Author: oscar valdes

Trump and the virus. My take.

He’s getting excellent medical care, the expertise of many talented people focused on his symptoms. The virus may be unpredictable and Trump is obese, but the man is vigorous. So he will walk out of Walter Reed Hospital having beat the virus.

How will the experience affect his psyche is worthy of speculation.

Will he say to the public, as he leaves the hospital, ‘It was nothing, really, I knew I’d beat it, but it was great that I had the attention I got, just in case. Thank you all the doctors and the nurses and the support staff. But folks, nothing worse than the flu, I mean, I’ve been sicker than this. So, sure, wear a mask if you want, but just don’t get crazy about it, like Joe Biden does. Every time I see him he’s got a mask on, sometimes two. Thank you for your concern everybody, and vote for me and against the Socialists.’

Or will he be chastised by the experience, just slightly humbled, and instead say, ‘fellow Americans, this is not easy for me to say… but please wear a mask. I realize I’ve been pigheaded in going against the medical advice to wear masks… and if I had… well, I would not have contracted CoVid 19. I’m sure Dr Fauci is smiling as he hears me say this. If I had worn the mask I would’ve been able to keep campaigning so I can beat Joe Biden and his socialist supporters on November 3rd. By not wearing the mask I’ve lost precious time to attend rallies and remind you of how important it is for the nation to have four more years of Trump.’

I wouldn’t hold my breath but it is possible that he is slightly humbled by the experience.

It would be good for him and for all those Americans who, not wearing a mask, may end up getting the virus and, because they will not be getting the care the president is getting, will be more likely to do poorly.

So, let’s hope for the best.

I’m counting on your big heart, Mr Trump. Thank you.

In the meantime, in light of all that has transpired during the past 4 years and, convinced as I am that most Americans are able to see the difference between our two candidates, I am today predicting that Joe Biden will be the clear winner come November 3rd.

On January 20th, Joe Biden will become our president.

Looking ahead, I think Biden will govern for only one term and Kamala Harris will run for President in 2024.

During his tenure, Biden will give Harris much responsibility and many chances to shine but, when she runs for President, she will still face stiff opposition from other candidates, and primarily from many other women. Guaranteed.

I am here predicting also that, inspired by seeing a woman Vice President, a woman will become President in 2024.

As far as male candidates is concerned, the outlook seems bleak. Which makes sense.

Since 1789 we’ve had men Presidents, one after another, the women patiently waiting and quietly asking themselves, ‘now, what does this guy have that I don’t?’ So it makes sense that women run the country for the next 20 or 30 years, in a row. I have no doubt the nation will be much better off because of it.

Trump will return to his hotels and, finally, build his Trump Tower in Moscow. Good luck.

Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net

Dear Mr Trump

May you and your wife recover promptly from CoVid 19.

Both of you are strong so the expectation is that the two will have the fewest of symptoms.

We hope so.

Do follow the medical guidelines you will be given.

This is not a time to be careless.

The two weeks of quarantine will go fast and you’ll be able to return to the fray.

Meanwhile, your close associates will stand in for you.

We also need you back as quickly as possible because the political battle for the hearts and minds of the nation needs to be fought.

It is good for all Americans.

In my opinion, your presidency has not been a good one but still you have your supporters that embrace your viewpoints.

With Joe Biden in the lead, we must win them over because they are our brothers and sisters and we need everyone to strengthen the country as we move forward.

Good luck.

Oscar Valdes

Oscarvaldes.net

Trump Doesn’t Want to Debate, He Says.

He’s just announced that, if new rules are set to mitigate the disorder that reigned in the first debate, he will not participate. Why should he since he won the contest?

In his mind he did.

The reality, though, is starkly different.

So, Trump’s statement is his way of bowing out of two other encounters where his flaws would be broadcast even more widely to the American public.

Smart move on his part.

But here lies an opportunity for Biden too. And I think he should take him up on it.

We will learn nothing that we don’t already know from the two subsequent debates.

Election day is drawing close and we can do without the distractions.

Spare the energies. Focus.

Do keep the debate between Harris and Pence.

Oscar Valdes

Oscarvaldes.net

Managing Envy

Tough subject. No easy answers. Much pain tied to it. Let’s try.

What is envy?

The desire to have something we believe another person has but one lacks (or perceives to lack), i.e. power, wealth, accomplishment, intelligence, beauty, athletic ability, body type, etc. and is always accompanied by a measure of resentment. Why them and not me?

When not seen objectively, the feeling of envy will likely impair our judgment and lead to poor choices. Sometimes disastrous ones, as in hostile actions, conscious or unconscious, against the envied person.

But when having some distance from the feeling, envy allows one to review how we have used our energies. We may ask, how hard have we tried?

Envy that is acknowledged is a source of wisdom.

‘What I envy is not mine but yours. I cannot be you, nor should I try, so enjoy what is yours. In turn, I will look for what nature gave me and work with it. Did I give up too soon on a choice I made and now I envy others? Did I assess properly my abilities before embarking on my quest? Should I now refocus my energies, strive at something that is not what I have loved the most?’

As with all feelings, sharing them will have a soothing effect, if temporary… till we get back to facing the pain by ourselves and working through it.

If you set out to be a writer for instance, along the way you will be comparing yourself with others committed to the task, and you will see how you measure up. That will tell you how good your chances are of reaching the higher places.

We will always be confronted with the hierarchy that forms in every field. Do we look at it objectively or do we ignore it?

Let us take the case of a writer of modest ability. Does the person persist even though the likelihood is that the higher places will never be attainable? Persist regardless of the chances of recognition from others?

How do we define success?

Is it primarily recognition from others (acknowledgment or monetary) or the satisfaction the work itself brings us?

There are two camps here.

One camp is for people in whom the satisfaction of doing what they like the most is such that they tolerate that others are more accomplished. They are willing to sacrifice recognition. Or hope eternally for it.

The second camp is for those in whom the importance of achieving the recognition of others is fundamental. They will forgo great personal satisfaction from the work as the primary reward. If their choice of field is not bringing them praise or money, why stick with it?

The first camp is where romantics live. The second where pragmatists do.

We make the choice. Or Nature makes it for us.

Either way, acknowledging envy will help us function better. Which is why we should strive to manage it.

There is consolation for both camps.

Romantics can say that giving priority to satisfying their creative desires grants them a sense of personal freedom that defies hierarchies, bringing them a sense of a life well lived.

Pragmatists can say they planted their feet on the world as it is and, choosing to satisfy the needs of others, got worldly returns for their efforts.

We need the two.

There is a third camp, of course. Fewer people live there.

They can say, ‘I love what I do, love who I am, and the world loves me for it.’

They run the world.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation and other books. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

American Women. Moral Reconstruction in America. The Dawn of A New Era.

White American Women had been waiting a long time for the chance to be president and, suddenly, they’re having to queue up behind Harris. What happened?

The riots did.

Of course, they can look back on Hillary Clinton’s effort and find consolation there, saying that in the very first try by a white woman as presidential candidate for a major party, she won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.

That will have to do for now, though, since if all goes well, it will be Harris going up as party favorite once Biden chooses to step down (Yes, Biden will win the election, unless we’re insane)

To the credit of White American women, there has been widespread support for the Harris choice. That should give us men inspiration in the struggle against racism.

Come 2024, Kamala may end up being challenged for the presidential nomination by other women, as they are entitled to, but if she does a good job supporting Biden it will be a Democratic woman versus a Republican one in that presidential contest.

A man running on the Republican side would have a harder time beating Harris.

The problem of racism in our land is viewed by most of us as a critical matter. Addressing it fully cannot be postponed without additional damage to our moral fabric.

Obama projected an image of conciliation that has gone a long way to start the process of healing in our land but it now seems clear that it will be up to an African/Asian American woman to carry the task further.

Men are more conflicted than women on matters of dominance. They are more easily wounded by it and less forgiving.

This opens the way for women, of any color, to lead us for the next few decades until we resolve our racial differences.

Overall, the feminine psyche appears more likely to evoke forgiveness and understanding in the rest of us.

The fact that women had to struggle so hard to get out from under the oppression of men has much to do with it. It has helped them develop empathy.

So what do we have to lose?

Since inception we have been governed by men and we have not settled the racial issue. Imagine a Senate, supreme court or cabinet composed mainly of women?

It is time.

Are there qualified women today, in every field of endeavor, in politics, banking, science, medicine, etc.?

Yes. Resoundingly.

Well, we need to open the doors widely for them to enter politics and let them govern. And when it happens, it will be a gigantic step toward uniting the country.

We have great women leaders in the world now. Germany and Europe have benefitted enormously from the unique leadership Angela Merkel has provided. Her courage, wisdom and even handedness have set a standard to emulate. What other world leader has governed for as long as she has with such aplomb?

Sex alone won’t make for gifted leadership, but a combination of ability and sex may work wonders in challenging long held misconceptions about race that have stood in the way of our full evolution as a nation.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation and other books. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

The Portland Protests

Violence. Intimidation. Destruction of Property.

How’s that helping the process of combatting and eventually overcoming racial prejudice in our land?

I read that groups of masked people (mostly white), supporters of Black Lives Matter, have gone into white neighborhoods demanding to know whether residents agree with them or not. Or they go to the outside seating area of restaurants doing the same. Or they take and destroy property wantonly.

How’s that helping?

It is not.

You want quick results on the issue of race? Then you will have none.

But you will be sure to get backlash.

Racism cannot be resolved by violence.

Racism is the ugly offspring of intimidation, of disregard for the other, of people in power closing themselves to discovering what is human in those who are different from them.

It is rooted in fear of the other.

You cannot eradicate it through provoking fear.

Racism is a solvable problem but it will take commitment.

Our reluctance to not confront it has diminished us as a people. And still does. But you can’t scare people out of it.

We have to persuade. Induce people to embark in the quest for personal knowledge that will expand their minds and make room to accept those who are different from them.

No one jumps from being racist to not being racist.

It is a process and will take time.

Racism is not a matter of intelligence. People can be very smart and even make important contributions to humanity and yet be hampered by racist beliefs. Eminent people, even Nobel Prizes have been racists.

Intelligence will help a person work through their racism, but that quality alone does not preclude it.

Our nation can and should, organize a better effort to continue to reduce racism simply out of self interest, for steadily reducing racism will make us stronger, smarter, wiser and yes, more beautiful too.

Every African American in this country is entitled to affirm themselves each and every time they believe they are being treated unfairly because of the color of their skin. That needs to be supported, both at the individual and community level. Be firm, not violent.

If we sincerely wish to attenuate our racist feelings, when we encounter someone of a different race – no matter what their economic standing – let us quietly ask ourselves, ‘What gifts do they have that I don’t?’

I assure you they have gifts. We just need to look for them.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation and other books. Available in Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

Voting. Taking the Initiative.

Just saw recent polls saying that the majority of Trump voters were more likely to vote in person whereas Democrats were more likely to do so by mail.

People ought to have the option to do one or the other as allowed by law and every effort should be made to prevent any interference.

Good.

However, given the many uncertainties clouding this next election, shouldn’t the Democratic party, which is ahead in the polls, take a clear stance on how best to get the votes in?

What does the fact that most Trump supporters want to vote in person tell us?

That they’re not afraid of the virus?

That they want to be absolutely sure that their vote is not lost or mangled or is subject to some other as yet unforeseen irregularity that might question its validity?

Check both of the above.

Question to Democrats – should we not learn from Trump voters?

Voting by mail is a great convenience and sometimes the only alternative. And if that is the only way you can vote, please do so. But vote early. Early early Early. Very early. Just to be sure your vote gets in.

But for those who have the option to vote in person, then make the commitment that come fire or flood or earthquake or flat tire or no public transportation or whatever else, you will be there at the ballot box on election day, no matter how many Trump supporters might be standing just outside the perimeter set by law preventing electioneering, waving their flags or machine guns or cannons or what not.

Do not be intimidated.

This election is too important to our future.

Trump supporters will be ready with whatever other forms of intimidation they can muster.

For instance, while in line to the ballot box, immediately ahead or behind us, they may just not wear a mask or keep the 6 ft of social distancing, or worse, deliberately cough or sneeze or speak loudly. Anything to take us off our game.

But all we have to do is wear our mask. Two if you wish. And turn away from them.

Carry your hand sanitizer for good measure, so you can wipe off the spittle that may land on your shirt or skin. Wear gloves if you’d like.

But stay in line. STAY IN LINE.

The coughers, sneezers, spitters and gun wavers are counting on you giving up.

Keep in mind that they are desperate people. Do not let them take you off your game.

You’re in line to defend our democracy under threat. Defend your right to free speech.

Give in now and you will give in later.

The more we can show up at the ballot box, the better. That way we leave less to uncertainty.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation and other books. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

REINVENTING PUNISHMENT

Years ago, while interviewing a young inmate who was serving a sentence for running a red light while drunk, and crashing into a car carrying an elderly couple and killing them both, he said to me, ‘Two more years and I will have paid my debt to society.’

The crime had been committed when he was under 21. By the end of his term he would’ve served something like 5 or 6 years.

There was something very wrong with what he had said. And the law permitted it.

The thought stayed with me.

There has to be a better way.

Killing someone is killing someone. The killed are gone. To be with us no more, while the responsible party has life ahead.

Is it fair?

Step into a prison for a visit – which I highly recommend – and you’ll be struck by the mass of people stuck in cells, mostly doing nothing constructive, men and women in their prime just waiting for their terms to expire.

Well, I say we’ve got this wrong.

Suppose Jim kills Pete in a robbery or for some other reason.

Jim has a debt to society and to Pete and his family. And he needs to pay it.

But how does being idle in a prison cell improve Jim’s ability to pay his debt?

It does not. But if he was educating himself to make a living or start a business, then the time incarcerated would be well spent. Upon release, Jim would be able to earn money and begin the process of making reparations.

How long would Jim have to make reparations? Forever.

The size of the reparations would vary depending on the income Jim can generate, but the debt incurred is to last a lifetime. And so with other offenses, like rape and child molestation.

While Jim is in prison, the State is investing in his education, an education that allows him to buy his freedom, but he has to pay it back.

Jim doesn’t want to work? Then he goes back to prison.

Jim will need more than an education to become a responsible citizen. He will need psychological treatment to address the impulsivity, poor judgment, addictions etc. that led to his killing Pete.

The State needs to invest in that. And then Jim pays back to the victim’s family for the rest of his life.

What Jim doesn’t need is to be rotting in a cell wasting his potential capabilities.

The State ought to have an obligation to create the conditions that lead to forming responsible citizens.

Keeping people idle in confinement is no way to do that.

Somehow, though, certain societal forces have prevailed to insist that punishment is more important than education. I believe the influence of the Church has played an oversize role in this, but I leave that to others to determine. The emphasis on punishment, however, needs to be changed to one stressing the educational and psychological rehabilitation of the offender.

The length of time Jim would have to stay in prison for killing Pete would depend on his response to psychological treatment and his eagerness to acquire productive skills. Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and Social work from local universities could be enlisted to contribute to the effort.

After sufficient progress has been made, then Jim would appear before a board made of fellow citizens, the composition of which would vary just as with the selection of a jury (not like presently, where these boards are stacked with law enforcement). The citizens would hear the evidence proposing his release and a decision would be made: Return to society or remain in prison for more constructive work, education, work skills and psychological assistance.

But the incentive would always be there, work hard and you will earn your freedom, a freedom that is to remain conditional on the payment of reparations for a lifetime (for certain offenses).

The notion of buying one’s freedom bother you?

We do it every day. Every single day, when we set out to earn a living, we are buying our freedom. Choose to not make the effort? Then we won’t be able to pay the rent and will have to hit the streets. Is that freedom?

You decide.

Whatever societal forces have shaped the current state of how we deal with crime have not satisfactorily addressed the issue, neither morally nor economically.

Locking up young people in their productive prime is of no benefit to the nation.

It may, in the minds of some, satisfy a desire for vengeance, but that is not making us a better country.

People need hope.

A case can be made that those who have failed, like Jim, did not get the benefit of strong formative forces as they were growing up. If so, while in prison, the State has a chance to make up for its share of responsibility to deliver a fully engaged citizen.

Jim, on the other hand, has to contend with why he failed as a person.

Do we, as a society, keep supporting a system that emphasizes punishment?

Or do we reshape the institution to stress education, personal growth and the earning of one’s freedom to live a worthwhile life and, on the way, pay back those we injured or killed.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation, the prison novel Walk Through Your Shadows and other books. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

The Helsinki Moment Redux. Trump’s Silence.

He can’t stop tweeting, giving us his opinions about when the virus will leave, and how well he managed the pandemic (The Chinese, meanwhile, are so far ahead of us that they have started vaccinating people in the Middle East and South America. Two doses, one month apart).

He will carry on about our racial protests and how his way to go about them is the way to do it (‘hit them hard, like animals’).

In his dreams, he sees himself being awarded the Nobel prize for facilitating diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. An honorable mention, of course, would have to go to his son in law and advisor. Or maybe they’ll share the prize.

The fires in the West coast have destroyed homes and lives but is there a connection to climate change? Not at all. The forest service has to do a better job of keeping the land clean, he says.

And then, news about Russia’s efforts to interfere in our upcoming election comes up and what has he said?

Nothing.

Microsoft has documented efforts by the GRU, a Russian military unit, attempting to hack into our internet services, but our president has stayed mum.

Zippo.

He cannot stand up to Putin and Putin knows it.

On 7/16/2018, at a press conference in Helsinki, right after he’d held a meeting in private with Putin, Trump is asked by a reporter in the audience if he would ask Putin, who’s standing next to him, to not interfere in our elections, in light of evidence provided by American intelligence services.

Trump’s reply, ‘I believe our intelligence services… but I also believe Putin (and his denial that he had nothing to do with it).’

Yep, he said it. In front of the whole world.

For such a verbose person to not find words to comment on Russia’s renewed interference in our election process, is quite a feat.

And he is getting away with it.

Is Biden Harris waiting for a sign from heaven to call Trump on it?

Are they saving it for the upcoming debate in Cleveland on 9/29 and then bring it up?

Or will they just let Trump get away with it?

I don’t get it.

That Trump’s silence is being greeted by silence in his supporters is understandable, given their absolute devotion to their leader. ‘Why, surely, it is part of the conspiracy against him.’  

But the silence on the part of Biden Harris?

I don’t get it.

Maybe they’re just waiting for the right time. What do you think?

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation and other books. Available in Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net