THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE

THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE was blasted at the Million Women Marches, all over the country. It includes all people--all races, all genders, all gender orientations, all religions--so many faces flooding the streets. Democracy is the voice to speak out against your insane tweets. Democracy is the resistance--the repeal of the Affordable Care Act;, climate change denial, threats to the pursuit of equality (racial, economic, gender), a general erosion of civility, modesty, nuance, logic. Democracy is the voice to say you can not play with facts, say you are draining the swamp and fill your cabinet members with filthy rich, corrupt billionaires, many of whom have no experience in government. Power, in the words of Frederick Douglas, concedes nothing without a demand.

Here are our demands, Mr. Trump. What are you going to do now?

Trump World

There is a new world called Trump World. It is filled with lies. How ironic that Hillary Clinton's name was defaced with the coined expression "crooked Hillary," and his followers shouted, insanely, "lock her up" when this man can contradict himself dozens of times in ONE DAY ALONE.

But here is the thing, Mr. Trump. You can not argue facts. When you say there were over a million people at the inauguration, and blame the picture which shows so few people on photo shopping, it is obvious how insecure and petty you are. Not only that, pictures do not lie; say what you want about the media. All they did was take pictures. And further proof: I was there the day of the inauguration, when it ended, and there were not many people on the train with their red baseball hats, "Make America Great Again."

America can not be great as you continue to lie and spread venom. America WAS great under President Obama, who had grace and dignity and the ability to not even call you out for what you are. I wish I could be as silent in your presence.

But I cannot. And speaking of lies, GLOBAL WARMING is a scientific truth. You want to argue with scientists? Are you a scientist, too? Try taking a trip around the world, or maybe read some books about it and follow statistics. Try taking a look at the insane storms and flooding, ones which just might cause your beloved golf course in Florida to be underwater. But I forgot; you do not read. You do not even take security briefs. You have bigger things to do. What do they happen to be?

But I know, it will be someone else's fault. It always is in Trump World, where facts and evidence do not matter.

Million Woman's March

The Million Woman's March was fabulous in a million ways, in that there were women (and some men) in Washington, D.C., our national's capital, saying what he is doing to women's rights via Planned Parenthood and the Affordable Care Act is NOT okay, and it's not! The way after what many had assumed would be the inauguration of the first female president, turned into the travesty called Donald Trump. So hundreds of thousands of women of all ages and all colors and all forms of sexual orientations took to the streets in cities across the country in defiant, jubilant rallies. And with millions of women everywhere marching, there were no arrests, no threats; this was a peaceful demonstration for the terribly polarized nation. And being with my daughter, Samantha, her friend, my sister-in-law and cousin, Becky, made it even sweeter. We marched for my granddaughter, Ella. And the sweetest moments came from my husband, Ira (I am so proud of you and Samantha for doing this) and from my daughter herself. She thanked me for the weekend and also thanked me for "birthing her."

I am the one who had to thank them!

Goodbye President Obama

Goodbye, dear president. You inspired a great nation. You were never crude, always a brilliant orator, quite funny and a remarkable husband, parent, leader. And you always were optimistic, even when there were people who accused you of insanity, such as the birther rumors. I NEVER heard you call anyone a name; put down anyone; be anything but utterly and totally positive. The thing is, it was evident you always believed in the American people and this optimism was contagious. You are leaving this office with a 55-60% approval rating, while our new president enters with a 37% approval rating. Today, though, I will be like you. I will not put him down, but I will say, the nation mourns your departure. I allow your last words in your farewell address to resonate with me: "Let me tell you, the generation coming up-unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic-I've seen you in every corner of the country. You believe in a fair and just and inclusive America; you know that constant change is America's hallmark, that it's not something to fear but something to embrace; you are willing to carry out this hard work of democracy forward. You'll soon outnumber us, and I believe, as a result, the future is in good hands."

Today, president Obama, I bid farewell to you and your optimism and the way you have etched the meaning of goodness and righteousness in the world. I will try my very hardest to keep your wonderful essence with me as I face a world that now seems totally unfamiliar.

The Two-State Delusion: Israel and Palestine – A Tale of Two Narratives by Padraig O'Malley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just finished THE TWO STATE DELUSION by Padrig O' Malley. This book was remarkable in the way it showed both sides of the coin-for the Israelis and the Palestinians, and for the right of return. The frightening perspective, for me, is his sense that the time for a two state solution has passed. Palestine's political disunity and economic fragility coupled with Israel's continuing ideological shifts to the right make the concept of peace negotiations untenable. Reading this book was an education; in fact, every American should read this book in order to get a broader understanding of the politics and machinations inside both Israel and Palestine. You get a glimpse not only into the lives of the politicians, but ordinary citizens, too, many of whom want peace (on both sides), but also do not see its feasibility. This quote in the book really stood out for me: "There is little hope for advance on any front until both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians begin to think in terms of the long view and differentiate between what they can accomplish in the here and now and what they can leave for future generations to decide. Demography is a long way down the road; so is squeezing out the hatred; so, too, is educating both publics about the costs of living apart and the benefits of living together. But of utmost importance is respect."

I am starting to think, in some ways, there are similarities between the left and right here. We have become enemies. Once that happens, how do you proceed to work together? There must be some way, somehow-or is it really just the death of idealasim?

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Happy Birthday Ira

Happy belated birthday, Ira. I MUST write about you on my blog, since you are central to my life, but it is pivotal I write about your essence-THINE BEFORE MINE. Ira, you have lived your life to the service of others. First of all, me, your wife. I never wanted to live in the suburbs, and explained to you I am not a driver and did not want to "shlep" the children places, and since I was with the children more, you agreed. You agreed to take the vacations I suggested; you opened yourself to the culture I introduced you to; you became a tireless and devoted Dad, one who probably put your children first and foremost. I would say your family came before your job, not that you were not dedicated as a physician. You have worked your whole life in an inner-city hospital, and though the work has been demanding and you certainly complained enough, you also worked in a dedicated fashion, and if someone did not have the money to pay you, it was irrelevant. You were never motivated by money. If you were, perhaps you would have voted for Trump, because your taxes would have been lower, and the cabinet choice for Health is Richard Price, a man who you abhor, but one who puts doctors and their purse strings first. Why? He is not there for the patients, but only the doctors. My guess is many mercenary doctors made another decision, but not you. You are a man with such a strong moral compass that you put me to shame. It is always thine before mine, and I can not say I am this way as strongly as you.

This is why I admire you. This is why I respect you. When you look up "mensch" in the dictionary, there you are. In fact, you have grown to be even more of a mensch over the years. You are appalled by the Trump presidency because of the man's total lack of a moral center.

Your moral center, Ira, is so superlative, that daily I count my blessings that I married you and managed to stay married all these years. I can only look forward to our bright future together, one that includes fighting the forces that try to make our world less moral. You are the meaning of the word "man."

Hidden Figures

Just saw the movie Hidden Figures, and it made me feel hopeful. Why? Three black women worked for NASA during the height of Jim Crow South, and these women, by being smart, daring, and unafraid, were able to endure the hardships and prejudice not only against Blacks, but against women. But against all odds, these women came out on top. They did it with intellect and the power of conviction. And the men who had chosen to close the doors to them had to stop and pause and let them in-because these three women demanded it.
Two things really stood out as remarkable:

1. The audience was filled with children, mostly middle schoolers. I was afraid, since they were so chatty, throwing popcorn-doing what middle schoolers can do. Yet, the lights went out and-silence. Not only that, there were so many moments where the women in the film would not back down-sort of like Rocky moments for women, and the kids cheered. They also cheered against the ugly racism when it reared its ugly head. And you know what I thought? The parents of these children have done such a good job, since these ten and eleven year olds already realize what is WRONG in the world, and also what is RIGHT. These kids made me believe. They also made me believe I, too, can fight against what will clearly be WRONG in the world in the next few years, and perhaps I can win.

AND

2. These women worked for NASA in the late fifties, early sixties, sort of pre-feminism. Yet, two out of three had husbands who shared the work and believed that their girlfriends/wives could rise to the top. In other words, the men thought of the women as equals. Considering this was decades ago, these men were as remarkable as the women in the film.

And boy was I impressed in their ability to FIGHT for what is RIGHT.