Thoughts for the Day, February 16, 2026: Undoing the Work of the EPA is irresponsible. Gordon turns 106.
Screw Climate Control. Screw the future of the Earth.
I have never considered myself an environmentalist. However, I have always believed we have a responsibility to take care of our planet for future generations.
When Trump announced today that he was erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government’s legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet, I was pissed at Trump’s total disregard for the environment and his blatant kowtowing to the fossil fuel industry.
As a child growing up in River Rouge in the 1950s and 60s, I lived in an environment that was so polluted by industry the area had the highest density of childhood asthma of any area of the country. It was an area where snow turned orange after two days. Unwashed cars were covered with small metal filings from the various industries in the area. Home windows were impossible to keep clean. I am a lifetime asthmatic. Thousands suffer just like me because of growing up in the unregulated era of the 50’s and 60’s
The Rouge River was so polluted and filled with oil and gas film that ducks were known to land on the river, but none were known to fly off the river.
The Detroit River was not much better, and there was concern that Lake Erie was going to be a dead lake because of the pollution that was flowing into the lake from the Detroit, Raisin, Maumee and Cuyahoga Rivers.
When the Cuyahoga River caught fire in the late 60s it was a wake-up call to the government and environmentalists. With cooperation of government, environmentalists and businesses, the EPA was created in 1970 to oversee the protection of our environment.
I may not agree with everything that the EPA has done over the last 50 years, but I cannot argue with the results. Things have improved substantially. The rivers I mentioned above are cleaner now than they have ever been in my lifetime. Lake Erie has recovered extremely well and is now a fisherman’s paradise.
The air is much cleaner, but there is still much more that needs to be done.
Trump’s action will wipe out most of the gains from the last 50 years if we are not careful. His action is a key step in removing limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases that scientists say are supercharging heat waves, droughts, wildfires and other extreme weather.
His action is a rejection of fact that had been accepted for decades by presidents of both parties, including first President George H.W. Bush, who signed an international climate treaty.
There is no reason to eliminate the EPA and its important regulations that have contributed to a cleaner environment and climate. There is no reason that a bipartisan group of congress couldn’t come up with a reasonable environmental policy and energy policy that the EPA should be responsible for enforcing.
A 21st-century energy and environmental strategy must reconcile two critical imperatives: maintaining a secure, reliable energy system and protecting the environment for future generations. A practical approach recognizes that economic growth, national security, and ecological stewardship are not competing priorities—they are interdependent goals. A practical energy and environmental policy does not view sustainability and growth as opposing goals—it integrates clean energy development with sustainable environmental practices,
With thoughtful federal leadership the federal government can lead a transition to a more resilient, equitable, and prosperous future, and the United States can achieve energy independence, combat climate change, foster innovation, and build a cleaner, fairer, and more secure future.
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Pressure
The pressure on athletes competing in individual sports is different than the pressure on the athletes competing in a team sport. In individual sports, there is no one who can pick you up or cover for you when you are not performing at your best. The pressure can be overwhelming. The pressure can be debilitating and paralyzing.
We have seen it happen time and time again in individual sports. No one is immune. It is especially overwhelming when it comes to Olympic sports because of the four years in between competition. We saw it happen to Nathan Chen in 2018. We saw it happen to Simone Biles in 2021. We saw Jean Van de Velde blow a three-shot lead on the final hole of the British Open in 1999.
We see it on the face of the basketball player who is on the foul line with a chance to win or tie the game in the closing seconds of NCAA tournament games when the millions of basketball fans are watching. When his success or failure means the difference between advancing or going home. It is just him. His teammates cannot help. Being an 80% free throw shooter does not matter in the moment. Having made 100 free throws during the season doesn’t matter. He knows that he will be remembered for his success or failure in making or missing the shots. The pressure is his and his alone to bear.
When U.S.’s gold medal favorite Ilia Malinin, failed to win a medal it was not because he choked. It was because he is a 21-year-old who was being asked to perform at the highest level under the brightest of all spotlights with no experience in dealing with the pressure. Like Michael Chen in 2018, the pressure of the being the gold medal favorite in his first Olympics was greater than anything Malinin had experienced. Like Michael Chen who went on to record the greatest performances in figure skating history at the 2022 Olympics, I am confident that Malinin will be back in 2030 better than ever, and will be well prepared as a 25-year-old to handle the pressure that comes with being the “quad king”.
Per ESPN. Ilia Malinin’s face said it all.
As he stood on the center of the ice on Friday following his free skate, he couldn’t hide his angst and confusion, his frustration -- and sheer heartbreak.
The gold medal, which just moments before had felt like a near-certainty, was now completely out of reach. Everything he had worked for over the past four years, and a lifetime really, was over in four disastrous minutes.
Malinin, the two-time reigning world champion with an unbeaten streak dating back to 2023, finished in a staggering eighth place. There would be no medal, no place on the podium, just questions from dozens of reporters about what went wrong.
“I thought that all I needed to do was go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition,” Malinin, 21, said. “But of course it’s not like any other competition. It’s the Olympics. It was really just something that overwhelmed me, and I just felt like I had no control.” This is my Quote of the Day.
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Trust is a terrible thing to lose
Once again, we are learning the initial story being told by ICE agents and supported by DHS Director Christi Noem and her staff does not let the facts get in the way of their story. It has gotten so bad that I no longer believe anything that Noem or her team say about incidents involving ICE. Trust is a terrible thing to lose.
Per the NY Times, two federal agents have been suspended for shooting Julio C. Sosa-Celis in the leg one. The assault charges brought against Sosa-Celis have been dropped, after a prosecutor in Minnesota revealed that the story those agents told about the shooting was not true.
The suspensions and dismissal followed an extraordinary court filing on Thursday, in which Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor, Daniel N. Rosen, asked a judge to dismiss charges against the Sosa-Celis who was wounded in that shooting, as well as another man who had been accused of attacking the agent who opened fire.
Mr. Rosen wrote that “newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations” that federal officials made in a charging document and in courtroom testimony.
By Friday, the case had been dismissed with prejudice, meaning the men cannot be recharged. The two agents had been suspended and were being investigated, Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement.
“Video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements,” Mr. Lyons said. “Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation.”
Unfortunately, Noem and her staff initially supported the stories of the agents as Noem said both men were from Venezuela and are in the United States illegally and accused them of trying to kill the agent. Noem continues to find people guilty and tries to convict them in the media before the facts are confirmed. She has done this consistently, without consequences. Trust is a terrible thing to lose.
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Contact your Congressperson
Contact your congressman by following these easy steps
This can be done in a few easy steps.
Step 1: find your congressman by clicking on this link, Find Your Representative | house.gov
Step 2: Put your zip code in the proper space.
Step 3: Click the button “find your representative”
Step 4: In the new page that comes up you will see a picture of your congressman. Click on your congressman’s name under the picture.
Step 5: In the new page that comes up, Click on Contact Me at the top of the page and then click on Email me.
Step 6: Fill out the information as required.
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Quote of the Day: “I thought that all I needed to do was go out there and trust the process that I’ve always been doing with every competition, but of course it’s not like any other competition. It’s the Olympics. It was really just something that overwhelmed me, and I just felt like I had no control.” Ilia Malinin
Orchid of the Day: My former neighbor in Ypsilanti, Gordon Cahours, turned 106 on Sunday. He is still living in his own home, where an aid comes to assist him six to eight hours per day. I talked to Gordon on Friday wishing him Happy Birthday. As usual, Gordon was articulate and well informed about what is going on in the world. I am amazed at how easy it is to talk to him on the phone. No asking me to repeat what I said. No struggling to get words out on his part. No repeating the same thing. My phone calls with Gordon are something that I treasure. The fact that Gordon and Leah’s mom Florence were cousins just adds to my appreciation of Gordon. I am blessed to be able to talk to Gordon on regular basis.
Onion of the Day: Kristi Noem. Her premature comments before gathering all the facts are an embarrassment to her, ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the White House administration. Trust is a terrible thing to lose.
Question of the Day: Yesterday was the Daytona 500, the super bowl of NASCAR. It is the first NASCAR event of the year and it is also the biggest NASCAR event of the year. Why does NASCAR have their first event of the year, be their biggest event of the year?
Lyrics of the Day:
Can’t we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can’t we give love that one more chance?
Why can’t we give love, give love, give love, give love
Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?
‘Cause love’s such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
If you know the answer, please feel free to use the comment section of the blog to respond.
Lyrics of the Day for February 10, 2026. Time of My Life by David Cook
Video of the Day:
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I truly felt your !Orchid of the day! (Feb 16th) was great! What an honor to have a neighbor-friend to call, simply to call them to say hello and ask them how their day is going? Many times we seem to be so busy with our own agendas that we forget the simple pleasures of taking a few minutes to enrich and make splendid someone elses day! This orchid has motivated me to do the same for someone else! I am not certain I have someone 106 years old, but I am sure I have someone who needs cheering up! Thank you for sharing this orchid. I hope it inspired others (as it did me) to do the same!
John.
Don’t understand your objection to the new EPA ruling Tom, pretty soon we will be smoking cigarettes and snorting coke off toilet seats! 😅😅