[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 30, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
2024 ECLIPSE
Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, the eclipse was a momentous occasion for
Vermont, bringing more than 160,000 people to our State. I am
especially thankful to our emergency personnel, law enforcement, and
small business owners who handled the busy weekend with grace. Everyone
viewing ``totality'' in the Green Mountain State, whether they were
locals or visiting for the first time, experienced something that was
pretty special: the beauty of our State.
Steven Pappas, publisher and executive editor of the Times Argus and
Rutland Herald, summarized the celestial spectacle in his editorial
titled ``Overshadowed'' and published April 9. I ask unanimous consent
that it be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Times Argus/Rutland Herald]
Overshadowed
(By Steven Pappas)
It lived up to the hype.
While there are those individuals who went out of their way
to voice certain disappointment, the vast majority of
Vermonters and humanity who witnessed Monday's total solar
eclipse seem to agree the rare astronomical union was worth
waiting for.
It took patience for it to arrive, but the few minutes of
the totality in Vermont drew gasps and cheers heard in
crowds. There were many hugs, and more than a few tears of
joy. It had a profound effect.
On Tuesday, eyewitnesses were overjoyed to share their
photos and stories about the eclipse. And while we all--more
or less, thanks to a clear, sunny day in the Green Mountain
State--saw the same thing, we each brought a piece of
ourselves to the moment.
Save a few naysayers, the eclipse united us briefly. The
day had the feel of a holiday, with picnics and barbecues;
laughter and anticipation. Folks were going out of their way
to share the moment with others who might not be in the path
of totality.
It has also been impressive, in hearing the various
debriefings and anecdotes, just how much one thought
overshadowed all others: We needed that common space.
Whether you were standing alone, gazing skyward; or you
were crammed together on the State House steps or along the
Burlington waterfront, the unity above transcended all else.
The moment reminded us of a series of editorials we wrote
back in 2020, at a time when we all came together under less
joyous circumstances: the COVID-19 pandemic.
At that time, we wrote about how fear and tragedy were
uniting us because the coronavirus did not distinguish
between us. In those early days, if you will recall, it felt
as though if you ``got COVID'' it was akin to a potential
death sentence. Over time, and vaccines, those fears abated
somewhat, but we still followed the numbers and our concern
over public health was kept going for months--and in certain
circumstances--years.
Monday's eclipse, which had been calculated down to the
minute (and those mathematical predictions were absolutely
spot on), provided the expected darkness (in dramatic effect)
but it continued out of totality, and the light returned. As
we felt the warm sun on our faces once again, there was hope
and jubilation. We knew it was coming, but it was still a bit
unexpected.
Individuals with hours of waiting in vehicles ahead of them
were--for a brief period of time--giddy over the show in the
sky. They did not care much about the traffic jam awaiting.
It stripped us of worry.
Other parts of the country had cloud cover. Across Vermont,
though, we got (at least according to most scientific
experts) the best of the show. It was unobstructed, and it
shone brightly into our hearts.
The moon's shadow fell across all stripes of people. Your
station in life did not matter; nor did your political
leanings; nor did your place along the gender spectrum; nor
was your race a factor in what happened in the sky. We were
all citizens of the universe; and we were became witnesses of
history, plain and simple.
So, yeah, we needed that.
Because as soon as the eclipse headed northeast to northern
New Hampshire, Maine and the Canadian Maritimes, and then off
the North American continent, the news cycle returned with
its four horsemen. The bickering and sniping was right there
waiting. The hardships and anxiety crept back onto the scene.
Hate had just been hiding in the shadow.
The moment passed.
What our editorial board is hoping for now is that the
enthusiasm, and the moment we felt as that rare sight united
us, does not lose all of its momentum. We hope that as most
of us look fondly back on eclipse day, the emotion of being
awestruck alongside family, friends, neighbors and strangers
proves to have a lasting place in our laughter, on how we
carry ourselves, and well beyond (and through) the rigors of
life that are already hard enough.
In describing their eclipse day on Tuesday, it was striking
how many individuals described themselves as feeling
``overwhelmed'' by this smallest change--light and darkness
well out of place in a normal day. Others suggested that they
had been at a loss for words as the world around them fell
into a shadow, as if a hush were carried with it. They
struggle, as we do, for the best descriptor of the oddity.
But when those dark glasses could come-off, and we all took
in the same world we had always known, just bathed in the
brightest, natural darkness we could probably ever know, we
felt it--we did not just see it. It affected us at a cellular
level, a spiritual level, and it inspired awe.
We all shared one line of thinking: ``Can you imagine if
you didn't know what this was? Can you imagine what those
people seeing it must have thought? Can you imagine their
fear?''
In mere moments, the sun returned to shining brightly,
resuming its place in our predictable lives, and we started
to forget that shared concern for the legion of witnesses
long dead.
It should not always take a pandemic nor an eclipse to
allow us an opportunity to measure the magnitude of our
humanity. Simply, it should take the sun coming up every
morning to inspire us to create our own awe, and inspire
ourselves and the others around us to share kindness and
commonality.
Apparently, as we witnessed, it happens naturally.
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