distorted, according to scientists who co-authored the papers.

For the agency that is responsible for the health of our nation’s people to issue a fabricated, flimsy, false report that would provide guidance to our health decisions is a gross breach of the public trust. The public has the right to expect Health and Human Services to provide the most scientifically accurate data available and to interpret those data objectively and expertly.

We need to contact our representatives in Congress and demand that RFK Jr. and his associates be immediately removed and replaced by........

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