After
travels and a brief illness, I’m back here again, picking up where I’d left
off, with quite a lot to say. My initial efforts to get back on line were
thwarted when my internet was not connecting. After a couple of hours back and
forth on the phone with an agent, seemingly located in another country, I
discovered that my connection had dislodged from the wall!
So,
apologies for the length of this posting, but a lot has been happening over
that time. In this era of reduced personal connections, I’m grateful for this
communication platform, even if my readers are few.
My
illness, if that’s even the right term, consisted of a sudden, very painful
seizure or total cramp of my neck muscles early one morning. I’ve called it “a
royal pain in the neck.” I couldn’t move from my bed but my phone was within
reach, so I called my son, the closest family member, who drove 2 hours from W
Va. and helped set up a video phone consult with a doctor, then picked up my
prescriptions, including a steroid and topical cream. Within hours I could
raise my head and, by evening, I sat up and even walked to the bathroom. My son
spent the night sleeping on my bedroom floor, but by the next evening, was able
to return home to his family and I pretty much recovered during the week.
Day-to-day life
has never been easy, as my recent illness attests, but since Donald Trump
became president and especially since he let the virus run amok, it has gotten
that much harder and riskier for us all. So it’s quite fitting that the virus
struck home, hitting Trump himself and invading his family and inner circle.
Call it poetic justice, Karma, divine wrath, served him right, biting his own
tail, what goes around comes around, turnabout is fair play, or whatever else you
want to call it, but Mr. Trump sowed the seeds of his own personal disaster. Is
this the guy we want to stay in charge of our nation and the world? Whom we would trust to keep us safe? And while he has
touted his own Covid treatment, it cost an estimated $100,000, hardly within
the means of most Americans. Do you
now feel safer in Donald Trump’s America?
While Trump
makes a final full-court press for a second term, a guy who did not get one but
who deserved it, in my opinion, was my old friend President Jimmy Carter,
who recently celebrated his 96th birthday.
Glad to see
the World Food Program getting its due with the Nobel Prize, since food
is so basic to human survival. I have helped distribute WFP supplies in South
Sudan and Central America.
Trump’s
Covid illness occurred after my visit to my son and his family in W Va. His
wife, young son, and stepdaughter had arrived in July from Honolulu, quite a
dramatic change for all concerned. They are still adjusting. His wife is a
native of the US territory of Micronesia and English is not her first language.
She and the children are experiencing small-town rural America for the first
time, as well as the change of seasons.
After
visiting them, I immediately left for my great-grandson’s 13th
birthday in Fla., where probably the greatest risk was the plane journey itself.
In both places, I met virus skeptics and Trump supporters, usually the
same people. A very sincere lady in Florida told me she just loves Trump
“because he really cares about us all, the American people. Why, Joe Biden even
tried to abolish social security.” Wherever did she get that notion? A man
wearing a ”Make America Great” hat said, “The virus is just fake news.” Some
pundits agree that Trump has more support than polls indicate and are
predicting another narrow Electoral College win with an even smaller vote total
than in 2016. Allowing someone to assume the presidency with a serious vote
deficit is a recipe for division. This is democracy? I’m being bombarded
now by last-minute Republican
solicitations.
“Donald Trump is the best President in
the HISTORY of our Nation, and it’s all because of great Patriots like YOU.” So,
give generously!
In another message, Mr.
Trump says he has “signed a Trump-Pence
Football and I want to give it to YOU. That's right. This is the FIRST-EVER Trump-Pence Football, and
I'm reserving it for one lucky Patriot that has gone above and beyond for our
movement. Enjoy!”
“When I think of my most
valuable supporters, I don’t think of the ones who are necessarily the
BIGGEST donors...
I think of the ones who have been there for me
since day one. I think of the ones who fought alongside me
during the Impeachment WITCH HUNT. I think of the ones who
constantly FIGHT BACK against the Fake News media’s
LIES. I think of the ones I know I can count on?”
So this is
the same guy and his henchmen who want to be in charge of our nation for 4 more
years? Yes, because of the skewed Electoral College system, it could happen
once again by an even narrower popular vote margin and many more people will
suffer next time. Some voters don’t think their vote really matters, but one
vote is all anyone has.
Mr. Trump
has paid less in income taxes than you or me, so we’ve been footing the
bill for his lavish White House stay, high-end medical care, golf outings,
trips to Mar-a-Lago, and for Ivanka and Jerrod, and maybe even for his election
rallies, which may be billed for reimbursement purposes as “citizen information
sessions”? Now, in addition to fear of losing the election, he is also worried
about losing his freedom through criminal charges, now making a final full
court press against calls to “Lock him up!”
The first presidential “debate” between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was a
farce that generated lots of heat and precious little light. Trump, always the
showman, did manage to grab the center of attention. He tried relentlessly to
shut down Biden, who could barely get a word in edgewise. Once Biden even told
Trump to “shut up!” Trump’s and Giuliani’s efforts to label Biden as senile may
backfire as folks start noticing Trump’s gaffes and erratic behavior and how
well Biden stands up to Trump. Biden stood up masterfully when Trump targeted
his son Hunter’s former drug addiction, a very low blow by Trump, but which Biden
turned to his advantage. Trump also demeaned Biden by always calling him “Joe.”
The Donald was appealing to his base in his debate performance, to true
believers who could rise up in his defense if he declares the election results
unfair. Probably few minds were changed by the first presidential debate spectacle.
The VP
debate was a more sedate affair. Mike Pence is a more normal acting guy than
his boss, though very conservative (more sincerely conservative than Trump but
without his avid following). He tied himself in knots trying to defend Trump
without actually lying. Like Trump, he kept interrupting, talking over both
Harris and the female moderator. He pronounced Donald Trump the final winner of
their debate. (An errant fly was the real star.)
Changes are
promised for the next presidential debate, if any, with the moderator able to
turn off a mike if Trump is out-of-order. But will there be another
presidential debate? Trump is insisting it be in person.
Having been
an election observer myself in Chile, Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican
Republic, where the outcome was not always gracefully received by the
losing incumbent, nonetheless, the loser always reluctantly conceded and did
not call upon his followers to rise up to overturn the result.
Probably Vladimir
Putin and his Russian underlings are rubbing their hands in satisfaction
over their investment in Trump, whom they are able to so easily manipulate and
whose presidency has damaged the US image, economy, and citizenry beyond their
wildest dreams without a single shot being fired. Trump has offered an amazing
gift to Putin.
It is
rather ridiculous that Russia, China, and Cuba have been elected
to the UN Human Rights Council.
And when
demonstrators are tear gassed and attacked with water hoses in Hong Kong
and Thailand, I recall the same happening to us as election observers in
Chile in 1988. Water force knocked us down as we choked on tear gas
fumes.
New Supreme
Ct. nominee, Amy Barrett not only talks the talk, but walks the walk, in
terms of not opting for abortion in her own life when her professional
aspirations might have clashed with motherhood. Not content with producing 5
children, she and her husband adopted 2 more from Haiti, one reportedly with
Down Syndrome. All that makes her a role model for working mothers and someone
who takes her prolife stance seriously. She is also attractive and speaks
clearly, but very, very cautiously. She evaded answers to all crucial
questions, only revealing her attitude toward gays by using the out-of-favor
term “sexual preference.” Still, it might be hard for Democrats to attack her
without seeming petty. She must have a very supportive husband and someone
keeping the home fires burning while she pursues her career. Might her public
image possibly translate into more support for Trump among working middle class
women? Mr, Trump has pleaded with women to like him.
Good news from my
contacts in the Peace Corps that in
January 2021, “Volunteers will return to the Eastern Caribbean.”
In South Africa,
some virus researches are speculating that routine childhood vaccines
may offer some protection against Covid, allowing children to be carriers
without actually getting sick themselves, an intriguing possibility.
The Taliban seem
to taking over Afghanistan, killing civilians at will, including new
mothers and infants in hospitals, and rolling back women’s rights. The US has
not had success after
all these years and the gains made seem to be eroding after allies have pulled
out, probably now leaving Afghanistan to its fate.
A young man
with a clipboard rang my doorbell late one evening. Through his mask, he said
he was from Amnesty International, an organization I have belonged to
for 40 years and for which I’ve served for 16 years as USA volunteer Caribbean
coordinator. While I have often participated in fundraising and petition drives
for the organization, I’ve never seen someone going door-to-door, especially
during a pandemic. I told him through the glass outer door that I was already
doing my part for the organization. Later, I regretted my abruptness, wondering
if he might have been collecting money for the car needed by our local group’s
refugee family?
Package
thieves are
certainly out in force all over the country now during the pandemic, following
delivery trucks around as packages are being delivered. That’s why I rush to
retrieve any packages left out on my front porch. Sometimes I miss, as with a
delivery from China that did not notify me in advance, so was stolen. Also with
a package of homemade goodies from my daughter, which had been opened on the
spot with its contents all scattered, apparently after proving disappointing to
the thief.
Spam
phone calls are also
proliferating, some with dire warnings, all on recorded lines, so real people
don’t have to actually make them. No use asking them to stop calling as no one
is actually on the other end. I also have been getting letters from folks
offering to buy my house for cash. Despite my so-called private number, I got a
call from a man who addressed me as “Barbara” and said he really wanted to buy
my house. “I’m not interested in selling,” I said and hung up. These people are
aggressive and cheeky. If I ever were interested, I’d never sell to such
an aggressive, intrusive buyer, but, rather, seek out someone who would
appreciate the house and its unique historic features, though I really hope to
remain until my death, 2 flights of stairs notwithstanding.
DC
statehood is finally
getting some traction now with a bill introduced in Congress for the very first
time. In my travels all around the nation and the world, I’ve encountered few
Americans living outside DC who even know we have no voting
representation in Congress. We only first got to vote for our mayor after I
moved here in 1969.
A maple tree that was as young as I was when I first moved into my house died, finally removed in a
difficult and delicate operation with neighbors looking on.
What did Donald
Trump mean when he said Covid “affects virtually nobody”?
I do agree with him that China could have taken more aggressive steps to
rein in the virus early on, as was done with SARS, especially as Covid is
so much more contagious. And the “wet” markets that capture and butcher wild
animals on the spot, what probably sparked the release of the virus, are still
operating in China.
Caucasian
males in the
aggregate do enjoy special privileges, but blaming them for discrimination
against others is not the best way to win their support for more inclusive
practices. Trump has certainly tapped into the grievances of men who now consider
themselves to be victims of discrimination. When a white man is passed over
for promotion in favor of a woman or person of color, he may then feel he’s
been discriminated against. Many folks are now economically stressed,
regardless of gender.
Whatever was
Donald Trump thinking when he dragged out a grim-faced Melania to visit Justice
Ginsberg’s casket? Did he think that
would help his image? As would be expected, he was roundly booed. Unlike the Obamas,
who often ate out in town and especially Michelle, who shopped locally and
visited DC public schools where students I know met her, the Trumps have rarely
dared to venture out in public. Donald has mostly only attended White House
press briefings and campaign rallies of supporters.
Melania seems to be an increasingly
reluctant partner, probably even more so since she got Covid and her son as
well. When trotted out for recent public events, her grin looks more like a
grimace. However, she is not immune to her husband’s influence, having been recorded
saying that children trying to cross the border alone have been coached by
their parents to say they’ve been threatened by gangs in their home country.
That may happen with a few older kids, especially in cases where the threats
are actually true. But in my experience as an interpreter in asylum interviews,
this has never seemed to be the case. Asylum officers would probe pretty
deeply, trying to find inconsistencies and to rattle the young petitioner. An
asylum interview is an adversarial procedure, very stressful for youthful
asylum applicants, causing some to break down in tears. Having lived and
traveled in their home countries, I’ve not found their stories unbelievable,
though, of course, as a neutral interpreter whose own words are being recorded,
I’ve never hinted to them about what to say.
Trump’s “born
alive” order is unnecessary because babies born alive are already afforded
appropriate care. I may have muddied the waters by previously advocating that
abortions for any reason be stopped at 20 weeks instead 24. But I will refrain
from any further mention of abortion until after Trump is gone from office,
when a more nuanced discussion may be in order. “Choice,” abortion advocates’
watchword, does imply that a woman might actually choose to continue a
pregnancy and should therefore be referred to services that might assist her.
Perhaps abortion clinics already do that. Unfortunately, this is not the time
for in-depth policy debates on this issue, as there can be no reasoned policy
discussions while Trump is still in office. Abortions are reported to be
actually going down now, perhaps because of fewer couplings during the
pandemic, better contraception, and more pregnancies going to term.
Trump conned
Miami’s Cuban-American supporters while chasing business opportunities in Cuba.
, September 22, 2020
Probably no
new postings until after the election, as my vision problems, which I hope to
remedy soon, make computer work very difficult.
We do live
right now in interesting and unprecedented times, partly due to the antics of Mr.
Trump, but also due to other manifestations of the “butterfly effect,” that is,
chaos theory, leading to so many unpredicted and unpredictable outcomes.
Even though we are all being cooped up at home, we are now witnessing and
living through a rollercoaster of events, always surprising, challenging, and
never boring. What’s next?
I’m being bombarded
now by last-minute Republican
solicitations.
“Donald Trump is the best President in
the HISTORY of our Nation, and it’s all because of great Patriots like YOU.” So,
give generously!
In another message, Mr.
Trump says he has “signed a Trump-Pence
Football and I want to give it to YOU. That's right. This is the FIRST-EVER Trump-Pence Football, and
I'm reserving it for one lucky Patriot that has gone above and beyond for our
movement. Enjoy!”
“When I think of my most
valuable supporters, I don’t think of the ones who are necessarily the
BIGGEST donors...
I think of the ones who have been there for me
since day one. I think of the ones who fought alongside me
during the Impeachment WITCH HUNT. I think of the ones who
constantly FIGHT BACK against the Fake News media’s
LIES. I think of the ones I know I can count on?”
So this is
the same guy and his henchmen who want to be in charge of our nation for 4 more
years? Yes, because of the skewed Electoral College system, it could happen
once again by an even narrower popular vote margin and many more people will
suffer next time. Some voters don’t think their vote really matters, but one
vote is all anyone has.
Mr. Trump
has paid less in income taxes than you or me, so we’ve been footing the
bill for his lavish White House stay, high-end medical care, golf outings,
trips to Mar-a-Lago, and for Ivanka and Jerrod, and maybe even for his election
rallies, which may be billed for reimbursement purposes as “citizen information
sessions”? Now, in addition to fear of losing the election, he is also worried
about losing his freedom through criminal charges, now making a final full
court press against calls to “Lock him up!”
The first presidential “debate” between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was a
farce that generated lots of heat and precious little light. Trump, always the
showman, did manage to grab the center of attention. He tried relentlessly to
shut down Biden, who could barely get a word in edgewise. Once Biden even told
Trump to “shut up!” Trump’s and Giuliani’s efforts to label Biden as senile may
backfire as folks start noticing Trump’s gaffes and erratic behavior and how
well Biden stands up to Trump. Biden stood up masterfully when Trump targeted
his son Hunter’s former drug addiction, a very low blow by Trump, but which Biden
turned to his advantage. Trump also demeaned Biden by always calling him “Joe.”
The Donald was appealing to his base in his debate performance, to true
believers who could rise up in his defense if he declares the election results
unfair. Probably few minds were changed by the first presidential debate spectacle.
The VP
debate was a more sedate affair. Mike Pence is a more normal acting guy than
his boss, though very conservative (more sincerely conservative than Trump but
without his avid following). He tied himself in knots trying to defend Trump
without actually lying. Like Trump, he kept interrupting, talking over both
Harris and the female moderator. He pronounced Donald Trump the final winner of
their debate. (An errant fly was the real star.)
Changes are
promised for the next presidential debate, if any, with the moderator able to
turn off a mike if Trump is out-of-order. But will there be another
presidential debate? Trump is insisting it be in person.
Having been
an election observer myself in Chile, Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican
Republic, where the outcome was not always gracefully received by the
losing incumbent, nonetheless, the loser always reluctantly conceded and did
not call upon his followers to rise up to overturn the result.
Probably Vladimir
Putin and his Russian underlings are rubbing their hands in satisfaction
over their investment in Trump, whom they are able to so easily manipulate and
whose presidency has damaged the US image, economy, and citizenry beyond their
wildest dreams without a single shot being fired. Trump has offered an amazing
gift to Putin.
It is
rather ridiculous that Russia, China, and Cuba have been elected
to the UN Human Rights Council.
And when
demonstrators are tear gassed and attacked with water hoses in Hong Kong
and Thailand, I recall the same happening to us as election observers in
Chile in 1988. Water force knocked us down as we choked on tear gas
fumes.
New Supreme
Ct. nominee, Amy Barrett not only talks the talk, but walks the walk, in
terms of not opting for abortion in her own life when her professional
aspirations might have clashed with motherhood. Not content with producing 5
children, she and her husband adopted 2 more from Haiti, one reportedly with
Down Syndrome. All that makes her a role model for working mothers and someone
who takes her prolife stance seriously. She is also attractive and speaks
clearly, but very, very cautiously. She evaded answers to all crucial
questions, only revealing her attitude toward gays by using the out-of-favor
term “sexual preference.” Still, it might be hard for Democrats to attack her
without seeming petty. She must have a very supportive husband and someone
keeping the home fires burning while she pursues her career. Might her public
image possibly translate into more support for Trump among working middle class
women? Mr, Trump has pleaded with women to like him.
Good news from my
contacts in the Peace Corps that in
January 2021, “Volunteers will return to the Eastern Caribbean.”
In South Africa,
some virus researches are speculating that routine childhood vaccines
may offer some protection against Covid, allowing children to be carriers
without actually getting sick themselves, an intriguing possibility.
The Taliban seem
to taking over Afghanistan, killing civilians at will, including new
mothers and infants in hospitals, and rolling back women’s rights. The US has
not had success after
all these years and the gains made seem to be eroding after allies have pulled
out, probably now leaving Afghanistan to its fate.
A young man
with a clipboard rang my doorbell late one evening. Through his mask, he said
he was from Amnesty International, an organization I have belonged to
for 40 years and for which I’ve served for 16 years as USA volunteer Caribbean
coordinator. While I have often participated in fundraising and petition drives
for the organization, I’ve never seen someone going door-to-door, especially
during a pandemic. I told him through the glass outer door that I was already
doing my part for the organization. Later, I regretted my abruptness, wondering
if he might have been collecting money for the car needed by our local group’s
refugee family?
Package
thieves are
certainly out in force all over the country now during the pandemic, following
delivery trucks around as packages are being delivered. That’s why I rush to
retrieve any packages left out on my front porch. Sometimes I miss, as with a
delivery from China that did not notify me in advance, so was stolen. Also with
a package of homemade goodies from my daughter, which had been opened on the
spot with its contents all scattered, apparently after proving disappointing to
the thief.
Spam
phone calls are also
proliferating, some with dire warnings, all on recorded lines, so real people
don’t have to actually make them. No use asking them to stop calling as no one
is actually on the other end. I also have been getting letters from folks
offering to buy my house for cash. Despite my so-called private number, I got a
call from a man who addressed me as “Barbara” and said he really wanted to buy
my house. “I’m not interested in selling,” I said and hung up. These people are
aggressive and cheeky. If I ever were interested, I’d never sell to such
an aggressive, intrusive buyer, but, rather, seek out someone who would
appreciate the house and its unique historic features, though I really hope to
remain until my death, 2 flights of stairs notwithstanding.
DC
statehood is finally
getting some traction now with a bill introduced in Congress for the very first
time. In my travels all around the nation and the world, I’ve encountered few
Americans living outside DC who even know we have no voting
representation in Congress. We only first got to vote for our mayor after I
moved here in 1969.
What did Donald
Trump mean when he said Covid “affects virtually nobody”?
I do agree with him that China could have taken more aggressive steps to
rein in the virus early on, as was done with SARS, especially as Covid is
so much more contagious. And the “wet” markets that capture and butcher wild
animals on the spot, what probably sparked the release of the virus, are still
operating in China.
Caucasian
males in the
aggregate do enjoy special privileges, but blaming them for discrimination
against others is not the best way to win their support for more inclusive
practices. Trump has certainly tapped into the grievances of men who now consider
themselves to be victims of discrimination. When a white man is passed over
for promotion in favor of a woman or person of color, he may then feel he’s
been discriminated against. Many folks are now economically stressed,
regardless of gender.
Whatever was
Donald Trump thinking when he dragged out a grim-faced Melania to visit Justice
Ginsberg’s casket? Did he think that
would help his image? As would be expected, he was roundly booed. Unlike the Obamas,
who often ate out in town and especially Michelle, who shopped locally and
visited DC public schools where students I know met her, the Trumps have rarely
dared to venture out in public. Donald has mostly only attended White House
press briefings and campaign rallies of supporters.
Melania seems to be an increasingly
reluctant partner, probably even more so since she got Covid and her son as
well. When trotted out for recent public events, her grin looks more like a
grimace. However, she is not immune to her husband’s influence, having been recorded
saying that children trying to cross the border alone have been coached by
their parents to say they’ve been threatened by gangs in their home country.
That may happen with a few older kids, especially in cases where the threats
are actually true. But in my experience as an interpreter in asylum interviews,
this has never seemed to be the case. Asylum officers would probe pretty
deeply, trying to find inconsistencies and to rattle the young petitioner. An
asylum interview is an adversarial procedure, very stressful for youthful
asylum applicants, causing some to break down in tears. Having lived and
traveled in their home countries, I’ve not found their stories unbelievable,
though, of course, as a neutral interpreter whose own words are being recorded,
I’ve never hinted to them about what to say.
Trump’s “born
alive” order is unnecessary because babies born alive are already afforded
appropriate care. I may have muddied the waters by previously advocating that
abortions for any reason be stopped at 20 weeks instead 24. But I will refrain
from any further mention of abortion until after Trump is gone from office,
when a more nuanced discussion may be in order. “Choice,” abortion advocates’
watchword, does imply that a woman might actually choose to continue a
pregnancy and should therefore be referred to services that might assist her.
Perhaps abortion clinics already do that. Unfortunately, this is not the time
for in-depth policy debates on this issue, as there can be no reasoned policy
discussions while Trump is still in office. Abortions are reported to be
actually going down now, perhaps because of fewer couplings during the
pandemic, better contraception, and more pregnancies going to term.
Trump conned
Miami’s Cuban-American supporters while chasing business opportunities in Cuba.
, September 22, 2020
Probably no
new postings until after the election, as my vision problems, which I hope to
remedy soon, make computer work very difficult. If there are ewpwtitions here, chalk it up to my visiob problems,
We do live
right now in interesting and unprecedented times, partly due to the antics of Mr.
Trump, but also due to other manifestations of the “butterfly effect,” that is,
chaos theory, leading to so many unpredicted and unpredictable outcomes.
Even though we are all being cooped up at home, we are now witnessing and
living through a rollercoaster of events, always surprising, challenging, and
never boring. What’s next?
