Happy Thanksgiving!

[John Helge]

MANISTEE COUNTY DEMOCRATS:

I realize with the chaos, corruption, and cruelty we are experiencing from the Trump regime that it may be difficult to find things to be thankful for, but we hope you can join us giving thanks for:

1. Michigan's Senator Elissa Slotkin who had the courage to make a video with five of her lawmaker counterparts that made it clear to our military that they had their backs if they refused to carry out unlawful orders issued by the Trump regime. 
2. The elected officials who have finally shown the courage to speak truth to power in demanding release of evidence of pedophilia by ultra-rich men who believe they are above the law. 
3. Dick Albee who is leading casual political discussions that are open to everybody every Wednesday from 1-3pm at the Manistee County Dems office on River Street
4. The folks from RankMIVote.Org who came to Manistee last Wednesday evening to help us gain a better understanding of the ranked choice voting ballot proposal. 
5. The 150+ voters from Michigan's Second Congressional District who gathered in Mt. Pleasant last Thursday to express their concerns, hear from Michigan state Rep Betsy Coffia and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel and meet the candidates who have officially filed to defeat our incumbent US Rep in 2026.
6. Dawn Bense who organized the Rural Healthcare Forum that was held on Saturday afternoon.  She assembled a great panel of subject matter experts and enabled candidates for US Senate, US House, and Michigan Senate to hear and learn about the concerns and needs of Manistee County voters. Dawn even got Senator Slotkin to send us a special video for the event.  You can see the video by clicking on this  link:   
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jlmFRdSfQjGyO6dGq0t1eu1S9I0WmtFo/view?usp=drivesdk  
7. Sabrina Ceresia and all the dedicated staff at the Manistee Friendship Society for appearing on our latest Politics is Local podcast.  She did a great job explaining how this organization provides much needed mental health support services for our community.  You can watch the podcast using this link:  https://youtu.be/aHA3GyZz1SU

We wish you, your family, your friends, and your neighbors all the best for this Thanksgiving holiday.  We will be back next week with more information on how you can get engaged and active making positive change.  

John M. Helge

johnm...@gmail.com

616-915-2403

[Michael Kwaiser]

Thanks for this posting. Taking a break from the honest news during Thanksgiving and I hope we all that care for this country, do the same. May all who believe in democracy continue exhibiting strength during these dark and threatening days. Peace be with you all.

Michael 

--
To Email the Group: manist...@googlegroups.com
 
Website http://www.manisteecountydemocrats.us
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1711070132463223/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Manistee Dems" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to manisteedems...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/manisteedems/PH7PR84MB1765609ABB202B0F2A522444A2D3A%40PH7PR84MB1765.NAMPRD84.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.

[Schindler]

This from the Michigan Inland Lakes and Streams Association:

In a major policy shift, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a proposed rule that could strip Clean Water Act safeguards from vast areas of the nation’s waterways. The rule, establishing a more limited definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), would narrow federal oversight to mostly permanent water bodies — such as rivers, lakes, and streams — and only wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to those waters.

In a statement, Trump-appointed EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin argued that by clearly defining which waters fall under federal jurisdiction, the rule will bring “predictability, consistency, and clarity” to landowners who have long faced legal uncertainty.

But environmental groups, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), strongly condemn the proposal. According to NRDC’s analysis, the new rule could expose between 38 and 70 million acres of wetlands — along with countless seasonal streams — to pollution and destruction. These waters play a vital role in filtering drinking water, buffering floods, and sustaining wildlife, the NRDC warns — and narrowing their protection, the group argues, amounts to a “reckless giveaway to polluters.”

This move comes from the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA, which limited the scope of the Clean Water Act by ruling that federal protections apply only to wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to certain “relatively permanent” bodies of water. The new EPA rule closely aligns with that decision, redefining “relatively permanent” more narrowly and effectively excluding many seasonal or isolated wetlands.

Environmentalists argue that reducing protections for so many wetlands could have serious consequences: more water pollution, greater flood risk, and degraded ecosystems. As the public comment period unfolds, environmental groups are preparing to push back — and warn that what’s at stake goes beyond regulatory debate. As NRDC puts it, weakening the legal protections now could make communities more vulnerable at a time when climate change is intensifying storms, flooding, and droughts.

---

Kurt H. Schindler, FAICP
Pine Knolls

schi...@kaltelnet.net

231 VIking 8 4784