Mass deportation - really?

I tuned in to the Republican National Convention because I was interested to hear their thoughts and their plans for this country. And then I saw this:

My heart sank and there was a huge pit in my stomach. I had to turn the channel. I could not bear to be a part – even a distant part through watching – of the hate those people and their signs represent. I'm sure they are proud of their actions but there's no other word for it. Hate. As a history teacher, I was immediately reminded of 1930's Nazi Germany when millions of people were deported and sent to their deaths - and when the German people saluted and worshiped Hitler.

I know why those signs were created. The GOP presidential candidate promises to deport 11 million people when he is elected - 11 million people who are our neighbors, our co-workers, our employees, our friends. As a high school teacher, I taught many young people who were brought to this country as babies and youngsters because their parents were desperate to provide something better for their children. They do not have legal documentation. In some cases, families were escaping violence; in other cases, families were escaping poverty and hopelessness. This country is their home, the only home they've ever known. I will tell you right now that those students, more often than not, came to school every day. They put their butts in the chairs, listened, studied and graduated. I've kept up with some of them and they are doing well - working, volunteering, raising families. Please don't tell me they don't belong here!

Another thought … I have a question for those Republicans so proudly holding those hateful signs as they sit down to the dinner table tonight: just who is going to pick fruit in the citrus and fruit orchards? Who is going head to the lettuce fields in the Imperial Valley when the temperature is 109° F? You? Nah, I didn't think so. I sure don't see a bunch of you filling out work applications to do those jobs!

Let's face it: our immigration policy is a failure and we need to do something about it. The current Republican presidential nominee promised the entire four years he was in office that immigration reform was right around the corner. He lied. He and GOP lawmakers did nothing. Absolutely nothing (and for two years of his term, they had the majority in the House and Senate).

In February of this year, the U.S. Senate crafted a BIPARTISAN bill dedicated to border security. It took hard work, compromise, and a desire to work together to find ways to improve this country's immigration policy. This legislative package includes significant changes that would transform border security and the asylum/immigration process. The bill represents the most significant changes to immigration policy in thirty years and amounts to billions of dollars. But the GOP presidential nominee managed to get Republican senators to refuse to vote for the bill they just created! Why? Because he figured it would help President Biden and make it impossible for him to campaign on the border issue. Of course he denies that, but we all know he lies. A few Republican senators have admitted that's exactly what happened.

Republicans and the man they worship quashed that bill! Kamala Harris says she will resurrect the bill and she will sign it the minute it passes and hits the Oval Office. Quite a contrast to the man who promises to deport 11 million people who have been living in the United States. They work, they pay taxes, they contribute to our country, whether you want to admit that or not.

We have a choice on November 5^th. One candidate is filled with hate for anyone other than those who look and act like him – and he plans to deport them. The other is Kamala Harris who will actually work to improve immigration laws for all of us. I will vote for Harris; she won't take us back to 1930's Nazi Germany.

Promises, promises - and then NOTHING!

I have to laugh.  Really, I have to laugh.

Donald Trump blasted Kamala Harris for "promising" things without giving details.  Really? 

This sad, pathetic old man (yes, that's what he's turned into) made lots of promises before and after he was elected in 2016.  And he had four years (two of which where he enjoyed a Republican majority in Congress) to make good on those pledges.  Let's take a look, shall we?

1) He promised to put forth an immigration reform plan.  NEVER HAPPENED!

2) He promised every couple weeks to announce his plan for healthcare reform.  NEVER HAPPENED!

3) He promised a "huge" package to improve infrastructure.  Again, NEVER HAPPENED!

Hey, Donny ... uh ... what happened to YOUR promises?

Okay, he promised to build a border wall and said Mexico would pay for it.  He did build about 452 miles of border wall.  However, only 80 miles of new barriers were built where there were none before. The vast majority of the 452 miles repaired existing structures at the border that had been built by previous US administrations. In 2019 he used national emergency powers to divert funds from the Department of Defense (yep, from our military) after Congress rejected more money for the wall. And Mexico didn't pay a dime!  Another promise broken.  And just so you know ... in January, 2020, winds of about 30 mph blew down part of his precious new wall in the Calexico, CA area.  Then one day later, high winds blew a section of newly installed panels against trees lining a road in Mexicali, a city on the Mexican side of the border.  

Wow!  So much for the promise of that glorious wall!

Wait a minute ... can't forget his promise to cut taxes.  And he did - kind of.  His tax bill was skewed to the rich! Households with incomes in the top 1 percent received an average tax cut of more than $60,000, compared to an average tax cut of less than $500 for households in the bottom 60 percent.  Shows where his allegiance is, doesn't it? He doesn't care about the middle class and never has.

He also promised that his tax plan would really deliver economic benefits.  According to the Congressional Budget Office that promise failed, too. He said his corporate tax rate cut would lead to a $4,000 boost in household income. But research shows that workers who earned less than about $114,000 on average in 2016 saw “no change in earnings” from the corporate tax rate cut, while top executive salaries increased sharply. 

So, Trump needs to shut his mouth about "promises" because that's all he has.   Harris has an actual record of accomplishment, having been an integral part of the Biden Administration.  Trump has nothing but hot air - and continued lies -  and that's certainly nothing to brag about.  And it gives us no reason to believe that four more years of that blowhard will give us anything different.

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.