Ortega’s Reckoning, Cuba, Sessions, Macron, More Gun Violence, Me-Too, Trump and Money Worship

Ever since Daniel Ortega’s comeback in Nicaragua, he’s been keeping a fairly low profile on the world stage, but, suddenly, Nicaragua is back in the news. Some estimates have put the number of deaths in the recent Nicaraguan protests as high as 34 or more, including a journalist killed on-camera. The fight has gone beyond protests over pension reductions, extending to the heavy-handed way Daniel Ortega has prolonged his presidency once back in power, including the installing of his wife as vice president. I was an election observer back in 1990 when he suffered a surprising and bitter loss to Violeta Chamorro, despite having control of the military, courts, press, and everything else in the country. He had persisted ever since to regain the presidency and did so in 2007, with only one-third of the vote, as the Nicaraguan constitution bestows the presidency on the highest vote getter, not necessarily the winner of a majority. Ortega then rigged the courts and other government agencies and changed the constitution to enable him to run indefinitely. He is now on his third consecutive term on this round. He tried to steer a less fiery course than during Sandinista days and allied himself with business owners, an alliance now fraying. Oil subsidies from Venezuela have shrunk, which has not helped his fortunes. Now, Nicaraguans are expressing their discontent. To his credit, however, Ortega has allowed the Peace Corps to work in Nicaragua.

Check out our new Amnesty International Cuba podcasts on  https://www.amnesty.org/cuba2018

The Podcasts include testimonies of ordinary Cubans about their lives in the island. The 2nd episode of the podcast series ‘Cuban Lives’ is the story of Cuban human rights defender Laritza Diversent [who also spoke at AI USA’s annual conference in Miami in 2016].

Jeff Sessions, eager to keep his job, has wisely not recused himself from the probe into Donald Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen. Sessions is clinging onto his job for dear life as his only way to remain in politics, enduring all sorts of humiliating insults from Trump who, so far, has not fired him.

Whenever Trump’s ego seems to need a boost, he goes on a campaign-type rally in front of a well-selected friendly crowd, as he did recently in Michigan. His boorish behavior gives license to his followers to follow his lead, to get revenge for what they regard as threats to their status in our country.

While many of us voters oppose the counterproductive activities of Trump and most Republican leaders, and also decry Trump’s hardcore supporters, along with Fox News (the real “fake media”) and the systemic advantages favoring Republicans, we also have ourselves to blame for not fighting hard enough and for taking for granted that since we were, and still are, so obviously “right,” that right will prevail. Overconfidence and a feeling of moral superiority on the part of Democrats and Democratic voters was a main reason why Hillary lost and why we now have a President Trump.

French President Emmanuel Macron put on a charm offensive, buttering up the easily flattered Trump in an effort to persuade him not to ditch the Iran accords. Perhaps that’s the only way to deal with Trump for the greater good of humanity and of our nation, by expressing fulsome admiration and praise since the guy has such a fragile ego—

”a spoonful of honey” as the song goes.

On a drizzly April 25 morning, I joined a crowd outside the Supreme Court protesting the latest version of the travel ban, which tacked on Venezuela and North Korea to give it the cosmetic appearance of not targeting Muslims. Reportedly, Justice Anthony Kennedy is leaning toward joining the conservative majority to uphold the ban this time, despite Trump’s desparaging comments about Muslims making his intent obvious.

 (The idea that the Supreme Ct., because of lifetime appointments, is above the fray, free of political influence, has long since been disproved.) The protest crowd was huge, snaking around the block, as curious tourists looked on. Meanwhile, Kennedy, often a swing vote on the court, will be 82 in July, and is being pressured to retire by Republicans who want to give their party still another shot at naming a Supreme Court justice. Let’s hope that Kennedy, despite his unpredictable leanings, hangs on until after the mid-term elections to prevent that from happening.

Quite apart from mass school, concert, nightclub, and workplace shootings, now there has been a gun rampage at a Waffle House. And a legal gun owner, an Ohio mother, accidentally dropped a loaded gun and killed her 2-year-old daughter. The constant repetition of such incidents has made the public kind of numb. I suspect that many more gun owners and their loved ones actually die from gun accidents, family murder/suicides, and individual suicides than ever confront a dangerous person with their gun. It’s too easy to pull the trigger on impulse or by accident. I’ve already mentioned that my son Jon, at age 11, was accidentally shot in the foot by a parents’ bedside gun dropped by another boy, an injury which thankfully did not kill him, but still plagues him today. A gun is most dangerous to the person who possess it and to their family and friends. It can be fired by a curious child (remember the mother killed in Walmart when her 2-year-old pulled a handgun out of her purse as he sat in the grocery cart?) or appropriated by a young family member intending to become a mass shooter or else stolen by someone intending harm. Countries with strict gun laws and fewer guns in circulation have fewer gun deaths. Even Switzerland, which allows considerable legal gun ownership, has stringent laws governing their use. We and our loved ones are all at risk because of the proliferation and lack of adequate gun controls in our country. Even if they aren’t actually killed, victims can still suffer lifelong injuries, like my son has. There are enough other risks in our lives—we don’t need this one. While gun advocates point out that a motor vehicle can kill people too, as has happened in Toronto and elsewhere (either accidentally or on purpose), a vehicle does provide much useful transportation, but a gun—except perhaps in the case of target shooting—is designed only to hurt or kill. The NRA is banning firearms during VP Pence’s upcoming meeting with them in Dallas—why, if guns are so protective?

I have a smidgen of sympathy for men caught unaware by the Me-Too movement. I’m old enough to remember times when sexual harassment by men of women was simply part of the culture, maybe not outright rape, but a sneaky pinch on the bottom, a too-tight hug, or a hand on a breast, as well as simply women being paid less than men in comparable positions or not being promoted at all. We didn’t complain—it was just how things were. Now, mores have changed, just as they have for the acceptance of divorce, interracial marriage and even gay marriage, pot-smoking, and being unchurched. Some guys were caught in the transition for activities they had indulged in before the full-blown change. As women, we allowed men license and now that such license has become unfashionable, we are complaining after the fact. I don’t mean to downplay the Me-Too movement; it is way overdue. But some men question being called out for behavior that was accepted at the time.   

In my old age, I’m wondering how we have come to so admire and value money accumulation? It’s understandable that everyone needs a basic income for food, clothing, and shelter, as well as for medical care, transportation, and even some extra for fun. Yet, the most important life values are human connections, physical wellbeing, and basic security. Surveys have shown that beyond a certain amount--in the US, about $75,000--an increase in income doesn’t add to life satisfaction. But does it then add to prestige or feelings of superiority? Why else do folks, especially men, seek to accumulate large amounts of money in the bank or in investments, something which, after all, is rather abstract, not a concrete benefit? Is it for bragging rights? Is it to compensate for evident personal deficits, perhaps the motivation behind Trump’s boasting about his wealth, while also making sure no one finds out exactly how much (or little) he really has? Maybe Trump hopes that seeming to be rich will make up for his feelings of inferiority because of his evident deficiencies in intelligence, personality, judgment, and appearance, especially in relation to Barack Obama, someone actually quite competent and with (gasp!) African ancestry? Trump is getting his revenge now as president by making often cruel and arbitrary decisions that willfully hurt others, justified by a veneer of political legitimacy. While some individuals seek to settle scores and overcome feelings of inferiority with guns or by driving vehicles into pedestrians, Trump uses the powers of the presidency to do the same against his perceived rivals and so many other, mostly aggrieved and marginalized men, identify with him and cheer him on. It’s a sorry, mutually reinforcing, situation.   

Summit of the Americas, Cuba, State’s Human Rights Report, Colombia, Nicaragua, Wheelchairs, More Bhutan Visitors, Traveler’s Circle, Taxes, Midway Island, Purposeful Activity

Neither Donald Trump nor Raul Castro attended the Summit of the Americas

OAS secretary general: 'We cannot allow the Cuban people to continue to be oppressed'

The secretary general of the Organization of American States urged participating governments at the VIII Summit of the Americas to put more pressure on Cuba and “not allow a convenient indifference in the face of a dictatorial situation.” “We cannot allow the Cuban people to continue to be oppressed by an infamous dictatorship, a dictatorship that carries the weight of decades of human rights violations … tortures and executions. We cannot allow that,” Luis Almagro said Thursday during a gathering organized by two organizations, Victims of Communism and CubaDecide. “We have to be faithful to fundamental ethical values.” (Miami Herald, April 13, 2018)

The passing of the Cuban presidency on to Miguel Diaz-Canel represents an historic shift away from the Castros, but probably won’t make much difference, especially as long as Raul Castro is still alive and heading up the overarching Communist Party. Diaz-Canel, even if he wanted to, would not dare stray very far from Communist orthodoxy.

I wrote my Confessions book to make the case, through the example of my own life, not only that unsung people like me and you are integral to the social and political fabric, but that governments and political leaders should be judged by what they do and its impact on others, not by political or partisan labels. Fidel Castro for decades tried to depict his regime as caring about the little guy by ostensibly providing food, health care, and education to all citizens, yet alleging relentless ideological attacks by the mighty USA/ Goliath. Actually, Fidel was the greater ideologue. Barack Obama, for all his many thoughtful policies, did go somewhat overboard in accommodating Havana, as did members of the Democratic Party, who followed in lockstep, posing for photo-ops shaking hands with Raul Castro and shunning Cuba’s genuine democracy and human rights activists. The US Embassy in Havana, which had allowed democracy activists to send secure e-mail via its computers, no longer allowed them access, instead reserving the computers for students selected by the regime. Except for MLKing associate Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the Congressional Black Caucus has shunned afro-Cuban rights’ activists out of a misplaced loyalty to Fidel.

Fully expecting Hillary Clinton to assume the presidency, I wrote my book, hoping to persuade “progressive” folks to hold Raul Castro to the same standard as any other head-of-state. I also wrote a series of Cuba-themed on-line articles in Huffington Post and Democracia Participativa. With a friend who had donated to Hillary’s running mate Tim Kaine’s campaign, I was planning to make my pitch to one of his staff members, whose name my friend had been given. I’d also scheduled a talk on my Cuba/Latin America book for the day after the election at the Chappaqua public library in the very town where Hillary lived. I had hoped to influence someone close to Clinton. Of course, only 8 people showed up to my talk and they were definitely downhearted and understandably not very fired up about Cuba or Latin America. So that plan backfired. We all know that Donald Trump took office instead and that Cuba has subsequently largely faded from the world scene. Contrary to what Fidel so relentlessly invoked and Trump’s own emphasis on personal loyalty only to himself, we should never pledge loyalty to any political leader. A leader needs to earn our trust, not demand it before the fact.

Speaking of loyalty, Trump, the accidental president, is giving James Comey’s book a big boost by trying to trash it. He would have been smarter to have just ignored it or dismissed it with few words. Now that Trump is on the warpath against still another well researched and carefully worded book criticizing him (so far, best sellers by Hillary, Wolff, and now Comey), he is likely to take out his vengeance, as before, by hurting vulnerable people who have a hard time fighting back: immigrants, American Muslims, Medicaid and food stamp recipients, and federal employees. Since Trump himself is illiterate, it would be hard for him to rebut his accusers with his own memoir because the only folks willing to write it for him are discredited political hacks and he would be likely to get himself into even more hot water by lying on the printed page. I’ve been allowing one rightwing website into my in-box, just to see how that thinking goes, but now they, like the Democratic sites, are starting to metastasize, so it may be best to shut them all down. All sides use emergency language and, of course, ask for money, money, money. 

Before they married, James Comey’s wife, Patrice, was a Peace Corps volunteer in a remote village in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Comey, visited her there and became very ill with malaria, so she took him to the hospital in the middle of the night, which saved his life. 

Facebook seems to have become extra careful now, asking for a password before allowing access.

Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, the State Dept. human rights report this year has many omissions, among them no mention of the DR’s anti-Haitian-descendants’ policy—that is, its policy of considering anyone whose antecedents came to the DR after 1929 to be a non-citizen—something, in fact, applied only to Haitian descendants. This year’s State Dept. Human Rights Report has many critics, including those of us with Amnesty International.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/20/state-department-human-rights-report-changes-540776

I graduated from high school in Bogotá, Colombia, many years ago and also have an adopted son born in Colombia, so have strong connections to Colombia. Colombia may have celebrated the signing of peace accords between the government and FARC rebels and paramilitary factions, but peace does not yet reign. Two defenders of the post-war rights of civilians caught in the crossfire and still suffering the effect of the civil war are now making a US tour and met with some of us at the Amnesty Int’l USA DC office: Ofelia Castillo of Tierra Patria in Cartagena and Sandra Bermúdez of Bogotá. Many rural Colombians and ethnic minorities have not been afforded justice or allowed to return to their ancestral lands.  

Here’s a statement related to their efforts from Amnesty International’s website: Amnesty International has denounced the lack of comprehensive protection of rights defenders and their families and urged the Colombian authorities to introduce measures to guarantee the protection of civilians and to dismantle paramilitary groups. Our campaign Unprotected Peace advocates for improved protection measures for communities at risk but it will highlight the alarming situation of Human Rights Defenders attacks in Colombia and the lack of effective protection mechanisms. In the context of Colombian presidential election, the campaign will promote dialogue about this issue in the electoral debate in Colombia and will help showcase the dire situation HRDs in Colombia now face. For more information on Amnesty International research and campaigns: 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/search/?country=38284

Nicaragua (again, a matter of my personal interest as I’ve been many times and was an election observer there in 1990)—at last count, 10 protesters were reported killed;

Amnesty International press released on attacks against peaceful protesters: https://www.amnesty.org/es/latest/news/2018/04/nicaragua-authorities-must-protect-the-peoples-right-to-protest/

Finally, with the invaluable help of my friend Dave, who has a car, in two roundtrips, we were able to take the four wheelchairs donated to me with missing footrests to the Salvation Army warehouse in Virginia. The Salvation Army has quite an organized system for drop-off and seems to have an army of volunteers and/or employees taking charge of donations. After I had been given those somewhat vintage wheelchairs, as mentioned previously, finding the right footrests for each proved too daunting and, instead, I just ended up ordering and taking a brand new wheelchair to Honduras last Feb. In Honduras, there would have been even less possibility of replacing the missing footrests, so as long as continue traveling to Honduras, I will take a new wheelchair. 

GONE!!




My two Bhutan (female) visitors had two (male) short-term visitors from their office whom felt I could not accommodate, having become less tolerant of confusion in my old age. I insisted they stay at a nearby Air B&B, though they did come over to eat at our house and gave me a jar of Bhutanese honey. 

The population of the whole country of Bhutan (a small, isolated traditional Buddhist kingdom) is the same as that of Washington, DC, so here you see a fairly good portion of the Bhutanese population right with me in my living room. 

Recently, had the good fortune to reunite with some old buddies from a travel story-telling group called Traveler’s Circle, including with our original organizer Mark, who drove all the way from Vermont. Here are a few Traveler’s Circle friends at our reunion just as the party was getting underway. 

Traveler's Circle reunion, 2018

I did file for an extension and paid my estimated taxes on time, planning as usual to finally file in October, as I do every year. My taxes, though not huge, are complicated, as I'm self-employed.

My daughter Stephanie is now doing biology research on Midway Island, of WWII fame, at the tail end of the Hawaiian chain. It has pretty much reverted to its natural state, so is a gold mine for biology research. It’s so far from Oahu that it took them 4 days to even get there (a thousand miles from Oahu, I believe) and she is incommunicado now on that island until mid-May.

Son Jonathan is slowly getting used to having lost his left index finger.

In my prayers, I ask “Deliver us from evil,” and you know what evil I’m referring to. Yet, despite the many challenges to human life here on earth and even in our own small corner of Washington, DC, I’m grateful that at my age (never mind how many years!) to still have such a full and rich personal life, still able to remain engaged and productive and fairly mobile while having no car and, more importantly, despite the many tragedies I have endured and the numerous ongoing challenges I now face. It’s also gratifying to have this forum as a sort of personal diary to document the salient events of my life and to share them with a few self-selected readers, including members of my own family. I learned a lesson from working for 16 years at the American Occupational Therapy Association, namely that everyone seeks their own subjectively defined “purposeful activity.” I’ve taken that lesson to heart.

Foreign Adoptions, Trump: How Long?, Orban, UAE Prisoner, Colombia

Intercountry adoption has just become too difficult now because initially well-intentioned child protection efforts have stifled it and made it excessively time-consuming and costly. Just getting an adoption agency certified to approve international adoptions under the so-called Hague Convention has provided adoption certifiers with a new lucrative business. A local adoption agency, Holy Child Support Services, on whose board I served for many years, has now closed its doors as a result. We gave up. This is one instance where I would agree that red tape and regulations have gone overboard to the detriment of those intended to be protected. The former head of that agency and I have been trying for more than 2 years to help a now-adult adoptee and her husband adopt an overseas child themselves, even one somewhat older and with possible medical problems. The wife herself was adopted from Vietnam years ago with medical problems due to an unknown attack during the war, so she is open to such an adoption. But she and her husband have not had success so far. She works in preschool education, so has lots of experience with children. There is no lack of kids in other countries needing parents; it's just that the costs and protections have put that option out of reach for many prospective parents. This is one area where well-meant measures have definitely gummed up the works.

While the attack against alleged chemical weapons facilities in Syria may have been justified, it has also allowed Trump to turn public attention away from his usual misdeeds. By sticking to his prepared script in announcing the strike, he managed to seem almost presidential. However, he is hardly exonerated.

Without going into details, as they are far too many and well-known, not only is Donald Trump an ignoramus, trickster, atrocious speller, and a bully, he’s also mean and vindictive. He has shown no ability to learn or to reform, so the only solution is to remove him from office, the sooner, the better. No one can trust him and trust is the essential glue in all human relations. Pence seems to have mostly faded into the woodwork, not that he is someone to particularly admire, but he is more steady and predictable. The handlers who might have held Trump somewhat in check seem to have been swept aside. He’s no longer listening to them or sticking to the script—very scary. He’s feeling invulnerable, not listening to anyone, no brakes. Too bad about his equally misinformed and mean-spirited core supporters. When will they realize that Trump is no longer the bold outsider attacking the establishment—that he is the establishment? They’ve had their day in the sun, so now let the majority of Americans re-assert ourselves for the greater good of our country and the world. I do hope, despite big money and gerrymandering, that enough sane voters will come out in the mid-terms to overcome those formidable obstacles. We gave Trump his chance and he blew it. But we still have to work tirelessly against him and his Republican allies. We cannot assume that just because he is so stupid and misguided that he will automatically lose, as we did so complacently in 2016.

Certainly, having Trump in the US presidency has been interesting, a new surprise every single day. What will that crazy guy do or tweet about next? But it’s more than wishful thinking to predict that his days are numbered and that his reputation as our nation’s worst president will go down forever in history. Melania will soon be liberated. Just as his own support was a backlash against Obama, a giant backlash is now building up against Trump. James Comey’s book should help speed up the process, though, of course, diehard supporters will always stick by Trump.

The oscillation of the political pendulum brings correction from the extremes. Who could have predicted gay and even transgender rights? Even traditionist Costa Rica has elected a president favoring gay marriage. And what about the “me-too” movement that is upending gender norms? Socialized myself as a compliant female back in the day, I find me-too invigorating in my old age. And so, even the mighty NRA will eventually have to pull back. And Trump’s antics have been losing their shine, especially now as he ignores his handlers and creates economic and political chaos like a naughty child disobeying his parents. Nothing lasts forever. Trump has shaken things up, so now it’s time for rebuilding in a brand new way. Of course, any forward movement (progress?) will see its own fits and starts and experience a backlash against the backlash, but society and our political system will evolve clumsily and haltingly beyond the Trump era. It will be a relief to have left Trump behind.

Would-be candidates and websites trying to collect money and signatures to oppose Trump have metastasized. Early on, I signed onto and even reposted some appeals on Facebook. But now there are just too many and some of their aims are suspect, often seeming to be trying to drum up support and money in the name of opposing Trump when the connection to that aim is not so obvious. I do open and read some of these unsolicited messages, including even regular messages from a rightwing website, which, fortunately, is the only one I’m getting—must have clicked on something to give it my e-mail address. I could always send most of these appeals and commentaries to “spam,” but I like to skim the headlines.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox has created a clever t-shirt beating the inscription “Can’t Build a Wall if Your Hands Are Too Small,” showing a diapered baby Trump playing with blocks.

Viktor Orban of Hungary was a big election winner, to the despair of my Hungarian student housemate, who voted at her embassy. He ran on an anti-immigrant platform, even though few immigrants are actually trying to live in Hungary. 

As for Facebook, like everything else (the internet in general, and virtually every imaginable item, idea, or activity), it carries both benefits and risks, but often we are so enamored of the benefits, we fail to guard against or even notice the risks. Now the day of reckoning has come for Facebook. 

A private Saudi women-only fashion show has been held, a first in that hermetic kingdom. However, private events for women are a regular part of life even among strict Muslims. I remember attending an Islamic wedding shower for women only on Kenya’s Lamu Island. Hundreds of women gathered under a tent, all flashing jewelry, body-hugging fashions, and elaborate hairdos. Nail polish, perfume, and lipstick were prominently in evidence. The women greeted each other warmly with hugs and kisses on the cheek. The bride, who sat up on a throne-like podium, opened each gift brought by the guests with much fanfare. Then each gift was passed around among the guests who oohed and awed over each item, especially the frilly underwear and sexy negligees. So much for the secret life of austere Muslim women.

Focusing on a less savory aspect of the Muslim world, at meeting of my local Amnesty International Group 211, we were joined by a visiting Amnesty member from Seattle, drawing our attention to the anniversary of the second imprisonment in the UAE of her personal friend, Ahmed Mansoor. Below is a photo of them together. 

This is from the AI USA website: One year ago, on 20 March 2017, prominent Emirati human rights defender and blogger Ahmed Mansoor, was arrested at his home. His whereabouts remain unverified despite a February mission by Irish lawyers to Abu Dhabi to find him. He remains without access to a lawyer. He is a prisoner of conscience.                                                                                                       

While I have mostly focused on the Caribbean through my 14-year volunteer position with Amnesty International USA, as well as on Honduras, my former Peace Corps country, I have not forgotten about Colombia, where I lived for two years with my family until age 16, when I went away to college. Thanks to my time there and attending a local private girls’ school (where I felt unduly restricted), I was able to master Spanish, which has served me well, both in the Peace Corps and my continuing work in Honduras and also as an on-call Spanish interpreter. My most important connection to Colombia is through my son Jonathan, who was born there and adopted at age one. The last time both Jon and I were back in Colombia was when he was 11 years old. At my urging, recently. when he was still living in Hawaii, he took a college course in Spanish, but only got a “B” because he really didn’t have much opportunity to speak Spanish there, though his accent is quite good when he does talk. That is a roundabout way to introduce two human rights activists from Colombia whom I met at a session held at the DC Amnesty International office. While Colombia may have celebrated the signing of peace accords between the government and FARC and para military factions, peace does not yet reign. Two defenders of the post-war rights of civilians caught in the crossfire and still suffering the effect of the war are making a US tour: Ofelia Castillo of Tierra Patria in Cartagena and Sandra Bermudez of Bogota. Many rural Colombians and ethnic minorities have not been afforded justice or allowed to return to their ancestral lands.

Amnesty International has denounced the lack of comprehensive protection of rights defenders and their families and urged the Colombian authorities to introduce measures to guarantee the protection of civilians and to dismantle paramilitary groups. Our campaign Unprotected Peace advocates for improved protection measures for communities at risk but it will highlight the alarming situation of Human Rights Defenders attacks in Colombia and the lack of effective protection mechanisms. In the context of Colombian presidential election, the campaign will promote dialogue about this issue in the electoral debate in Colombia and will help showcase the dire situation HRDs in Colombia now face. For more information on Amnesty International research and campaigns: ttps://www.amnesty.org/en/search/?country=38284nsL https://www.amnesty.org/en/search/?country=38284