Policy or Basic Human Values?

This post is a bit painful to write because it's extremely personal.  And I suspect there are many other people who will be able to identify with my experience and the resulting feelings.

I recently re-connected with a young man I've known for quite some time.  I considered us to be friends.  But after spending some time with him, I walked away knowing that I now see him in a different light and I'm not sure our relationship will ever be the same again.  I am so disappointed. 

He is a proud "conservative" and he made sure to sing the praises of Trump and the Republican Party (because all those liberals are ruining the country).  When he did that, he was actually attacking  and mocking who and what I am!  Trump and the current Republican Party are against everything I've spent most of my adult life supporting and working to achieve or improve:

• Human rights
• Women's rights
• Voting rights
• Equal protection of the laws
• Equality
• Reproductive autonomy
• Public education

These issues are extremely important to me.  They are basic human values.  It became very clear to me that this young man and I do not share those values.  

Now don't get your knickers in a bunch.  Let me repeat: this is about basic human values, not policy. Policy is setting the tax rate or establishing zoning regulations or entering into a trade agreement.  

The concept of equality most certainly can result in policy, but first, it is a basic human right. This seems to be a no-brainer:  equality is something we should value and strive to achieve, right? However,  even as I type, Republican legislatures around the country are trying to figure out how they can achieve even more control over people as they advance their agenda of reducing rights, not enhancing them.  Equality isn't a word they understand, let alone an issue they will value and support. A person cannot say he's all for equal treatment while complimenting -- and voting for -- the current crop of Republicans!  

I've been an activist since I was 13 years old.  That's when I first experienced being discriminated against because I was a female.  A lot of years have gone by since that first kick to the gut and most of those years included working toward equal treatment for all.  That work and those beliefs did a lot to make me who I am today.  When this young man wouldn't even blast the people who attacked The People's House on January 6, 2021, he showed me that he and I aren't even in the same ballpark, let alone playing the same game.

I'm sure others have had similar experiences.  I will think long and hard about this, I'm sure.  This man probably didn't  mean to attack me as a person, but that's exactly what happened because we, as people, are a combination of  our experiences and beliefs ... what we want for ourselves and others ... and how we treat our fellow human beings.

Maybe with the passage of time, I will be able to react differently.  But right now, I'm sorely disappointed and I'm not sure where to go from here.  

To women under 55!

 Okay, look ... let's face it:  women under the age of 55 need to wake up and see what's happening to them!

So, to women under 55 years of age:

• You are losing your reproductive rights.  It's happening NOW as Republican-controlled legislatures all over this country have approved laws that prevent YOU from making decisions about YOUR life, very personal decisions that can change your life.
• Republican-controlled legislatures are also attempting to restrict your right to vote.  They simply cannot understand why their orange man lost the 2020 election and they are trying to find ways to make sure they can't lose again.  
• Republican-controlled legislatures aren't adequately funding public education so YOUR children, YOUR grandchildren will be affected.
• Teachers are being told they cannot say "gay" in the classroom.

Ah, I can see you rolling your eyes.  You really don't get it, do you?  Once someone or some government entity takes rights away from you, it's pretty darn difficult to get them back.  

Maybe you really don't know what it was like being a woman - even 55 years ago.  Well, here's a bit of education (and it's only the tip of the iceberg):

• Women in Phoenix, AZ couldn't get public library cards in their own names!  A man - father, brother, husband - had to get the card for you.  In his name.
• Women in many states couldn't own a home or car outright.  Had to have a man's name on the title.
• Women in many states couldn't get a personal loan on her own.
• Women were not permitted to take certain courses in college, courses that were deemed to be for men only.
• Women couldn't make decisions regarding their own pregnancies, no matter what the circumstances, even health/life of the woman.
• Women in some states were still trying to get birth control pills even though a Supreme Court decision decided otherwise in the  mid 1960s.
• Many careers (firefighting, for example) were not open to women.
• Same sex marriage?  Wasn't allowed.
• Bi-racial marriages were still not allowed in some states.

Many women my age worked very hard to make sure YOU have the rights and opportunities that you now have.  We fought like hell for these rights and opportunities, but you aren't paying attention as they are being taken away from you!  I'm wondering why I should have to fight this battle all over again when you aren't willing to join me!  You and your daughters ARE being affected right now.  And it will only get worse unless we stop the current rash of crap that is taking us back to the 1950s and before.

Gotta join the fight, Ladies!  It only takes a few minutes to call a lawmaker's office or send a postcard.  Certainly you can fit that in your schedule, right?

I'm willing to keep fighting and women my age will continue to do so.  Why?  Because we remember the past.  We know women's history - and we learned from it.  We don't want to lose what we have.

Opinions - not always necessary!

 I am constantly amazed when people make a choice to voice opinions - those critical and rude opinions that are totally unnecessary.  And I am quite sure I'm seeing more of it, especially on social media.

Let me explain with some examples.

I'm in a Facebook group where people share recipes and ideas on cooking with an air fryer.  Group members share tips and ask questions.  Pretty safe and innocuous group, right?  Wrong.

One member posted a recipe for roast beef with a photo of the finished product.  She was excited that it turned out so well and that her family loved it.  But right away, other members started blasting her.

"How can you eat such red meat?"

"Didn't you even cook that stuff?"

"Do you want to hear the cow moo when you cut into it?"

"WAY too rare for me!"

And then came the vegans ...

"You don't care that a cow died so you could eat that?

"Cows are such neat animals.  Why are you killing them?"

Heaven help the member who posted a photo and recipe for a dish that included bacon!

"Why aren't you cooking something more healthy?"

"I can't imagine eating little pigs! You should feel bad about that."

"Doesn't this recipe defeat the purpose of an air fryer?"

Now, all of the above opinions were unnecessary and, in my view, rude.  Why do some people feel the need to criticize others for something that doesn't affect them at all?  They don't have to eat the food and certainly don't have to cook it for themselves, yet they chose to bash someone else for daring to make different lifestyle choices! Have these adults not learned to scroll on by?  I actually asked that a couple times and both times were told that they "have the right" to voice their opinions.

Yes, they do.  But maybe we should all learn that our opinions aren't always necessary or helpful or kind. Sometimes it's better to just scroll on by.

There IS a difference!

 Many times, I hear the complaint: "The two parties are just the same! No difference at all!"

I am here to tell you that there IS a difference between Democrats and Republicans and yesterday - January 6, 2021 - is all the evidence I need to prove my case.

In 2016, I voted for Hillary Clinton. And I was extremely disappointed when she lost.  She is a highly capable, very competent leader who had experience at all levels of government.  But she lost the election.  

Maybe people didn't vote for her because she's a woman.  Or maybe because she is President Bill Clinton's wife and they didn't like him.  Or maybe they didn't like her personality.  Or maybe they simply didn't trust her.  And James Comey's FBI email investigation announcement days before the election didn't help, either.  In spite of all that, Clinton WON the popular vote!  She didn't, however, get enough votes in a few key districts that would have given her the 270 electoral college votes needed.  So, she lost.  Trump won.  It's as simple as that.  Trump won, Clinton lost.

Even though U.S. intelligence agencies had warned of Russian hacking, Democrats did NOT claim the 2016 election was "stolen."  

Clinton supporters did NOT file dozens of frivolous lawsuits - with no evidence - aimed at invalidating election results in key battleground states.  Judges at all levels, many appointed by Republican presidents (even a few appointed by Trump) dismissed the cases.  

Democrats did NOT threaten election officials during and after the election, requiring many officials to need extra security.

Clinton supporters did NOT breach our nation's Capitol wielding long guns and waving Clinton signs, flags and banners. 

We did NOT assault the People's House by breaking windows and ransacking some lawmakers' offices. 

Clinton supporters did NOT vandalize media equipment and threaten reporters.

Democrats did NONE of that.  But Republicans did.

Trump doesn't like the fact that he lost the 2020 election.  No one likes to lose.  But until Trump, every presidential election loser did the right thing:  conceded with grace and professionalism.

The whole world has been watching.  What they saw was a bunch of Republican thugs who would prefer a dictatorship to a democratic republic. Thugs who cannot stand to lose an election. Thugs who were led by their idol who hid out in the White House supporting their illegal acts. Thugs who certainly do not understand, let alone comply with, the rule of law.

If you are a Republican and you did not publicly condemn Trump's verbal diarrhea  and his supporters' actions, then YOU are complicit.  You are no better than they are because your silence encourages them to continue.

At least their actions - and your silence - give us some real evidence:

There IS a difference between Democrats and Republicans.  

And history books will have a field day making sure that difference is laid bare for all to see. 

Now he's the Teacher-In-Chief? Heaven help us!

Trump wants schools to reopen this fall.  He wants in-person classes.  And he doesn't really care about the students and teachers in those classes, nor the other staff members that keep schools functioning.

In fact, Trump wants schools to reopen so badly that, today, he threatened to withhold federal money to schools that don't reopen according to his schedule!  And, he instructed the CDC to make school reopening guidelines "easier" for schools because now they are too "tough."  What is he really saying?  Well, here's what I heard:  He wants to pretend COVID-19 is fading into the distance (while a couple dozen states are showing huge increases in positive cases and hospitalizations), so he wants to force students back into schools and to hell with their health and safety.  To hell with the health and safety of staff members.  He does not care about education one whit ... he wants to look good so he will stand a better chance of winning a second term in office. He needs children back in school so parents can go back to work to help save his disastrous economy. 

Trump, of course, has enablers:  his unqualified Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos and his ineffective Vice-President, Mike Pence.  They smile adoringly as he threatens schools with federal dollars.

Okay, I'm a veteran teacher.  And I want schools to reopen, too.  But not until it is safe to do so!  After talking with a few other teachers, here's what I think would be required to put students back in the classroom safely.   My volunteer work as a CASA gave me the opportunity to visit a first grade class many times over a year's time so I'm basing these requirements on a first-grade class of 26 students. 

1) REDUCE class size drastically!  Public health officials recommend physical distancing in order reduce the chance of infection.  There is NO WAY 26 students can achieve physical distancing in the standard sized classroom.  There should be no more than 10 students in the classroom at one time.  Period.  This means scheduling two school sessions per day in order to make sure all students have classroom time.  It also means hiring more teachers and teacher's aides, and it may mean moving some portable classrooms onto the campus.

2) Require FACE COVERINGS of all staff and students. Schools will need to provide the masks because many families will not be able to afford disposable masks and there will always be students who will forget to bring them from home.

3) Stagger lunch times or even bring lunches to students so they can eat in the classroom.  No way 150 students (or more, depending on the size of the school) should be together at one time in the cafeteria! 

4) Stagger recess times and make sure students comply with physical distancing on the playground.  No touching each other or any playground equipment.  That includes no soccer balls, jump ropes, swings, etc.

5) EVERY student must have his own drawer or box or bin to store his pencils, crayons, glue, etc.  NO community storage of any kind.  Teachers may not loan any school supplies during the day; everything the student needs has to be in her personal storage bin.  

6) Hand sanitizing stations all over the campus and several in each classroom.  At specific times during the day, students will need to be escorted to bathrooms for good hand-washing.

7) NO library in the classroom or at the school.  Since we really don't know how long COVID-19 can last on surfaces, we can't have students using books that may have been contaminated.

8) Every student and staff member needs to be temperature-checked upon arrival at school and anyone with a fever will be sent home.  Substitute teachers must be at the ready to step in when needed so hiring subs on a daily basis is a must.  Students will have to go to the nurse's office until a parent comes to pick the child up.

9) Physical distancing will be required on buses.  That will mean more buses and on board supervisors to make sure students aren't sitting too close.

10) Each classroom and common area must be cleaned after EACH session! And each bus must be cleaned after every run.  More maintenance staff will need to be hired due to the added school session per day and the more rigorous cleaning for the school.

11) No group activities such as exercising, singing, assemblies, or lessons.

Did I forget anything?  I'm sure I did so if you think of something else, please let me know and I will add it.

WAIT ... there is something else:

12) INCREASED FUNDING to pay for additional staff, cleaning, supplies, buses, hand sanitizing stations, hand washing soap (yeah, would you believe some school bathrooms don't actually have soap?), thermometers, storage bins for student supplies, portable classrooms, increased energy costs, copy supplies to give students "books" to read and lessons to complete.  In other words ... LOTS more funding for education!

And let's say we do all that.  Wonderful, huh?  I truly believe in-person learning is much more effective than online classes, especially for elementary students.  But what happens when the student goes home and Uncle Donny comes over for dinner and, being asymptomatic, manages to spread COVID-19 to the child's family?  And then the child goes back to school and possibly infects his classmates and teacher?  Then what?

It's clear that our incompetent president, his ineffective VP and his unqualified Secretary of Education don't care.  They simply don't care.  We know that because they are quite willing to make our children and grandchildren ... and our teachers and support staff (and all their families) ... guinea pigs in their effort to get the Orange Mussolini re-elected.

Critical thinking skills?

You do not have to be a rocket scientist, or a doctor, or an epidemiologist, or a virologist, or an economist, or a statistician ... all you have to be is a rational human being with minimal cognitive thinking skills.

Evidently, he (being the man who occupies the White House) isn't equipped with those very basic skills.

Trump is now pushing for all federal employees to return to their offices.  Most have been working from home and doing their jobs quite well.  But he needs them in their offices, working side-by-side in enclosed areas, to show that COVID-19 is on the way out and the economy is returning to normal.  

He loves public gatherings where people are crammed inside, no face coverings, and no physical distancing.  He loves those events because he needs them for validation and approval (hey, it must be nice having people chant your name while spreading the virus all over the room).  He hopes that you will believe him when he says the virus will just ... poof! ... disappear.  He hopes you will believe that the economy will be back stronger than ever - before Labor Day.

What Trump does not understand is that the current economic slump is directly linked to COVID-19.  And this is where his lack of critical thinking skills comes into play.  Let's take a look, shall we?

When all federal employees (millions of them) return to the pre-virus workplace, there will be more infections.  Employees will get sick.  Even those with mild symptoms will have to stay home.  And those absences will negatively affect  productivity.  

Let's say all bars, restaurants, theaters, shops, malls, theme parks, schools, gyms, hair salons,  and sports ramp up to the pre-virus normal.  Uh, huh.  Employees will be infected.  Here comes that absence rate again and that will affect productivity.  Customers will become infected and there goes the money they might spend.

And let's face it:  who the hell wants to go into a crowded movie theater when 1) positive cases are on the rise, 2) testing is still hard to come by, 3) theater doesn't require masks or physical distancing, and 4) hospitals in many areas are near capacity?  Yes, there are some people who will chance it, but all recent polls indicate that if customers don't feel safe, they will not take unnecessary chances by going out and participating in various activities.  

A recent poll indicates only 22% of those surveyed would feel comfortable going to a movie theater right now.  Hmmmm ... 22%.  A theater would lose money with that low number!  

Take a look at this poll to see various activities and the consumer comfort level with each.  And look at the recent dip in comfort level.  That decrease is most definitely based on the recent spike in positive cases in many areas of the country.  And in states like Florida, Texas, Arizona ... well, those spikes are a direct result of re-opening too soon.

So, Trump ... maybe you should put on your thinking cap (if one actually exists) and, first, do what needs to be done to contain/control the spread of COVID-19.  Use the presidential authority you have and do your job! Then you can work on the economy.  They are linked.  You're doing things out of order - and you're doing it that way for you, not for the American people.  

You told FOX News that the virus will "just disappear ... I hope."

There's no critical thinking involved in that strategy!  Your strategy is no big surprise, though.  You did say it wasn't your responsibility. In the meantime, people continue to die and the economy continues to stink.

We are exhausted!

During a brief conversation with my health care provider, he asked how I was doing - emotionally.  I wondered why he asked that and he said he has seen a "huge uptick" of patients coming to him with complaints of exhaustion, anxiety, anger, and depression.

And why not?  Just take a look at what we are dealing with on a daily basis.

COVID-19 continues to rage through many states, including mine (AZ) and the numbers of new cases, hospitalizations, ICU bed and ventilator use are hitting record highs.  Hospitals in many urban areas are near capacity, but the numbers keep going up.  All this time the so-called president of this country and his vice-president have given up the ghost.  As far as they are concerned, COVID-19 is a done deal!  In fact, DeadlyDon has yanked additional federal money for testing.

DeadlyDon clearly said none of this is his responsibility - hey, why not pass the buck to the governors?  Let them handle it!  And then some governors (like Arizona's DeadlyDoug) passed the buck to the mayors!  Hey, if anything goes wrong, let the mayors take the blame!  Health experts tell us to wear face coverings, wash our hands, and be very careful to physically distance ourselves from others.  Until effective treatments and a vaccine become a reality, we have  to protect others - and ourselves.  DeadlyDon isn't going to wear a mask because he wants us all to do what he's doing:  pretend the virus no longer exists.

Consider this:  while Americans are dying, DeadlyDon is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to dismantle the Affordable Care Act!  Yes, indeed ... let's leave millions of people without health insurance in the middle of a pandemic! 

And then there's the related economy.  Until COVID-19 actually is under control, many people will continue to be cautious about shopping, eating in restaurants, going to gyms and theaters, etc.  If nobody is spending money, those businesses will have to furlough more people and maybe even shut down.  So much for that "excellent" economy ... right?  First, take control of the virus and then we can bring back our economy.  DeadlyDon, however, is willing to watch the death numbers go up so he can campaign on an improving economy.

Now let's add recent racial tension and the protest movement calling for racial justice.  Night after night, Americans who are tired of racial inequality take to the streets.  The injustice has been happening for decades but it took a video of George Floyd losing his life while police made sure he couldn't breathe.  Just another black man?  Not hardly!  We saw this man die on video ... 8 minutes and 46 seconds. And the nation woke up.

How is DeadlyDon reacting?  Again ... nothing.  Nothing except sending armed troops into Lafayette Square with tear gas used against peaceful protesters.  Why?  So he could stand in front of a church with a Bible - and look like a total ass.  This ass lies every time he speaks and he is a whiz at finding others to blame for his problems.

Speaking of ass, we can add Attorney General William Barr to the mix.  He and DeadlyDon are doing their best to destroy the rule of law in this country.  We already know they don't think much of the U.S. Constitution.  And they had to be forced by a judge to release children still in big cages after being separated from their parents at the border.  At this writing, the children have not yet been released so it will be interesting to see how long it will take.

Is it any wonder why we are exhausted?  Why we are angry?  

We are at war and it's a war on several fronts.  The main war in my mind is the November 3rd election.  Remove an incompetent, cruel conman from the Oval Office and we can bring reason and compassion back to the presidency.   Make no mistake about it:  this is a war!

Steve Schmidt, a Republican strategist and one of the founders of the Lincoln Project, said in a Zoom meeting that wars are won in two ways:

1) beat your opponent into submission
2) beat your opponent into exhaustion

DeadlyDon will win only if we allow our exhaustion to overcome our need to get rid of him.  Therefore, we need to maintain our vigilance, maintain our resolve, and find ways to mitigate our exhaustion - the exhaustion he has caused.  You may not have the money to donate to  Joe Biden or to the Lincoln Project or to any candidate you support.  But maybe you can send postcards or emails?  Maybe you can work a phone bank or send text messages?  Maybe you can help educate people on social media outlets? It is truly amazing how you can relieve some exhaustion by finding a purpose!  We cannot let DeadlyDon beat us into submission or exhaustion.