Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Our Planet At Risk

Now Donald Trump is willing to put the health of our planet at risk; how terrifying! He thinks global climate is a hoax and he has dared to argue with knowledgeable scientists. Global warming and its consequences are everywhere-rising seas; more devastating droughts; widespread species extinction. According to a NYT editorial, "Mr. Trump's ignorance  has stripped America of its hard-won role as a global-leader of climate issues." In fact, he has stripped America of its position as a Democratic government dedicated to significant and good causes. And he continues to cut from the E.P. A., so dangerous it is frightening.


He is a travesty from start to finish, but I will not have him destroy our great planet. He has so little understanding of not just science, but government and its need to protect. This level of ignorance, however, goes beyond everything; it assaults the air we breathe; the oceans we wade in; the earth we walk on!

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Won't Back Down

My friends and all those very close to me did not ask for this president; he was thrust upon us, and now we are asked to treat him accordingly. Most people I know have signed petitions actively; some have gone to protests many actively negate his actions, his lack of civility and diplomacy, and some of them have moved on. He is our president; what can yo do? We will survive. Some have even suggested to move on.

And here is why I cannot. I am a fighter; I have always been a fighter. If I were not a fighter, there is no way I would have survived. I grew up in a home that was a deficit; oh, I had a Dad who loved me, grandparents, an aunt, cousins, but home was chaotic. I did not have a full-fledged anchor, but I did have something-a voice, and it was not a small one. I believed I had to fight to survive-in the classroom and the world. In my younger years, I was a survivor, but I was also a child, so I fought with a level of fear and anxiety, and I brought some of this with me into adulthood.

When I was the parent of adolescent children, I fought; I fought to raise civilized, decent children with good values. Sometimes this was hard, since my children were strong-willed, but I was willing to do the hard work, with no guarantee the outcome would be good. What choice did I have? To give up on my child would mean a terrible defeat, an awful resignation; it would mean a kind of hopelessness and despair, which is so much not a part of my personality, not who I am. I have deep and passionate beliefs in the goodness of my family, my children, but adolescents can test that resolve. Had I resigned and not put up the good fight, that would have been a statement-that I stopped believing that everything would turn out alright in the end.

And now there is a man in office who exceeds all expectations of normalcy, decency, integrity, and some say, what can you do? He is gutting the EPA. What can you do? He is dismantling public education.What can you do? He accused our former president of wire-tapping him-an obvious lie. He lies; he cheats; he is a a criminal. He is building a wall instead of starting us on a road to diplomacy. And I can fight all I want, but with a Republican controlled congress, there is a sense of futility, and perhaps it would be fine to shrug my shoulders and move forward.

But that is not me. It would mean that I had become a person who stopped believing in the power of the fight; the power of the written word; the power of argument; the power  of decency, integrity, the world of possibilities. It would mean that I am becoming a person who is resigned to a world that is morally reprehensible, that does not open its doors to immigrants, that does not help the poor, the elderly. It would mean that I am fine with the status quo.

I am older now and feel the power of my voice in a much bigger, stronger way; to back down would mean this is all okay. What if Gandhi had done this? King? Lyndon Johnson? Abraham Lincoln? What about our very own revolutionaries here in America?  It is possible to say the Emperor is naked, and even if millions say it, he may still continue to walk around without his clothes and we will just have to accept this at the end of the day.

But sorry, not without a fight. The fight ends when my life does, and even then I can only hope people will remember that I had a voice, and that I used it, hopefully, for the betterment of the world, and always with kindness and compassion!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

The Border is Always Open

Just read a wonderful piece in Sunday's NYT, The Week in Review, "The Border is Always Open" by Hisham Mitar. Its focus is on the magic of reading. He says, "The secret motive behind every library is to stumble upon ourselves in the lives and lands and tongues of others." What happens? A distance is widened and then it is crossed. All great art is a glimpse across the limits of the self.

This piece spoke to me in so many ways, mainly in the way I have used books to give me access into another's world, and how important, how critical this is. He says literature is the greatest argument for the universalistic instinct, and that is why it is intransigent.

I agree, and also with the limitations of a presidency where doubt and contradiction are not tolerated, for what is life (and literature) if not a series of contradictions. Donald Trump is not only intolerant of complexity; he fears it. That is why he does not read, and why we must continue to read, so we can go to many far off places, ones Donald Trump could never go to with all his money, but limited imagination and intellectual acumen. I read; therefore I am!

Monday, March 20, 2017

Violations in Myanmar

Read the statement from Fortify Rights below to learn about the inquiry into violations in Myanmar. This relates to my new book, WHY NO BHINE.

U.N. Human Rights Council Should Mandate Robust Inquiry in Myanmar
(Washington, D.C., March 17, 2017)—Members of United States Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration should support the establishment of an international inquiry into possible crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, Fortify Rights said today at a hearing before the U.S. Congress. Fortify Rights detailed its recent findings on violations taking place in Rakhine State in a 17-page written submission (http://www.fortifyrights.org/downloads/Fortify_Rights_Testimony_Before_the_Tom_Lantos_Human_Rights_Commission_March_17_2017.pdf) to U.S. Congress published today.

“The U.S. is a highly influential actor in Myanmar,” said Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights who testified at the hearing. “We believe a strong international inquiry will bolster Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration, stem refugee outflows, and help end military impunity for serious human rights abuses.”

Fortify Rights called on the U.S. Government to support ongoing efforts at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to mandate a strong international inquiry into human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

After weeks of negotiations, the European Union submitted a resolution to the Human Rights Council on March 16, calling for the body to “dispatch urgently an independent international fact-finding mission” to Myanmar to investigate violations in Rakhine State “with a view to ensure full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims.” Human Rights Council member states will debate the resolution and vote on it next week. The U.S. is a member of the Human Rights Council.

Fortify Rights’ testimony to U.S. Congress stressed that “a robust commission” would “deter additional atrocity crimes not only in Rakhine State but also in other ethnic states, such as Kachin and Shan states, where the military has perpetrated international crimes with impunity as well.”

Fortify Rights’ 17-page written submission to the Commission describes how Myanmar “state security forces raped and killed Rohingya civilians, including infants and children, looted property, and razed entire villages, including religious structures and food stocks.” Fortify Rights also documented “situations of mass gang-rape of women and girls” and how soldiers “slit men’s throats and burned people alive.”

Fortify Rights told members of U.S. Congress that: “State security forces carried out these violations in a consistent manner in disparate locations, indicating the systematic nature of the attacks. Fortify Rights believes this indicates that the soldiers’ actions were not spontaneous and were likely based on guidance or orders.”

The submission also details how the “military arrested men and boys en masse.” On March 16, Reuters exposed that children under the age of 12 are among the hundreds detained.

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan commission in U.S. Congress, organized the hearing. Democratic Representative from Massachusetts James P. McGovern and Republican Representative from Illinois Randy Hultgren co-chair the commission.

Former member of U.S. Congress and current President of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Tom Andrews, Program Manager of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Andrea Gittleman, and an ethnic-Rohingya advocate from Myanmar Mohamed Naeem also provided detailed testimony at the hearing on atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

“The authorities must reinstate unconditional citizenship rights to Rohingya,” said Mohamed Naeem, who also called for accountability for atrocity crimes. “We want to be treated with respect, dignity, and equality—no more, no less.”

The findings presented at the hearing are consistent with U.N. reports on the situation in Rakhine State. On February 3, the U.N. reported (http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/MM/FlashReport3Feb2017.pdf) “widespread human rights violations against the Rohingya population” in Myanmar, including “mass gang-rape, killings, including of babies and young children, brutal beatings, disappearances and other serious human rights violations by the country's security forces.” The U.N. found that attacks against the Rohingya were widespread and systematic and likely constituted crimes against humanity.

Last month, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called for at least a Commission of Inquiry to further investigate the allegations.

Reporting to the U.N. Human Rights Council on March 13, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee delivered her own findings, describing grave violations by Myanmar state security forces, including the “slitting of throats, indiscriminate shootings, setting alight houses with people tied up inside and throwing very young children into the fire, as well as gang rapes and other sexual violence.” Lee also called upon member states to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the situation in Rakhine State.

The Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, appointed by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and led by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, issued interim recommendations on March 15. While the commission was not mandated to investigate allegations of human rights violations, notably it called for perpetrators of human rights violations to be held accountable through an “independent and impartial investigation.”

Following allegations of mass atrocities, the Government of Myanmar appointed a commission to investigate the situation, as did the military and police, but these bodies lack independence and credibility and have been unwilling and unable to properly address the crimes that have taken place, Fortify Rights said.

The 34^th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva began February 27 and will conclude March 24. The U.N. body comprises 47 U.N. member states and can pass resolutions with a simple majority vote of at least 24 member states.

“The negotiations on the resolution should be swift and waste no time in mandating a strong inquiry,” said Matthew Smith. “The international community failed to intervene to prevent atrocities in Rakhine State in the past and the consequences have played out on a horrific scale. Now is the time for action, not diplomatic maneuvering.”

Taking a Moment

Have been on a treadmill with RONIT AND JAMIL events--schools, readings, all so good, but even too much of a good thing is too much. We have to put the breaks on in our lives; otherwise, we will crash. I had felt myself about to crash, and this was awakened when I observed another teacher teaching this week, a part of my  job. It was an advanced creative writing class at City College, and in the first five minutes the teacher requested the students close their eyes and just meditate on what they wanted to write. At first I found myself cynical; this is too hokey, I thought, but then I allowed to give myself over to the experience.

And guess what I found? Sitting quietly-thinking, dreaming, contemplating is not just a luxury we afford ourselves, but in fact, a necessity. For five minutes that day, I felt relaxed, my brain was not swirling, I felt the muscles in my body take a vacation. This made me realize how crucial it is to mentally take a vacation-even for a few moments. In fact, creativity does not exist in a vacuum; it exits when one has the ability to quietly dream. This made me feel quite good about my decision to write fewer blog entries, since sometimes quantity is not quality, and I found myself so repetitive. I also found myself drowning in the politics of 2017. Drowning will not make anything go away. Meditating, being quiet, getting off the treadmill will-if nothing else-save the person whose body I live in daily-me!

Saturday, March 11, 2017

AllegedlyAllegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you want a terrific young adult novel, probably one of the best I have read in a very, very long time? I was at the 50th anniversary reading at AWP this year in Washington, D.C., and had the great fortune of moderating a panel, and Tiffany D. Jackson was one of its participants. Tiffany is charismatic, energetic, passionate and has a wonderful personality, and these qualities are clearly grounded in her writing. I was so impressed that I asked her to share my launch date, February 21st, at Books of Wonder. She read from her novel, ALLEGEDLY, and I was totally bowled over. Let me tell you, readers, this is a page-turner, every step of the way. More importantly, it is gripping, heart-wrenching and an important book because of the many issues it touches on. What are these issues? Let's start with dysfunctional families. Based on a true story, the young Mary Addison, who has "allegedly" killed a three month infant when she, herself, was nine years old; she finds her teenaged self in a group home, after spending time in juvenile prison. Packed with notes from psychiatrists and correction officers, we see Mary from the point of view of others as well as from her own POV, yet we question the reliability of the narrator and the religiously fanatic (and sometimes abusive) mother who has raised her, who visits her once a week. The dead baby is white, so issues of race, incarceration for the young, the social justice system, truth, and evil, are explored in terse, dramatic language, and the agony of her world (did she do it? didn't she?) feels painfully realistic. The diction is daring and marvelous down to the smallest detail.

Tiffany's narrative voice is remarkable; the book will haunt you long after you have finished it. A MUST read!!!!!! By the way, she has a great delivery, so try to catch her at one of her readings!

View all my reviews

My Best Role

This morning, on my way to work, I was thinking about my many hats. I am a wife, a mother, a teacher, a writer, a director of an Outreach Center, a social activist. I have learned to juggle so many roles, that sometimes I have to stop and pause; I feel overwhelmed by the treadmill. But this earlier this week I gave pause; I was purchasing bakery goods for Ella's swim party. Every Wednesday I take Ella swimming, and this past Wednesday was her swim teacher's birthday, so the four children and their parents celebrated. I am the only grandma in the group. We have had parties once a month for one reason or another-Valentine's Day, for example. I have found myself looking forward to these events because every child has taken to call me "Gaga Pam." I am Gaga to my granddaughter, Ella, but now her swim buddies look forward to a kiss and a hug and calling me Gaga, too.

And you know what? I relish this. It fills me with such joy, such pleasure, a special treat during these troubled political times. I may feel saddened by the state of the world, but when I go to Wednesday swim, the beauty, innocence, sheer joy of the world spills into every pore of my existence, and for this reason, this is the hat I most appreciate; the one I eagerly look forward to and love.

Thank you, Ella, and thank you, Craig and Amanda, for giving me this gift.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Fortify Rights Report Launch and Panel Discussion

Below is information from Fortify Rights on Thailand's compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political RIghts. This organization inspired my latest book, WHY NO BHINE.

Report launch and Panel Discussion

A WORK IN PROGRESS:
THAILAND’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS

March 8, 2017, 10am-12pm at FCCT

Thailand is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)—a key instrument of human rights law. As a state party, it is legally bound to uphold and implement the provisions of the ICCPR. Later this month, the U.N. Human Rights Committee, an 18-member body of independent experts elected by U.N. member states, will review Thailand’s compliance with the treaty.

Fortify Rights is hosting a panel to discuss Thailand’s implementation of the ICCPR and the upcoming review process before the U.N. Human Rights Committee in Geneva.

During this panel, Fortify Rights will release a new 38-page report, A Work in Progress: Thailand’s Compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This report is based on research conducted between 2014 and 2017 and includes testimony from eyewitnesses and survivors of human rights violations in Thailand as well as information collected through monitoring trials in Thai courts and analyzing official government, court, and U.N. documents.

Featured Speakers:
* Representative of the Ministry of Justice, [to be confirmed]
* Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit, National Human Rights Commissioner
* Ms. Sutharee Wannasiri, Thailand Human Rights Specialist, Fortify Rights
* Ms. Amy Smith, Executive Director, Fortify Rights
* Mr. Sunai Phasuk, Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch, Asia Division

Moderator
* Ms. Nattha Komolvadhin, journalist and host of “This is Thai PBS” Program

When: Wednesday March 8, 2017, 10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Where: Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (http://www.fccthai.com/)
Admission: Free
*Thai-English translation services will be provided
For more information or media interviews prior to the event, please contact:

Amy Smith, Executive Director, +66.87.795.5454, amy.smith@fortifyrights.org (mailto:amy.smith@fortifyrights.org) ; Twitter: @AmyAlexSmith (https://twitter.com/AmyAlexSmith?lang=en) , @fortifyrights (https://twitter.com/FortifyRights?lang=en)

Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Director, +1.202.503.8032 (in U.S.), matthew.smith@fortifyrights.org(mailto:matthew.smith@fortifyrights.org) ; twitter @MatthewFSmith (https://twitter.com/matthewfsmith?lang=en) , @FortifyRights (https://twitter.com/FortifyRights?lang=en)

Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand
Penthouse, Maneeya Center Building 518/5 Ploenchit Road (connected to the BTS Skytrain Chitlom station) Patumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02-652-0580
E-mail: info@fccthai.com
Website: http://www.fccthai.com

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Build Bridges, Dismantle Walls

Dear blog followers:

I have been taking a blogcation, just because I have been so busy. However, there is a lot to report about RONIT AND JAMIL. It is doing amazingly well, in part, because of its timely message: LOVE TRUMPS HATE. This was noted in Broadway.com's review of the staged reading of Ronit and Jamil at City College's Aaron Davis Hall, where we had a packed house and a standing ovation. The message of the evening was : "WE BUILD BRIDGES; WE DISMANTLE WALLS." Indeed, fences are broken down as people from the opposite side learn to love one another. Our political climate suggests otherwise, but art will always be that bridge that makes a statement that anything is possible. When I look at the reviews of RONIT AND JAMIL, and explore the wild enthusiasm for the work, I truly believe that message. And there will be at least two other staged readings: in Bushwick, Brooklyn, at Brooklyn College and in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It is a book which says Islamophobia is NOT OKAY. Our culture could learn a lot from this very important message.

And the book party at VON, a lower Eastside bar owned by my wonderful student, Kaarin, was a smashing success. Thank you, Kaarin, friends, family, readers. May the message of love linger way past these readings. Stay tuned for other events to follow!