Author: oscar valdes

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

Thank You Vaccine Makers

Thank you for persevering,

For working tenaciously to create a means to extending our lives,

Oh, how those 270 thousand Americans and over one and a half million people worldwide

Who have so far perished, would have benefitted.

Thank you for believing in science,

For not giving up when you ran up against what may have seemed

Unsurmountable obstacles,

Thank you for collaborating with others, believing in teamwork,

Thank you for having chosen your professions,

For trusting that committing to what you wanted would one day reward you,

Thank you for loving life,

For only because you do have you now been able to

Be part of this grand effort to bring relief to a battered and anguished world,

Thank you for your courage,

For your generosity,

For the power of your imaginations,

Your willingness to dare,

For taking on the challenge that nature presented to us,

For having had the resolve to face adversity,

And not having flinched,

Instead tamed the monster that threatened to extinguish us.

Thank you and thank you again.

May your lives be rewarded with honors

And may your example forever remind us

Of how we can rise to defeat all challenges,

So long as we commit to preserve and enrich the bonds that tie us,

So long as we never forget that, with all our differences,

We are one.

Dark clouds have often gathered over our world,

And it is because of men and women like you,

Men and women of every race and nationality,

That we keep moving forward.

So thank you, Vaccine Makers,

Knights of Science and Progress,

Knights of Humanity,

For lighting the torch that lets us see the path ahead.

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

Daily Reminder

I am responsible for my life lived and unlived.

I am responsible for my freedom.

I have one life.

oscarvaldes.net

On Demagoguery – PiSTE – Power in Submission Thinking Error.

When a nation or an Aggrieved group of people perceives itself as being challenged by a Rival group, they have the option of competing or attempting to suppress them. If either of those approaches fails, then the resentment of the Aggrieved for the Rival group will grow.

The Aggrieved group may continue to search for a solution or, if despairing, settle instead to be led by someone who comes along with an idea to relieve them of their pain.

But anyone who comes along with such an offer will want something for it.

The person presenting themselves as the problem solver will say to the Aggrieved group, ‘I see your pain, I feel it, and you are right to feel as you do and here I am to fight for you.’

What that person will want in return is the surrender of the group members’ individuality.

When the Aggrieved group gathers to hear the leader, the individual members will not have a question and answer session at the end. Their meetings will not be set to reflect on their doubts and recriminations as to why they have failed. Their meetings will not be set to educate, but instead to affirm their cherished views, regardless of a changing world, all of which the new leader is most glad to validate for them.

The new leader needs room to maneuver, and thus he is not to be questioned. He will do the strategic thinking for the Aggrieved group.

‘I will make you feel good about who you are, as you are now,’ says the mighty leader.

Implicit is that thought and self criticism is to be sacrificed in the interest of feeling. But once you adopt that position, the stage is set for abuse to happen.

Speaking from his elevated stage, looking down on his followers, the leader is promoting a transfer of power from the group unto him.

The leader will ceaselessly remind the Aggrieved group that they are better than their Rivals, that their views should reign supreme, and that the challenge the Rival group poses is, indeed, the reason for all their ills.

The Aggrieved group’s core beliefs are to be seen as immutable. The simpler the communications, the better. Complexity is to be avoided. Tweets are perfect for this exchange.

Left out of the discussion is why the Aggrieved group did not better organize itself to fight against the Rival, instead preferring to blame and disparage.

If the above is familiar to you it is because this is what is happening in America today.

Many Americans have surrendered their power to a leader who never dared to challenge them, just like he did not dare to challenge himself.

There is no real power in political submission but merely the illusion of it.

A mind that does not question itself is a mind that settles for less. It is a mind that defrauds itself. It is a mind that chooses to die.

Oscar Valdes Oscarvaldes.net     oscarvaldes@widehumr     oscarvaldes.medium.com

The Nation Thanks our Postal and Poll Workers and Ballot Counters

Thank you for the commitment to your task.

When there was much uncertainty as to the outcome of the election

You remained steadfast in carrying out your duties

And gave us confidence that the results would reflect the will of the people

For a few tense days, all eyes were on you

And you responded admirably

Reminding us once again

Of the importance of working together

That there is a place for everyone in this land,

And that it takes all those efforts to make our system thrive

There are many things on which we will disagree

But we must always seek a measure of compromise

Or we will become vulnerable to leaders keen to exploit the differences

For their selfish reasons

If Red and Blue makes Purple

Then that is what we should strive for,

Purple to bridge the gaps that divide us

Purple to bring gender and racial equality to our land

Freeing us to think boldly, conquer our fears and act courageously.

You have done your part

And in so doing affirmed our democracy.

It has been a wonderful display of patriotism and citizenship.

The nation is deeply grateful.

Oscar Valdes  

oscarvaldes.net   oscarvaldes@widehumr    oscarvaldes.medium.com

The President’s Regrets

Alone in the Oval Office, the TV off because the count in Georgia and Pennsylvania now has Biden in the lead, while both Arizona and Nevada continue to lean democratic, the President sits and lowers his head. The long dreaded defeat has finally arrived.

‘I tweeted too much. Which meant I didn’t take time to reflect. Presidents shouldn’t tweet so much. Joe doesn’t tweet like I do but I’ll pass it along anyway, just before the transfer of power.’

‘I should have let the scientists lead the effort on the coronavirus from the very beginning. This is a big one. If I had done that, then if the virus would have spread, I could’ve blamed them. But no, I chose to be the man in charge, even though I didn’t know a thing about the virus.’

‘I identified too much with the Right, as if this country was not a huge place filled with people who have lots of different points of view.’

‘I should have worked more with my supporters, to tell them that to make America Great Again it will take the work of all Americans. I cringe when I hear Joe Biden talk about how he’s going to be a president for everyone, and that during his term there will be no red and blue states. Damn. That should’ve been my line.’

‘I should’ve danced more with Melania, sang her a song, just be with her. Relax with her. And spent more time with my son Barron, too, see what he had to say. The young can always teach us something if we care to listen. I didn’t.’

‘That’s a problem I have, listening. A huge problem. If I had listened, I wouldn’t have fired good generals like Mattis and Kelly.’

‘If I had listened, I would’ve kept some of my early economic advisers who told me to go easy on the tariffs on China. Sure, there is an issue with their theft of intellectual property and their push to world dominance, but I ought to have been more gradual.’

‘I should have brought more women into the cabinet, lots of them. My cabinet should’ve been at least half women. And I could’ve even appointed a woman to be secretary of state. Hell, I would’ve been reelected if I had done that. But I didn’t.’

‘And why did I go bananas on overturning environmental regulations? The climate issue is real. Everybody thinks that. How come I was so blind and deaf about it?’

‘And the George Floyd incident, that was a missed opportunity. I could’ve jumped in and said, “This is horrible. Ghastly. There are great cops in our nation, but this is not permissible. This is murder, and I will make sure that justice is done” But I didn’t do it.’

‘I pissed off a lot of European allies. There was no need for that. There were other ways I could’ve got them to pay more for the costs of defense.’

‘I am feeling depressed. And have no one to blame but me.’

Good luck, Mr President.

Oscar Valdes wrote extensively in an effort to get the President to reflect. And sent him his books.

Oscarvaldes.net   oscarvaldes@widehumr

Biden because…

We need to restore sanity to America,

We must have a president who will not shirk from confronting a foreign leader,

A president who is not preoccupied with every criticism that is made of him and who can think before he tweets,

We need a president who is comfortable with thinking and reflecting,

Who is open to having the best people around him, regardless of what party they’re affiliated with,

We must have a president who can hear a dissenting view,

A person who values independent thought, men and women who can stand on their own and choose to serve the nation out of a sense of patriotism rather than personal gain, men and women who’re not quick to say, ‘yes, mr president, of course you’re right, sir, absolutely right, you’re the greatest, the most wonderful human being I’ve ever met,’

We need a leader with the courage to address the nation in the face of abject cruelty, as when George Floyd was murdered in public view, and then step out and denounce the abuse of power and stand and grieve with the rest of us,

We need a leader who believes in science, who doesn’t feel diminished because he has to wear a mask,

We must have a leader who doesn’t lie to us, repeatedly, shamelessly,

A president with the courage to not blame China for the enormous losses of life we’ve suffered and who not once has said he takes responsibility for any of it.

In his view, whatever he does, is a masterful move.

We need Biden because he’s committed to bringing women to the center of our political world,

Women, who in this land of the free, have not been elected to the presidency or vice presidency in 231 years, yet all the while they’ve been nurturing men, educating, strengthening, helping to guide us, inspiring and comforting us, and we have the gall to turn around and deny them the right to control their bodies and to not think they are fit to lead.

We need Biden because in bringing women to power, he opens the door for them to govern the nation for the next 50 consecutive years, at least, and so make it possible to have racial and gender equality in our land.

Men simply could not do the job and need to move aside and let women do it.

We need Biden to reach out to the president’s supporters and remind them that we must sit down and have a dialogue,

We need Biden, who will tell the president’s supporters that they are essential in the struggle to improve our nation,

We need Biden

To remind us of our true powers, and that this is not the time to step back from acting with concern for the plight of the downtrodden anywhere in the world, for their suffering is ours too. Embrace it and we will embrace our own, and as we do brighten the flame of hope that has always lived in our hearts and minds.

So, go Joe, go Kamala,

Fight for our land as you know how,

And let not the winds of hatred and envy blight our future

Oscar Valdes     oscarvaldes.net     oscarvaldes@widehumr