This play was written and published in 2018, soon after Trump and Putin’s conference in Helsinki. I will make it public in consecutive blogs and also in podcasts, anchor.fm, apple podcasts, buzzsprout etc.
Dear Mr Trump,
There is still time, dear sir,
For you to spark the dialogue
That will unleash the creativity
Now locked in bitter acrimony.
Still time, dear sir,
Not too late,
For you to govern from the center
And marshal the forces of the nation.
Nature loves diversity,
It experiments ceaselessly with difference,
Giving to each something unique,
And challenging us with each gift
To join forces in pursuit of a common,
Higher,
And transcendent good.
7/16/2018
Helsinki, Finland
Early in the day
Trump tweets – Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse, thanks to many years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!
(the ‘rigged witch hunt’ is the president’s term for the Mueller probe – a US dept of Justice investigation assigned with the task of finding evidence of Russia’s interference with the 2016 election and if any obstruction by the Trump administration. It has been in progress since May 2017)
At the press conference following Trump and Putin’s meeting:
Reporter – (to president Trump) – … Do you hold Russia at all accountable for anything in particular? And if so, what would you, what would you consider them, that they are responsible for?
Trump – Yes, I do. I hold both countries responsible. I think that the United States has been foolish. We should’ve had this dialogue a long time ago, a long time, frankly, before I got to office. And I think we’re all to blame. I think that the United States now has stepped forward along with Russia, and we’re getting together and we have a chance to do some great things, whether it’s nuclear proliferation in terms of stopping – you have to do it, ultimately that’s probably the most important thing that we could be working on. But I do feel that we have both made some mistakes. I think that the… probe is a disaster for our country. I think it’s kept us apart, it’s kept us separated. There was no collusion at all….
Moments later, in response to a separate question, Vladimir Putin denies having anything to do with the election interference of 2016.
Reporter Jonathan Lemire then asks President Trump – Every US Intelligence has concluded that Russia did interfere. Who do you believe? Would you now, with the whole world watching, tell president Putin, would you denounce what happened in 2016 and would you warn him to never do it again.
Trump -… my people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and others, they said they think it’s Russia… I have president Putin… he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this… I don’t see any reason why it would be… I have confidence in both parties… I have great confidence in my intelligence people… but I will tell you that president Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.
Questions and answers above as reported by the New York Times and The Washington Post.
The next day. The White House.
In response to criticism that he went easy on Putin, Trump says, “The sentence should have been, ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia’, sort of a double negative. So you can put that in and that probably clarifies things pretty good.’
Immigration is at the core of our political antagonism but we’re not confronting the issue in a way that aims to resolve the matter.
There are several key themes to which we have not fully applied our ingenuity and thus linger partly unresolved. These themes are inequality, racism and immigration. Address those in a comprehensive manner and we will move up to be at the vanguard of nations.
Hard to believe, isn’t, that we are not there now.
And it is not for lack of talent, but for lack of leadership willing to commit to the task.
It has been hard for the white majority in this country, to accept that immigration has become essential for the nation to move forward. Hard for the white majority of this country to recognize that they cannot – cannot – move forward this country without immigrants.
Self serving politicians will tell you that they can make America great without the input of immigrants.
But it cannot be done.
Demography speaks loudly.
Without immigrants we would not have the numbers of people or the depth of talent to combine into the productive capacity required to move the nation forward.
Immigrants from all over the world have come to our shores and begun to make their contributions. We need to keep those doors open.
Their children, those born here – the second generation immigrants – soak up all that is part of being an American. And they do so eagerly, competing with all they have to be the best they can be because it is in their nature to do so. Like their parents, they know, deep in their hearts, what it is to get a second chance.
Immigrants are grateful to this land. And once here they connect with the essence of what is being an American.
And that essence is the right to be free.
And with being free you have the right to bow to no one.
But immigrants will say ‘thank you’ to whomever, no matter what their color, if those people have put effort into adding value to this great land that has opened the doors for them. To those, gratitude is owed. Always.
The not bowing to anyone is a fundamental American right.
Have you ever seen in the Olympic games when the delegations of every country parade and come in front of the grandstands where the big wigs sit? Have you seen how nearly all countries tip their flag in deference to them?
Well, the American delegation does not.
And that same spirit is embodied in those who become American. We do not bow. We don’t do that.
It has been hard for a section of the white majority in this country to accept that our land is changing. And change will continue for it is inevitable.
Nature, in its infinite wisdom, spreads its gifts widely, across all ethnic groups of this earth.
By keeping our borders open, in compliance with our laws, we allow all kinds of talent to come to this land and because of it we have the richness that we have.
The new immigrants challenge us all, challenge us to be the best we can be. They bring new energies, new ways of doing things, fresh perspectives.
Today, a good number of major corporations are headed by first or second generation immigrants. Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Tesla are in that category.
Lamentably, there are politicians in our midst who stir up animosity against the new arrivals. Instead of helping the native, who has fallen behind, to better understand the importance of immigration, they stir up antiimmigrant sentiment because it is easy to do so.
‘Look, they’re different than you, what are they doing here? They are taking what is yours.’
Rather than to help them understand the many reasons why they’re so angry.
‘Look – the responsible leader could say as they address the resentful American – your life’s task, like it is for all of us, is to be the best you can be, but the immigrant coming in may be more creative, more daring, more imaginative than you are. So why get angry at them when they may be making contributions to your land?’
‘I was here before,’ may be an American’s reply.
But is that enough? Think about it.
The nation, your country, owes it to you, to have opportunities to develop. And you may have had such opportunities and not taken advantage of them, or maybe you didn’t have the opportunities, in which case you have grounds to complain and demand you’re given such chances.
But the nation cannot wait. The nation’s productive capacity has to keep pace with the rest of the world for otherwise we fall behind. Any reforms required have to be made as we continue to move forward, and as of this time, part of the precious energy helping propel us forward comes from the immigrant engine.
Someone with antiimmigrant views may ask, ‘look at the Chinese, look at how fast they’ve risen, and they don’t have any immigrants. Why can’t we do the same?’
First – the Chinese, at 1.4 billion people – roughly three times our population, have a vaster genetic pool than we do. Thus, greater variety of talents. But they, too, have had migrations from neighboring countries over the centuries.
Second – the Chinese are enjoying the benefits of a significant transfer of knowledge from the West, since emerging from their isolation during the leadership of Deng Xiaoping.
This new strength of the Chinese, who now have become a formidable rival to the West, should be reason enough for America to further open its doors to immigrants the world over.
To erect barriers to immigration at this juncture, would be to deny ourselves the huge possibilities of enriching our genetic pool.
What is required of American leaders at this time, is a commitment to confront the nativist sentiment. Confront to enlighten. This moment calls for leaders willing to engage and willing to work through whatever the resistances, so truth is accepted.
If we have such leaders, then we will move further on our path to bridge our differences.
If not, we will lose valuable time and set the stage for making mistakes that will dim the nation’s possibilities.
It’s down to renaming Jerome Powell or choosing Leslie Brainard.
Here’s my argument for Powell:
He’s done an excellent job. The markets are moving in the right direction and he’s earned the respect of most people. His detractors, Senators Sanders and Warren figuring prominently, are at the core of the left wing of the party, the same wing that has played a big role in delaying legislative negotiations and for which you’ve paid a price in the drop of your approval rating.
Thankfully, the infrastructure bill finally passed last night, after strenuous effort on your part.
Powell has done what he can about inflation.
The fact that people are choosing not to return to work because they have money in their pockets, is not his creation. The pandemic required monetary stimulus and he did it. He’s now begun to decrease the purchase of bonds.
How high will inflation rise is anybody’s guess. With both Powell and Brainard the Federal Reserve will be in good hands, but Powell has the advantage of having been in the thick of the battle. And it is not over yet.
From what I can see you need to be careful with the perception that the left wing has much influence over you.
The whole lot could have done a little more for you countering the harsh criticism you’ve got for getting us out of Afghanistan, which I believe was the right choice. Maybe I missed it, but did Sanders and Warren and AOC and the leader of the progressive caucus step up to offer a word of support? Just one word? Don’t think so. Why not?
You beat Trump but still he got 74 million votes. That’s a whole lot of votes. And they may even forgive him his role in the Capitol riot on 1/6/2021. Unbelievable but there it is.
You don’t have much margin to play with. This could go against you easily. And then we’ll have to wring our hands the last two years of your presidency because nothing can get through unless Mitch McConnell gives his consent.
You’ll get tired of inviting him to the Oval Office where he will listen and grin, then say, ‘Well, Mr President, that’s what my constituency believes. So sorry.’
You’ll look down and think to yourself, ‘How in hell did it get away from me?’
There are forces that affect us every day of our lives. One is Admiration.
Notice how much effort goes into stressing the differences between us. ‘Look at my Tesla. My Mercedes. Look at how I dress. Check out my handbag – designed by such and such. I live over there, yes, on the hill, above the hoi polloi. I went to Harvard. To Stanford. I dine there – ugh, never will get caught dining at that other place. I can do this, I can do that, and you can’t.’
How we relish the opportunity to show off. To parade our perceived superiority. It’s that narcissism in us, isn’t it? And what a force it is.
But it comes with risks. One such risk is that with the affirmation of what we have or have earned, if not careful, we may open the door for the slow erosion of empathy.
The more we may feel admired, the more we may believe we are special and unique.
And, indeed, we may be, but so are those who’re doing the admiring. They, too, are unique, in their own way. They, too, have their own power, even if not expressed fully for lack of effort or other circumstances.
The person who’s being admired has made an assertion of their power and yet, in between the layers of such assertion, another statement may have been made, ‘I am better than you,’ which leads to the slow erosion of empathy.
Such erosion is insidious, barely perceptible at first, but if not checked may quickly become pronounced.
Where I live, I go for walks in a business district adjacent. There is one beggar I’ve come across often as he sits cross legged on the sidewalk, a cup for donations in front. Now and then I dropped money in his cup but never said anything.
Did I think of myself as better than him?
Yes. And I asked, why does this man keep doing the same thing, again and again?
Not long ago I noticed he had started talking to himself and wondered whether he was mentally ill.
More days passed and then I saw him talking loudly at passing cars as he stood by the side of the street.
I went up to him.
‘Hi… I’ve never seen you talking loudly at passing cars… you seem to be getting worse… did you go off your medication?’
It was the first time I had addressed him and he was surprised. He could have told me off, to mind my own business, but he didn’t.
I then added, ‘I used to work in the field so I know something about it.’
Nothing else was said but days later he had stopped talking loudly at the passing cars.
Maybe that was the problem, I reflected.
Weeks went by. Now and then we would cross paths as we both walked about, sometimes exchanging a nod.
And, yes, I felt my empathy eroding. Is he really trying to improve his lot?
A part of me wanted to give up on him, assigning him to the group of people who have stopped trying, who don’t put an effort to improve their lives. Another part of me cautioned restraint, to wait and see.
Then one day, as he again sat squatting on the sidewalk, I put money in his cup and said, ‘there is help, you know… you could go to vocational rehabilitation. There are things they could do for you so you can give up this lifestyle.’
He looked back, the eyes wide, the skin sun burnt and, yes, a hint of a smile, but said nothing.
I reminded myself not to judge, tempted as I was, for I knew nothing of his story.
More days passed and then I tried again.
I walked right up. ‘Have you looked into what is available?’
He met my gaze, and I thought I saw a sense of satisfaction in his expression. ‘I’ve made an appointment with a psychiatrist and a therapist,’ he said.
I was pleased to hear it and told him so. Will he keep his appointments? Time will tell.
All the while I had been on the edge of giving up on him. To simply avoid him. Stop putting money in his cup.
But I also reminded myself to keep up the dialogue. To not let it die.
Yes, the precious dialogue. The life giving dialogue.
The one with myself, which reminds me that as I have my powers the man must have his, even if not fully expressed.
And the one with him, so as to challenge my prejudices and my tendency to judge.
On Possible Settlements of About $450,000 per Immigrant (WSJ 11/1/2021)
They are now being proposed on behalf of immigrant families alleging trauma when parents and children were separated after they crossed the border – illegally – in 2018.
The separations occurred as part of the zero tolerance enforcement policy put in place in 2018 by the Trump administration to deal with illegal immigration from Mexico.
Talk of settlements is in progress, reportedly to avoid the higher costs of going to trial.
Approximately 940 claims have been filed so far by families affected with no certainty as to how many more will do so. The total cost to the government may reach $ 1 billion.
Clearly, it was wrong and inhumane for the Trump administration to act as they did.
But should monetary awards be granted to such families, absent death or other cruel physical damage? No.
These families crossed illegally. They may have been desperate to cross, in defiance of the law, given untenable circumstances at home, and so they crossed, braving the risks involved in their search for freedom and the opportunity to remake their lives.
Separation of the members of the family was one such risk.
To now have a settlement in their favor is not fair to other Americans who deal daily with labor and housing problems, limited education, reduced access to health care, crime or otherwise unsafe neighborhoods.
In the spirit of justice, these immigrants who crossed illegally and were so mistreated, could be granted a path to permanent resident status. But not given monetary rewards.
Let the new immigrants deal with the same problems lower income Americans have to face every day. Would lower income Americans like to get an award the size of the proposed settlements? Yes, why not? What about our suffering, they would argue.
Mr Biden should not allow these absurd monetary settlements to be granted. There must be a way to block them.
Many Americans would be offended that their own priorities take second place to those of illegally crossing immigrants.
Republican legislators are loudly protesting this idea. It is clear that they see the political potential of playing this up.
It would be very harmful politically for democrats to go along with the proposed settlements.
Control of the House of representatives has been in jeopardy. Why add vulnerability? Never mind the Senate which is evenly split. An issue like this may lead the swing vote to give both houses to Republicans in next year’s elections.
Biden has to stop this. This won’t go away and will badly hurt the agenda he seeks to push through to assist millions of Americans who have been waiting for years for fairer policies to improve their lives.
With the proposed settlements, the new immigrants would go right to the front of the line.
Mr Biden and his administration need to keep the big picture in mind.
A Shortage of Butchers in Britain
(The Economist – Oct 23rd-29th – Britain Section)
Post Brexit, the National Pig Association estimates there are approx 125 to 150 thousand pigs waiting to be turned into pork. To prevent them from going to waste, the government recently authorized 800 new visas for butchers, although more than 10,000 may be needed.
But there are language requirements (post Brexit) that are raising obstacles.
One representative of the British Meat Producers Association had this to say about such requirement for butchers: ‘they wanted to work with their hands so probably weren’t top of their class.’ Then added, “our HR (Human Resources) people aren’t sure they’d pass the test in their own language.’
Dear sir, must you stick your head up in the clouds so high, just as you need others?
Here are your fellow citizens eagerly asking for the additional butchers (to be drawn mostly from countries in the European Union) and you are putting them down.
All the years spent in the trade and still it got away from you – confronting the old prejudice that manual skills are at odds with intelligence.
You are not alone, for the people in HR appear to think alike.
But, of course, we all stumble here and there.
Just come down to earth and maybe you won’t make the same mistake again.
Manual skills are a precious gift. I wish I had them.
As way of atonement, do give thanks to these expert cutters who are providing the pork that makes you a living.
We have examples of people who, having money, go on to surrender their lives to absurd causes.
To mind come two wealthy people, one a man, another a woman, who went on to let sexual perversions destroy their lives. They used their ample means to corrupt others as they indulged their perversions.
I think, too, of a man who’d made a fortune in internet security and then went off to commit a series of acts that diminished his existence.
Years ago, a friend told me the story of a person who was not doing much with his life, waiting for his father – a famous writer – to die so he would inherit the wealth. Was he benefitting from the promise of wealth? No. He was wasting his life by not exploring his personal possibilities.
And in the last few days, the case of a real estate heir has been in the news, after being found guilty of the murder of a former friend. Money didn’t improve his judgment.
The examples abound.
Money is a wonderful source of solace and comfort and a strong incentive to action and creation, but when an inner compass is lacking, then money may magnify the person’s flaws.
The inner compass which helps guide a person cannot be bequeathed. Cannot be handed over like a book. Each person has to acquire it, earn it by the discovery and understanding of what feelings and thoughts form our psychic universe.
Some wealthy people have known this.
Years ago, I read that the American oil tycoon, JP Getty, had bequeathed a certain amount of his money to his children and no more. The bulk of his wealth was to go to the support of the arts – and so it did, over the years multiplying and enlightening the minds of many.
One of our present richest investors, early on apportioned some of his wealth to his children, the rest to be given to philanthropy. From what I read in a book written by one of his children, the investor had made clear to his heirs that the amounts he was distributing would be all they would be getting, ‘so get out there and find a way to make a life for yourselves’.
Something about the struggle to affirm oneself is sidestepped when the reward is given freely.
Such struggle for personal affirmation is eminently personal, different for each one of us.
The person may have had wonderful parents, supportive or indifferent parents, no parents at all or abusive ones, but still the battle has to be fought, for it is the battle for our sense of personal worth, which when well fought reveals us the answers.
What is my power?
Where does it come from?
How do I nurture it so I may enlarge it?
To not accept the challenge is an act of emotional and intellectual self betrayal.
Each one of us has a certain power – the one that nature has endowed us with. Recognizing and pursuing it is every person’s task. In some instances such power shines brightly from the start and so the path is clear. But in many cases it is not easily detected and one has to choose from affinities or leanings and try each one out in the effort to find which one works best.
The process may be tricky, often consuming, sometimes taking us down the wrong road. But it is all part of the essential exploration of the self in the never ending task to answer the question, ‘what makes us stronger and wiser?’
If you find an answer to that question, you have found a key to a good life. I say ‘a’ key and not ‘the’ key because even with that key we can end up wasting our time.
Whatever we wish to try in earnest we need to devote time to. Sustained effort is the necessary ingredient. Which implies defying a measure of uncertainty, as well as recognizing that others will have more than we have and so be it.
But we can live with that notion, so long as we never give up on improving ourselves.
Can money improve our ability to relate to others? No.
It can, however, buy us distance from others which may translate into comfort. But such distance has time limited benefits and can be illusory. Nothing ought to spare us the struggle to find out who we really are.
That knowledge comes from relentless self inquiry and testing ourselves in the world.
If money, whether acquired by our own efforts or inherited, is getting us into a bubble, then we must step out of it.
Not long ago a famous movie industry person was found guilty of repeatedly abusing women. Whatever his demons, he had ceased to confront them. The bubble, which wealth had facilitated for him, kept him from seeing himself in the mirror of life, then kept him from seeing how his freedom was escaping his grasp. Intoxicated with his authority, he repeatedly missed that those who came to him were doing so in search of their own power. With each failure to acknowledge others, freedom left him.
And he lost it all.
He had thought that his money shielded him, and that the struggle for his existence was over. It never is.
Every day, we ought to keep saying to ourselves, ‘this is my power, I have this, and I commit to furthering its growth through my sustained efforts. And my own power is enhanced by recognizing and respecting that of others.’
Powers so found are not selfish powers but generous instead, fully aware of all that has gone into recognizing, nurturing and growing them.
In sharing them, such powers are enlarged.
The sum of individual powers creates enormous collective powers.
We need only look around us to remind ourselves that the foundations upon which we stand are the result of the collective effort of mankind. The computer on which I write this. The home I inhabit. The clothes I wear. The blood test I had the other day. The miracle of CoVid vaccines. The train I ride.
Every day life challenges our sense of personal freedom. And it is up to us to avoid or confront, to evade or affirm, to grow or regress.
Every day.
When we confront life’s challenges, we expand ourselves, when we retreat we contract.
A few days ago I read of a man in a subway train attempting to rape a woman as others stood by without intervening.
How could that be?
Perhaps the assailant was very strong and the witnesses feared the man would turn on them and injure or kill them. But they forgot what powers they did have. They forgot that if an individual effort might not be deemed sufficient by itself, then the sum of the efforts of all witnessing the act may well be. But fear had paralyzed them. And they stood by as the man continued to injure the woman.
What could have been done by the frightened and shocked bystanders?
Affirm their individual powers and hope it engaged that of the others.
Speak! Shout! Scream in anger and fury at what is happening. Those are all expressions of power. Look the assailant in the eye and say ‘Stop! Stop now! You are hurting another human being and you must stop!’
And perhaps such action might have stopped the assailant, or if not then sparked the rage of the witnesses who could then collectively have devised other actions to stop the harm being done.
Anything but silence.
Would each of those who stood quietly, not have preferred that witnesses screamed in their behalf if they, in turn, had been the victims?
Of course.
Anything but silence.
Each person’s voice matters.
Everyone has some power.
Freedom has a price.
We must be willing to pay it every day for it is always being challenged.
The Biden Administration has been pressuring Moderna to transfer its vaccine making know how to other countries.
The argument goes that it is entitled to do so.
Starting with the Trump administration, the US government provided Moderna with essential monetary support that made possible the creation of the vaccine and thus, they ought to give away their intellectual rights to the rest of the world.
According to a report on the WSJ on Wednesday, 12 democrats in congress, led by senators Sanders and Warren, stated in a letter to the White House, ‘that the government may have the right to confiscate Moderna’s intellectual property because it had received huge sums of public funding from American taxpayers.’
In January 2020, the Trump administration did give Moderna $900 million to conduct trials for the vaccine when other companies were unwilling to take the financial risk. Moderna stepped up with a commitment and then raised $1.3 billion privately, enabling it to put together an outstanding product that has saved millions of lives. But it was chiefly the talent that Moderna assembled that made possible the scientific achievement.
Lots of money spent by government goes to waste.
Moderna, instead, transformed the investment into a huge success and fully deserve what profits they may acquire (and easily pay back the government’s money with interest).
Furthermore, the company has contributed significantly to middle and poor income countries by way of donations of the vaccine or selling it at cost.
The World Health Organization has been pressuring president Biden to give more to less developed countries. That is fine, but the US government, not Moderna, should pay for it.
Preserving our intellectual rights is key to our economy. It was here in the US and other free countries that recognize the value of monetary incentives to creativity, where the knowledge to create the vaccines developed. That has to be respected because it is the heartbeat of our system.
That senators Sanders and Warren don’t get it is too bad. Judging by their past performance they will never do.
Somehow, though, they have managed to influence the Biden administration, whose emissary was quoted as saying to the press, ‘We’ve been in very, very intense discussions with Moderna. Do not underestimate the resolve of the US government in addressing this issue.’ Oh, yes, let’s put the squeeze on Moderna, said the man, while sounding like a Chinese politburo member wannabee.
Would the administration dare try such bullying tactics on Pfizer/BioNtech? No, because those players had money of their own to produce their vaccine and can tell the government to go to hell. So pour it on Moderna, instead.
At your peril, Mr Biden.
If you want our country to be the leading contributor of vaccines to the neediest countries in the world, that is indeed a worthy cause. But let us all pay for it. Not just Moderna.
For the record. I’m not a Moderna stockholder, although I wish I was.
Good luck.
Go easy, Mr President, or democrats will lose both houses next year, and you’ll need Mitch McConnell as your de facto VP to get anything done.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net Also available on Apple podcast, anchor.fm, buzzsprout etc.
The Governor is addressing a large group of Texans assembled in a convention hall in Austin.
Gov – What Mr Biden is doing with his vaccine mandates clearly violates our personal freedom…
Applause from the audience.
Gov – … but not only that, it is also slowing our economic recovery because his mandate leads to worker layoffs, responsible and hard working Americans who refuse to be controlled by the government…
More applause from the audience.
Gov – … I have thus issued an executive order this last Monday that forbids Texas companies to compel its employees to get vaccinated, so they are free to defy the president’s mandate and set their own compassionate policies, which must uphold, first and foremost, the freedom of all Texans to choose whether to get vaccinated or not, based on their conscience, religious beliefs or other personal reasons.
More applause.
Gov – … We, as a proud people, will not be constrained by dictatorial orders from Washington.
More applause and now shouts of ‘Abbott for president!!’ ‘Long live the state of Texas!!’ ‘Down with Socialism!!’ ‘Abolish all taxes!!’
Gov – The Biden mandate, which applies to businesses with 100 employees or more, is clearly federal overreach and thus unacceptable.
A lady in the audience raises her hand to speak.
Gov – (signaling to her) Please, the lady has a question. Go ahead Ms.
Lady – I am an executive with the Greater Houston Partnership representing over 900 businesses, including Exxon and Chevron, and we welcome president Biden’s mandate because it makes it easier to enforce workplace safety and helps prevent workers going to other companies with laxer rules.
Gov – That may be convenient to you but what about freedom?
Lady – Why should a coworker bear the burden of possible infection from someone who refuses to be vaccinated?
Gov – People who do not get vaccinated use masks… they practice social distancing… for they are prudent and responsible people…
Lady – No, governor, some may do but others do not, so it is not uniform and thus the lack of vaccination represents a threat to the welfare of others, a threat to their freedom to be at lower risk of contagion.
Gov – There is always a risk, isn’t it, but that is the price of freedom…
Applause from the audience. The lady sits down. Now another woman raises her hand asking to speak.
Gov – (signaling to her) The lady over there, please.
Lady 2 – I am a nurse at Houston Methodist Hospital, where we have taken an oath to do no harm, and that means doing everything possible to prevent the spread of the disease and that is why we fired those employees who refused to get vaccinated. We cannot afford to add risk to those who come to us in search of assistance. When we care for a patient, we may need to be very close to them, and we will not permit anything but the highest standards in exercising such care.
Gov – If health care workers are properly suited, with enough barriers against the transmission of the infection, they should be able to deliver the best care and still assert their freedom to not get vaccinated. Or they could get assigned to other duties.
Scattered applause from the audience.
Now a man in an Army uniform stands up. He doesn’t bother to raise his hand.
Man – Governor… I am an officer with the US Army. I served two tours of duty in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban, who gave shelter to Al Qaeda and allowed for the attacks on our nation on 9/11. While fighting the Taliban, if my commander ordered me to go out on patrol in the service of my country – to preserve our liberties – I did not turn around and say to him, ‘What about my freedom?’ No, I just did it. And I did it because I had enrolled in the armed forces to preserve the freedoms of this country… and preserving the freedoms of this country calls for sacrifices. Well, our nation has been at war with Covid, and there ought to be no room for people to say, ‘I don’t want to join in fighting the germ that is killing my fellow Americans.’ Fighting Covid calls for actions that we may not personally agree with, but given they are in the interests of the greater good then they should be followed.’
Gov – Officer, we all appreciate your service… your courage…
Man – Sir, as of yesterday, the average daily deaths from Covid in the state of Texas was 235.6, with a 52% vaccination rate. In the state of Florida, the average daily deaths came to 239.7, with a 58% vaccination rate. But in California, where mandates have been enforced, the average daily deaths was only 98.7, with a 60% vaccination rate. Those are figures taken from the virus tracker site at the NY Times so all of you are welcome to check them. Some of these dead folks may have been older, or immunocompromised, but they are fellow Americans… and they also have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of freedom. So, sir, for you to insist on defying our commander in chief’s mandate, which was meant to protect all Americans, is to deny that the protection of our liberties require everyone’s sacrifice. And that all of those who so loudly complain about preserving freedom, forget what it costs. You, sir, may have your reasons to push your view, but I hold you do so at the expense of American lives and that it is completely unnecessary because we have vaccines. We have the weapons to effectively combat the enemy. Thank you.
The room is silent.
Gov – I have heard you, officer… and I see how you were an excellent soldier. And yet, it is my strong belief that, as in war, the price we have paid is worth the freedom we preserve.
Other Man – (stands up in the back of the room) Do you realize, Governor, what would’ve happened to our economy and the world’s, if we hadn’t had vaccines, the chaos we would’ve been in?
Gov – Of course I do. And I and all of us here, thank all the scientists who have worked so hard to bring us the shots. But Texans should always have their freedom, first and foremost. Thank you, all, and good night.
“Long live Texas!’ ‘Abbott for President!’ cry out two persons but there is tepid applause as the audience stands and starts to file out.
Another person shouts, ‘There’s a reason why Tesla is moving out of California.’
A couple of people laugh but no one else says anything.
Not passing the budget has become an onerous drag on the economic recovery, lowering projections of GDP for this and the next year.
The perception of legislative gridlock in Capitol Hill is unwelcome news, coming as it does right after a period of severely dysfunctional government under Mr Trump.
For most of us, the expectation from the new administration was that we would be looking at government proposing meaningful legislation that could pass, and that even in the face of fierce opposition, there would be dialogue with the minority party.
But we do not have that.
What we’re getting, instead, is political polarization that is here to stay.
We cannot put that only on republicans, because in the democratic party itself, divisions have grown more and more bitter, as if this moment were missed then legislation proposed would never, ever, get another chance.
It that is the case, then legislation of that type should not pass.
The fact that 50 republican senators are consistently opposing democratic initiatives has to be telling us something, for those legislators represent just under half of the nation and we need most people aboard our ship to move ahead.
Mind you, not all those republicans are princes for many remain beholden to Trumpism, but even then, for democrats to not reach out and find compromise is missing out on a great opportunity to show that polarization can be overcome and must.
And just maybe some republicans have good points.
Why should community college be free for those who have the means to pay for it? Because they do it in Europe? Well, we are not Europeans and their productivity is not on a par with ours, even with all our flaws.
Why should the child tax credit be extended to families who can pay?
Why should child care be extended to those who can afford it?
Generous benefits to workers during the pandemic made a difference for our economic recovery but continuing them may well be keeping people from returning to work.
The debt ceiling needs to be lifted and republicans have been obstructionistic on that count but limits are necessary. We can’t spend without restraint.
There is much necessary spending that has been neglected – to renew our infrastructure and support our scientific research and development and so bolster innovation.
And taxes – always a divisive issue – need to be made fairer, as in not permitting the super wealthy to channel their earnings through corporations instead of having it taxed as personal income, or fund managers getting taxed at the lower rate of capital gains.
But not all of it has to be done this moment. It can be phased in.
Pulling out of Afghanistan was a huge step and I remain supportive of that action.
That president Biden’s polls are down have more to do with gridlock in Capitol Hill than with Afghanistan. More to do with his reluctance to confront the progressive wing of the party and moderate their demands.
Inflation is predicted to be manageable and maybe it will be, but it could prove tougher to deal with, particularly with people not returning to work.
The lingering pandemic, now finally easing thanks to science, remains an obstacle to our economic recovery but so is wavering leadership.
Gradualism and compromise have been crucial factors in our history. We are always better off when we let the other side feel part of our forward movement.
Keep gridlock up and democrats will lose both chambers next year.
They’re sitting at a bench in a park. Pete and Joe, old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while and met up at a nearby store.
Pete – I don’t get it.
Joe – What’s that?
Pete – You are a staunch supporter of the right to bear arms, to be able to carry without a permit.
Joe – Got that right. Mark of my freedom. There isn’t a dark alley I can’t go into. There’s no man stronger than me. No man taller than me. No man meaner than me. So long as I have my gun at my side.
Pete – The equalizer?
Joe – That’s it.
Pete – Of course, I know you, Joe, and you wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Joe – Unless it decided to mess with me.
Pete – Right.
Joe – Freedom, Pete, that’s what it’s all about.
Pete – But Joe, I feel free and yet, I don’t feel the need to have a gun with me at all times. I mean, I keep one at home, just in case some nut wants to break in for whatever reason.
Joe – You ever fired it?
Pete – I haven’t.
Joe – You’d better practice or you’re liable to hurt yourself instead when the time comes to use it.
Pete – You’re right. I keep putting it off. But back to the main question. I don’t feel the need to have a gun when I’m out and about… not like you do.
Joe – Well, you and me are different. I like to cover every possibility.
Pete – Aren’t you being paranoid when you insist on always being armed?
Joe – I’ve thought about that. And maybe I am… a little… but stuff happens when you least expect it and that’s no paranoia. It’s the freedom, Pete, that’s what it’s all about. Freedom. Personal boundaries. No one bothers me. You should try it sometime. Clears your mind.
Pete – I’d be worried I’d overreact.
Joe – I don’t overreact. How do I know the other guy is not carrying too?
Pete – You have a lot of control.
Joe – Gun at my side reminds me of it.
Pete – Not carrying a gun reminds me to think of alternatives. Are there men, or women, meaner than me, stronger than me? Yes. And so be it. Every person, man or woman, has their power. I have mine.
Joe – You say it to yourself every day?
Pete – I do. I say it to myself all the time. And it helps me be more tolerant of others. More compassionate. And more careful.
Joe – I can do the exact same thing and still have the gun for insurance. Just in case the mental exercise doesn’t work. You said it before. Guns are the equalizer. I’m the master of my life.
Pete – I know you and I know you as a man of restraint. But not everyone with the right to carry a weapon is.
Joe – That’s true.
Pete – What about those who take advantage of the right to carry a gun and then go on to kill innocent people?
Joe – Messed up. Really messed up. But there are other ways to keep people from doing that.
Pete – There are, but it takes time and effort to spot and work with them and it’s so much easier to buy a gun and shoot away.
Joe – Pete… I understand it’s not fair… all those shootings… in fact it’s pretty messed up… but that’s not enough to justify depriving the rest of us law abiding citizens of the privilege to carry.
Pete – The cost in lives is huge. How many people died in Vegas in 2017?
Joe – Nearly 60 and over 500 injured. It pained me deeply to see that happen.
Pete – Freedom has a price?
Joe – Yes.
Pete – Did you ask yourself where was god in Vegas?
Joe shakes his head slowly as he looks down at the ground.
Joe – It could be… that my children will grow up not to think the same way I do. I mean, they will go to college in other states where the laws are different… but there’ll always be Texas. And if you don’t want to carry you don’t have to, but it’s there if you do. I don’t have the answer. I don’t think we should be selling guns to people we know will be using them to coerce or kill others. It’s messed up. I’m against that. Free enterprise ought to have some limits.
They look at each other.
Pete – You believe in abortion?
Joe – No. It’s not right to take a life God created.
Pete – But it’s not god creating the life, it’s a man and a woman coming together.
Joe – If they came together and she conceived it’s because God wanted it.
Pete – Didn’t you say a little while ago that you were the master of your life, that having a gun gave you that feeling?
Joe – Yes, I did.
Pete – Where does god come into it? Well, it’s the same with a woman. If she has sex with a man of her own free will, then she’s opening up the possibility of creating a life. She is. Not god.
Joe – But once you create it, that’s it. It should stay that way.
Pete – Wait up. When you carry a weapon, you’re giving yourself the right to end a life that threatens yours. You are acting as the master of your life. Why doesn’t that apply to a woman? Maybe she just changed her mind, or didn’t intend to get pregnant and an accident happened. She has her right over the life creating capacities of her body, just like you have the right to put a stop to anything that threatens your life. No different.
Joe – Hmm.
Pete – You will fight for the right to deter or end the life of anyone threatening yours, but you don’t allow women the same choice.
Joe – How’s pregnancy threatening a woman’s life?
Pete – It’s a life altering condition for a woman. Significantly so. Anything can happen. To their health or the baby can be deformed.
Joe -They can always give the baby away.
Pete – Don’t think that’s easy to do. But we should ask a woman. I find it difficult to comprehend that people can be so insistent on depriving others of the right to their bodies. And that those same people may be ardent believers in the right to bear weapons, which means the right to fire them and to injure or kill others. Those who oppose abortion are saying that women don’t have the right to enjoy the fullest of freedoms, the right to own their bodies, which you so proudly assert when you insist on the right to bear arms.
They are silent for a moment
Joe – Women can bear arms, too…
Pete – Yes… but can’t fire them to stop a law that forbids abortions.
They turn to look at each other.
Joe (cracking a smile) – There’s work to do.
They laugh.
Pete – Now, there are politicians… and other leaders… who will stir up feelings just to get elected… and do the least possible to make us think.
Joe – I can think of a few. I even fell for it, once or twice. Not proud of it, either.
Pete – But you’re willing to reflect, Joe… imagine all those who don’t bother. And if their numbers add up enough, they get to rule us.
Joe – It’s happened.
Joe takes off his hat. Holds it in his hands, looks at it.
Joe – How’s the wife?
Pete – We’re separated right now.
Joe – What?
Pete – Been together 25 years… only man she’s ever known. She’s a good woman. We love each other. But the kids are all grown and on their own… and she said she wanted to try something different.
Joe – I’m sorry, man. But that’s freedom for you.
Pete – Twenty five years is a long time…
Joe – The world is vast… and worth exploring.
Pete – Very true.
Joe – When did this happen?
Pete – 6 months ago.
Joe – You miss her?
Pete – Yes. I figure we get to learn how deep we went into each other.
Joe nods, puts his hat back on as he looks off.
Joe – It can happen to any of us. Hope she finds what she’s looking for. You ever need me, just give a holler.
Oscar Valdes 