Year: 2017

So much news coming at you so fast and so many places to follow it all!  It is becoming increasingly impossible to focus on any one singular issue and churn its deep meaning until a consensus, general conclusion emerges.

We are bombarded with not a trickle but a firehose of pertinent, important news tidbits followed by countless hours of talking heads repeating a slight variation of the same headline until another one shows up; and so they all move to the new headline, leaving the old one in the dust, inconclusive and without resolution.

It is challenging to make individual sense of it all; and infinitively more challenging to know what it all means to the collective well being…

Surely we could look the other way. Surely we could say it does not impact us individually. Surely we could disregard it all as ‘inside the beltway (Washington, D.C.) speak’.

Surely we could do for the collective good what we can, focusing on our traditional networks, friends, and families; helping out with our own homelands of yesteryear and favorite unfortunate spots of today as if nothing has changed, as if today is no different than the recent past.

After all, we are all so busy, right? We all have lives to live; sports to watch; events to attend; rituals in which to participate; and a future to plan for.

… all of this murkiness will eventually play out. All the craziness will settle down. Impact on our individual, personal life will be minimal…

… there are lots of people that know much more than we do taking care of our collective well-being. They know best. They will do their dealing and wheeling to benefit themselves and we will continue existing on the crumbs. That’s just the way it has always been and will always be…

And surely some else is calling the politicians, writing the e-mails, and attending the rallies. I don’t really have to do all of that. I am busy with my individual life. America has been through much worse turbulent times.

I will just tune it out. Stop watching the news. Focus on the family.

Until.

Until your pregnant friend cannot access insurance because pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition, no longer covered except at high costs.

Until your niece who thought she had bought into the social compact guaranteeing that after working for a non-profit for 10 years her $120,000 student debt be forgiven, but now that is not so anymore.

Until vacationing in National Parks becomes impossible because of lack of staff and appropriate funding.

Until real news becomes impossible to access because of a combination of self imposed censorship and the government Orwellian tactics.

Until you wake up to realize that the tax system has been simplified to favor the 1% and screw the rest of us.

Until world leaders say out loud what they have been sensing recently: The political leadership in the US is laughable and simply does not merit respect – or trust.

Until crime spikes as a backlash to the top down law-and-order mandates and practices.

Until economic activity begins to be directly impacted by a serious labor shortage easily averted with reasonable immigration reform.

Until our children grow up being taught to question the legitimacy of climate change; and Canada warms up so we all simply move there to escape this madness.

Fearmongering? No. A reality check.

Individually #resist so we can collectively #survive

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

Desperately seeking positive vibes – yet nada in sight

===

I am by nature a compromiser. I want to find common ground.

For me, diplomacy rules. I can easily accept our disagreements and focus on where we agree.

I like to find where our agendas intersect and work on that ‘sweet spot’.

I don’t mind ‘sleeping with the enemy’, or ‘being in the belly of the beast’.

Of course I have my values, my principles. These drive me. They define me… I could say some are non-negotiable, but that implies an intransigent position that is not helpful… I’d rather say “let us respect each other, understand where we are coming from, and focus the headlight on matters of mutual interest.”

Throughout my life I’ve dealt with plenty of folks with whom I vehemently disagree – in small ways and in big ways.

• I grew up in the South. I had to watch Dukes of Hazards and picnic in the shadow of Stone Mountain’s carving of the Confederate heroes.
• I’ve returned to Cuba. I had to swallow hard in the face of pervasive totalitarian Castroism propaganda everywhere.
• My views regarding where we need to focus regarding abortion puts me at odds with some fellow Catholics and does not satisfy some of my fellow Democrats.

Yet, I have friends – very good friends – in the Deep South; I remain in dialogue with Cubans that are part of the Castro regime; and, I pray with pro-life Catholics and do civic work with pro-choice Democrats.

I have made a living out of co-existing with people with whom I have major disagreements… And, that is a good thing. I am thankful for that.

But this Trump thing is giving me a challenge that I have yet to conquer.

• I am trying – really REALLY trying – to find something – ANYTHING – positive and worthy of working towards in the Trump agenda.
• I am trying – really REALLY trying – to understand this man, Trump; his style, his way of communicating, his matter of speech.
• I am trying – really REALLY trying – to identify that issue I can say ‘ah, I can buy into that; yes, I will enthusiastically support that’.

But nada yet. Nothing.

• I am willing to separate the message from the messenger. I don’t have to like Trump to work with his folks. (I surely do not ‘like’ Raul Castro, yet I am willing to work with his folks.)
• I am willing to dispel the past and focus on the future. I don’t want to re-litigate the campaign venom. (I don’t need to know how many slaves your ancestors owned or how you’ve benefitted from white privilege to work with you.)
• I am willing to set aside fundamental questions. I don’t want to get bogged down on whether life begins at conception or when there is viability. (Yet, we can work together on prenatal care.)

100 days into this man’s presidency, and I have found zero, zilch – NADA – in common. Not a single issue I can proudly embrace. Not a single policy I can enthusiastically support. Not a single action I can say unequivocal ‘yes’ to.

(Not to say anything about his character… Can’t stand it. Can hardly listen to him when he speaks. His insulting, demeaning, incomplete sentences remain impossible to comprehend… He has managed to piss off Canadians, for crying out loud! How do you do THAT?!?)

… maybe someday that will change … maybe he will focus on infrastructure, reduce the tax burden of ordinary folks, or stick to providing healthcare regardless of pre-existing condition…

But, for now, #RESIST I will.

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

 

I truly never ever thought it’d get to this.

How can you possibly piss of the vast majority of (the mostly) introvert, quiet, patient, good meaning scientist community?!?

What is it about this President that nerds and geeks felt there was no option but to march against his total disregard for facts, analysis, and deliberate decision making?!?

The embracement of pseudo-science, token appointments of a handful of doctors that have fringe views, and wacko statements by this President has met with a visceral response from the people that have provided decades – no, centuries! – of scientific research and clear unambiguous fact-based conclusions.

The signs at the March For Science yesterday – Earth Day, April 22, 2017 – spoke for themselves. Below is their text, purposely void of the pictures to better convey their meaning. (You can see the pictures here.)

• Back off, man, I’m a scientist!
• Science saves
• Ideology is never more important than facts
• Science matters
• Don’t tread on me – Science NOT Silence
• No science, No beer
• Marching for her (Earth)
• Science > Stupidity
• I may not like this rain, but it is a scientific fact
• There is no planet B
• You know you fucked up when scientists are marching
• We matter because science matters
• Not bad, huh? For some immigrants (the Manhattan Project, GE, Google, Tesla, Yay-Z)
• Science is not a liberal conspiracy
• Valid data = Good policy
• End data censorship!
• Science – Because Tweets are not peer reviewed
• Science – Because you can’t just make up shit
• Only a dictator would censor science
• Keep on drinking the snake oil! Trump’s presidential snake oil: From the pipelines to you, as seen on Fox

(Again, you can see the pictures here.)

This is madness. Well, #resist we will.

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

I just dont know weather to laugh or cry.

This President of ours is truly a handful.

His demeanor, his team, his whole Presidency is turning out to be quite a joke – if it wasn’t for the real damage being caused.

》Claiming Hitler did not use chemical weapons – during Passover, no less.

》Using up 49 Raytheon made Tomahawk missiles to punish Syria. The MOAB in Afghanistan. Raytheon stocks go up. Don’t know if Trump owns any; his taxes are still a secret.

》Exxon negotiating with Russia on behalf of the USA… I guess that’s ok, since corporations are people, right?

》Slashing the federal bureaucracy. A good thing, right? Except that draconian recommended personnel cuts would add up but to a tiny fraction of any meaningful budget reductions while causing massive disruptions in public good programs.

》Giving credence to pseudo science. Questioning efficiency of vaccines; questioning climate change science. May play well with the conservative base, but makes for horrible policies.

And that is just in the last week… on and on and on… with no end in sight.

(Oh, and how about NO White House Correspondant Dinner participation; NO March Madness Bracket; and, NO Easter Egg Hunt – oops. Correction. There will be a White House Easter Egg Hunt. Woohoo!)

> This is not being disruptive to establish a new order.
> This is not being strategic to set on a new path.
> This is not being strong through show of force.

This is being childish, unprofessional, impulse driven, amateurish. This is no way to run a country.

> The damage being done will not so easily be reversed.
> The trust being broken will not so easily be re-established.
> The hurt being caused will not so easily be healed.

Four more years of this crazyness is four years too many.

We – the people – may be able to divert some of this madness; stop some of the most agregious initiatives; protest our way to policy.

> But will it be too late?
> Will irreversibly damage be done?
> Will we reach the point of no return?

Surely we could revert back to our cocoon position of individual self preservation, caring only for that which impacts us personally…

But to too many of us that is not an option.

#resist we will.

Even if the results are not readily evident, personally gratifying, or immediately fulfilling.

#resist we must.

Of course, taking time to smell the roses, enjoying family, and rooting for our team…

And, of course, never ever losing our sense of humor and capacity to laugh even during these most serious times.

#resist always.

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

Trump’s reactionary, bullying, simplistic, national narcissist approach to governing might have played well in the campaign trail but is proving to be right down dangerous – and possibly worse. Six examples:

[1] Emphasis on law and order policing rather than community policing will exasperate the built-up anti-police sentiments in disenfranchised black neighborhoods, leading to more crime.

[2] Insulting Latinos, yanking away undocumented parents of U.S. born children, and indiscriminate I.C.E. operations will convince many youth that the government is against them and they will begin to see gang membership as a real alternative.

[3] Branding a whole religion terrorist destroys decades of authentic efforts by American Muslims to become integral contributors to the American culture; and, will inevitably lead to increase in rare reactionary violence.

[4] Avoiding the plight of millions devastated by hunger and famine in Africa because it has to be ‘America First’ will only lead to more chaos and instability in that continent.

[5] Playing footsie in Syria and being cozy with Russia does nothing to alleviate the real human tragedy going on in that part of the world and instead de-stabilizes the region even more.

[6] Discarding diplomatic protocol and making willy-nilly comments/Tweets about the real dangerous nuclear North Korea does nothing to create peace through strength and rather may lead to the unthinkable.

Does he not get that governing is different from campaigning?

Does he not get that diplomacy is very different from real estate development?

Does he not get that reality is different from reality t.v.?

(Placating those that are with you no matter what may feel good. I guess he is counting on running the Country with 1/4 of the population fanatically with him and 1/4 tactically with him… I guess he is counting that the 1/2 against him will never tip the scale… After all, look at Maduro. He is still in power, is he not?)

This President’s decision making process seems to be the antithesis of what decades of common sense constructive governance has discovered. While far from perfect and very incomplete, we have seen over the last decades a movement towards sensible, inclusive, more democratic governance. We have seen that certain approaches to decision making leads to more sustainable, long term stability and security. Some key characteristics of these successful approaches include being:

• Deliberate
• Thoughtful
• Discerning
• Critical
• Consultative
• Scientific
• Data driven

We’ve seen these approaches leading to actions that are:

• Firm – and measured
• Decisive – and respectful
• Definitive – and explainable

And now we get Trump. An erratic, unstable, fanatical, ‘deal-maker’ that is putting us in a much more dangerous world internally – and internationally.

This is no longer political. It is increasingly becoming a matter of safety, security, and survival.

Not to be a doomsayer, but it is looking increasingly like by this hot summer we will be living in a much more dangerous world; a world in which we will see:

• crime in black communities increase;
• a resurgence of Latino gangs;
• terrorist attacks by misguided Muslims;
• more American troops in Syria;
• Africa in more disarray; and,
• a war in the Korean Peninsula.

(Oh, and did I mention a deteriorating environment?)

God, I hope and pray I am wrong.

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to go get a haircut.  So I did.  In the late afternoon.

I walked into Raphael’s, a barber shop owned by an Iranian women who runs the shop like clockwork. There were five folks cutting hair; and about 10 waiting. From the looks of it, the United Nations; people from everywhere.

My turn came up. Ah, it’s Jose! Good. He cut my hair last time so I don’t have to explain how I want it to look. Jose remembered me. We chatted. It did not take long to go to THE issue of the day, immigration. He shared with me that a cousin of his was stuck in Honduras, being extremely vetted. Never mind that his cousin is a native born USA citizen… He may have to miss their aunt’s birthday.

I shared with him that my nephew, a Cuban born immigration lawyer is visiting Mexico with his wife, whose family has deep roots in the American west. (Her family did not cross the border, the border crossed them.) They have old relatives across the Rio Grande. So they took their USA born son to visit relatives. They are sending pictures. From the looks of it, they are having a good time… Hope they have no issues coming back in. They shouldn’t, right? They are all USA citizens. We’ll see. (Why should we even be worried about such absurdity?!?)

Afterwards I went to our unique comic book store, Alliance comics. I wanted to show them the comic books I just found in my attic. These are Archie and Fantastic Four comic books from the late 60’s, mostly in Spanish. The clerk – an African American young man – was really engaging and helpful as we tried to determine whether I want to sell these or keep them for my new grandson. I decided to keep them. I asked if he had some comic books in German, since my grandson’s mother is of German heritage and we want to teach him German as well… He said he did not have any at the time, but would help me get them.

A short walk around the corner – down Bonifant Street – I stopped by to get some local wine from our local wine producer, the Urban Winery, owned by an amazing couple of Greek heritage. On the way there, I ran across the owner of Mandalay, our Burmese restaurant. He tells me he is open on
Sunday… I have to check it out for brunch…

Across the Urban Winery is Silver Spring Books, owned by Mrs. Cynthia, one of our African American matriarchs in the community. Mrs. Cynthia is up in age; she recently fell – but is ok, so tells me the old white guy taking care of the place as she recuperates… (The space is looking for a second tenant to help out with the rent.)

… had to take a walk through Mayor Lane to see how things are going for the Studio Plaza development, a major mix use development – one of five going up in downtown Silver Spring … Lots of commotion and disruption; working on trying to minimize the impacts…

On Silver Spring Avenue I stopped by Roadhouse Oldies, a vinyl record store – one of four in downtown Silver Spring!  They have what has to be the best collection of 70’s soul music LPs. I mentioned to Scooter, the owner/operator, that I may bring over some of my own collection, including one autographed by Gladys Knight. (Yes, THE Gladys Knight, before the Pips. She actually grew up in the same little hometown where I spent a few years of my childhood – Hampton, Georgia.)

Last stop for the late afternoon: Lesaac Restaurant, one of twenty one (yes, 21!) Ethiopian eateries/cafes in downtown Silver Spring, to meet a resident activist who relentlessly advocates for these independently locally owned businesses in the area known as Fenton Village. This white lady is a firestorm of an activist. As a white person living in a very mixed community, she has gained the trust of many – and fear of some – to make things happen in the community… We had a couple of drinks as we ‘talked community’… (Though I had to share with my good Ethiopian bartender that a Cuba Libre is more Coke than rum rather than the strong rum and (little bit) of Coke she brought me. We both laughed. By the way, the injera sushi was great!)

Finally got home. My wife called. She is in Kenya doing the good work of the National Institute of Health in the HIV/AIDs world… Of course she is doing a bit of shopping in a market before coming home.

And so it was. My bubble. Love it!

My hope remains that the rest of America – particularly White America – realizes that connecting with the world is a beautiful, wonderful, positive thing… This crazy ‘chest-pumping’, fear-filled, nativism of the “America First” cry is not only divisive, but also culturally and economically a bad idea.

We have so much to learn from these amazing cultures that come to America to – together – build on this imperfect and dysfunctional Union… Of course not everyone that comes over – or those from the African-American or American-Mexican heritages that have been around here for centuries – are model citizens. Some are right down bad criminals. (Not unlike the Whites, right?) Yes, bad hombres… AND – not but – casting all these folks as dangerous to America is simply a bad idea. And – ultimately – un-American.

As for me, I will continue enJoying my bubble… AND #RESIST this loud, boisterous, warped minority who insist on creating an America that is simply not my America.

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

I will not make a habit of this. (That is, to post things found elsewhere… But this list was too good to pass up. It appeared on CNN’s web-site.)

Oh, how we wish we could ‘move on’… Yet, are YOU ok with the complete elimination [i.e.: “zero out”] of these federal programs? Trump’s budget is… This is no joke or exaggeration. He is proposing to ELIMINATE these programs COMPLETELY… (If you do not know what these programs do, we suggest you take the time to Google them. Just because they do not impact you directly – or you don’t think they do! – does not mean they are not worthwhile and worthy of your hard-earned tax dollars.)

• The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which supports before- and after-school programs and summer programs
• Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, which funds research including clean energy
• African Development Foundation
• Appalachian Regional Commission
• Chemical Safety Board
• Community Development Block Grant, which in part funds Meals on Wheels
• Community Development Financial Institutions Fund grants, under Treasury
• Community Services Block Grant, under HHS
• Corporation for National and Community Service
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Delta Regional Authority
• Denali Commission
• Economic Development Administration
• Essential Air Service program
• Global Climate Change Initiative
• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Chesapeake Bay funding, and other regional programs under EPA.
• HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Choice Neighborhoods, and the Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program, all under HUD
• Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Inter-American Foundation
• US Trade and Development Agency
• Legal Services Corporation
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
• McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program
• Minority Business Development Agency, under Commerce
• National Endowment for the Arts
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• NASA’s Office of Education
• Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
• Northern Border Regional Commission
• Overseas Private Investment Corporation
• State Energy Program
• Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program, the second-largest program feds have used to influence local education
• TIGER transportation grants
• United States Institute of Peace
• United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
• Weatherization Assistance Program
• Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

Unemployment down. Number of people crossing the border down.

Stock market way up. Number of people entering the job market way up.

Woohoo for Trump, right?

He has scared us straight! His tough talk is evidently working. People are falling in line.

No time for questions. No need for the press. America is great again! Whoohoo!

Military might reaffirmed, check. Police power enforced, check. Communications controlled, check… Trump is trumping the world!

Increase the military budget. Embolden police to be more aggressive. Discredit the press.

Don’t you just feel it in the air? Can’t you just sense that we are back? We have the power again!

We knew it all along, right? All we needed was tough talk and scaring others with ‘in your face’ display of power.

Oh you wimpy liberals, progressives, and do-gooders! You thought you were in control. Ha!

We should have seen it coming. We never counted on the vile revenge of the combination of  uneducated whites and educated dogmatic evangelical believers. We never counted on the last hurrah of these two diminishing demographic groups that were not about to give up without one final fight… So they came together to form this toxic concoction that is the Trump administration.

Now, you’d better go back home you illegals. Behave boy! Hombre, pick those apples and shut up! Fix that tail light lest you be charged with driving while black or brown… The Jews? We’ll scare you too with a little fire here and there… Don’t you know your place? Ah, the sweet smell of making America great again!

… or is it the sickening stench?

Oh, how different would it be if we were talking about rebuilding schools at home and abroad; about staffing clinics with addiction counselors in America and building clinics in the third world; about cleaning up the water system in Flint and providing food for the famine in Africa; about celebrating the arts in local communities and throughout the world; and, encouraging neighborhood sports programs and engaging in sports diplomacy…

But no.

Those are frivolous, feel-good, non-essentials priorities of the Left that left and is no more.

We have to show strength. We have to let the world know America is for Americans first. We have to save our own…

“Our own”, that is, as in our own wealthy and wealth creators. Our own owners of the American pie; our own military complex… Never mind that they are the 1% who have been in power all along and our military continues inventing enemies to justify their ever increasing appetite for larger budgets…

Too bad.

For a short while there I truly thought we had turned the corner and America was on its way to shedding its egoist past as it became a member of the world family. For a moment there I thought we would respect other peoples, nations, and cultures and pursue diplomacy from the perspective of mutual support rather than from the zero-sum game of ‘I win you lose’. For a moment there I thought diversity was truly a national value. For a moment there I thought we cared.

Oh how foolish of me.

We are no different, no better, no more caring than anyone else in this dysfunctional crazy world… (At least for now. Under this Administration.)

Our time will come. We will do what it takes to make it be sooner rather than later…. (America is better than this.)

Onwards. Protest. Resist.

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

We are told that Trump’s rise to power is all about him ‘telling it like it is’ in ‘everyday language’; in a way that ‘the common man can understand it’.

Hmmm… Same thing for Pope Francis. Populism itself is not bad. Indeed, it can be good. Very good!

He too ‘tells it like it is’ in ‘everyday language’ and in a way that the ‘common man – and women – can understand it.’

Their statements have a simplicity factor to them. You don’t need a college degree to understand them. You don’t need to be learned to relate. They convey the message without filters. They are to the point.

Oftentimes they are also broad ranging, sweeping statements that confront traditional, established norms. Their statement do not adhere to any given traditional style. There is a freshness to it.

And thus their appeal.

‘Tell it like it is!’, we like to acclaim. ‘You are saying what I am feeling’; ‘Yeah, that’s right.’

There’s an uncanny similarities to Trump and Francis approach to getting out their message…

 

EXCEPT.

Except one comes at it from a populism that pulls at our gut’s visceral instinct and the other pulls our heart strings.

Trump’s populism is divisive and void of empathy. Francis’ populism is first and foremost empathetic and forgiving.

 

When either misspeaks or exaggerates, or overly simplifies things we tend to look the other way, chalk it up to them being ‘everyday men’.

EXCEPT

Except that when Trump does it is hurtful, mean-spirited and seemingly intentionally malicious. When the Pope does it, it is humbly simplistic and idealistic.

 

Two very different approaches to populism. Trump’s populism appeals to our worst self. Pope Francis populism appeals our better self.

 

There are gazillion of examples of quotes from these two men out in the Internet… Just three to sum it all up:

Francis: A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.

Trump: Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!

 

Francis: We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.

Trump: The point is, you can never be too greedy.

 

Francis: You can not insult the faith of others.

Trump: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on. According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS

A Capitalist Oligarchy is where a few men, led by one charismatic leader, gain control of most of a country’s wealth, means of production, and communication channels and use them exclusively for their own personal and family enrichment. In a Capitalist Oligarchy at least 1/3 of the population remains enamored with this leadership, and – like useful idiots – are willing to cooperate blindly. This ‘base’ forms the core of the bureaucracy and thus facilitates the implementation of draconian and dogmatic laws and regulations… How do we get there? >

[1] Identify at least 1/3 of the population who will agree with you 90% of the time. Demographically, the largest group in the land: Whites with least education.

[2] Campaign appealing to people’s worst instincts. Fear. Envy. Hate.

[3] Demean most existing institutions. ‘I know more than the generals’. ‘The economy is a mess’. ‘What does the Pope know?’

[4] Lie your way to power, accepting propaganda help only from others like you. Putin.

[5] Once in power, make no attempt to unite people. Instead divide. Set one minority against another. Insult every conceivable group.

[6] Make the press ‘the enemy of the people’. And create your own news feed to feed your useful idiots.

[7] Discredit the independent judiciary. Insult judges. Imply you will not comply with court rulings.

[8] Empower ‘big money’ and Wall Street. Get them on your Cabinet. Promise them deregulation and tax breaks.

[9] Deconstruct government by dismantling departments. Education. Environmental Protection.

[10] Accept no internal dissent. Fire folks. Litmus test for mid-level bureaucratic positions.

[11] Politicize the armed forces. Have your campaign guy sit in on the Security Council.

[12] Create crisis where there is none. Ban Muslims. Build a wall. Deport illegals. Investigate voter fraud.

Most recent examples of these systems includes the longest running Capitalist Oligarchy in modern history, Cuba; the now nearly failed Venezuelan government; and of course, the mother of all Capitalist Oligarchy, Russia.

… and you thought it could never happen in the U.S.A.?!?

DIRECTORY OF ALL BLOGS