TIT FOR TAT -- Doing my part
I stagger through the glass doors from the gym to the lounge next to the entryway. Stagger is a little strong -- just sweaty and hot from playing three games of pickleball mid-morning. I've joined another fitness center adding it to the YMCA. If I'm going to improve my game, be ready for the Big Sky State Games tournament, I need more opportunities to learn from the "Big League" (intermediate and above).
The snack counter offers a new homemade protein drink. I'm thirsty. "I'll try that one," and point to the sign. As the clerk begins collecting the ingredients, an interaction to my left draws my eye. I observe a woman finishing her chat. I take her all in: Shoulder-length blond hair from a bottle, makeup heavy enough for a clown (to cover her 75+ years?), and broad at the slow-moving hips limping their way toward the workout hall. As she passes behind me, she mumbles something to the clerk.
"Excuse me?" he says, leaning over the counter to hear.
"Please change the channel to Fox News."
Makes sense. Fake hair, fake athlete, fake news channel.
This 75-year-old, short, white-haired, slimmed-down woman with eyebrow pencil, Carmex lips, and a small potbelly to starboard (me) turns to her and says, "Why? Fake news."
She continues on, mumbling something about CNN being fake news.
"O.K., good." The clerk has the TV remote and changes the channel. "Now we have two TV's together on the same channel."
The next morning, I'm sitting in the same lounge waiting for a friend. But before I sit down, I say to the clerk, "Please change the channel to MSNBC." She changes it but it's not MSNBC.
"Do you not have MSNBC?"
"No," she says. "Just NBC."
"Try CNN. Do you have that?" And CNN appears.
I return to my seat and observe the area. A bank of treadmills lines up behind the wood barrier that separates the lounge from the treadmills -- all face the two TV's. One shows a male-oriented sports chat; the other displays CNN News. The eyes of four or five pumping female treadmillers all seem focused on CNN.
Round one.
[Actually, kudos to the blond-haired woman who arrives at the fitness center hopefully to work out. More healthy than being a couch potato!]
Monday, July 17, 2017
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
LIKE A BUZZING BEE
It's early morning. The sun is just thinking of rising over the Bull Mountains. A fresh tingle still lingers in the air. The earth is fragrant with the night's passing.
I want to just relax into the newness of today. Peace all around. Joy internal and everlasting. I am one with my world.
My hand lightly examines petals of the flowers as I float around the garden: marigolds, petunias, day lilies, even some nasturtium for our salads. They too lift their faces to the morning air. It is as natural as breathing. We are in sync, the flowers and I.
A loose petal droops and I reach to snip it. A low hum begins in the distance. I pay no mind; continue my path of examine, support, make better the way of growth for each plant.
Without much notice, the hum gets closer, now much higher in tone, starting and stopping. A bee that is out for its morning fill of nectar from my blooms in the garden.
Before long, the bee seems irritated and begins to buzz closer to my ear. I swat the air and begin to back away. It doesn't give up -- and follows me. Even using my hat to swat it doesn't discourage him.
I sit in the shade on the swing hanging from a tree limb. Trying to recapture the peace of my morning. But the bee's high irritating noise soon follows, now circling my head. Swatting is of no use.
I head for the barn. The familiar smell of hay can divert attention and may give relief from this constant irritant. But it's no good. The buzzing becomes louder, closer still.
Must I give up on my sense of peace? Is there no end to this intrusion? Will it never stop?
It even follows me through the screen door into my kitchen. I m angry. Frustrated. And ready to scream! Just go away.
My morning, my day, is ruined. What was peaceful has now disintegrated into anger, yelling, constant swatting in the air that has absolutely no effect. This buzzing in my ear -- all I want to do is make it stop! How long, how long will this go on?
This is my life today. Poor bee. He's done nothing to deserve the analogy to Donald J. Trump and his tweets. It isn't just the noise he makes which has disrupted my peace and comfort. His actions, the actions of this overgrown, unmitigated disaster is now destroying our world as we know it -- causing real death and real destruction.
I see it. I hear it. I can't deal with it. I wrap my head in distraction. I cover my ears. I close my eyes. I dive into a world of no politics. Just pickleball.
I swat my paddle to hit the hole-y ball. Much of the time, I'm on target. The thwack of ball meeting paddle is enormously satisfying. Even moreso when the ball sails right by my opponent and bounces in an open space, undeterred in its path to building my score.
This is my world -- most of the time, This is my challenge: how much can I control? If I practice enough, if I try the same movement over and over, will it make a difference? Do I see improvement in my skills? Very, very slowly, it happens. If I keep at it, not give up no matter how discouraged I get, I will become better and better. Persistence pays off.
One day, there will no longer be this irritant in my ear --these bloody tweets. No such thing as a President Trump. He will surely, inevitably, do himself in.
Meanwhile, as with any unmitigated disaster, he changes our world, ruins our peace, and has absolutely no clue. All I want? Go away. Just go away.
It's early morning. The sun is just thinking of rising over the Bull Mountains. A fresh tingle still lingers in the air. The earth is fragrant with the night's passing.
I want to just relax into the newness of today. Peace all around. Joy internal and everlasting. I am one with my world.
My hand lightly examines petals of the flowers as I float around the garden: marigolds, petunias, day lilies, even some nasturtium for our salads. They too lift their faces to the morning air. It is as natural as breathing. We are in sync, the flowers and I.
A loose petal droops and I reach to snip it. A low hum begins in the distance. I pay no mind; continue my path of examine, support, make better the way of growth for each plant.
Without much notice, the hum gets closer, now much higher in tone, starting and stopping. A bee that is out for its morning fill of nectar from my blooms in the garden.
Before long, the bee seems irritated and begins to buzz closer to my ear. I swat the air and begin to back away. It doesn't give up -- and follows me. Even using my hat to swat it doesn't discourage him.
I sit in the shade on the swing hanging from a tree limb. Trying to recapture the peace of my morning. But the bee's high irritating noise soon follows, now circling my head. Swatting is of no use.
I head for the barn. The familiar smell of hay can divert attention and may give relief from this constant irritant. But it's no good. The buzzing becomes louder, closer still.
Must I give up on my sense of peace? Is there no end to this intrusion? Will it never stop?
It even follows me through the screen door into my kitchen. I m angry. Frustrated. And ready to scream! Just go away.
My morning, my day, is ruined. What was peaceful has now disintegrated into anger, yelling, constant swatting in the air that has absolutely no effect. This buzzing in my ear -- all I want to do is make it stop! How long, how long will this go on?
This is my life today. Poor bee. He's done nothing to deserve the analogy to Donald J. Trump and his tweets. It isn't just the noise he makes which has disrupted my peace and comfort. His actions, the actions of this overgrown, unmitigated disaster is now destroying our world as we know it -- causing real death and real destruction.
I see it. I hear it. I can't deal with it. I wrap my head in distraction. I cover my ears. I close my eyes. I dive into a world of no politics. Just pickleball.
I swat my paddle to hit the hole-y ball. Much of the time, I'm on target. The thwack of ball meeting paddle is enormously satisfying. Even moreso when the ball sails right by my opponent and bounces in an open space, undeterred in its path to building my score.
This is my world -- most of the time, This is my challenge: how much can I control? If I practice enough, if I try the same movement over and over, will it make a difference? Do I see improvement in my skills? Very, very slowly, it happens. If I keep at it, not give up no matter how discouraged I get, I will become better and better. Persistence pays off.
One day, there will no longer be this irritant in my ear --these bloody tweets. No such thing as a President Trump. He will surely, inevitably, do himself in.
Meanwhile, as with any unmitigated disaster, he changes our world, ruins our peace, and has absolutely no clue. All I want? Go away. Just go away.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
RETRIBUTION
Donald Trump, thin-skinned and bullying as he is, always takes it out on others when he experiences a loss. On Saturday, February 4, he suffered a loss. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously stayed his ban on Muslims from seven different countries. His ban was disguised as a "security risk" in an Executive Order. When "a federal judge in Washington state temporarily blocked the ban," Billings Gazette reported, it "plunged the new administration into a crisis that has challenged Trump's authority..." and was described as "...an extraordinary setback for the White House". In other words, a huge loss for Donald Trump.
What happened next? This past week, ICE in a coordinated effort conducted raids on undocumented immigrants from at least six different states across our country and deported them. When ICE deported immigrants under President Obama, they were based on "clear guidance prioritizing deportation of high level criminals". With Donald Trump, there is no priority list and any felon (no matter what they've done) is susceptible. Even a mother of two teenagers who had been checking in regularly with her immigration officer since 2008 (because of using a fake Social Security number to find work) became a target. She was no threat to her community. Donald's raids are indiscriminate, causing fear and panic among immigrant communities. Donald's raids in fact could "include virtually any undocumented immigrant living in the United States". [CNN Politics]
It's obvious that Donald doesn't do his homework or, more likely, doesn't care. According to Joy Reid, "foreign born people alone contributed over $232 billion to Los Angeles total GDP in 2014". Donald's highest concern is not for we Americans, undocumented immigrants or otherwise. To be seen NOT as a loser is his highest priority.
A city councilman from Austin, Texas, wonders if raids of undocumented immigrants in his city are in retribution for Austin's work as a sanctuary city. I, too, see these actions of Donald and ICE as retribution -- and a repeat of history.
On November 23, 1938, "Berlin: Germans Track Down Jews in Raids on Aliens" is a headline in the Chicago Tribune. "Secret police today were reported to have searched homes of foreigners suspected of having harbored German Jews since the mass action against Jewry began 10 days ago. ...Berlin police have given assurances no more arrests of Jews would be made but today there came a belated report of a raid carried out in Frankfort on the Main. Advices [sic] from Frankfort said Jews were accosted on street cars and in other public places and taken away."
Does any of this reporting ring bells for you? And if you're not Jewish, no problem? And you're not an undocumented immigrant, no problem? Think again. It is our Judiciary thus far that has righted the wrongs of valid visa-carrying foreigners and Americans caught up in Donald's Muslim ban of last week. Confusion, Donald's stock in trade, reigned supreme. And you think that can't happen again?
We must remain vigilant and our Judiciary must remain independent. Retribution in Germany, 1938, and in the United States, 2017, is not part of our democracy. Our vision for our country does not include retribution because of Donald's ego. It does instead stand for something far greater: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Donald Trump, thin-skinned and bullying as he is, always takes it out on others when he experiences a loss. On Saturday, February 4, he suffered a loss. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously stayed his ban on Muslims from seven different countries. His ban was disguised as a "security risk" in an Executive Order. When "a federal judge in Washington state temporarily blocked the ban," Billings Gazette reported, it "plunged the new administration into a crisis that has challenged Trump's authority..." and was described as "...an extraordinary setback for the White House". In other words, a huge loss for Donald Trump.
What happened next? This past week, ICE in a coordinated effort conducted raids on undocumented immigrants from at least six different states across our country and deported them. When ICE deported immigrants under President Obama, they were based on "clear guidance prioritizing deportation of high level criminals". With Donald Trump, there is no priority list and any felon (no matter what they've done) is susceptible. Even a mother of two teenagers who had been checking in regularly with her immigration officer since 2008 (because of using a fake Social Security number to find work) became a target. She was no threat to her community. Donald's raids are indiscriminate, causing fear and panic among immigrant communities. Donald's raids in fact could "include virtually any undocumented immigrant living in the United States". [CNN Politics]
It's obvious that Donald doesn't do his homework or, more likely, doesn't care. According to Joy Reid, "foreign born people alone contributed over $232 billion to Los Angeles total GDP in 2014". Donald's highest concern is not for we Americans, undocumented immigrants or otherwise. To be seen NOT as a loser is his highest priority.
A city councilman from Austin, Texas, wonders if raids of undocumented immigrants in his city are in retribution for Austin's work as a sanctuary city. I, too, see these actions of Donald and ICE as retribution -- and a repeat of history.
On November 23, 1938, "Berlin: Germans Track Down Jews in Raids on Aliens" is a headline in the Chicago Tribune. "Secret police today were reported to have searched homes of foreigners suspected of having harbored German Jews since the mass action against Jewry began 10 days ago. ...Berlin police have given assurances no more arrests of Jews would be made but today there came a belated report of a raid carried out in Frankfort on the Main. Advices [sic] from Frankfort said Jews were accosted on street cars and in other public places and taken away."
Does any of this reporting ring bells for you? And if you're not Jewish, no problem? And you're not an undocumented immigrant, no problem? Think again. It is our Judiciary thus far that has righted the wrongs of valid visa-carrying foreigners and Americans caught up in Donald's Muslim ban of last week. Confusion, Donald's stock in trade, reigned supreme. And you think that can't happen again?
We must remain vigilant and our Judiciary must remain independent. Retribution in Germany, 1938, and in the United States, 2017, is not part of our democracy. Our vision for our country does not include retribution because of Donald's ego. It does instead stand for something far greater: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Saturday, January 7, 2017
KNOWLEDGE is POWER, FREEDOM
On New Year's Day, I take a Winter Walk with five others through the trees in Riverfront Park along the Yellowstone. Intermittent flakes, wind, and fierce temperatures into the teens accompany us as we trample on a path through three feet of unshoveled snow. Moving ever so slowly, we learn about trees: cottonwoods, green ash, red-osier dogwood. Several hous later, split pea soup, rolls and hot mulled cider warm us quickly in the home of our expert-in-the-field.
It's getting dark; time to leave. A problem arises: in the cold and wind, my driver's-side door won't latch when closed. Luckily, David and his significant-other fix the latch with a screwdriver and, very carefully on the iced roads, I make it home. Just short of that, however, my door unlatches. It must be held closed until, outside my garage, it latches again.
If my door is going to be this unpredictable, sometimes latching and sometimes not, how difficult will it be getting around town the next day? Yes, my door latches when I check in the morning but will it come loose again mid-trip? Arriving at the YMCA to work out gives the answer: the door won't latch when I try to close it. I climb back inside, door latches, and head back home. What am I to do? The next morning is a cardio class. Can I make it? Would I just have to stay home because I couldn't depend on my door latch to work? All this uncertainty; I don't understand how to solve the problem of this unpredictability.
I google it. To my immense relief, YouTube shows in several different videos how simple it is to correct a door latch problem. My self-confidence returns in a rush. I'm free. I'm powerful. I know what to do, I think.
With knowledge comes power, freedom. Without it, there is none. Feeling off-balance and powerless can be the result. Consider Donald Trump. He's not even our President yet and he's already practicing methods that keep us in the dark, keep us in a state of not knowing, not having a clue about what's happening.
One example is a lack of news conferences where Donald can answer questions about his upcoming administration and its policies. There has been no such news conference since last July. Besides us, news pundits, legislators, even some of his staff, we are told, know very little. His communication with the outside world has been through tweets -- and they may change on a whim, without notice. As one interviewee suggested, Donald's tweets have now become the policies of our country: government by tweet.
Another example of keeping us in the dark is Donald's manipulation of the media, and thus us. On January 11, next Wednesday, Donald and others have created a schedule of important meetings to be conducted -- all at the same time. The highest six positions in his Cabinet will have their confirmation hearings conducted the same day at the same time. Most, if not all, are controversial and require our attention. Will this be possible when focus is changed to many hearings rather than one at a time? In addition, Donald will be addressing his first news conference and that, too, will happen at the same time on the same day as the confirmation hearings. Why would Donald do this if it weren't for sowing confusion, weakening any possibility of giving due consideration to each proposed Cabinet appointee, to even Donald himself at a news conference?
Most despicable is the fear and confusion that comes from asking for names of government employees who are currently working in policy areas with which Donald and his administration may disagree (climate change, gender studies). Why do this? If he and his ilk can't outright fire them, can they reduce their salaries to $1 to force them out of their jobs? My understanding is that this has been tried in the past but failed because it was deemed unconstitutional. That may not stop Donald from indulging, however.
Continuing to go against all evidence of Russian intervention in our elections, Donald keeps us questioning his motives for supporting Vladamir Putin. Why? What might be the reasons for this? We don't know -- we're in the dark. Donald does not show us his tax returns. We don't know if he is in some way beholden to Russia (individuals, banks). Do they have something on him that we know nothing about? We just don't know.
Last, but not least, Donald continues to draw attention away from his conflicts of interest. Will the January 11 news conference clarify this? Will he indeed divest? Or, by scheduling his news conference during confirmation hearings, he guarantees that attention to him will be diluted and therefore contain nothing but pablum to pacify.
We have little knowledge of what to expect from Donald except more of the same. In order for us to return power to the people, to maintain our freedom in this country, to create balance where there is none between Donald's administration and us, we must know what's happening. We must, as Michael Moore suggests, keep track of what's happening.
We don't gain knowledge through putting our heads into the sand. Knowledge comes from reading reputable newspapers, magazines. It comes from trustworthy experts who relate information they have gathered from various sources. It comes from being curious, asking questions, speaking out with your own observations. These are just a few ways to keep track of what's happening. Observe. Question. Discuss. Respond.
It is only through knowledge that we have power and freedom. Donald and his ilk only have power over us when we choose not to participate; not notice when he is manipulating us; not pay attention to what he is doing. Groups all over the country are reading "Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda". It shows the way to work at a grass-roots level. Google it -- it's a way to begin. (Now, back to my door latch.)
On New Year's Day, I take a Winter Walk with five others through the trees in Riverfront Park along the Yellowstone. Intermittent flakes, wind, and fierce temperatures into the teens accompany us as we trample on a path through three feet of unshoveled snow. Moving ever so slowly, we learn about trees: cottonwoods, green ash, red-osier dogwood. Several hous later, split pea soup, rolls and hot mulled cider warm us quickly in the home of our expert-in-the-field.
It's getting dark; time to leave. A problem arises: in the cold and wind, my driver's-side door won't latch when closed. Luckily, David and his significant-other fix the latch with a screwdriver and, very carefully on the iced roads, I make it home. Just short of that, however, my door unlatches. It must be held closed until, outside my garage, it latches again.
If my door is going to be this unpredictable, sometimes latching and sometimes not, how difficult will it be getting around town the next day? Yes, my door latches when I check in the morning but will it come loose again mid-trip? Arriving at the YMCA to work out gives the answer: the door won't latch when I try to close it. I climb back inside, door latches, and head back home. What am I to do? The next morning is a cardio class. Can I make it? Would I just have to stay home because I couldn't depend on my door latch to work? All this uncertainty; I don't understand how to solve the problem of this unpredictability.
I google it. To my immense relief, YouTube shows in several different videos how simple it is to correct a door latch problem. My self-confidence returns in a rush. I'm free. I'm powerful. I know what to do, I think.
With knowledge comes power, freedom. Without it, there is none. Feeling off-balance and powerless can be the result. Consider Donald Trump. He's not even our President yet and he's already practicing methods that keep us in the dark, keep us in a state of not knowing, not having a clue about what's happening.
One example is a lack of news conferences where Donald can answer questions about his upcoming administration and its policies. There has been no such news conference since last July. Besides us, news pundits, legislators, even some of his staff, we are told, know very little. His communication with the outside world has been through tweets -- and they may change on a whim, without notice. As one interviewee suggested, Donald's tweets have now become the policies of our country: government by tweet.
Another example of keeping us in the dark is Donald's manipulation of the media, and thus us. On January 11, next Wednesday, Donald and others have created a schedule of important meetings to be conducted -- all at the same time. The highest six positions in his Cabinet will have their confirmation hearings conducted the same day at the same time. Most, if not all, are controversial and require our attention. Will this be possible when focus is changed to many hearings rather than one at a time? In addition, Donald will be addressing his first news conference and that, too, will happen at the same time on the same day as the confirmation hearings. Why would Donald do this if it weren't for sowing confusion, weakening any possibility of giving due consideration to each proposed Cabinet appointee, to even Donald himself at a news conference?
Most despicable is the fear and confusion that comes from asking for names of government employees who are currently working in policy areas with which Donald and his administration may disagree (climate change, gender studies). Why do this? If he and his ilk can't outright fire them, can they reduce their salaries to $1 to force them out of their jobs? My understanding is that this has been tried in the past but failed because it was deemed unconstitutional. That may not stop Donald from indulging, however.
Continuing to go against all evidence of Russian intervention in our elections, Donald keeps us questioning his motives for supporting Vladamir Putin. Why? What might be the reasons for this? We don't know -- we're in the dark. Donald does not show us his tax returns. We don't know if he is in some way beholden to Russia (individuals, banks). Do they have something on him that we know nothing about? We just don't know.
Last, but not least, Donald continues to draw attention away from his conflicts of interest. Will the January 11 news conference clarify this? Will he indeed divest? Or, by scheduling his news conference during confirmation hearings, he guarantees that attention to him will be diluted and therefore contain nothing but pablum to pacify.
We have little knowledge of what to expect from Donald except more of the same. In order for us to return power to the people, to maintain our freedom in this country, to create balance where there is none between Donald's administration and us, we must know what's happening. We must, as Michael Moore suggests, keep track of what's happening.
We don't gain knowledge through putting our heads into the sand. Knowledge comes from reading reputable newspapers, magazines. It comes from trustworthy experts who relate information they have gathered from various sources. It comes from being curious, asking questions, speaking out with your own observations. These are just a few ways to keep track of what's happening. Observe. Question. Discuss. Respond.
It is only through knowledge that we have power and freedom. Donald and his ilk only have power over us when we choose not to participate; not notice when he is manipulating us; not pay attention to what he is doing. Groups all over the country are reading "Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda". It shows the way to work at a grass-roots level. Google it -- it's a way to begin. (Now, back to my door latch.)
Friday, December 30, 2016
RESIST: Just say YES!
As a child growing up in the Midwest Bible Belt, we five children were constantly being told, "NO!" "No, you can't dance. No, you can't go to the movies. No, you can't play cards." There were so many "no's", they overrode any "yes's" that may have been a healthy part of our lives.
The natural reaction was to question its meaning -- and rebel. "No, Mexicans and Muslims are bad people and can no longer come into our country. No, Planned Parenthood cannot continue to provide women health care -- it must be defunded. No, Obamacare must be repealed and no longer serve millions with their only health care."
Rebel! Resist! Question the call from Donald and fellow Republican leaders. Remember the "Tower of Power" is, in reality, a buffalo jump (see previous post). Tweets that emanate from his tower are intended to confuse, to make us jump, to keep us in line. If we follow him, we are headed for our own demise while he steps aside, enriching himself through his businesses from which he refuses to divest. (By the way, where is the news conference at which he is supposed to explain how he plans to do away with his conflict of business interests?)
For some, it is all the "No's" that produce the energizing call to resist. For others, however, the framework from which we operate needs to come from a place of "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
President Barack Obama reminded us in 2008 that "Yes we can!" Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reminded us in 2016 that we are "Stronger Together!" Aren't those the messages to which most of America responded when Barack won his election - twice - and Hillary won the popular vote this year beating Donald by almost 3 million people? Aren't those the messages we hear when we remember words placed on the Statue of Liberty, called The Colossus?
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
What makes our country great? It is just for the very calls that Barack and Hillary made. It is for the sonnet that appears on our Statue of Liberty. This is what we remember -- and must never forget!
What is the message our country seeks to live and send out to the rest of the world? Read again the Preamble to our Constitution. Read again our Bill of Rights. Name the issues that stem from those documents and, in practical terms, provide our vision*:
a. An economy works best when all benefit
b. Terrorism stems from other than a particular religious faith
c. A foreign policy begins with respect for all cultures
d. Health care is a right for all
e. A gun policy begins with the premise that greater numbers of guns (and greater power of guns) means greater misuse of guns; innocent people die
f. Immigration policy begins with the understanding that we all began as immigrants. This is a factor that makes our country great.
g. Social security is paid for by America's workers. It returns to them when it's most needed.
h. All American citizens have a right to public education. Public funds, our taxes, pay for public schools -- they do not pay for private education (neither secular - charter schools - nor parochial).
i. Supreme Court appointments follow tradition: They are filled at the time a vacancy appears
j. Treatment of racial and ethnic minorities is no different than treatment of the majority.
Do you agree that these issues make up a vision for our country? Do you agree that if we hold that vision as a constant in our memory, we can say YES to whatever supports it?
This is our YES! As a team working together, we can evaluate everything coming out of the new administration. Does it support the vision we have for our country? If it doesn't, we commit to an action that does support our vision. Choose what that action will be (call legislators, write letters to legislators, correct false comments/tweets coming from Donald, use Facebook to call out errors/lies when they appear, support Standing Rock, read The Nation, just take action).
YES, this is our vision. YES, we will work together to achieve our vision. YES, we will do whatever it takes to make our vision a reality.
*Issues were sponsored by National Public Radio in "From the Economy to Race, See Where the Candidates Stand on the Big Issues", authored by Meg Anderson, October 18, 2016.
As a child growing up in the Midwest Bible Belt, we five children were constantly being told, "NO!" "No, you can't dance. No, you can't go to the movies. No, you can't play cards." There were so many "no's", they overrode any "yes's" that may have been a healthy part of our lives.
The natural reaction was to question its meaning -- and rebel. "No, Mexicans and Muslims are bad people and can no longer come into our country. No, Planned Parenthood cannot continue to provide women health care -- it must be defunded. No, Obamacare must be repealed and no longer serve millions with their only health care."
Rebel! Resist! Question the call from Donald and fellow Republican leaders. Remember the "Tower of Power" is, in reality, a buffalo jump (see previous post). Tweets that emanate from his tower are intended to confuse, to make us jump, to keep us in line. If we follow him, we are headed for our own demise while he steps aside, enriching himself through his businesses from which he refuses to divest. (By the way, where is the news conference at which he is supposed to explain how he plans to do away with his conflict of business interests?)
For some, it is all the "No's" that produce the energizing call to resist. For others, however, the framework from which we operate needs to come from a place of "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
President Barack Obama reminded us in 2008 that "Yes we can!" Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reminded us in 2016 that we are "Stronger Together!" Aren't those the messages to which most of America responded when Barack won his election - twice - and Hillary won the popular vote this year beating Donald by almost 3 million people? Aren't those the messages we hear when we remember words placed on the Statue of Liberty, called The Colossus?
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
What makes our country great? It is just for the very calls that Barack and Hillary made. It is for the sonnet that appears on our Statue of Liberty. This is what we remember -- and must never forget!
What is the message our country seeks to live and send out to the rest of the world? Read again the Preamble to our Constitution. Read again our Bill of Rights. Name the issues that stem from those documents and, in practical terms, provide our vision*:
a. An economy works best when all benefit
b. Terrorism stems from other than a particular religious faith
c. A foreign policy begins with respect for all cultures
d. Health care is a right for all
e. A gun policy begins with the premise that greater numbers of guns (and greater power of guns) means greater misuse of guns; innocent people die
f. Immigration policy begins with the understanding that we all began as immigrants. This is a factor that makes our country great.
g. Social security is paid for by America's workers. It returns to them when it's most needed.
h. All American citizens have a right to public education. Public funds, our taxes, pay for public schools -- they do not pay for private education (neither secular - charter schools - nor parochial).
i. Supreme Court appointments follow tradition: They are filled at the time a vacancy appears
j. Treatment of racial and ethnic minorities is no different than treatment of the majority.
Do you agree that these issues make up a vision for our country? Do you agree that if we hold that vision as a constant in our memory, we can say YES to whatever supports it?
This is our YES! As a team working together, we can evaluate everything coming out of the new administration. Does it support the vision we have for our country? If it doesn't, we commit to an action that does support our vision. Choose what that action will be (call legislators, write letters to legislators, correct false comments/tweets coming from Donald, use Facebook to call out errors/lies when they appear, support Standing Rock, read The Nation, just take action).
YES, this is our vision. YES, we will work together to achieve our vision. YES, we will do whatever it takes to make our vision a reality.
*Issues were sponsored by National Public Radio in "From the Economy to Race, See Where the Candidates Stand on the Big Issues", authored by Meg Anderson, October 18, 2016.
Monday, December 5, 2016
TOWER OF POWER
Two stories: Ever hear of a buffalo jump? How about radio towers from the 1940's? Both are a part of our country's history and both exist today, in spirit if not in actuality.
Buffalo jump sites exist in the state of Montana. The buffalo jump was used by the Blackfeet tribe to efficiently maim buffalo so they could be killed with spears and bows. "Hides [of the buffalo] were used for clothes and shelter, bones for tools, sinews for bowstrings and laces. Hooves could be ground for glue, and the brains could be used in the tanning process for hides. Extra meat was preserved as pemmican." The buffalo jump was a communal hunt dating as far back as 12,000 years ago and lasted until 1500 C.E., until about the time of the horse's arrival.*
How was the buffalo jump conducted? Meriwether Lewis describes it in the Lewis and Cl ark Expedition: "one of the most active and fleet young men is selected and disguised in a robe of buffalo skin...he places himself at a distance between a herd of buffalo and a precipice proper for the purpose: the other Indians now surround the herd on the back and flanks and at a signal agreed on all show themselves at the same time moving forward towards the buffalo; the disguised Indian or decoy has taken care to place himself sufficiently near the buffalo to be noticed by them when they take flight and running before them they follow him in full speed to the precipice; the Indian (decoy) in the mean time has taken care to secure himself in some cranny in the cliff...the part of the decoy I am informed is extremely dangerous."
The story of the buffalo jump recurs as I awake full of dread. I feel like one of those buffalo; my country feels like that herd of buffalo. We are being led to the cliff by a decoy. Just as in the story, Trump is the decoy, dressed to look like the rest of us; he tries to make that connection in his rallies. He's drawing us ever closer to the edge of the cliff to our demise. But he fools us because he's planned a way to save himself: he will enrich his businesses and his family at the expense of the safety of our country.
What has happened? Donald Trump is naming ultra-rich members to his Cabinet. Since when have most ultra-rich looked out for anyone other than themselves? Donald claims inaccurately that not only did he win the electoral vote but also the popular vote since millions of the undocumented voted illegally. There is no evidence to support this claim. The truth is that Hillary won the popular vote with 2.5 million more votes than Donald. The media do not speak up with one voice against this lie. When in the past we may have been able to depend on the media for objective reporting, that is no longer the case. Fear rules them. Fear rules the country. We are at the mercy of Donald's tweets.
In the 1940's, radio was in full swing. Air waves carried the news and entertainment to the country. They emanated from towers that passed the signals from radio stations to our radio consoles at home. In cartoons, those radio signals were depicted as small bolts of lightning coming off high, triangular, steel towers.
Today, those bolts of lightning represent Donald's tweets. He sits in his Trump tower in New York and, at any time of day even 3:00am, he tweets out his messages. It's a signal heard 'round the world. Trump supporters feel emboldened; they enact whatever menace they desire. At the very least, they spit on those who offend them; pull off scarves worn by women who are Muslim; scream obscenities at Uber drivers. Tweets are the new bolts of lightning once used to depict radio signals. They now emanate from Trump tower.
It feels like we as a country are at his mercy. We are a herd of buffalo heading senselessly toward a cliff. We see it; we know it. But fear is the name of the game. We are surrounded by Trump's ultra-rich cabinet, by Trump hangers-on who see visions of enriching themselves at our expense like Paul Ryan (Speaker of the House of Representatives) and Jason Chaffetz (Chairman of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform). No effort is made by them to assure that traditional checks and balances will be put into play. No effort is made to investigate conflicts of interest Trump has around the world. No effort is made to do the job for which they are paid. We are headed to a cliff. Tweets from Trump tower keep us in line.
Is there any hope? Next time...
*Wikipedia
Two stories: Ever hear of a buffalo jump? How about radio towers from the 1940's? Both are a part of our country's history and both exist today, in spirit if not in actuality.
Buffalo jump sites exist in the state of Montana. The buffalo jump was used by the Blackfeet tribe to efficiently maim buffalo so they could be killed with spears and bows. "Hides [of the buffalo] were used for clothes and shelter, bones for tools, sinews for bowstrings and laces. Hooves could be ground for glue, and the brains could be used in the tanning process for hides. Extra meat was preserved as pemmican." The buffalo jump was a communal hunt dating as far back as 12,000 years ago and lasted until 1500 C.E., until about the time of the horse's arrival.*
How was the buffalo jump conducted? Meriwether Lewis describes it in the Lewis and Cl ark Expedition: "one of the most active and fleet young men is selected and disguised in a robe of buffalo skin...he places himself at a distance between a herd of buffalo and a precipice proper for the purpose: the other Indians now surround the herd on the back and flanks and at a signal agreed on all show themselves at the same time moving forward towards the buffalo; the disguised Indian or decoy has taken care to place himself sufficiently near the buffalo to be noticed by them when they take flight and running before them they follow him in full speed to the precipice; the Indian (decoy) in the mean time has taken care to secure himself in some cranny in the cliff...the part of the decoy I am informed is extremely dangerous."
The story of the buffalo jump recurs as I awake full of dread. I feel like one of those buffalo; my country feels like that herd of buffalo. We are being led to the cliff by a decoy. Just as in the story, Trump is the decoy, dressed to look like the rest of us; he tries to make that connection in his rallies. He's drawing us ever closer to the edge of the cliff to our demise. But he fools us because he's planned a way to save himself: he will enrich his businesses and his family at the expense of the safety of our country.
What has happened? Donald Trump is naming ultra-rich members to his Cabinet. Since when have most ultra-rich looked out for anyone other than themselves? Donald claims inaccurately that not only did he win the electoral vote but also the popular vote since millions of the undocumented voted illegally. There is no evidence to support this claim. The truth is that Hillary won the popular vote with 2.5 million more votes than Donald. The media do not speak up with one voice against this lie. When in the past we may have been able to depend on the media for objective reporting, that is no longer the case. Fear rules them. Fear rules the country. We are at the mercy of Donald's tweets.
In the 1940's, radio was in full swing. Air waves carried the news and entertainment to the country. They emanated from towers that passed the signals from radio stations to our radio consoles at home. In cartoons, those radio signals were depicted as small bolts of lightning coming off high, triangular, steel towers.
Today, those bolts of lightning represent Donald's tweets. He sits in his Trump tower in New York and, at any time of day even 3:00am, he tweets out his messages. It's a signal heard 'round the world. Trump supporters feel emboldened; they enact whatever menace they desire. At the very least, they spit on those who offend them; pull off scarves worn by women who are Muslim; scream obscenities at Uber drivers. Tweets are the new bolts of lightning once used to depict radio signals. They now emanate from Trump tower.
It feels like we as a country are at his mercy. We are a herd of buffalo heading senselessly toward a cliff. We see it; we know it. But fear is the name of the game. We are surrounded by Trump's ultra-rich cabinet, by Trump hangers-on who see visions of enriching themselves at our expense like Paul Ryan (Speaker of the House of Representatives) and Jason Chaffetz (Chairman of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform). No effort is made by them to assure that traditional checks and balances will be put into play. No effort is made to investigate conflicts of interest Trump has around the world. No effort is made to do the job for which they are paid. We are headed to a cliff. Tweets from Trump tower keep us in line.
Is there any hope? Next time...
*Wikipedia
Sunday, November 27, 2016
What's new? Pickleball and writing, that's what
The quickest way to meet my ultimate destination is to sit back, relax in my rocking chair, and keep doing the things I've always done. I know how to do them; there are no surprises; there are no challenges. If that's true, then how does one keep growing? Does it mean that, just because I'm getting older, I should stop growing? I should stop trying new skills, new methods of working, new ways of thinking?
Growing is something children do. They are on a fast track in changing physically, mentally, psychologically. Every year brings about an adjustment, a major change from the year before. The speed of that change moderates as a person matures. An older person, of course, continues to change as well. The stereotype is that change comes in the slowing-down, the moderating even more, of physical, mental, and psychological growth. Some people might even contend that the change is moving backwards; that growth stops and the older person is going "downhill".
I refuse to see myself in that light. I must push against the temptation to acquiesce, to give in, to say "I'm getting too old for this". Thus, my first lesson in pickleball is coming this Friday night.
At the YMCA, I have an exercise program. Every other day, I pull on my exercise duds, drive about a mile or two to downtown, cross a busy street from the parking lot, enter the building, and climb the stairs to the track. Walking 17 times around gives a mile's worth of cardio. My usual is one and a half miles which is a full half-hour. Another half-hour is working on both upper body and lower body strength by pushing, pulling, raising arms and legs on seven different machines in the Power Room.
On in-between days, I just walk the track. That's when I notice this past Friday two individuals on the gym floor below. The man seems to be instructing the woman on how to play pickleball -- at least, that's what I finally figure out. On different days, I've seen and heard 12 to 16 people, maybe fewer, smacking a ball back and forth across their net, similar to badminton only the ball is heavier (no birdie) and the net is lower. It always looks like fun -- lots of chatting, laughing back and forth.
As I watch this lesson below, my thought is, "I can do this. No problems in the past with my physical coordination. Not as sure about my stamina but many of the people playing are older. So what do I have to lose? I'll stop by this week, meet the instructor, and schedule a lesson for Friday." (I'll keep you posted.)
Keeping up/excelling physically is one type of growth. Another has to do with using one's mind. In my case, that's writing. I write every morning in a journal. I write stories and share them with my small writing group as well as on my blog. I write family stories for Christmas gifts. Letters from Bulgaria while a Peace Corps volunteer, self-help articles on career redirection, reflective stories based on my own experiences have all been published in newspapers in Florida and Montana. So I think I know what I'm doing when volunteering to write an article for MSUB's The Retort, the newspaper for MT State University Billings. The editor is a fellow student in our Writing Workshop class.
I'm currently on my sixth draft. This is after I interview four nontraditional students to find out what qualifies them to be nontraditional, what motivates them, how they juggle responsibilities, and what they recommend for others. The tapes are transcribed and compiled into an outline. From there, my first two drafts are completed.
"Is it alright if I edit your article?" asks the editor. I'm on my way out the door after taking him the photo that will accompany my article.
"Of course," I say.
"I may have to edit a whole section."
"Sure, do whatever you have to do." For the rest of the afternoon, I keep repeating to myself, "a whole section" A whole section? A whole SECTION?"
By chance, I have a scheduled lunch with another fellow classmate the next day. She is an experienced writer -- 20+ years with the Billings Gazette. She identifies the specific format that is used by newspaper writers. Amazing. Never knew this. Never noted it in my newspaper reading.
By email to the editor, I request the opportunity to learn this craft by reworking my draft. Six hours on Friday brings about several more drafts, a more sexy title that includes "success strategies". Each of the three strategies is identified and combined with the student story that best illustrates it. These students are hard-working nontraditional students (one of which is my editor) -- they use all three strategies (network/volunteer while still in school; follow your passion; and never, ever give up -- it'll be hard but worth it). Today, I'll look over the article and decide if it needs more fine-tuning.
Learning a new skill, whether physical or mental, can be a humbling experience. However, it's an opportunity of which I want to take advantage. Learning isn't for youth any more. It can happen throughout one's life; it can give meaning to life; and it can help one grow -- at any age.
The quickest way to meet my ultimate destination is to sit back, relax in my rocking chair, and keep doing the things I've always done. I know how to do them; there are no surprises; there are no challenges. If that's true, then how does one keep growing? Does it mean that, just because I'm getting older, I should stop growing? I should stop trying new skills, new methods of working, new ways of thinking?
Growing is something children do. They are on a fast track in changing physically, mentally, psychologically. Every year brings about an adjustment, a major change from the year before. The speed of that change moderates as a person matures. An older person, of course, continues to change as well. The stereotype is that change comes in the slowing-down, the moderating even more, of physical, mental, and psychological growth. Some people might even contend that the change is moving backwards; that growth stops and the older person is going "downhill".
I refuse to see myself in that light. I must push against the temptation to acquiesce, to give in, to say "I'm getting too old for this". Thus, my first lesson in pickleball is coming this Friday night.
At the YMCA, I have an exercise program. Every other day, I pull on my exercise duds, drive about a mile or two to downtown, cross a busy street from the parking lot, enter the building, and climb the stairs to the track. Walking 17 times around gives a mile's worth of cardio. My usual is one and a half miles which is a full half-hour. Another half-hour is working on both upper body and lower body strength by pushing, pulling, raising arms and legs on seven different machines in the Power Room.
On in-between days, I just walk the track. That's when I notice this past Friday two individuals on the gym floor below. The man seems to be instructing the woman on how to play pickleball -- at least, that's what I finally figure out. On different days, I've seen and heard 12 to 16 people, maybe fewer, smacking a ball back and forth across their net, similar to badminton only the ball is heavier (no birdie) and the net is lower. It always looks like fun -- lots of chatting, laughing back and forth.
As I watch this lesson below, my thought is, "I can do this. No problems in the past with my physical coordination. Not as sure about my stamina but many of the people playing are older. So what do I have to lose? I'll stop by this week, meet the instructor, and schedule a lesson for Friday." (I'll keep you posted.)
Keeping up/excelling physically is one type of growth. Another has to do with using one's mind. In my case, that's writing. I write every morning in a journal. I write stories and share them with my small writing group as well as on my blog. I write family stories for Christmas gifts. Letters from Bulgaria while a Peace Corps volunteer, self-help articles on career redirection, reflective stories based on my own experiences have all been published in newspapers in Florida and Montana. So I think I know what I'm doing when volunteering to write an article for MSUB's The Retort, the newspaper for MT State University Billings. The editor is a fellow student in our Writing Workshop class.
I'm currently on my sixth draft. This is after I interview four nontraditional students to find out what qualifies them to be nontraditional, what motivates them, how they juggle responsibilities, and what they recommend for others. The tapes are transcribed and compiled into an outline. From there, my first two drafts are completed.
"Is it alright if I edit your article?" asks the editor. I'm on my way out the door after taking him the photo that will accompany my article.
"Of course," I say.
"I may have to edit a whole section."
"Sure, do whatever you have to do." For the rest of the afternoon, I keep repeating to myself, "a whole section" A whole section? A whole SECTION?"
By chance, I have a scheduled lunch with another fellow classmate the next day. She is an experienced writer -- 20+ years with the Billings Gazette. She identifies the specific format that is used by newspaper writers. Amazing. Never knew this. Never noted it in my newspaper reading.
By email to the editor, I request the opportunity to learn this craft by reworking my draft. Six hours on Friday brings about several more drafts, a more sexy title that includes "success strategies". Each of the three strategies is identified and combined with the student story that best illustrates it. These students are hard-working nontraditional students (one of which is my editor) -- they use all three strategies (network/volunteer while still in school; follow your passion; and never, ever give up -- it'll be hard but worth it). Today, I'll look over the article and decide if it needs more fine-tuning.
Learning a new skill, whether physical or mental, can be a humbling experience. However, it's an opportunity of which I want to take advantage. Learning isn't for youth any more. It can happen throughout one's life; it can give meaning to life; and it can help one grow -- at any age.
Friday, November 25, 2016
A Cook Isn't Really a Cook when...
1. She sees a new recipe on the web, reads it, pronounces it special and decides to make it for the family holiday meal. Ingredients like shallots and Guyere cheese sound intriguing. No matter that her daughter tells her she dislikes Brussels sprouts. Of course, she'll like it. After all, the recipe testimonial says she's not crazy for Brussels sprouts either but she really likes this recipe!
2. She will brook no substitutes for any ingredients in the recipe -- none! Like "thick, sliced bacon"? No turkey bacon from the fridge for this recipe; it's too thin, too fat-less. Like shallots? She has regular white onions in her crisper drawer in the fridge. Nope. Got to go to the grocery store, ask the clerk what shallots are, then be led over near the squash, and get educated on the taste of shallots. Like Guyere cheese? Never heard of that. She's got some yellow cheddar cheese. That will not do, not exotic enough. She can hunt for Guyere cheese in the dairy display at the store. Last but not least, Kosher salt and freshly ground black papper? She spends at least 15 minutes in the spice aisle looking first for Kosher salt (gets the last one) and then across to the opposite side of the store to the "gadget shelf" across from the pharmacy. "That's where the pepper grinders are," says the clerk. Luckily, it's already filled with black pepper.
3. She gets ready the next morning by pulling out all the equipment she will need, taking up all available work space on the counter. Pans; bowls; knives; measuring cups (one for flour, one for milk); cutting boards (one for bacon, one for shallots); mixing spoons; and a bouillon cube to make chicken broth.
4. She measures her flour by shaking the newly-open flour bag over her measuring cup. Luckily, it is over the sink that she does this, although a little mound of white stuff does end up on the floor by her foot.
5. She isn't sure what it means to "blanch the sprouts". However, when she follows instructions to drop sprouts into medium-boiling salt water for 3 to 7 minutes, the sprouts turn more white and she understands: blanch means "to whiten".
6. She envisions in her mind that she'll brag to family today about creating this delicious dish with all its complexities.
7. She pulls out the bubbly, cheesy, concoction from the oven at the ringing of the timer and renders it done! Perfecto! Only it does look a little flat. As she glances around, near the sink she sees a bowl of cut-up shallots. Can she save the recipe? Of course. Add the shallots to the top and reheat at daughter's house. Son-in-law pronounces it good! Cook pronounces it good! Daughter gags, poor thing. Next time, believe her when she says she doesn't like Brussels sprouts!
1. She sees a new recipe on the web, reads it, pronounces it special and decides to make it for the family holiday meal. Ingredients like shallots and Guyere cheese sound intriguing. No matter that her daughter tells her she dislikes Brussels sprouts. Of course, she'll like it. After all, the recipe testimonial says she's not crazy for Brussels sprouts either but she really likes this recipe!
2. She will brook no substitutes for any ingredients in the recipe -- none! Like "thick, sliced bacon"? No turkey bacon from the fridge for this recipe; it's too thin, too fat-less. Like shallots? She has regular white onions in her crisper drawer in the fridge. Nope. Got to go to the grocery store, ask the clerk what shallots are, then be led over near the squash, and get educated on the taste of shallots. Like Guyere cheese? Never heard of that. She's got some yellow cheddar cheese. That will not do, not exotic enough. She can hunt for Guyere cheese in the dairy display at the store. Last but not least, Kosher salt and freshly ground black papper? She spends at least 15 minutes in the spice aisle looking first for Kosher salt (gets the last one) and then across to the opposite side of the store to the "gadget shelf" across from the pharmacy. "That's where the pepper grinders are," says the clerk. Luckily, it's already filled with black pepper.
3. She gets ready the next morning by pulling out all the equipment she will need, taking up all available work space on the counter. Pans; bowls; knives; measuring cups (one for flour, one for milk); cutting boards (one for bacon, one for shallots); mixing spoons; and a bouillon cube to make chicken broth.
4. She measures her flour by shaking the newly-open flour bag over her measuring cup. Luckily, it is over the sink that she does this, although a little mound of white stuff does end up on the floor by her foot.
5. She isn't sure what it means to "blanch the sprouts". However, when she follows instructions to drop sprouts into medium-boiling salt water for 3 to 7 minutes, the sprouts turn more white and she understands: blanch means "to whiten".
6. She envisions in her mind that she'll brag to family today about creating this delicious dish with all its complexities.
7. She pulls out the bubbly, cheesy, concoction from the oven at the ringing of the timer and renders it done! Perfecto! Only it does look a little flat. As she glances around, near the sink she sees a bowl of cut-up shallots. Can she save the recipe? Of course. Add the shallots to the top and reheat at daughter's house. Son-in-law pronounces it good! Cook pronounces it good! Daughter gags, poor thing. Next time, believe her when she says she doesn't like Brussels sprouts!
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
I AM AFRAID
I am afraid. There are no more norms. Norms of decency, norms of civil discourse, norms of how our government works so that transition from one administration to the next protects us from conflicts of interest. The Trump's are coming; they are leading white supremacists; they are taking over our country. Russia's Putin has their ear.
In the past, there are questions. How does a whole country of people like Germany allow a little pipsqueak of a man like Hitler to take over, rule the country, exterminate millions? Now I know. I feel it.
Trump stokes fear, eggs it on. It's us versus them, he says. A loud minority of haters grows and champions this person, this Hitler, this Trump. They give the leader, this Hitler, this Trump, carte blanche to do as he will. That voice, that contingent of haters, drowns out voices of reason.
Some say our country has started down a path to the unknown. That isn't true. If we continue on this journey, we end up just as Nazi Germany: People will be afraid (refer to my first sentence). Countering voices will be/are drowned out.
The ruling party, the Nazi's, Trump supporters, decides what will be done. Who can they overcome now that they are in power? Why, it's the people who are different from them: different skin color, different religion, different gender, different sexual orientation. Anybody who isn't the same as they must be destroyed.
"Get 'em out!" Trump screams at his campaign rallies. "Kill them," screams Hitler to his crowds of supporters. Loyal soldiers follow his orders. Supporters pounce on dissenters and it's the dissenters who are thrown out, arrested, killed.
How does this story end? How does Nazi Germany end? It rots from the inside out.
We as a country have created this monster and it's we as a country who must see that the monster is stopped. Stand up; speak out. We, in this country of diversity, are the majority. We overcome our fears; we decide our own future. We are strong. We come together. We act.
I am afraid. There are no more norms. Norms of decency, norms of civil discourse, norms of how our government works so that transition from one administration to the next protects us from conflicts of interest. The Trump's are coming; they are leading white supremacists; they are taking over our country. Russia's Putin has their ear.
In the past, there are questions. How does a whole country of people like Germany allow a little pipsqueak of a man like Hitler to take over, rule the country, exterminate millions? Now I know. I feel it.
Trump stokes fear, eggs it on. It's us versus them, he says. A loud minority of haters grows and champions this person, this Hitler, this Trump. They give the leader, this Hitler, this Trump, carte blanche to do as he will. That voice, that contingent of haters, drowns out voices of reason.
Some say our country has started down a path to the unknown. That isn't true. If we continue on this journey, we end up just as Nazi Germany: People will be afraid (refer to my first sentence). Countering voices will be/are drowned out.
The ruling party, the Nazi's, Trump supporters, decides what will be done. Who can they overcome now that they are in power? Why, it's the people who are different from them: different skin color, different religion, different gender, different sexual orientation. Anybody who isn't the same as they must be destroyed.
"Get 'em out!" Trump screams at his campaign rallies. "Kill them," screams Hitler to his crowds of supporters. Loyal soldiers follow his orders. Supporters pounce on dissenters and it's the dissenters who are thrown out, arrested, killed.
How does this story end? How does Nazi Germany end? It rots from the inside out.
We as a country have created this monster and it's we as a country who must see that the monster is stopped. Stand up; speak out. We, in this country of diversity, are the majority. We overcome our fears; we decide our own future. We are strong. We come together. We act.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
CHANGE? No Slam Dunk!
It begins last Thursday with a small click sound. My alarm is set and I awake immediately thinking the alarm is going off -- only it's 15 minutes early. The day before, the repair guy for my apartment comes and changes the battery in my hallway smoke alarm located in the ceiling. It is going off intermittently with short beeps. But, before he leaves, the beeps start again. He thinks the alarm is old, goes over to the hardware store, purchases a new smoke alarm and installs it. The click I hear is nothing.
Friday I awake at 5 am to regularly spaced beeps from the smoke alarm. I groan - this is supposed to be fixed! I pull out my ladder, climb up, and twist off the cap so I can take out the battery. Can't get my finger in far enough to get a hold of it. I'll take my shower then decide what to do, I tell myself. Lo and behold, I hear no more beeping. Maybe dampness from my shower has an effect? I leave early for my weekly trip to Roundup.
Saturday there is intermittent beeping. Lori arrives and when I complain, she climbs the ladder and starts to remove the cap. But then I remember how difficult it can be to get to the battery and ask her to forget it. I know the repair guy will return on Monday to hang a new ceiling fan in the dining area. I will have him check it then. After our return from the store, there is no more beeping and I hope against hope that there will be no more problems. If so, I can always turn on the shower, I reason, and it will stop.
Sunday, at 12:30 am, the beeping starts. I run the shower 15 minutes -- no effect. I try the fan over my stove -- no effect. So strange. The beeping seems to happen only at night and is mostly quiet during the day. Is there something inside my apartment that is causing it to go off? I write until about 2:30 am and, just as I turn out my light and relax, up starts the beeping again. I cover my head with a pillow and sleep fitfully. Beeps come at regular 10-minute intervals.
Monday, the beeping begins at 2 am. I close the door to my room and cover my head with a pillow. Again, I sleep fitfully. The repair guy arrives and starts the process of removing the old fan. One beep, then another emanates from the smoke alarm.
"Hear that?" I say. He does. With his fingers formed into the shape of a gun, he shoots in the direction of the beeps. I explain all I've tried to do to stop it.
"None of that would make any difference," he tells me. He says that batteries sometimes sit too long on store shelves. He replaces the battery with a new one and goes back to working on the fan. In the bedroom, I am transcribing a taped interview and hear the beeps, this time they're louder -- like the new battery does nothing but create louder beeps! I say this to him while he works on the fan. Something seems to click in his brain.
"Is this the only smoke alarm you have?"
We practically run down the hall, check around the corner in the bedroom, and there is the culprit: a white smoke alarm hardly noticeable on a white-painted wall not more than a few feet from the one in the hallway. The repair guy removes the battery and goes back to his fan installment.
"If the beeping stops, we'll know where the problem is." He's right of course. No beeping. A new battery is placed in the second smoke alarm, the presence of which I haven't noticed in the four months I've lived here. Blessed relief!
This is just one example of some difficulties that arise in the process of moving to a new place. It takes time to adapt to all surroundings. It takes time to absorb differences. What seems normal in one place may be entirely different in another, even better. But it doesn't happen all at once.
The same can be said of changes in the Presidency of our country. As I write this on Election Day, 2016, I'm confident that our Hillary will be the next President of the United States. If that is true, and I hope it is, there will be changes. Our country will need to adapt to our new surroundings. We will have to absorb differences. We will need to adjust to a President that happens to be a woman! It doesn't happen all at once. What we can be sure of, however, is that Hillary will work hard, persist in bringing about positive change, and never give up on herself or on our country! How do we know that? She tells us. She models it during the election process and long before. Believe her!
It begins last Thursday with a small click sound. My alarm is set and I awake immediately thinking the alarm is going off -- only it's 15 minutes early. The day before, the repair guy for my apartment comes and changes the battery in my hallway smoke alarm located in the ceiling. It is going off intermittently with short beeps. But, before he leaves, the beeps start again. He thinks the alarm is old, goes over to the hardware store, purchases a new smoke alarm and installs it. The click I hear is nothing.
Friday I awake at 5 am to regularly spaced beeps from the smoke alarm. I groan - this is supposed to be fixed! I pull out my ladder, climb up, and twist off the cap so I can take out the battery. Can't get my finger in far enough to get a hold of it. I'll take my shower then decide what to do, I tell myself. Lo and behold, I hear no more beeping. Maybe dampness from my shower has an effect? I leave early for my weekly trip to Roundup.
Saturday there is intermittent beeping. Lori arrives and when I complain, she climbs the ladder and starts to remove the cap. But then I remember how difficult it can be to get to the battery and ask her to forget it. I know the repair guy will return on Monday to hang a new ceiling fan in the dining area. I will have him check it then. After our return from the store, there is no more beeping and I hope against hope that there will be no more problems. If so, I can always turn on the shower, I reason, and it will stop.
Sunday, at 12:30 am, the beeping starts. I run the shower 15 minutes -- no effect. I try the fan over my stove -- no effect. So strange. The beeping seems to happen only at night and is mostly quiet during the day. Is there something inside my apartment that is causing it to go off? I write until about 2:30 am and, just as I turn out my light and relax, up starts the beeping again. I cover my head with a pillow and sleep fitfully. Beeps come at regular 10-minute intervals.
Monday, the beeping begins at 2 am. I close the door to my room and cover my head with a pillow. Again, I sleep fitfully. The repair guy arrives and starts the process of removing the old fan. One beep, then another emanates from the smoke alarm.
"Hear that?" I say. He does. With his fingers formed into the shape of a gun, he shoots in the direction of the beeps. I explain all I've tried to do to stop it.
"None of that would make any difference," he tells me. He says that batteries sometimes sit too long on store shelves. He replaces the battery with a new one and goes back to working on the fan. In the bedroom, I am transcribing a taped interview and hear the beeps, this time they're louder -- like the new battery does nothing but create louder beeps! I say this to him while he works on the fan. Something seems to click in his brain.
"Is this the only smoke alarm you have?"
We practically run down the hall, check around the corner in the bedroom, and there is the culprit: a white smoke alarm hardly noticeable on a white-painted wall not more than a few feet from the one in the hallway. The repair guy removes the battery and goes back to his fan installment.
"If the beeping stops, we'll know where the problem is." He's right of course. No beeping. A new battery is placed in the second smoke alarm, the presence of which I haven't noticed in the four months I've lived here. Blessed relief!
This is just one example of some difficulties that arise in the process of moving to a new place. It takes time to adapt to all surroundings. It takes time to absorb differences. What seems normal in one place may be entirely different in another, even better. But it doesn't happen all at once.
The same can be said of changes in the Presidency of our country. As I write this on Election Day, 2016, I'm confident that our Hillary will be the next President of the United States. If that is true, and I hope it is, there will be changes. Our country will need to adapt to our new surroundings. We will have to absorb differences. We will need to adjust to a President that happens to be a woman! It doesn't happen all at once. What we can be sure of, however, is that Hillary will work hard, persist in bringing about positive change, and never give up on herself or on our country! How do we know that? She tells us. She models it during the election process and long before. Believe her!
Sunday, October 30, 2016
BELIEVE IT!
What we see before our very eyes is what women have known in their bones. Another male (ignoring counsel from a female department head) is using innuendo to condemn a woman who is competing for a (thus far) male job. Whatever the facts surrounding Comey-gate, this is what it all boils down to.
Let him try; let all the dissenters try -- they have yet to stop her. Hillary is training us well. We too can achieve self-confidence through fighting back. We too can increase our ability to overcome barriers. We too can show persistence in reaching our goals. And we too, like Hillary can say we will never, ever give up!
What we see before our very eyes is what women have known in their bones. Another male (ignoring counsel from a female department head) is using innuendo to condemn a woman who is competing for a (thus far) male job. Whatever the facts surrounding Comey-gate, this is what it all boils down to.
Let him try; let all the dissenters try -- they have yet to stop her. Hillary is training us well. We too can achieve self-confidence through fighting back. We too can increase our ability to overcome barriers. We too can show persistence in reaching our goals. And we too, like Hillary can say we will never, ever give up!
Monday, October 24, 2016
THE TRUMP EFFECT
More than any other presidential election, this one with Hillary Clinton as our probable winner makes me feel exceptionally proud. I imagine it's much like how African-Americans feel in 2008 when Barack Obama becomes our first black president. Never before have I been able to say that the President of the United States looks like me! For girls, there are no words to express the impact that Hillary's Presidency will have on them. They will be reminded every day of possibilities that now exist for them The effect it will have on their self-confidence is immeasurable.
On the other hand, for me there is a very real Trump Effect. I'm not sure if this exists for others as it does for me. What is it? About a month ago, in my front window I display a large Hillary sign. There is one also for our Democratic Governor Bullock, for our Democratic Senate candidate, Denise Juneau (who is also Native American by birth), and several others for down-ballot races. Last week, I remove all my signs from the window.
The Trump Effect is fear -- fear for my own safety. Who knows what kind of reason a Trump loser might need to take out their anger on a Hillary winner? Based on what I learn about Trump supporters, it doesn't even have to be a neighbor. It can be any crazy that is set off by an in-your-face sign -- they can be just as trigger-happy as their leader Donald. My only consolation is that I continue to make phone calls for Hillary at the phone bank, urging folks to get out and vote for her.
I know that it's not over until it's over. And my fears may be unfounded. But if Hillary wins, it will be a huge celebration for a majority of women and many men. Every day that I turn on the news and hear Hillary's increasing poll numbers; every time I see more confidence and enthusiasm in the faces of Hillary supporters, even political pundits; every time I hear the fact that morale in the Hillary camp is rising -- I feel so grateful to be living at this time in history.
Hillary is the very embodiment of the saying, "In order to be successful, a woman has to work twice as hard as a man." Not only has she had to face over-the-top barriers in past years, but also the radical lies that have been told in this campaign, all the physical and grueling aspects of this campaign. She's endured all the mud-slinging and is still overcoming barriers today. In order for her to convincingly win this election (so Donald can't call foul), she works to make the winning margin so great that there's no room to call the election rigged. Russian-sponsored Wikileaks be damned!
Today my morale rises as well. Hillary is in New Hampshire at a rally. Out onto the stage walks the Democratic Governor Margaret Hassen, the Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, and the next Democratic President of the United States, Hillary Clinton. Three powerful leaders who just happen to be women; what a team. The best part? This is the start of something big! (with apologies to the song-writer).
More than any other presidential election, this one with Hillary Clinton as our probable winner makes me feel exceptionally proud. I imagine it's much like how African-Americans feel in 2008 when Barack Obama becomes our first black president. Never before have I been able to say that the President of the United States looks like me! For girls, there are no words to express the impact that Hillary's Presidency will have on them. They will be reminded every day of possibilities that now exist for them The effect it will have on their self-confidence is immeasurable.
On the other hand, for me there is a very real Trump Effect. I'm not sure if this exists for others as it does for me. What is it? About a month ago, in my front window I display a large Hillary sign. There is one also for our Democratic Governor Bullock, for our Democratic Senate candidate, Denise Juneau (who is also Native American by birth), and several others for down-ballot races. Last week, I remove all my signs from the window.
The Trump Effect is fear -- fear for my own safety. Who knows what kind of reason a Trump loser might need to take out their anger on a Hillary winner? Based on what I learn about Trump supporters, it doesn't even have to be a neighbor. It can be any crazy that is set off by an in-your-face sign -- they can be just as trigger-happy as their leader Donald. My only consolation is that I continue to make phone calls for Hillary at the phone bank, urging folks to get out and vote for her.
I know that it's not over until it's over. And my fears may be unfounded. But if Hillary wins, it will be a huge celebration for a majority of women and many men. Every day that I turn on the news and hear Hillary's increasing poll numbers; every time I see more confidence and enthusiasm in the faces of Hillary supporters, even political pundits; every time I hear the fact that morale in the Hillary camp is rising -- I feel so grateful to be living at this time in history.
Hillary is the very embodiment of the saying, "In order to be successful, a woman has to work twice as hard as a man." Not only has she had to face over-the-top barriers in past years, but also the radical lies that have been told in this campaign, all the physical and grueling aspects of this campaign. She's endured all the mud-slinging and is still overcoming barriers today. In order for her to convincingly win this election (so Donald can't call foul), she works to make the winning margin so great that there's no room to call the election rigged. Russian-sponsored Wikileaks be damned!
Today my morale rises as well. Hillary is in New Hampshire at a rally. Out onto the stage walks the Democratic Governor Margaret Hassen, the Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, and the next Democratic President of the United States, Hillary Clinton. Three powerful leaders who just happen to be women; what a team. The best part? This is the start of something big! (with apologies to the song-writer).
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
A LEAP -- into the Unknown
Right where I need to be! This is my feeling as I begin writing this morning. It's the learning, making connections with others, feeling challenged to write and to write well. Giving and receiving ideas, suggestions on how to make writing better. Feeling one with the group. Seeing respect and acceptance in the eyes of others, students, instructors.
How long has it been since I know I'm exactly where I need to be? Years, I think. Teaching, heading back to school for advanced degrees, running a school, raising a daughter, teaming with a partner, consulting, volunteering for Peace Corps in Bulgaria, writing off and on -- all have their benefits. All bring rewards.
But now -- this is different. This is the first time in my life I'm living totally alone. I can be and do as I please. Lo and behold, I think I've found my niche!
It hasn't come easily. After my husband passes in New Mexico, I move lock, stock and barrel to Roundup, MT. My daughter and her husband live near Roundup. To be near family seems a natural move. Giving back to the community in different ways (in other words, volunteering) in Roundup turns out to be a gift to myself in return.
Volunteering at the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum has been of great benefit. What joy to read, learn of stories from the past, and share them with interested visitors. It's not Louis L'Amour or Zane Grey, even. It's better; it's the real McCoy. These are genuine articles, stories written about/by ranchers, settlers, miners and mysterious situations that may or may not have happy endings. More to the point, they can (and have been) fodder for others' writing as well as my own, both fiction and nonfiction.
After four years, a shift in family circumstances allows for a new lease on life. I leave my daughter, my house, and Roundup (just not my Museum Board membership). Feeling scared, nervous, more than a little unsure of myself, I move to Billings. Out of all the activities for which I've signed up, the Writing Workshop at Montana State University Billings (MSUB) has been most rewarding -- for all the reasons above (Introduction to Windows 10 through Community Education comes in second). Accepting challenge, learning new concepts and contacts, making progress -- this is the thing! And the reward.
Got a chance to take a leap? Just do it. It's worth every step of the way.
Right where I need to be! This is my feeling as I begin writing this morning. It's the learning, making connections with others, feeling challenged to write and to write well. Giving and receiving ideas, suggestions on how to make writing better. Feeling one with the group. Seeing respect and acceptance in the eyes of others, students, instructors.
How long has it been since I know I'm exactly where I need to be? Years, I think. Teaching, heading back to school for advanced degrees, running a school, raising a daughter, teaming with a partner, consulting, volunteering for Peace Corps in Bulgaria, writing off and on -- all have their benefits. All bring rewards.
But now -- this is different. This is the first time in my life I'm living totally alone. I can be and do as I please. Lo and behold, I think I've found my niche!
It hasn't come easily. After my husband passes in New Mexico, I move lock, stock and barrel to Roundup, MT. My daughter and her husband live near Roundup. To be near family seems a natural move. Giving back to the community in different ways (in other words, volunteering) in Roundup turns out to be a gift to myself in return.
Volunteering at the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum has been of great benefit. What joy to read, learn of stories from the past, and share them with interested visitors. It's not Louis L'Amour or Zane Grey, even. It's better; it's the real McCoy. These are genuine articles, stories written about/by ranchers, settlers, miners and mysterious situations that may or may not have happy endings. More to the point, they can (and have been) fodder for others' writing as well as my own, both fiction and nonfiction.
After four years, a shift in family circumstances allows for a new lease on life. I leave my daughter, my house, and Roundup (just not my Museum Board membership). Feeling scared, nervous, more than a little unsure of myself, I move to Billings. Out of all the activities for which I've signed up, the Writing Workshop at Montana State University Billings (MSUB) has been most rewarding -- for all the reasons above (Introduction to Windows 10 through Community Education comes in second). Accepting challenge, learning new concepts and contacts, making progress -- this is the thing! And the reward.
Got a chance to take a leap? Just do it. It's worth every step of the way.
Monday, October 3, 2016
Down the Rabbit Hole
Up is down and down is up in the world of make-believe. Alice finds all manner of confusion and disorientation in her Adventures in Wonderland. Donald Trump must find this story very comforting since that is the kind of world he seems to inhabit -- assuming, of course, that he can focus long enough to hear it.
The list of up-down and down-up situations is too long to categorize here (and is on-going as we speak). However, here are a few current nuggets.
His surrogates are beginning to show signs of physical strain required to continually explain that up is down and down is up. Examples?
Up is down and down is up in the world of make-believe. Alice finds all manner of confusion and disorientation in her Adventures in Wonderland. Donald Trump must find this story very comforting since that is the kind of world he seems to inhabit -- assuming, of course, that he can focus long enough to hear it.
The list of up-down and down-up situations is too long to categorize here (and is on-going as we speak). However, here are a few current nuggets.
- He considers himself "smart", a "genius" because he has lost so much money in business that it's very likely he has paid no taxes for about 18 years.
- He has done so well in his three marriages that he can now criticize Hillary for her one marriage.
- He considers his best qualification for the presidency to be his temperament -- the one characteristic critical thinkers in our country find a total failure.
- Just because he wrote a check for research on business possibilities conducted in Cuba during the embargo doesn't mean he's done any business in Cuba. All illegal of course.
- As recently as this morning (10/3/16), Donald speaks to retired military brass and voices his concern about protecting our country's cyber security from countries like China, Russia, etc. Not more than a month ago, Donald himself calls upon Russia to hack computers in our country.
His surrogates are beginning to show signs of physical strain required to continually explain that up is down and down is up. Examples?
- Pence in a recent interview on MSNBC can't wear enough makeup to cover large, dark spots on his face.
- Guiliani, also in a recent interview, seems to get his tongue all twisted around in his mouth when trying to explain why Donald is a genius.
- The facial expression of Boris, in a question-and-answer session, is telling. His eyes go dead, his mouth droops, his shoulders slouch and his voice becomes an automaton. It sounds like remnants of Stepford Wives and he's one of the wives.
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