oscar valdes

Elsa and Xi Jinping (6) Intellectual Property

Dear Xi:

I would like to return to the topic of the theft of intellectual property and forced technology transfers, a matter of great concern for all of us.

I did not find your answer to be satisfactory (letter of January 16^th/2021). You said that all Chinese people know that such appropriation is justified, as the price foreigners have to pay for the privilege of doing business in China and having access to its superb labor force and vast markets.

I disagree.

You could have said to foreign companies, ‘our growing nation needs to build technology expertise to prepare for our future. In exchange for granting you full access to our markets for 5 years, we would like for you to allow us the use of your knowledge at no cost for a subsequent 5 year period, after which we would enter into an agreement where we would pay you a percentage of the average cost of your licensing fee.’

And maybe that amount could have been deferred for a length of time, to be payable for instance when China reached a certain GDP per person.

I can see how there would have been political pressures from within not to enter into such agreement, given your development needs. But don’t you think that being open to some form of payment, even if deferred, would have sent and could still send a signal to the world that your country was willing to play by the rules?

The observance of rules is key to mutual respect among individuals, groups and nations.

Intellectual property rights act as powerful incentives to creativity. They must be preserved.

And here I must return to your censoring of speech.

When speech is censored, there are fewer voices and ideas in the public arena. Nations are poorer, not richer for the lack of free speech.

Free speech does not hinder but increases the economic, industrial, military and civic growth of a nation, while helping to keep a proper balance between all areas of development.

If you had free speech, the question of paying or paying under certain terms for the use of intellectual rights could have been openly discussed and a different approach found.

So long as mutual respect is observed, there is no reason for free speech to be impeded. The task of enlightened government, through its laws, becomes one of ensuring that mutual respect is observed at all times.

You say that every person wants to be king. Maybe. But say it were true, still, as people evolve, they must learn the value of limits and realize that others have abilities, beliefs, property that they don’t have, and that to acknowledge such difference is essential to personal growth and satisfaction.

Your fear of free speech interfering with the growth of China is misplaced. Discipline is essential, but discipline can be had without censoring free speech.

The good news is that there is still time to make necessary corrections.

And doing so will be telling the world that China is here to be all that it can be, certain in the knowledge that the strength and creativity of their people assures them a bright future.

Best to you

Elsa

PS:

Let not the past hold us back, let it not torture us, but instead serve as marker of how far we’ve come. Keep moving forward.

Open Letter to Vladimir Putin

It is imperative that the life of Alexei Navalny be spared. He has proven himself a man of great courage in daring to expose corruption in your country and in his willingness to challenge you and your party in elections.

Russia is underperforming as a nation and it seems obvious that the restrictions to free speech and enterprise that your government enforces are the direct cause of it. The challenges to development that the world faces need the contribution of all available talent. Russia has a long history of great accomplishment in science, industry and the humanities. The world needs those contributions.

As of today, Mr Navalny remains incarcerated. He should be freed. He should be allowed to lead his political movement and offer alternatives to Russians.

Why is it that you’re afraid of what Mr Navalny represents?

You think he might defeat you in the elections? Then that would be the expression of the will of the Russian people. Why shouldn’t Russians have a right to express themselves freely?

Mr Navalny’s recent poisoning with the chemical Novichok was intended to kill him. It is a miracle that it didn’t. You denied your government’s involvement but why haven’t the guilty parties been found?

Do you think that the world will forget? It will not.

In the minds of the free citizens of the world you stand as a symbol of oppression not of enlightenment.

But it doesn’t have to stay that way. You could change course. You could hold free elections and let Mr Navalny run against you.

Wouldn’t that be truly revolutionary? Putin versus Navalny for the presidency of Russia.

As it is, you are running out of time. Persist in your current course and history will not be kind. It will remember you as a symbol of political backwardness.

But change your approach and your nation will move to a new level.

Dare to open your country politically and what will follow will likely astound the world and we will all be grateful.

Thank you

Oscarvaldes.net / oscarvaldes.medium.com / oscarvaldes@widehumr

Letter writers of the Free World, please join me in writing to Mr Putin in defense of Alexei Navalny.

Xi Replies to Elsa (5) Democracy Is Not Good For China

Dear Elsa:

I, too, am very pleased to see your country elect a new president. I think Mr Biden and I will get along.

You speak of the power of renewal. You are right in this. Renewal for us means providing the conditions so that every person can change their lives.

Because we are such a large nation – more than 1.4 billion people – our projects for renewal require massive amounts of investment, planning and a strong commitment to make sure they are completed on time.

The People’s Republic of China is doing this and the Chinese people see that it is being done. They see the roads being built and the new homes go up. They drink better water because of the aqueducts. They can go to the doctor because of the health clinics. They see themselves advance because of the schools and universities. They can play sports because of the fields and stadiums we have built. They can fly to see relatives because of the airports. They can travel on the ground with speed because of our bullet trains. It is a huge project to bring modern facilities to our citizens but we are doing it. The government is doing it.

We have come such a long way in such a short time.

You speak of democracy. I am not against it. I think it is a wonderful concept. We would all like to express our feelings and thoughts. But as Mr Biden himself said at the inauguration, democracy is fragile. Just two weeks before, a mob broke into congress intending to strip him of his victory. The electoral ballots could have been destroyed. And it happened as the television cameras rolled.

Democracy is too fragile for China at this stage of our development.

We cannot afford to derail the great project of providing the infrastructure the country needs.

We cannot afford some charismatic person who decides they want to be king, to set about distracting our citizens from the grand task of building China.

And what person doesn’t want to be king?

Our collective leadership, which I am so honored to guide forward, recognizes this human failing. We recognize, too, that censorship is an imposition on our people but our citizens understand it is a sacrifice that must be made for the future of China.

Otherwise there would be chaos.

Your nation has a great tradition and as Mr Biden’s election shows, you are able to change direction. But look how hard it was to elect the two senators from Georgia that you need to have a majority? If you had not had so much money pouring into that election, the Senate may have stayed Republican, and what would that have meant for the future of your nation?

Deadlock. Obstruction. Lawmakers who want to be king interfering with the growth of the country.

We Chinese do not believe our economic model is for everyone but it works for us.

Yes, there are problems and we must censor speech at this stage, but soon we will have achieved all that is needed so that every citizen has a chance to develop as much as their capabilities allow.

Our nations are different so let us have mutual respect.

The Chinese people wishes for your nation to prosper as you pursue your path while we pursue our own.

Thank you

Xi Jinping

Chairman

People’s Republic of China

Founded October 1 1949

Oscarvaldes.net oscarvaldes.medium.com oscar valdes@widehunmr

Elsa and Xi (4) In A Democracy We Can Change Our Minds

Dear Xi:

Thank you so much for your reply. I was not expecting it.

Tomorrow is a great day for America. The nation gets to see a new president take office. We chose a different one because we disagreed with the direction Mr Trump was taking us in.

We didn’t like that he showed no inclination to bring us together as a nation. With him it was all about pleasing his supporters. But America is composed of many groups, all of which must learn to work together.

We didn’t like that he didn’t show competence in handling the pandemic.

We didn’t like that he tended to dismiss our longstanding allies, underestimating the work that had been patiently done over many decades.

We didn’t like that he got us out of the Paris Accord on climate change when the entire world is making efforts to stem global warming.

We didn’t like the way he was addressing our racial issues.

Xi, we could remove Mr Trump, because we have a democracy and the president is up for reelection every 4 years. And even if we liked a president, they wouldn’t be able to serve more than two terms.

Why do we do this? Because we know that human beings are fallible, all of us, and renewal is essential to our survival.

So, even if the Chinese like you a lot, they should have a right to hear other viewpoints and decide if you are the person to continue leading them forward.

There are so many examples of human beings’ propensity to think they own the truth. But truth about anything is hard to own. The search for it takes time and we must be open to hear other opinions.

Science teaches us a great deal about this. To explain natural phenomena, scientists first come up with a theory. Then people set out to prove it. So long as research shows support for the theory then it is valid, but the moment new evidence is produced that disproves the theory, then the theory can no longer be supported and scientists have to come up with another one.

Science teaches us, then, that living with doubt is essential and so is the working to resolve it.

In a democracy, we can change our minds. In a democracy we accept that mistakes are part of growth and that we can rectify them.

This is why I was so disturbed when you decided to eliminate the limits on your presidency.

I understand that China has suffered from many invasions by foreign powers and that the Chinese people wish to affirm themselves in the world, but why should freedom of expression be sacrificed?

Just like inventions come up that help us do things better and more efficiently, so too with leaders. Others will come up who have a better idea to lead us forward.

To let the process work, we need freedom of speech. When speech is censored, those imposing the restriction are saying they are afraid of free thought and will use whatever force at their disposal to suppress it.

But that blocks the forward path of the nation.

Are you so afraid of what your people will think or say that you have to censor them?

To censor speech is to do to a mind what locking a child in a box will do to stunt their growth. The child will not have a chance to grow and when he or she is let out of the box their bodies will be deformed. It wasn’t so long ago, that some women in China had their feet bound to prevent their growth.

There is no justification to censor speech in a nation with the abundance of talent and creativity that China has. To do so is to stunt its development. To do is to deprive not only China of its possibilities, but the world’s as well.

Xi, you are now a respected leader. You have helped lead a nation to economic and military might. But the nation’s civic growth is just as important if it is to achieve a proper balance.

I am sure Confucius would agree.

The good news is that you can still change direction. We will all be most grateful. And in the eyes of the world you will have a very special place.

I look forward to hearing from you again,

Very best to you,

Elsa

oscarvaldes.net oscarvaldes.medium.com oscar valdes@widehumr

Xi Jinping Replies to Elsa (3) Nothing Will Stop Us

Dear Elsa:

I am glad to hear from a person interested in world affairs and with a specific interest in our country.

There are some thinking mistakes that you make, but it is understandable because your people lack the political education we have.

China is fond of America. How can we forget your great victory in WWII? And you are right. We have learned much from you and will continue to do so. We have learned more from you than you from us.

We understand that we have to borrow from the West to expedite our development. All Chinese know that. We do not see it as stealing. We see it as the price outsiders must pay for doing business with us and profiting from our great markets.

Now and then we will sign a trade agreement saying that we will not insist that a foreign country establishes a partnership with a local one, but that is just to get you to come over. Once you are here and see the benefits of working with our superb labor force, then you will not complain when we start copying your techniques to establish our own enterprises. Eventually, our own companies will outcompete you because we will make the product better and cheaper.

China is a much older country than America. You have not suffered like we have at the hands of foreign powers that came to repress and abuse us. And it is not only foreign powers that have brutalized us, we have been brutalized too by our own internal divisions.

But we have learned.

The world now knows that Chinese labor is the best in the world. The world also realizes that we are very creative. You mentioned our going to the moon. Did you know that we didn’t get help from any nation? That is right. We did it all on our own.

You mention censorship. The Chinese understand that this is simply part of a phase of development and they are willing to sacrifice.

The Chinese people also understand that human beings’ tendency to disorder – which I call human entropy – is at the root of individualism and its inevitable excesses. To counter this negative tendency, we created a collective system that is fast becoming the envy of the world. Our collective system works because it leads to greater creativity and a sense of national purpose. And it is this, along with our political discipline, what gives vigor to our common purpose and one day will make us the strongest nation in the world.

Yes, you are right. China wants to do that. And Elsa, there is nothing that can stop us.

America will not be able to. You love our products. You want more, not less.

Businesspeople from everywhere want to come here to work and invest. Like you say in America, this is where the money is.

In time, the Yuan will replace the dollar as the premier reserve currency for the world. That will be a great day. I may not see it but you will, for you are much younger than me.

I am proud to be China’s leader. Proud to lead a nation willing to sacrifice for our children and grandchildren as we march together toward an ever brighter future.

We can do it and will, for we have learned the power of patience and hard work.

May serenity and bliss be always with you.

Xi Jinping

Chairman

People’s Republic of China.

Founded October 1, 1949

oscarvaldes.net oscar valdes@widehumr oscarvaldes.medium.com

Trump – The Day After

He’s in the Oval office and his adult children, Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr, are seated across.

He’s in a sad, pensive mood.

Both Facebook and Twitter have banned him from their accounts for the remainder of his term.

Some of his staff have resigned.

The phone is not ringing like it was before.

The TV is muted but still the scenes of the chaos from the assault on the Capitol the day before are replayed.

He looks at his children. They’re all quiet.

Trump – I didn’t intend for it to get out of hand. But I was well aware that the electoral ballots were being counted.

Ivanka – It was horrendous… the disrespect of the Capitol… I could barely watch it.

Donald Jr – You didn’t intend for it to get out of hand…

Eric – Right… it just happened… it was a patriotic demonstration… people need to be able to protest… it was probably some communists in the group masquerading as your supporters that stirred up the rest. We’ll have to investigate.

Trump folds his arms.

Trump – I suppose… I wanted to write my own ending to my presidency… not wait till Inauguration Day.

Ivanka – That you did.

Donald Jr (glancing disapprovingly at Ivanka) – It’s not like this is the end of his political career.

Ivanka – I think it is.

Eric – What? No. Dad… this will blow over… look at all the Senators who have come out in favor of overturning the election, even after the riots.

Donald Jr – There were too many irregularities…way too many… it’s not the end. It can’t be.

Ivanka – Excuse me, but I don’t see what’s the point of glossing over the issue. This is the end. That’s it. No more.

Eric (miffed) – The end… after 74 million people voted for him?

Donald Jr – Of course it’s not the end.

Ivanka rises and walks off a few paces before turning to her brothers.

Ivanka – Just what are you doing? You’re not helping anybody here. This is not what dad needs now… not what any of us needs now.

(she now faces her father)

What you needed from us after the voting ended and it was clear Biden had won, and still you kept denying the evidence, was for all of us to have come together, sit you down and just tell you, ‘Give it up, dad… you lost… and the longer you keep denying the truth, the more likely you will be of doing something stupid, really stupid, which is what yesterday was all about.

Donald Jr (jumping to his feet) – Stop it, okay, stop it now! You’re being disrespectful.

Ivanka (firmly) – No, you stop. Since when is telling the truth disrespectful?

Eric – You’re getting hysterical.

Ivanka (calmly) – Isn’t it really easy to call me that, Eric? What about what I just said we should’ve done?

Eric – Dad had it under control all along.

Ivanka – No, he didn’t. He never did have anything under control. And he didn’t because he didn’t muster the guts to do it.

Donald Jr – Don’t talk like that!

Trump – Let her talk.

Ivanka returns to her seat. She leans forward and then, holding her face, struggles to hold back her tears as she looks directly at her father.

Ivanka – I’m sorry dad… but you screwed up… you really did… this is big… really big… and there’s no turning back, is there?

Trump nods slowly.

Trump – No… there isn’t.

Ivanka – There will be no more presidential campaigns for you… no more rallies… you’re done politically… and maybe even as a businessman…

Donald Jr – What are you saying?

Ivanka (ignoring her brother, still looking at her father) – Who’s going to return your phone calls?

Trump is silent.

Ivanka – And all because you couldn’t process the pain of your loss… all because you couldn’t pause to admit your mistakes and learn from them.

Trump now rises. He crosses to the window and looks out. The sun is setting and the city’s lights are turning on.

Trump – There it is… isn’t it? As simple as that.

(pause)

I’m going to miss Washington. Yes, I am. The thing is… I had great moments as a president… I’ll never forget those moments… but I failed overall… and I did because I gave up on trying to reach out to the other side. If I had… I would’ve learned as I went and I’d have won the election. Take the Covid crisis… if I had just let the doctors take over and tell us what to do… instead of me fighting them all the way… then it would’ve been different. But I had to hog the mike. I had to be the one always in front of the camera. I was too insecure to let it be otherwise.

He turns around, walks back slowly to his seat and sits down.

Trump – Ivanka raises an issue I had not thought about… caught as I was in my own anger… I may have damaged the Trump brand… and that may affect your careers.

Eric – Never mind that, dad, we’ll deal with it.

Donald Jr – It’s not over. Give it some time… and you’ll be able to run again in 2024. And beat Biden.

Eric – People love you… and they will forgive you.

Trump leans forward and looks down at the ground for a moment. Then he looks up at Ivanka.

Trump – What do you think I should do now?

Ivanka – Apologize to the nation.

Trump – Apologize?

Ivanka – Yes, dad. If only for your dignity… for your self respect. You need to go on national television and apologize to the nation for all your mistakes. And maybe… maybe… you’ll find forgiveness.

Trump – All my mistakes?

Ivanka – Yes. You don’t have to mention all of them, I suppose… but just say that you’re sorry for all your poor decisions. You should include yesterday.

Trump – You think they’ll vote for me again?

Ivanka – Dad… forget about running again… what we’re looking for is for you to show humility… and maybe find forgiveness.

Trump – My political career is over?

Ivanka – Yes. Over.

Trump – I destroyed it myself?

Ivanka – You did.

Silence for a moment.

Trump – Do you still love me?

Ivanka – I do. I wish though… that I had been more forceful in trying to get you to listen to me. I regret that.

Trump – You tried… many times… but I didn’t get it. Thank you. I appreciate your words.

Eric and Donald Jr look at it each other, uncomfortably.

Ivanka – Dad… I think we should leave you alone now… so you can start working on your apology to the nation. There’s no time to waste. You must act now. I’ll be glad to read it before you go on the air.

Trump – Thank you,

They all rise and he hugs each one of them.

They exit.

He remains standing for a moment and, after the door closes, he goes to his desk and sits down. He picks up pen and paper. He looks up at the portraits of past presidents. Then, he starts to write.

‘Fellow Americans…’

The End

Elsa and Xi (2) Autocracies Don’t Work

Xi didn’t answer Elsa’s letter. She doesn’t even know it had reached him. Still, she decides to write again.

Dear Xi:

I trust you will get this letter. The previous one is probably stuck somewhere in traffic but I don’t give up easily. I just keep trying.

The rise of China has been fantastic. In a very short time, since WWII, you have steadily improved and become a powerful nation. Your people have reason to feel very proud of their accomplishments, same as the Japanese, the South Koreans and the Taiwanese (more on the last in another letter).

Before you came to power, there were many leaders before you that directed your nation’s growth. They deserve a share of the credit. Deng Xiaoping was of great relevance.

At this time you are speaking of China’s quest for world dominance. You may not use those words but your actions point to that.

This worries me.

You have altered China’s constitution so you can be reelected again and again. That is not good.

Autocracies don’t work. Just look at Russia. No one doubts that Russians are smart people but they have consented to a system of government that has hindered their political evolution. Boris Yeltsin deserves much blame for this, for it was him who chose Putin as his successor. Sadly, Yeltsin drank too much and that affected his judgment. Why else select the chief of the KGB, the secret service at the time, to be the leader of a nascent democracy? Ah, life is full of errors like that. If a man with a belief in democracy had been chosen instead, Russia would have been a different nation today.

Autocracies atrophy the potential of nations. In your own country, had Mao believed in the importance of the transfer of power, he would not have committed the grave blunder that was the Cultural Revolution, and China would have been spared years of much pain and suffering.

You went through that, as did your family, but here you are choosing to ignore the lessons of history. Unbelievable, isn’t it? How we humans make the same mistake again and again.

Autocracies keep leaders from speaking the truth, because the truth will threaten their power.

Democracy is an imperfect system, but it beats autocracy.

At present you are letting your desire for personal power to corrupt your thinking and mislead your people. You are letting your personal failing interfere with the wellbeing of your nation.

Nowhere is that more evident than in your persistent effort to censor free speech.

No one, Xi, no one, has a monopoly on the truth, which is why we need to encourage everyone’s opinion.

All those people who assembled in the hall that voted for you to be the leader of China until you die, did so out of intimidation, because they were afraid to speak the truth.

Democracies are filled with lies and deception also, but not as much as autocracies.

And you, having lived through the Mao period, should know it well.

The good news is that you still have time to reverse course and set your nation on a path to democracy.

Xi, imagine for a moment that you were to do that. Just imagine your restoring the right of people to express themselves. Then, the entire world would be grateful. Nations would ask for your advice and look to China as an example to follow. Wherever you went you would be greeted with enthusiasm.

Which brings me to another point. You must be fully honest.

There is no doubt of your country’s multiple accomplishments, but China’s rise has benefitted from technologies created in the West and China has stolen much of it.

Level with your people. Tell the truth. Yes, you are a creative nation with much potential. You are hard working and ambitious. It is amazing, for instance, that you have gone to the moon already and have plans for further space exploration. But you have stolen and hacked plenty of intellectual secrets.

Just think about it.

Xi, I think I’ve said enough for today.

I hope it hasn’t upset you too much.

On another topic: I was glad to see Boris Johnson and the EU finally come to an agreement for Britain’s exit. Britain was never much into it, but they most definitely benefitted from the partnership with Europe, particularly by letting in so many foreigners who have enriched their genetic pool. I’m sure they will do well.

One final note: today, 1/6/2021, became a special day for America for two reasons. The state of Georgia elected two democratic senators, one Black, one White, which will give Joe Biden a majority in the Senate. And today also, a mob of Trump supporters, angry because their leader lost the election, burst into congress in protest before they were thrown out. So, yes, in a democracy abuses of power happen, but nations that are strong enough correct them.

Will you help China find its strength?

Hope you get his letter. Have a happy new year.

Elsa

Elsa and Xi – The Importance of Free Speech

Elsa W., an American woman based in Eugene, Oregon, USA., concerned about the way the Chinese government has used the WeChat app as a means to monitor and censor speech throughout China, sets about finding a way to communicate directly with the leader of that nation, Xi Jinping.

After much effort and frustration over a period of three months, she is able to finally breach the super secure fire walls protecting Xi’s communications and leaves him a personal note.

Xi is very upset when he finds her email in his private inbox. How could that happen?

He immediately calls the chief of cybersecurity for all of China wanting an explanation and asks that the matter be rectified immediately. But will he delete her message?

Here’s Elsa’s text:

Dear Mr Xi:

I have been much troubled by the way you are interfering with free speech in your nation. Human nature, in its infinite wisdom, is constantly creating more and more variety so that we will have more and more talent available to address our many problems. All of us, must be free to express ourselves so that, through our many interactions, we can find new ways to enhance our development and so benefit others.

When people are able to speak freely, then there will be more thought to deliver better ideas.

Free speech comes, of course, with responsibility, and that is fostered through education.

The major responsibility of governments everywhere ought to be to educate, that way every country’s productivity will be the greatest possible.

It is true that freedom can be perverted, but the more widely educated a nation’s citizens, the less likely that will happen.

Here in America, we are now emerging from a very dark four years under Mr Trump, who managed to persuade millions of voters that it was White America who had to be given priority.

But our nation is very varied and, in that variety, lies great strength. To think otherwise is to do ourselves great harm.

We Americans made a grave mistake when we were not sufficiently critical of Mr Trump as he campaigned for President. He was elected because vast sections of our citizens showed poor judgment. If they had paused to think, then they would have seen that Mr Trump was only a tribal leader, a man who had much difficulty reflecting on his emotions and, thus, could not manage the emotions of his tribe.

It is clear that we have paid a dear price for electing him.

And just like in America, so in China today.

I do not think you are the right leader for your country. I must be blunt because you may choose to delete me and not see another one of my letters.

To attempt to restrict free speech is to restrict and retard the civic and scientific development of China.

Your nation is filled with talent and the full expression of it will be a great boon to the entire world.

Don’t be like Trump. Think broadly and do not be afraid of letting Chinese people be all they can be.

Thank you.

Elsa W.

Xi read Elsa’s email and was upset that she compared him with Trump. He was about to hit delete but then changed his mind and kept it. He would reread it at another time

Will he eventually answer Elsa?

Oscarvaldes.net oscarvaldes.medium.com oscar valdes@widehumr

I Will Run, Not Walk, To Get My Vaccine

Yes, indeed.

After all the effort that vast numbers of creative and diligent minds have put into it,

Do you think I’ll hesitate about taking it?

Not at all.

Can something go wrong and I’ll end up with as yet unknown adverse effects?

I’ll take my chances.

Why?

Because I trust in science.

That same science that was skeptical when talk of Hydroxycloroquine was rampant and then, after subjecting it to rigorous studies, proved it was not useful.

That same science that was at first uncertain of the value of masks but then, after studies, fully endorsed it.

Science, yes, physics, mathematics, engineering, biology, medicine, astronomy etc., which lengthen and enrich my life.

You and me, have today the chance of living longer because of science,

You and me, are less likely to die of heart disease, of cancer, because of science,

so why shouldn’t I believe that this grand effort to produce a vaccine – with unprecedented speed – will spare me the possibility of catching the infection and, if unlucky enough, succumbing to it?

Some people will not be able to take the vaccine because their immune systems are compromised, so when I take mine I lessen the chance that they will catch the virus.

You are entitled to refuse it, but in doing so, you are adding to the problem not lessening it.

To the skeptical, no, the government is not trying to injure you but to help you.

Billions of dollars have gone into creating the vaccine, and billions more will go into producing massive numbers, storing and distributing it, training personnel to administer it, so why not step up and do our part?

So, yes, I will run, not walk, to get my vaccine,

and I hope you do, too.

oscarvaldes.net oscarvaldes.medium.com oscar valdes@widehumr

Biden’s New Multicolored Cabinet

There it is. Resplendent with possibility. The Cabinet members to be entrusted with carrying out the business of the nation. And for the first time ever, it will be made up of people representing the vastness of our population.

The selection process is not complete and we already have in place Hispanic Americans, African Americans, East Asian Americans, Native Americans with more to come. And it is to be a cabinet with a balance of men and women reflecting who we are. A cabinet that implicitly accepts that nature is very democratic in assigning ability even as human prejudice repeatedly attempts to thwart the process.

Joe Biden is staying true to his promise to govern the nation with all of the nation, not just White Americans.

These appointees are all men and women of merit who would not have had a chance to rise had it not been for Biden’s commitment to diversity.

He got elected because he appealed to that diversity, the many sections of the nation that had been bypassed because of the color of their skin.

Now they have a chance to shine and they will.

And what an example to the world.

At a time when nationalist movements rage against the influx of immigrants, Joe Biden is saying, ‘yes, we are a nation of immigrants and we will remain a nation of immigrants.’

Biden is saying it loudly, confident that his choices will deliver for him and for America.

Those talents were always there but owing to a sense of entitlement by the White majority, those talents were blocked, relegated or ignored.

In business, in the sciences, in entrepreneurship and the many other walks of life, diverse Americans as well as immigrants of color from all over the world were blossoming and enriching the nation that welcomed them. But the dominant majority would not let them have access to help guide the nation.

Now the time has come.

If sections of White America are resentful that they have been held back, then they have to examine themselves to see why it is that it happened while their own kind were in power.

And so in other nations across the world now confronting the rise of nationalism who choose to attempt to block the contributions of immigrants, i.e. Britain, Poland, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands.

Joe Biden’s cabinet will be a transformational cabinet, because of his inclusiveness.

And he will not be disappointed. The men and women of diverse origins will not let him down.

They will strive to shine just as Barack Obama did when he was chosen as the first African American head of state.

This multicolored cabinet will have far reaching consequences and so become a formidable catalyst for human powers eager to contribute to this great land.

Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net oscarvaldes.medium.com oscar valdes@widehumr