Dear Mr. President (A Day Late)

This past weekend we spent some time up at John's Mom's place, and I decided not to take my computer.  That is why I didn't get up my usual post yesterday.  While I felt like it might be better to wait until next week to write this, I decided that I wanted to simply say a few things; so, I'll keep this short and sweet.  Sorry for the delay.

Dear Mr. President,

This letter to you is going to be rather short as I haven't had a lot of time to spend thinking about and learning about politics this week.  But I did have a few moments to reflect this week, and I wanted to share those thoughts with you--abbreviated though they may be.

It's a strange thing to have to still be talking about racism to me, but here we are in 2021, and the problems that colonialism created are still haunting us to this day.  Derek Chauvin's trial dominated most of the beginning of last week (as well the weeks preceding it.)  And I think many people were grateful to see that perhaps our laws in this country might be what many of us hoped for them to be--just and fair.  The idea that someone could murder another person (accidentally or otherwise,) and not have to face consequences for it isn't just, and far too often that has been the outcome of such cases.  To see our laws working as they're meant to be--to know that a man who disregarded the health and well-being of a citizen of our country to the point where, in his custody, that man died, and to know that he will be serving jail time for this offense is...a relief.  But it's telling that such a simple act of justice was in doubt; it speaks to a psyche that has been damaged and traumatized, and one that we need to continue to seek to heal by continuous acts of justice such as this.  Then, perhaps, one day black people won't feel like they have to fight simply to exist.

I even heard it last night as I watched the Oscar's--a respected and honored Oscar woman speaking about the need to "fight" for her people.  It was one of the few moments last night when I found myself uncomfortable.  Through no fault of my own, I was born a very white albino woman, and it has afforded me some amount of privilege in my life.  And while I am also legally blind, and thus considered disabled, I don't feel like I've ever had to fight for my rights in quite the same way as that woman has.  She won last night for Best Song, "Fight for You" and her name is H.E.R. (birth name, Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson.)   When you have to stand up and say that you are going to "fight for your people," what does that say about us?  I can't imagine what it would be like to be a minority based on the color of my skin.  I can't begin to understand the depth of pain and suffering that happens every day because of a lack of recognition of past (and oftentimes, present,) truths.

And so it was an awkward moment for me--knowing that in some way her words weren't meant for me.  She was speaking to the trauma of the American Black Experience; she was speaking to her fellow black men and women here and around the world who feel like their pain has been marginalized, forgotten, or in many cases, purposefully swept under the rug to hide inconvenient truths.  And I think the reason I really felt uncomfortable about it was because there was such a division in our world--something that I had been complicit in by my own tacit actions.  And while I am trying to do better, I hope one day that these amazing black men and women will also be fighting for me, too--that one day I will be someone they can speak to and with, instead of about (though I can certainly hope that it won't be because of or for the reasons that she had to say those things last night.)

I was so heartened to hear about your stance last Saturday regarding the Armenian Genocide.  I am grateful that you finally acknowledged something that our government has been too cowardly and craven to do for years.  It felt...good that after so many years America was finally willing to acknowledge a wrong-doing by another country--one that the Armenian people hold dear to their hearts.  I am hopeful, too, that by acknowledging their pain and their suffering, we may be able to help them begin to heal from it.  Hiding from the truth only hurts us in the end; so, I believe this was incredibly important.

I continue to look forward to all the great work you have planned ahead--from infrastructure to taxes and health care.  I have seen your continued dedication and your administration's tireless efforts to work toward a vision of prosperity and hope for our country's people and its future; and while I know that it isn't going to be easy to get people to see beyond their own interests, I am hopeful that they'll be willing to try...eventually.

I got my second vaccination this past Thursday, and am now just waiting out those two weeks until I can safely venture out into the world again.  And while I'll still need to don the mask and continue to wash my hands (after all, that's a sound way to stop many diseases,) I'm really looking forward to when I get to visit my parents this summer without the mask.  I really, honestly, can't wait.  It seems like it's been forever since I felt that way.  Relief coupled with hope; excitement coupled with cautious optimism--and that underlying fear that we may be dealing with this for a long time to come.  I want to hope, but I also want to have a realistic path moving forward is I guess what I'm trying to say here.  Going back to the way things were isn't good for anyone; so, please let's not keep making the same mistakes.  I'm pretty okay if we make a few new ones to learn from, though.

April 23, 2021. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Last but not least--Earth Day.  While it was overshadowed for me by getting my second shot, I've been thinking a lot about how to shift my mindset from a consumer to a protector--from someone who is encouraged by our corporate businesses to discard the old and buy "new new new!" to someone who seeks to buy into companies and ideas that conserve resources instead of merely expending them.  I've been considering the idea of the "whole life" of products lately--like what happens to the plastic containers and packaging that house the products that help me to be my best self, and I am thinking that this is something we need to do more of going forward.  We shouldn't create waste without knowing how we're going to dispose of it--how it will effect the local and global environment, and we should be encouraging companies that take those kinds of views into consideration rather than just rewarding those who are looking merely to make a short-term profit.  Those are responsible things to be doing as protectors and stewards of this world and this life we've been given, and I hope that people will begin to start viewing things that way if our leaders will, too.

And so with that, Mr. President, I think I'll get back to trying to catch up on everything I missed this past weekend while I was taking a bit of a break from the world.  I hope your week ahead is a good one, and I'll catch up with you next Sunday.  Until then, lead well, be safe, and do the right thing.


~~ Jenni

Dear Mr. President

 Dear Mr. President,

It was really hot today--not the normal kind of hot you'd expect mid to late April, though perhaps I could expect it in May.  No.  This was one of those days where the heat snuck in from the outside and smothered things on the inside making it hard to do much of anything at all.  Yeah.  It was one of those kinds of days today.  Which is fine really, since I don't really plan a lot on the weekends if I can help it.  Those are days where I'm meant to relax and try to catch up with myself a bit after working through all the craziness that happened during the week.  And I have to say, I think I had an almost perfect weekend save for that heat.

I finished a few books this week/weekend--nothing but pleasure to read, but I'm also in a new book club and we're currently reading Camus' The Stranger.  Trying to understand that book is like going back in time and trying to untangle a narrative that I feel is still depressingly relevant.  The stories of colonization and slavery, segregation and religious intolerance around which that narrative is entwined leaves me wondering if we've actually ever really addressed the problems, or if we've just been covering things up and dealing with the symptoms as best we can hoping time and memory will make the problems just magically disappear.  Which, for the record, I don't think works too well.  And when we gloss over things--pretend they don't matter for long enough, we start to believe the lies someone else long before us told us.  And I don't think that's a healthy thing either.

There are some old enmities still floating around in the dark spaces of our current conversations, and I guess I just feel like those shouldn't be overlooked in our biases and the way we look at the world.

Speaking of old things, I have been reading a lot about making more seats on the Supreme Court, and I don't have any good reason to like the idea, but I do.  Just the same, I know that some of the best group work happens in smaller groups (scientifically speaking) of about 4 to 6 people.  Still, I love the idea of having thirteen supreme court justices--one for each of the original 13 colonies of the United States.  And think about how having a larger court might make decisions to retire less...worrisome over time?  Still, some voices might get lost in that large array of justices, but maybe that isn't a bad thing either.  Maybe our justice should reflect more ideas than just those of four or five people.  I guess what I'm saying is that without studying the matter a whole lot, I still like the idea and the number 13 for no other reason than that it sounds pretty cool.  Not a great reason for making decisions; I know.  But it is what it is.

I can't speak much on the childcare and military withdrawal efforts you worked on this week as I don't have kids of my own, nor am I much involved or well-versed in our current military goings-on.  So I will leave that to better and more informed voices.  I did want to say how glad I was to know about your allowing transgender people to serve in the military once more, though.  It may be the only way that they can get the care they need, sadly, since we're not about to go and overhaul our whole health care system--even if we really should.  But I guess I just wanted to say thank you for that.  From where I'm sitting, it feels like a good thing; I just hope that one day all of society will stop being so hung up about all of that.  But I guess if we're still holding on to old ethnic and religious grudges, I'll likely be waiting a long time for trans acceptance as an established thing here in all of America, too.  Still, it's a step in the right direction.

I felt really happy to see that states and cities were stepping up to help you all with the border situation.  I know it's only a stop-gap measure and that you're all working on the real problems, but those aren't likely to be solved any time soon either.  So it makes me proud to see Americans working to help solve the problems rather than just condemning them.  And you should be proud of those mayors, governors, and city officials, too.  We do need to look at a longer-term plan here, though, and I hope you've got something in the works.

The biggest thing I wanted to talk to you about tonight is nuclear energy--which inevitably means I need to speak to you about nuclear waste.  I know that you've said moving forward that nuclear energy needs to be on the table, and while I like the idea of it (especially with our newer technologies and methods,) we shouldn't start something without figuring out what we're going to do with our nuclear waste.  It's a problem Japan is having to deal with.  That Russia had to contend with.  That the EU on Russia's borders are having to monitor.  And the thing that's making our relationships with other countries such a nightmare right now--not nuclear waste specifically, but nuclear proliferation.

The only solution I've come up with in over twenty years of thinking about the problem is to send it into space toward the Sun.  But, of course, there are the hazards of getting it into space, and then what does it do to the Sun?  And if the ship explodes...etc. etc. etc.  But the more I think about it, the more I am still convinced that shipping nuclear waste to the Sun is not a bad idea.  I mean, the Sun is full of nuclear reactions--right?

I guess my point here is that before we start building the nuclear energy dreams of our future, we should look at the costs associated with it--especially the costs of the waste it generates.  We are spending millions of dollars dealing with that right now, and if we continue down the path of nuclear power generation, it isn't going to magically decrease or become less of a problem unless we figure out how to deal with it now.  That's not something we should be leaving to future generations; it's not something that should have been left to us.  But here we are, and there you are.  And I just want you to really stop and take a moment to consider this thing before we get sucked into some "great American Dream" that becomes a great American tragedy because we didn't think about the whole life cycle of something we create.

And with that, I think I'll end for today, Mr. President.  It's late; I'm tired, and I just spent the whole day looking at a screen (reading.)  And I guess I just want to rest a little.  Hope you're having a good week, and hopefully this next one will be even better.  John and I are set to get our vaccine shots on Thursday; so, we'll see how that all goes.  And I guess until next week, let's both do our best.

Until then, Mr. President....

~~ Jenni

Tom Brenner / Reuters
President Joe Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga arrive for a joint news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House on Friday, April 16, 2021

Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

Through no particular rhyme or reason, this week has been a tough one for me; as I settled down today to write this letter to you, my inclination was to skip it.  With so much going on in the world, and with so many things I'd like to be doing, taking the time to write this letter just seems like one more chore to get through today.  But as I looked back over the past week at all the things your administration has been doing, I found myself smiling--being pleasantly surprised, and feeling in some small way like what I've been writing here matters.

Probably my favorite moments were Dr. Jill's press conference about Joining Forces, and then the videos of the White House Easter bunny.  But I also loved the sit-down with your Cabinet as they talked about your Jobs Plan for America--an infrastructure bill that, in my mind, is long overdue.  There was one photo that caught my attention, as well--something that resonated in my soul.

The POW/MIA flag flying atop the White House once again speaks to me of our continued commitments to our military families, something that was again echoed in the First Lady's project.  I hope you will speak more on this in the coming weeks and detail for us just how many people are still MIA or a POW in the world; their families deserve that attention and recognition, but more importantly they deserve a chance to heal and to be reunited with their loved ones.

Saying those things, I still find myself frustrated at the double standards that we hold--the choices that we are required to make in order to survive in a global economy.  There are enough criticisms of the MLB move alone--not even getting into the gun debate, or relationships with China and Russia, and our policies and actions in the Middle East.  One person's hero is another person's villain.  But I guess I am grateful that you are trying.  If our minds could be as wide as the world, our thoughts as broad, perhaps we could truly create a lasting good.  I don't if our country's founders had that vision in mind, but I do hope it is one we can embrace.

I want to say more on all of these things, but right now I'm just feeling drained and tired, Mr. President.  So, in lieu of our ofttimes longer conversations here, I think I'll leave it at that for today.  You've got so much on your plate, and I don't know how one sane man can keep track of it all.  So I'm glad you're not doing it alone, 'cause I'm pretty sure trying to do it any other way would be pretty insane.

Do good things and be kind to others until next week, Sir.  And give my love to your friends and family.

Tiredly, but not retiring from the fight,

~~ Jenni

Dear Mr. President

 Dear Mr. President,

As I become better at knowing where to look for information about what's been going on over the past week or so in politics, I find that I feel pretty overwhelmed by the inundation of information that various news sources and your own social network team produce.  It's like looking at a mountain at the end of each week from a place that seems like it ought to be half-way up only to find that I've still barely started on the climb.  It's a sobering experience, but I am grateful to still be learning and growing in my knowledge of the world and our government from week to week as I write these letters.

On a more relaxed note, I hope that you and your wife and family are also having a relaxing and enjoyable Easter Sunday--or at least that you got a chance to spend some time away from the grind that is our political dialogue--never-ceasing and relentless.  I was also moved by your proclamation today regarding today's Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Probably my favorite lines of the proclamation were these:

While hate may never be permanently defeated, it must always be confronted and condemned. When we recognize the fundamental human dignity of all people, we help to build a more just and peaceful world. In the memory of all those who were lost, and in honor of all those who survived, we must continue to work toward a better, freer, and more just future for all humankind.

That said, I wish you'd done more for Vietnam War Veterans Day this past week.  My step-dad was a Vietnam War vet, and while I can't say for sure that talking to him that day about his own thoughts and experiences of the war, I felt like there was a burden being lifted from his soul--if only for a short while.  We can't choose to discard moments of our own history; we must remember them and learn from the lessons that those moments seek to teach us.  I hope next March 29th you'll remember them, too, as you have done here with the Holocaust.  Death, violence, killing, war--these things leave scars on all those who experience them, winners and losers alike.

I'm glad to see that your Infrastructure Plan is getting underway, and I can see the timeline getting more settled into place as the days pass.  I do find it amusing, though, to see lawmakers having to deal with other issues--like legalizing marijuana, for instance, peppered throughout the infrastructure conversation.  I know Chuck Schumer has a reason for this, and I expect it has more to do with setting up some sort of legal standards like we have for alcohol use.  In that I certainly can't fault him since we've got states that have made it legal now.  But setting good precedents, having good and sound legal arguments on the issue could actually lead to some bipartisan legislation, as well.  I guess what I'm saying is that you probably shouldn't discount the issue, even if there are more pressing concerns to deal with right now.

I expect I am not alone in being worried about what this weekend's holiday celebrations are going to unleash in the coming two weeks and subsequent month.  My hope is that with the push to vaccinate, we'll see a rise in COVID-19 cases, but not as big as it might have been, and hopefully nowhere near as deadly.  Still, I am worried, and I know it's going to be a hard time come the end of April and beginning of May.  My hope?  That I'm wrong; that would be pleasant.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

So...there's a lot to your infrastructure plan--I mean, a whole lot.  And while I know it's hard to talk about specifics when the legislation is likely going to be turned into a punching bag before its done, I hope you'll get Mayor Pete out there on your Facebook and other social media pages to talk to us about it.  Most days I barely have time for the TV, much less the news; so, it would be nice to catch up with him on social media since I know he's got a lot to say about everything.  I'm also excited to hear about the school reopening plans, and the group testing efforts sound cost-effective while continuing to keep people safe.  I'm looking forward to seeing how that continues to work out, and hopefully we'll get more media and news stories about that soon, since I expect a lot of parents would really like some good news right about now.

One of the things that I don't see union leaders understanding is that there's going to need to be retraining as we move toward a greener economy.  I think they need to hear more of that, and also some concrete examples they can offer to their own people on how to re-train.  Which also brings up another concern I've been reading a lot about this week--student loans and student debts.  Our student loans and debts programs probably need as much of an overhaul as our tax codes do.  And I think it's more important than our tax codes, really--especially if we're going to be asking people to switch careers to greener, less climate-damaging jobs.  Part of the reason that many union workers aren't able to transition from their old jobs to new ones are related to the costs of re-educating themselves.  We can't say we want to end their jobs and then offer them nothing in the way of a path forward; that's just not acceptable.  So keep that in mind, please.

I'm a little disappointed in the 2030 date for broadband everywhere in the U. S., but I guess it's better than nothing.  I read one comment about your clean, public transportation plan where someone from a rural area basically outlined the biggest problem you're going to have coming from that demographic of the country; they basically said they don't want it, and they don't need it.  And while the first is something that can be changed, it's more the second idea there that I feel needs addressing as it plays into the first.  I expect a lot of people out in the country are worried about losing land for construction projects (without realizing the loss of land for things like gas and oil pipelines.)  They're probably also worried about people coming into their cities and counties that they don't know--or worse yet, are foreign investment companies looking to profit off the venture.  Trust is an important factor in getting rural areas to accept these kinds of ideas, and it's important to listen to their concerns, because they make up a pretty big portion of the country; they may not be as populous as big cities and other suburban areas, but your plan affects them, too.  And instead of dismissing their fears, I believe it's important to acknowledge them and have a real conversation about them.  One of those fears might be the worry that people who don't have similar ideas and values might use that public transportation to upset the balance of those small towns and rural areas; they may want to urbanize a place that has always been content with not-big-city ways--worried that they'll have to start fencing things off, or worried about increased crime rates.  Adding increased public mobility to our country's infrastructure can have a lot of benefits (like increased tax revenue, or more money for local businesses,) but if the negatives outweigh those benefits, how is your plan then actually helping to build America back better?

Let's see....  You talked about who you're going to nominate for the open positions in the Department of Defense, which is a good thing.  I think lawmakers were starting to worry, especially about the civilian oversight positions being unfilled.  There was a note about the new "Cyber Czar" also not being filled as part of your executive administration.  And may I just say that I think a lot of kids are laughing at the title?  Cyber tends to denote "cybersex"--which, well, ...anyway.  The title is a horrible one.  I'd definitely look into changing it.  Maybe call it the National Information Technology Director?  Or the National Cybersecurity Director?  Or even just National IT Design and Repair Director?  Kidding about that last one, but honestly anything would be better than Cyber Director--literally anything.

Saw the picture you had of your first Cabinet meeting.  How'd that go, by the way?  I didn't see much press coverage or even mention of it on your Facebook page.  It didn't look very cozy or chummy, though; it looked like you were all attending the Evil League of Evil's Board Meeting.  And while I get that spacing needed to happen due to the current pandemic, it didn't really lend a vibe to me that these people were close to you in any way, which I guess is something I always believed a Cabinet should be with the President.

Also, I really love that you have so many plants in the White House.  I hope you'll shine a light on the people that do that for you and your administration.  They definitely deserve some recognition, especially since I heard that one of the grounds keepers (?) got bit by Champ.  I guess just like people, dogs and cats have a hard time with moving.  I hope Champ starts feeling more comfortable in his new home soon, and I hope the person he bit is all right, too.  Sometimes it's important for animals to get to know the people that they're spending time around a lot; so, hopefully you can help make Champ's transition a bit easier by exposing him to more people so he can start feeling more at ease.  That said, I think he's getting a bad rap.  Maybe have someone who's worked with him a lot talk about how animals deal with transitions; this can help send a more positive message out to the animal-loving community and maybe help those who don't have animals (or are outright afraid of them,) understand our furry friends better.

I love that your wife is continuing to work as a teacher; I think this is positively amazing, and while I don't want to interfere with her day job, I hope she can start highlighting teachers from around the country--their concerns and their hopes and ideas on how to improve education.  It's just exciting to think that she could help lead that kind of conversation for our country, but I understand if she's kind of busy at the moment.

I'm glad that we're starting to work more with our European and Asian allies again, and I'm glad that it's starting to help bring us back to the negotiating table with other countries like Iran.  I was really excited to see that you removed sanctions from the International Criminal Court.  I think that's definitely a step in the right direction.  And while I understand that we aren't a member state and part of the Court's jurisdiction, I feel like shutting them out entirely was the wrong message to be sending.  So, I hope in the future we can find a path forward with them--or maybe even join as a member state one day.

And since I don't want to spend my whole day writing this letter to you, Mr. President, as I'm sure we both have things we'd rather be doing this holiday, I'll leave it here for now.  It's definitely going to be a bumpy couple of months ahead, but summer is looking brighter and brighter all the time.  Thank you for continuing to serve our country in the best way you believe you can.  I guess I'll be seeing you next week, Sir.

Until then, I remain,

~~ Jenni

Pittsburgh March 31, 2021 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Looking Ahead

This is the last day of March and the last day that I will be writing regularly here until at least the end of April.  But with that in mind, I wanted to look ahead to what's coming up--things that you can celebrate in April, and also share a few of my own plans.

But first, I hope that your March was a good one--that you learned something new, and that you found some peace in your life.  I hope you were happy and that you felt loved.  And I hope that even if your days were dark, you know that you're not alone.

Starting tomorrow, April Fool's will be here with us once again, but it will also be the first day for me to embark on a poetry challenge from Writer's Digest--A Poem a Day for April.  I'm really looking forward to the challenge, but I'm also dreading getting back into exercising again--which I will also be doing.  On top of that, I finally get to register for school tomorrow--or at least that's my hope.

Still, there are a few others things happening this month:

April 5 -- Easter and the End of Passover
April 7 -- National Beer Day (and also World Health Day)
April 12 -- First Day of Ramadan
April 15 -- Tax Day (though some of us may get a reprieve, still best to get them done!)  and World Art Day
April 19 -- Patriots' Day and also my step-dad's birthday (Also the day of the Boston Marathon)
April 21 -- San Jacinto Day (Texans will know what I'm talking about.)
April 22 -- Earth Day
April 23 -- National Book Day
April 27 -- Full Moon (a Supermoon!)
April 30 -- Arbor Day

If you don't know what some of these days are, I encourage you to look them up and learn a bit more about them.  Learning new things is important to our continued growth and health; so, I hope you'll do some learning in April.

And with that done, I bid you adieu for now.  Be safe this April, and please be kind to one another. 

March Reflections

Hey there, everyone!

I just got my first shot of the vaccine today, and I was feeling pretty tired afterward, which is why I didn't have anything up earlier today.  I'm sorry for those of you who were expecting something more, but I figured it might be nice, before March is gone, to reflect a bit and to ask that if you saw something this month that gave you hope, or made you happy, that you reach out to those groups and offer assistance in whatever way you can manage.

I spent this morning talking with my step-dad, just listening to him recount thoughts about Vietnam and his war experiences and how our movies and media don't always do a good job of showing the human sides of conflicts.  We often get so caught up in partisanship that we forget that there are human beings that are often suffering or dealing with the consequences of the laws, wars, and decisions we make.  I remembered, too, a time when my dad told me about a situation where he was forced to watch as the Viet Cong army murder people because they had helped Americans and other foreigners during the war.  I can't imagine having to let atrocities happen because doing otherwise would get many more of your own people killed--having to let others sacrifice their lives while you watch.  I don't know what kind of scars that would leave on me, but hearing about the George Floyd case and Derek Chauvin being on trial--the young woman who video taped it all.....  I can't imagine the trauma of that experience that weighs upon her--the guilt that haunts her for not doing more, even as many of us are grateful for the fact that she documented what happened that day.  Suffice to say that I begin to understand that pain, but not in any real way, and again I am grateful that I haven't had those experiences.  I know that if it eats away at my soul even a little, the feelings of those who have experienced it are a thousand times worse.

And yet, just as there is actual death, there can also be a more subtle death of someone through depression, self-loathing, and marginalization--being told over and over again that you are worthless.  We need to do better, and we need to believe that we deserve better which is part of the reason why I've been sharing so many of these causes to celebrate over the last month.  Each of them, I believe, helps to give life to people--to remind us that we are not alone, that we are not powerless, and that our voices, however small, can change the world.

As I wrote to a friend less than a week ago, we mustn't give in to the idea that our actions are useless.  We must continue to work to promote the causes which we believe in, and even if our life's work seems as though it did nothing in a greater context, we have still touched the lives and the people around us in ways that we will never fully know.  So to all of you out there despairing: don't give up hope.  Remember that you are the light in the darkness, and even at your lowest point, you have changed the world just by being here.  Your story is important; you matter.

Tomorrow is The Planetary Society's day of action, and I really hope that our congress people will listen to the joy and wonder that space exploration and space science has given to those who go to speak with them.  And if you get a chance, and you love space and science as much as I do, please consider joining in by writing a letter or calling your representatives and senators.  Heck, even if you want to talk about something else besides space, take a moment tomorrow to champion those causes that are important to you.  It may not seem like much, and you may not think you're heard, but I can assure you that you are.  What you believe and what you hope for is just as important to our congressional leaders as their own thoughts.  It helps them know what to talk about, and what to work on educating us about.  It helps them to know when their messages are failing, and when they are resonating.  And it's always pleasant to get a message from someone who cares passionately about something for which they are advocating--far more pleasant than getting e-mails or messages from corporations, lobbyists, or monied interests.

Last, but not least, please remember to be kind to one another.  I know, sometimes, it can seem like the world is against you, or that the changes that you've been fighting for are impossible, but the world is full of good people--people who care, and people who believe in the importance of equality and the power of choices and opportunities for everyone; they believe in the strength of democracy, and aren't simply looking to prey upon your weaknesses.  To everyone, I hope you will offer kindness and the benefit of your perceptions.  The only way a voice can be heard is if it is willing and able to speak.  So I hope you will speak the truths that important to you, but also be kind enough to listen to the truths and the hopes of others, too (unless they are just promoting hate, fear, and bigotry, at which point, I hope you will stand up against those things no matter what you believe.)

I've been hearing a lot lately about judging others--about how, often, we tend to promote our own ideas based solely on the experiences we've had.  We tend to want to assert truths in order to ascribe blame or assuage our own pain or guilt.  In our hunt for justice or perceived righteousness we fail to see someone as another human being, and in so doing, we create cultures of hate.  I'm not saying that we shouldn't judge wrong actions and hold people accountable for them, but perhaps it's time we took a moment to consider how our actions affect others.  Maybe if we did that we'd consider our own failings and mistakes and be a little more empathetic toward others.

In short, please be kind to others; your choices affect a lot more than you can know, and if you ever doubt that, look back on the ways that other people have affected you and the way you look at life because of them.  If nothing else, that should give you a reason to want to be kinder.

And here's a picture of me with my vaccine card--my first dose done!

Let's head forward into April hopefully, mindfully, kindly, and purposefully!

National Vietnam War Veterans Day 2021

It's a strange thing to find out that today is meant to commemorate and honor those men and women who served in the Vietnam War by reading an article in a local paper about a female journalist who was only the second woman journalist at UPI back in the day, but somehow I wound my way through the article to a book she was featured in about the war, then on to several other books about the war, then reading an introduction to one of those books only to google the day mentioned therein, to find out that yes; today is a special day meant to honor those men and women who served during the Vietnam War.

What drew me to the story in the first place is that my step-dad is a Vietnam War veteran, and while he's told me some of the amusing or funny stories that came out of the war, he's been reluctant to share many of the ones that haunted him when he came back home to the States after the war.  There are memories of moments in his mind that only he will likely ever know, but those experiences are echoed in the memories and recollections of others who were there--in art, movies, books, and songs.

We think more often about the antiwar movement these days than the real challenges that surrounded what was going on back then, and there are still resentments buried deep in the hearts and minds of Vietnam vets about how they were treated--not just by the antiwar protesters when they came home, but by the very government that sent them over there to fight and die for our country.

I'm not here to debate the ethics of war, nor do I want to debate whether or not the Vietnam War was right or wrong.  Because today isn't about rehashing those debates; it's about honoring the men and women who were willing to go and do a difficult thing--to fight a war.  Some of those people didn't have a choice, which is what makes the Vietnam War so much more important in my eyes.  We implemented the draft, and that meant that people who probably knew next to nothing about what was going on at the time were sent to fight and die.

I have never been to the Vietnam War Memorial, though I hope I get to see it one day.  I know when a part of the wall came to Bellville where my parents live, it was a moving experience for both of them.

And as I'm learning as I grow older, things aren't always as black and white as we want them to be when we are passing judgment on them weeks, months, or years later.  We pretend that the hype is the truth and fail to look beyond it to the people--men and women, and even some children.  The reasons and the whys and the wherefores of peoples' decisions are discarded in the easy narrative of dismissal or hate for a cause.  We forget that hate can bury itself into hearts and minds; we forget that there are people who had to make choices--not about a cause or an ideal, but about their own beliefs and their own hopes for the world.  And we often forget that these things are never easy--often far more complex than stigmas and labels make them out to be.

Our government used chemicals during the Vietnam War that are still having lasting effects on the men and women of not only our own country, but in Vietnam, as well.  The cover-up about Agent Orange finally came to light in the '80's but it wouldn't be until 1991 when Congress recognized its use and its harmful effects on ground troops.  It wouldn't be until 2015 that air delivery personnel, airpersons, and ground crews that loaded the planes were considered eligible to be treated for Agent Orange disease due to their exposure to it, as well.

My step-dad was one of those ground troops who had developed complications due to Agent Orange, and the treatment that he's able to get now is due to the hard work and tireless efforts of investigative journalists and tireless politicians and the veterans themselves who helped give journalists information regarding what they'd seen and heard, as well as describing their own symptoms.  And while there are many stories of perseverance, there are many more stories about those who suffered, died, or committed suicide.

Our views about the wars our country fights can often color our views about the men and women who serve in them.  But we can't let the politics of war make us forget that there are people behind those wars having to make difficult decisions--to define for themselves what is the right thing and the wrong thing to do.  And even if we disagree with those decisions, it is important to acknowledge and to respect that men and women choose to serve and die for the hope of making the world a better place.

I cannot fathom what the decision to kill another person takes; I do not know what seeing a world at war can do.  But I can understand the desire to stop bad things from happening.  I know the anger, and the pain, and the passion that injustices makes me feel.  And I understand the impetus of wanting to fight those things.

We are quick to label others who do violence in the world without understanding their reasons.  We want to believe that violence in any form is wrong.  We want to condemn those who kill others as a wrong thing (and it is.)  But that also fails to acknowledge a world in which other people and other nations don't care about others' lives and are happy to use violence and killing to attain their desires.  It fails to acknowledge that there are scars buried deep in the hearts and minds of generations of those who are oppressed, killed, raped, beaten, and physically or mentally tortured--or both.  Wars are wounds that we haven't learned to heal, and the men and women who fight in them bear the scars of those conflicts.  If we fail to listen to their stories, if we forget the wounds they carry, and if we are not willing to forgive the ugliness we asked them to do for us, we will never be able to heal, and neither will they.

So while today is meant as a day to honor the men and women who fought in the Vietnam War, I feel it's also a day to remember that wars, even the ones we claim to have won, still resonate in the world--in the conflicts and the wars we are fighting even now.  And even if you disagree with the reasons, it takes a certain insanity to be willing to go to war, and that is something that is worthy of respect--worthy of acknowledgement, and worthy of praise when the hope was, not for deaths, but life.

Today I hope you will find it in your hearts to reach out to any veterans you know, but especially to those Vietnam vets in your lives.  Listen to their stories; hear their side, and help them heal the wounds that not only we, but the wars they fought for us, have inflicted upon them.  We owe that to them and to every man and woman willing to put their lives on the line to save other lives.  That is what I wish to convey to all Vietnam veterans, and all veterans--not just today, but every day.

Thank you for your service.  Many of us will never see, never know, and never feel the pain of war and the torment that the decisions of war create.  And more than anything, for that last, I am truly grateful.  But I am also sorry that those things were asked of you, and when and if you ever want to talk about it, I hope you will share your pains, your hopes, and your joys with those of us who need to, and are willing, to hear it.