Not A Hero

What an outrageous attempt to spin Trump’s policy and change of ‘heart’.  Where was Trump’s heart yesterday, last week, last month?  He is a liar, and a crazy dictator.  He made this change (which will not reunite children already separated) because it made him look bad… the pictures on t.v. were upsetting to his wife and daughter.  The media, also known as fake news, is the reason the country was up in arms because of Trump’s policy.  Thank you media for being the champions of these people.

You do not get to be a hero when you are the cause of the problem.  There are still 2,300 children who are separated from their parents.  Where are they and when will they be with their parents again?  You do not get to be a hero when you defended your policy to do just what was done.  You do not get to be a hero when 3 year-old children are crying for their mothers and fathers.

This president created this crisis along with his henchmen, Jeff Sessions and Steven Miller.  They are not honorable men!  We, as a country, should be ashamed of them.  You do not have to be liberal to agree with this.

He lied about his ability to fix the problem he created.  His Oval Office media op signing an unnecessary executive order, trying to show that he is a good guy was ridiculous.  He remains as he always was… an idiot without a heart… a buffoon with far too much power… and obviously, someone who does not, can not, think things through.

Thanks For Choosing Roseburg

I went for a run the other day and passed this lovely family (twice) as I circled Stewart Park… it was a beautiful day and as I waved for the second time, with both hands and a big smile, they all smiled and waved back, almost laughing at my cheerfulness.

They were a family of color, probably with relatives who originated somewhere very far away and I am grateful that they chose to make Roseburg their home.  Why?  Because they give me hope that our community will learn acceptance, love, tolerance and grow into a place where we are all more safe, where we all value education, libraries, and our environment.

Some of my most cherished friends and family, immigrants, have moved away to places more progressive… friends from Mexico, Ireland, Brazil… while others from, Japan, Australia, Israel, England, have chosen to stay. Our community is enriched by people who bring with them culture and ideas that are different from ours, we are not diminished, we are uplifted.

Our car was broken into the other night, by some guy, probably on drugs, who had no sense of respect for others.  WE are doing something wrong as a society when we vilify people who are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families by working hard and getting an education, when our own children are loosing themselves to drugs, video games, violence, and crime.  Hurling hateful rhetoric on-line, out car windows, and in classrooms, is spurred by the man who sits in our highest office, himself hurling hateful rhetoric… a twisting of the first amendment… free speech does not mean that you HAVE to be hateful or unkind… just because you CAN be does not mean that it is right. Being hateful is a choice.

Teaching children to love learning, value education and respect others begins at home. I know that our town is full of families who do just that.  So I am glad they will be joined by new families coming to live the American dream.  They are not takers, they are contributors, they are business owners, they are hard workers and I welcome them, smiling and waving as I run by.

I hope that our small community is overrun by people of color, by immigrants, by people who may not attend the popular church or any church… diversity is our path to a better society.  So, thank you for choosing Roseburg  …  we need you.

His Demands

His Demands… it’s what you might see or say about someone holding a person hostage … his demands.  But those words were spoken about our president in the context of the hundreds of thousands of people effected by DACA.  In essence, he is holding those young people hostage and like a desperate, irrational criminal he has his list of demands to release those hostages.  They are only loosly related to the people whose plight is at the whim of his fragile ego. His demands are about making him look good, seem strong, promises made to his ‘base’ and have nothing to do with making America great.

The top of his list… full funding for the boarder wall.  That demand is followed by as many as 70 demands about immigration like limiting green-cards and stricter regulations for family members.  So much for Trump telling the Dreamers not to worry or that he cares deeply for them… They are hostages of his ego.  And, when you stop to think about it, we all are.