VOICES

Wintertime should be fun, but

this past week we have had a parade of dire stories about our national debt rising by trillions of dollars, that we have tragic gun violence in our schools, that there is continued desperation in Puerto Rico as help is running out, that we have mass migration out of Puerto Ricans to the US as FEMA ends housing aid, that our President has been paying off lovers. that there is affirmation that Russia attacked us and will continue to attack us, that we seem to be unsure what to do, that China is taking over our role in the global economy that we are walking away from, that Russia and Iran are filling the void of leadership in the middle east, that global warming is happening faster than we can take action, that we are falling behind competing countries in education, that the safety net for those who stumble is being disassembled, that our crumbling infrastructure is continuing to crumble, that we are losing ground in Afghanistan and friends around the world, that Republican legislation is being offered in an omnibus spending bill in Congress that would be hostile to clean air,clean water, endangered species, and fragile landscapes, that Trumpcare is increasing the cost of health insurance for the middle class which is acerbating anger over Medicaid payments to the poor, that I have water in my basement and my insurance company is weaseling out of paying for any fix, that autocrats around the world feel vindicated by the USA ‘s behavior, that the cost of college and inequity are  going up, that the lessening of racism, sexual harassment, and gun violence are being resisted, that our dysfunctional and cruel immigration laws and enforcement policies will continue to inflict pain and spread fear of deportation, that we are becoming increasingly divided and frustrated and that we always get a response of self centered distasteful tweets and denials.
This is the end of my rant but not of the problems nor some folk’s optimism.

AMERICA IS STILL A GOOD COUNTRY

Thinking of all of this, my head had been spinning, but came to a halt when I heard three voices.
Amidst all the noise that is swirling around us there are still some voices that stand out for their clarity, simplicity and good sense.

Children

The children who survived the shooting  at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida are standing up to power. With their #never again campaign and their calling out those who take money from the NRA and labeling them as child killers,  their voices are rising above the confused messages of their adult leaders. They will not accept evasive arguments until the weapons that kill children become more difficult to get. Pretty simple and pretty obvious. Maybe we will listen to the children for their children’s sake. The children know how difficult depression, anxiety and loneliness can be. That is a separate and important subject. They just want the threat of guns removed from their lives starting with a ban on assault weapons. That is simple and responsible.

Dr Melba Joyce Boyd

Distinguished Professor in African American Studies at Wayne State University and an award-winning author of 13 books,
 
As part of a brilliant event Marion Hayden and the Middle Passage Exiles: Protest – Jazz and the Roots of Hip Hop at the Detroit Institute of Arts,  Dr Boyd read one of her impassioned poems about the Detroit’s racial injustice which included today’s racial divide. I had a chance to talk to her following the event. She stopped me in my tracks when I started to list all of our problems with ” These could be the start of golden times.” When she saw the disbelief on my face, she explained that many unsaid things are coming out into the open. She added that this visibility will allow us to address the injustices and take action.

‘A Simple Plumber’ Seeks a G.O.P. Statesman

NEW YORK TIMES FEB. 18, 2018

Richard Donelly at his home in Providence, R.I. Credit Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times

I am just a simple plumber. I never went to college. I started working when I was 16. Now, at 71, I am retired.

I am white, a father of two and a grandfather of three. At first glance, I would fit the mold of a supporter of President Trump. He loves the uneducated. He is a fan of tradesmen, even though he has a record of not paying them. I have a nice house in a nice neighborhood, and we know that Donald Trump likes nice neighborhoods.

However, I wouldn’t stand and applaud this president. I have too much respect for my wife and daughter and two granddaughters. I went to the Women’s March in Washington.

So Mr. Trump, on second glance, would call me un-American or a traitor, as he does to many citizens who don’t support his view of our country.

I am looking for a true leader. A statesman in the Republican Party. Maybe Paul Ryan or Mike Pence will wipe the frozen smile away and stop looking at Mr. Trump while he speaks as if they were listening to some great prophet. We know they are thinking about lunch, or whether the next season of “Homeland” will be as good as the last. We know they are not really caught up in the president’s self-aggrandizing blather.

There are quite a number of us out here, the great unwashed, who want someone in the Trump rank and file to stand up and shout: “Stop! That’s enough!” Some Republican to find a backbone and leave the lemming line long enough to go down in history as a statesman.

Please. It can’t be that difficult. Trust me, your fellow Americans will not call you a traitor.

But what do I know? I’m just a simple plumber.

Richard Donelly

VOICES OF HOPE

I agree with Richard that the Republican party needs to separate itself from the Trumpism Republican party. This will take some grit and courage, and temporarily they will have losses at the polls. In the long term they will be the stronger for it. Meanwhile we can solve some problems and make life a little better for everyone.
Most of our thorniest issues are complex, and we seem to often lack the civic literacy to tackle them. The thing these gentle people have in common is that they can isolate and then state a problem so that it could be positively addressed and solved.
So when we listen to these three voices we can see a process that might help us  We can listen to the children, think positively and do some hard things that are necessary to get it done.
John Osler