tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81046926455898677452024-03-19T02:48:01.230-06:00The Anarchist Soccer MomThe revolution starts next Tuesday...right after soccer practice!Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-12559664518734433682021-06-13T19:59:00.002-06:002021-06-13T20:00:46.863-06:00When Your Ending Isn't Happily Ever After<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bcIGqfwv1I/YMa0tp7geEI/AAAAAAAAA4M/Bz8GEnomStEYSZsr-9g31aAbYT0z_hJFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Illustration_by_Kay_Nielsen_7.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="East of the Sun and West of the Moon by Kay Nielsen" border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="817" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bcIGqfwv1I/YMa0tp7geEI/AAAAAAAAA4M/Bz8GEnomStEYSZsr-9g31aAbYT0z_hJFACLcBGAsYHQ/w319-h400/Illustration_by_Kay_Nielsen_7.jpg" title="East of the Sun and West of the Moon by Kay Nielsen" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-small;">Print from "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" <br />by Kay Nielsen, 1914</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Author's Note: I was so grateful and honored to be asked to give a sermon on the subject of story for the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in May 2021. I know I'm a lazy blogger, but I'm far from a lazy writer. This assignment was a gift of grace that helped me to process some ideas that have been floating around in my brain for quite a while now. I've included the reading I chose from Margaret Atwood's short story, "Happy Endings," as a preface to the sermon. In a season where we all have a chance to think about what we want our stories to look like, I hope this provokes some thoughts and conversations</i><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: none;">—</span><i>with yourself or with those you love.</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"><b>Reading: </b><i><b>“Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood <br /></b>Canadian poet and novelist Margaret Atwood wrote a thought-provoking short story called “Happy Endings.” This reading includes the beginning and a few lines near the end of the story. </i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">John and Mary meet. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What happens next? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">If you want a happy ending, try A. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">A. John and Mary fall in love and get married. They both have worthwhile and remunerative jobs which they find stimulating and challenging. They buy a charming house. Real estate values go up. Eventually, when they can afford live-in help, they have two children, to whom they are devoted. The children turn out well. John and Mary have a stimulating and challenging sex life and worthwhile friends. They go on fun vacations together. They retire. They both have hobbies which they find stimulating and challenging. Eventually they die. This is the end of the story. </span></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"><i>[Variations B-F on this theme follow, where Mary falls in love with John, but John does not love Mary, then the reverse, then explorations of what happens to their subsequent partners, and finally, a John Le Carre version where John is a revolutionary and Mary is a spy]. Then Atwood writes this gut-wrenching truth: </i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">You'll have to face it, the endings are the same however you slice it. Don't be deluded by any other endings, they're all fake, either deliberately fake, with malicious intent to deceive, or just motivated by excessive optimism if not by downright sentimentality. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">The only authentic ending is the one provided here: </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die (Atwood). </span></span></p></blockquote><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Sermon </span></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">I have a confession: Most of my notions about love and life were formed by Andrew Lang’s <i>Blue Book of Fairy Tales.</i> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">I read this book—along with its sister volumes, the yellow, the red, the purple, and yes, even the olive—shortly after I learned the magic of letters making words, and words making thoughts, and thoughts making stories, and stories making life make sense. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">What are the stories that shaped you? “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” a Norwegian folktale in Lang’s Blue Book, is a seminal text in my life. I discovered this powerful story of love, transformation, jealousy, and perseverance at the tender age of 7. One of my most prized possessions is an original art deco print by Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen from the 1914 illustrated version I encountered as a child. The print was given to me by a dear friend when I was in a particularly low and dark place. It now hangs on my living room wall, reminding me that tragedy sometimes precedes happy endings. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">As an assistant professor of English who teaches world mythology and literary analysis, I guess I am considered an expert in the subject of this sermon: the power of storytelling, how the stories we love can shape our lives, and why interrogating those stories is important. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">But I feel more like a life-long learner. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">“East of the Sun and West of the Moon” tells the story of a girl who, against her better judgment, agrees to leave her family for a white bear. The girl is the youngest daughter of a poor family, and the bear promises that if she goes with him, he will lift her family out of poverty. She travels on his back to a beautiful castle where all her wishes are granted. But at night, she discovers a strange secret: the bear transforms into a man. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">After a few months of this, the girl becomes lonely and asks to visit her family, but the bear warns her not to talk with her mother alone. Of course, she does this anyway because fairy tale. Her mother, upon hearing her daughter’s odd story, gives the girl a candle stub to hide away. When she returns to the castle, the girl lights the candle that night and sees a handsome prince in her bed. She falls immediately and completely in love. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">The prince wakes up and informs the girl that he must now leave her to go east of the sun and west of the moon, and he will have to marry a long-nosed troll princess, and she shouldn’t try to follow him because it’s impossible. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Their love is impossible. She can never have what she wants. She has ruined everything. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">In the morning, the girl finds herself alone in a wood. The castle and the prince have vanished. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Well. Game on. The girl wanders for days until she meets an old woman who tells her that her quest is indeed impossible, but gives her a horse and a golden apple, just in case. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">The girl rides the horse for days and meets another old woman with a golden spinning wheel. This old woman also disparages the girl’s chances but mentions that the east wind might have an idea where the prince had gone—probably not, but it never hurts to ask. The second old woman gives the girl a fresh horse and the golden spinning wheel and sends her on her way. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">The east wind tells the girl he too has heard rumors, but she’ll have to go ask the West Wind for specifics. Ultimately, the East, West, and South winds escort the girl to the North Wind. The North Wind knows how to get there, but he is pretty grumpy about it—he once blew a single aspen leaf east of the sun and west of the moon, and it wore him out for literally days. Still, if the girl isn’t afraid, no matter how wild the ride gets, he agrees to take her there. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">She isn’t afraid. Against all the odds, she reaches the castle that is east of the sun and west of the moon, where the first person she meets is, of course, the infamous long-nosed troll princess. The girl trades the golden apple the first old woman gave her for a night with the prince, but no matter how hard she tries, she can’t wake her beloved. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">The next morning, the troll princess kicks her out. The girl then trades the golden spinning wheel the second old woman gave her for another night with the prince. Fortunately, some good Christians overhear their conversation and let the prince know about it. That night, the prince pretends to drink his sleeping potion but tosses it over his shoulder when the troll princess isn’t looking, so he is awake when the girl enters his bedroom. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">They joyfully reunite and hatch a plan to free the prince. The next day, the day that the prince is supposed to marry the troll princess, the girl will—get this—engage in a contest with her rival <i>to wash the prince’s shirt. </i></span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Inevitably, the troll princess lacks good laundering skills, and of course, since the girl is a Christian (I am still not sure if this is correlation or causality), she is able to wash the shirt as white as snow. The troll princess explodes on the spot. The prince is freed from the curse, marries the girl, and the prince and princess free all the Christians who had been trapped east of the sun and west of the moon by the trolls. Good triumphs over evil, love conquers all, and they all live happily ever after. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">What I learned from this story that I first read at the age of seven shaped my views of romantic relationships for many years. These were my four takeaways: </span></span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Bears aren’t actually bears. They are handsome princes inside. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">If you try to find out the truth about bears and are disappointed, it’s all your fault. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">You have to work really hard and sacrifice everything if you want to be with your true love. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">If you’re really good at getting stains out of shirts, you will beat the troll princess and win the prince’s hand in marriage. </span></span></li></ol><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">I am really good at getting stains out of shirts. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">However, these lessons have not served me well in my actual adult romantic relationships. Spoiler alert: Life is not a fairy tale. I’m just now learning this at the age of 7 squared—I'd like to think by sharing my sad journey, I’ll save those of you who are younger than me the wasted time, but life doesn’t always work out that way. We have to live and learn from our own stories. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">In real life, I have found, sometimes bears are bears. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">If you find out the truth about them, you will be disappointed, but it’s probably NOT your fault. Sometimes the trolls win. And finally, you can work really hard for true love and still not achieve it—or after achieving it, you can lose it all—even if, and I cannot stress this enough, you are really good at getting stains out of shirts. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">I’ve learned these truths the hard way, just as you have, through experience--through the messy failures of life and love that still sting. Divorce, mental illness, addiction. Patriarchy, privilege, power imbalances. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">But I’ve also learned, like you have, that we don’t have to always be brave and beautiful and good. Sometimes we can be scared and lonely and exhausted. Sometimes, we can even be disappointed. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">This is the truth we learn in Margaret Atwood’s short story, “Happy Endings.” Another confession: Option A, where John and Mary meet, fall in love, marry, have a wonderful life together, and die of old age was the life story I wanted and perhaps still pine for. I was well on this path (or so I thought) until my 35th year, when everything blew up. Icons were smashed, trust was betrayed, dreams were shattered. Worst of all, beloved, precious, innocent children were irreparably harmed, and nothing in my life since can make up for that loss. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">I hate divorce. Specifically, I hated my divorce. I didn’t want to go through it, and I don’t ever want to go through divorce again. But in the immortal words of the Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want.” </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">And the older I get, the more I realize just how much my fairy tale notions of love and life have made it hard for me to let go of the past. I tell myself that I had the fairy tale, and that I lost it—it was all my fault--because that’s what happened in the story. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">But is this true? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">After option A, Margaret Atwood spins out many other versions of the “John meets Mary” story. Sometimes John loves Mary, but Mary doesn't love John. Sometimes it’s the other way around. Sometimes they find happiness with new partners. Sometimes they don’t. But the ending is always the same: John and Mary die. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">“So much for endings,” Atwood says. “Beginnings are always more fun. True connoisseurs, however, are known to favor the stretch in between, since it's the hardest to do anything with. That's about all that can be said for plots, which anyway are just one thing after another, a what and a what and a what. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Now try How and Why.” (Atwood)</span></span></p></blockquote><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">How and Why. And favoring the stretch in between. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">If you’re like me, 2020 gave you had a bit more time to think than usual. The pandemic brought many changes, and the one I welcomed—and feared—most was quiet. I had time to sit with my own thoughts and really listen to them—and to interrogate them. In the stillness, away from the busyness of pre-pandemic life, I realized something about my relationship with stories. I realized that I was a servant to a narrative that was not my own. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">I was living my life as a what and a what and a what. I was not thinking about how and why. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">What is your story’s plot? How did the pandemic interrupt that plot? How does that story fit in this world of Big Lies and “alternative facts”? What happened to you? And then what happened? What happened after that? Do you know how and why? </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">The pandemic shoved the randomness and inevitability of our mortality right in our faces. We could not look away. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">So many of us began to interrogate our cultural stories, asking questions like these: </span></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Why do too many Black men die at the hands of police? </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Why does late-stage capitalism fail so many individuals and communities? </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Why does the United States have so many policies that are hostile to women? </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Who cares what bathrooms or pronouns people use anyway? </span></span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">We still don’t have all the answers, but asking the questions—challenging the narrative—is the first step to change. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It must not be the only step. We all deserve to have stories that shape our lives in positive, productive, healthy ways. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Let's interrogate “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” The story follows the conventions of the hero’s journey—the call to adventure, crossing the threshold, the talismans and mentors, the battles and ultimate triumphs. This story is a universal monomyth for a good reason—it speaks to all of us in some way. But Margaret Atwood could suggest several different paths to the story’s happy ending. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"><i>Option A:</i> The girl sticks by her initial gut instinct to refuse the bear’s advances. He leaves, never to return. The girl goes off to university on scholarship and makes an important discovery. She saves her family through her own hard work and ingenuity, and they all live happily ever after. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"><i>Option B:</i> When the prince is whisked away against his will to the castle, he rejects the finality and ultimate power of the troll princess’s curse. He works with the Christians to overpower the curse and return to the girl he loves. They all live happily ever after. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"><i>Option C:</i> The girl starts out on a journey to find the prince but changes her mind and decides to apprentice with the first old woman. She learns plant magic and becomes a successful healer. She is beloved in her community and helps her family to escape poverty through her skill and knowledge. She never marries and trains one of her nieces in her healing arts. They all live happily ever after. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"><i>Option D: </i>The girl makes it all the way to the castle that lies east of the sun and west of the moon. But instead of competing with the troll princess, the two fall in love. They share stories about their awful experiences with the prince and decide to jointly rule the kingdom. The prince is banished and they all live happily ever after (except for the prince. But let’s face it: He is problematic). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">There are, of course, many other options, depending on how and why the girl (or the prince) decides to interrupt the narrative. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">Another question to ask yourself is this: Am I actually the hero in this story? </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">In all our favorite stories, we tend to see ourselves as the heroes. But what if we are the villains in somebody else’s story? </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">In “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” I have personally identified with the brave girl who fights for true love ever since I was seven years old. But to my ex-husband’s current wife, I’m the long-nosed troll princess, always whining about how he was promised to me. In their version of the story, his current wife is the brave, plucky heroine who escaped from poverty and won the handsome prince. I am indisputably the villain in their fairy tale. To be fair, my nose is somewhat long, and I do enjoy resting in the shade under bridges on the Boise River Greenbelt (but did I mention that I am really good at getting stains out of shirts? Because I am). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">What I’ve learned from the "alternative facts” of my post-divorce life is this: No matter how bad things get, I don’t ever want to be the villain in anyone else’s story. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">To a certain extent, our stories are inevitable—John, Mary, all of us are going to die. Honestly, there should be less fear and more relief in knowing the ending, like when we skip to the end of a suspenseful book because we can’t wait to learn what happens. I’ve been thinking about this through the pandemic too, as it coincided with my entrance into a tunnel that any adult who lost a parent when they were younger will recognize. My father was diagnosed with cancer when I was 19 and he was 47—my age when the pandemic started. He died when I was 22 and he was 50. I have now entered my 50th year. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">The tunnel is a space of uncertainty and loss and grief, mourning for the parent whose loss means that we now have no role model for our future years. What lies ahead is truly a mystery. </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">But we have more control over the “how and the why” than we think we do. Learning to interrogate the stories that shape us is the work of a lifetime. As the novelist Salman Rushdie wrote in a May 2021 opinion piece for the New York Times, we can learn a lot about our values when we ask ourselves which books we love. Rushdie says, </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I believe that the books and stories we fall in love with make us who we are, or, not to claim too much, the beloved tale becomes a part of the way in which we understand things and make judgments and choices in our daily lives.” </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">That has certainly been true in my experience. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">What are the stories and books you love? Is it time to revisit a beloved classic, or to replace it with something new? Are your beloved stories serving your narrative? Or are they hindering you? </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">I cannot part with “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” But today, I love it for a new reason. As we emerge into a post-pandemic world, I’ve decided to reject the identities of both the girl and the troll princess. Now, I’m the second old woman. I still believe in the fairy tale and the power of true love, even though the world has given me good reason to doubt. But I’ll keep spinning my yarn on my golden spinning wheel, providing help and the answers I know, but leaving the hard work of questing to others. </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-variant-ligatures: none;">And maybe, if we’re lucky, we will all live happily ever after. </span></span></h4>Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-35094504792675663002020-12-13T12:19:00.002-07:002020-12-13T12:20:44.985-07:00"Come and Find the Quiet Center"<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7JvJZVeGmM/X9Zn7KjNuXI/AAAAAAAAA2s/3P5hoRh6eJU8GzhN6aqqTQI8xlsVwTCRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Quiet%2BCenter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7JvJZVeGmM/X9Zn7KjNuXI/AAAAAAAAA2s/3P5hoRh6eJU8GzhN6aqqTQI8xlsVwTCRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Quiet%2BCenter.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></i></div><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sermon given Sunday, December 13, 2020 for <a href="https://magicvalleyuu.org/" target="_blank">Magic ValleyUnitarian Universalist Fellowship</a> Zoom Worship Service</span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I am so grateful to be here with you virtually
today and look forward to the time when we can be together again in physical
space. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts about this
month’s theme: stillness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Like many of us during this year of global
pandemic and tremendous change, I have begun to categorize my life into the
Before Time and the Now. As some background, I’m a mother of four children (two
in college, two still in high school), a wife, a community college English
professor, and a mental health advocate. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For many years, the one constant in my life has
been chaos. I’m betting more than a few of you can relate. What was your life
like in the Before Time?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then COVID-19 came—and before we get too far, I
have a confession to make. The pandemic was definitely all my fault. No,
really! Let me explain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here’s what my calendar looked like in the last
week before everything changed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Saturday, March 7, I attended the Depressed
Cake Shop fundraiser for Boise’s Interfaith Sanctuary homeless shelter and
connected with my dear friend and fellow mental health advocate Valerie Van Gelder
and her sister and equally dear friend Jodi Peterson, director of Interfaith
Sanctuary. My children and I had baked “depressed Oreos” for the event—sad
looking dark chocolate cookies with grey cream cheese frosting filling, but
when you bit into them, you saw a rainbow of cheery pinks and blues and yellows,
reminding us that mental illness doesn’t define who we are. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That evening, I attended the Idaho Democratic
Party’s gala. When I bought my tickets, I had been over the moon at the thought
of hearing Mayor Pete, then ecstatic over the prospect of Elizabeth Warren,
then when they both cancelled, I was just happy to attend and catch up with good
friends. Remember when we could hang out together? took my last groupies that
night, and now, it seems like another world to me when I look at those photos.
We were all so physically close! None of us was wearing a mask! (It was a
wonderful night).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Sunday, March 8, I attended what would be
the last in-person service of the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. There
were murmurs then about COVID—cases popping up in Seattle and New York—but here
in Idaho, nothing seemed out of place just yet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Monday, March 9, my 48<sup>th</sup> birthday,
I taught my usual English classes at the College of Western Idaho, and my
sweetheart took me out to Rice, one of my favorite Asian restaurants, for what
would turn out to be my last supper inside a restaurant in 2020. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Tuesday, March 10, I hosted a Mayan
archaeologist for a guest lecture at the College of Western Idaho for my survey
of world mythology students. More than 30 students and community members
attended. We passed around a heavy rubber ball used in pok a tok, the traditional
Mayan ball game that figures heavily in the Mayan creation story. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A week later, we would learn that someone in
the building that night with us had tested positive for COVID 19.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Wednesday, March 11 my students were
beginning to ask questions—and I did not have answers. I blithely told them not
to worry—that if we went online, I had years of online teaching experience and
would be able to support them during the few weeks we would not be able to
attend class together. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That night, I attended what would be my last in
person choir rehearsal at BUUF—and realized to my horror that I had
accidentally double booked myself for the coming March 15 Sunday services. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And here’s why the pandemic with all its chaos
is my fault. I had said yes to playing for BUUF’s choir and to playing the
organ at my children’s Mormon church—at exactly the same time! Reverend Sara, the
music director, and I began a frantic flurry of emails trying to come up with a
new order of service that would allow me to play at one church before racing up
the road to the other one. But no matter how we looked at it, the logistics problem
seemed insoluble. It looked like I would have to let someone down and accept
the consequences of my poor planning. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So in desperation, I prayed to whatever gods
may be that somehow I could get out of the mess I had created for myself. And
here we are.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Thursday, March 12, I taught what would be
my last in-person classes—the last time I stepped onto CWI’s campus--until the
Fall semester of 2020. That night, I attended my son’s last minute choir
concert at Northwest Nazarene University. His choir had been chosen from all
the high school choirs in the Pacific Northwest to perform at the American
Choral Directors Association annual meeting—which had abruptly been cancelled
earlier that week because of fears about the pandemic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So the choir sang for us instead. The director
joked (with foresight, it turns out) that it was probably the last time singing
like this would be legal for a while. In case you haven’t heard, it turns out
choir is pretty much the perfect superspreader event.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The music that night was exquisite, and tears ran
down my cheeks as these high school students whose entire world was about to
change began with their signature piece, a hymn called “Come and Find the Quiet
Center.” We’ll come back to that hymn in a minute, but for now, let’s continue
through the last week of my Before Time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Friday, March 13—Friday the thirteenth
(haha). I learned that my college had decided to start Spring Break early and
extend the break for three weeks. That three-week break turned into five
months—and while I have returned to campus to teach a few in person classes,
wearing a mask and socially distanced, of course, most of my colleagues are
still working remotely.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Saturday, March 14, the big Latter-day Saint
mental health conference I had been looking forward to attending, featuring former
Brigham Young University quarterback Tanner Mangum, was cancelled. That
afternoon, I went to the fabric store and purchased cotton prints and flannel
backing to make masks. It was the last time I would set foot in any store other
than a grocery store for a while.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And on Sunday, March 15, the gods answered my desperate
prayer. I was no longer double booked because everything was cancelled! Everything
that day, and the next day, and the next, stretching into months, was cancelled.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What could this mean? At first, we all thought
it would be a few weeks. Then we thought, maybe a few months. Then we realized
the awful truth: 2020 was cancelled. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And just like that, I had the one thing I could
never find enough of: time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So I sewed masks. Like many of you, I baked—a
lot—and thought about planting my garden. I developed a daily practice of
taking long solitary walks around my neighborhood. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">During my walks, the hymn my son’s choir sang
would often fill my mind. I want to share the words with you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: .5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Come and
Find the Quiet Center” by Shirley Erena Murray <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-left: .5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Come and
find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead.<br />
Find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed.<br />
Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes that we can see<br />
all the things that really matter, be at peace and simply be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And I wondered, What is so hard about stillness
anyway? Why is it so hard to “be at peace and simply be”? The answer is not an
easy one. In the sudden enforced quiet, we—all of us—have been forced to face
the truth of our own mortality. We might get sick and die, or we might not. Our
loved ones might get sick and die, or they might not. But we all have to face
the truth: none of us gets out of here alive. We are powerless over life and
death.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some people turn to religion in times like
these. We may think of Jesus calming the wind, the waves, and his disciples’
fears with a simple command: “Peace, be still.” Or we may think of the Biblical
seventh day, the Sabbath, a day created specifically for rest and contemplation
of the Divine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Or our thoughts may turn to the Jewish
tradition, especially during this week of Hanukkah. Speaking of another sacred day,
Yom Kippur, the “Sabbath of Sabbaths” and holiest day in the Jewish calendar, </span><a href="https://westendsynagogue.org/sites/default/files/site_images/into%20great%20stillness%20--%20WES%20KN%205776.2015.pdf" target="_blank">Rabbi Marc Margolius</a> of the West End
Synagogue in New York City <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">wrote
that stillness is “</span>the quintessence of Yom Kippur itself: the necessity
for human beings to be, rather than to do; the necessity to be still, rather
than to speak; the necessity to seek out the authentic and eternal, not the
artificial or temporal.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rabbi
Margolius further observes that “Some of Judaism’s most powerful religious
metaphors are internal; they invite us to seek God not atop a mountain or in
heaven, but within ourselves.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Have you climbed mountains seeking something? I
have. But these days, I am spending more time seeking God within myself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In yoga, the hardest posture for me is
savasana, corpse pose, where we lie silent and still on our mats. It’s also the
most essential-part of my daily practice: to quiet my busy brain, to say
“Peace: Be Still.” I have found that as I focus on being instead of thinking or
doing, I can feel myself connected to the world in marvelous ways, experiencing
what it means to exist in the glorious eternal now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This time of enforced quiet has definitely not been
all fun and games though. In the stillness, I learned some hard things about
myself. I learned first that I was tired. We are all <i>so tired.</i> Living
with mundane, quotidian existential dread has a way of doing that to us. From
pandemics to politics, our poor limbic systems are stuck in panic mode. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I don’t know about you, but I’m taking
antidepressants and doing tons of telehealth therapy to cope with even little things
like grocery shopping right now. As a mental health advocate, I know there’s no
shame in this. These times are hard, and I’m grateful that there is help, and
that I can access it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But I’m also focusing on my breath. At its
simplest, breathing is the essence of existence. And as we breathe, we can “Clear
the chaos and the clutter” so that we can see what really matters to us. As I
have seen what really matters to me, I have experienced a profound sense of
gratitude.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the stillness, the second hard lesson I
learned was that any sense of control is an illusion. In the Before Time, I
thought that I was the master of my own fate. I tricked myself with Outlook
calendars and social media and other tools of modern existence into believing
that I could control what happened to me or to the people I loved. I can’t. You
can’t. To “find the frame where we are freed,” we must first free ourselves
from this illusion of control.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On my daily walks last spring, I began to
develop what the poet Amy Clampitt called “a limitless interiority” where
anything seemed possible. I watched ducklings grow from balls of yellow fuzz to
mature confident adults. I watched buds swell on tree branches and slowly
unfold their petals to the sun. Every day, a few more blossoms opened until the
trees were splashes of pink and white against the blue spring sky. Those buds
were hope. I watched as the blossoms faded, the trees greened then turned to
gold. The leaves carpeted the sidewalks, and still we waited. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the traditional Christian liturgical
calendar, December is a time of waiting. During advent, Christians wait each
year for the birth of their god in human form. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">(Fun and slightly sacrilegious fact from Life
Hacker <a href="https://lifehacker.com/count-down-to-the-presidential-inauguration-with-an-adv-1845794329">Joel Cunningham</a>—if you buy an advent calendar the day after Christmas
this year, it will count down the days to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s
inauguration).</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But seriously, when you think about it, isn’t hope
for a better world, in its simplest form, at the heart of religion? We are
called, all of us, in this season of waiting, of hope, of light, to “Come and
find <i>our</i> quiet center.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My children and my students keep asking me when
we will return to normal. I have good tidings for them—and for you: We won’t. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In mental health advocacy, we have a saying:
“Normal is a setting on the washing machine.” If we’re lucky, we’ll emerge from
this time of stillness with something important to say and do. When our eyes are
opened to the things that really matter—to social justice and equity for our
Black and Brown brothers and sisters, to stewardship for our fragile earth, to
the future we want to leave our children and their children—we will “find the
room for hope to enter.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But most importantly, if we’ve learned the
lessons of these challenging times, we’ll enter our new world, whatever it
looks like, secure in the knowledge of how to return to our quiet centers, “to
be at peace, and simply be.” That peace is my wish for myself and for all of
you, in this season of waiting, of stillness, of hope, joy, and light.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Closing Song<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg4g-_ZlKnM" target="_blank">Bothell High School</a> "Come and Find the Quiet Center" arranged by Kirk Marcy</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Or my son’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGhpPHtEjRU&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">Sonous</a> choir directed by Seth McMullen: at minute marker 28:10-30:35 </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Reading: From <a href="https://poets.org/poem/silence">“A Silence”</a> by Amy Clampitt</span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">past parentage or gender<br />
beyond sung vocables<br />
the slipped-between<br />
the so infinitesimal<br />
fault line<br />
a limitless interiority<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">beyond the woven<br />
unicorn <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the maiden<br />
(man-carved <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>worm-eaten)<br />
God at her hip<br />
incipient<br />
the untransfigured<br />
cottontail<br />
bluebell and primrose<br />
growing wild <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a strawberry<br />
chagrin <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>night terrors<br />
past the earthlit<br />
unearthly masquerade<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">(we shall be changed)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">a silence opens</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">#lighttheworld</span></span></p>Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-37769742001810706952020-03-14T12:23:00.000-06:002020-03-14T12:23:49.110-06:00Online Teaching 101<i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Ready or Not, the Future Is Now—and It Doesn’t Have to Be Dystopian</i><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Many of us in higher education received emails last week
about either taking our classes online or preparing to do so. If you’re anxious
about the next several weeks, imagine how your students are feeling! Many of
them have avoided online classes or have had a negative experience with one in
the past. For context, I teach hybrid, face-to-face, and online classes in an
open-access community college where many of my students are already at risk,
and last week, I could smell the fear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a teacher, you are likely well aware that current research
about online education suggests that distance learning is <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/01/16/online-learning-fails-deliver-finds-report-aimed-discouraging" target="_blank">not as effective</a> as
face-to-face classes and that the retention and persistence rates for students are
poor.
Also, let’s be frank here: some administrators seem to think that online
classes are “easy” to teach and that all we have to do is post our syllabus
online to turn a face-to-face class into an online one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nothing could be further from the truth, and you should be
aware upfront that developing and teaching an online course, in my experience,
typically takes more time than teaching a face-to-face class (though it comes
with added perks like flexibility and the ability to offer classes during a
pandemic). For this reason, it’s important to track your labor over the next
few weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With those caveats, I want you to know how much I personally
love teaching and learning online. As an instructor who began teaching online
and hybrid classes in 2010 and completed my Organizational Leadership doctorate
in a fully online program in 2016, I have seen firsthand that online teachers
can create effective active learning opportunities. With intentional planning
and deliberate outreach, an online class can provide a robust learning
environment for your students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Below, I have outlined a few areas that have been important
to me as an online teacher, along with examples and resources. I have focused
my suggestions on relatively simple and quick ways to transfer your existing
face-to-face class to an online environment.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Communicate Early and Often</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the most important ways to build engagement with online
students is to communicate early and often. Communication should take a variety
of forms, and make sure you let your students know what your preferred style of
communication is. Here’s how I communicate with my classes:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Weekly LMS course announcements about
assignments, sometimes including a short video I record on my phone and upload
to YouTube.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Regular and frequent emails, including a weekly
email wrap up of the work we covered. Note: it’s important to make sure that
students are checking their student email. Including a tutorial about how to
forward their student emails to their phones can be a great way to make sure
that they are checking their messages. It’s also really important that you
respond to emails as quickly as possible, but definitely within 24 hours. I check
for student emails before I go to bed every evening and when I wake up in the
morning. Here is an example of a weekly wrap up course announcement/email I
created for my English 215 Survey of World Mythology course:</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="288" scrolling="no" src="https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=B388DE5B0BCACA69&resid=B388DE5B0BCACA69%218859&authkey=AJ42ReaMt5bbxgY&em=2" width="476"></iframe>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Ask Your Instructor” open forum in your LMS
discussion board. Students can post questions that the whole class may have.
Subscribe to this board so that you can get back to students quickly. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Video feedback on assignment grades. Both Canvas
and Blackboard make this easy to do by incorporating a way to record audio or
video feedback directly in the assignment comment box. This way of giving
feedback has two advantages: 1) It generally takes less time than line edits or
written feedback, and 2) It builds rapport with your students. They will feel
like you really care, which will contribute to their ability to succeed in the
class. See here for Blackboard instructions: <a href="https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Interact/Audio_Video_Recording" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Interact/Audio_Video_Recording</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Weekly online office hours. Some of my friends use these office hours for emails and DMs with students, which is fine. I also host a weekly Blackboard Collaborate live session. Usually between 2-6 students attend. Students have reported that just knowing they have this option makes them feel less anxious about our online class. If you don’t have Bb Collaborate, you could do the same thing through Google Hangouts.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Phone calls or live video chats. Sometimes it’s just easier to work with a student individually over the phone or through a video conference. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A “resources” or “FAQ” link where students can look for commonly asked questions, including important information like how to contact the IT help desk and access online tutoring.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Student feedback. Treat your students as collaborators in your course development. I use Google Forms to ask my students for their preferences about short stories or potential assignments or to assess how well a particular assignment worked. This helps the students to feel like their voices are heard. Here is an example from my CWID “You Are What You Eat” course, where I surveyed students for their opinions on ethical issues that surround food (this took about 10 minutes to create):
<iframe frameborder="0" height="1919" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRqg7AJYKs-zWYFTHlSdP0JoAHqSRlxRk0ZVHLQ_HSspTQCw/viewform?embedded=true" width="640">Loading…</iframe></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Keep It Simple</span></b></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You may not have spent much time thinking about UX (user
experience). But I’m sure you’ve encountered a website that is frustrating or
difficult to navigate. Keeping your online course as simple as possible will be
important to your students’ success. In an online guide written for the
Chronicle of Higher Education, Flower Darby provides a useful glossary of
common online pedagogy jargon that may help you as you think about your user
experience: <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/advice-online-teaching">https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/advice-online-teaching</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here’s how I do this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Start by looking at your existing syllabus and lesson plans. You probably already have discussions and assignments scheduled for each week. For each of these discussions and assignments, you’ll need to develop an online equivalent.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I recommend using the discussion board weekly for formative assessments. There are a few different ways to organize your discussion boards. Depending on the subject matter, you may want to create a single thread and have students respond directly to the thread. Or you may want to allow students to create their own threads within a forum. Have students post an initial response, but also require them to respond to classmates. It’s also important for you to participate regularly on these boards to build instructor presence—but you can quickly develop a bank of generic comments that can be repurposed. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I use discussion boards in a variety of ways, including peer review on assignments and essays and for discussions that we would normally have in a classroom setting. Using discussion boards is pretty easy for most students, and grading them is pretty easy for you. Create a simple rubric with your expectations. Here is an example from my online Connecting with Ideas course: </span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="288" scrolling="no" src="https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=B388DE5B0BCACA69&resid=B388DE5B0BCACA69%2110985&authkey=AMZjLY1cG-CW6mQ&em=2" width="476"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Think about how to organize your course as clearly as possible. I use weekly modules, open during the week we are working on them. These modules include links to the course documents, discussions, and assignments that students should focus on each week. All of my assignments are available under an “assignments” link, and all of my course documents are available under a “course documents” link, organized in folders by type of assignment.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In general, one discussion board assignment and one other assignment (such as homework, a lab report, or other assignment) should be enough to replicate what you did in a face-to-face class. Keep due dates regular and consistent so that students can plan ahead.</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Be Creative and Use Your Resources</span></b></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Again, using your existing syllabus and lesson plans as a
guide, think about how you can meet the same outcomes in an online environment.
Do you currently have group projects? So do I, and the online students really have
fun with them. In the real world, many students will work on distributed teams,
and giving an online group project is a great way to help them practice. You
can set up different group discussions and even group Collaborate Live sessions
in Blackboard; Canvas lets you set up entire sub-course sites for groups where
they can have their own announcements and discussions. Here is an example of a
critical edition website of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” that one
English 211 student group created using Google Sites (shared with permission): <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/futuristic-consequences/home">https://sites.google.com/view/futuristic-consequences/home</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do your students give speeches or presentations? Consider using
Voice <a href="https://voicethread.com/" target="_blank">Thread</a> or
<a href="https://info.flipgrid.com/" target="_blank">Flip Grid</a>. You
can also use Flip Grid for discussions. I ask my students for their advice
about tools—while I have not used this yet, for example, I would not be at all
averse to having students create a TikTok video assignment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For lectures, I’ve seen many of my colleagues use tools like
<a href="https://screencast-o-matic.com/" target="_blank">Screencast-O-Matic</a> or <a href="https://go.powtoon.com/home/" target="_blank">Powtoon</a>.
But I am more old school. I use PowerPoints that I created for my face-to-face
classes and record narrative in PowerPoint 2016. I then export the presentation
to video, upload it to YouTube, and voila! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One note about YouTube presentations: try to keep
your presentations under 15 minutes. Students seem to lose attention beyond
that time frame. This may mean breaking up existing presentations into shorter
ones. Recording a lecture like this is quick and easy--less than an hour from start to finish. I recommend avoiding
specific due dates or saving all due dates for the last slide. It’s easy to
record a new final slide with updated due dates each semester—then export to a
new video. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here’s an example from my Survey of World Mythology class: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media;
gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gYPQvJX-vao" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you have access to Office 365, you have a wonderful presentation
tool in Microsoft Sway. A colleague showed me how to use Sway to create multi-media
online lectures that are optimized for mobile phones. Adobe Spark is a similar
program. Here’s an example of a presentation I created on the Maya for my
English 215 Survey of World Mythology class (it took me about three hours). <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500px" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" max-width="100%" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" sandbox="allow-forms allow-modals
allow-orientation-lock allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts" scrolling="no" src="https://sway.office.com/s/339N9zZbInrbloyO/embed" style="border: none; max-height: 100vh; max-width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="760px"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While I teach humanities courses, thinking creatively can
also apply to science courses. For example, my oldest son is in the final
semester of his college physics program, and his college made the sudden decision
to move everything online. He’s most concerned about his lab circuits class,
but his professor is already exploring ideas like getting each student an
<a href="https://www.arduino.cc/" target="_blank">Arduino</a> to work on
at home. I have a feeling that in the current climate, if you have a solid
proposal for something like this, administrators are definitely likely to consider
your requests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally, the website Amazing School Resources is collecting
a wide range of free educational resources to use in online classrooms. You can
access the list here: <a href="http://www.amazingeducationalresources.com/">http://www.amazingeducationalresources.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In conclusion, you can do this. Make sure you reach out to colleagues
and to your institution’s instructional designers (and be patient with them
during this time because I am sure they are slammed). Whenever I have a
question about how to move something from a face-to-face to an online
environment, our college’s instructional designers have provided excellent
suggestions and resources, including many of the things I shared above. Program
chairs should consider creating a professional development site in your LMS and
using a dedicated discussion forum to share assignments and resources (our
wonderful program chair already does this, and it’s a lifesaver!). I know many
of my colleagues who teach online are more than eager to offer resources and
support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The last bit of advice I have comes from research on <a href="https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/" target="_blank">growthmindset</a>,
something that we all can now model for our students. Many of us have negative ideas about online teaching. But this modality has undeniable benefits. Without
online education, I could not have earned my doctorate as a working single
mother of four children. Online education means access. It means opportunity.
And when done intentionally and with students at the center, online education can
definitely mean success. The future of education is now—and it doesn’t have to
be dystopian, for teachers or for our students.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you have other ideas or resources to share, I would
really appreciate you linking to them in the comments.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-43537157530178191012019-12-31T23:11:00.000-07:002019-12-31T23:11:27.166-07:00Is This Mic on?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Why I went an entire year without posting to my blog</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H8iXDd4-_Yc/Xgw3Kc21ioI/AAAAAAAAA0A/xStgFdzCQlUgbFffeqDLF3TxualMUl1HACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Blog%2B2019%2BPost.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1507" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H8iXDd4-_Yc/Xgw3Kc21ioI/AAAAAAAAA0A/xStgFdzCQlUgbFffeqDLF3TxualMUl1HACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Blog%2B2019%2BPost.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><i>Well, I mean, no one reads your blog anyway, right?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A year ago today in 2018, I was fidgeting on the examination
table at my ob/gyn’s office, a paper drape wrapped awkwardly around my legs. I
take these women ‘s health things pretty seriously; in 2012, I was diagnosed
with Stage 0 </span><a href="https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervical-cancer/treating/by-stage.html" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">cervical cancer</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> (or carcinoma in situ)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">,
which really isn’t as serious as it sounds, but when you’ve just lost your job and
your health insurance like I had, anything with the word “cancer” can seem
pretty darn scary. I had avoided the dreaded pap smear for six years, too busy
trying to balance work and four young children as a single mother, and who had
time for self-care, let alone self-health-care?</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Planned Parenthood saved my life. The outpatient surgery was
a fraction of the cost at their non-abortion performing clinic compared with other
local providers, and they told me to pay “whatever you can, whenever you can.” Just
a few weeks later, I had another, better job and health insurance). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Back to 2018. The perky medical assistant wheeled up the EMR
cart and said, “I’m going to ask you a few questions about your health.” Sure.
Standard stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then she asked, “Have you noticed a reduced interest in
doing things that you normally enjoy?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The question took me aback. This was a gynecological exam. The etymological history of the word hysteria aside, what did my mood have to do
with my uterus? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yes,” I responded honestly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Are you feeling down, depressed, or hopeless? Have you felt
that way for more than two weeks?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yes,” I replied, “But it’s situational.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that situational depression—its causes and effects—is
the reason I haven’t posted to my blog for a year. The situation involves a
loved one, and that loved one has a medical condition for which the main
treatment method involves the word “anonymous.” We don’t talk about it. We
certainly don’t write about it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After I continued to respond “yes” to each question on a nine-item
depression screening instrument, the medical assistant stepped out to consult
with my nurse practitioner who came into the room with a concerned smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“It’s situational,” I told her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I get that,” she said. “How long has this situation been
affecting you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When did I stop hearing birdsong?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Was it in October, as the leaves changed colors and fell to
the earth, as I grieved my dead father?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Certainly, the “situation” was serious by November, when I
was a keynote speaker for the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental
Health annual conference. It took everything I had to pull on nylons, slip into
my red power dress and navy blue jacket, step on a stage in Houston in front of
hundreds of passionate, powerful mental health advocates, and share my family’s
story. All I wanted to do then was to sleep—permanently. I felt like a fraud. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everywhere I went in Houston during that trip, I saw ghosts.
In the tunnels, my father, who worked at One Shell Plaza. In the public
library, my teenage self, poring over microfiche news clippings about T.E.
Lawrence’s death (my first published article, in Brigham Young University’s
<i>Insight Magazine</i>, was about Lawrence of Arabia and the problem of modern heroism).
In the theater district, my first love, turning to me with bright eyes at the
fountains beside the Wortham Center after we saw Prokofiev’s Cinderella on my
18<sup>th</sup> birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No, if I was being honest, the “situation” and my inability
to function at normal levels was probably earlier than that—September 2018, the
start of a new term, when I was eligible to apply for promotion but simply
could not see how I deserved it. What was the point of gathering student evaluations?
How could I possibly write a narrative highlighting my accomplishments in the
classroom when I myself could not see them? Wasn’t I just a burden to everyone?
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In hindsight, I think that at least subconsciously, I sensed
some of the warning signs that summer, and I tried to take proactive measures. I
stopped drinking in early 2018 and will never go back. I resumed my regular
yoga practice, lying in corpse pose after a strenuous daily vinyasa flow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In hindsight, it wasn’t enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was first diagnosed with depression in my senior year of
college, and the illness nearly derailed me. With medication, therapy, and
incredibly supportive friends and family, I was able to persevere and recover,
graduating on time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When depression struck again during my third pregnancy, I
was forced to confront the fact that my mental health condition might be
chronic. Once again, medication—a risk during pregnancy but a necessary one—stabilized
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before my divorce in 2008, as my marriage was ending, I reached
a crisis point (I talked about this turning point and stepping away from suicidal
ideation in a <a href="https://soundcloud.com/storystorynight/life-punctuated-featured-storytellers-1" target="_blank">2018 Story Story Night</a> performance about semicolons). Yet once I
was on my own, despite the challenges, I felt tremendous gratitude for my life,
for second chances, for my beautiful children. During the years that my son was
sick, I focused my energy on caring for him, and I am so proud of the man he is
becoming today. I was grateful for the opportunities that both Eric and I had
to share our stories of hope and recovery. Eric's awesome <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrZZoCm-nME" target="_blank">TEDx Boise</a> talk has way more views than mine (I call that a definite mom win!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But as a mental health advocate, I hate to admit that I grew
complacent during that ten-year reprieve about my own mental health.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When did I stop hearing birdsong? All that I know is this:
by the time I took the stage in Houston, I was moving slowly through muffled,
suffocating silence. The air pressed on my skin, creeping, crawling. I could
not escape. <i>What if the worst thing happens?</i> I thought. <i>What is the
worst thing?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I survived. Then December 2018 came. The second week of
December, when I lost hope, again, forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have to be vague because if there’s one thing I’ve learned
in my years of advocacy, it’s that our stories have boundaries. Where does my
story end and where does yours begin? If you want to remain anonymous, do I need to remain
silent too? What am I allowed to say? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ve decided after a year of silence that I can talk about
myself—my own experiences. I can say that in the second week of December 2018, I
felt numb, grey, beyond hopeless, because being hopeless would require a
knowledge of its opposite, hope, and those were just four letters on a page to
me, like love, like self. These words had lost their meaning. In my experience
with depression, everything is spoken and heard through thick cotton. Colors fade.
Sleep disappears. Food has no taste. If there are birds, they do not sing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can say that this depressive episode was situational, but
I cannot talk about the situation because stories have boundaries, and words
have consequences. I know this more than most people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hate December. In my case, the consequences of sharing stories
have involved my worst fears: the loss of my children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the second week of December 2018, I had 48 hours to find
a new place to live. Thanks to white privilege and a good credit score, I was
able to do this. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And so there I was in my ob-gyn’s office on the last day of
December, flunking a nine-question depression screening.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In 2014, after my book <i><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/315597/the-price-of-silence-by-liza-long/" target="_blank">The Price of Silence: A Mom’sPerspective on Mental Illness</a> </i>was published, I had the extraordinary opportunity
to meet with David Pate, then CEO of St. Luke’s, the largest healthcare
provider in Idaho. He asked me, “If you could make one change to our current
healthcare model that would promote mental health, what would you do?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I answered without hesitation. “Work mental health screenings
into all physical wellness check-ups, from pediatrics on up,” I said. Of
course, there are numerous other things we can do—more hospital beds for psychiatric
care, integrated models of mental and physical health care, etc. But access to
care all starts with knowledge and normalization. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here I was, four years later, at a St. Luke’s women’s health
clinic, experiencing the integration of a mental health screening in my own
physical wellness check-up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“It’s situational,” I told my nurse practitioner. “It will
pass.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“But you don’t have to live like this right now,” she replied.
She touched my arm gently and I burst into tears. Not because I was sad—my depression
is not sadness. Touch—any touch—was painfully intrusive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She prescribed antidepressant medication, the same one I had
taken during my two previous episodes. The medication worked—I could function
again—but I didn’t feel like myself. I was productive but still emotionless, an
automaton. I could sleep and eat again, but I still couldn’t hear the songs of
birds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Let’s try something different,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We did. And the second medication worked. Everywhere I went,
I felt like I was discovering a new language—the language of the birds. They
were singing to me, warbling the forgotten words: hope, love, self, okay. I was
okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have become acutely attenuated to birdsong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have almost completed my promotion packet. Reflecting on my
Fall 2018 semester has instilled me with a sense of humility and gratitude that
makes me a better teacher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have accepted that the nameless heartbreak of December
2018 has become a part of me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The past can’t be fixed, but the future is
interesting to me again. I want to try. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The "situation" is still a major part of my life, and it’s
still anonymous, but I am trying to find ways to reclaim
my own voice. And I’m trying to appreciate this opportunity to practice radical
compassion. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’ve realized that these efforts will be the work of a
lifetime and that as long as some mental health conditions continue to require
silence and shame, our work as advocates must continue.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mental health is physical health. In 2020, we have work to
do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>To be fair, I did write a lot in 2019, just not for my personal blog. I continue to blog regularly for <a href="https://info.1in5minds.org/blog/author/liza-long" target="_blank">One in Five Minds.org</a>, an amazing organization dedicated to children's mental health, and I still write occasionally for Eagle Magazine and Greenbelt Magazine. I also had my first short story, "Jesus, Take the Wheel," accepted for publication in the 2019 <a href="https://www.thecabinidaho.org/adult-programs/writers-in-the-attic/" target="_blank">Writers in the Attic</a> "Fuel" anthology from the Cabin. </i></span></o:p></div>
<br />Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-24712080105060258372018-11-06T10:20:00.000-07:002018-11-06T10:20:42.870-07:00American Dreams<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VQUBeuSNG48/W-HMq0tslQI/AAAAAAAAAxs/6tVD-UNAqyk_PH149ceRYaX68Br3VWi0gCLcBGAs/s1600/vb2018%2B3%2Bd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="306" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VQUBeuSNG48/W-HMq0tslQI/AAAAAAAAAxs/6tVD-UNAqyk_PH149ceRYaX68Br3VWi0gCLcBGAs/s1600/vb2018%2B3%2Bd.png" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Image from http://voteblue.blogspot.com/ </span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why Voting Blue Is the Right Thing to Do for Compassionate Conservative
Republican Women<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you ask me why I’m a registered Republican, I can answer
with two words: liberty and opportunity. For me, since I was young, liberty and
opportunity have been my definition of the American Dream. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While I identify with traditional conservatives on many
issues like free trade and disdain for big government, I also consider myself
socially liberal, with justice as my main political concern. The truth is, like
most Americans, I am actually somewhere in the center, and my values reflect
that centrist, moderate approach. I have never voted straight ticket anything.
I have always researched the issues and candidates and voted my conscience. In recent
presidential elections, this meant a very tough decision to vote for Barack
Obama over John McCain in 2008, a relatively easy decision to support Mitt
Romney over President Obama in 2012, and a privilege and honor to vote for
Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My concern for justice and equity meant that I never excused
Hillary’s husband Bill’s abhorrent affair with a White House intern, the cover
up of which led to his impeachment. I never saw that affair as anything other
than what it was: an abuse of power. And I felt betrayed by the feminists who
seemed willing to make a bargain with the devil—“but he’s so good on women’s
issues!” They were willing to sacrifice one young woman for what they thought
was the greater good, an unacceptable sacrifice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But Donald Trump brags about sexual assault. He seems to
sincerely believe that he is entitled to women’s bodies, promoting the false
narrative that men are actually the victims of the #metoo movement. As a
survivor myself (who has no interest in sharing my story with the world), I am
dumbstruck by the lengths to which men like Trump will go to protect their
“rights” to control women’s bodies and personal liberty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With this background, I was actually grateful for Brett Kavanaugh’s
confirmation to the Supreme Court because we now have absolutely no doubt what
the Republican Party thinks about women. Like most women I know, I absolutely
believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. I am 100% certain that her memory of her
assault at Brett Kavanaugh’s hands is accurate. I think most of the Republican
senators who voted to confirm Kavanaugh believe her too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So there it is. There’s no mistaking what happened here:
when it comes down to he said/she said, no matter how credible she is, he’s the
one who wins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And really, isn’t that what the Founding Fathers intended?
The world we live in now—a world where straight, white, rich men control
everyone else—is exactly the world that they and their constitution intended to
make.</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The American Dream was never about liberty and opportunity
for women or minorities or poor people. In America, liberty and opportunity—a
few inconvenient constitutional amendments notwithstanding—belong only to rich
white men. And—a few inconvenient constitutional amendments notwithstanding--that’s
who is still in charge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This country was born from resentment: no taxation without
representation. Well, “we the people,” the majority of us, are not represented
by the Republicans in charge today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The messages of the 2016 presidential election and the Kavanaugh
Supreme Court confirmation are clear: when it comes to “we, the people,” the
system is broken. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So here’s where this college-educated, Republican woman
stands on this election day. I refuse to be one of the 53% of white women who
is willing to trade my support for amorality and greed in exchange for the
dubious privilege of remaining on the pedestal where Paul Ryan and his kind
want to put me. I also refuse to condemn Susan Collins for a vote that
literally any other Republican man could have cancelled by believing women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This election is not about who has a brighter vision for all
Americans. It’s about checking and balancing evil. </span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Candidly, I don’t like Democratic
socialism. I don’t believe that big government is the answer to the myriad
problems facing society. I could spend a whole essay explaining how I prefer
Universal Basic Income and a transparent healthcare marketplace with
catastrophic coverage to “the government” providing these services. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I will vote blue until these rich, entitled white men
are gone. Because as long as they are in charge, there’s no American Dream for
the rest of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-49112196994707435522018-09-14T09:56:00.000-06:002018-09-14T09:56:26.123-06:00Palace of Cards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SrF9OOJAneU/W5vYG801NaI/AAAAAAAAAxE/UD7sgT-hzqIJzblLuURtB4f5NvggFMlBQCLcBGAs/s1600/thumbnail%2Bsimple%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="1056" height="209" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SrF9OOJAneU/W5vYG801NaI/AAAAAAAAAxE/UD7sgT-hzqIJzblLuURtB4f5NvggFMlBQCLcBGAs/s320/thumbnail%2Bsimple%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Madam Mao Tells a Cautionary Tale about What Happens to Women Who Seek Power</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The story could have been taken straight from the U.S. 2016 presidential election headlines. A powerful former first lady seeks to follow in her husband’s political footsteps, but instead of assuming the nation’s highest office, she is destroyed by chants of “Lock her up!” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While Hillary Clinton’s lofty political aspirations merely ended in retirement after a stunning Electoral College defeat, Jiang Qing faced an actual life behind bars after the death of her husband, Chairman Mao Zedong, the Chinese leader who devastated his country during the historical period known as the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On September 20, 2018, the story of Mao Zedong’s powerful wife will come to life in the American premiere of <i>Madam Mao</i> on the Boise Contemporary Theater stage. The play explores the final weeks of Jiang Qing’s life in a Beijing prison, 15 years after Mao Zedong’s death, using dance, live music, and improvisation as Janet Lo (“Jiang Qing”) interacts with Samantha Wan (“Sergeant/Trickster”) and Amanda Zhou (“Red Guard”), moving from present to past in a stream of stories about this powerful woman’s rise and fall. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I spoke with Lo, the play’s lead actor and co-creator, by telephone in July 2018, it was sometimes hard to tell whether she was speaking as herself or as her character. Her role in creating Jiang Qing has immersed her in the story to such a degree that she sometimes speaks as Madam Mao, switching from third to first person without a thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I asked Lo what drew her to this infamous woman. Noting that such complex characters are still a rarity for Asian actors, Lo replied, “When I started reading about Jiang Qing, I was immediately intrigued that she led such a complicated life. She was, at one time, the most powerful and feared woman in the world. The question was how did she become so hated? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No one is born evil, but towards the end, she was accused of monstrous things. Was she evil or has she been vilified by historical perspective? And if it’s the latter, why?”</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jiang Qing’s transformation from young actress to cultural force is a fascinating tale. More popularly known as “Madam Mao,” she used the state-run theater and her control over the artistic community to prepare China to accept a woman leader. “There is no such thing as art for art’s sake,” Mao famously said, and Jiang Qing, who met fellow Communist Party member Mao Zedong when she was a drama instructor nearly half his age, used the spectacle of theater to create programming that glorified the Cultural Revolution. Her eight “Model Plays” deified Mao and the People’s Liberation Army, incorporating Western theatrical elements such as ballet, orchestral compositions, and opera. The plays relied on simple binary narratives that may also seem relevant to viewers today, with workers portrayed as the “good guys,” pitted in a heroic struggle against evil capitalists. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8_0FWzXAPso/W5vZkAD2aiI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/y4mjh4_G6KEn2HH60iH3PUehMQB-XW-FgCLcBGAs/s1600/800px-Jiang_Qing_1976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1099" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8_0FWzXAPso/W5vZkAD2aiI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/y4mjh4_G6KEn2HH60iH3PUehMQB-XW-FgCLcBGAs/s320/800px-Jiang_Qing_1976.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jiang Qing, aka Madam Mao, in 1976. <br />By Unknown - Dutch National Archives, <br />The Hague, <br />https://commons.wikimedia.org/<br />w/index.php?curid=37133170</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But instead of assuming political power after her husband died, Madam Mao was almost immediately blamed for the devastating losses China incurred as a result of her husband’s authoritarian regime. Charged as the leader of the infamous “Gang of Four,” she expressed no remorse for her actions during the Cultural Revolution, famously stating at her trial: “I was Chairman Mao's dog. I bit whomever he asked me to bite."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When Lo approached renowned Canadian actor and director Paul Thompson about creating a live stage play depicting Jiang Qing’s final days in her prison cell before her 1991 death by suicide, Thompson was already familiar with the story. Someone had pitched it to him in the late 1970s, and though it had all the elements of a gripping drama, Thompson felt that the subject matter would be too unfamiliar to theater goers because despite President Nixon’s historic 1972 visit, China at the time was still viewed in the West as an insignificant, backwater country.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Forty years later, the geopolitical realities are very different. With China emerging as a world power, Thompson decided that Lo was right: Jiang Qing’s story needed to be told. <i>Madam Mao</i> premiered in Toronto at the 2014 SummerWorks festival to rave reviews. The production won <i>NOW Magazine’s </i>“Best in Fest” award, citing its outstanding ensemble cast, director (Severn Thompson), and production design. After seeing a 2016 reprisal of the production, author Margaret Atwood of <i>Handmaid’s Tale</i> fame summed up her experience: </span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Excellent performance, three versatile and expressive actors, fascinating story.” </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I asked Lo why this story matters to audiences now, more than 40 years after Mao Zedong’s death. She gave me two reasons: first, the theme of idealism in politics. “I think that Jiang Qing was very idealistic when this all started,” she said. “She was living for the glory of the dream—the dream of a happier life for Chinese workers. The play explores how this idealism gets corroded in politics, and I think that’s a very relevant message.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The second reason Lo gave me was that <i>Madam Mao</i> explores the role art plays in shaping society’s views. And in fact, this play was created in a way that may seem unusual to some American audiences. Lo’s mentor Paul Thompson was one of the pioneering forces behind a theatrical form known as collective creation, a collaboration among actors, playwrights, and directors using historical documents and facts with improvisation techniques to produce a play. The economic advantages of such collaboration are clear: A high quality production can be staged with just a few actors and minimal sets, and the production can easily travel from one community to another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This creation method also has advantages for artists. I asked Lo what she enjoyed most about the collective creation process. “There is an energy and immediacy when a play is created this way,” she said. “And we as actors can take ownership of the work. Also, similar to how musicians jam, we as actors jam to create dialogue and story.”</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According to Lo, one of the most important messages of the play is that the best ideological intentions can sometimes end in horrific abuses of power. </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But there’s also a cautionary message about women and politics. “In the whole history of China, there has ever only been one female ruler,” Lo observed. “Even though in this country, we have yet to have had a female President, the United States is merely 242 years old, whereas China, in 5000 years, had only one empress from 624-705 C.E.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the play, Lo’s character Jiang Qing is asked, “Did you think you would be the next ruler of China?” Madam Mao’s reply, sadly, rang as true for women in the United States in 2016 as it did in China in the 1970s: "Do you think they would have let me?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let’s hope that with a record number of women running in the 2018 midterm elections, a few things change for the better, without the pain, corruption, and destruction of our own Cultural Revolution.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Madam Mao will play for six performances at the Boise Contemporary Theater from Thursday, September 20-Saturday, September 22. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit <a href="http://azureriver.wixsite.com/madam-mao">http://azureriver.wixsite.com/madam-mao</a> </span></i><br />
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-84136350583936238172018-07-23T11:31:00.001-06:002018-07-23T11:31:31.146-06:00Your Hero's Journey<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jwDuTUlAxLc/W1YPyV_ASOI/AAAAAAAAAww/U_HsRnAbeUU3QeXmjaxQlJfTihGlNbjTgCLcBGAs/s1600/HerosJourney_TW-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jwDuTUlAxLc/W1YPyV_ASOI/AAAAAAAAAww/U_HsRnAbeUU3QeXmjaxQlJfTihGlNbjTgCLcBGAs/s320/HerosJourney_TW-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Star Wars</i> and the Hero's Journey by <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/craft-technique/star-wars-and-the-heros-journey" target="_blank">Rachel Scheller</a>, </span><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>Telling Stories that Matter </i><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>This is the text of a sermon I delivered to the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (BUUF) on Sunday, July 22, 2018.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I teach a popular online course at the College of Western
Idaho called “Survey of World Mythology.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Every semester, my students start the course thinking that they are going to
learn about Zeus, Hera, and maybe Thor—and in all fairness, Thor is why I initially
wanted to teach the course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About three weeks in, we get to the part where I introduce
Jesus as just one of many examples from world religions of the “dying god”
archetype, and there’s the delicious sound of young minds being blown. “What?
We’re reading Christian scriptures as myths?” Well, yes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stories, wherever they come from, have power. Stories can
shape our cultures—and our individual stories can shape our values and our sense
of meaning in a world that might otherwise feel like pure chaos. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A possibly spurious<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
quote attributed to British novelist John Gardner famously asserts that there
are only two basic stories in the entire world: the hero’s journey, and a
stranger walks into town. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, we’re
going to talk about the first kind of story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In my world mythology class, I spend an entire unit on the
hero’s journey. This universal archetype, a story that exists across all world
cultures, was described by anthropologist Joseph Campbell in his seminal 1949
work, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hero with a Thousand Faces. </i>The
book heavily influenced George Lucas—so I guess we have Campbell to thank for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> (well, at least the good
movies, the ones that the young folks call four, five, and six)<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What is it about the hero’s journey that makes it such a
powerful story for pretty much every human being?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Joseph Campbell outlines 17 stages of his monomyth<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn4" name="_ednref4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>—but
we’ll be here all day if we try to get through all of them, and I know some of
you have brunch plans. So I’d like to focus on just three elements of the
hero’s journey and consider how these elements apply to the stories we are
telling about ourselves in the world, right now:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Answering the Call</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The Belly of the Whale</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Ultimate Boon/Freedom to Live</span></li>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let’s
Start with Answering the Call.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here you are, minding your own business. Maybe you’re
working a desk job. Maybe you are surrounded by small children who are
continually asking you “why?” and demanding peanut butter and honey sandwiches.
Maybe you’re a modern day Jonah, preaching to people who comfortably agree with
you, your Facebook friends, your book club group, your progressive liberal
friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Suddenly, everything changes. The telephone rings. An email
hits your inbox. You see a social media message from a long-lost high school
friend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Campbell says that
the call to adventure is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">to
a forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves, or above the sky, a secret
island, lofty mountaintop, or profound dream state; but it is always a place of
strangely fluid and polymorphous beings, unimaginable torments, super human
deeds, and impossible delight. The hero can go forth of his own volition to
accomplish the adventure, as did Theseus when he arrived in his father's city,
Athens, and heard the horrible history of the Minotaur; or he may be carried or
sent abroad by some benign or malignant agent as was Odysseus, driven about the
Mediterranean by the winds of the angered god, Poseidon. The adventure may
begin as a mere blunder... or still again, one may be only casually strolling
when some passing phenomenon catches the wandering eye and lures one away from
the frequented paths of man."<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn5" name="_ednref5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When did the call come to you? How did you answer? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you’re like me, the call has come many times, and I’ve
answered in different ways. Sometimes I’ve been like Jonah—Run away! Sometimes
I’ve proudly crossed the thresholds and stormed the barricades. But my most
important calls have been the last kind Campbell describes—the calling by
accident. When an anonymous blog I wrote about parenting a child who had a then
undiagnosed mental illness, titled “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother,”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn6" name="_ednref6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
went suddenly viral in 2012, I wanted to run away. But I answered the call. I
put my name on the story and told our family’s truth about just how hard it is
to raise a child who has mental illness, without a village to support us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Think for a moment about the accidents in your life that in
hindsight, changed everything. What truths do you need to tell?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Next,
let’s look at the Belly of the Whale.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This idea comes straight from
the Biblical story of Jonah and the whale, and I think it’s important to
remember that, like Jonah, whether or not we accept the call, we can and
probably will still end up in the fish’s belly at some point in our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But it’s not as bad as you
think. In fact, Campbell describes the image as one of rebirth. He says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The hero…
is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died. This popular motif
gives emphasis to the lesson that the passage of the threshold is a form of
self-annihilation. Instead of passing outward, beyond the confines of the
visible world, the hero goes inward, to be born again.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn7" name="_ednref7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The belly of the whale is
where we have to do the hard work that accepting the call requires of us. I
suspect that it’s where many of us are right now.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NBC News</i>:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Across America today, rates of
depression and anxiety are rising dramatically. A 2018 Blue Cross study found
that depression diagnosis rates had increased by 33% since 2013—and that’s for
people who have health insurance. Our teenagers are especially hard hit, with
experts blaming everything from social media to video games to the loss of
community.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn8" name="_ednref8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the belly of the whale, we are alone, and we feel
helpless. Do you feel helpless right now? Does the endless and exhausting news
cycle—children in cages, women’s reproductive rights under threat, politicians
who sold out our country to a foreign power—feel overwhelming to you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think that collectively, what we’re really experiencing is
a cultural belly of the whale. We wanted something different for America. We
believed in our Unitarian values of “The inherent worth and dignity of every
person; and Justice, equity and compassion in human relations”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn9" name="_ednref9" style="mso-endnote-id: edn9;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
but it all feels so helpless, so hopeless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That’s why we have to learn to write and revise our stories.
We’ll be reborn, and we’ll tell the tale. But right now, we may not know what
the meaning of this story is, to ourselves, to our communities, or to our
nation. Rebirth isn’t easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally,
let’s look at the Ultimate Boon and Freedom to Live.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The ultimate boon is that grand meaning of life that we are
searching for—but it may not turn out to be what we think it will be. Remember
that great final scene in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Indiana Jones
and the Lost Crusade</i>, where our hero has to choose the cup of Christ from a
whole shelf full of glittering golden goblets? The cup he chooses, the Holy
Grail, is made of clay, a carpenter’s cup, simple and unrefined. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes we don’t know what the meaning is until we sit
down later, like Tolkien’s Bilbo Baggins, to tell our story of “There and Back
Again.” The act of telling may in itself help us to discover what the story’s
point is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Campbell says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What the
hero seeks through his intercourse with [the gods and goddesses] is therefore
not finally themselves, but their grace, i.e., the power of their sustaining
substance. This is the miraculous energy of the thunderbolts of Zeus, Yahweh,
and the Supreme Buddha, the fertility of the rain of Viracocha, the virtue
announced by the bell rung in the Mass at the consecration, and the light of
the ultimate illumination of the saint and sage.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn10" name="_ednref10" style="mso-endnote-id: edn10;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Grace.</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I
really like that word. I personally define grace, though I don’t completely
understand it, as the power of good that pervades the world. Of course, you
don’t have to be religious to find your ultimate boon, your grace. This
spiritual energy may even exist in the absence of energy, in nothingness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ultimately, I think what the
story of Jonah and the Whale tells us is that we can run but we can’t hide from
our calling, so we may as well find some ultimate boon in it. For me, that boon
is the freedom to live without fear</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What are we afraid of? Well, first and foremost, the
greatest fear of all: fear of death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Campbell’s hero conquers death by understanding that, as the
Latin poet Ovid wrote in his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metamorphoses,</i>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222;">“Nothing retains its own form; but
Nature, the greater renewer, ever makes up forms from forms…. Nothing perishes
in the whole universe; it does but vary and renew its form.' Thus the next
moment is permitted to come to pass.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn11" name="_ednref11" style="mso-endnote-id: edn11;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In other words, fear not:
Death is change, not end. This is the point of most major stories about endings
and beginnings, and for the hero, this knowledge is the ultimate freedom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But now,
a warning! We have to be careful how we use our stories. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This impulse to tell stories can be a powerful force for
good—but also for evil. As one example, the Nazis were really good at telling
stories that gave life meaning—at the expense of 14-year old Anne Frank and six
million other innocent people. Stories—especially overly simplified ones--can
be dangerous. Don’t think for a minute that it can’t happen here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In her popular TED talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn12" name="_ednref12" style="mso-endnote-id: edn12;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Nigerian author and feminist Chimamanda Ngoze Adichie observes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The single story creates stereotypes,
and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are
incomplete. They make one story become the only story. . . . The consequence of
the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition
of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than
how we are similar.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn13" name="_ednref13" style="mso-endnote-id: edn13;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do we tell ourselves stories that contain stereotypes? I
know I do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Atlantic Monthly’s
</i>psychology editor, Julie Beck, makes the same point in her article, “Life’s
Stories.” She writes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The redemption story is American
optimism—things will get better!—and American exceptionalism—I can make things
better!—and it’s in the water, in the air, and in our heads. This is actually a
good thing a lot of the time. Studies have shown that finding a positive
meaning in negative events is linked to a more complex sense of self and
greater life satisfaction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The trouble comes when redemption isn’t
possible. The redemptive American tale is one of privilege, and for those who
can’t control their circumstances, and have little reason to believe things
will get better, it can be an illogical and unattainable choice. There are
things that happen to people that cannot be redeemed.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn14" name="_ednref14" style="mso-endnote-id: edn14;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In other words, we need to understand that our story is not
the only story—and that the stories we hear about others, maybe even about Donald
Trump supporters, are also not the whole story, or the only story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Listening to others’ stories, especially stories from
marginalized people, is at least as important as telling our own, maybe
more—and Facebook doesn’t make it easy. We have to look for what psychologists
refer to as disconfirming information—stories that challenge our assumptions
about the way the world works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This brings me to the last point I want to make:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
Need to Revise and Retell Our Stories<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes we don’t know the meaning of our stories until
years later. Sometimes we have to rewrite our old stories to accommodate a new
narrative. This task—telling stories that matter—is not accomplished in a
single draft. It is, in fact, the work of a lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Julie Beck notes that how we tell, revise, and retell our
stories affects who we are and how we see ourselves. She writes, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In telling the story of how you became
who you are, and of who you're on your way to becoming, the story itself
becomes a part of who you are…. Storytelling, then—fictional or nonfictional,
realistic or embellished with dragons—is a way of making sense of the world around
us.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn15" name="_ednref15" style="mso-endnote-id: edn15;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What are the themes of your hero’s journey? What calls have
you answered? Would you answer them differently today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What whale bellies have you endured, or are you enduring
now? How will you be renewed, reborn, when you emerge?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally, if you’ve found the ultimate boon and the freedom
to live, congratulations! Also, I’m sorry. When I was 35, I thought I had
everything figured out, too, and I was pretty smug about it. Spoiler alert: I
didn’t have it all figured out, and now I know that I probably never will.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fortunately, as Beck says, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A life story is written in chalk, not
ink, and it can be changed. Whether it’s with the help of therapy, in the midst
of an identity crisis, when you’ve been chasing a roadrunner of foreshadowing
towards a tunnel that turns out to be painted on a wall, or slowly,
methodically, day by day—like with all stories, there’s power in rewriting.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_edn16" name="_ednref16" style="mso-endnote-id: edn16;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the end, there’s no right or wrong story, no best path.
There’s your story. How will you answer the call? How will you escape the belly
of the whale? What will you tell us about freedom to live when you return from
your journey? The story may change 1000 times, and the hero may have 1000
faces, but in the end, your hero’s journey is just that: yours. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Per aspera ad astra</i>—through hardships to
the stars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> I will be teaching ENGL 215: Survey of
World Mythology in the spring of 2019 if you’re interested! More information
about the course can be found here: </span><a href="https://catalog.cwidaho.cc/course-descriptions/engl/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://catalog.cwidaho.cc/course-descriptions/engl/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> For a history of this quote and its
attribution, see </span><a href="https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/05/06/two-plots/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/05/06/two-plots/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref3" name="_edn3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> For more information on how Campbell
influenced Lucas, see this link: </span><a href="https://www.starwars.com/news/mythic-discovery-within-the-inner-reaches-of-outer-space-joseph-campbell-meets-george-lucas-part-i"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://www.starwars.com/news/mythic-discovery-within-the-inner-reaches-of-outer-space-joseph-campbell-meets-george-lucas-part-i</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn4" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref4" name="_edn4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> Here’s a link to the Joseph Campbell
Foundation, where an overview of his life and work can be found </span><a href="https://www.jcf.org/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://www.jcf.org/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn5" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref5" name="_edn5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> Campbell, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hero with a Thousand Faces</i>, p. 48<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn6" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref6" name="_edn6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> Link to the viral essay at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blue Review</i> here: </span><a href="https://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> and to my blog here: </span><a href="http://www.anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">www.anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn7" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref7" name="_edn7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Campbell, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hero with a Thousand Faces</i>, p. 77<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn8" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref8" name="_edn8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Statistics on depression from </span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/major-depression-rise-among-everyone-new-data-shows-n873146"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/major-depression-rise-among-everyone-new-data-shows-n873146</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn9" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref9" name="_edn9" style="mso-endnote-id: edn9;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> UU Seven Principles </span><a href="https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/principles"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/principles</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn10" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref10" name="_edn10" style="mso-endnote-id: edn10;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> Campbell, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hero with a Thousand Faces</i>, p. 155<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn11" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref11" name="_edn11" style="mso-endnote-id: edn11;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> Ovid <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metamorphoses</i>,
quoted in Campbell, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hero with a Thousand
Faces</i>, p. 209<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn12" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref12" name="_edn12" style="mso-endnote-id: edn12;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> The link to Adichie’s TED talk is here: </span><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn13" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref13" name="_edn13" style="mso-endnote-id: edn13;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> The quote was taken from this transcript: </span><a href="https://ngl.cengage.com/21centuryreading/resources/sites/default/files/B3_TG_AT7_0.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://ngl.cengage.com/21centuryreading/resources/sites/default/files/B3_TG_AT7_0.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn14" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref14" name="_edn14" style="mso-endnote-id: edn14;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> Julie Beck’s article, “Life’s Stories,”
can be found here: </span><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/08/life-stories-narrative-psychology-redemption-mental-health/400796/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/08/life-stories-narrative-psychology-redemption-mental-health/400796/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn15" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref15" name="_edn15" style="mso-endnote-id: edn15;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> Ibid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn16" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Your%20Hero's%20Journey%20Sermon%20BUUF%20July%2022.docx#_ednref16" name="_edn16" style="mso-endnote-id: edn16;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;"> Ibid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-65879951060167336902018-06-21T17:32:00.000-06:002018-06-21T17:37:24.592-06:00Dear Conservative Friend<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NwNOyeFjJlA/WywtQJEiqeI/AAAAAAAAAv4/s1rc4bS_bDEk2aCL_JLAYrCvbeO4axj4gCLcBGAs/s1600/Families%2BBelong%2BTogether%2BFB%2B2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NwNOyeFjJlA/WywtQJEiqeI/AAAAAAAAAv4/s1rc4bS_bDEk2aCL_JLAYrCvbeO4axj4gCLcBGAs/s320/Families%2BBelong%2BTogether%2BFB%2B2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Families belong together<a href="https://www.familiesbelongtogether.org/" target="_blank"> https://www.familiesbelongtogether.org/</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thoughts on Kant, Fox News, the Bible, and the Separation of Children and Families at the Border</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Conservative Friend,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am taking the time to write this to you after unfriending
you on Facebook so that you will understand that I share your sorrow at losing
a lifetime of close friendship over a single U.S. government
policy: the decision by the <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/Fact-Check-Trump-Administration-Zero-Tolerance-Policy-Not-Court-Ruling-or-Legal-Loophole-Is-Forcing-Family-Separations-at-Border-485651431.html?_osource=taboola-recirc" target="_blank">Trump administration</a> to separate children seeking asylum
from their families at the border. However, while I believe that reasonable
people can and should disagree about solutions to problems, the fact that you
have attempted to justify this policy suggests that we no longer share common values. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let me explain. In 1993, when I was 21 years old and
studying abroad in Rome, I traveled to <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/dachau" target="_blank">Dachau</a>, Germany to see what was left of a concentration camp. Though I have rolls of pictures from my time in Europe, I have no
pictures from Dachau. No image could capture the palpable sense of evil that
pervaded that place. The moment our train entered Germany, I felt something
change. There was a weight in the air, which I interpreted as a sense of
collective guilt, of national shame, for so many needless deaths, for so much
hate brought into the world in the name of god and country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dachau changed me. I still remember the sick pit in my stomach
when I saw all of the children’s shoes, piled high in columns. So many small,
leather laced booties. The guards told their mothers that the children were
being separated to take showers. The mothers and children never saw each other
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I used to think that though Americans had our differences on
many things, we could all agree on a few things, like, “Nazis are bad,” and “children
deserve safety and security.” But I’ve learned since the 2016 election that I
was very, very wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While reasonable people can certainly disagree about the
best solutions to illegal immigration and the current influx of asylum seekers,
there are some things that are just wrong. Policies that create irreversible
trauma for innocent children are immoral. </span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You wrote to me, </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Sorry, I think the problem lies in the
fact that you want 100% mercy for the children of these illegal immigrants. I
do too. However, I believe that you cannot really receive 100% mercy without
receiving justice as well. Many changes need to be made to fix this problem.
Amnesty, open borders, or turning a blind eye is neither mercy or justice.”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To be clear, I have personally never advocated for open
borders, and I’ve never met a “liberal” who felt that way either. I think that
the hypothetical person you addressed here is a Fox News strawman. In fact, as you clearly know, there’s lots of bipartisan support for immigration reform, at
least on paper and in politicians’ press conferences and Twitter feeds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According to a 2017 <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/28/fox-news-poll-83-percent-support-pathway-to-citizenship-for-illegal-immigrants.html" target="_blank">Fox News Poll</a>, 83% of Americans support a path to legalization of status for immigrants who
are living and working here, and I am one of them. I especially support the
DACA program recipients who have lived here most of their lives and are often
already productive members of our society. And like most Americans, I also support
a migrant guest worker program that would provide legal status for much-needed
workers, especially in heavily agricultural states like mine. As Eduardo Porter wrote in his 2016 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/business/economy/if-immigration-cant-be-stopped-maybe-it-can-be-managed.html" target="_blank">New York Times </a>opinion on managing immigration, </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Rather than building a bigger wall, [the
solution] consists of opening a door in the wall we have. The best way to stop
illegal immigration may be for Mexico and the United States to create a legal
path for low-skill Mexicans seeking work in the United States.</span>”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If so many of us agree, why hasn’t Congress acted? Like most seemingly perplexing
problems (including our broken mental healthcare system, where I spend most of
my time advocating), we should follow the money to find our answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It's not a secret that o</span>ur current immigration system allows for the
black market economic exploitation of migrant workers who do not have legal
status. In fact, certain sectors of our economy, most notably <a href="http://www.pewhispanic.org/2016/11/03/industries-of-unauthorized-immigrant-workers/" target="_blank">food production and construction,</a> depend on this “nod and wink” undocumented migrant worker system. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And let’s not even get into the deplorable human trafficking
industry, because that’s just a whole separate conversation right there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mwi4QwT14OU/Wywu8ZEKbNI/AAAAAAAAAwE/AUNOGO7qzfwjDoYNoiYGhTJ7tD5vgYkSgCLcBGAs/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mwi4QwT14OU/Wywu8ZEKbNI/AAAAAAAAAwE/AUNOGO7qzfwjDoYNoiYGhTJ7tD5vgYkSgCLcBGAs/s320/Slide1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like human trafficking, it seems that the Trump
administration’s new policy also has profit and corporate interests at heart.
Who will house and care for these children? That sounds like a pretty lucrative
new contract to me. We have already seen how the privatization of prisons has
disproportionately harmed people with <a href="https://www.azsummitlaw.edu/sites/default/files/tjasls_files/GAROFALO%20THE%20GLOBALIZATION%20OF%20THE%20PRIVATE%20PRISON%20INDUSTRY%20AND%20ITS%20EFFECTS%20ON%20MENTALLY%20ILL%20INMATE.pdf" target="_blank">mental illness</a>. Now the<i> New York Times</i> and
others are reporting that military bases have been told to prepare for as
many as<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/us/politics/trump-immigration-border-family-separation.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news" target="_blank"> 20,000 children</a> in coming months. Defense contractors stand to <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/defense-contractors-cashing-in-on-immigrant-kids-detention" target="_blank">make millions</a> off of these children’s and families' pain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I looked at those little shoes of dead children in Dachau so many years ago, I never thought I would live to see an America where Nazis
marched openly in the streets chanting “Blood and soil,” or where <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/892834930346086400?lang=en" target="_blank">white supremacists</a> became policy makers. In his stated goal to “make America great again,” President
Trump seems to have returned to the noxious idea of <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/manifest-destiny" target="_blank">Manifest Destiny</a>, which, incidentally, was the only thing I learned about American history in high school. I am
now more informed about things like the genocide of native people and the way
in which Jim Crow and segregation <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/" target="_blank">deprived generations of African Americans</a> of
the American Dream white people came to expect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I now sum up Manifest Destiny like this: God favors capitalist
white people of European descent. So we can pretty much take what we want.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, I say “we.” To be clear, I have always been the whitest
white girl in any room. Most of my ancestors came here in the 1850s as pioneer
immigrants from England and Scandinavia—you know, Norway, not a “shithole”
country like Honduras. I’m being sarcastic. I can’t say I don’t see race,
because it’s pretty clear that white people like me have enjoyed all kinds of
systemic privilege. As <a href="http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-03-04.htm" target="_blank">Beverly Daniel Tatum</a>, a professor of psychology and
expert on race relations, said in an interview with PBS, “For me the relevant issue is not, "Are
you racist?" but are you actively working against that system of
advantage?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I do see race. And when I see race, I
see social injustice. This current crisis is no exception. Let’s be honest: We
would never let white children be treated like this.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I watched <i>Fox News</i> a few days ago (June 18, 2018) because I
wanted to understand why my normally reasonable conservative friends like you were spouting nonsense
on Facebook and Twitter about the clearly moral crisis of children being separated from
their families at the border.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the space of just two minutes, I heard the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Instead of creating a “media hysteria” about the
children separated from their parents, why weren’t journalists focusing on
homeless veterans?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The children’s camps, far from being
traumatizing, were actually like “<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/media/392922-laura-ingraham-describes-child-detention-centers-as-essentially-summer-camps" target="_blank">summer camp,</a>” and certainly better than what
they came from. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Anyway, what kind of parents would put their
children in this situation? Wasn’t it really the parents’ fault?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">“The left” just wants open borders and doesn’t respect
the rule of law.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Congress should consider changing foster
parenting laws so that these “poor children” can be swiftly adopted by loving
families who want to care for them (unaccompanied minor <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/specific/immigrant/" target="_blank">refugee children</a> are
currently not eligible for adoption—and this is just a whole new and morally appalling level of the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843/" target="_blank">White Savior</a> complex </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> at work, but that is also another conversation)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don’t know how else to say this: It’s hard to have a
reasonable conversation when everything that comes out of the other person’s
mouth is a <a href="https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/" target="_blank">logical fallacy</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On a personal note, you may not know why these border
children and their mothers matter so much to me. I feel their pain. As a mother, I have
experienced firsthand the trauma of being separated from my children—and I
would not wish it on anyone. On December 24, 2012, a family court judge in
Idaho determined that my younger two children were not safe in my home. He
removed them from my physical custody and placed them with their father. They
were seven and eight years old. Before the order, we spent 50% of our time
together. After the order, we got to see each other for four hours on Saturdays,
with no sense of when, if ever, things would be normal again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The hearing resulted from a blog post I wrote after the
tragic school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, picked up under the
title <a href="https://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/" target="_blank">“I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother”</a> by Boise State University’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Blue Review. </i>I described my then
13-year old son’s dangerous behavior that resulted from his mental illness.
Though I also described our family’s safety plan, developed with the help of
Child Protective Services, the Idaho judge decided that my children were in
imminent danger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More than five years later, I still wake up in the night
shaking, thinking that my children are gone. I still experience debilitating autonomic
symptoms including panic attacks. My children also suffered damaging psychological
effects from the separation, even though they always knew where I was and that
I loved them and wanted them, a luxury that the children detained in border
camps do not always have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6EnLuvq8f5g/WywvQLj3WjI/AAAAAAAAAwM/I7tL360an6Qe81yfvi4Z2WvpuWDBmohFQCLcBGAs/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6EnLuvq8f5g/WywvQLj3WjI/AAAAAAAAAwM/I7tL360an6Qe81yfvi4Z2WvpuWDBmohFQCLcBGAs/s320/Slide2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, the lifetime harmful effects of childhood trauma are well documented. The 1998 <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/about.html" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control/Kaiser ACES</a>
study tracked the impact of a variety of childhood traumatic events on lifelong mental and physical health. Childhood trauma is correlated with increased risk of
neurodevelopmental disorders, emotional and cognitive impairment, risk-taking
behaviors, and early death. Some children younger than five who are separated from their parents develop
<a href="https://childmind.org/guide/reactive-attachment-disorder/" target="_blank">Reactive Attachment Disorder</a>, a condition characterized by “irritability,
sadness, fearfulness and difficulty interacting with adults or peers.” These
children are also at risk for developmental and physical delays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To the argument that their parents are the ones to blame for
the children’s distress, I'm taking a page from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and offering an Old Testament rebuttal in King Solomon’s wisdom.
When faced with the choice between her child’s death or losing her child to
another woman, the mother gave up her child, because a mother will always
choose her child’s life. But no mother should have to make this kind of choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The British Somali refugee poet Warsan Shire puts it another way:
“no one leaves home unless/home is the mouth of a shark/you only run for the
border/when you see the whole city running as well…you only leave home/when
home won’t let you stay.” (<a href="http://www.care.org/sites/default/files/lesson_1_-_home-poem-by-warsan-shire.pdf" target="_blank">“Home”</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One final note: I know that you are a good mother to your
children, and that on a personal level, this atrocity truly hurts your mother’s
heart. Listen to the call of your heart. Mothers’ hearts know the truth about
what children need. The Trump administration cited the Bible to justify their policy.
But we both know that Jesus was very clear about the central moral imperative to care for children:
“Whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me” (Matthew
18:5).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who are we as Americans? Are we welcoming? Are we
compassionate? Are we moral? Or do we only extend our welcome and compassion
and morality to people who look like us? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If the choice is making America great for
folks who “belong” here or <a href="https://wechooseallofus.org/" target="_blank">choosing all of us</a>, I choose all of us. We’re
America. We can find room to welcome the strangers, as the Bible tells us to,
and when we do, we’ll be truly great. </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My friend, I understand that you are concerned about illegal
immigration and asylum seekers. Like you, I do not believe that open borders
are the right solution. But the current administration’s deplorable policy
harms children, period. As Americans, we cannot support any policy that harms
children. This is a bright line moral test, a Kantian categorical imperative.
How we treat the most vulnerable in our midst will define our humanity. In this
struggle, I’m siding not with “America First” but with “children first.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bye now. </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<br />Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-16752657189802575522018-02-15T13:31:00.000-07:002018-02-16T19:10:58.394-07:00Dear Congress: If Mental illness Causes Mass Shootings, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="height: 0px;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N25-YTzANKc/WoXtOYUG9uI/AAAAAAAAAvc/qeeUOF8eMGkUC5FhbW3uXt953Fy2fPTggCLcBGAs/s1600/Dear%2BPoliticians%2Band%2BNRA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N25-YTzANKc/WoXtOYUG9uI/AAAAAAAAAvc/qeeUOF8eMGkUC5FhbW3uXt953Fy2fPTggCLcBGAs/s320/Dear%2BPoliticians%2Band%2BNRA.jpg" width="320" /></a>x</div>
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">It’s easy to blame mental illness, but we fail to mention that treatment works and recovery is possible for many.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For mothers of teenagers like me, news about a school shooting never gets any easier. We experience the same dread, the same despair, the same fear that someone will attack our children’s school. In between mass shootings, we drill our children on what they would do. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We check on their social media accounts. We try to pretend that there’s some sense of safety in a world that always seems full of random, unpredictable violence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m the mom <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2014/05/27/nr-brooke-liza-long-adam-lanza.cnn" target="_blank">CNN used to call</a> whenever there was a school shooting. And today, one day after 17 children who are the same age as mine did not come home from school because of another mass shooting, I’m angry. Predictably, politicians have tweeted meaningless “thoughts and prayers.” Also predictably, some Republicans have tried to shift the blame for the latest massacre to the isolated actions of a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/politics/trump-florida-school-shooting-tweet/index.html" target="_blank">“mentally disturbed individual.”</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting five years ago, I shared my story of parenting a child with violent behavioral symptoms of a then-undiagnosed mental illness in a viral essay entitled <a href="https://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/" target="_blank">“I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother.”</a> In that essay, I wrote, “It’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, I’m concerned that we are having the same blame and shame conversation without any meaningful action, as this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amy.cates.56/posts/1779929922030313" target="_blank">viral Facebook post</a> shows. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today, with the correct diagnosis (bipolar disorder) and treatment that works, my son Eric lives in recovery. In 2016, he even gave a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrZZoCm-nME" target="_blank">TEDx Boise </a>talk about his experiences. Eric is a normal high school senior who, like many of the Parkland, Florida students, is planning for college next fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today, I feel that blaming mental illness for an epidemic of violence in the wake of so many mass shootings has become a meaningless trope. If politicians and the National Rifle Association really believe that mental illness causes mass shootings, it’s time to put their money where their mouth is. Here are a few suggestions:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. Provide funding for research into treatments and cures, perhaps by donating the millions of dollars that the National Rifle Association<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/04/opinion/thoughts-prayers-nra-funding-senators.html" target="_blank"> gives to their campaigns</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2. Continue to support parity for mental and physical health, currently required by the ACA but already under threat in <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/29/581621863/idaho-pushing-envelope-with-health-insurance-plan-how-far-can-it-go" target="_blank">my own state</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3. Stop blaming children and their parents for the <a href="https://www.nami.org/getattachment/About-NAMI/Publications/Reports/NAMIStateBudgetCrisis2011.pdf" target="_blank">appalling lack</a> of community mental health services and supports. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4. Understand that when treated, people who have mental illness are <a href="http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/3633-risk-factors-for-violence-in-serious-mental-illness" target="_blank">no more likely to be violent</a> than anyone else. Treatment works and recovery is possible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">5. Adopt reasonable and bipartisan gun control measures that focus on suicide prevention, since <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/upshot/gun-deaths-are-mostly-suicides.html" target="_blank">more than 60%</a> of deaths by gun violence in the U.S. are completed suicides, a tragedy that disproportionately affects the brave men and women who serve in our military. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Most people can agree that universal background checks and allowing the government to track gun violence statistics (<a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-02/quietly-congress-extends-ban-cdc-research-gun-violence" target="_blank">currently prohibited by federal law</a>) are good first steps to better understanding and controlling our nation's clear gun problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To be transparent, I live in Idaho, a gun-loving state. I grew up in a family that hunted, and my brothers taught shooting sports at Boy Scout camp. I have enjoyed shooting sports in the past. While I do not personally have guns in my home because of my son’s illness, I know many responsible gun owners, some of whom live in recovery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, it’s true: people who have mental illness can be responsible gun owners, which is why mental health advocacy organizations including the <a href="https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Public-Policy/Violence-and-Gun-Reporting-Laws" target="_blank">National Alliance on Mental Illness </a>believe that “Federal and state gun reporting laws should be based on these identified traits, not mental illness.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">People who are in treatment for mental illness and are compliant with treatment should not be treated any differently than anyone else. To focus on mental illness as the sole cause of mass shootings is a clear example of the pervasive discrimination and fear in our society. In fact, while it’s true that <a href="http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/3626" target="_blank">at least one-third</a> of mass shooters seem to have had an untreated mental illness, a more common predictor of this kind of violence is a history of animal abuse or domestic violence, as is the case with the <a href="https://qz.com/1208345/parkland-florida-attack-school-shooter-nikolas-cruz-abused-women-like-most-mass-killers/" target="_blank">Florida shooter</a>. Both of these deplorable behaviors are actual crimes, and both of them should require immediate intervention including loss of gun rights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But mental illness is not—and should not be—a crime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s time to act. Build the community mental health treatment centers. Fund research into cures. And most importantly, stop blaming by association the millions of good people who live in recovery for the violent actions of a few.</span></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-6142905376084882652018-02-05T15:43:00.001-07:002018-02-05T15:46:07.695-07:00We Are All Star Stuff<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cosmic Webs, Neurological Disorders, and Human Compassion</span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zMwxFrtgheY/WnjZddQ66EI/AAAAAAAAAuk/27GXejNZmW807vBzDWrSWTkvYVNUb3V3gCLcBGAs/s1600/csomicvsbrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1068" height="252" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zMwxFrtgheY/WnjZddQ66EI/AAAAAAAAAuk/27GXejNZmW807vBzDWrSWTkvYVNUb3V3gCLcBGAs/s640/csomicvsbrain.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Image credit: GUI.Brush Blog, <a href="http://www.codres.de/2013/01/cosmic-web-vs-brain-neural-network">http://www.codres.de/2013/01/cosmic-web-vs-brain-neural-network</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On a recent Friday evening, I took my 12-year-old daughter to a free Boise State University public astronomy lecture presented by <a href="http://www.astro.wisc.edu/our-people/faculty/tremonti/bio" target="_blank">Dr. Christy Tremonti</a>, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who leads a sky-scanning spectrometry project to map the chemical composition of galaxies. If Walt Whitman had heard this learned astronomer, I promise he would not have been bored and wandered <a href="https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/when-i-heard-learned-astronomer" target="_blank">outside to stargaze</a>. With visible excitement, Tremonti shared the realization, expressed by Carl Sagan, that “We are star stuff.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Think about it,” Tremonti gushed. “Right now, the blood flowing in your veins—in every single person’s veins—contains iron that was born in the center of a star.” </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tremonti then touched briefly on the mysterious dark energy and dark matter that make up <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy" target="_blank">95% of the universe</a>. She showed the audience a new (to me) model of galaxy creation, with galaxies forming as nodes at the intersections of a cosmic web. To me, this image looked remarkably like the human brain’s neural network. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m not the first person to make this observation. In a <a href="http://nautil.us/issue/50/emergence/the-strange-similarity-of-neuron-and-galaxy-networks" target="_blank">2017 <i>Nautilus</i> article</a>, astronomer Franco Vazza and neuroscientist Alberto Feletti observed:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is truly a remarkable fact that the cosmic web is more similar to the human brain than it is to the interior of a galaxy; or that the neuronal network is more similar to the cosmic web than it is to the interior of a neuronal body. Despite extraordinary differences in substrate, physical mechanisms, and size, the human neuronal network and the cosmic web of galaxies, when considered with the tools of information theory, are strikingly similar. </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I thought about the astonishing similarities between our brains and the universe, my mind turned to the news of Morgan Geyser’s 40-year sentence to a mental institution. Morgan and her friend Anissa Weier were just 12 years old, the same age as my daughter, when they carried out a plan to stab their friend in an attempt to <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/02/582618068/wisconsin-teen-sentenced-to-40-years-in-mental-hospital-for-slender-man-stabbing" target="_blank">appease Slenderman</a>, a shadowy mythological Internet figure who epitomizes the unseen dark matter of the World Wide Web. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Under a <a href="https://www.npr.org/documents/2007/oct/juvenile_sentencing.pdf" target="_blank">cruel and misguided</a> Wisconsin law, Morgan and Anissa were both charged as adults and both pled guilty, Morgan to attempted first-degree murder, and Anissa to being party to a crime. While incarcerated, Morgan was diagnosed with <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-schizophrenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354483" target="_blank">juvenile-onset schizophrenia</a>, a rare and serious neurological disorder that can cause a child’s sense of reality to bend and break. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I met Morgan’s mother Angie shortly after the attack. Angie was emotionally bruised and battered from the media circus that assaulted her family. As often happens in cases where children are charged with sensational crimes, the Internet determined that Angie was undoubtedly to blame. She was a terrible mother. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can personally relate—when my essay <a href="https://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/" target="_blank">“I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother”</a> went viral five years ago, I immediately became the Internet’s Exhibit A for bad parenting, all because I talked about my child’s then-undiagnosed mental illness. </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, Angie Geyser is a remarkably competent and caring mother by any standard of measurement. She is involved in both her children’s lives, has a clear moral compass and models it for her children, and works hard to provide them with a stable and supported life. After Morgan’s diagnosis, Angie fought tirelessly to get her daughter medical care, since untreated psychosis can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4197783/" target="_blank">cause brain damage</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7EYBg0qSMlw/WnjayM3uEJI/AAAAAAAAAuw/H4rSiZJ8DN0B_mWmuN7MkYL8p_cY8GM-ACLcBGAs/s1600/27544699_836450339880007_4477648679990670310_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="578" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7EYBg0qSMlw/WnjayM3uEJI/AAAAAAAAAuw/H4rSiZJ8DN0B_mWmuN7MkYL8p_cY8GM-ACLcBGAs/s320/27544699_836450339880007_4477648679990670310_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Morgan Geyser, treated, with her mother Angie in 2017 <br />(photo used by permission of Angie Geyser)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In April 2016, I interviewed Angie by telephone, planning to write an article about her experiences. While I ultimately concluded that the subject matter—a mother losing her child—hit too close to home for me personally to write about it, one line from that interview with Angie has stuck with me: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“She’s herself again. She is treated and now she is our Morgan again, the sweet loving child we knew. She is not a danger to herself or others.”</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This statement was so significant because anecdotally, my experience was exactly the same. My own child was sick with an undiagnosed mental illness and often had violent behavioral outbursts. In 2013, after my blog post caught the attention of a specialist in pediatric bipolar disorder, Eric was correctly diagnosed, started treatment including medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes, and it worked. For five years now, my son has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrZZoCm-nME" target="_blank">lived in recovery</a>. And in fact, that outcome is common for people who live with mental illness. When treated, they are <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/mental-health-myths-facts" target="_blank">no more likely to be violent</a> than anyone else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But sadly, most people in our society live in fear of those who have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. While these mental illnesses affect just <a href="https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers" target="_blank">4% of the population</a>, they cause a whirlwind of “dark matter” in the media. Charging children as adults in itself is horribly wrong, but what happened to Morgan because of her mental illness is just as bad. Our fear of people like Morgan Geyser far outweighs our fear of the unknown and unseen universe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This pervasive cultural fear leads to harsh consequences for those who commit crimes while living with mental illness. In fact, research has shown that “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity” pleas result in longer incarceration times than people would have incurred if they had just pled guilty. <i>New York Times</i> writer Mac McClelland <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/magazine/when-not-guilty-is-a-life-sentence.html" target="_blank">wrote in 2017</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Though forensic detentions get little attention, they can range from ethically questionable to flagrantly unconstitutional and illegal. In 1983, a national study found that Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. patients often lost their freedom for twice as long as those actually convicted of the same offense.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another type of plea now available in 20 states, <a href="http://www.thejuryexpert.com/2009/11/guilty-but-mentally-ill-gbmi-vs-not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity-ngri-an-annotated-bibliography/" target="_blank">“Guilty but Mentally Ill,”</a> also tends to result in longer institutional stays and is opposed by the American Psychiatric Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What if Morgan Geyser had been diagnosed with a brain tumor instead of schizophrenia? Would people have been so quick to blame her and her mother? </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, researchers are increasingly understanding schizophrenia as a biological disorder of neural networks, the brain’s “cosmic web.” One <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4656070/" target="_blank">2016 study</a> noted that “Cognitive impairments are one of the core symptoms associated with schizophrenia, and manifest even before the onset of the disorder. Altered neural networks involving PFC contribute to cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, Morgan is in treatment, but it took 19 months from her initial diagnosis to get the medical care she needed—and treatment is not always guaranteed for people who have mental illness in prison. Her mother told me that Morgan “wants to stay on medication. She feels better. She has insight into her illness now which she didn’t have previously.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If Morgan had been diagnosed with a brain tumor that caused her actions, I like to think that most people would probably be celebrating the medical miracle that healed her. Instead, as the comments on<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/mothers-teens-pleaded-guilty-slender-man-stabbing-case/story?id=52739807" target="_blank"> <i>ABC News’s</i></a> interview with Morgan’s mother demonstrate, blaming and shaming continues to define the conversation about children’s mental illness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I want to stress here that we don’t have to feel any less sorry for Morgan’s unfortunate victim—and I am personally truly sorry—because Morgan acted under the influence of now treated psychosis. It doesn’t make the victim’s trauma any less serious or the act itself any less awful. </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What makes the whole situation more awful, however, is refusing to acknowledge that treatment has worked for Morgan, that she is in recovery, and that she is no longer a danger to herself and others. Instead, because of her brain illness, Morgan may spend the majority of her life locked away from society. Substitute “brain tumor” for “schizophrenia.” Is such a life sentence fair when the “tumor” has been treated and the behavior is no longer dangerous?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought about all of this—crime, punishment, parenting, and mental illnesss—as my daughter and I left the astronomy lecture. Sadly, the stars were hidden behind winter clouds, but as we drove home, we saw the glorious super moon peak through, spreading silvery tendrils across the sky, like the gasses that streamed toward galaxies or the neurochemical axons that stretch toward soma, ferrying our best guesses about reality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My lovely, lively 12-year-old daughter chanted softly in the moonlight, “I am made of star stuff, you are made of star stuff, we are made of star stuff.” </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We only see 5% of the universe. And we still know so little about the human brain. That is why, above all else, we must be kind to each other. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If only we could replace fear with wonder, judgment with compassion. If only we could understand that all of us—parents and children, sick and well—share a fundamental cosmic reality: iron atoms forged in stars flow in our veins. </span><br />
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-3679417508500640162017-12-25T13:19:00.000-07:002017-12-25T13:25:05.790-07:00Three Wise Women Visit the Baby Jesus<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Christmas Carol 2017 </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I ran through the parts to this year’s carol yesterday afternoon, I realized that I have now been composing an annual carol for nearly 20 years. This year, I returned to three-part women’s music, the form I chose for my first carol in 1998. Back then, I had a different last name, and I had not yet discovered music transcription software. A lot of things have changed in 20 years, but my love for this season hasn’t. I still celebrate the god-man whose message of radical love for the stranger and the poor seems especially relevant in 2017. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the olden days, we had to write<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This year’s carol was inspired by the #metoo movement and the stories of women that have been suppressed for millennia. I’m certainly not the first person to imagine what a visit from wise women to the baby Jesus might have looked like. In fact, a quick Google search reveals various versions of this meme: “Three wise women would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, brought practical gifts, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and there would be peace on earth.” </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There’s also a lovely feminist picture book by </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Three-Wise-Women-Mary-Hoffman/dp/0803724667" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Mary Hoffman</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, which I plan to order as a late Christmas gift for myself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I took a different approach when I considered what the lost voices of women would have said to the baby Jesus and his mother. The religious historian Karen Armstrong, in her Short History of Myth, notes that humans need stories to tell us how to conduct our lives. Our current story of Christmas, with its relentless commercialism, is one that Christ—born in a stable, the child of refugees—would not recognize. The man who ostensibly leads our country, elected by self-proclaimed “Christians,” is the antithesis of everything that Christ stood for. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In my version of the Three Wise Women myth, the women know that men will kill their god. To resurrect Christ in 2017, we have to resurrect the stories that mattered to him (hint: he did not say a single word about gay marriage or abortion, but he said a whole lot about rich people). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 2017, I trust the women.
Merry Christmas. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Three Wise Women Visit the Baby Jesus </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(What Child Is This?) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By Liza Long </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In winter time, three women wise </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Went by the moon’s cold light </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To Bethlehem to see the god</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Born under a new star’s light </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Babe, the Son of Mary </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Each bore a gift for the newborn King </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">More rare than silver or gold </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They gave his mother their offering </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And the infant's fate foretold, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Babe, the Son of Mary </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>First Woman</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I bring a cloth of linen fine </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hand-made upon the loom </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That weaves the fates of gods and men </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And spells the new god's doom </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Babe, the Son of Mary </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Second Woman</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I bring a cup of potter’s clay </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hand-fashioned, fired, and fine </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A cup to share at his last meal </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When his blood becomes the wine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Babe, the Son of Mary </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Third Woman</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I bring a rose that blooms in snow </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Its petals soft and red </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A rose that pricks, with sharp, hard thorns </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That will crown his glorious head </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Babe, the Son of Mary </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A cloth, a cup, and a rose </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Are the gifts the wise women chose </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For the Babe, the Son of Mary </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then bring a cloth, a cup, a rose, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Come peasant, princess to mourn him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While wise men kill him, wise women weep </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As they comfort the mother who bore him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A cloth, a cup, and a rose </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Are the gifts the wise women chose </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The man, the god, from Galilee </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Who gave his life for you and me: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Babe, the Son of Mary. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Babe, the Son of Mary.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-90711513498503968772017-11-05T17:25:00.003-07:002017-11-05T17:29:57.414-07:00What Freedom Means to Me<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I think of freedom, an equal and just society is a <br />big part of America’s promise. Photo taken by author at <br />Boise Veteran's Day Parade, November 4, 2017</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Defending freedom is a calling for all Americans.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the first Saturday morning in November, I woke up early to attend the annual <a href="http://www.boiseveteransdayparade.org/" target="_blank">Boise Veteran’s Day parade</a>. My friend and mentor, Vietnam War veteran Ken Rodgers, was one of four grand marshals. His award-winning documentary film <i><a href="https://bravotheproject.com/store/" target="_blank">Bravo: Common Men, Uncommon Valor</a></i>, tells the rough story of the siege of Khe Sanh from the perspective of the American survivors. Ken was one of them, a bona fide American hero. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Veteran’s Day is an annual opportunity for me to reflect on the legacy of military service my father, my grandfather, and so many other brave men and women left to our country. Like Ken, my father fought in Vietnam; I wrote about what it means to grow up as the daughter of a United States Marine <a href="https://bravotheproject.com/2012/07/17/what-it-means-to-be-the-daughter-of-a-marine/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Growing up as the daughter of a United States Marine means I cry pretty much any time I see the Stars and Stripes. It means I always stand (and always cry) for the national anthem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it means I unequivocally and passionately support the free speech rights of those who don’t stand for the anthem because they are protesting unjust treatment. (Prediction: History will remember Colin Kaepernick as an American hero and President Donald Trump as an American traitor).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day, on Sunday morning, I woke up early and drove across town to the <a href="https://boiseuu.org/" target="_blank">Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship</a>. Reverend Sara LaWall’s sermon focused on the urgent need to create “thick” communities where people are encouraged to be their best selves. The sermon was based on a popular David Brooks essay, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/18/opinion/how-to-leave-a-mark-on-people.html" target="_blank">“How to Leave a Mark on People.”</a> I am reading Brooks’s 2015 book <i>The Road to Character</i> now, as an antidote to the daily assault of unprincipled characters who dominate our screens and our Twitter feeds, the Predator in Chief first among them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While I was at church in Boise, in a tiny Texas town outside of San Antonio, a congregation was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/05/us/church-shooting-texas.html" target="_blank">massacred</a> at the close of their Sunday services. Children were among the victims. The usual “thoughts and prayers” tweets from politicians ensued, but people on my social media feeds seem to have given up on reasonable discussions about guns—instead, we shrug and say, “This is just the price we pay to live free (and die free) in America today.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe Newtown took it out of us. Or Santa Barbara. Or Roseburg. Or Orlando, Or Charleston. Or Tennessee. Or Las Vegas (was that nightmare just three weeks ago?).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After church, my husband and I trudged cheerfully through the November rain to deliver campaign literature for Boise’s first Latina candidate for city council. <a href="https://sanchezforboise.com/" target="_blank">Lisa Sanchez</a> is the embodiment of the American Dream, and she wants to share that promise with everyone in our community. Raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to support their family, Sanchez was the first in her family to graduate from college. She is committed to living wages, ending homelessness, and “bringing everyone to the table.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I think of freedom, an equal and just society is a big part of America’s promise. This is exactly what our brave veterans fought to protect and preserve—an America that rewards everyone who is willing (and able) to work hard, and an America that understands the need for empathy, compassion, and community for those who are in need. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don’t see that America reflected in my news feed. Instead, I see fear, hatred, and corruption—and I don’t think these all too common stories are #fakenews. As a student of the Classics, I see a republic in crisis. Our democracy needs all of our boots on the ground—now—if we are going to prevail against the forces that threaten to destroy us. We have to get educated, and we have to vote. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But we also have to return our individual focus to building Brooks’s thick communities. One of my favorite parts of church is when we turn and greet our neighbors. I also love the power of holding hands with each other and affirming our faith. These powerful rituals can extend to our communities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When people inevitably annoy us, what if we could think, “peace be with you” instead of shouting “f%$k you?” On social media, when someone posts something we disagree with, what if we could look for common ground first? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ve made a point of engaging with people who hold views that are different from mine because a) I don’t know everything; and b) even when we disagree about some things, I am often surprised by how much we actually agree on. I have certainly found this to be true in mental health advocacy. Often, when advocates move beyond the false dichotomy of <i>either/or</i> to the more inclusive community of <i>both/and</i>, we find unexpected moments of insight and connection. Every single person in America—Republican, Democrat, or Independent—should be actively looking for ways to connect with people who disagree with us, <span id="goog_2005249553"></span><span id="goog_2005249554"></span><a href="https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/two-tramps-in-mud-time/" target="_blank">"for Heaven and the future's sakes."</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the way, I don’t think that thick communities have to depend on existing church communities. In fact, many of the most moral and principled people I have ever met have eschewed formal religion (It’s true! Atheists are ethicists! See <a href="https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/good-minus-god/" target="_blank">“Good Minus God”</a> for an example).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But we need to find brave new ways to practice both group compassion and civic discourse. This challenge requires us to move out of our comfortable but meaningless echo chambers. For example, people may agree more than they think they do on the need for a social safety net. But when Republicans cast Democrats as nanny state enablers, and Democrats respond by calling Republicans cold-hearted Scrooges, children go hungry and working families suffer. In fact, most of the Democrats <i>and</i> Republicans I know actually want to help those in need and are committed to finding solutions. The difference, as I see it, is that Democrats tend to look to state-run solutions while Republicans prefer private ones. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How do we return to the promise of America? Today, defending freedom is a calling for us all. It starts with educated voters and qualified candidates. It starts with holding our elected leaders accountable, even when it seems like so many of them have checked their consciences at some far distant door (perhaps in Moscow?). It starts with civic discourse, the sincere wish of “peace be with you” to everyone, not just people who affiliate with our political party.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it starts with positive ideas for real growth and community. I see that kind of energy in the Boise City Council election. I do not see this positive energy in either the Democratic or Republican national parties. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our country was founded on principles of individual liberty. But only by returning to a common identity by finding agreement on what it means to be American—will we see our way to Katherine Lee Bates’s beautiful future, with “liberty and justice for all.” </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh, beautiful for patriot dream</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That sees beyond the years</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thine alabaster cities gleam,</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Undimmed by human tears!</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">America! America!</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God shed his grace on thee,</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And crown thy good with brotherhood</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From sea to shining sea.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, that one makes me cry too. Now go vote, y’all!</span><br />
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-757047034944495372017-09-20T16:54:00.000-06:002017-09-20T16:54:39.989-06:00Doorways and Lifelines<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-axaxNQiZhqI/WcLw2WnkTaI/AAAAAAAAArI/0Yqd0dh_eEMey5da22XZuFxhSCtop_hLgCLcBGAs/s1600/liza-baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-axaxNQiZhqI/WcLw2WnkTaI/AAAAAAAAArI/0Yqd0dh_eEMey5da22XZuFxhSCtop_hLgCLcBGAs/s1600/liza-baby.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My son is 18 now, and he deserves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">affordable healthcare.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why the Cassidy-Graham Healthcare Bill Must Not Become Law<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, I am thinking about two-faced Janus, the Roman god of doorways. Today, my son crosses a threshold from childhood to adulthood. Last night, he went to bed a minor; when he woke up this morning, he was an adult.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He seems ready enough. I’m not sure I am. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, on my son’s 18<sup>th</sup> birthday, I woke up to the news that Republican senators are once again attacking healthcare protections that have provided an additional <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/health/obamacare-health-insurance-numbers-nchs.html?mcubz=1&_r=0" target="_blank">20 million</a> Americans with insurance, ended discrimination against those with preexisting conditions, and required that all health insurance plans cover essential health benefits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of those essential health benefits is mental healthcare. The <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/like-other-aca-repeal-bills-cassidy-graham-plan-would-add-millions-to-uninsured" target="_blank">proposed Cassidy-Graham bill</a>, a Republican end-run around true bipartisan healthcare reform, would destroy parity and end coverage for essential health benefits. For my state, Idaho, which failed to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, the proposal could devastate healthcare services for our neediest citizens. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The proposed bill would directly harm my son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My now 18-year-old son has bipolar disorder, a chronic health condition that can adversely impact his quality of life. He manages his bipolar disorder well with medication, therapy, and support groups. But all of this comes at a cost. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Republicans are standing at the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">threshold. I'll be happy to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">show them the door if they</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">take my son's healthcare away.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before the Affordable Care Act, I was unable to afford a policy that covered my son’s mental health. I personally know several families who have gone bankrupt trying to pay for mental healthcare for their children<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is not the world our children deserve. Mental illness is not a choice or a character flaw, any more than physical illness is. Late-night talk show host <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jimmy-kimmel-slams-gop-health-care-bill-amid-sons-health-problems-w504531" target="_blank">Jimmy Kimmel</a> has become a passionate advocate for affordable healthcare because of his infant son’s preexisting heart condition. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel the same way about my now adult child’s bipolar disorder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is the Affordable Care Act perfect? No. Is it a lifeline for many millions of Americans who now have healthcare coverage? Undoubtedly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our country’s elected Republican leaders are standing at a moral threshold. If they don’t choose the right direction for healthcare, I will do everything I personally can in coming elections to show those heartless jerks the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-88632301312962300052017-08-02T11:44:00.000-06:002017-08-02T13:16:06.088-06:00Notes After a Fall<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't want to be a perennial. I just want to take a nap. Detail<br />
from "The Garden of Earthly Delights," by<br />
Heironymus Bosch, c. 1490-1510</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Why I Don’t Want to Be a Perennial</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On a golden Friday summer afternoon sometime in 2017, I tripped and fell. One minute, I was walking home from the neighborhood pool with my tweens (a new word that, like so many things, seems to have been invented by marketers to sell me stuff I don’t need), trying to engage in a conversation with my 12 year old daughter about her favorite Minecraft machinima star, Aphmau of "My Street."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And the next, I was lying on the ground, my cheek pressed against the cool, sprinkler-soaked concrete sidewalk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The moment when my ankle turned and I realized I could not maintain my upright stance was a slow one. I think it’s what enlightened people call “mindfulness” or “living in the moment.” I was definitely living in the moment as I resigned myself to an inevitable and embarrassing collision with the concrete. I noticed the white SUV approaching from up the street. I noticed a peach that had rolled from a nearby tree, its fuzzy surface pocked here and there where opportunistic insects had enjoyed its succulent flesh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Mommy, are you okay?” It felt like hours but must have been just seconds when my daughter asked me the obvious question. I considered her words as if they were the first premise of an Aristotelian syllogism, noting with dispassionate curiosity that adrenaline numbness was flooding my body and masking any pain. My elbow had erupted in a bright flower of blood, and my pants were torn and blood soaked at the knee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My new pants. As in, I had actually paid real money for these pants in a real boutique, which is something I do maybe once a year. Of course, I bought them on sale, but still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“This is what I get for not buying these pants at a thrift store,” I tell my daughter, moving swiftly to the question of cosmic accountability. It was clear that by violating my own commitment to sustainability, I had incurred the wrath of something or someone I don’t believe in, resulting in my inevitable karmic crash on the pavement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lying on the pavement, experiencing enforced mindfulness, I realized two truths. First, I was in fact “okay,” except for the kinds of bloody scrapes that were a regular fixture of my summers when I was my daughter’s age and spent most of my vacation days running around in the woods (if I let my own children do that today, I would likely be <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/13/parents-investigated-letting-children-walk-alone/25700823/" target="_blank">reported to CPS</a> as a negligent parent). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And second, the same kind of fall, forty years from now, will likely kill me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Everything is relative. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I hauled myself to my feet and walked up the hill to my house, half-listening to my daughter’s cheerful commentary on the “My Street” ‘ships she was predicting for the next season, I thought about an article shared widely by my Facebook circle of friends a few months ago. The title of the article was as clickbaity as they come: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/women-40-50-new-ageless-generation/" target="_blank">“Why Women of 40 and 50 Are the New ‘Ageless’ Generation.</a>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The article’s premise, in case you somehow managed to miss it, is that women of a certain age are no longer constrained by age. They are, in fact, perennials. The 40-ish woman who coined the term, Gina Pell, defines it like this: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Perennials are ever-blooming, relevant people of all ages who know what’s happening in the world, stay current with technology and have friends of all ages. We get involved, stay curious, mentor others, and are passionate, compassionate, creative, confident, collaborative, global-minded risk takers.”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My female friends of a certain age were pretty self-congratulatory in seeing themselves this way, and I honestly am happy that they can identify with this lovely idea. But when I read the article, I laughed until I cried. Let’s just say that the life I live right now is anything but blooming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why did I fall on a summer afternoon? Probably not because the thrift store gods were punishing me. It was probably because I have a lot of things on my mind. Among them:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Is my mom okay?</i> My indomitable mother, the woman who dragged her children to the top of Mount Whitney for her 64<sup>th</sup> birthday seven years ago, got sick this summer. I’ve never seen her this sick. She’s the only parent I have left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Are my kids okay?</i> My older two boys are both trying to navigate the college admissions process, one as a transfer student, the other as a high school senior. Don’t know how scary college is? Try reading Sara Goldrick Rab’s <i><a href="http://saragoldrickrab.com/books/" target="_blank">Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream</a></i>, which really opened my eyes to the <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/paying-price-review" target="_blank">crisis </a>our country is facing in higher education. I now understand that I’m not alone in wondering how on earth the federal government expects me to allocate one fourth of my family’s gross income as our “expected family contribution” toward soaring and unpredictable college costs. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I went to college, I worked long hours in the summer to save up enough for the school year. Twenty-five years later, my son works the same long hours for roughly the same pay I made in 1992, which is nowhere near enough to afford the costs of our state school, let alone some fancy college.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Is my community okay?</i> Like many areas around the country, my Boise community has experienced <a href="https://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/number-of-reported-hate-crimes-in-idaho-jumps-in-2016/Content?oid=5862456" target="_blank">acts of hate</a> directed at our most vulnerable populations. I volunteer and donate and protest, and so do many others, but it feels like nothing we do will ever be enough to fill the void created by hate and fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Is my country okay?</i> I probably don’t need to expound on this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Am I okay?</i> My daughter asked me the question, and I’m still working on the answer. I bandaged the wounds, and they are healing. I’m bandaging the more complex wounds to my soul by reading biologist and essayist Lewis Thomas’s 1974 collection, <i><a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/322616/the-medusa-and-the-snail-by-lewis-thomas/9780140243192/" target="_blank">The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher</a></i>. Lewis writes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We are, perhaps uniquely among the earth’s creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing the future, discontent with the present, unable to take in the idea of dying, unable to sit still…. We have high expectations and set high standards for our social behavior, and when we fail at it and endanger the species—as we have done several times in this century—the strongest words we can find to condemn ourselves and our behavior are the telling words “inhuman” and “inhumane.”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My middle years are marked by pervasive failures of those high expectations for social behavior. In public, men say unspeakable things about women, about people, about each other. The danger to our species seems never to have been greater, and Lewis’s twentieth-century hopes that humans would unite to become the conscious mind of the planet seem naïve and idealistic, like something a young white male Bernie Sanders supporter would say (also, he would want free college).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Midlife is not, for me, a time of exploration. It’s a time of existential exhaustion. And no $50 jade eggs for my vagina or yoga classes with beer or any other ridiculous self-care concepts are going to make me less tired. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don’t want to be my personal brand. I don’t want to take some time for self-care. I don’t want to have a <a href="https://qz.com/762868/giving-up-alcohol-opened-my-eyes-to-the-infuriating-truth-about-why-women-drink/" target="_blank">glass of wine</a>. Or two. Or six. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I want my younger children to know the joy of running free in the woods on a summer afternoon. I want my newly adult children to be able to graduate from college without crushing debt. I want my mother to be able to consider retirement without fear of financial consequences. I want my community to be safe for everyone—refugees, trans folks, atheists, human beings. I want justice. I want freedom. I want a healthy planet. I want to leave the world a better place than I found it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don’t want to live forever, blooming and taking risks and staying current with the latest technology. Mostly, I just want a nap. Also, a new pair of pants. This time, I’ll buy them at a thrift store.</span></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-52152040540299154722017-07-26T12:19:00.000-06:002017-07-26T12:19:44.990-06:00Joy in the Journey<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author and her sister on Pioneer Day in Provo, Utah</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Learning How to Feel Human Again after a Faith Transition</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Note: This is the text of a sermon I gave at the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Sunday, July 23, 2017. I tend to ad lib quite a bit, so the audio at <a href="https://boiseuu.org/audio/">https://boiseuu.org/audio/</a> may differ from this written version. Also, talking about my faith transition still terrifies me. If you're going through one yourself, hang in there. If you know someone who is currently questioning their faith, be gentle.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My youngest child turned twelve a few weeks ago. As I watched her excitement at becoming a Beehive and entering the LDS church’s Young Women’s program, I reflected back on my own transition to womanhood within the church. When I was a Beehive, the church had a program called Personal Progress. With no disrespect to the Boy Scouts, this program was essentially like earning an Eagle Scout award, only much, much harder, and with none of the recognition the boys got for their achievements. <i>Plus ca change</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As a new Beehive, I was encouraged to write a list of my major life goals. Ten years ago, in the summer of 2007, I had accomplished all of them. Married in the temple to a tax attorney who managed the money of those 1% folks? Check. Earned an advanced degree in Classics that proved I was smart but not really necessary to the workforce? Check. And like all good Mormon mothers, I was using my degree at home, where I taught my four children about Julius Caesar’s Gallic wars while canning apricots and singing “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most importantly, in 2007 I was called as a Gospel Doctrine teacher in my ward. Now for those of you who don’t know what a Gospel Doctrine teacher is, or why I would aspire as a 12-year-old girl to become one, let me explain. The Gospel Doctrine teacher is the highest church calling to which a Mormon woman can aspire. Relief Society President? Pshaw! Who wants to be in charge of a bunch of women? The Gospel Doctrine teacher was responsible for teaching scripture every Sunday to the women AND the men in the ward. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And if there’s one thing I loved as a child, it was Mormon scripture. </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was that kid who wrote my English and history papers on Joseph Smith and the Restored Gospel. I wasn’t just Mormon—I was in love with Mormonism. Church doctrine was the framework through which I interpreted everything about life, but most especially, it was how I decided whether or not I was a good person.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To its credit, the Mormon church makes this determination fairly easy in some senses. There are simple checklists—no coffee or tea, no alcohol, no sex before marriage—that were pretty easy for me to follow. The rubric that defined my sense of self-worth was simple too: “Wickedness never was happiness,” as the Book of Mormon prophet Alma says. Translation: if you aren’t happy, you’re a sinner. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then there was another one of my favorite life-defining scriptures, from the New Testament Book of Matthew: “Be ye therefore perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my 2014 book, <i>The Price of Silence,</i> about raising a child who has mental illness, I wrote about this scripture: “Mormon women bear the brunt of this perfectionism, often being expected to give up work outside the home, devote themselves to lay church service, raise perfect, polite, academically gifted children; grow a garden; preserve what they grow in their garden for their two-year food storage; and of course, stay thin, fit, and smiling in their ‘modest is hottest’ outfits, standing beside their equally perfect, priesthood-holding husbands.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In 2007, I was THAT Mormon woman, the one who always sent the best Christmas cards (who needed to know how many hours I spent in Photoshop to achieve those perfect pictures?). I was the woman my 12-year-old-self had wanted me to become. But though I was living the dream, I was not happy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Four months after I was called as Gospel Doctrine teacher, I had what can only be described as a revelation. I was teaching one spring Sunday about the risen Savior from the Book of Mark when I read this scripture for probably the thousandth time: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And I thought, for the first time in my life, “Why? Why do I have to be saved?” </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course, this thought is not unique. Christian apologists from St. Augustine to C.S. Lewis have explored the question of salvation. Lewis wrote, “A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world—and might be even more difficult to save.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why isn’t it enough just for people to be nice? Because Eve ate an apple? Because Adam blamed Eve when God asked him about it? Because God said so? What if—bear with me here, I was new at this!—the initial premise, the unmoved mover—was false?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some people, seeking knowledge of God’s love, describe praying, sometimes for years, to know the truth. The Book of Mormon gives its readers this exact challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some people, like my husband Ed, never bother to ask God about anything. And some people ask, and pray, and they know that it is true. Meanwhile, as I know from personal experience, some people do exactly what the Book of Mormon tells them to—ask, pray, want the truth—and know that it is not true.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If I were still Mormon, right now, I would bear my testimony to you. “I’d like to bear my testimony that I know the church is not true, that I know its teachings are harmful to people I love, that church doctrine is wrong about gay marriage, God’s love, women’s roles in life, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Also, I still think many Mormons are very nice people. In the name of whichever god or gods you choose or do not choose to believe in, Amen.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That April Sunday in 2007, I taught my final lesson as a Gospel Doctrine teacher. I could not teach things that I knew were false. But still I limped along in Mormonism, thinking perhaps there might be a moral compromise, some way to keep both my community and my integrity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There wasn’t. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we cannot have our cake and eat it too (Also, the cake is a lie). A year later, a song from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyXuVx-t-jM" target="_blank">Badly Drawn Boy</a>, “Long Way Round,” gave me the courage to move forward, beyond the moral constraints of my faith: “Sit and wait for the day when your life might change, and that day never comes. All the changes must come from you.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But when I abandoned the framework of Mormonism, I lost my entire cultural language for describing meaning and purpose in life.</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(I lost my first marriage too, and that is another story.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I left the religion of my youth, I didn’t know how to feel good anymore. For my entire life, my conception of what it meant to be happy was defined by a set of arbitrary rules perpetuated in the culture into which I once thought I was born because of divine destiny but I now realized was total chance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The poet Mary Oliver, among others, became my new scripture. According to the Gospel of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv_4xmh_WtE" target="_blank">Mary Oliver,</a> “You don’t have to be good.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don’t! Or at least, I don’t have to be good the way Mormons or anyone else for that matter defines good.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The sense of freedom in those early days was exhilarating but terrifying. No longer could I check my critical thinking skills at the church door. Suddenly, the responsibility to define morality was all on me. By rejecting the Mormon God’s plan for happiness, I was now responsible for creating my own plan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And through stops and starts, and more failures than successes on that ten-year pilgrimage away from doctrine and toward meaning, I’ve finally started to learn the lesson I need most. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happiness is not about the plan. It was never about the plan. Happiness is finding joy in the journey.</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the hardest things I’ve learned on this journey is how to be honest in identifying my emotions. I don’t think this is a problem unique to the LDS church, by the way. I think the inability to identify our emotions honestly, to embrace and accept the negative emotions as well as the positive ones, is a malady that has infected our entire culture. We see it in our Instagram and Facebook feeds. We see it in the toxic Gospel of Prosperity that threatens to destroy our democracy—in the idea that wealthy people deserve to get all they can while the poor deserve nothing, not even our compassion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of you may know that I have a part-time largely unpaid “job” as a mental health advocate that I took on after my 2012 essay, <a href="https://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/" target="_blank">“I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother”</a> went viral. My second son has struggled with mental illness for his entire young life, and he has taught me so much about what it means to be happy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One specific skill my son taught me was how important it is for all of us to recognize and define our emotions in the moment we are experiencing them. Psychologists call this activity “affect identification.” It starts with the premise that our feelings—good, bad, or ugly—are value-neutral, meaning there’s no one “right” way to feel. There are simply feelings. And you are free to feel them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It shouldn’t surprise you that most of us are not very good at this. If our religion or our culture teaches us that “good” people are happy, then we are damn well going to smile through the pain, right? According to our culture, big girls—and real men--don’t cry. Unfortunately, the consequences of our collective denial about what we feel are very real in terms of our mental and physical health. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So today, I want to teach you how to identify your feelings (for some of you, this will likely be a refresher course). I want you to close your eyes and imagine this scene. You’re having a conversation with a Donald Trump supporter. Your heart starts to pound. You feel your face flush. You have a sudden urge to leave the room. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hit the time-out button. Stop. Name your emotion. What are you feeling? Is it anger? Anxiety? Fear? Frustration? Disgust? Shame?</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you can, write the name down on a real or imaginary notepad. Stare at the word for a minute. Slowly breathe in, and breathe out. Breathe again. And again. After three breaths, you should feel calmer. Your heart should be slowing down. You may still feel the emotion, but now, you’re in charge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Open your eyes. That was not too hard, was it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And yes, in case you are wondering, there’s an app for that! <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/best-mood-tracker-apps" target="_blank">Mood tracking apps</a> can help you to identify your emotions in real time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Instead of telling ourselves how we should feel, it’s time to start acknowledging our real feelings. It’s okay to feel sad, or angry, or ashamed. Sure, it doesn’t feel too good, but as someone who has experienced clinical depression, I can tell you how grateful I am just to feel anything! Depression for me is a big world of grey, a numbness, a fog that flattens and distorts everything I encounter. I have learned to feel enormous gratitude for sadness because when I have lost something, I know that at one time, it mattered to me. At one time, it brought me joy. I am grateful for anger because it reminds me that life is unfair, that justice matters and that some things are worth fighting for. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And shame, the worst of all emotions? Well, I’m grateful for shame too. Many of the hardest truths I have learned about myself have started when I felt ashamed and let myself really feel that way.</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My youngest daughter is not here with us today. She is attending her LDS ward, where she is learning, as I did at her age, that “there’s a right way to live and be happy.” I struggle daily, as my own mother must struggle in her relationship with me, mourning my daughter’s choice to stay true to her faith when I believe Mormonism’s teachings are not only wrong but actually harmful. If my daughter were here, I would tell her the same thing my still-Mormon mother would say to me: “I love you. I’m here for you, wherever your journey takes you.” And I would tell her what my father, a Mormon bishop and the best human being I have ever known, told me shortly before he died: “It doesn’t matter what I think. I just want you to be happy.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This journey—yours and mine—</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDGuPp1np4o" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">is not perfect</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. But it’s ours. </span></div>
Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-47045620706652963092017-07-25T09:09:00.000-06:002017-07-25T09:09:55.778-06:00My Obamacare "Nightmare"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DMg1PGN9W3s/WXdeNeQBK6I/AAAAAAAAAp8/Gkzz8Tz3I7YMlCDWeb0RweN8Vjm4A13_QCLcBGAs/s1600/Thanks%2Bobama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DMg1PGN9W3s/WXdeNeQBK6I/AAAAAAAAAp8/Gkzz8Tz3I7YMlCDWeb0RweN8Vjm4A13_QCLcBGAs/s320/Thanks%2Bobama.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>How the Affordable Care Act Helps Working Families Like Mine</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A few years ago, I woke up one morning and realized that I was miserable. It was becoming increasingly clear that the career I had chosen was not the right fit for my skills. I knew what I really wanted to do: I wanted to teach in the classroom again. But as the breadwinner for my family of six, I felt like I had no choice but to stay with my organization in a job I did not love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My husband, like many men in his 50s, had lost his job a few months before when his company laid off most of its staff, and despite daily calls and job applications, he had not been able to find anything more than part time work without benefits. In our profession, college instruction, most teachers must work as adjuncts on temporary, at-will contracts without benefits. My husband and I could earn enough to support our family comfortably if we both worked part time as adjuncts, but without the safety net of health insurance, we didn’t dare to take the risk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I looked at the numbers on my paycheck, hoping for a miracle. My employer offered a good insurance plan, and though I paid 1/3 of each paycheck for my portion of coverage, the employer contribution was twice the amount I paid, meaning the kind of coverage we had through employer-sponsored insurance would be out of reach if I decided to leave my job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For most of my life, I had been blessed with relatively good health. But now, with 60 hours of work per week (I was salaried, so there was no overtime), plus trying to manage a household of four lively children, I was overwhelmed. I’d put on weight. I was depressed and anxious. It seemed like I caught every cold that came through the office.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was sacrificing my health for health insurance.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then someone mentioned the Affordable Care Act. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I surfed to our state’s health exchange and window-shopped plans. In our personal situation, all we needed was catastrophic coverage and wellness care. I was amazed at how affordable the policies were, especially after the tax subsidies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day, I started applying for adjunct teaching positions at my organization. As soon as I had secured one, I put in my notice for my full-time position and transferred to a part-time one. My employer had once offered part-time employees health insurance plans, but with the Affordable Care Act, they no longer needed to do so. I applied for health insurance through the exchange.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The process was relatively easy. I was surprised, though, when my health navigator told me that my children would be placed in our state’s CHIP system, or Medicaid. “We can afford insurance,” I told her. “We don’t need Medicaid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She explained to me that I would actually be paying $15 per month per child for Medicaid insurance. In hindsight, it seems somewhat ironic that <a href="https://www.economist.com/Trumptranscript" target="_blank">$15 per month</a> is the amount President Donald Trump thinks health insurance should cost. For the children, we also had a co-pay for all services except wellness visits and immunizations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was the best health insurance my children have ever had.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read that sentence again. Then ask yourself: why wouldn’t the United States want all of its children to have the best health insurance possible?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know the Affordable Care Act isn’t perfect. But contrary to President Trump’s assertions, it is working—for 22 million people, by the <a href="http://time.com/4866778/cbo-the-senates-latest-health-bill-would-leave-22-million-uninsured/" target="_blank">CBO’s estimate</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If we were having a real, national, bipartisan conversation about health care, one that included all voices and gave enough time to the process to truly consider the ethical as well as the practical implications of healthcare reform, I would support that conversation. If he were really interested in making healthcare more affordable and accessible to everyone, I would support President Trump’s goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I think we all know that’s not what is happening here. Congress certainly knows: they have tried to write their proposed new law to <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/13/15966034/senate-republicans-exemption" target="_blank">exclude themselves</a> from the damage they will do to Americans like me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Could a law be written that got the United States government out of the business of healthcare while also protecting children, seniors, and those living with disabilities and providing a social safety net to working Americans who do not have access to health insurance through their employers? I think it could. But not in six months, and not without bipartisan cooperation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Much has been written, both good and bad, about the Affordable Care Act. But I think it’s important to remember the positive effects for workers. The Affordable Care Act provides access to health care for working families like mine who cannot access health insurance through their employers. It makes sure that children receive preventative care and screenings. For my family, Obamacare was no nightmare: it was an opportunity to pursue my American dream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-8347318760389105772017-06-24T13:01:00.000-06:002017-06-24T13:02:30.994-06:00You're Covered!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Di5n8erB6A/WU62PM9LFpI/AAAAAAAAApg/LARc03IIQEI8JHzY8XvBXFOLPG8n8cIVQCLcBGAs/s1600/Youre%2BCovered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Di5n8erB6A/WU62PM9LFpI/AAAAAAAAApg/LARc03IIQEI8JHzY8XvBXFOLPG8n8cIVQCLcBGAs/s320/Youre%2BCovered.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're Covered! New reality show helps deserving Americans<br />access affordable healthcare.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>New Reality Television Show Lets Patients Pitch Their Healthcare Woes to Wealthy Republicans</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fox announced yesterday that a new reality show, <i>You’re Covered!</i> will air as part of its weekly line-up this fall. The show, billed by its producers as “a cross between <i>Shark Tank</i> and <i>The Apprentice</i> with a warm, fuzzy Hallmark card ending,” features contestants who cannot afford their healthcare in the wake of the Republican Congress’s American Health Care Act <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/06/22/533942041/who-wins-who-loses-with-senate-health-care-bill" target="_blank">reforms</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">According to the producers, contestant preference will be given to the so-called “deserving poor,” described as hard-working, God-fearing white people from Rust Belt states who have lost their jobs in coal mining, construction, or other “traditional, American manufacturing” <a href="https://www.aei.org/publication/who-were-donald-trumps-voters-now-we-know/" target="_blank">jobs</a>. Women contestants seeking contraception or other reproductive healthcare assistance must consent to transvaginal ultrasounds and watch a series of video exposes revealing Planned Parenthood’s true role as a <a href="http://www.npr.org/2016/01/28/464594826/in-wake-of-videos-planned-parenthood-investigations-find-no-fetal-tissue-sales" target="_blank">purveyor of aborted fetuses</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The show’s format is simple and familiar. The person seeking healthcare assistance makes his or her case to a panel of five wealthy Republicans, all of whom have benefited from at least a $50,000 reduction in their annual taxes as a result of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/business/tax-cuts-affordable-care-act-repeal.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Republican bill.</a> The panelists confer and decide who deserves to have healthcare. The show ends when former reality television star and current U.S. President Donald Trump makes a guest appearance to reveal the winner, saying in his trademark style, “You’re covered!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the show’s pilot episode, a 56-year old former steel worker from Scranton, Pennsylvania who suffers from erectile dysfunction as a result of stress induced by loss of his job, beats out parents seeking help with costly medications for their child who has chronic asthma, a young woman seeking psychiatric medications to manage her bipolar disorder so that she can continue her college education, and a 48-year old mother of three with costly complications from type-2 diabetes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Look, I’m not going to lie. It was hard to say no to that cute kid,” one male panelist said. “But this man—he has suffered so much. I could really relate on a personal level. It’s guys like him that are going to make America great again, no question. He deserves a second chance.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another panelist, who owns a small business that employs 100 workers at minimum wage, netting its owner more than $3 million per year, agreed. “I mean, mental illness, diabetes, let’s face it. Those are lifestyle choices,” she said. “When I was in college, I felt sad sometimes too when I didn’t have enough money for drugs. But I just asked my parents or borrowed from friends. And that woman with diabetes—she is so…well, let’s just say she should have shopped at Whole Foods instead of McDonalds. Maybe then she wouldn’t be sick. Besides, what kind of example is she setting for her kids? They need to learn that choices have consequences.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When asked whether the show was perhaps the very sort of “death panel” that Republicans once <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2009/dec/18/politifact-lie-year-death-panels/" target="_blank">accused Democrats</a> of creating through Obamacare, the producers disagreed. “All of these people have access to healthcare,” they argued. “They can still <a href="http://time.com/4769830/raul-labrador-gop-congressman-nobody-dies-health-care/" target="_blank">go to the emergency room,</a> or they can try to buy health insurance on their own, without subsidies.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Healthy people shouldn’t have to subsidize sick people for their bad lifestyle choices,” they continued. “It’s not fair. It’s not American. This show gives people who actually deserve care a chance to get it, by showcasing the compassionate conservative response—not a hand out, but a hand up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To those who deserve it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Author’s Note: This essay is satire, in the same way that Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is satire. Swift didn’t really think eating Irish babies would solve Ireland’s famine, and I don’t really think a death panel reality television show should replace access to affordable healthcare for all Americans. Just sayin’.</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-85476546634978078192017-06-22T09:08:00.002-06:002017-06-22T09:09:56.839-06:00The Toxic Gospel of Prosperity<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lessons from The Book of Donald 5:1-12<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dM5kYyaXMhs/WUvcx-FKXMI/AAAAAAAAApI/Sn5UqCk9m2gdk-cdu2Ql6n8vCrbzp6y1QCLcBGAs/s1600/Donald%2BTrump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dM5kYyaXMhs/WUvcx-FKXMI/AAAAAAAAApI/Sn5UqCk9m2gdk-cdu2Ql6n8vCrbzp6y1QCLcBGAs/s320/Donald%2BTrump.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Image from HuffPost Facebook timeline </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now when he saw the crowds, the master tweeted, “Truly, we’ve had so much winning.” Then he began to teach his disciples, saying,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Blessed are the rich, for theirs is the Kingdom of Men.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Blessed are those who mourn the loss of white privilege, for they shall be celebrated<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Blessed are the bold, for they will create jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after Alex Jones, for they shall be righteously indignant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Blessed are those who show no mercy, for they are good businessmen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Blessed are the pure capitalists, for their God is the only God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Blessed are the warmongers, for they shall use fear to control you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Blessed are those who feel persecuted because they voted for me, for they shall see so much winning and walls and more winning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Blessed are you when the Fake News and liberals insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of mean things about you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, believe me, it is so great, it is the best reward, and the rich people are going to make it happen, folks, I promise you, and I love all people, rich or poor, but in those particular positions I just don’t want a poor person. Does that make sense? Does that make sense?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-243280193306265772017-01-31T21:01:00.000-07:002017-01-31T21:03:12.345-07:00 Why I Won’t Comment on Donald Trump and Mental Illness<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5KK4PrLovg/WJFajMXsvGI/AAAAAAAAAok/ZzZtN1KeI-s3ayoAX4TJKu0suH85tqpNgCLcB/s1600/Abraham%2BLincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5KK4PrLovg/WJFajMXsvGI/AAAAAAAAAok/ZzZtN1KeI-s3ayoAX4TJKu0suH85tqpNgCLcB/s320/Abraham%2BLincoln.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who cares whether Donald Trump has mental illness?</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(Hint: Whether or not he has mental illness does not matter)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let’s be clear: I hate Donald Trump as much as the next freedom-loving
American. Trump is a self-described sexual predator, a liar, a xenophobe, a racist,
and a bad businessman. His friends and advisors include <a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/31/14439908/steve-bannon-worldview-visa-ban" target="_blank">white supremacists</a> like Steve “Darth” Bannon, formerly of Breitbart fame, now wreaking his
alt-right havoc on the entire world. Trump has openly expressed <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/article/428759/donald-trumps-vladimir-putin-praise-reaches-disgraceful-levels" target="_blank">admiration</a> for Vladimir Putin, the autocratic
Russian leader whose record is not likely to be enshrined in anyone’s Human
Rights Museum any time soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While I have little else in common with Trump’s supporters, at
least now I can sympathize with how that “<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/15/politics/donald-trump-obama-birther-united-states/" target="_blank">birther</a>” crowd felt when President
Obama was elected in 2008. For reasons too numerous to list here, Donald Trump
is #notmypresident. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But while I welcome (and enthusiastically retweet) nearly all negative
news and commentary regarding Trump and the Orwellian nightmare he and his evil
Avengers have wrought on my beloved America, there’s one “criticism” of him
that makes me cringe. Any time a layperson or even an expert weighs in on
whether Trump has a mental illness that would make him unsuitable for office, I refuse
to engage in the conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The problems with linking mental illness and Trump include but are
not limited to the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">As far as we know, Trump has not been diagnosed with a mental
illness. In 2016, his own physician, in a report that was undeniably unusual in
its hyperbole, described the then-presidential nominee’s overall health as “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/14/donald-trump-releases-medical-report-calling-his-health-extraordinary/?_r=0" target="_blank">extraordinary</a>.” </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Armchair diagnosing, even for the professionals, is not considered
an ethical pastime. The so-called “<a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/psychiatrists-cant-tell-us-what-they-think-about-trump/" target="_blank">Goldwater Rule</a>” that condemns this kind of
behavior was named after 1,189 psychiatrists responding to a survey described the
1964 presidential candidate as “psychologically unfit.” </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> In 2014 (pre-Trump), <i>Forbes</i>
contributor <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/11/20/should-it-be-allowable-to-diagnose-mental-health-in-the-press/#57b02887754a" target="_blank">Cheryl Conners</a> summed up the
ethical standard: “It is not okay to directly suggest a mental health diagnosis
for public figures…[T]o address a person’s mental health in speculative
articles, or to serve an ideological or political agenda, is…still a professional
and ethical ‘no.’” </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Discussing Trump’s (alleged) mental illness as a potential
disqualifier under the 25</span><sup style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is
inappropriate and stigmatizing. Here’s the language in question:<br /><div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;">
Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President (25th Amendment, U.S. Constitution).</blockquote>
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</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s likely at this point that you have read the opinions of
people who want Trump’s alleged mental illness to disqualify him as president.
But living with a mental illness would not and should not necessarily proscribe <i>anyone</i> from
being an effective president. <o:p></o:p></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Exhibit A: Abraham Lincoln. His spells of “melancholy” were well
known by friends and foes alike. In his 2005 exploration of Lincoln’s likely clinical
depression (the Goldwater Rule does not extend to deceased public figures), Joshua
Shenk <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2005/10/lincolns-great-depression/304247/" target="_blank">wrote</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white;">In his mid-forties the dark soil of
Lincoln's melancholy began to yield fruit. When he threw himself into the fight
against the extension of slavery, the same qualities that had long brought him
so much trouble played a defining role. The suffering he had endured lent him
clarity and conviction, creative skills in the face of adversity, and a
faithful humility that helped him guide the nation through its greatest peril.</span> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let me be clear: I am NOT comparing
Trump, whom I think history likely to judge as America’s worst president, to
Lincoln, who to my mind still retains the title of America’s best president. I
am, however, making the important distinction that it is not mental illness
that makes a president great, or mediocre, or downright abysmal. People are who
they are. In Lincoln’s case, and in many people’s cases, the challenges of
living with mental health conditions may actually confer certain advantages in
leadership positions, including empathy, resilience, and an ability to think
creatively. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a mental health advocate, I am
asking my fellow Trump-haters for a favor. Please continue to shame <i>Il Cheeto</i> for his shameless behavior,
and even for his tiny hands. Call out his cruel and un-American policy
decisions. Keep demanding that he release his tax returns. But stop speculating about whether Trump has mental illness, and whether living with mental illness would make him unfit for office.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-38386498191520530672017-01-29T11:29:00.000-07:002017-01-29T11:30:27.168-07:00My 2017 Resolution: Liberty and Justice for All! <div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“Ring out the false; ring in the true!”—Alfred, Lord
Tennyson</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pvvMFM2afek/WI4zdjLNNmI/AAAAAAAAAoM/n3WrfMfanKoTI-4LXYhPOarir2uOXKrPgCLcB/s1600/2017%2Bresolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pvvMFM2afek/WI4zdjLNNmI/AAAAAAAAAoM/n3WrfMfanKoTI-4LXYhPOarir2uOXKrPgCLcB/s320/2017%2Bresolution.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As I scrolled through my friends’ Facebook feeds on New
Year’s Eve 2016, noting the pictures of dumpster fires, the scornful
expressions of “good riddance,” the laments of trepidation for the future, I
also noticed that for many people, 2016 was actually a very good year for
personal and professional growth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2016 was certainly a good year for me. I successfully
defended my doctoral dissertation on mental health advocacy and leadership. I
started working full time in my dream job, teaching composition to first-year
students at a community college. I spoke at several conferences, including the
National Council for Behavioral Health, the Domenici Institute 2016 Public
Policy conference, and the American Bar Association’s National Summit on the Death
Penalty and Serious Mental Illness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With other mental health advocates, I celebrated the passage
of the 21</span><sup style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Century Cures Act, which will hopefully provide more
funding and support for people living with serious mental illness. My 2014
book, </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Price of Silence</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, continued
to be read and positively reviewed, and my brave son Eric spoke at 2016 TEDx
Boise about what it’s like to grow up with bipolar disorder, and how people can
help to end stigma one friend and one conversation at a time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">All in all, a pretty good year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Except for that Trump thing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Truthfully, the election of Donald Trump won’t directly hurt
me or my family too much. We’re white, heterosexual, middle class folks who live
in Idaho, that “reddest of the red” states. Though my husband and I both have
progressive leanings, we have behaved like good Republicans in our financial
lives. We live within our means. We work hard, save aggressively, and donate as
much as we can to charitable organizations. We have health insurance through my
employer, and when we didn’t, we used a Health Savings Account and a high
deductible policy, exactly the “solution” that Republicans are likely to offer
as a replacement for Obamacare. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My family has not relied on public benefits like food
stamps, even though both my husband and I have experienced periods of
unemployment, and my husband, like many white men his age, remains underemployed
and would prefer to work full-time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Still, we have been lucky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No, Donald Trump’s election (barring the frightening
possibility of global nuclear war) likely won’t affect us. We’ll read the horrific
headlines and shake our heads in disapproval. We’ll continue to call our
elected officials and express our concerns about Russian hacking, gender
discrimination in healthcare, and the frightening prospect of erosion of legal
protections for marginalized people who should have the same rights as the rest
of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are so lucky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here’s where I admit something that most of my friends
probably don’t know. I’m a registered Republican. In fact, when I consider only
my own circumstances and experiences, I’m very attracted to libertarianism,
with its inherent meritocracy and limited federal government focused on defense
and facilitation of commerce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I read Ayn Rand’s <i>Atlas Shrugged</i> in 10<sup>th</sup>
grade, I was completely sold on the gospel of personal accountability. I was a
faithful member of a conservative religion that reinforced those values of
making good choices, working hard, and reaping the blessings that would come
from pulling myself up by my own bootstraps. In that world, financial success
was (and still is) visible evidence of good character, of God’s approbation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then I grew up. I read Peggy McIntosh’s essay on <a href="http://code.ucsd.edu/pcosman/Backpack.pdf" target="_blank">white privilege</a>, and it resonated. I read bel hooks’s <a href="https://excoradfeminisms.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bell_hooks-feminism_is_for_everybody.pdf" target="_blank">critique</a> of white feminism, and
that stung, too. I realized that social justice was not a fashionable accessory
to my life; it was the meaning of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I learned that life in fact was not fair, that all people
did not have equal opportunities, that even when I’d faced challenges, the
world had been uncommonly gracious and accommodating to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This shift in perspective took several years of sometimes
painful self-examination. It took losing my religion, my first marriage, and
most of my friends. In fact, the process is still ongoing. I still make so many
mistakes. But I have learned a few things.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s not about me.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Past performance is no guarantee of future returns</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gratitude is the key to happiness.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s okay to make mistakes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Being present—for yourself and for the people you love—matters.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I should give all I can, whenever I can, to those who are
not as lucky as I am.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my father’s (and my) favorite <a href="http://www.hymnary.org/text/because_i_have_been_given_much" target="_blank">hymns</a> begins with these
words: “Because I have been given much, I too must give.” For those of us, like
me, who have more than enough, giving to those who have less is the only moral
choice. In fact, as C.S. Lewis <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/506691-i-do-not-believe-one-can-settle-how-much-we" target="_blank">wrote</a>, we should give until it hurts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And then give more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sure, on a superficial level, Donald Trump may not hurt me
personally. But the sudden erosion of our democracy hurts all of us. My 2017
resolution is to fight like hell whenever I see others’ rights trampled on. It’s
to join my voice with others who are calling out for justice. It’s to give all
I can, and then give more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’d still like to see the Republican ideal of equal
opportunity for all. But today’s Republican Party seems to be dedicated to a
very different platform, one that robs from the poor to pay the rich, that
excludes minority religions, that suppresses free speech, that appeals to fear
rather than calling people to love. These are all dangerous signs of
authoritarianism, and they must not continue unchecked. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In 2017, I will defend my country's promise of liberty and justice for all. I will stay awake.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-17009907511516843722016-12-25T11:53:00.001-07:002016-12-25T11:54:36.177-07:00Love Trumps Hate<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have been composing an annual Christmas carol since 2001, when I wrote, "A Stable, a Manger, a Star in the Sky," inspired by Alfred Burt's lovely "Star Carol." This year, as I sat down at the piano on Christmas Eve, the phrase "Love Trumps Hate" was foremost in my mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://flat.io/score/585eb0047317716970c6056c-he-came-for-love?embed" style="border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0px 4px 8px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.16);" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Like many who lived through the U.S. presidential elections of 2016, I am afraid. I fear for my three sons, who will all be draft age during President-Elect Trump's first term. I fear for myself and my daughter, as we struggle to come to terms with the fact that we live in a nation that is still dominated by the patriarchy, a country where the highest elected official in our country can boast casually about sexually assaulting women. I fear for my students, many of whom are refugees who came to this country fleeing unspeakable horror, or who were brought to this country as children and now face the prospect of being forced to leave the only home they have every known. Most of all, I fear for our country and its promise of freedom, now subjugated to a twisted and evil white supremacist interpretation of Christianity that rejects the stranger and marginalizes the other. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But love trumps hate, and love trumps fear. That is the message of hope we have at Christmas in 2016 and beyond. Merry Christmas! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On a hillside in Judea </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On a silent sacred night </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Shepherds heard the angels singing </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And they saw the new star's light </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In a manger lies a baby </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sent in love to all the earth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let us celebrate our Savior </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And the wonder of his birth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">God is with us still today. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We can hear the angels say: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chorus </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He came for love! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He came for love! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He came for love of you and me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He came for love! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He came for love! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And his love will make us free. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now the world is full of hatred </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And the night seems dark and long. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No one seeks the humble manger. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No one hears the the angels' song. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But the good news still can save us</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If we only stop to hear. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We must learn to love like Jesus, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And our love will conquer fear.
(Chorus)
</span>Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-3644202652333060362016-11-17T08:46:00.000-07:002016-11-17T08:48:00.305-07:00A Modest Proposal to Vice President-Elect Mike Pence Regarding Abortion <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <i>We can end abortion in ten months—if we
do one simple thing.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dear Governor Pence, </span><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yKwLpc8I-10/WC3PSJrVgpI/AAAAAAAAAns/t6KkrraOmkkfiRoPrvD3-GDaydrmtD9XACLcB/s1600/International_Mag_Jonathan_Swift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yKwLpc8I-10/WC3PSJrVgpI/AAAAAAAAAns/t6KkrraOmkkfiRoPrvD3-GDaydrmtD9XACLcB/s320/International_Mag_Jonathan_Swift.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In 1729, Jonathan Swift proposed a solution to<br />
unplanned pregnancies. In 2016, I have a better <br />
idea. One that does not involve cannibalism.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You and I don’t have much in common. I didn’t vote for you. But
you’ve suggested that you are interested in being a vice president for all
Americans, so I thought I’d share my thoughts with you. We both love America
and want the best future for our country, even if we don’t agree on the
specifics. From what I’ve heard about
you and <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/07/donald-trump-mike-pence-vice-president-abortion-gay" target="_blank">your record</a>, I do think that we agree on one thing: Abortions that terminate unplanned or
unwanted pregnancies are morally wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As my progressive feminist friends fall off their chairs and
prepare to block me on Facebook, let me repeat myself: As a mother of four
beautiful children, I don’t think women should ever use abortion as a form of
birth control for an unplanned pregnancy. I’m not alone in this view; about
half of all Americans <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/06/27/5-facts-about-abortion/" target="_blank">agree with me</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, we—stronger together—finally have a chance to end
abortions of convenience once and for all. We can ensure that no woman ever aborts
an innocent child simply because she doesn’t want the hassle of pregnancy and
child-rearing. Even better, we can also end unplanned pregnancies that result from
rape or incest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We don’t even have to overturn <i>Roe v. Wade</i> to accomplish this miracle. Thanks to the wonders of
science, there will soon be a better way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We will have to pass a new law though. To end all abortions
of convenience, we should immediately urge Congress to pass legislation mandating
male birth control. Under this brave new law, all males between the ages of 12
and 112 will be legally required to get regular birth control shots for the
rest of their lives. The men will only be permitted to stop taking the
medication, which by some accounts causes some pretty <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/11/03/500549503/male-birth-control-study-killed-after-men-complain-about-side-effects" target="_blank">serious side effects</a> like
acne, mood swings, and depression, when a heterosexual woman obtains a court order expressing her affirmative
consent to reproduce with a specific man, or alternatively, when, at the age of
40 or older, men affirmatively seek and provide the court with evidence of permanent
sterilization. Men who do not comply with the requirement will potentially face
penalties and jail time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It will totally work. Abortion procedures to end unplanned
or unwanted pregnancies will effectively end. Taxpayers will save all that
money we currently spend on social support services for children of <a href="https://singlemotherguide.com/single-mother-statistics/" target="_blank">singlemothers</a>. And women will take charge of their
reproductive rights—not by wearing modest clothes, or taking purity vows, or
avoiding dangerous situations, but by controlling the real cause of unwanted or
unplanned pregnancies: <a href="http://thefederalist.com/2016/09/16/wrong-naya-rivera-abortion-mens-issue/" target="_blank">men</a>.<span id="goog_616259132"></span><span id="goog_616259133"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since you’re a man, you’re probably saying, “That’s not
fair! The government doesn’t have the authority to control my reproductive rights!”
I tend to agree with you. But if you’re comfortable trying to control women’s
reproductive health but not men’s, I want to know why. Why is it acceptable to
pass laws that affect women’s access to reproductive healthcare but not to do
the same (but much less invasive) thing to men?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And now you know how many women feel when men like you talk
about overturning <i>Roe v. Wade</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Governor Pence, it’s time to admit that your stated opposition
to abortion isn’t actually about ending abortion. It’s about <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/2012/09/abortion-when-it-really-is-about-controlling-women.html" target="_blank">controlling women</a>.</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No pro-choice woman I know wants to have an abortion of
convenience. Not one. But pregnancy, in addition to creating the Miracle of
Life, is also a medical condition for the woman involved, one that comes with
very real risks including the risk of death to the mother and/or fetus. While I
believe that abortions of convenience are morally wrong, I also think abortions
of necessity are an unmitigated tragedy for all involved. These babies are
wanted. They are loved. But a serious medical emergency occurs, and mothers
have to make <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alyson.draper/posts/10209809201680871" target="_blank">unthinkable choices</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For them and their families, we should have nothing but compassion—not laws
threatening punishment or preventing necessary and <a href="https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/why-are-we-still-asking-if-dying-woman-should-be-able-get-abortion-save-her-life" target="_blank">life-saving medical care</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It basically comes down to trust. We should trust that all
women, when provided with education, options, and support, will make the right
choice, the moral choice. In fact, when women have access to reliable, affordable
birth control, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/06/science/colorados-push-against-teenage-pregnancies-is-a-startling-success.html?_r=0" target="_blank">abortion rates plummet</a>. While I think that abortions of convenience are morally wrong, I also think
that no abortion should ever be illegal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And this, Governor Pence, is precisely why I support <a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us?gclid=CIDU48eJr9ACFQgJaQodQJEFqA" target="_blank">PlannedParenthood</a>. Because you know what? I don’t care how we
do it. I just want to end abortions that terminate unplanned or unwanted
pregnancies. And Planned Parenthood, which provides affordable reproductive health services to men and women, does just that. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since I doubt you’ll accept my proposal for mandatory male birth
control, I hope that instead you’ll take action that will actually end abortions
by fully supporting women’s—and men’s—access to reproductive healthcare. To my
mind, that’s the only moral choice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">P.S. Just in case you don’t want to donate to Planned Parenthood
yourself, Governor Pence, 20,000 people took the literal liberty of <a href="http://people.com/bodies/planned-parenthood-mike-pence-20000-donations/" target="_blank">donating in your name</a>.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-12779037092980547932016-10-31T15:08:00.000-06:002016-10-31T15:10:04.062-06:00My Nevermores <div class="SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{60}" paraid="2016875369" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K9D9BbAiMok/WBeyGcM1mCI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/1S4MHQK8SO8SnqXWYZsGiWmyVgqYwm8owCLcB/s1600/Raven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Halloween Insane Asylums</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">, Donald Trump,</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Hillary Clinton’s Emails</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{74}" paraid="1945146076" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K9D9BbAiMok/WBeyGcM1mCI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/1S4MHQK8SO8SnqXWYZsGiWmyVgqYwm8owCLcB/s1600/Raven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K9D9BbAiMok/WBeyGcM1mCI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/1S4MHQK8SO8SnqXWYZsGiWmyVgqYwm8owCLcB/s320/Raven.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">A month or so ago, I took the unusual </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">(for me) </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">step of unfriending and blocking someone on social media. The woman in question is someone I consider to be a friend IRL (in real life). But after </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">I </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">deli</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">vered</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">several polite but increas</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">ingly stern private warnings about her posts on my personal Facebook page</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">, she crossed a line. </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{74}" paraid="1945146076" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{74}" paraid="1945146076" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">When I </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">ebulliently shared</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> my and other advocates’ </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">successful </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">attempts to convince Knotts Berry Farm and Six Flags to close their offensive and stigmatizing Halloween asylum attractions, my friend felt compelled to share her point of view that </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">advocates</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">were reading way too much into this</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> “fun”</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and that we were in fact ruining Halloween in the name of “misguided political correctness.”</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{84}" paraid="1866398599" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">To be fair, my friend knows</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> firsthand</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> the real and painful struggles of caring for someone </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">who lives with severe mental illness</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">She’s also very smart. </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">When I blocked her, she sent me a long email missive entitled “Offended by logic?” </span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{90}" paraid="1581540032" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">My response? “</span><span class="TextRun Highlight SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: transparent solid 1px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">I have made up my mind on this issue. Discussion is over for me. Find someone who is interested in having this discussion.</span></span><span class="TextRun Highlight SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: transparent solid 1px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">”</span></span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{95}" paraid="9261458" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{95}" paraid="9261458" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">I don’t take this kind of step lightly.</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> I love learning new things and hearing alternate persp</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">ectives on just about every subject you can imagine.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{110}" paraid="1591654579" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{110}" paraid="1591654579" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">But I also believe we all have our proverbial lines in the sand. T</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">he</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">re are a few</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> things I have </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">made up my mind about, and </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">I don’t want to “debate</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">” these issues</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> further.</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{0f1c9360-988f-4a6a-8e56-091a52bdddbb}{199}" paraid="1216282149" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{0f1c9360-988f-4a6a-8e56-091a52bdddbb}{199}" paraid="1216282149" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" xml:lang="EN-US">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">In fact, there’s nothing wrong with </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">acknowledging and enforcing these </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">personal </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">boundaries</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">, which I’ve decided to </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">brand as my</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> “nevermores” in honor of Edgar Allen Poe’s taciturn raven</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{114}" paraid="1256758386" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{114}" paraid="1256758386" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Here’s a partial list of my “nevermores,” </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">or</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">things that I have made up my mind about:</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<ul class="BulletListStyle1 SCX64839331" role="list" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{121}" paraid="1489412070" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Donald Trump</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{126}" paraid="1458640452" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Black Lives Matter</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{131}" paraid="2045777184" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">White male privilege</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{136}" paraid="174553202" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/2016/10/stop-profiting-from-pain.html" target="_blank">Halloween “insane asylums” or costumes exploiting mental illness</a></span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="5" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{141}" paraid="1048862411" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Mental illness and incarceration</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="6" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{146}" paraid="1999986718" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Joseph Smith</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="6" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{146}" paraid="1999986718" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><a href="http://anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/2015/11/love-people-hate-policy.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gay marriage</span></a></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="7" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{151}" paraid="1437949683" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Climate change</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="8" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{156}" paraid="705198708" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">The shape of the earth (round vs. flat)</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="9" data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{161}" paraid="575567457" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Hillary Clinton’s emails</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{165}" paraid="924856472" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{165}" paraid="924856472" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">If you want to ask me about my carefully thought out, researched, reasoned position on any of the above, I will be more than happy to share it. But these are not things I’m interested in debating. I’m not saying other people can’t hold other points of view than mine—of course they can! I’m just not interested in conversations on these topics, because I have already made up my mind.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{169}" paraid="1760889443" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{169}" paraid="1760889443" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">“But!” you might be saying. “New information! James Comey! Emails again!”</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{174}" paraid="463235490" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{174}" paraid="463235490" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">No. It’s the same story, and the same emails. And frankly, like the majority of Americans, I don’t care about Hillary Clinton’s “damn emails.” Mrs. Clinton is a woman about my mother’s age, with the same </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">level of technophobia. She made a mistake, and she admitted it. This kind of mistake (fortunately!) really has proven to be the definition of “no harm, no foul.”</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{179}" paraid="1519203425" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{179}" paraid="1519203425" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">But </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">for the men who have repeatedly tried to destroy Hillary Clinton, there was definitely harm, and </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">there have been</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">plenty of </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">uncalled</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">fouls.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{187}" paraid="1981769432" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{187}" paraid="1981769432" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Every time I see <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/17/julian-assange-sweden" target="_blank">Julian Assange’s</a> smug smirk, all I can think is “sexual predator.”</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{195}" paraid="767124763" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{195}" paraid="767124763" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Every time I see the unfortunately named <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/09/anthony-weiner-investigation-15-year-old-girl/501416/" target="_blank">Anthony Weiner</a> in the news, all I can think is, “sexual predator.”</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{203}" paraid="1013481822" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{203}" paraid="1013481822" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Every time I see <a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/10/all-the-women-accusing-trump-of-rape-sexual-assault.html" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> disparage another <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/the-way-donald-trump-speaks-toand-aboutminorities/481155/" target="_blank">minority group</a> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">or mock someone with <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-s-worst-offense-mocking-disabled-reporter-poll-finds-n627736" target="_blank">disabilities</a> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">or </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">denigrate a <a href="http://www.politicususa.com/2016/10/29/trump-attacked-khans-gold-star-family.html" target="_blank">slain </a></span><a href="http://www.politicususa.com/2016/10/29/trump-attacked-khans-gold-star-family.html" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">soldier'</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">s</span></a><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> family </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> or</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/10/22/donald_trump_vows_to_sue_all_the_woman_who_have_accused_him_of_sexual_assault.html" target="_blank">threaten to sue</a> the women who have bravely come forward to share their stories of abuse at his (tiny) hands</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">, all I can think is “sexual predator.”</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{221}" paraid="272094389" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{221}" paraid="272094389" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">And yes, </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">to be fair, </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">every time I see <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2016/01/hillary_clinton_blamed_again_for_bill_clinton_s_affairs.htm" target="_blank">Bill Clinton</a>, I think of how he betrayed </span><a class="Hyperlink SCX64839331" href="http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2016/01/hillary_clinton_blamed_again_for_bill_clinton_s_affairs.html" rel="noreferrer" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; user-select: text;" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">l</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">his wife, his daughter, and the nation—for sex with “that woman,” </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Monica Lewinsky, </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">who has now emerged as a brave and powerful <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/monica_lewinsky_the_price_of_shame?language=en" target="_blank">voice</a></span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> for women everywhere.</span><span class="TextRun Endnote BlobObject SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SCX64839331" id="Endnote" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre !important;">i</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{228}" paraid="1223158339" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{228}" paraid="1223158339" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">It’s ironic</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">—</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">no, more like</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> terrifying—that all of the prominent men standing in Hillary Clinton’s way are connected with sexual assault. It’s even more terrifying that women’s voices weren’t enough to legitimize this fear, and that even though Trump’s own words have exposed him for what he truly is, he is still considered a viable candidate for President of the United States.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{234}" paraid="68346691" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{234}" paraid="68346691" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">I’ve already voted—and I wouldn’t change my vote based on this “new” (aka, same old, same old) information</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> about emails</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">. But to journalists everywhere, I would issue this plea.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{238}" paraid="1671768429" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{238}" paraid="1671768429" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Set boundaries.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{247}" paraid="1379081025" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{88131df5-e4e4-4941-ac7e-bbb07ffd4425}{247}" paraid="1379081025" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Jame</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">s Comey fa</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">iled to set</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> boundaries</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> when he issued his cryptic letter to Congress, and in this failure, he has allowed you—and Trump—to “write the book”</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> on what the FBI may, or may not, find.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{1}" paraid="229208728" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{1}" paraid="229208728" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Don’t</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> write that book</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> It’s likely historians will categorize your unfounded speculation as fiction. Even worse, </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">with a week to election day, </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">your irresponsible reporting may destroy our republic.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{25}" paraid="949873885" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{25}" paraid="949873885" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">It’s not that hard to do this the right way. </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">When </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">you weigh in on </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">whether this </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">new email discovery may lead to a reopening of the investigation that could</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> harm a Clinton Presidency, it is only fair and balanced to ask the same questions about Donald Trump, who is currently facing a civil trial for </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">defrauding students with Trump University and has a post-election December 16 hearing on allegations that he<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lawsuit-accusing-trump-raping-girl-13-december-hearing-article-1.2828413" target="_blank"> raped</a> a 13-year old girl. </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> I hope—though in the current climate</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> of rampant institutionalized </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">misogyny</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">, I cannot assume—that </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">a rape</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">case </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">would seriously harm a Trump Presidency.</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{25}" paraid="949873885" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{34}" paraid="496280638" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Granted, </span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Hillary Clinton is not pe</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">rfect. I don’t know many people who are</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">. But she is more qualified</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> th</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">an any other male—or female—candidate in the United States today</span><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">. And she is our best chance to break that “highest, hardest glass ceiling.” </span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{38}" paraid="1785568438" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{38}" paraid="1785568438" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">So I don’t want to discuss Hillary Clinton’s emails with you anymore. It’s time to vote for the most prepared, qualified candidate in the history of the United States. It’s time to make herstory a reality.</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{41}" paraid="169994543" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; height: auto; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCX64839331" paraeid="{2dd3a614-1311-4166-abbd-f2865566b307}{41}" paraid="169994543" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; height: auto; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="TextRun SCX64839331" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US">Because if Donald Trump wins, there's a frightening chance that too many Americans' hopes and dreams will be "nevermore."</span><span class="EOP SCX64839331" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-7704317967449078472016-10-26T13:53:00.001-06:002016-10-26T13:53:42.115-06:00Use Your Voice! #BraveChat #FaceOfMentalIllness<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;"><i>This is a guest blog by super-advocate Jennifer Marshall of <a href="http://thisismybrave.org/">ThisIsMyBrave.org</a>. Thanks, Jenn, for all you do and for letting me share this important social media campaign!</i></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer Marshall, the #FaceOfMentalIllness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">Every Halloween mental illness seems to be exploited and mocked for entertainment value and profit. Companies using horrible images of mental patients or mental hospitals, and even creating "costumes" depicting the outward wounds of dealing with mental illness. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">Thankfully, due to the work of countless dedicate mental health advocates, society is beginning to wake up. Over the past few weeks, offensive costumes have been removed from websites and shelves, Halloween attractions have been shut down, and people are being educated about the realities of what it is like to live with mental illness through stories shared.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">And we're still able to celebrate and enjoy Halloween. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">But when the public has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/10/25/this-halloween-mental-health-advocates-are-taking-a-powerful-stand-against-attractions-depicting-asylums/?tid=a_inl" target="_blank">this image</a> in their head of what mental illness looks like, we need to speak up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">Tonight during our weekly #BraveChat on Twitter, we're launching a campaign to change the perception of mental illness through photos. And we need your help!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">Join us by sharing a photo of yourself with the hashtag #FaceOfMentalIllness. Or, if you don't do Twitter, you can still add your voice to the campaign by taking a selfie holding a sign that says:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">This is the #FaceOfMentalIllness</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">and share it on Facebook or Instagram. Share a little about your story and why you feel it's important that we speak up. Be sure to tag us (@ThisIsMyBrave) so that we can re-share to amplify our voices. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">“You know this would never happen for other health conditions. You wouldn’t have a Halloween attraction about a cancer ward. It is mocking something that is a very serious illness.”</span></span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 19.2px;">— Mary Giliberti, Executive Director of NAMI to Washington Post</span></div>
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<span style="color: #121212; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;">Use your voice and join us!</span></span></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104692645589867745.post-3175192457332324352016-10-22T10:06:00.001-06:002016-10-22T10:52:09.349-06:00Stop Profiting from Pain<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Walmart’s suicide costume is an affront to decency and morality</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My son at age four</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>“Why do you tear me? <br />Is there no pity left in any soul?” </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Dante’s
Inferno Canto VIII, John Ciardi
trans.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’ll never forget the first time my child talked about suicide.
He was four years old, sniffling and shivering after a several-hour fit of
thrashing, incoherent rage. As I rubbed his white-down hair and cuddled him, he
said, “Mom, I don’t want to be anymore. I just want to be a zero.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Nine years later, when I finally learned my son’s diagnosis, bipolar
disorder, after years of specialists, hospitals, tests, medications, juvenile
detention, and ongoing suicidal ideation, I was relieved. I knew people who
lived with this illness and managed to have successful, happy lives. In fact, one
of my closest friends from childhood, diagnosed with bipolar disorder in
college, had married a wonderful man, raised four children, worked as a
librarian and historian, and was writing her sixth novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Many of the 10 million people<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Essays/Halloween.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
in America who are diagnosed with severe mental illness can live healthy,
happy, productive lives. But instead of celebrating their bravery, our society stigmatizes their illness by mocking it in horribly offensive ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>There’s no time of year mental health advocates dread more
than Halloween. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every single year, it’s the same thing. Mental illness
becomes the punchline of a joke, or the theme of a horror attraction. This year,
Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags did the right thing, shutting down their horrific
asylum-themed virtual reality attractions when advocates expressed justified
outrage. A representative from Six Flags explained the company’s decision to me in an email: “This is a good lesson for us all about perpetuating
stereotypes, and we apologize to anyone that we may have offended.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a lesson that Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer,
desperately needs to learn. A picture of a “razor blade suicide scar wound
latex costume make up” (I won’t link to it, because it is a real trigger) is
the latest and most egregious example of the ongoing battles people with mental
illness and their loved ones must face to educate the public about the reality
of mental health conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Imagine if I told you that my child had an incurable illness
with a risk of death as high as 20% <a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Essays/Halloween.docx#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
If I told you that the illness in question was cancer, you’d be bringing my
family casseroles, organizing community bake sales, and demanding that your legislators
provide more funding for research and treatments. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You’d be outraged by my
inability to access quality medical care for my child. And you would be furiously calling for a boycott if a major retailer released a Halloween costume called “bald head cancer patient
latex costume make up.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But when I tell you my child’s illness is bipolar disorder,
you back away. The risks and challenges are the same (I know—my father died
from cancer when I was in college). But when I and other advocates express our
outrage about suicide costumes and asylum-themed attractions, you tell us, “Stop
being so politically correct,” or “Can’t you just take a joke?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No, I can’t just take a joke. To those who don’t understand
why this is all so wrong, I say in all sincerity, I’m glad you don’t. I am glad
that you have never lost a child, or a parent, or a spouse, or a sister or brother or close friend to a
choice-stealing brain disease. Because the pain of that loss never heals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I’m glad that you have never had to walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, to come out the other side a survivor, but still
struggling in a society that thinks your illness is “a joke.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our pain—and our loved ones’ pain—should never be used for
entertainment or profit. If you think that I am just too thin-skinned—that I
can’t take a joke—I have a Halloween costume idea for you. Go as yourself. You
scare me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div id="edn1">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Essays/Halloween.docx#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Among U.S. Adults. <i>National Institute of Mental Health. </i>Retrieved from <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/serious-mental-illness-smi-among-us-adults.shtml">https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/serious-mental-illness-smi-among-us-adults.shtml</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div id="edn2">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/b388de5b0bcaca69/Essays/Halloween.docx#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Pompili,
M., Gonda, X., Serafini, G., Innamorati, M., Sher, L., Amore, M., ... &
Girardi, P. (2013). Epidemiology of suicide in bipolar disorders: a systematic
review of the literature. Bipolar disorders, 15(5), 457-490.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anarchist Soccer Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18104642282433680432noreply@blogger.com6