New Citizen, Bambi, A Death, School Interpretation, Impeachment? Migrants, Latin America, Andrew Yang, Child Support, Abortion Again, Oxycodone, Bedbugs

                              A man who has done house repairs for me over the years                                 finally became a US citizen. (Sorry for odd spacing and  

for some places where larger type appears. Hard to remedy.)

My lone visitor now from Bhutan had visitors of his own who are living now in NY State. They drove to our place all the way from Rochester to pick him up and take him there. Their preschool boy did some minor damage in my house which is not organized for active kids, though I once had them myself. Bhutan, as I have mentioned before, is a tiny, mountainous Buddhist country with only 800,000 people, just a little more than in Washington, DC. It has a king, a queen, and a little prince.

Here’s something about the young dragon prince of Bhutan: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bhutans-dragon-prince-growing-see-140751138.html

My visitor’s nephews, including boy playing the piano at my house. 

         Here is my visitor near Niagara Falls on his trip to Rochester. 

My son Jonathan discovered a tiny fawn when he was helping a            neighbor with landscaping. He found its mother in the roadway with          a broken leg after being hit by a car. After checking with wildlife                services, who said nothing could be done to help the mother and to          get out of the way so she could retrieve her offspring, he did                    just that and she limped off with the baby into the woods. (As I've            mentioned before, Jon had his left index finger amputated after an            erroneous diagnosis, hence his missing finger in one photo.) He sent          the photos to his kids still living in Hawaii, who are familiar with the          tale of Bambi. 

       

Just found out when I took an empty egg carton over for a farmer/vendor at Eastern Market that he had died suddenly of a heart attack, so won't be coming back, such a nice, friendly guy. But when any of us dies, as we all will, going quickly like that is preferable to suffering a long illness. From now on, in our household, we will have to put our empty egg cartons into the recycling bin. 

At a recent school interpretation taking place on a rare Saturday near the end of the semester, I was fortunate to be assigned to a group of mostly Spanish-speaking high school students, with a few English speakers included who needed interpretation. There were emotional discussions of fear of deportation, about what they could do as mainly under 18 non-citizens for self-protection, and how to get the most out of their educational experience. Washington, DC, is a sanctuary city, but also the current residence of Donald J. Trump, which has increased the fear level. Schools were thought to also be sanctuaries, like churches, where ICE could not detain them, but there was uncertainty about that. They discussed the status of a fellow student, who as soon as she turned 18 was, then targeted by ICE, but, so far, has not been arrested and deported. Is the Trump administration starting to realize that for reelection, Mr. Trump needs to appeal beyond his base and that not all Americans support his tough anti-immigrant policies? For now, at least, most of the ill-considered “wall” plan seems to have been abandoned, although Steve Bannon cleverly managed to have a mile-long token section built with donated funds. Now a local mayor is challenging the effort because the group lacked the proper permits and many  folks are opposed.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wise to give Trump a royal welcome that flattered and catered to him like the one he had received in Saudi Arabia, unlike how he was received in London with protesters and a baby Trump blimp overhead. And apparently the White Housed asked that name of the docked Navy ship named for the late Senator John McCain be obscured, lest it upset the prickly Commander-in-Chief.

No such thing as climate change? Trump supporters in the heartland are feeling the brunt of it right now, as well as more tariffs, this time on Mexico. He thinks that by threatening and punishing other nations—Iran, China, Mexico—he will get his way. Doesn’t he know that may just harden their resistance?  

Trump keeps ranting against the “fake news, corrupt press” without giving any specific examples. He lies so much if he actually told the truth, we wouldn’t believe him. Likewise, he likes to label political rivals “low IQ,” engaging in schoolboy-type name-calling. Look who’s talking! That White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders could support Trump’s allegations of Biden’s (or Bidan’s, as Trump misspelled his name) “low IQ” by saying that North Korean Chairman Kim agrees with him on that point is pretty ludicrous. (Kim’s a guy we should trust after he reportedly executed members of his summit staff after Trump walked out on their most recent talks?) How can Sanders and other Trump spokespeople keep a straight face? Is toadying up to Trump worth it just to keep their jobs? And Trump managed to work mention of Biden’s supposed low IQ into his press conference in Japan probably to his hosts’ surprise. This comedy of errors might be entertaining if its consequences weren’t so serious. Joe Biden is not a brilliant orator like Obama or even a thoughtful policy wonk like Hillary Clinton, and he is not politically correct (which might actually endear him to Trump supporters), but he’s several notches above Donald Trump on the IQ scale.

If Trump were not occupying such an influential office right now inflicting major damage around the world, we would want to show compassion toward someone so obviously mentally and emotionally challenged, someone who apparently struggled through higher education bolstered by his father’s influence and a fake draft deferment, a guy who now knows he’s in way over his head. If Republicans did not support him so mindlessly, he might be gone by now.

I agree with Nancy Pelosi (a much savvier politician than Donald Trump will ever be) that The Donald seems to be begging for impeachment. He’s not quite sure what it means, but he knows it’s something bad. Actually, impeachment doesn’t mean the end of a presidency, at least it didn’t for Bill Clinton. Does Trump think it would raise his profile as a tough guy and arouse his base and fellow Republicans in his defense? Or is he even thinking that far ahead? Trump has speculated about Pelosi’s mental fitness too when she is a way sharper and better politician than he will ever be. And she is right, why invoke impeachment? When Bill Clinton was impeached, it only increased his popularity. Trump supporters would rally in his defense—better to keep investigating and reveal his lies and coverups. Defeat him at the ballot box and then let him rant about election fraud.

With his usual lack of modesty, Trump did not credit Russia or even his faithful voters for helping him get elected.  “No, Russia did not get me elected,” Trump said. “You know who got me elected? You know who got me elected? I got me elected.” If he were a normal guy, a savvy politician and head of state, he would find a way to make a joke about the baby Trump blimp if it shows up again in London. But no, his hosts will have to try to shield him from it because of his very thin skin, just as efforts were made to prevent him from seeing John McCain’s name on a ship.

Rep. Lauren Underwood, a nurse and first-term Democratic congresswoman from Illinois, has accused the head of the Department of Homeland Security of implementing policies that have directly resulted in the deaths of five migrant children in U.S. Border Patrol custody. Another relatively new Congressperson, Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Calif., agreed that the migrant deaths were "intentional" based on actions taken by the Trump administration to halt or limit Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. Specifically referred to were policies separating parents from children and keeping minors in detention in sometimes inadequate and overcrowded circumstances where contagion can spread. The deaths were probably not intentional, though the policies that may have contributed to those deaths were intentional and designed to inflict discomfort. On the other hand, the kids who died had probably originally come from very impoverished circumstances and had arrived at the border malnourished after an arduous and exhausting journey, so may have been especially vulnerable.

You probably know about the case of Scott Warren, an Arizona doctor who was arrested helping migrants. “Providing humanitarian aid is never a crime. “If Dr. Warren were convicted and imprisoned on these absurd charges, he would be a prisoner of conscience, detained for his volunteer activities motivated by humanitarian principles and his religious beliefs,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/05/usa-authorities-must-stop-criminalizing-humanitarian-aid/

In Mexico, which at first had welcomed migrants, most headed to the US, is finding patience now wearing thin and some migrants are being deported by Mexico. Mexican President Lopez Obrador seems to want to maintain good relations with the Cuban leadership by making a special effort to deport Cuban migrants (who have struggled mightily to get as far as Mexico), while Cubans who make it across the US border are not treated any better than any other migrants.  A Mexican priest helping all migrants and running a migrant shelter, Father Alejandro Solalinde, has called upon the Mexican president to treat all migrants equally and with compassion and not to selectively deport Cubans, implying that the consequences for a Cuban deportee are more dire than for a Guatemalan deportee.

Specific examples of Cuba’s export of medical services for direct payment to the Cuban government with only a small stipend to the doctors themselves is described in both my books. And the food shortage in Cuba and exemption of food from the US embargo is treated in my Confessions book. In both cases, I don’t cite statistics, but use the experiences of actual people to demonstrate.  

The hidden world of the doctors Cuba sends overseashttps://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48214513

Shortages plague Cuba as U.S. sanctions sharpen economic woes
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-economy/shortages-plague-cuba-as-us-sanctions-sharpen-economic-woes-idUSKCN1SX1P1

[Here’s an alternative view.]

The U.S. Bears No Blame as Cuba Starves on Its Policies Today, less than 25% of Cuba’s arable land is in cultivation. Wall St, Journal, May 20, 2019. Regarding “Cuba to Ration Sales of Basic Food Items” (World News, May 13), Cuba’s Commerce Minister Betsy Diaz asserts that the U.S. embargo forces the island to buy food from distant markets, which raises prices. The “distant markets” for about 75% of Cuba’s food imports are actually in the U.S. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-u-s-bears-no-blame-as-cuba-starves-on-its-policies-11558374532

Former Honduran President Porfirio Lobo (2010-2014) is being investigated by an OAS body on money laundering and drug charges.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/honduran-anti-graft-mission-investigates-ex-president-over-drug-money/ar-AABSvpB?ocid=spartandhp

According to folks in Honduras, the current president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, may be involved as well as the former president. President Hernandez’s brother is being investigated by US authorities for money laundering and drug trafficking.

Now, the US Embassy, a place I know well, was attacked in protests over decrees by Hernandez that his critics argue will lead to the privatization of public services. The demonstrators were pushed toward the embassy after being dispersed from a nearby commercial zone by police, though it was not immediately clear why they attacked the building. They set fire to embassy gate. https://www.yahoo.com/news/protesters-set-fire-u-embassy-224748763.html

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: OPEN LETTER TO CHRISTOPHER ROWLEY PRIME MINISTER OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/AMR4904482019ENGLISH.pdf

Amnesty International writes to the government of Trinidad and Tobago [within my responsibility as Amnesty International USA’s volunteer Caribbean coordinator] to welcome the recent announcement that a registration process will be opened for Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the country and to request further information on the proposal. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr49/0448/2019/en/

TO KEITH CHRISTOPHER ROWLEY PRIME MINISTER OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Dear Prime Minister, I am writing on behalf of Amnesty International to welcome your government’s recent announcement that a registration process will be opened for Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Trinidad and Tobago and to request further information on the proposal. The human rights situation in Venezuela As you may have seen, just this month Amnesty International issued its most recent in a series of reports on Venezuela, Hunger for justice: Crimes against humanity in Venezuela.1 It details how selective extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, and deaths and injuries caused by the excessive use of force by the Venezuelan authorities or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the Venezuelan authorities, may constitute crimes against humanity and require an urgent response from the international community. This situation, as well as the serious deterioration in living conditions and the systematic violation of economic, social and cultural rights, have forced more than 3.7 million people to flee Venezuela, and at least 3 million are in other Latin American or Caribbean countries and in need international protection. Venezuelans need international protection In September 2018, in our letter2 to Presidents across the Latin America and Caribbean region, in the face of mass human rights violations in Venezuela we called on regional states to provide unrestricted access to international systems of protection such as refugee status and other complementary mechanisms, to expedite access for Venezuelans to legal residency with appropriate safeguards, and to strictly adhere to and respect the principle of non-refoulement. (The whole document on line.)

Among the lesser known Democratic presidential hopefuls is 44-year-old Andrew Yang, the only one of total Asian descent so far. On-line, Yang is described as a wealthy philanthropist and the founder of Venture for America. He apparently has never held public office. However, he has an intriguing idea, namely to give each American $1,000 a month as a basic income. He points that in red-state Alaska, the annual oil stipend for all residents helps lift up everyone there and bolsters the whole economy. Since jobs are being automated at a fast clip, such a provision would keep people and the economy going.  

If men are so concerned about women getting abortions, it might help if more men were willing to provide child support and if legal and societal pressure obligated them to do so.

Restrictive state laws on abortion have reignited the abortion debate decades after Roe, while in that same period, other mores have shifted rapidly and substantially, such as for couples living together out-of-wedlock, single motherhood, gay marriage and gay relationships, and even assisted suicide. All those involve consenting adults. But abortion may or may not involve another individual, that is the crucial question. Abortion is not so easy to support, despite prominent women who have worn the abortion label as a badge of honor and the “women’s rights” rhetoric used, along with efforts to categorize it as “medical care” and apply the tortuous label of “anti-abortion-rights advocates” to opponents. What about just calling them “anti-abortion”? Such opponents are simply against regarding abortion as a “right.” And some women have publicly bragged about achievements attributable to their abortion. But many mothers have accomplished as much or more. Abortion is not a sacrament; it deserves a more nuanced and reasonable discussion than that occurring right now, but most political issues are now suffering the same polarized treatment.

Pope Francis has come out forcefully against abortion, having been somewhat muted before and sympathetic to women who have sought one. I admit to having always been very invested in my kids, whether they came to me by birth, adoption, or foster care (Cuban foster son). And having tragically lost both my older son and foster son, I am still protective of my surviving kids, even now, when all are age 45 and older. So I may be more maternally oriented than some other women, but I can still sympathize with the panic felt by those who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant and be concerned about the harmful lengths they might try to go to avoid giving birth. But the whole discussion of the pre-Roe use of coat hangers and of maternal deaths, though some did occur, has been greatly exaggerated, especially now when safer and easier options like the morning-after pill exist and are unlikely to be outlawed. Some initially panicked women have gone on to give birth and to bond with their children, grateful to have them. The stigma against unwed motherhood has greatly diminished so now now about 40% of all US births are to single women. But the overall US birthrate is below replacement, which is concerning.   

In my opinion, use of the morning-after-pill and first-trimester abortions should not, and, as a practical matter, cannot be easily and legally prevented and most Americans would agree. But, after that, support for abortion falls off and I’ve expressed my own concern especially about abortions occurring later in the second trimester when some fetuses could survive outside the womb and when they can feel pain, so the method used, if considered necessary, must still be humane.

Of course, children become adults and adults come in all configurations. Some become Mother Teresa while others may end up as Donald Trump or even Joseph Stalin. And the so-called Universal Declaration of Human Rights, though I am a long-time member of Amnesty International, is hardly universal or unchanging. Families, groups, communities, and nations develop their own mores, which are not static. In the stone age, males may have killed each other with rocks and clubs and raped females after dragging them off by their hair. We are all descended from them.

As a frequent listener to NPR, I often hear ads for Raymond James, a financial advisory firm that my late son Andrew worked for at the reception desk in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, for several years. After that, he left to work for a company changing truck tires going flat out on the highway, a physically demanding job that resulted in a serious back injury which eventually led to his death. He was awaiting back surgery and taking oxycodone when he died in his sleep. Now, I am wondering if we should enter a class action lawsuit against the drug? Although he was not addicted as he had been taking it only a short time, his doctor may have been unaware then, 25 years ago, of its dangers. But the statute of limitations may have run out and who knows where his doctor might be now? I’m not sure I want to revisit the matter and money alone could never compensate for his death.

Some things never change, such as the lowly bedbug. Since even dinosaurs were plagued by bedbugs, it’s no wonder those darn critters are so hard to eliminate. They will probably even survive when humans are long gone.