Joe Biden may not
be a firebrand or a great orator, but he is a normal guy. When he speaks,
millions of listeners, including me, now experience enormous relief that the
petty, belligerent, and unpredictable Mr. Trump is gone from office (and
off Twitter!). Our mood and mental health have greatly improved knowing that
someone more thoughtful is in charge again.
Donald Trump’s unfortunate
elevation to the presidency was just a historic mistake to begin with, a fluke,
an accident. Even he was caught by surprise and unprepared. Though Mr. Trump still
has ardent supporters in our country and even among a handful around the world,
he never had enjoyed majority voter or citizen support. So his odds of ever achieve
that sweet spot again were exceedingly small, like lightening striking twice in
the same place. And he became the source of great distress for a majority of
people both here and abroad, certainly the worst president we have ever had and
the biggest loser in terms of his vote margins both in 2016 and 2020.
Trump must never be allowed
back into office again; his second term would be even more damaging, corrupt,
and self-serving, if possible, than his first. He was mean, avaricious, ignorant,
and negligent as president and, if given another chance, would seek to settle
scores with those he deems his enemies. We have already suffered enough, most especially
due to his negligence in letting the virus run amok. Unfortunately, the poor
guy is intellectually, morally, and emotionally challenged, and has shown
himself incapable of learning on the job. (Might he have suffered a head injury
earlier in life?) If he would now simply agree to retire gracefully and leave
the rest of us alone, he might live out his remaining years in relative comfort
and peace. But, no, he seems hell bent on still making trouble both for the
Republican Party and everyone else, though he’s now seriously cyber-challenged.
Certainly, the Capitol
rioters believed they were doing Trump’s bidding in trying to overturn the
election certification. He had urged them to interrupt the certification and to
turn it in his favor. https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx83v4/even-trumps-defense-secretary-during-the-capitol-riot-blames-him-for-inciting-it
Thumbing through back issues of the New Yorker, I’ve
noted that the prospect of Trump losing re-election and not going away quietly
was foreseen all during 2020 when he was busy setting the groundwork for
disputing the outcome. But the lengths he was willing to go to overturn the
results were not sufficiently acknowledged beforehand nor were preparations made
to thwart his intentions, perhaps because he himself still remained in office
until January 20, 2021. History has no previous example of a US presidential
loser who has failed to acknowledge his loss.
Biden has acted as a centrist, undercutting Trump’s
narrative that the man is a radical socialist, thereby winning over some
independents and Republicans. The new stimulus measure, which Republican
lawmakers opposed as a solid bloc, will still help their own constituents and
the economy, regardless. The same is true of the vaccination rollout, though
Trump supporters are more hesitant (because Trump once railed against
vaccines?). Whether the stimulus might influence constituents’ mid-term votes
remains to be seen, as voters do have a peculiar ability to take the money and
benefits and still continue to vote against their own interests.
President Biden has urged citizens
to memorialize those we’ve lost to the pandemic. Surprisingly, the only person
I’ve known lost to Covid actually lived and died in far-away Nigeria.
Some of my own family members have fallen ill, but thankfully have recovered.
A young Cuban woman whose case
was mentioned earlier on this blog and whose name can now be revealed, Rachel
Rodríguez, has
finally been released from ICE detention in Louisiana after more than 2
years. Her husband, who had arrived with her, has been out of custody for more
than a year now. She had suffered a miscarriage in Cuba which she said was
caused by blows to her abdomen inflicted by police. She had always been a suspicious
person there after her great uncle had spent 22 years as a political prisoner
in Cuba, but had been released in 1984 after our local Amnesty International
group had appealed to Jesse Jackson before his visit then to Cuba (as
per my Confessions book).
After a well-publicized visit
to the southern border, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) claimed that he’d spoken to border agents in El Paso, Texas, who told him that suspected
terrorists have attempted to cross the border, but no evidence has been found
for his allegation. Now other Republican lawmakers are planning trips to the
border to stoke fears and criticism of the Biden administration. They are using
terms like “paranoid obsession” and “scorched earth” to demean Democratic (“Democrat”)
proposals. Immigration reform is in
jeopardy. It’s politics as usual.
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/02/27/donald-trump-thrived-by-painting-democrats-as-soft-on-immigration?utm_campaign=the-economist-today&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud
There certainly are real
problems at the border. The current southern border surge will continue
to challenge the Biden administration, especially now after so many have waited
so long for Trump to finally leave office. The border push also imperils
immigration reform, perhaps only allowing relief for the Dreamers. There
is no good solution at the border, as if more are allowed to cross over, even more
will inevitably arrive. Folks are already starting out now from their countries
of origin.
Biden needs to come up with
a workable plan for border crossers very soon that does not contravene
international asylum law. His folks were not well prepared for this
foreseeable scenario. More immigrants will be needed as the economy recovers. But
I do feel compassion for those pressing now to get in, having met many such folks
in their home countries. I’ve also been an interpreter for young people
requesting asylum here, though rarely advised of their final outcome. So, I don’t
know how many have actually been approved, probably not many. At the airport in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, I've seen planeloads of dejected deportees
disembarking. All that was before the pandemic added a new, complicating
dimension.
Breaking News: The Biden administration is
quietly pressing Mexico to curb migrants coming to the U.S., Mexican officials
said, a move echoing Trump-era policy. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/world/americas/biden-mexico-migration.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20210318&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=39525559&segment_id=53685&user_id=5b42efebaad1edb014a357f62ebaa4b9
CNN, March 13, 2021, Kids detained in overcrowded border facility are terrified,
crying and worried, lawyers say, https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/13/us/border-detention-conditions/index.html
Mayorkas torpedoes Biden administration's stance on asylum
seekers
https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/542863-mayorkas-torpedoes-biden-administrations-stance-on-asylum-seekers As indicated, the border surge is going to
continue. Based on my
experience as an interpreter, there is no easy way to sort out bona fide asylum
seekers from economic migrants, often not even in immigration court.
National Review, DHS Secretary
Predicts Migrant Surge Will Break 20-Year Record, Blames Trump Policies, https://news.yahoo.com/dhs-secretary-predicts-migrant-surge-140917391.html
The Economist, Feb. 27, 2020, Go big or go home
Donald Trump thrived by painting Democrats as soft on
immigration So why are
Democrats introducing the most comprehensive immigration reform for decades? https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/02/27/donald-trump-thrived-by-painting-democrats-as-soft-on-immigration?utm_campaign=the-economist-today&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud
The answer to the question of why Democrats are going big on
immigration, economic relief, infrastructure, voting rights, and other issues
is that they may only have until 2022.
On a matter discussed before on
this blog, the mysterious illness targeting US and other embassy staffers in
Havana and other foreign capitals, apparently caused by radio or other waves,
will be investigated. The State Department announced the
appointment of retired Ambassador Pamela Spratlen as
Senior Advisor to the task force handling the agency’s response to the Havana
Syndrome. Don't know that they can figure it out now after-the-fact,
but the illness has had long lasting effects for some US, Canadian, and other
embassy staff in Cuba, China, and elsewhere.
https://diplopundit.net/2021/03/15/statedept-designates-amb-pamela-spratlen-as-senior-advisor-to-the-havana-syndrome-task-force/
Conservative-leaning
states are busy erecting barriers against allowing male-to-female transgender athletes to compete in female sports. In my youth, this was not an
issue because those who felt born in the wrong gender had no access to hormone
therapy. The number of such athletes must still be quite small, so the impact
of any such measures may be mostly symbolic. There is little dispute that the
male hormone testosterone does foster height and strength, one reason it is
banned for female athletes. Of course, the exact amount of natural testosterone
produced by an athlete, whether male or female chromosomally, varies, but
testosterone is associated with greater athletic prowess. An athlete
born male who then takes female hormones may therefore experience a reduction
in sports advantages depending on age. If already grown tall with strong bones,
some advantages may remain, even after female hormone therapy, for both basketball
and track, but decreased for gymnastics. What is fair? This issue has aroused
strong feelings on both sides with athletes “transitioning” caught in the
middle.
Bitcoin has been soaring in value. I confess not knowing how it
works, but apparently it requires a great deal of electricity, which limits its
use.
No word so far
from Honduran friends about the allegations against President
Hernández, though they never voted for him to begin with.
Convicted drug trafficker testifies
that he bribed Honduran president
Ex-cartel leader says he
bribed Juan Orlando Hernández with $250,000 in exchange for government
contracts and protection
In good news for Honduras, Israel donated some
supplies of the Moderna vaccine, though enough to cover only a few people.
Still, it’s a start. While I have been vaccinated myself (in Feb., how long
does protection last?), it will be a while before medical brigades will be back
and before I can return to Honduras.
AP, South Sudan faces conflict, a
humanitarian crisis and famine, https://news.yahoo.com/south-sudan-faces-conflict-humanitarian-052021817.html I
had a mission to south Sudan in 2006, before independence. Unfortunately, that
fledgling nation has had internal conflict ever since. People I saw there were
constantly struggling to eke out a meager living in an inhospitable climate
amid continual ethnic and political strife. It’s no different now.
Here is something we are working to support in Amnesty International, where I am volunteer Caribbean Coordinator for AI, USA:
The Movimiento San Isidro challenges Cuba’s regime The government has responded with repression. But the dissidents’ movement sees signs of progress, https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/12/03/the-movimiento-san-isidro-challenges-cubas-regime
Movimiento
San Isidro Explained: What is
the San Isidro Movement, posing a stiff challenge to Cuba’s authoritarian
regime?
The
Movimiento San Isidro started two years ago to protest state censorship of
artistic works, and has now become a platform for Cuban dissidents both within
and outside the Caribbean nation.
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-is-the-san-isidro-movement-cubas-7103555/
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