Above, Mother's Day in W Va. where son Jonathan lives,
myself here with him and daughter Melanie. Daughter Stephanie
in Hawaii sent a package that included a live orchid.
[Apologies for any odd spacing, cannot seem to fix it.]
My visitors from Bhutan
and Nepal have graduated
from a certificate program
at George Washington U. law school. The
young man from Bhutan appears with me here.
Not having a TV set or ever having watched TV, I’ve been completely out of the cultural loop on “Game of Thrones.”
May more billionaires follow the lead of Morehouse College commencement speaker Robert Smith in paying off student loans (hint here to Donald Trump).
Southland
College Prep Charter High School is sending all its seniors to college in the
fall.
It’s rare for a school to do that, especially one where almost all the students
are African American. But the south suburban Richton Park, Illinois, charter
school is doing it again for the sixth year in a row. Southland’s student body
is more than 90% African American. All 116 students in the senior class are
graduating this month. The students have collectively earned more than $50
million in scholarships, according to school officials.
Hooray! The U.S. House of Representatives
will take up a vote on D.C. statehood next
week – the first time the chamber has
voted on the issue in more than 25 years.
Ninety-four-year-old
former President Jimmy Carter, the
longest-lived former president, fell and broke his hip when he was getting
ready to go out hunting wild turkeys. Carter, as I have said before in these
pages and in my books, was someone I have known and talked with on several
occasions, but not lately. I do wish him a speedy recovery. Hip fractures are
not uncommon among older folks and often are a death knell, but Carter has
excellent care and, like Ronald Reagan,
who also broke a hip in his 90’s, I would expect him to recover.
Good idea for migrants being
sent to Florida: Broward County
Mayor Mark Bogen said, “I would suggest that we bring them to the Trump hotels and ask the president to
open his heart and home.”
News headline: KARMA ALERT: Trump Appeal
Now Goes To Court Headed By Merrick Garland.
Savvy businessman? Trump fired back at the New York Times after the newspaper obtained his state tax returns from 1985
to 1994, showing that his businesses lost more than $1 billion during that period. According to the Times, Trump lost more money than nearly any other taxpayer in the
country. Trump lost so much during those years, the paper added, “he was able
to avoid paying income taxes for eight of the 10 years.” (Ordinary taxpayers like you
and me cannot say the same.) So, Trump’s wealth and business savvy are fake news. No
wonder he wanted his tax returns kept secret! He is a fake billionaire and probably a tax cheat like Nixon as well, but
on a much grander scale. No wonder he has been trying to keep his tax returns
and financial records secret! The emperor has no clothes and he may yet run our
economy into the ground as well. Will his base still support him, simply dismissing his new tax
information more “fake news”? He is the true king of fake news, taking
advantage of his bully pulpit to spread it. He deflects attention from himself
by accusing his opponents of doing precisely what he is doing.
Trump voters and supporters
have made the point that Democrats have acted arrogantly toward them,
disparaging their intelligence (“deplorables”) and acting like superior
know-it-alls. But read any Republican oriented on-line or print publication to
see very snarky disparaging labels put on Democrats and the “Democrat” Party,
accusing them of “socialism” and of wanting a police state like that of Stalin,
Castro, and Mao. But usually Democrats don’t express hurt feelings as
Republicans do. Rather,
to the extent that Democratic lawmakers might be considered socialists, they
envision socialism along Scandinavian lines, that is, with private profitmaking
enterprises existing alongside generous social and governmental benefits (and
high taxes).
With
Trump in the presidency, our country has let the fox into the henhouse or else
we (some of us anyway) have clutched the viper to our bosom. With one hand, he
gave a big tax cut to the wealthy who contributed to his candidacy while
recouping some of those losses through tariffs being paid by American
consumers. Meanwhile, the national debt has soared and there is talk of cutting
Medicaid, food stamps, and social security.
Being a leader means
being able to make decisions for a group, organization, nation, or the world that
others have confidence in and will follow. With Trump in charge, his orders are
not always carried out because it often becomes evident to his immediate
subordinates that his decisions are dangerous, blatantly misguided, or wrong.
The problem with Trump being thrust into a leadership role is not only that he
is breathtakingly ignorant on very simple matters, large and small, but he seems
to believe that he knows more than the experts in any field. Then when his
decisions go array, he blames others, or else the media for distortion. He tries
to act presidential, but ends up as a parody. Comics have quite a challenge
making fun of him, since he is already doing a pretty good job himself. Most of
us could better in the presidency than he has done.
In contrast, Nancy
Pelosi seems to be an effective and thoughtful political leader with a
long-term perspective. She wants to avoid or stall talk of impeachment or
censure to avoid riling up Trump supporters.
Trump is such an impulsive and thoughtless decision maker
that when the totally foreseeable bad outcomes of his decisions come to pass,
as with the China trade war, he now proposes subsidies for farmers predictably
impacted by his hasty decision, as he is starting to worry about losing their
votes in 2020. But farmers are saying,
“We want trade, not aid.” And what about helping not only farmers but consumers
too? What about the growing national debt? Even white men without a college
education might now start questioning their knee-jerk support. And once the
tide begins to turn against Mr. Trump and his base starts losing faith, it
could become an avalanche. He seems to be aware of that and looking toward
2020, has reversed his steel and aluminum tariffs and made a clumsy stab at
immigration reform in a plan crafted by his son-in-law. After being such an
unpopular president and having lost the popular vote by such a wide margin, he
would have to do a lot to gain the trust of the majority. Now, his off-the-cuff
and hollow efforts are probably too little and too late, despite the still
strong economy. The tariff war with China has already cost consumers more than
the relief afforded by tax reform. Trump’s base has grown very little since
he’s been in office.
As the field of Democratic presidential contenders continue
to grow, we are losing count. How many are there now? It seems to be 24 or 25 at
the moment. Each probably feels he or she would be a slam dunk over Trump.
Meanwhile, they can raise their own political profile and the issues they care
about and henceforth put “2020 presidential candidate” on their resume.
Four American tourists
and their Canadian pilot died in a small plane crash off the northern Caribbean islands of Honduras. https://www.yahoo.com/news/4-americans-1-canadian-die-small-plane-crash-184408245.html
Now,
even Mexico’s initial welcome to
migrants seems to be wearing thin. https://nypost.com/2019/05/06/guatemalan-migrants-have-mexico-facing-a-border-crisis-of-its-own/
In
Nicaragua, a jailed American protester has been
killed in a scuffle with guards.
When it comes to changing governance in Venezuela and Cuba (and Nicaragua), I
am closer to this administration’s goals there than on anything else, but not
necessarily on the tactics being used. The current leadership of those
countries is overdue to be replaced according to my considerable personal and
human rights experience. However, the lukewarm support on US Venezuela policy from
traditional allies probably stems from negativity around the world toward Trump
and anything his administration is trying to do, regardless of its possible
merit.
Now,
instead of the “special period” of
scarcity experienced in the 1990’s during my Cuba visits, it’s being called the “exceptional period.”
On a Spanish language on-line news service (CubaNet), accusations (speculations?)
have appeared that the Cuban regime, instead of helping Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez with his health problems,
actually made them worse. When he went to Havana for treatment, it is alleged
that his condition was deliberately aggravated so that the more malleable Nicolas Maduro could be brought on
board, a man who would then be totally beholden to the Cubans. Chavez was not a
good guy and was ruthlessly repressive—I have known credible victims of his
government’s tactics—but Maduro has been even worse and has never enjoyed as
much popular support. However, it would be an almost fatal blow to the Cuban regime, now in power for more
than 60 years, and also to Ortega in
Nicaragua, if Maduro should fall and Guaidó took
over. And, yes, it would be a feather in Trump’s cap if that should happen, and
then I could finally give his administration credit for achieving something
positive. We should hope that the Maduro regime will not last
as long as the Castros in Cuba
During the Venezuelan political standoff, water
and electricity had been turned off at the embassy
in Washington, while 4 American Maduro supporters remained holed up inside.
Jesse Jackson brought them food. Outside,
Venezuelan exiles, Guaidó supporters, created a protective ring around the embassy. Finally, the saga
ended with the arrest of the “trespassers.”
Since Parkland #sinceparkland, nearly 1,200
American kids and teens have been killed by guns with all their names listed by
the Miami Herald, miamiherald.com/sinceparkland
Another was just killed. Six early teen boys were at a sleepover in Illinois when one
shot and killed another, he said by accident. I imagine it was like with my
younger son, that the boy hosting the others found his father's gun and, while
playing around, shot and killed his friend. It could have happened to my son,
who was 11 at the time, but he was only shot in the foot. I would like to see a
comparison of accidental or malicious gun killings put side-by-side with a list
of people whose lives were saved by “a good guy with a gun.”
There
have been far too many school shootings in the US and too many shootings
overall, accidental or otherwise. Fatal shootings have become an epidemic. If a
distraught or disturbed 9-year-old can get access to a gun and kill his mother,
as happened in Michigan, then there are too many guns in circulation. The tide
of public opinion seems to be turning against the NRA and its relentless parroting of the “Second Amendment right to bear arms.” Death threats made by self-declared
NRA members against gun control advocates
have called into question the NRA’s tax-exempt status.
DC Councilmember Grasso proposed an extra property tax for
“mansions,” houses assessed at over $1 million. That would put a crimp in sales
of DC properties, I would imagine. And what about old timers like myself, with
50 years on Capitol Hill? Does he want us to be displaced? Our property taxes
are already very high. https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dc-councilmember-grosso-proposing-a-mansion-tax/15375
The
call for a sex boycott (of whom by
whom?) if Georgia doesn’t change its
new abortion proposal is a little puzzling, since a sex boycott would
effectively limit demand for abortions.
If
even evangelical leader Pat Robertson
says Alabama’s anti-abortion bill
goes too far, that’s saying something. (No one has promoted sanctioning a woman
who seeks an abortion, only the doctor who performs one.) Maybe the Alabama bill
was enacted as a test case to see how far curbs might be able to go. But with
abortion inducing pills available in the early stages, probably even in
Alabama, there is little risk of a return to coat hangers. Of course, as I’ve
said before, as both an adoptive and a birth mother, with my American adopted
children born before Roe, I am well aware
that they probably would not have been born if that decision had been in effect
then. So I am more ambivalent about abortion rights than many women. When Roe
was enacted, the matter may not have been totally thought-out or knowledge may
have been incomplete then, with more about fetal development known now. There
seems to be majority support for first trimester abortions, so there is little
argument about that part of Roe (except maybe in Alabama), but it may be time
to rethink practices after that. In addition to having known functioning
second-trimester-born children and having felt second-trimester movements
myself, I heard an interview with a woman working at Planned Parenthood who quit
after she saw on an ultrasound the fetus seemingly trying to evade the extricating
tool during an abortion. And 2nd or even 3rd trimester
abortions deemed necessary because of severe fetal abnormalities, that is, any
abortion when the fetus has sensation, should be done humanely, in the form of
euthanasia, perhaps with a lethal dose of a sedative or anesthetic. I’ve seen
many discussions of situations justifying a late-term abortion, but never any
mention of the means. There have been perhaps erroneous reports of crushing the
skull and extracting the organs and tissues for transplantation or
experimentation, or is that just anti-abortion propaganda?
At
the same time, a fertilized ovum prior
to implantation is just a potential life, not an actual one. It might be
held in frozen limbo for years; it might not implant; and it might even divide
into 2 or 3. As I’ve said, most Americans would probably approve allowing first
trimester abortions, that is, up to 12 weeks or approximately 3 months. The “abortion
rights” issue has not “flipped” as quickly as gay marriage perhaps because of
its moral ambiguity. “Death with dignity” or medical suicide in the face of
terminal illness is less controversial because it involves a decision by a
consenting adult, while an unborn child has no voice.
As
mentioned before, I’ve seen very functional and lovable kids through my interpretation
work, born at only 25 or 26 weeks. The 2nd trimester is defined as 13-28
weeks, so I would hesitate to see approval of abortions then, especially at
that later end except for very drastic reasons. And if the fetus is born alive
after being taken from the womb, every effort should be made to maintain
viability. In the 3rd trimester, any abortion deemed necessary
should be in the form of euthanasia, perhaps with a lethal dose of a sedative
or anesthetic. I’ve seen many discussions of cases justifying a 3rd
trimester abortion, but never any mention of the means. So maybe in light of
new medical knowledge, revising Roe is justifiable, but with this court, who
knows? The issue is sure to sharpen the political divide. Of course, pregnancy,
like any aspect of life, is a continuum, not discreet trimester categories. As
mores have changed, most unmarried women who give birth keep their babies, so
very few give them up for adoption.
Any
student of history and comparative culture knows that questions around abortion
or any other issue can never be settled once and for all by the Supreme Court
or any other human entity. Right and wrong are not written in stone like the 10
Commandments handed down from on high, although some US lawmakers have tried to
erect stone facsimiles. Mores do change, as is happening now with the Me-Too
movement to the chagrin of men operating under the old rules. And the abortion issue
is currently caught up in a fierce debate. Roe was not the final word. I once
knew a man from Papua New Guinea who told me that in his country, it was a rite
of passage for a young man to murder at least one member of a rival tribe. (He
hinted that he done so himself.) Moral relativity is the rule not the exception
in all human development. And while many of us in the human rights movement
tout the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, such rights are hardly universal or static.
From
the distance of time, I’ve been musing about my naïve beliefs as a young woman, beliefs fostered by American and
world culture about the light at the end of the tunnel, the treasure at the end
of the rainbow, and living happily ever after. “Follow your dreams;” “Don’t
‘settle’ for less;” “Keep on working toward your goals,” these hopes and admonitions
are still popular among young people (and those of all ages), fostered by motivational
speakers, books, TV shows, social media. and films. When I left home at age 16
to attend college (my parents were living in Colombia then), I felt emancipated
and finally in charge of my own destiny. I envisioned a life of smooth sailing after
graduation, following a very traditional trajectory: a job, marriage, a house, then
kids. I did manage to achieve most of it. Of course, I soon found out that the
sailing is never smooth for very long and that new challenges and obstacles
always arise. We can never rest on our laurels. Finally, in old age, I am no
longer surprised by unexpected consequences. And a life of unbroken ease would actually be
rather boring and make us feel pretty useless. I remember the occupational therapy
adage of the need for ”purposeful
activity” (which applies even to pets and zoo animals). Perhaps that’s why
folks decide to run marathons and why celebrities end up with so many drug
problems, rivalries, and divorces. It’s fun to go on vacation or out for an
evening, but not all the time. I suspect that those who retire to Disneyfied
senior gated communities promising non-stop access to golf, movies, and dances
soon find out that life there is not all fun and games after all. Having lived
to retirement age, how can they have been so easily duped?
Speaking
of dreams and reality, it’s not very surprising that Meghan Markle did not give birth at home, as per her publicly
announced plan, but was transferred to a hospital. First-time mothers may think
they are fully prepared physically
and psychologically for “natural childbirth.” After all, birth has been a normal,
universal human experience occurring over the eons. So, before-the-fact, they imagine
that they won’t need any intervention
for delay, complications, or pain, probably considering the prospect of future
pain in the abstract before any reality actually hits them. Most births the
world over do involve substantial pain with nothing done to alleviate it, but since
a royal has a choice, then, if and when the going gets rough, it’s no surprise
that she would take it. Of course, just speculating here as childbirth
experiences do vary. If an infant is small or the mother has given birth
before, the newborn may just slip out, surprising the mother, who may not have even
realized she was pregnant. But that is rare.
On
the subject of the new royal baby, much has been made about his mixed racial
heritage. Already, his mother’s barely evident African American ethnicity has
been exaggerated and highlighted by her in her wedding ceremony. Her own mother
is also quite light-skinned. If Markle never mentioned her racial background,
she could easily “pass.” Her child’s ethnicity will be even more diluted. My
granddaughter, with an African American father, looks far more “black” than Meghan
Markle, and my great-grandson more so still, but they don’t go around touting it;
it’s just a fact. Maybe Markle wants to stand out more within the royal family?
I
mentioned last time that I had attended an Amnesty International volunteer
colleague’s memorial service. It was held in a local Episcopal church whose stained-glass windows, music, vestments, and
rituals are very like those in a Catholic church. In fact, they are so similar
that a Catholic visitor from Nigeria thought he was attending a Catholic
church, when it was actually a local Episcopal church. I salute the Episcopal
church for its married and women priests, something which we Catholics
certainly should emulate. I say “we Catholics” with some hesitation, as the
pedophile scandal within the church has been very alienating and I’m not quite sure
I still want to remain within the fold.
Sexuality seems to be running amok not only with
scandals being revealed within the Catholic and other churches, most recently,
in the Church of England, but also among the Boy Scouts, Olympic sports,
Hollywood, radio and TV, physicians’ practices, universities, schools, and
elective offices. Is this explosion of awareness merely a recognition of “human
nature,” or perhaps a result of the effects of male testosterone boosted by a
culture of sexual entitlement? Based my own and friends’ experiences that it
has been going on for decades, probably much longer.
