Trump
and his henchmen tried to link the Ohio shooter to the Democratic
Party, but the shooter was hardly a hardcore Democrat. He attended a KKK
rally, for one thing. And can Democrats be accused of goading supporters to
attack others? There is no moral equivalency. Republicans just make themselves
look foolish. Trump claimed that local people in Dayton and El Paso “loved”
him, so what’s the complaint? Republican office holders and spokespersons seem
to be running scared and acting overly defensive. While many Trumpers still remain
in love with him, his support had never reached a majority level. If the
economy starts slowing down, in part because of Trump’s trade war with China,
can the guy survive that?
It
looks like mass shootings may finally have turned more voters against the NRA.
And certainly Trump and his wall and his constant talk about an invasion
from south of the border conveniently forgets that much of Texas and the
southwest was once Mexican territory. Who invaded whom?
“Mental illness”
now seems the scapegoat favored by Republicans for mass shootings. Guns don’t
kill people, mental illness does. If mass shooters are being defined as mentally
ill, then, of course, mental illness is the culprit—anything to avoid blaming
gun proliferation. And what is the remedy? Mental illness treatment is not
being expanded and is not necessarily effective. Is a white supremacist going
to submit to mental health treatment and become less dangerous as a result? But
if you curb his (or her) access to firearms, it may have a practical effect. Was
the recent killing of motorists after an accident on a Texas highway a case of
“mental Illness” or the result of the killer becoming upset and having an
assault rifle at his disposal? The NRA and gun advocates fear the
“slippery slope” of allowing even completely obvious common-sense firearms
restrictions. You’d better believe it; those of us who want to see fewer guns
in circulation will keep pressing on, especially until, empirically, gun deaths
are reduced. And as for Trump’s idea of bringing back insane asylums,
again, his thinking is mired in the 1960’s and ‘70’s when he was launching his casino,
hotel, and golf course empire.
Those
who facilitate gun violence short of pulling the trigger also need to be held
responsible for not reporting the danger. The Ohio shooter’s friend, who had
obtained high powered weapons and body armor for him so his parents wouldn’t
notice, has culpability. And now those parents have lost two of their children
(the shooter and his sister) in a crime that might have been prevented.
Trump’s
teleprompter words about “white supremacy” having no place in our country were counteracted
by the most massive immigration raid ever conducted. The ICE raids in
Mississippi have devastated communities and made some Trump supporters
there rethink their allegiance. The governor has declared that people should always
enter the country “legally,” but I can say from long experience that none of
those picked up in that raid would ever have been granted a US visa. “Legal” is
a flexible concept, dependent on citizen consensus. Laws can be changed; they
are not the Ten Commandments handed down from on high, as I have argued in my
books. Unfortunately, as much as he can by presidential fiat, bypassing
Congress, Trump and his staff are attacking immigrants, even legal ones.
Non-citizen parents or even foreign-born citizens may hesitate to seek legally
authorized benefits for themselves and their citizen children because of the
administration’s stance. When immigrants first arrive, they may need help temporarily
until they get on their feet.
Nancy Pelosi led a Congressional delegation to the Central
American triangle countries.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Honduras (Aug. 10, 2019 https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-1938498
Pelosi is trying to keep Democrats on track while
presidential wannabes vie for public attention, banking that a majority of
voters will support any Democrat over Trump. But front-runner Joe Biden, who might appeal to independents and middle-of-the-roaders, has been
screwing up, making Trump-like gaffes. Is he up to
the task? But Democrats are worried about choosing a
female candidate after Hillary’s failure and fear of turning off white male
voters.
The Washington Post on-line for Sunday, Aug. 11, showed a graphic, changing
display of photos of Guatemalan deportees before, during, and after their
flight “home.” Guatemala is hardly a safe country for these deportees or for
other asylum seekers, but is the US a safe country either?
How
many times have I seen similarly dejected deportees disembarking from such
flights at the airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, though not last Feb. as I was
told that such flights now arrive at San Pedro Sula, to the north. I always
chat with Honduran taxi drivers and find that most have enjoyed a few years
working in the US until they were deported, some still nostalgic about those
years until it all came to an abrupt end. And many American born children were
deported with their parents.
Amnesty
International issues travel warning for U.S. visitors over “high levels of gun
violence,” On 7
August 2019, AI issued a global travel warning for the USA because of rampant
gun violence. This announcement comes on the heels of a series of deadly mass
shootings in several parts of the USA. Over one hundred people die every day in
the USA because of gun violence, and the situation has amounted to a human
rights crisis. Check AI websites for the travel advisory, sample press releases
and tweets. A report by AI, “In the Line of Fire: Human Rights and the U.S. Gun Violence
Crisis” examined how all aspects of American life have been
compromised in some way by the unfettered access to guns, with no attempts at
meaningful national regulation. Last month, AI published a report examining how survivors of gun
violence in the United States suffer years of trauma and pain due to a
destructive combination of government policies which ignore their needs.
Trump
has threatened unspecified retaliation against nations and organizations that
have issued travel advisories against the US because of gun violence.
In
Cuba, Granma, the official newspaper, has chided comics for
making fun of public servants.
Meanwhile,
the trade war with China unleashed by Mr. Trump is threatening to devastate
the national and world economy. The stock market has been jumping up and down,
according to Trump’s whims. Will Trump, the self-described great deal-maker,
try to make a deal in time? Any final agreement will be touted by him as “a
great deal.” Or is China’s leadership simply waiting for Trump to be gone from
office? (Iran maybe doing the same.)
Hong Kong
citizens have been fighting valiantly for their political life, because they
know what’s at stake. But it’s hard to see how they can prevail against overwhelming
Chinese government might. Their only weapon is world public opinion and the
Chinese government’s desire not to threaten the economic engine of Hong Kong. But
now China seems to be getting tired of the protests and the example they are
setting for the mainland, so is bringing on the heavy equipment in echoes of Tiananmen.
Why did Britain ever agree to return the territory to China? The Trump
administration seems more than ready to challenge China’s growing economic
power, but has few comments about its encroachments on land and sea beyond its
traditional borders and no comment at all on its human rights record toward its
citizens, including those in Hong Kong.
It
looks like Trump’s intervention into Israeli affairs has blown up in his
face and that of his pal Netanyahu as well. At least, that’s how I see it. Both
look weak attacking Muslim American Congresswomen. Of course, Netanyahu dare
not go against the advice of his big supporter and great financial benefactor
Donald Trump, who is also playing to his evangelical base which supports
Israel, right or wrong. The formation of Israel grew out of understandable
sympathy for the terrible horrors of the Holocaust and in support of Zionists
who had been pressing for a mid-east Jewish homeland for several decades before
World War II. While anti-Semitism still exists, many, if not most, Jews now to
choose to live outside Israel. Israel, enjoying unusually high economic and
political support from the US, now finds itself in a paradoxical situation as a
self-declared democracy that also appears to discriminate against non-Jews,
especially Palestinians, who are still aggrieved over being ejected from their
ancestral lands. Is it anti-Semitic to advocate for Palestinians and to urge a
boycott of Israel? Trump and Netanyahu make that case. Will the Israeli action
against the Congresswomen reduce the boycott pressures or increase them?
On
NPR, I just heard an interview with Sister Helen
Prejean, a woman about my age, whom I met in 1993 when her book Dead Man
Walking came out. I have a signed copy somewhere in my vast library. She
told me to simply call her “Helen.” Since then, after all the revelations of
child sex abuse by priests, I have cooled on the Catholic church and certainly
agree with Helen that women need a stronger voice there.
As
a young girl, I had considered becoming a nun myself, but my desire to be a
mother was stronger. Motherhood won out in spades. Not only have I been a
mother and foster mother, but have hosted and mentored many young people in my
home, in Honduras, through Amnesty International and other organizations, and
via my interpretation work. So, I’m glad to have chosen that path, just as
Sister Helen is satisfied with the path she has chosen. However, right now, I am feeling a bout of compassion
fatigue, so am taking a time out on hosting and mentoring, though still
continuing with interpretation, human rights volunteer work, and plans for
Honduras next Feb. Some neighbors have expressed concern that I am living
“alone.” Would they be as concerned if I were younger or a man?
Mr.
Trump is an accidental president, a cruel, impulsive liar, in office only due
to the freak alignment of rare forces, as per chaos theory. Let’s make sure
that the same accident doesn’t happen again. The plethora of Democratic
wannabes surfacing now is a little disconcerting. While it allows an airing of
policy options, it also risks sharpening divisions and possibly allowing
another minority win for Trump. Whoever his opponent may be, Democrats and
independents must vote for that person and not opt for a third candidate or sit
out the vote as some did in 2016 because they did particularly like Hillary. Do
they like Trump any better? Our election system offers only a binary choice. Trump
is a real-life Forrest Gump, but
lacking the film character’s charm and humility.
For
his part, if he loses reelection, Trump can always blame “fake news” and the
deep state. He could still hold rallies when his ego needs stoking. I feel
sorry for a guy so lacking in self-awareness, likability, intelligence, and
basic humanity, but he seems unable to change, so may he live out his life
where he can do minimal damage, no longer in the American presidency. And if he
loses, may the Republican Party see the light and return to sanity. Won’t it be
nice when we don’t have to worry about what that man will do next? If his plan
for the US to buy Greenland should pan out, maybe he anticipates building
a hotel there?
I
do have a personal issue that Mr. Trump might correctly be inclined to cite as
a case of regulation overreach. Any adult working in DC schools,
including interpreters like me, must have a current TB test and
fingerprint clearance, fair enough. Usually fingerprints take 10 days to clear.
I had mine taken on July 11, more than a month ago, but they were blurry, so
needed additional vetting. Some teachers in daily contact with kids were given
extra time to renew their clearances, so I asked for the same consideration,
especially since I am usually working with Spanish-speaking parents, not
directly with their kids. No other duly vetted interpreter was available
recently. But my agency and I did not want to give the service if we would not
get paid. Finally, after much pressure, I was re-approved.
Congressman
King is probably right that millennia ago, our ancient ancestors produced some
offspring via rape and incest, even as some still do today. It’s possible to imagine
a caveman dragging a woman off by her hair before assaulting her, not to
mention ancient peoples killing each other with clubs and rocks, even as today,
they use bombs and guns. Some living people may have snips of DNA passed down from
cave people, but does that mean they still have to act like cave people? Apart from inheritance, there is also
evolution, socialization, and change.
The
world has not yet adjusted to the internet, its promise and its perils,
a technological revolution that’s still evolving.
