Finally, there was a temporary end to the
temporary government shutdown. (Of course, everything in life is temporary,
including Trump’s presidency, thank goodness.) Trump must be upset that a mere woman, Nancy Pelosi, has outmaneuvered him on “the wall.” That wall
and MAGA hats have become unwelcome symbols for Trump himself, which is why
many of us react viscerally to them. “The wall” fight is not so much about a physical
barrier or the MAGA hat but that they represent everything we reject about the
man himself. “Wall” support is stronger with Trump’s base in the Midwest than
along the actual US-Mexico border. And Trump himself is a bigger national
security threat than refugees and asylum seekers arriving at the border. Since
probably more drugs and even people enter the US illegally by sea (who knows actually
how many?), depriving the Coast Guard of pay, even temporarily, was not such a
wise move.
When Trump started to give his State of the Union address, I turned
off my radio, because I just could not stand to hear him. In snippets rebroadcast
later, it sounded like he stuck to the teleprompter. He called for “unity,” meaning
“do it my way.”
·
My terrible day was also
something temporary, like the temporary government shutdown and,
eventually, mercifully, the Trump administration. But it was quite challenging.
Because of high winds and rain, I left early for an interpretation assignment for
a therapy session at a private home. I needed to take 2 metros and a bus and
walk several blocks to an address in NW DC. On the way to Eastern Market metro,
right off the bat, a fierce wind turned my umbrella inside out, wrecking it, so
I trashed it. An hour later, after walking to the address battered by freezing rain
with no umbrella and climbing up 2 sets of stairs with no railings to the
designated residence (only house on that hilly block with no stair rails), the
mother of the child to receive therapy greeted me at the front door, telling me
she doubted the therapist was coming. She showed me a text message (in English)
on her phone: "Sorry, have to cancel today. Will re-schedule.” So, I
turned around with the icy rain in my face and walked gingerly back downstairs,
then traversed a few blocks to wait outside for the bus back to the metro
station. I arrived home wet and cold to the bone. Is this what I signed up for when I
agreed to become an on-call Spanish interpreter?
I almost never agree with anything done by
the Trump administration, and usually oppose the US putting its thumb on the
scales, especially in Latin America. But after helping Venezuelan asylum
seekers, I do agree that it is past time for a change of government in Venezuela, a government that has
brought death, repression, and economic ruin to a once prosperous nation. No
one knows if the US tactic of recognizing an alternative president will work
without leading to more bloodshed, but some other countries are following suit by
recognizing the opposition, while Russia and China have redoubled their support
of Maduro. It would not be prudent for the US to intervene militarily, which
would only increase sympathy for Maduro, and I would hope that isn’t being
considered. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get Trump to step down voluntarily, as well as Maduro? Of course, any
change of leadership in Venezuela will have an immediate effect on Cuba, which relies heavily on the
Maduro government for moral support and oil.
Trump seems not to be particularly
enjoying his presidency, though he did beat the odds in achieving it. He
reportedly spends much of his day occupied with “executive time,” that is, just
being left alone and uninterrupted while he watches TV or naps. Luck and sheer bravado
seem to have propelled him forward. He is an unattractive, lazy, and
emotionally and mentally challenged guy who happened to have had a rich father who
taught him some dirty tricks and how to take advantage of odd flukes that opened
up opportunities. Donald’s blatant lies and cheating are almost breathtaking,
yet he pushes forward without apparent regret, shame, or empathy. Even efforts
by staff and confidants to curb his excesses seem fairly ineffective as he
often simply ignores them or contradicts them publicly. He likes being an
outlaw and having someone like that in the presidency has been nearly catastrophic.
Nonetheless, a fairly steady economy and some external controls (laws, courts,
political opponents), as well as some internal controls that we cannot see,
have kept him somewhat in check for now. But Vladimir Putin, who has known Trump for years, must be chuckling to
himself about how well his schemes have worked out to undermine the US with
nary a shot being fired, inflicting damage even beyond his wildest dreams.
Donald Trump is clownish, ridiculous figure. Almost
a caricature, whom most people around the world cannot take seriously, but to
whom they must defer because of his position. He lies so much that even his
followers don’t believe much of what he says. I am now reading Bob Woodward’s book Fear:
Trump in the White House, Trump has been good for book publishers, also
for news outlets. A record number of tell-all books have come out of the
churning vortex of the White House staff, but Trump scarcely recalls meeting any
of their authors.
Donald
Trump
has also indicated that he hardly knew Roger
Stone, just like he barely knew Michael
Cohen. As for women to whom he has paid thousands of dollars to keep
quiet about sex, he’s never even met them. I’d thought that George W. Bush was our worst modern
president, but I was wrong.
Though I’m hardly a fan of Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos, as the mother
myself of sons/grandsons, as well as of daughters, I don’t think that men
should automatically be deemed sexual aggressors whenever they are accused. Probably
regarding human behavior in the aggregate, nothing is 100% true or false. While
most sexual assault accusations by women against men are true (and most are
never reported), a few outliers may actually be malicious or false and some may
even be ambiguous. If the me-too
movement is now changing the view of acceptable romantic overtures and sexual
consent, then a new consensus needs to be forged. Men and women will continue
to seek out romantic and sexual partnerships, so what are the new rules of the
game? Just asking someone to go out on a date should not be construed as sexual
harassment, assuming it’s not overly persistent or tied to a job. There still
needs to be some acceptable system of give-and-take to bring men and women
together romantically.
Even a man I had met and admired (even for
his swimming prowess, see him in my Confessions book), namely, former
Nobel laureate and Costa Rican president Oscar
Arias, has not been exempt from sexual assault allegations.
Sirley
Avila is a woman from a rural community in
central Cuba. She had spoken out on
behalf of school children and had her left hand severed by a machete and had other
serious injuries inflicted for her trouble. She has been living in exile in south
Florida for the last two years. Just now, she dared make her first return trip
to Cuba to be with her very ill mother and was able to come back without
incident. I had written about her previously in the Huffington Post. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-revolution-with-promise_b_9801712.html
While some Democratic lawmakers are calling
for more taxes on the wealthy, there
will obviously be strong resistance to any such efforts. After all, didn’t
business leaders and wealthy individuals just push through a big tax break mainly
for themselves? Even the poor may identify with rich folks, aspiring or
dreaming of becoming just like them in a mythical future, imagining living in a
nirvana where their every whim is satisfied. Of course, the uber wealthy don’t
actually have problem-free lives nor can most people ever expect to achieve that
economic status, but such hopes do fuel the purchase of lottery tickets and
gambling. It has been found that after Americans achieve an annual income in the $75,000-plus range, their sense of
wellbeing and life satisfaction are not measurably enhanced by higher incomes.
At the same time, I am well aware that
so-called “socialist” nations like the USSR, Mao’s China, Eastern Germany,
Cuba, and, now, Venezuela, have miserably failed most citizens. “Socialism” encompasses a wide range of
definitions, but it does not have to go as far as in the examples cited. Most
desirable is a more moderate redistribution providing health and social services,
as in Nordic countries, which have high taxes together with businesses
operating along conventional capitalist lines. Trickle-down economics has been
proven ineffective. Nor have Trump’s tax cuts have substantially increased
investment. Instead, corporations and wealthy people seem to mostly be holding
onto their wealth or parking it offshore.
What
does government owe to its citizens and residents? Safety above all.
After that, what about basic food, medical care, education, and housing? Those
are considered key and are provided or guaranteed by a number of advanced
nations. What about legal aid for the indigent? What about parental leave,
higher education, and internet as proposed by some lawmakers? Where do
government guarantees go too far? What should be left to charity, family and
neighbors, or personal initiative? These matters are all up for discussion and
debate.
Va. Governor
Ralph Northam may well have moved on since a racist photo was posted in his
medical school yearbook, but he was no callow youth at the time. Whether or not
he actually appears in the photo, it was still posted on his page. And however
progressive he may have become since, his tone-deaf citing of his appearance in
blackface as Michael Jackson only worsened his position. Yet, now his African
American Lt. Governor and Attorney General are also tainted. If all three were resign,
then a Republican would be next in line, so I guess they should all remain in office,
since they are not resigning anyway. Maybe the furor will blow over, but
certainly their standing has been diminished.
Here’s an article about the abortion debate that expresses much of
my own perspective, as both a birth and an adoptive parent. No, I don’t think
we should consider every fertilized ovum, every embryo, a “person,” though it
could become one. But where a fetus has developed sensations, especially pain,
and could survive outside the womb, then abortion would be killing it (or,
rather, killing him or her). Can a consensus emerge on this contentious issue?
Okay, folks, I am now off to Honduras on my annual volunteer humanitarian and medical
brigade mission. Will report back here after my return.
