After
complaining about the cold since their arrival in late March (45-55 F), now when
we had a couple of humid days in the ‘80’s, my Nigerian visitors began complaining
about the heat. They each have window A/C in their rooms and can turn it on any
time, also fans. I’ve told them this has been nothing compared to the heat and
humidity in June and July.
As I
said to my Nigerian visitors: Congratulations
to Nigeria on the release of some of the Chibok girls. However, the girls
have apparently not been returned to their families—at least not yet—but have
been put on display as a group by the government to tout its success in
recovering them. My visitors have
reminded me that the capital of Nigeria, where they work, is Abuja, not Lagos, as many Americans
seem to think.
Glad Macron won election in France, breaking
the retrogressive streak started by Brexit, continued full bore by Trump.
I have a
new article on-line: https://democraciaparticipativa.net/forum/iberoamerica-y-espana-latin-america-spain/9328-for-sirley-avila-a-bridge-too-far.html#9886
I
usually also try to post on Huffington
Post, but now they’ve changed the name to HuffPost and have a new system that I haven’t been able to figure
out yet.
According
to Spanish-language news service Cubalex, our Cuba panelist at Amnesty Int’l
USA’s 2016 annual conference in Miami, attorney Laritza Diversent, is throwing in the towel and has been granted
asylum in the US along with 13 other members of her legal office. Their
harassment, no doubt, was exacerbated by her appearance on our forum.
Todos abandonarán la isla por estar “en situación de
riesgo”
Jueves, mayo
4, 2017 | Agencias
Juan Gonzalez, one of the 26 Cuban political prisoners
released with Jesse Jackson, as per my Confessions
book, has just died. After more than 20 years in prison and with indefinite
sentences, they were all released overnight back in 1984, thanks to the
intervention of our local Amnesty International group, 211, and, of course,
Jackson. Juan had spent his first nights in freedom at my house. At least, they
all enjoyed some post-prison years, though Juan had been paralyzed and bedridden
after a stroke, so his death had been expected for some time.
In
a reversal of Cuban government policy of sending doctors abroad (to earn money
for the Cuban government)—now volunteer
American surgeons are going to Cuba to perform knee and hip replacements. Of course, I am very familiar with such medical
and surgical brigades to Honduras and have participated as a helper and
interpreter in many. I do think such exchanges are helpful not only to the
patients but in terms of intercountry relations, whatever country is involved.
May 4,
2017 Russia
resumes sending oil to Cuba News expected to raise eyebrows
in Washington, D.C.
By Thomson Reuters, Russia has begun shipping large quantities of oil to Cuba for the first time this century, sources said, as supplies to the island from crisis-wracked Venezuela have dwindled.
By Thomson Reuters, Russia has begun shipping large quantities of oil to Cuba for the first time this century, sources said, as supplies to the island from crisis-wracked Venezuela have dwindled.
Russia
has also agreed to foot the repair bill for Havana’s crumbling capitol building,
its design inspired by our own capitol.
I did
take time out the other evening with a friend to attend a new Lin-Manuel Miranda musical, performed
in Spanish, at the Gala theater in
DC. Called In the Heights, it
follows events day and night in NYC’s Washington Heights’ neighborhood, using a
very authentic-looking stage set. Miranda, who appeared as the lead in his
creation Hamilton, alas was not at
our performance. A very lively bilingual cast made up for it, including singing
and dancing with flags, showcasing the rivalry between Dominicans and Puerto
Ricans. I was glad to see a senior citizen in a lead role.
I agree with Neil Buchanan that Hillary Clinton has been criticized well
beyond what she deserves. I have thought
that ever since I first met her as First Lady years ago. She is not charismatic—no
dis agreement there-- but is that the most important attribute of a president?
Apparently so—Trump seems to have it, at least according to his supporters. I
thought both the emphasis on Clinton’s e-mail server and Benghazi were overblown
and I have said as much previously on this blog. I was surprised at a recent conference when a woman
from Germany told me Hillary Clinton had been a weak candidate. Why did she
think that? Because “everyone” knew it. I think Hillary got a bad rap. And I’m
glad she’s going to try to get Democrats more involved now in challenging
Republicans at all levels.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-hillary-held-impossible-standard-140001227.html
One
advantage of not having a single payer health system, like we don’t have now,
is that our country is less vulnerable to the sort of cyberattacks that have hit
other nations.
Can I
avoid mentioning Donald Trump? Living
here on Capitol Hill, in the belly of the beast, it’s hard to avoid even
thinking about him. He does seem to have a way of grabbing attention. Now he has declared himself inventor of the
phrase “prime the pump,” as if that didn’t come out of the experience of
getting a water pump going long before he or any of us were born.
Whatever
Trump’s true motivations in firing Comey,
at the very least, it looks suspiciously like a cover-up. He seems hell bent on
squelching any further investigation into his Russia ties and is pulling out
all the stops in self-defense. OK, Republicans, time to step up to the plate
and, even though you may have no feeling of responsibility to the nation as a
whole, for the sake of your party and of your own political survival, it’s time
to jettison your support of Trump although he has hypocritically adopted the
Republican label. Is he loyal to you and your party? Does he care if you get re-elected?
Robert Reich sent out this message, which seems
to hit the nail on the head:
I've got a bridge to sell to anyone who believes Donald Trump's
claim that he fired FBI Director James Comey because Comey wasn't fair to
Hillary Clinton.
Trump fired Comey because the FBI was getting closer—by the day—to
the truth about Trump's ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign.
Just days before he was fired, Comey had asked for more resources
for the investigation. And prosecutors had just issued grand jury
subpoenas for associates of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Trump is not just a liar (although that's well established). He
may also be a traitor. And for the sake of our democracy, we need to know the
full truth.
Republicans have, to put it politely, not led the way in doing
what's necessary to protect our democracy.
When
Trump walked off in an apparent huff when questioned about his accusation that
Obama had “tapped my wires,” you certainly have to wonder again about his
mental health—also his mental acuity. In anyone else, his confusion, lack of comprehension,
and garbled vocabulary all would be signs of dementia and/or mental illness.
(Apparently his father had dementia.) Of course, for his base, it doesn’t seem
to matter what he says, does, or actually achieves—they are simply in love with
the guy and so whatever he says or does is fine by them. And Trump is in love
with himself too and apparently feeling no pain or self-doubt. Either Trump is
crazy and/or demented, or he is crazy like a fox (less likely as the days go
by), trying to throw off everyone else—all of whom he sees as adversaries. That
may be what he has been doing his whole life and either he doesn’t care for any
real connection or communication with others or he is leading a very lonely
existence. Say what you will about Hillary, she is not crazy. I think that Jared and Ivanka may have inserted
themselves into the White House partly to do damage control.
Some
Trump supporters have been thrilled at be given apparent license to express
their basest feelings, throw temper tantrums, hurt or bully others, lie, and
amass unneeded wealth, beginning with the example set by president himself and
others among his appointees who already have more money than they can actually spend.
I do think a president and other public officials should lead by example. Trump’s
supporters say he “won,” so that gives them license. He won only because of a
quirk in our laws that allowed a minority vote getter to triumph. Many of his
supporters are saying “it’s our turn,” after having long felt disenfranchised
by so-called “liberal elites.” It’s understandable that those who feel they are
in the minority would resent being ruled by a majority, but is it better that
the minority now rules over the majority and is exacting its revenge? From
what’s been happening at town halls, it does seems that the fickle electorate
and even some Trump sycophants are now turning against him and his Republican
sheep, so populism can also go the other way. If the Republican Party cannot
stand up to Trump, then they have to be defeated at the ballot box, but that
means a two-year delay while still more damage can be done. Now Trump’s possible
sexual exploits in Moscow seem trivial compared to more serious Russia charges,
the former only important in terms of their blackmail potential. While decrying
the emphasis on his collusion with Moscow, Trump apparently ends up sharing
classified information with the Russians.
As
usual, many Republican spokespersons, both in Congress and in the right-leaning
media, have bemoaned the leaks flowing
out like from a sieve rather than on the actual contents of the leaks. Does it
occur to them that the leaks are the result of genuine concern by public servants
about the unprecedented carelessness of our current president. (I bet Melania
is sick and tired of her marriage and is only sticking with it now because of
her son and maybe because she fears retribution from her husband if she should
complain at this juncture. If Trump is forced to leave office soon, maybe she
doesn’t have to move from NYC after all.)
It is
not so surprising that Mr. Trump invited Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House. Birds of a feather.
In the
May 1 issue, New Yorker editor David Remnick has written a long, thoughtful,
and scathing piece about Donald Trump and his first 100 days as president, his
history of trickery and dishonesty to get where he is, his excessive
self-inflation and lying, but what to do about him is the problem. It’s hard to
keep saying and hoping that the government will settle down to business as
usual, because obviously as long as Trump is in office, that won’t happen. The
man appears to be incapable of learning on the job or learning anything. He’s not
funny anymore.
Conservative
pundit George Will has also written
a blistering article questioning Donald Trump’s state of mind which, I hope,
will cause some Republicans to take notice and take action. As Americans, we
are pretty much at the mercy of the Republican establishment and of the
Republican Party, now holding all the reins of power. It has an obligation to
protect us that goes above party loyalty to Trump. After all, Trump evidently
feels no particular loyalty toward the Republican Party.
George F. Will: A president who
does not know what it is to know
By George F.
Will The Washington Post https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/4facf8cc-5880-3291-84bf-2d03688a0198/ss_george-f.-will%3A-a-president.html
Trump is
already warning that Sen. Elizabeth
Warren, whom he derisively calls “Pocahontas,”
may run for president in 2020. Well, I hope she will, especially if Trump is
her challenger and, this time, we will swamp him so completely in the right
states (having learned that bitter lesson from 2016) that his only defense will
be to blame “fake media,” “illegal voters,” and “voter fraud,” or maybe even
“Obama,” all favorite scapegoats, and to exit the presidential stage saying he
was absolutely the very best, most fabulous, greatest ever American president,
bar none, that our nation has ever known. He can then still travel around the
country giving speeches to his few remaining adoring supporters to stoke his
ego. (Warren, no doubt, will sew up the Native American vote, thanks to Trump’s
derisiveness toward that small, but, iconic constituency.)
Republicans
in general and Trump in particular seem to be appealing to voters’ most
vengeful and just plain mean instincts, countenancing the bullying of others by
name-calling and punishing them with new laws, whether tax, gun, or so-called
religious freedom laws. Muslims, Hispanics, gays, women, poor people, the
mentally ill, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and others are all fair
game. And voters are being deliberately misled. In Kentucky, the expansion of Obamacare or the ACA was sold to voters
as a program called “Connect,” to deliberately disassociate it from the actual
program of which it is a part. A majority of that state’s voters went for Trump
and probably have no idea that their “Connect Care” is in any way threatened by
the Republican health care plan.
Of
course, there must be some limits on what health care, whether or not publicly
supported, can provide. Potential costs are almost unlimited—limited only by
current knowledge and resources. We have already extended life perhaps beyond
optimal limits for many people. Very wealthy people are now able to invest in
cryonics, efforts to freeze their bodies after death and potentially revive
them. Also, there is a move afoot to do a “head transplant,” really, as I
understand it, a body transplant onto
someone’s head and brain. These might be seen as efforts to extend life
indefinitely and defer death, but death—I would argue—will always come sooner
or later. Over many years, accidents will inevitably happen to an individual and,
at the very least, when earth implodes at the end of eons, human beings, if any
are still left, will go with it. The whole effort to keep extending life and
deferring death, while understandable, has been taken to extremes by some
fanatical death avoiders. What about trying to live the life you now have as
well as possible? What about extending quality of life for all people, rather
than focusing on life extension for a few? And maintaining quality of life may
require some limits on how many lives Mother Earth can accommodate at any one
time. Life extension means fewer people living longer rather than more people
living shorter, but perhaps more fulfilling and productive lives. Already, with
so many dependent elderly people who are disabled and mentally challenged
having their lives extended in group care facilities, fewer resources are
available for younger people who must sustain them. At the same time, cutting
back on current levels of care and support will be felt as a deprivation, so it
may be best to proceed slowly in adding new benefits.
While
Trump’s ascendency to the US presidency might be reversible, at least so far,
Republicans have mostly been clinging to him—not breaking faith, trying to make
excuses for him, defending his obvious gaffes. With the Republican Party holding
so many political cards, it may be hard to overcome their unified hold—and by
extension—that of Donald Trump. But we must be aware and beware, learning from
the example of other nations where a leader who seems to have been elected democratically
slowly erodes democratic institutions to seize more lasting power. There are
many examples: Russia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Turkey,
just to name a few, and perhaps our country is not exempt. So, we have to keep on
pushing, even as the other side has so many advantages of money and influence.
And while I don’t think at age 79, I am the right person to enter the political
arena right now, younger folks do need to step up and not lose heart of they
are defeated on the first round. (I might actually do as well as many of them,
but ageism would defeat me.) They need to make their plans and ideas known to
voters and constituents. And I put my hope in the usual oscillation between
political extremes and the backlash that the current Trump administration might
be promoting.
Here was
a woman’s reply to Congressman Rod Blum
(R-Iowa) (perhaps referring to himself?) asking why a 62-year-old man has to support
maternity care in the health care system. By any chance, do women just spontaneously
become pregnant and cannot a 62-year-old man still impregnate a woman? It takes
two to tango.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/15/a-congressman-said-making-a-man-get-maternity-insurance-was-crazy-a-womans-reply-went-viral/?tid=sm_fb&utm_term=.62795c54b704
Meanwhile
it is no surprise to me to read that Honduran
violence especially targets women. We who are familiar with that country
already know that. When I was in the Peace Corps there, Honduran women who had
been raped and impregnated by their rapists would never dare report the rape to
the police. Instead, they just went ahead and bore the child. Do I have fear
every time I go to Honduras? Yes, and I do take precautions, but you cannot
take every precaution. Even wealthy families with servants and security guards
have their members kidnapped and killed.
I just accept the risk as part of the territory. But, at some point, I
have promised my kids that I will stop going—though not yet.
In my
writings, in speeches, and on this forum, I have said before that as an
adoptive as well as a birth parent, I am not 100% pro-choice on abortion and
that I attended the January women’s
march because of other issues. Most
of the American public wants some limits, despite Roe vs. Wade—or perhaps
because of it. A morning-after pill, no argument there—maybe even no limits on abortion
within the first trimester. After that, the question and opinions get more
nuanced and less dogmatic, in fact, most Americans do favor some limits after
three months. Hispanic voters especially, by and large, are anti-abortion.
Being pro-life is pretty well embedded in Hispanic culture, which is one reason
that the Democratic Party and candidates need to open the party’s tent to
pro-life Democrats. (Even Hillary has said they should be welcome.) http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-robert-pro-life-democrats-abortion-20170501-story.html
