Author: oscar valdes

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

CUTIES. A French Production. On Netflix.

A good film. The story of a Senegalese young girl, an immigrant to France, who finds in dance a path from her culture of origin into the confusing freedoms the host culture allows.

As with most immigrants, the pressure to fit in is intense.

Add to it a stressful home environment where the young girl’s father has been absent and to complicate matters, has made plans to take a second wife – while keeping the first.

Dance is a vehicle for the young girl to express her burgeoning sexuality.

In school, she talks herself into joining a group of boy crazy classmates who’re forming a team to compete in a dance contest.

In the process she discovers her body and the power it has. And so do the other girls.

The film has come in for criticism from some quarters who view the dance routines and the girls’ sexual exploration as appealing to those afflicted with sexual perversions.

But there is a profound honesty to the film, and it is in that light that it should be judged.

The girls are exploring their emerging sexuality in the absence of any parental guidance and that context is always clear in the film.

They are taking their cues from the unfiltered offerings of the media. And they have, somehow, to sort things out as they make their choices.

The performances are excellent and the director/writer, who based the story on her personal experiences, shows excellent judgment in steering through the many difficult spots the girls’ journeys present. And the ending is most satisfying.

The film was shot in France where it was critically well received.

There is, indeed, overt sexuality in some of the scenes but it is not pornographic.

I have read that some of the harshest American critics of the film, who have called for Netflix to stop showing it, have not even seen the movie.

It doesn’t make sense. As adults and as parents, we have to own to the realities of the cultural environment we live in, and act responsibly to guide those in our trust through the maze of stimuli.

Young people, girls and boys, long to own their sexuality, and so be able to mature to make the appropriate choice of partner that is essential to a life well lived.

Parents would do well to watch this film and see for themselves what their children go through as their sexuality emerges.

Watch the film to see for yourselves. Do not let others dictate for you.

Netflix should not stop showing the film.

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

Oscarvaldes.net

Two Officers are Shot in Compton, California. 9/12/2020

Mr Biden and the State assemblyman for the area quickly condemned the act while calling for justice. Our President, on the other hand, upon seeing the video of the shooting and referring to the perpetrator, tweeted, ‘Animals that must be hit hard.’

Let us pause to think about the difference.

The two officers from the Sheriff’s department were shot in the face and head. Both had joined the force only 14 months ago. A woman, 31, a man, 24. They have undergone surgery at a nearby hospital and are reported to be in critical condition.

The officers were on duty patrolling a Metro station for the train that passes through Compton. They were helping passengers in the system feel safe. People like you and me.

The shooter chose to see the officers as easy targets.

‘All these cops are bad. I don’t care what they’ve done,’ the shooter must have thought. ‘If you put that uniform on, you’re bad. They share responsibility for what other officers have done. I could wait for the court system to look at the details, but how long will that take? Plus, the courts are run by the elites in power. I’m not going to wait for that. I’ll just go out and kill myself a couple. Never mind if they’ve never committed any abuses themselves. Never mind if they have brothers and sisters and parents and children. My need for revenge is greater than anything else.’

Animated by such anger, the person found a gun and readied for the act.

Before proceeding, he may have spoken to someone in his confidence and said, ‘I’ll be in the news, for sure. I hope I don’t get caught, but if I do, I’ll be in the news all over the world. I will be part of history, whereas right now I’m not part of anything, my life of little value.’

The other person may have tried to dissuade him (or her, we don’t know the sex yet) saying something like, ‘this eye for an eye way of settling things has been tried before and it doesn’t work,’ which may have given pause to the shooter and the officers would have been spared.

Or, the other person may have said, ‘wow, what guts you have! I didn’t know you had it in you. I mean, you haven’t done much with your life so far, and you have a low opinion of yourself, but now you’re wanting to turn it around. Well, yeah, I guess you’ll be a hero to some.’

Or, the other person could have said, ‘You’re a fool! Stop that thinking right away! You have to learn to value yourself. What’s the matter with you? You’re just starting out. Life is precious! Don’t waste it!’

Or, the would be shooter might have had no one to speak to, no one to say that he was filled with such hatred from all the recent incidents in our national life, and had not been able to process the anger and destructive choices that were festering in him.

In the end, there was no one around with the courage to say to the would be shooter, ‘pause my brother, there have been many injustices in our lives, yes, and there will be more, but we can’t just strike out in anger or we will perish together.’

And before the president said his famous words, that same person would have said to the shooter, ‘none of us, Blacks, Whites, Asian, Latinos, are “Animals that must be hit hard”’.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation and other books, including Letter to A Shooter. Available in Amazon. Oscarvaldes.net

China’s Impact on US

Looking at China, we should be asking ourselves, ‘look how far they’ve got, how brazen they’ve been, how daring? And in such a short time. Why, just after WWII they didn’t amount to much, did they?’  

Theirs had been a land which had been dominated by foreign nations, then became ruled by a communist party. And look where they are now.

A world power.

We can also look at them and say, ‘sure, but they are not free. They are a censored country. Cameras everywhere.’

True, but their economy is strong and getting stronger. Which means that there’s more to spread around and their standard of living has been rising steadily.

China seems very clear about something.

They need the world. They want the world. And they will do what they must to get it. Even if it means stealing technology or spying on other countries.

They will do anything at all.

Ruthless.

But they are creative, too. Very talented. Gifted. Otherwise they would not have become the factory of the world during globalization.

The job was offered by the nations of the West and they jumped on it and did something with it. And they grew up.

And they will keep growing, even if they are barred from stealing or spying. That’s right. Stealing and spying accelerates the process of growth but the absence of it does not prevent it.

China, fellow Americans, has arrived.

And we have got to accept it.

The sooner we do, the sooner we will begin to learn from them.

Learn from them?

Absolutely. They have much to teach us, if we pay attention. If we are not too proud to look at the facts.

What stands out clearly about China? Their sense of purpose.

They are filled with it. They have agreed on the need to improve their material existence. For now, the leadership of the communist party will do. Later on, it will constrain them. But it works for now.

The Chinese have taking the long view. They say something like this to themselves, ‘These rules imposed on us are irritating but they are forcing a discipline on us that is helping our material growth.’

Did we, here in the USA, lose our sense of purpose as a nation?

I believe we did.

World War II was a great example of when we did have it. And the nation shined.

So there’s no doubt that the country has got what it takes.

Here’s another example. October 4th 1957. The Soviets launch the Sputnik satellite. It shot up over the earth’s atmosphere and began going around the planet every 90 minutes. Our nation was shocked. Russia had done it.

Did we lament our situation and cry about it? No, we got to work on it.

And soon enough we launched Explorer 1 on 1/31/1958. The Soviets would get another victory on 4/12/58 when Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel around the earth in outer space but then we followed with the historic landing on the moon on July 20th 1969.

Both in war time and peace time we answered the challenge.

That last challenge was only 50 years ago.

Now comes China.

They are saying to us, ‘We will soon become the largest economy in the world. Period. You will be the second. Second, as in number 2. Don’t like the sound of it? Get used to it. We are 1.4 billion people with a sense of purpose that you lack, so we will beat you.’

And they are saying it looking us straight in the eye, with complete confidence in their abilities. And we’re thinking, ‘no they can’t… or… can they? How did they get up there so fast?’

With hard work. Stealth. Cunning.

Don’t think they can do it? Then we’re in la la land. Deep into it.

What is amazing is how we’re handling their challenge. We’re using denial. Yes, Denial.

Denial as in, thinking that tariffs will deter the Chinese. Denial as in believing that leaving social injustice unaddressed in our land will not undermine our collective strength and resolve. Denial as in insisting that the cry Make America Great Again carries a true spark of creativity and determination.

In the process, China has become the biblical David to our Goliath.

Don’t like the comparison?

Then let us look at leadership.

Across the Pacific, whether you and I agree with him or not, a leader has risen that unites a country and marshals it into action.  

Here, in this vast land of ours, with an abundance of good people, of riches and inventiveness, we end up praising leaders that divide rather than unite.

There’s something very wrong.

Think about it.

Anyway, as you do, today, September 11th, our death count from the coronavirus has gone up to over 191,800 versus 4634 for China. And they’re much farther along reopening their economy than we are.

Hello?

Anyone out there?

Hello?

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

Oscarvaldes.net

Trump – On Election Night.

Late in the evening on election day, Tuesday November the 3rd, 2020, the major news organizations were frantically tallying up the numbers coming in and it wasn’t looking good for Trump. Though a prediction as to who would be the winner had yet to be made, the fact that the figures from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan were moving against him, carried an ominous feel.

In the Oval office, surrounded by his family, Trump was sitting at his desk. He was fighting a somber mood that was creeping in.

‘Fraud, fraud, fraud!’ cried Trump. ‘I can’t believe this, it’s the undocumented voting all over again, like in 2016. I should’ve kicked them all out, all of them, in droves.’

‘Florida will give us the boost,’ said Ivanka, trying to comfort her father.

Eric and Donald Jr both echoed her support. But the mood had no cheer.

Melania said nothing.

Then Trump’s secretary called.

“Yes?’ he said.

‘Governor DeSantis calling in from Florida… would you like to speak to him?’

‘Yes.’ Trump picks up the phone as he stands. ‘Ron, what is your sense?’

‘We will deliver Florida for you… no doubt in my mind,‘ said the Governor.

‘I’m a little anxious, you know… ‘

‘No need, Florida will come through… and the things is… even if you don’t win outright…’

‘What?’

‘I’m just saying… even if you don’t…’

‘What are you talking about, I will win decisively.’ And he hangs up.

He now looks at his children and Melania.

‘You heard him… “if you don’t win outright…” what kind of talk is that?’

No one replies.

The secretary calls again.

‘Yes?’

‘You just hung up on the governor of Florida, did you intend to do that?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay. I have another call for you, Greg Abbott from Texas.’

‘Put him through.’

‘Donald!’

‘What’s the word, Greg?’

‘Texas solidly for you. Hands down. The longhorn state coming through for the greatest president in my lifetime.’

‘Thank you, my friend.’

‘One thing, though… do you have a plan B?’

‘Plan B? What the hell are you talking about?’

‘Always good to have a plan B, just in case the numbers don’t add up…’

Trump hangs up again.

He looks at his children, one by one, then at Melania. ‘I am going to win, does everybody understand that?’

The children and Melania are silent.

‘I am going to win this election… and I will have my face carved on Mount Rushmore.’

On the large screen television, the anchor person announces that she will be making a projection for the winner of the presidential election in the next few minutes. Then the station goes to a commercial break.

Trump’s agitation is growing.

‘I have worked so hard for this… I have helped so many people… worked tirelessly for all those who have been forgotten… done so much for all the people left behind by globalization… all those fellow Americans displaced by immigrants, by China, by European nations who don’t pay their fair share of our mutual defense… and this is what I get?’

The anchor person comes back on, smiling broadly. ‘Though it is early, thanks to the advice of our capable staff, this station feels confident to be the first to predict… that the next president of the United States will be… Joe Biden!’

Trump snatches a cup he has on his desk and throws it at the screen. The cup glances off without even denting it.

‘Liar! Liar!’ cries out Trump in his fury.

His children are aghast, but they don’t say a word. Melania’s expression doesn’t change.

‘Say something! That is a lie, what you just heard! That woman on the screen is lying! I will not lose this election!’

And Ivanka. Erik and Donald Jr all stand up at once and cry out, ‘You will win this election! Long live Donald Trump!’

And they look at each other, in surprise that they had spoken in unison, and baffled at the fact that it was all unrehearsed.  

Melania, meanwhile, remains seated and unmoved.

Trump examines his children’s expressions for a moment, not even glancing at Melania, then turns and goes to the window where the curtains are wide open. He looks out into the city.

‘They will have to drag me out. I will not surrender. I will not,’ he says to himself, but loud enough that his children and Melania hear him.

On the television screen, the lady presenter, now shows an image of Shanghai, China, where fireworks are being shot into the sky in celebration of Biden’s victory.

‘As you can see, the mood is happy in Shanghai,’ says the anchor lady, ‘China, of course, has had to suffer from the tariffs that president Trump imposed.’

‘Rascals!’ cries out Trump in exasperation. Then he returns to his desk and calls his secretary in the next room. ‘Get me Xi on the phone, right away.’

‘Very well.’

A moment passes.   

‘Just spoke to his assistant… the Supreme Leader is not available at this time.’

‘What?’

‘That’s what she said.’

‘Okay, try Putin.’

‘Very well.’

A moment passes.

‘Spoke to his assistant… Mr Putin is indisposed.’

‘Indisposed, hunh, the hell with him! After all I’ve done for the guy. Indisposed. Right.

Try Macron. He’ll answer.’

‘Very well.’

Trump looks at his family. ‘Why are you so quiet? You think I lost the election, don’t you? Well, I haven’t. Those are just numbers. I am the president of this country and will not be removed from this office. Period.’

The secretary calls. ‘Mr Macron is vacationing in the Riviera.’

‘What? Get me Angela Merkel.’

‘Very well.’

A moment later.

‘Ms Merkel on the line, Mr President.’

‘Angela?’

‘Donald.’

‘Have you been following the news?’

‘I have.’

‘What do you think?’

‘Looks like you lost, Donald.’

Silence.

‘I have not. Those are just numbers. I’m sure there’s been many undocumented people voting against me and that’s what’s made the difference, same as four years ago.’

‘Do you have any proof?’ asks Merkel.

‘No. But I’ll get it.’

Silence.

‘Angela?’

‘Yes, Donald.’

‘I’ll get the proof. This is a conspiracy against me, a conspiracy against the good people of this country.’

‘Donald… let it go…’

‘Let it go?’

‘Yes. Look, you tried the best you could… but it didn’t work out…’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Donald… it’s over… you’ve been a very lucky man… you got in, barely… but you didn’t know how to govern… and you didn’t make an effort to learn. Your country has paid a high price for it.’

‘What the hell are you saying?’

‘Donald… you didn’t even try to bring your country together… it just wasn’t in you…’

‘What was I supposed to do, go to the other side and beg?’

‘No… but go to the other side and ask for them to sit down with you and have a good talk.’

‘I didn’t do that?’

‘You didn’t. It’s sad, because precious time was lost. Your people expected much more than you gave them… they wanted someone who could help them process their views and prepare them to move forward into our new world…. but you didn’t do it.’

Silence.

‘Why didn’t I do it, Angela?’

‘Because you spent most of your time reacting… tweeting… and didn’t take time to reflect.’

‘Blame it on the tweets, right?’

‘You know what I mean.’

Silence.

Trump looks at his children and at Melania, all of whom are keenly listening.

A great sadness comes over him.

‘I failed…?’ he says to Merkel, the tone tentative.

‘Yes,’ she replies softly. ‘But your great country can learn from it… so they don’t make the same mistake again. Great countries make grave mistakes. We chose Hitler as a leader, so we know what it is to make mistakes.’

‘The Italians chose Mussolini, the Russians chose Stalin…’ replies Trump.

‘And Putin,’ says Merkel.

‘I like Putin,’ says Trump.

‘You have to work on that one,’ replies Merkel.

Silence.

‘Angela… I… I regret that I didn’t work to have a better relationship with you. I really do.’

‘It’s good to finally hear that from you,’ says Merkel.

‘I suppose I was all caught up in my tweets…’

‘You were.’

‘I’m so sorry.’

Silence again.

‘Maybe Sleepy Joe did win…’ says Trump.

‘Yes… let it go,’ says Merkel. ‘Tell your people to work with him.’

‘Won’t be easy… I’ve called him so many things… ‘

‘Just try.’

“Angela… may I call you again sometime?’

‘Yes, you may.’

‘Thank you so much.’

‘Good night.’

They hang up.

Trump looks at his family, one by one, ending with Melania.

‘Believe it or not… what I did… all these past 4 years… was the best I knew how.’

The End

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

Oscarvaldes.net

On Character

Before we show up in this world, we get to have a final inspection by Mother or Father Nature, whoever is available.

As I lie there in the long line of those about to be born, Father Nature is working one line, Mother Nature the other.

Today, for some reason, the lines are moving slowly. There are large screens overhead with instructions which all babies are reading. Once we are launched, we’re told, we will repress all these memories and even forget how to read and talk and will have to start again from scratch.

Because of the slow line, both Mother and Father Nature have extra time and they’re going up to some individual babies and chatting with them.

I get to have Father Nature approach me. Cool.

He’s got a white beard and has no hair on top of his head. Only years later, when I recalled this unique conversation in a dream, did I realize that Father Nature had been of African origin.

Father Nature: Okay, little fellow, you’re about to launch. Know that we’ve given you some things and not others. We try to be fair but we also want diversity, so some people end up with more, some with less. Keep in mind that each of you is an experiment. We don’t know what the outcome will be because we don’t know the circumstances you’ll have to deal with, and Mother Nature and I can’t be everywhere. I know the myth is that we are everywhere but, no, not possible.

Me: So what did you give me?

Father Nature: You’ll discover it as you go along in your journey, that’s part of the fun.

Me: Can you give me any hints?

Father Nature: Well… I suppose I could.

(He thinks about it for a moment)

There are many talents to have… to be good mechanically, with numbers, with words, the imagination, musically, performing, painting, understanding people, telling others what to do, being good in business, cooking, being beautiful, sexy… anything. But as we see it… Mother Nature and I agree on this… we’ve had this conversation many times… the most important thing is to have strength of character.

Me: Strength of character… hmm… whatever that is, you can’t just give it to me now?

Father Nature: No.

Me: Why not?

Father Nature: We haven’t come up with the right formula. How many people to be made strong, how many to be made weak… the political considerations make it complicated, but we keep working on it.

Me: From what you’re saying, I’d rather have a strong character than a weak one.

Father Nature: Of course. But there’s hope. Even if you don’t start out with a strong character, you can build one as you go along. Just don’t be envious of those who do have a strong character, instead, worry about building your own.

Me: How do you do that?

Father Nature: Like I said, there’s no precise formula. What we’ve discovered so far is that to have strength of character you have to be able to set boundaries.

Me: Boundaries?

Father Nature: Yes… the sense that you are what you are, and you always have a right to be who you are – so long as you don’t hurt others – and that you’re able to make it stick. By the way, no one has a right to hurt you, either. Ever.

Me:  I like that. I suppose I’ll learn about the details very soon.

Father Nature: You’ll come across people who will want to impose their will on you, but just hang tight. Stand your ground. Don’t give in. If you do, there ought to be a very good reason for it and it shouldn’t be for long. But you’ll figure it out.

Me: You won’t be around to consult?

Father Nature: Afraid not. We’re so busy as you can see.

Me: I appreciate you taking the time today. Before launch.

Father Nature: You’re welcome.

The line starts moving again and Father Nature chooses to walk alongside me. That is nice.

Father Nature:  There’s another thing… keep improving yourself… it never stops… always learning… about the world… about yourself. If you make that commitment, then you’ll be okay.

The specially padded conveyor belt where I lie has kept chugging along but only now do I see the Exit sign up ahead. Distracted talking with Father Nature I hadn’t paid attention. An overhead voice comes on.

Overhead Voice: ‘You will be leaving this station and entering the world as it is now. You will forget everything that has happened here today, the language you’re speaking, everything, and will have to start learning anew. Good luck.’

Then I felt a little pat on my head. It was Father Nature smiling at me. And I felt a sensation that only later would come to understand as being deep sadness. Father Nature drew close and spoke in a whisper.

Father Nature: Just keep a dialogue with yourself, learn to dream, and you’ll learn how to be strong and free.

And he gave me an even bigger smile. I was almost at the Exit sign but the line stopped again and Father Nature quickly returned to my side and leaned in.

Father Nature: Take chances! You’ll never know who you are if you don’t take chances. Stick your neck out!

Whoosh!

A strong force pulled on me and sucked me out. I was launched into the world.

It felt like I had just come out of a long, wet canal and suddenly I see two people with masks and gowns and a bright lamp overhead that made me squint but they seem relieved I’d made it through and a moment later they cut a long, bloody cord sticking out of my belly and then they wrap me in a cozy warm blanket and they show me to a person I’d never seen but was glad to see me. She would be my mom. Wow.

I cried a happy cry.

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

Oscarvaldes.net

Trump and Putin. Early September, 2020.

Trump is in the Oval Office, standing by his desk.

He gets a call from his secretary.

Secretary – Putin on the line. Would you like to take the call?

Trump – Sure.

The call goes through.

Putin – Donald!

Trump – Vlady! Great to hear your voice, as always.

Putin – Great to hear you too.

Trump – Just heard the news about the Germans saying that Alexey Navalny was poisoned by your people.

Putin – I didn’t do it.

Silence.

Putin – You don’t believe me?

Trump – I’ve always trusted you, Vlady… something about your persona that I find reassuring.

Putin – Thank you.

Trump – But the Germans did identify that nerve agent… Novichok.

Putin – I didn’t do it. But let me ask you, because I know you’ll understand, is there any way that we can control everybody that works for us?

Trump – Of course not.

Putin – Exactly. I don’t doubt that Navalny was poisoned, the Germans have doctors as good as yours and mine, but I assure you I didn’t give the order.

Trump – You’ve always inspired great confidence, so I believe you.

Putin – Donald… you bring tears to my eyes…  truly… that means so much to me. Thank you.

Trump – My pleasure. How’s everything?

Putin – The reason I called is… I’ve been feeling a little hurt.

Trump – Oh, no, something I did?

Putin – Something you didn’t do.

Trump – Please, tell me.

Putin – You know how, just last week, we announced that we had the first vaccine against the virus…

Trump – Tremendous breakthrough. Congratulations.

Putin – Why haven’t you asked for help from me?

Trump is silent.

Putin – You only have to ask and I’ll give you first priority. I’ll have my scientists make you 50 million doses so you can take care of your vulnerable populations. Why haven’t you asked?

Trump – Vlady… first of all… on behalf of the American people, thank you for that generous offer. It goes to show the quality of your government. I really mean it. The thing is… my scientific community has doubts that you could’ve arrived at the vaccine so fast.

Putin – I’ve had brilliant researchers working on it day and night. We have everybody on a strict schedule. 9 am to 9 pm for 6 days a week. Sundays off. Sorry, every other Sunday.

Trump – Amazing. But Vlady… it would not look good. Imagine… ‘America saved by Russia.’ That’s how the New York Times would title the article making the announcement. Just to hurt me. I’m in the final stage of this election… I thought the virus had beat me but now things are getting better and I think I’ll get reelected. I cannot take any chances.

Putin – Even if my vaccine would be saving thousands and thousands of American lives?

Trump – (hesitates at first) … even so.

Putin – Donald… Russia wouldn’t be doing it for the publicity… that’s secondary… we’d be doing it because of our love for all in need.

Trump – Of course. Yes. But… well… I’ve got very lucky lately… I thought I was sure to lose on account of the virus and now, suddenly, things have turned my way. So, like we say over here, I don’t want to push my luck.

Silence.

Putin – I thought that you did a masterful job handling the virus.

Trump – Thank you, Vlady. I appreciate it. But I think I was a little slow. Thankfully, though, unexpected events have come to assist me.

Putin – What is that?

Trump – The racial protests.

Putin – Ah, yes.

Trump – The looting, the burning of property, the chaos… I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Unbelievable. My numbers are rising steadily. I’m making up ground. The Democrats are catching on, though, I think they’re bribing the protesters to stop, but even so, we now have all that footage we can play over and over again. It’s going to be beautiful.  

Putin – I’m so glad for you.

Trump – You’re staying on, of course…

Putin – Russia needs me.

Trump – Of course, like America needs me.

Putin – Law and Order. Like Assad in Syria, El Sisi in Egypt, MBS in Saudi Arabia, Duterte in Manila… yes… law and order.

Trump – You forgot Xi…

Putin – I did, didn’t I? Well, he’s one of the best.

Trump – It’s as if Mother Nature, in its infinite wisdom, had decided to bring all of us together at the same time.

Putin – You forgot Netanyahu.

Trump – Oops, I did. Yes, my great friend Bibi. May he reign for another 50 years… so he can see the West Bank finally annexed by Israel. What a glorious day that will be.

Putin – Actually, I disagree with you on that one.

Trump – Okay, we’ll talk about it later.

Putin – How come you didn’t invite Romney to speak at the Republican convention?

Trump – (laughs) Funny. He’ll have to do a lot begging before he gets an invitation from me.

Putin – A great show the convention was. And you were superb. All your family was just beautiful. America is so lucky to have you. The world, in fact.

Trump – Thank you, Vlady.

Putin – Have you thought of making one of your children Secretary of State?

Trump – What a marvelous idea. No, I hadn’t.

Putin – I would be one way of spreading your brand.

Trump – Of course.

Putin – And grooming him or her for the succession.

Trump – Brilliant, Vlady, just brilliant.

Putin – I’ve been following the events in your country… and I think Biden wouldn’t have selected the lady as Vice President if it hadn’t been for the racial protests.

Trump – You’re probably right. But, in his defense, he’s been in bed with African Americans for a long time. Plus, he’s a closet socialist. I’ll bury him in the debates. They’ll have to call the paramedics.

Putin – Now that we’re on that subject, something popped up in our screens here at the Kremlin the other day.

Trump – (very curious) What are you talking about?

Putin – A video clip…

Trump – What about?

Putin – Biden’s VP…

Trump – That woman…?

Putin – Right… in the middle of the night… in Minneapolis… with just her security detail around her… all very secretive… at George Floyd’s memorial… saying to George… ‘Thank you, George… if it hadn’t been for you I wouldn’t have been selected… thank you, from the bottom of my heart.’

Silence.

Trump – Probably fake news… but interesting.

Putin – I thought so too.

Trump – (thinking about it) Interesting. Don’t know the author, do you?

Putin – No. Just popped up on our screens. Haven’t been able to trace it. Anyway… I’m always here for you, like a good friend.

Trump – Thank you, Vlady, thank you.

Putin – So onwards, my friend, another 4 years in office for a brilliant tactician! There’s never been a President like you.

Trump – Thank you, and may you reign in your land for the rest of your life.

Putin – Spasibo (thank you), spasibo.

They hang up.

Trump strolls toward the window, looks out into the city beyond.

Trump – Putin is like a great friend… just keeps giving and giving. Spasibo… spasibo, indeed. One day, after my second term is over, I’ll build that Trump Tower in Moscow.

The End

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

Oscarvaldes.net

Dijon Kizzee. Los Angeles. 8/31/2020

Another Black man killed. Ten shots fired, said a neighbor.

Why?

The investigation is still under way but this is what I’ve read in the press.

Mr Kizzee, 29, is riding a bike when a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s patrol car observes that he is in violation of a vehicles code. When they attempt to stop him he runs away.

Stop.

Black man on a bike in apparent violation of a vehicles code = probably can’t afford whatever it is he has to do to be in compliance.

Stop.

He is not bothering anyone.

Stop.

Blacks are very wary of police interventions, a legacy of years and years of injustice.

Stop

The two officers inside the patrol car as they observe Mr Kizzee riding his bike.

Officer 1 – there he is, breaking the law. Have to stop him.

Officer 2 – but should we? He’s not bothering anyone, probably barely scraping a living.

Officer 1 – an infraction is an infraction is an infraction.

Officer 2 –  dude, in this climate, with people on the edge, with so many incidents, I say let it go. It’s nothing.

Officer 1 – what if he’s carrying a weapon?

Officer 2 – What if he is, he could just be transporting it from one place to the other, or he’s just needing it to feel secure, who knows?

Officer 1 – buddy, I don’t know about you but I didn’t sign up for this job to be a social worker, so we’re stopping this guy. Have to protect the community.

We know what happened next.

Mr Kizzee didn’t heed the call to stop, the officers chased him, then confronted him, Mr Kizzee reportedly struck one of them in the face (the officers were not carrying body cameras), ran off again, more chasing, Mr Kizzee drops a bundle of clothes he was carrying and it reveals a gun.

The officers shoot and kill him.

Stop.

Stop.

There’s a gap in there, right?

Yes. There is no mention of Mr Kizzee even reaching for the gun dropped with his clothes.

But shots were fired.

Ten shots. Not two four six or eight but Ten.

Just as a precaution. Right.

Something wrong there.

Yes. Recklessness. Impulsiveness.

Should Mr Kizzee have stopped when asked? Yes Yes Yes. By all means, stop when a policeman orders you to.

But there has to be a place for balanced judgment.

Life can’t be this cheap.

Mr Kizzee was a man. A poor man, likely. A Black man. The bike was probably the only means of transportation he could muster.

He deserved a little break.

How many people are moving around at this very moment in any city with a gun in their vehicles? Probably thousands. But they are not as poor as Mr Kizzee. They have that extra layer of protection that money gives them.

It is heartbreaking.

Yes, we need law and order, but we have to cut a little slack to those who are not making it.

Or to those who are likely to distrust the police. Or to those who may have poor judgment.

Please.

We need police, yes, but we need officers who think.

What happened to police leadership? With all that is happening in our nation today, did they not find it in themselves to take time to anticipate events, to take time to speak to the officers about exercising extra caution?

Ten shots. Ten. 10.

And Mr Kizzee wasn’t even holding a gun.

There’s something so wrong.

An investigation will follow, surely, and the officers will likely be absolved of any wrongdoing.

And Mr Kizzee’s life is lost.

He may not have been making any significant contribution to society but his was a life.

And that should be enough to command respect. Just that alone.

What cheapened his existence?

Let us stop. Think.

And may the name Kizzee forever prompt us to do so.

Which is why protests are justified.

And why looting and destruction of property are not.

Not, because to do so is to demean the loss of Mr Kizzee.

We don’t know at what stage of existence Mr Kizzee was but what is certain is that he didn’t need a bullet. Or ten.

He needed something else.

Can we remind ourselves of that?

To the officers of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department: we need you but, please, think and feel, for those that you shoot are your brothers and sisters. Sometimes flawed, as we all are, but still your brothers and sisters.

And fellow Americans.

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

Oscarvaldes.net