The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity—W. B. Yeats

When my younger son, Jamie was in fourth grade, his class studied Texas history. Jamie was enthralled, particularly by the idea of doing rubbings of cemetery stones. He dragged me to the historic cemeteries in Fort Worth and regaled me with the history of the city and stories of its heroes, while he rubbed furiously. To this day, Jamie has a good grounding in Texas history.

But our state history is controversial. The legislature has mandated guidelines for the way it is to be taught, with their focus on forbidding the teaching of CRT in public schools. You’d think a body of citizens charged with governing our state would be open-minded enough to study CRT and learn that it is not now, has not ever been, and will not be taught at any level below graduate school—and then mostly in law schools. But no! The legislature also wants the martyrs of the Alamo depicted as heroes and does not allow teachers to suggest there is more than one way to view that episode in our history. Read Forget the Alamo, a book which so incensed lite gov. Dan Patrick that he cancelled a program at the Bullock Museum at the last minute. Racism and slavery? Not to be discussed with young minds, lest they feel guilty about being white, a theory that does not consider black and brown children.

Volunteer groups of teachers have been working for at least two years to rewrite the social studies curriculum and had created guidelines that integrated various cultures into the curriculum, including immigrants and LGBTQ citizens. The fourth- and seventh-grade focus on history was replaced with a more chronological teaching. This week, the State Board of Education voted to delay implementation of the new curriculum for two years for “more study.” They objected to the possibility of “woke indoctrination,” which is both as difficult to define as CRT and is the worst grammar I’ve ever heard.

The Texas Freedom Caucus is rejoicing. One conservative said, “The purpose of government is to secure our God-given rights” and stressed that children must be taught American exceptionalism—the idea that we are better than the entire rest of the world and destined to be the leader (apparently ignoring how far we fell in international esteem under trump). Another said, “We need to teach them to love freedom and to love limited government …. to replace those things with things that are going on in our world now with globalism, foreign relations, LGBTQ agenda, Marxism and other foreign ideas ... to swap those would be against the will of Texans and would be terrible.” I’d guess this guy is not a futurist.

I am at a loss for words. The majority, even in Texas, is letting a vocal minority determine our educational system, our personal lives, everything about our culture. I am so weary of people who rant about CRT in the schools and “woke indoctrination”—that use of woke grates every time I hear it. I cannot fathom that education is not valued, that critical thinking is not a way of life, that blind fear of what they don’t understand is a driving force behind these overbearing, loud-mouthed people.

It's one thing to urge people to vote blue—and I am not minimalizing that at all. But I think we all also have to educate ourselves so that we have cogent arguments to meet conservative prejudices. Of course, I know some won’t listen, many will deny, but we can’t just sit back and accept the rantings of those who would take us back beyond the 1950s, to Jim Crow laws and women without a voice and educational discrimination. It simply can’t happen! A good starting place: fight for our schools.

I read a lengthy post on Facebook today that suggested some of these parents—and maybe some of us whose kids have aged out of schools—ought to volunteer instead of criticizing and demanding book bans and refusing posters from other cultures (Yes, hello, Southlake!). We should see what’s really going on—read to the kids, eat lunch with them, listen to them and their questions, learn with them without lecturing at them. It’s a big challenge. But more and more I think it’s the schools where Biden’s battle for the soul of our nation will be fought.

As the world turns

A week ago tomorrow, those of us who vote progressive were in despair, foreseeing the end of civilization, the end of life as we know it, possibly the end of the environment. A week later this old world seems to spin on in its inevitable cycle. Yes, there have been blusters and threats--Obama better cooperate or else, 100,000 taken off Medicare rolls, etc. The conservatives aren't even in power yet, but they're acting like it, even taking claim for economic gains of the past two years. I'm not sure how much of their bluster could be accomplished--Obama has veto power, and the conservatives don't have enough Senate votes to over-ride a veto; didn't we all pay into Medicare? I know they can't take social security, though it's on the list, because it's independent of government money and actually the government is in debt to social security. So I suspect we can look forward to continued gridlock, only this time Harry Reid won't be the bad guy--McConnell will. And Boehner will continue to be the cry-baby who can't keep his party in line. My point is, life goes on, and the world keeps spinning.
And life seems very normal today. Jacob was out of school, so we spent the day unpacking Christmas decorations--I know, it's early, but don't question please--and learning the states of the Midwest, their locations, abbreviations, and capitals (harder than you think). Nice lunch with Melinda where she and Jacob totally left me out of the conversation because she can talk football with him, and I can't. I wish he'd apply the intelligence he does to football players and statistics to the states of the Midwest.
Tonight Sue, my adopted Canadian daughter, came for a glass of wine, and we had a happy catch-up time. And then I got to work. I'm back on my thousand words a day kick--don't know how long it will last but it's only been five days, so I can't gloat yet. Still, it's a good feeling.
So yes, this old world will keep turning. We may not like it, but it's not the end of life.

Putting on a good face

I have spent much of today being determinedly cheerful. You see, my horoscope told me it was a good day to be cheerful and outgoing, and I might make important new contacts if I did that. Easier said than done on a rainy, dismal day when I didn't see anyone else until I got Jacob at three. And, of course, the Republican "rout" to overcome. Yes, I've read all the Facebook messages I got about why liberals lost--from President Obama to gerrymandering to the Democrats ongoing tendency not to support their own and, of course, voter apathy. What encourages me is that blame-seeking is done mostly in the sense of figuring out how things can be done differently in 2016. I am much encouraged by the many candidates who have said, "We're not through. We're not giving up the fight."
I have also been struck with the thought, expressed by several, that the conservatives wanted to control the government. Okay, now they've got it. Let's see what they do with it. I still have a sense of dread, and I did read and share a really scary forecast of what the future holds. But I'm determined to be optimistic.
I remember a friend who was distraught at the possible election of George W. Bush but finally decided that we had all dreaded Dwight Eisenhower's term of office and nothing bad happened. "How bad can it be?" he asked rhetorically. We all saw how that worked out--two unnecessary wars, tax cuts to the wealthy, and a monumental debt left to the country. So I'm a little afraid to say "How bad can it be?" But I remain hopeful that the country will survive and struggle onward to regain its once-great status in the world.
Betty and I went to Lili's tonight for supper--split crab cakes on wasabi mac and cheese. Really good. The cakes seemed to be all crab with no filler, crusty with sesame seeds and I don't know what else. And I guess it cheered us. When I asked how she felt about last night, she floored me by asking, "What was last night?" But then she said she knew it was coming all along. I guess I did too but I remained hopeful.
My good news is that a writing pal said, "The more you write, the more the ideas come," and it struck me that's why I have no ideas. So I wrote a thousand words on a new novel today. Yay for me! 

There's no joy in Mudville tonight

This is a strictly partisan post, so ignore if you want. But I am distraught, heartsick, and befuddled by today's elections. I truly thought the Democrats had a chance--most Democratic candidates had enthusiastic crowds and their own enthusiasm on their side, not to mention concrete proposals for the future. I heard that Allison Grimes drew crowds of hundreds, while Mitch McConnell had trouble getting a hundred to a rally. What went wrong?
I love two definitions of a conservative: someone who plants his feet firmly and proceeds to march backward, and someone who is firm in his convictions, no matter how wrong they are. Democrats on the other hand aren't called progressives for no reason--they're represent progress, forward movement, and--what scares many people--change. It seems so clear to me that there's no alternative to the way the country should have voted (I know, not all polls are in yet but the trend is clear) that I am befuddled.
Do we have an electorate that doesn't want progress? That longs for the "good old days" even though those days will never come again? An electorate that doesn't care about the environment, the economy, a raise in the minimum wage so that all families can make a living? Have they not read about the success of Costco, which pays employees handsomely, vs. Walmart, which pays so poorly that employees are on welfare? Do they not read the statistics about the growth of economy in states that increase the minimum wage opposed to those who don't?
Do they not care about women's rights? Education? Children's health care? The poor?
In a darker mood, I sometimes wonder how much of these election results have to do with the overwhelming and vitriolic condemnation of our president--and that too baffles me. Jobs are up, the stock market is up, the debt is down--looking at what President Obama inherited, he's worked wonders. So when I wonder why the hatred, I am led reluctantly down the path toward racism.
At dinner tonight I sat next to a retired journalist who said he's covered politics for fifty years and never seen the vitriolic hate that is spewed on President Obama--not just as a politician but as a person. And even worse, the hate that is spewed on his wife.
I am afraid for my country, afraid it is becoming a nation consumed by greed and hate and elitism. If the election indeed goes the way it looks, we are now in the hands of the Koch brothers. Two years ago I'd never heard of them.
Another thing is picking away at the back of my brain. I am the last one to believe conspiracy theories, but it's hard to understand that Democrats roused so much enthusiasm in the campaign and then came out so badly in the election. I can't help wonder about voting regulations, bribery, whatever. My daughter-in-law moved in the early summer and filed all the proper places to change her driver's license, voting status, etc. She was denied the right to vote today and told she would have to go back to her previous district--many miles away. A friend of hers said the same thing happened to two other voters she knew. The excuse given? DPS dropped the ball.
The next two years will be a hard test for President Obama, but I have confidence in him. To all the Democratic candidates who campaigned and lost--thanks for fighting the good fight.

Attending arguments--or keeping silent

I saw something on Facebook today that said, "You don't have to attend every argument you're invited to." Good advice, and yet I find myself increasingly drawn into arguments on Facebook. It's no secret my political sympathies are definitely left so it's no surprise that I am outraged by some of the posts from the conservative side and I want to share some from the liberal side. I try to be judicious about the posts I share--checking the sources, etc. I'm willing to be contradicted, but by hard facts not opinions.
Not surprisingly, I irritate a lot of people who hold different views. Some are polite, a few verge on being rude and unpleasant. I try to maintain calm, avoid shrillness, and restrain some thoughts that come to mind.
But I decided that if you firmly believe in a way of life, a philosophy if you will, it's your responsibility to speak up. I believe the fall elections are critical. This country cannot survive another stalemate in Washington and another obstructionist conservative Congress, nor am I one bit happy about the Republican control of the state I call home. We may have great jobs numbers, but we rank poorly in health care for the underinsured (the ACA would help), education, and other vital human services areas. We're great on outlawing abortion but we don't provide for those babies when they're born. And our record on women's rights is not good. I see so many reasons that the Democratic candidates are more to my taste--more compassionate, more concerned about the welfare of all people, willing to work to level the wealth, health, and education inequalities in this country.
I would willingly work for Democratic candidates (no, I don't like them all and, yes, I realize there are dishonest, selfish people are both sides of the aisle) but I can't physically walk the block, and my one attempt at being part of a phone bank (for Bill White's gubernatorial campaign) was a disaster at least to me. I give what I can but like all of us, I am besieged by everybody from the local party up to the top national office. I cannot honor every request--plus the three universities that want to claim my loyalty.
So being forthright on Facebook is my way of fighting for what I believe. On the other hand that means I'm not only attending every argument, I'm starting some. I was raised, like all female children of the fifties, not to argue, but I don't think it's right not to stand up for what you believe, to listen quietly without objection to distortion and lies.
I have a good friend who is an activist on Facebook for many causes, from liberal politics to LGBT to issues to women's issues, but she also posts about her grandchildren, her animals, her fabulous garden. "I want people to know that I'm a regular person, not just an activist," she explained to me once. Words I've never forgotten.
It may be extreme to say in this day when President Obama has been compared to Hitler, but I see parallels to pre-WWII Germany. The German people didn't speak up as Nazism took over their country. I can't let ultra-right, conservative (sometimes Tea Party) thinking quietly take over my America. Sure, I'm probably on some lists, and I laughed when Vice President Cheney thanked me for supporting him and invited me to a big Washington dinner. Wrong list, Dick.
If you don't want to read my posts or you want to defriend or hide me, I understand. I hope you understand that I feel strongly about free speech, and sometimes I hope what they say about advertising is true--repetition works. And I'll keep posting about Jacob, Sophie, mysteries and all the various aspects of my life and opinions. I hope there's a lot more to me than strongly held political opinions.

My post-election thoughts

I have a Facebook friend whose political philosophy differs from mine. We've acknowledged that and are still friends, mostly because we both write mysteries and are members of Sisters in Crime. After Obama was called as the winner last night, she posted something to the effect that this is the end of America as we have known it. I think she's absolutely right.
Where we differe is that I think it's also absolutely appropriate. The 21st Century has brought us new times, a rapidly changing world with global interdependency, technology and rapid communication, climate change and its resultant extreme weather. New problems for a new era, and government like everything else has to adapt and change. The old ways won't work...we cannot for instance go on thinking Russia is our biggest enemy. Climate change requires a different way of legislating energy, a different mindset.
Conservatives, by definition of the term, resist change, yet change is what is needed in today's world. In my humble view, the re-election of President Obama represents that change. The transition may continue to be rough, folks, but we'll get there. I sincerely believe in the Obama campaign slogan, "Forward."
A few conservative friends posted gloom and doom messages today but most said although this was not their choice they wanted to work with the President to move forward. I hope others can be reassured and adopt that attitude. As for the few bitter postings and the unnecessary crowing by some liberals, I choose to overlook that.
Friends, we are all Americans and we are all in this together. Let's work to let our legislators know that we want negotiation, compromise, and action. We're tired of a stalled, do-nothing Congress. And above all, be hopeful. I am.