Losing our heroes

If certain “volunteers” have their way, we Texans are going to lose all our heroes. A volunteer committee has been making recommendations to the State Board of Education on “streamlining” teaching. A red flag shot up in my mind—who are these volunteers and why are they qualified to make recommendations?

They did not start quietly. Their first suggestion was that seventh-grade teachers should omit the word “heroic” in referring to the defenders who died at the Alamo. Talk about jumping on a Texas icon! I know they say politics makes strange bedfellows, but I never thought I’d find myself in bed with Greg Abbott and George P. Bush. But they are apparently as outraged as I am.

The explanation was that heroic is a value-oriented word. I’m not sure I understand the concept of value-oriented marketing completely, but it has to do with a customer’s perceived value of an item vs. its real value. All that says to me in this case is that the customer (student?) perceives value in describing the men at the Alamo as heroic. I do—I “perceive” courage and loyalty and determination, all kind of qualities we want our children to learn about.

I think I know part of the thinking—and it’s sort of appropriate in this day and age when harsh immigration policies have demonized our neighbors to the South even more than usual. It’s an effort to counter the stereotype that all Mexicans are evil, and all Anglos are pure and white. But instead of attacking our heroes, why doesn’t the committee teach the whole story—many Mexicanos fought alongside Travis, not against him.

The committee also recommended teachers mention but not teach Travis’ famous “Victory or Death” letter. Where, pray tell, does one draw that line in the sand distinguishing between teaching and mentioning? The board of education apparently didn’t accept that recommendation.

Also on this committee’s hit list: Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller. There is apparently some kind of point system by which candidates are judged. In spite of being the first woman to lead a major political party in a presidential campaign, Hillary fell short. Keller came closer, but she too missed the mark.

You know all those Confederate statues torn down in a frantic effort to erase history rather than learn from it? This is just another way of tearing down statues. I for one think those volunteers need to get a life.

Some people annoy me

I like to think I’m fairly accepting about people, but lately I’ve noticed some people want to complain about something all the time. I think they work hard to find new things to complain about. For instance, the people who want Hillary Clinton to quietly fold her tents and go away, and for gosh sake, don’t publish that book. Why shouldn’t she speak her mind? She’s been the victim of unbelievable negative scams, accusations, conspiracies—you name it. I’m not at all convinced she lost the last election fair and square—in fact, I think she probably didn’t. And I wish daily she were the first woman president of our country.

But she’s not. Still she has opinions to express, opinions that come from a wide and deep knowledge base. I truly believe some people think she should shush because she’s a woman, she’s been un-womanly all along, and why won’t she learn her lesson. God bless her for persevering. Others want her to fade into the wallpaper because she might hurt the chance for progressives to carry the 2018 election and the all-important 2020 one. I think what she has to say might help progressives, might expose some of the unfair tactics used against her. Preach it, Hillary!

And then there are people who criticize the journalists who brought us on-the-spot reports from the middle of Harvey and Irma. I think particularly of one image of a young man in blue fighting the powerful winds of Irma and being blown back. Some say that was grandstanding, entertainment for the masses. Really? Who finds a storm of that magnitude, with all its destruction, entertaining? I worried, instead, that the man should have a guy rope to keep him from being blown helplessly away. I admire journalists who take those chances--many of their colleagues lost their lives in dangerous situations, and they know it. But they do their job, bringing us news up front instead of from behind a desk.

What have you found to complain about today? On this day of national remembrance, we should all be grateful that our nation survived the 9/11 attacks, albeit not without loss of life that grieves us to this day. But as a nation, we were not crushed, as our enemies hoped. We will come back from these devastating storms too, dragging all those complainers with us.

My mom taught me we each have a choice between happiness and unhappiness. I would add a third choice in there—anger. Which have you chosen? I know which choice calls me.

Y’all have a blessed night. In North Texas, the temperature is in the 70s, though I hear the cicadas, which I always think mean hot weather. While much of the country suffers through storms, we are blessed with wonderful weather. It almost makes a person feel guilty—oops, no, that’s a word I’m erasing from my vocabulary.

Concrete and politics

September 6, 2016

My view from the cottage for much of today was concrete workers in low rider jeans that they frequently had to hitch up. But oh my, did they know what they were doing. This was a completely different crew than the ones that laid the forms and rebar.

Concrete was to be delivered at eleven o’clock. They got here a little early, and the concrete was a little late, so they mostly hung around talking. Once the big concrete truck was on the street, they snapped into action. I had worried about that truck and my skinny 1920s driveway. But the truck with that rotating thing that keeps concrete from hardening stayed on the street. The crew had a motorized vehicle with a huge container—one guy would go to the street, get it filled, bring the raw concrete back and dump it. While men smoothed out what he dumped, he went back for another load. When it’s poured the concrete looks really rough and lumpy. But they wet it down and then smooth it, first with large tools and then with small trowels, expertly changing trowels to fit their need, smoothing corners and things I couldn’t see. We can walk on it tomorrow but still not let the dog out, because the fence won’t be repaired until the roofers are through. Meantime I didn’t get a lot done because I was mesmerized watching them work.

I don’t know if these men would be called skilled labor or not, but they certainly knew their job. And each man seemed to have an appointed task. Their work made me think again of the holiday we celebrated yesterday—these are the people Labor Day was created to honor. They work hard for little pay and keep our world running. I have been impressed by the whole concrete process.

On a different note a friend sent me his reflections on Paul Krugman’s essay, “Hillary Clinton Gets Gored.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/05/opinion/hillary-clinton-gets-gored.html?_r=0)

The word gored is a double entendre, for she is receiving from the press much the same treatment Al Gore did in 2000 when he ran against George W. Bush. Krugman’s point was that journalism is neither honest nor proud these days. With few exceptions, the media goes for the sensational story, so Donald Trump gets lots of coverage, and negative accusations about Hillary are not fact-checked but repeated almost gleefully. Read the article—please. It is a sad but honest commentary on our society today.

Hillary is the Republican party’s scapegoat—they have always hatef her and have conducted an orchestrated campaign of lies and innuendoes against her; Trump is the Teflon man to whom nothing sticks—even the charge of rape of a minor (preliminary arguments on that case will be held in NY in a few days). Somehow the rape charge has flown under the new media radar—why? I am puzzled by that.

And I am puzzled by the Republicans who seem willing to throw the country to the winds to hold on to their power and majority. Party apparently comes before country, in a kind of crazy logic I don’t understand. It saddens me. I’m Pollyanna, the idealist.

I inherited my strong liberal tendencies—and belief in the Democratic Party—from my dad, but that’s another story for another post.

Struggling for a thread

 Struggling to think of something to blog about tonight. It’s been an ordinary day—as days are ordinary lately, since I’m pretty much confined to the house and on a walker. Really, what can you think of new and different to report from that perspective.

Is it news that Louie Gohmert included gay couples on his proposed ark, not realizing they wouldn’t reproduce? Is it news that Hillary Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination? Well, yeah, it really is—first woman to be nominated by a major political party—but who doubted it anyway? And I don’t think she’ll be satisfied with that—it’s all the way or nothing. Is it news that Donald Trump verbally attacked the judge “of Mexican heritage”? Nah, I don’t think that’s news anymore.

News doesn’t get much more exciting closer to home—Jordan and I had wine on the deck and she made me the half-sandwich I thought sounded good—rye, cheddar, mayo, tomato, and diced green onion. Lovely to be outdoors on the deck—until she went into panic mode because a wasp was about to fly into the house. Thanks to her quick action, fueled by adrenaline, danger was averted.

Jacob apparently thinks we’re going to tear down the entire existing apartment—so not true. But he has asked to be the first to sling a sledgehammer in the demolition process. I bet Lewis can find a spot to mark with a big black X for Jacob to begin his demolition.

And so the day went—a guest blog about Chicago written, an evaluation of a novel for a contest, email, etc. At 11:30 I realized I was really tired, so made some lunch (not a success) and read Facebook; slept for longer than I care to admit. How much can be exciting when you’re on a walker and it hurts to put weight on the sore foot?

Looking forward to better days. Lord knows, I have enough work piled on my desk to keep me busy for two weeks, if I’d just buckle down and do it.

The significant and the truly insignifcant

The significant: I watched the Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan tonight and was struck by the civility. There was no hatred, no anger, no slinging of insults and certainly no talk of private parts. As Hillary said, “I will not get in the gutter with an opponent.” But more important to me, there was less talk about what’s wrong with America and threats from Mexico and Isis than about what the two candidates proposed to do if elected. Secretary Clinton scored highest on this, to my mind, because she seemed to have very specific plans in mind for every problem sent her way, from what to do about schools and the infrastructure to her personal faith and how she would run a campaign against Donald Trump. Senator Sanders talked more about what’s wrong with America and he was spot on—the wealthiest nation in the world with a horrible record of caring for our children and elderly. But when asked what he would do as president, he seemed to have great goals but not as specific plans for reaching them, especially without support from Congress, which he likely wouldn’t have. My impression? Secretary Clinton would make the best leader of our country, but I sure do like Bernie a lot.

An apology: I attributed a comment about the poor being like feral cats to Paul Ryan in last night’s blog. He didn’t say it—some minor Republican said it a few years ago and used the term stray instead of feral. I should learn to check Snopes and not believe everything I read on Facebook.

The less significant: I cooked dinner for the Burtons last night. Wanted shoulder lamb chops but Central Market had sold out, so I got what I swear was labeled Lamb London Broil. Asked the lady butcher how to cook it, and she said she’d have to research that (??!!). Winged it—seared them in anchovy butter and finished in a hot oven. Misjudged the timing because the meat was fairly thick, and it came out more well done than Christian and I like, though perfect for Jordan. Served with oven-roasted rosemary potatoes, green beans vinaigrette (Christian’s green beans), and salad. Tonight I had a sandwich of leftover meat—flavorful and good, but I’m not convinced it was lamb.

The truly insignificant: last night I poured myself a good-night glass of wine and then cleverly used the bottle to knock the glass off the counter and spill wine all over the floor. Mopped it up with a rug I keep handy for kitchen accidents and returned the wine to the fridge, only to realize if I wanted good-night wine, I had to pour another glass. Did and realized I had cracked the plastic glass badly and it was leaking wine all over. Put it in the sink and went searching for the plastic glasses that Jordan had carefully put away for me. Now that’s a hard-won glass of wine. Jordan says I need a sippy cup.

Tonight good friends came for happy hour, and I fixed a tray of leftover appetizers. We had a good visit, and after a day alone I enjoyed the company. Life is good, and God is generous with his blessings.

Are you a feminist?

I thought I’d skip the blog tonight. An ordinary day, no news. All I did mostly was work on taxes. Moved ahead a bit on the big redo—the contractor will take the plans to the city this week and the bank verbally approved the loan when I have an estimate. A tech came to fix the alarm system which has persistently insisted that the back door is open when it’s not. Turns out rats have chewed on the wires. Worst part: the wires are under the flat roof, so there’s no way to get to them. The alarm tech has it all solved and will be back to fix it. And that’s how my day went.

Except I’m intrigued about all the sudden buzz about feminism and Hillary’s campaign and Madeleine Albright and someone else telling women they must vote for Hillary. I am really sorry we’re still fighting this battle fifty or more years after Betty Freidan’s breakthrough book. And yet I know we are. Some people are upset because Albright or someone in her camp was described as “scolding” women. The cry was that men never scold—it’s a diminutive applied only to women. On the other hand, Hillary has been criticized for her shrill, harsh voice. How’s the poor girl to win anything?

I like Hillary and will probably vote for her, but I resent being told I have to vote for someone on the grounds of gender. Does that mean if I were Republican I’d have to vote for Fiorina (a horrifying thought in my mind)? I’d like to see a woman as president, especially one as capable and experienced as Hillary, but I still think it’s important to vote for the person best qualified to lead the country. Gender isn’t the great qualifier. And I don’t like that it’s raising such an ugly head in this election. I don't think being a feminist--and I probably am, means I have to vote for a woman.

If we as women want equality, we have to show ourselves as being as capable as men.  I think in many instances women have done that and more. And we’ve come a long way, baby, since the early days of my adulthood and professional life—I know I have. But being female doesn’t make me qualified to be president. Vote your conscience folks, gender aside.

I can’t resist a snarky comment here: one of the main problems I see with the Republican clown car is that they all tend to marginalize women. Not what I want in a leader either.

My personal political dilemma

I feel the Bern. If we could live in the world Bernie Sanders envisions, I would be a happy camper. Not that I’m rich enough to qualify as one of his targets, but I would gladly give up some of my material comforts to help those less fortunate. I think the wealth of the 1% is obscene, and greed has overtaken this land. I support almost every position he takes. But Bernie Sanders is an idealist, not a political realist. I doubt he could get one-quarter of his program approved in one term—and then only if he had a progressive Congress, which I pray for but know we can't count on. And I’ve heard him say almost nothing about international relationships, which is a big part of governing this country. Let’s just say I’m a big Bernie Sanders fan.

But, ah ,Hillary. I think she’s been followed by scandal ever since Bill was elected, much of it trumped up. There was health care reform, for which she was rudely shot down; Whitewater, which never came to much; the Monica Lewinsky affair in which she behaved as any hoodwinked wife would and then recovered gracefully—the state of the Clinton marriage is not part of our equation in deciding whether to vote for her or not. More recently, there’s the Benghazi disaster, which has been done to death and yet people don’t seem to understand the blame lies not with the Secretary of State, who had been pleading for extra funds to protect our embassy staffs, but with the Republican Congress who refused to grant their funds. And now she’s under a barrage of attacks from the right, saying the FBI has evidence to arrest her for treason or espionage or something. The right will do anything to defeat her, including false accusations and building up Bernie because they know they can defeat him and they can't defeat Hillary. One symptom of this: I’ve begun to see the most unflattering photos of her on Facebook.

I don’t think Hillary is as guilty as all the above accusations would make her appear, evil and corrupt, but neither do I think she’s lily-white and pure. She’s a practiced politician, with an effective knowledge of the recent past and a practical ability to play the system. I may be a liberal, progressive idealist, but I am also practical, and I believe Hillary is the one with the experience and background to get things done in DC (and she’ll have her husband for advice—no small asset; he may have lapsed in moral judgment but he’s a terrific politician dealing with domestic and international affairs). For Texans, no—I’m not suggesting a Ma and Pa Ferguson kind of government. I think Hillary is her own person, who speaks out and doesn’t kowtow (which may be what has involved her in scandals).

In the long run, I believe I will vote for Hillary (as if it makes any difference in pure red Texas) because I think she is the one who can move us ahead and has the guts and will to do it.

I may be an unabashed liberal and yellow-dog Democrat, but that relieves me from worrying about the clown car, except to say that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz scare the living bejesus out of me. The rest, except maybe Kasich, are undistinguished and probably all scary.

And oh, yeah, I think Michael O’Malley would make a terrific vice-president and probably a pretty good president.

Just one woman’s opinion. When I started t write this, I was torn between Bernie and Hillary. As I wrote it, as you can see, I worked it out in my mind. And now, Texans, please vote for Lon Burnam for Railroad Commissioner—the job has little to do with railroads and lots to do with energy sources in the state. It’s important, and Lon has lots so say about turning around what has been a pretty shaky and sometimes corrupt public office.

The media is electing our next president

 I saw on Facebook that Bernie Sanders said in a speech that ISIS is a serious threat but it’s not the only problem the U.S. faces and, in effect, it’s getting too much media attention. What’s significant to me is that I saw nothing about that speech on national TV or print media. It seems that the major networks have declined to cover Sanders’ campaign—as my son-in-law asked, isn’t that illegal? Aren’t they required to give equal time? But have you seen Sanders on Meet the Press? Face the Nation? Even the PBS News Hour—I admit I don’t watch that all the time so I may have missed it, but his face, his speeches, and his following have been noticeably absent from the public eye. Even Hillary Clinton is much less in the news lately, though perhaps she’s waiting for Trump and Cruz to deflate each other.

Meanwhile there isn’t a news show that goes by without mention of Donald Trump and his obsession with keeping Muslims out of the country. Trump’s distorted, angry face makes great news; Sanders, not a striking figure, doesn’t. This morning the news is all about Trump cancelling his truce with Ted Cruz. Now that’s an interesting case—my understanding is that the president must have been born on U.S. soil. Look at all the fuss birthers raised, claiming Obama was born in Kenya when, in fact, he was born in Hawaii, then a territory, now a state. Cruz on the other hand, if I have the facts straight, was born in Canada, and though he may claim dual citizenship now, the fact remains that he was not born I this country. Yet the media also considers Cruz good copy—whereas most Republicans and others who know him declare him a conniving sleaze ball. But if he’s Canadian, why are we even worrying about him?

Tom Brokaw is that last journalist I can think of that I counted on for honest, fair coverage of the news, including the political scene. Since them journalism has gone downhill. In featuring Trump and Cruz (who apparently has appallingly inhumane plans for ISIS), the news feeds the fears of some Americans and plays into the hands of ISIS. Did anybody hear President Obama this morning outlining the gains that have been made against ISIS. Does anyone recognize—or see on the news—that most mass shootings in this country have been carried out by mentally ill U.S. citizens who are not Muslim?

Listen to Bernie Sanders, folks. He may not be the next president or even the best candidate, but a whole lot of what he says makes sense—if we can afford to send men and women to war, we can afford to take care of them when they come home; the minimum wage is years outdated and expecting people to buck up and live on that meagre amount is ridiculous. And so on. Or listen to Hillary for the continuing need to work on women’s rights in this country, let alone abroad (yeah, Saudi Arabia for electing women!). On the Republican side, listen to Kasich, who has an unfortunately low profile but a strong background in government and, apparently, a good head on his shoulders (quick! Kick him off the clown car!).

I am seriously concerned that the media-fueled campaigns of Trump and Cruz are leading too many citizens astray. I can’t understand why the comparisons of Trump and Hitler don’t strike terror into every heart. But I read of a teacher who decided to show his class how easy it was for Hitler to brainwash Germans—using similar techniques, he turned the class into a group of followers with a few leaders. And then told them at the end what he’d done. It could happen here.

Remember Nazism, or Jim Jones and the Kool-Aid, or Mussolini or many other examples from history. Watch the news with a large grain of salt and seek out reliable news sources. I wish I knew what to recommend.

A puzzlement

Warning: a political blog coming. Stop now if you don’t want to hear about my puzzlement. As most of my readers know, I write as a liberal—my sons-in-law would probably tell you from the far far left.

I’m not sure how I feel about Hillary Clinton. I think she smart, intelligent, well versed in political doings and protocol; and I think she would do an efficient, capable job as president. But a little something holds me back—perhaps it’s my enthusiasm about the ideas of Bernie Sanders, though I harbor a lingering doubt that he could effectively put them into practice as president and he might be over his head internationally. Let’s say I like Bernie’s philosophy better but I have more faith in Hillary—wow! Just now worked that out in my mind.

But I think Hillary is getting a really raw deal from the Republicans. Now that Kevin McCarthy has openly blurted that the Benghazi investigations are nothing more than an attempt to stop Hillary’s campaign momentum, what more do people need to know? How many Benghazi committee investigations have there been (I’ve lost count—but I know they all came up empty and at great cost to that budget Republicans keep worrying about when convenient). There were more embassy attacks and more Americans killed on George W. Bush’s watch than Obama’s, but no one raised an eyebrow. With McCarthy’s verbal blunder, I hope we can put Benghazi to rest—as someone said, the ongoing fruitless investigations are an insult to the memory of four courageous Americans killed there.

And, oh yes, those emails. I’m not as clear on what’s involved, but I have read, repeatedly, that Bush and Cheney deleted thousands of emails that they had sent and exchanged on the server of the Republican National Committee. Since I am among those who think those two men did irreparable harm to this country, harm that may not be undone for generations, I am at a loss as to why that record is not being investigated. Instead we are bombarded almost daily with headlines blaring that more emails have been discovered, etc., in spite of the fact that to date investigation reveals that while using a private server may have been an act of poor judgment, it was not at the time against the law. I blame the media in part for continuing to stir the pot.

It seems clear to me that Republicans are out to scuttle Hillary’s campaign any way they can, morality, ethics, even legality be damned. I realize that politics is, unfortunately, a dirty business and probably nobody’s hands are lily white, but I think the conservatives are sinking lower than I thought possible. That’s not the kind of country I thought I lived in nor is it the kind I want to live in.

This might be my personal endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.

 

 

My thoughts on Hillary Clinton

Nancy Reagan endorsed Hillary yesterday, so in the face of that unexpected but important support, I doubt my opinion makes much difference to the newly announced candidate. For months I've been lukewarm about this candidacy, figuring she had too much baggage--including her husband. Don't get me wrong--I thought he was a good president and he has done much good for the world since he left office. But some folk will never forget Monica. And then for Hillary, there's Benghazi which has been investigated to death but the conservatives cling to it like a bulldog with a bone, and those private emails--name me a politician on either side of the aisle who doesn't have private emails. Still, those issues could drag her down.
I resisted the "draft Elizabeth Warren" movement because I think she's much more effective in the Senate, and while I really like Bernie Sanders' ideas, I'm realist enough to know he wouldn't win. My son-in-law said scornfully, "He's a socialist," and when I replied, "I know. That's why I like him," even my daughter (who should be used to my views) scoffed. So I guessed I was a reluctant Hillary supporter.
But yesterday, after her low-key announcement and her emphasis on being the champion of every American, I'm much more enthusiastic. We need someone to fight for the poor, the underserved medically, those who have had dramatic cuts to their benefits and raises to their taxes. In short, we need to restore the distribution of wealth in this country, and if that's to be her focus, God bless her. She has a long record of dedication to us everyday folks, and apparently she's not going to abandon it, even while Republicans clamor about foreign policy and other matters on which they have no platform, no consensus.
It's going to be a long and bitter campaign, and Hillary's opponents are going to lie, deceive, throw everything at her they can. I have faith that she's tough enough to take it, but I also like that her announcement reminded us she is a grandmother. She's a tough woman, with a softer side, and I admire that.
I hope she can keep her head up and take the high road. She would be a blessing to this country, which badly needs blessings.

A relief, a worry, and a puzzle

A relief: I am mightily relieved that the Senate rejected the Keystone Pipeline. I've read a lot about it: the scientists warn against it--one went so far as to say it was a note of doom for the planet; others point to the spills the pipeline has already had in Canada and this country, including a huge one in North Dakota; the President is not the only one to point out that Canada was merely using the US as a path to ship crude (and dirty) oil to China and other parts--there will be no benefit to the US, except 50 permanent jobs (Bernie Sanders said today that is not job growth). I saw a map today--the Tar Sands oil is in the southwest of Canada. The pipeline would snake it's way over to the Midwest and through our "bread basket," across the Southwest to be shipped out. We will not get a drop of oil; our gas prices will not go down, might go up. Someone told me tonight that the same oil is now being shipped on railroad cars, which is more dangerous. I vote we ban that shipment--let Canada ship its own dirty oil without detouring through our country, either by pipeline or rail. I am grateful for senators who want to work to correct climate change and are not affected by greed.
A worry: the brewing trouble in Ferguson MO. Whichever way the grand jury decides there will still be trouble, I fear. I read a Facebook posting recently about how tired Americans are of giving tax breaks to corporations that pay no tax and make huge profits, of paying corrupt politicians, of the general breakdown in our political system, of racism, of the gap between the wealthy and the poor. It ended with the ominous message: a storm is coming. I'm afraid Ferguson, especially an acquittal, might be the spark that ignites that storm (okay, mixed metaphor). But I remember too well how riots spread across the country after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. It could happen again, but I pray not. There's no ignoring that there is simmering tension in this country.
A puzzle: for some time it's been assumed that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2016. Once again, I rely on Facebook--it's a great monitor of public sentiment--and I feel instead of gaining support, she's losing traction. More than one person has touted Elizabeth Warren as a presidential candidate. From my point of view, she'd be great but I'm not sure she has the following--yet. There's been talk of an Elizabeth Warren/Bernie Sanders ticket, which sounds idealistically wonderful to me. But I'm not sure they stand a chance. I dismissed a mention of a Clinton/Warren ticket--this country just isn't ready for two women.
With all these issues--the climate, race riots, jockeying for political position--I think it's one of those times we have to trust in whatever God we believe in. I can't believe rational thinking will win out.