Fake News

I was certain, when I turned on the television this morning, that what I was getting was ‘fake news’.  It HAD to be.  Certainly it was put forward by those Trump hating, rainbow bleeding, far-left leaning, CNN loving, paid protestors and other subversive organizations who scream ‘Not My President’ and wear those horrid ‘pussy’ hats.  The story was so outrageous that it must be fake…

CNN, The New York Times, Politico and other news organizations had been banned from a press conference.  Only Trump-friendly press were allowed to be at the briefing.  What does this mean for you?  Well, if you are not interested in truth and only want to see news that supports our president and you are willing to take what he says as fact without question, then you are good.  If however, you wonder what the hell is going on in Washington, then you should be very upset about this latest development.

Let me be clear, CNN is not going anywhere… they are on right now, reporting on the DNC election, on statements released by the White House, and by actions that are happening every day… what we won’t get to see is the White House and President having to answer questions that challenge them and make them uncomfortable.  Those banned news organizations are the voice of critical thinkers and, yes, the opposition.

I understand that part of the competitiveness of media is getting the scoop… it would have been nice if the reporters and the organizations they represent had made a statement by saying ‘if they don’t go in, we don’t go in’… sometimes we need to step beyond our rolls and join in the action.  It is time for the press to step out from behind their cameras and note pads and stand up for what they know is right.  As much as our President likes a crowd, speaking to an empty room just might send a message.

We believe in the free press… they are integral to our democracy whether you agree with them or not.  If you don’t like their slant you can change the channel. The ‘fake news’ needs to be challenged and if all we have are Trump-supporting news organizations doing the reporting, all that ‘fake news’ that originates from the White House, will be all we hear…. SAD

Yes, certainly…

I love my job.  Every day is something different, a challenge, and often a joy.  Teaching young children I have the power to make a difference in their lives, the lives of their families, and hopefully an impact on society.  If you have read my blog before you know that I have very strong political opinions… I am a liberal, believer in universal healthcare, pro-choice, anti organized religion, LGBTQ supporting, science believing, spiritual, singing, dancing, mother, wife and teacher.  Most of those things I leave at the door.  I do not bring my politics and  other controversial beliefs into my classroom or impose them on my students.  I just don’t. It wouldn’t be fair or right to do so.

When my students cheered because Trump won the election I said that many people were happy and that I hoped he would be a great president.  I try to promote the idea that all presidents wanted to make our country a better place for us all. We wrote our letters of congratulations to President Trump on November 9th, and mailed them off to Trump Towers… it would have been nice to get some recognition that they were received, but oh well.

I am not giving up on what I believe is right for our country.  I am working in my own way to support the causes I feel most passionate about, to write, and to motivate… but I am also wanting to challenge the ideas of the opposition.  If we don’t continue to challenge them, if we just sit by quietly as health care is lost, people are rounded up, and our education system is decimated we will have no one to blame but ourselves…  But that is not what this post is about.

This post is about what we can do in our own towns and communities to create the world we want to live in and to leave to our children.  Sadly, not everyone is willing to do what is necessary… but in my small sphere of influence, I am working to make it happen.  The things I teach in Room One can be a guideline for making a better society… So, this is the beginning of a series of Room One rules that illustrate some core ideas about how to do just that.  Here is just one of my rules and my thoughts about why it is important:

1.  If you get out of line you can have your spot back.

For years, teaching young children, I would hear ‘He got out of line, he has to go to the end!, ‘He got out of line and now he is trying to cut me!, or (with a bit of a shove) ‘He is trying to squeeze back in!’… I have heard many teachers tell their students that if they get out of line they would have to go to the end. In fact, I used to say that myself.  It just felt sad and sometimes I would make an exception… But now, in Room One, if you need to get out of line because you forgot to grab your coat, get a drink,  tell someone something, or for no good reason, you just need to say please hold my spot.  When you get back to the line you say, excuse me, may I have my spot back and the person is supposed to say (we practice this), “Yes, certainly.” Even if you forget to ask someone to hold your spot you can get it back… That is the rule.

It is not about eliminating conflict or complaining, it is not about where you stand in line or the reasonableness of why you got out of line… it is about treating other people the way you want to be treated.  If you get out of line for any reason would you like to get your spot back?  If you forgot to grab bananas at the grocery store, you might leave your cart in line and run back to get them… imagine if when you got back someone had shoved your cart aside?  You want to be treated kindly. So, in Room One, everyone gets their spot back. It is polite.  It is the right thing to do.  It makes people happy and it is easy.

How can this apply to the world?  Imagine the on-ramp of your local highway, imagine the line at the bank, post office or market… imagine what is the right thing to do and make that happen… we have moved away from worrying about others’ feelings – political correctness has become a bad word – the pendulum has swung – pushed by some very angry people who would never give you your spot back… Time to push back and show what it feels like to say “Yes, certainly”, and really mean it.

 

 

What’s Wrong

Trump supporters are eating this up…. his behavior, tweets and bizarre ‘press conference’ will never sway the Americans who voted for Trump.  We live in a society with Kim Kardashian, the Big Brother House, and Duck Dynasty… We hang on whether or not Brad and Angelia are splitting up, and whose dimpled backside dons the cover of People Magazine.  This president is just the typification of our obsession with uncouth overexposure, saying whatever pops into your brain and an America where people can do whatever the f*** they want because ‘it’s a free country’.

I’ve seen great t-shirts these past few months… one of my favorites is ‘Make America Smart Again’… even better would be ‘Make America Polite Again’.  We have lost the core of American society and it has nothing to do with Christianity.  It has to do with the loss of decorum, the unwillingness to find common ground and the rallying cry of Trump supporters that people who are demonstrating against our current president and all that he stand for are crybabies and whiners.

I am not a whiner… as of November 9, 2016, I am an activist, a nasty woman, persistent, pussy-hat wearing, believer in science, immigrant loving, LGBTQ supporting, educator who will not be silenced.  Sorry if that interferes with what you want to see on Facebook or what you want to believe about me… my goal is to find the middle ground, to educate and have an open dialogue so that we can bridge the gap that has formed over the last 20 years and has been highlighted by this ugly moment in US history.  Time to put on your big girl panies and get to work… bridging the gap will be harder work than we have ever seen because the gap has become a casism.  Trump supporters seem to be giving him a free pass, believe his every word, and are cheering him on as he wreaks havoc on our civil liberties, our constitution and our American values.  I don’t get it, but I am willing to listen, to look at the other side and to try and bridge the gap…

My only question is, if you are all deleting me from your FB feed, how are we even going to begin?

Check Yourself

Check yourself… I say this in my classroom all the time… and we review what that means… It is my way of reminding certain people without ‘calling out’ any one child.  I teach the kids to ask themselves a list of questions when they hear me sing this out… 1. Am I in the right place? 2. Am I working quietly? 3. Am I bothering anyone? 4. Am I taking care of myself? and 5. Am I using kind words?

As adults, we too need to check ourselves.  Heading into the new year, having survived a tumultuous 2016, we need to remember that the world is changing and it is within our power to shape that change (or even counter it).  We can do that in the words we use, in the things we post and in the comments we leave.  Being part of a different generation is not an excuse for not being willing  to check yourself.   People who insist on holding onto outdated uses of ideas and language, who speak or post hate, who have decided that others’ freedoms take away from their way of life, need to check themselves. For us, for me, here are a few things it means: 1. Am I trying to help or hurt? 2. Am I doing enough? 3. Am I moving forward or looking back? 4. Am I being true to my beliefs? and 5. Am I  open to new opinions and ideas?

This last one is the hardest for many people because it can be threatening.   It requires that you consider the perspective of another,  that you question your own beliefs, and that you pause from defending your own stance to consider a different perspective. As this year unfolds I will challenge myself to do just that… to take a breath and consider… I challenge you to do the same… but even if you can’t get there, please remember to use kind words, that is really what will save us all…

Check yourself

If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

It was suggested to me recently that my blogs are dominated by divisive talk, hateful rhetoric and judgemental fingerpointing. That I am obsessed with the election results and with Trump becoming our president.   It was also suggested that I stop sharing my blogs on Facebook because I am opening myself up to people who disagree with my strong opinions and their reactions may upset me.  It was also suggested that I blog more about the happenings in my classroom because those stories, I presume, are more fun and entertaining to read.

Yes, I am far more engaged in what is happening in politics than I have ever been… I watch more news and read more about world issues… I also have more discussions.  After looking back at my blogs I can see that many of my posts during and after the election were challenging to people who hold a different opinion.  They were meant to be.  If you read them to the end, for the most part, they are a call to make the world a better place, become active and to pay attention to what is going on around you.  If you don’t agree with them, they were meant to make you uncomfortable.  Because, if you know and like me, you might wonder why I hold such strong opinions that are different from yours.  My hope is that my blog makes you think more deeply or just from a different perspective (not to suggest that you are not a deep thinker).  The title of my blog is ‘Look for the Joy’… and even when my blog is a frustrated rant, there is that spark in there of hope and joy… you can choose to see it… Yes, I was and still am, frustrated with the America who voted for Trump… did I write about that… of course, why would I not. Did you have to read it – no, you did not.

This is my platform, my blog and my thoughts.  You are free to read or not to read.  If you just want to be entertained by funny quips and silly stories then this is not where you will find them. If you choose to distance yourself from me, my ideas and my family then that, too, is your choice.  This is me speaking my heart… about life, politics, loss, love, hope and joy… I am willing to take the heat for my ideas… But if you know me,  just because I disagree with someone does not mean that every encounter or any encounter needs to be an argument… that is a choice as well

We Are In Good Hands…the best… just ask…

He has smarts and one of the best brains.  That is why he knows far more than the CIA’s intelligence officers, that is why he can do whatever the hell he wants, and that is why our country, it’s citizens, and the world’s population are in danger.  Any time you have someone who thinks they are the answer and knows better than the rest of us, but is unwilling to be informed, you are screwed.  It is completely outrageous that he will be our president and that he was elected by almost half the people of this country.  It will be four years of waking up to his latest bizarre tweet.  It will be four years of waiting to undo all of the things Trump will surly bully our country into and it will be four years of writing to our politicians, protesting, joining causes and being outraged by his actions.

His antics will be called out in the media and he will react… hopefully he will spend more of his time reacting to the media and other politicians than running the country… hopefully Republicans will see the fool they have put in power and deny many of the people he has chosen as his appointments…. and because Republicans believe in small government, hopefully much of the power will be in the hands of your governor.  And hopefully you like who your state elected to that position.  If not, join local government yourself… that Republican philosophy of returning power to the states, may be our best hope…We may not have to leave the country, but depending on where you live, you might have to leave the state…  just for four years.  You can come stay with me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year.  I remember, as a girl, going over to my Nana and Uncle’s house for the holiday meal.  I would walk the streets of Santa Monica looking for leaves to decorate our table and go back to the delicious smelling house to help in the kitchen, set the table, and visit.  I was lucky then to sit around the table and participate in the liveliest of discussions/arguments… having to back up my opinions with facts, being constantly challenged to think quickly and speak to a point.  I was respected for my opinions at an early age and those family meals with heated discussion were a pleasure.

I love a good intelligent discussion with both people who agree and disagree.  My family was loud, we interrupted each other and sometimes people got mad.  They were and still are great!  It is why I can have discussions with people who disagree and still be friends with them… I cherish those people who trust me enough to have a respectful discussion.  It really is an art – not everyone can handle it without feeling attacked, or attacking others, without becoming defensive or getting their feelings hurt, keeping it about the ideas and not about personalities, staying respectful while still making a point, and being able to look at the argument from the other person’s perspective.  Being able to have those discussions was a gift, it made me think, and right now, that is what America needs… we all need to really become thinkers.  We need to think about politics, religions, racism, and all things that may seem off limits at a holiday dinner.  So, dread as you might, those difficult Thanksgiving conversations with someone who voted differently than you…. take this opportunity to hone your debate skills and have a dinner that makes you think.  If you can’t do it with people who love you, how will we ever do it with the rest of the country?  Just remember that you love them, too… so be kind, be respectful, and keep it friendly!  The worst thing that could happen is that you see the other side… That is what America needs now, maybe they will see the other side as well… I hope so!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Just Kidding Folks

The more I hear and see Donald Trump the more I think back to that interview he did in the late 80’s or early 90’s… it looks like you can’t find it anymore on-line… but basically it said that if he did want to run for president he would run as a Republican because they are the ‘dumbest group of voters’…. sorry folks, it looks like he got you.  So far you moderates who voted for him are feeling vindicated because he has walked back many of his strong right stances that helped him rise to power and pushed me over the edge.  He has walked back repealing Obama Care, building the wall, waterboarding, deporting 11 million people, and prosecuting Hillary Clinton and more.  Those promises were what riled up his rally supporters, had them beating up protesters, screaming on CNN, and condoning his hateful speech.  They are feeling duped right about now.  ‘Lock her up!’ was their battle cry, it got them to the poles and got him on t.v. without paying a cent for coverage.  If you didn’t realize it when this all began, Trump is the biggest showman there it… more so than any politician, he would say ANYTHING to get elected.  And now that he is, we are stuck with his antics for the next four years.

So, when I go out to protest his inauguration on January 21, I am doing far more than protesting Trump. I am protesting his original supporters, those who picked him because of the hateful lies he told to get elected, I am protesting the system that put him in office even though he lost by almost 2,000,000 votes,  I am protesting Breitbart, and a billionaire (not Trump and not an educator) in charge of our education system whose organization only gives money to religious schools and wants school choice and I am protesting you who decided that a crap shoot was our country’s best bet.

Trump’s campaign platform? ~ ‘Just Kidding’

Being Shocked

With each passing day we continue to be shocked by Trump, his appointments, his plans, his tweets…  If each of his moves upsets you, stirs a flurry of facebook posts and makes you think that, ‘Ah-ha…now he’s really done it and all people will rise up against him’, you are sadly mistaken.  Those people who you want to wake up had ample time and more than ample cause to do so these past 18 months.  Those people have shown that they feared the status quo far more than they feared the crazy, terrible, haunted house of a ride that Trump will surely take us on.  Those people will dismiss all of those things that continue to bring you to the brink of sanity, that boil your blood, and that make you fear for our country, as false, alarmist, or just poor sportsmanship.  Sorry folks, but they just don’t get it.  They were wooed with the idea that lumber mills would open up, that Walmart would close down it’s self-check outs and hired actual people to work those checkstands, that Old Navy will cease to make their $5 shirts abroad and that strong healthy American citizens will be out picking blueberries in the 105º heat of the day… and that we would all be paying the same prices American families have grown accustomed to.

Being outraged by Trumps shenanigans (a light-hearted word for his treacherous path) really only hurts you, gets you worked up and will fester these next four years.  Please, my friends, do not let his deeds and decisions go unanswered, but do not let them torture you.  Do not let them suck the joy out of life by letting them take over.  I have been guilty of this ~I continue to be joyful but his everyday interest in his craziness has moved toward obsession.  Being outraged is not going to make anyone who does not already see, SEE.  We must treat Trump as we would that unsavory Thanksgiving guest so that we can continue to enjoy our feast… with a peaceful ‘Ahhhhh, there he goes again’, rather than an ‘Ah-Ha now he’s done it!’… yes, speak to correct him, move him to the far end of the table, play the music more loudly to drown out his rants, but the dinner goes on, people still tell jokes, they drink the wine, they enjoy what they have… and maybe next year that nutball at the end of the table won’t get invited… but don’t let it ruin today

Allow Me My Fear

I know that I have said, don’t panic, just breathe, more people agree with you than not, it will all be okay, and we will get through this together because this will mobilize us to create change… Still, over and over I have seen people basically complaining about protesters overreacting to the election of Trump.  THIS is why people are scared… it is not some made up fear, based on lies, that Obama will come to your house and take all your guns… It is based on what came out of Trump’s mouth over the years and during this campaign… OUT OF HIS MOUTH!  Here are some of the worst:

Women should be prosecuted for having abortions.

When Mexico sends us their people, they’re not sending their best. They are sending criminals, murderers and rapists.

• We need to ban Muslims from entering our country.
• I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose votes.
• I like people who weren’t captured.
• Stop and frisk is a good idea.
• I know more than the generals.

and

• I have a plan.

Why is the last one so scary?  Why does it make me worry… because just maybe he does have a plan…

Last week I was hopeful… maybe he was more moderate than other republicans, perhaps he was just putting on a show to gain votes, and I had a thought that he could possibly be a decent president.  Last week, after he met with President Obama, I had hope… his position on the Affordable Care Act had softened, his talk of a wall had morphed just a little… but that was last week. Last week as my fellow Americans (the bleeding heart sort ~ I consider myself one of them) marched in the streets, I thought, yes, protest, but let’s begin to heal, move beyond the elections, get behind our president and our country.  That was last week.

This week more people have been harassed in the name of Trump, more people are living in fear of being ridiculed and hurt, and more than a few of Trumps alt right supporters have unleashed their hate on their fellow community members.  This week Trump has chosen people who tell me that my hope was false… he has picked people who believe that Islam is a political ideology, that Muslims should be registered, that internment camps are a precedent for how to deal with our Muslim brothers and sisters. He has picked people who have promoted spreading anti-semitic, racist, misogynistic, homophobic and other white supremacist ideas.  This week I wished that he pick someone as level headed as Mitt Romney to advise him and  that Mr. Romney can forgive Trump’s behavior to accept a position for the good of our country.

Now that Republicans control so much of our country, I am concerned for women and children, for education, for people of color, for our religious freedoms, for immigrants, for the LGBTQ community, for our senior citizens, and for anyone who still believes that love trumps hate… Do not go gently  into this scary night… drag your heels, protest, raise your voices, call out those who mean to do your fellow human beings harm, be informed, stand up to hateful words and stay strong… Write to your congressmen, join in local politics, work on change…this is not the end it is only the beginning… we must have a plan because HE does

So, what is the good coming out of this?  What joy can we look for?  We are in this together, we are awake, and there are plenty of people who are standing up right now… they give me hope