MOSCOW IN THE SUMMER

(Wikipedia - Public Domain)

Today I read an interesting article about Chernobyl years after the nuclear reactor meltdown. As the "adventurers" who were the subject of the article The Lights Come Back on in Chernobyl were Polish, and a former classmate lives part-time in Poland, I forwarded the article to him. The following are emails he sent to me in response.

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Professor C. Denson Hill, PhD (Affectionately known to classmates as Denny):

"It was, and still is, a sad story. I think that tomatoes grown there, shortly after the disaster, glowed in the dark. Don't know if they still do.

The (Chernobyl) meltdown was totally caused by 'cowboy' type Russian engineers, who ignored normal required safety procedures, and tried to manually manipulate the reactor, and they screwed up...human error, not the breakdown of the reactor per se.

The story of how it happened, and how it was strictly a homemade disaster, was explained to me when I was in Moscow in the summer of 1992."

(Of course, I had to ask Denny what he was doing in Moscow.)

"I spent the summer in Moscow because I was supposed to be on an exchange program between the USA National Academy of Sciences and the Soviet National Academy of Sciences.

I was visiting the Steklov Mathematical Institute in Moscow. There is also one in Saint Petersburg (former Leningrad). But in 1992 they were in an old building with creaky wooden parquet floors. Since then, they have moved to a new modern building, but I have never been there or seen it.

It was a funny story: you apply for this program, and nothing happens for a year or more...so you forget about it. Then suddenly you get notice from Washington that you have been accepted, and they want you to go...in order to maintain 'business as usual'.

Explanation of how and why it was strange, and why they wanted 'business as usual':

1.) Under normal circumstances, it had always been that the USA paid only your round trip plane ticket, and the Russians were supposed to pay your room and board for the duration. Your itinerary was determined by them...this week you give a seminar in Moscow, next week they send you to Leningrad, the following week, fly you to Novosibirsk, or you take trains to some other place for seminars, etc.

In other words, you are essentially their prisoner (in a friendly way) and they decide who and where and when you talk to people in your field of research. They put you up in Moscow in the 'Academic Hotel' and you can eat out in numerous restaurants, i.e., life sort of as normal there.

What happened in my case is that between the time I applied for the exchange program, and the time I was selected for it, the Soviet Union collapsed (on December 25, 1991)! As was explained over the phone to me, by some official in Washington DC, at the National Academy of Sciences, since there was no longer a Soviet Union, it meant I was on an exchange program between the USA Academy, and the void set. The treaty agreement still existed on paper between the two academies, but the one on the Russian side had ceased to exist. So the US guys were begging me to go, just to show the Russians that they wanted 'business as usual' as far as normal scientific exchanges are concerned.

The Russians were also begging me to come, for the same reasons. Neither side wanted scientific exchanges to stop just because the Soviet Union no longer existed. Yeltsin was nominally in power, but of course the emerging new Russia was actually being run by the KGB, renamed FSB (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation).

(Kremlin -Credit: AP/Misha Japaridze)

Trouble was that the Russians were out of money, the Russian Academy was totally broke, prices in Moscow had gone up, and they did not have the rubles to pay for my hotel room, or for train, or plane trips, etc. So if I went there, I would be totally free, and not have to travel around according to any itinerary fixed by them. Also, you could not get into restaurants because they had been taken over by the Russian Mafia, and they would not let you in, claiming the whole restaurant was booked up, when it was clearly empty. Also the price for a mafia to kill someone was around only $400. Taxis were too dangerous to use, because the drivers would just take you someplace and rob or beat or kill you. Supermarkets were empty...yes, empty! Bare shelves.

(Moscow supermarket)

You were supposed to declare any money at the airport, when you arrived, but my Russian friends told me that in no circumstances should I declare more than $300 on the required form at the airport. (Had to be less than the $400 above.) And no big bills, too dangerous...only single $1s, $5s or maybe a few $10s. So I had around $2,000 in a giant wad stuffed in my underwear, in small bills. Never needed it...it was there just for any emergency. I lied on the form at the airport, saying I had only $250. (The monthly salary then for a famous Russian Academician was only $20.)

But I have gotten ahead of the story...

2.) As I was finding out some of the above, before making a decision, I had this funny conversation over the phone with the guys in Washington: I asked them how safe they thought it would be, if I did in fact decide to go there. Their answer was: 'we cannot give an update, because our U.S. Academy representative in Moscow was mugged last night, is in the hospital, and we have not been able to contact him to see how he is doing'.

3.) So after numerous emails with the Russian side, finally I said I would go if the Russians would satisfy these 3 conditions:

    (a.) Someone I personally know would pick me up at the airport, and at the end of my stay someone I know would drive me to the airport...so as to avoid being immediately robbed upon arrival, or upon departure by the taxi mafia.

   (b) They would find me an apartment to live in, so I did not have to stay a single night in a hotel.

   (c) Such apartment would have cooking facilities, so I would not have to eat a single time in a restaurant."

(As DENNY had said the supermarkets were bare, I subsequently asked him where he got anything to cook!)

"I took, as checked luggage, an old fashioned 'trunk', or 'foot locker' heavily stuffed with pasta, sauce, parmesan cheese, peanut butter, cans of tuna, favorite coffee and tea, etc. Enough to survive any emergency...slowly used it up over the summer.

There were 3 (actually 4) different ways to try to buy any food item. Consider trying to buy tomatoes, for example:

1.  Supermarket. Probably no tomatoes, or maybe some rotten and stinking ones, or strange white ones that might glow in the dark...but they (if they happened to exist) were very cheap.

2.  Chechens selling perfect blemish-free tomatoes from card tables set up on street corners near the last metro stop. The most beautiful tomatoes you have ever seen, and at a sort of reasonable price, but to be avoided because they are very heavily laden with DDT.

3.  Hard Currency Shops. You had to pay in dollars. That is where those one dollar, or five dollar bills became handy. Veggies and stuff from Sweden, or some other Scandinavian country. Much higher prices, decent stuff, and with a few blemishes and insect bites, showing it was OK to eat. This is where I got most of my routine stuff.

4.  From the garden of somebody's dacha (Russian country house or cottage): Here you get real homegrown heritage type tomatoes, better than in any supermarket here. Everybody with access to a dacha has a garden, and they grow their own veggies during the warm season. And they usually produce more than they can eat, so they pass them around to their friends. These are by far the best ones.

Now change the above story to any other type of fruit or vegetable."

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"The Russians satisfied the three conditions I laid out and paid me 100 rubles per day as a per diem. (Then 100 rubles was our 75 cents!) That was all they could afford. But it turned out to be enough since the apartment was free (it was the apartment of the sister of some mathematician, and the sister was in the countryside dacha for the summer). So I lived like a king on not much more that 75 cents per day. The whole summer, I never took a taxi by myself, but went on buses and the metro often. And did not eat a single time at a restaurant (only in the canteen for lunch at Steklov Institute of Mathematics, where a full three-course lunch cost me about 16 cents).

For the first month or so I was paranoid about being robbed, mugged, beaten, etc. But eventually I realized I was being monitored by those KGB guys in the black car that followed me everywhere, and they did not want simple common criminals to mess me up and create an international incident. Remember, they wanted to demonstrate 'business as usual'.

I hung out often at the Irish pub on Arbat Street, and spent most of my time trying to learn Russian with a Russian teacher, but now I still cannot speak the language."

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It may sound like DENNY was being melodramatic when he spoke of the Russian "mafia taxis", however, a little research turned up the following 1992 article. Notes from the Underworld It is rather lengthy, so here is an excerpt to prove he was right in being cautious:

"MOSCOW -- Visitors who have finally made it through customs at Moscow's international airport are channeled toward a narrow doorway that opens to their first encounter with organized crime, Russian-style.

Two lines of black-leather-jacketed men press in from either side, forming a sort of human chute. They are taxi drivers.

(from the Russian LiveJournal)

They lean in close, seeking likely-looking fares among the emerging passengers, still disoriented by the scruffiness, the noise, the dim lighting and the apparent chaos of the airport known as Sheremetyevo-2.

'Taxi? Taxi?'

Overwhelming, insistent, they seem to be everywhere. But the appearance of disorder is deceiving.

The airport taxi drivers form one of the mafias that flourish in Russia today. They are a band -- of bandits, some would say -- with their own rules, their own hierarchy, their own sense of honor."

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(I asked Denny if he would go there today if he were invited.)

"It is completely safe to go there now; probably less dangerous than New Orleans, or parts of Houston.

But, I am not sure why, I have no desire to ever set foot inside that country again. I've seen all the main museums, churches, sites, etc. in Moscow and St Petersburg, so I don't need to go there again...although I would like to be again in that room in the Hermitage (St. Petersburg) where they have 27 or 28 Rembrandts. (When I was there, the Intourist guide gave us only 15 minutes in that room! I was pissed.)

Besides, now that in my declining years, I have invested in buying apartment(s) in another country, I really need to spend time there, because who knows how long one can still travel?"

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Denny and I attended high school in a very small West Texas town. His life in the past 60 years belies that fact. He's a renowned mathematician and Professor of Mathematics at Stony Brook University in New York. He's quite the cosmopolitan... traveling to Europe when school is not in session. When he is not collaborating with other mathematicians on a paper somewhere in Europe, he spends time in Warsaw, where he has two apartments (flats) in an historical 600-year-old building that overlooks the New Town Market Square, and is on the UNESCO list of protected world sites. 

(His flats are on the floor with the open balcony doors.)

As you can tell, Denny is quite interesting. He has many tales to tell, and lots of friends from his travels who lead interesting lives as well. I look forward to his emails. 

Imagine meeting a Hell's Angel in Warsaw! Everyone has lots of questions when they learn Denny is from Texas -- mostly about our politics. Sometimes to his dismay! Our politics are often the subject of ridicule. 

Until next time..

Peace and love,

Marilyn

It Could be Worse (Or It Could Be Better)

It seems each day we find ourselves wondering again how we put such a cringe-worthy, dangerously sociopathic person as our current president in power. Each day he marches us further along the path toward the dismantling of the democracy which we have enjoyed for so many years. We know the answer: he fooled many of the poor, disenfranchised voters with his wild promises. The ones he didn't fool who supported him are the top 1% of the wealthiest in our country as well as the major corporations looking for more benefits from the government in the way of additional tax relief and fewer regulations. The combination of these two segments of our society has, by voting him into office, placed us in grave danger. We are fast approaching a society the likes of which in history created hell on earth for all but a few of the richest and most privileged.

Franklin Roosevelt: “People who are hungry, people who are out of a job, are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.”

Family friend has her own opinion:

Cliffie S.: "Incompetence won over perceived corruption. Wait, no it didn't. The majority of America voted for Clinton. We wanted Clinton for president. And, while I don't think Clinton is a crook, I would darn sure rather have a competent crook running the show, than a crooked dunce."

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Until the President presented his proposed budget this past week, the biggest issue causing much of the furor in the news is the supposedly improved health care plan presented by the GOP. Even with Obamacare in place, which provides millions more people with health insurance, Americans fall behind our neighbor Canada, who has a universal health care system. I found the following article very interesting in the comparison of the two:

Reuters CF Patients Live Longer In Canada (March 13, 2017):

“'We used insurance status as a surrogate marker for the U.S. health care system compared to the universal health care system in Canada,' Dr. Anne Stephenson said by email. 'We found that U.S. patients with private health insurance had similar survival to Canadians, however, insurance status in the U.S. is a complex construct and may reflect a combination of other unmeasured factors such as socioeconomic status.' 

Overall, the risk for death was 34 percent lower in Canada than in the U.S., researchers report in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Compared to U.S. patients continuously insured by Medicaid or Medicare, which are (U.S.) government health programs for the poor and disabled, Canadians had a 44 percent lower risk of death, the study found.

And, relative to American patients without any insurance, Canadians had a 77 percent lower risk of death."

My oldest grandson, Cameron, visited me one day this past week. We had a spirited conversation covering his January trip to India; his future plans to attend seminary (he is currently Director of Lifespan Religious Education at Westside Unitarian Universalist Church in Fort Worth, Texas); and his recent participation in protests at a rally in Fort Worth held by Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, Jr. He talked of supporting the Dakota Pipeline protests with a "water" service. And of course, our conversation turned to politics.

Cameron rather offhandedly mentioned that when he becomes ordained, he will like to serve churches in the Austin/San Antonio area -- or Canada. I was a little surprised when he said that. Their universal health care was not the issue, as Cameron has excellent insurance with the Unitarian association.

At my quizzical look, he said, "What do you think of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau?" I answered that I was very impressed with him, and embarassed by our President's performance when he visited. As some have said, Trudeau is almost a polar opposite from the President. He certainly shows more class. I must admit I know little about Canadian politics, but it's obvious that they are in alignment with Cameron's, who was a big Senator Bernie Sanders supporter. To me this was indicative of how the current administration will affect the young people in our country who were enchanted with Sanders, and so disappointed when he lost the nomination.

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Not enough jobs or affordable health care in the United States is a scary problem for many of our population. However, even our poorest have clean water available, food stamps and organizations which furnish food to the poorest, free lunches for school children, and even limited healthcare at ERs everywhere. At least these are available for now. They may suffer massive cuts under the current administration. However, millions of people in East Africa are facing famine and death from the conditions there. Limited or no food, clean water, or medical help of any kind in some places.

The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres traveled to Somalia this past week due to the drought and cholera which is threatening famine to this nation. $825 million is needed to help the population survive for only 6 months.

From the New York Times, March 7th:  People Are Dying

"..Mr. Guterres recited a litany of statistics: Some 330,000 acutely malnourished children, a number that could rise to a million; 3.3 million people in need of medical care to deal with diseases in a country that lacks health infrastructure; and 7,731 cases of cholera — 183 fatal — in the past two months.

'Just last week, 1,352 cases of cholera and 38 people dying — it’s a process in acceleration,' he warned.

The country has already had two consecutive years of drought, and meteorologists expect crops to fail again this year. Famine was last declared in Somalia in July 2011, after an estimated 260,000 people died, most during a two-month period."

Please open your hearts and your pocketbooks and help these starving people by giving to your favorite charity. International Rescue Committee, Doctors Without Borders, Action Against Hunger, and Save the Children are some already providing aid.

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Prayer

Oh God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry;

When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;

When I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless;

When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer;

And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir my compassion.

Make me concerned enough to help by word and deed; those who cry out for what we take for granted.

Amen

In spite of the problems we are currently undergoing, America is still among the wealthiest nations in the world. We are blessed, and we are thankful. Let us share the good.

Peace and Love,

Marilyn

UPDATE: Due to ongoing war and famine, South Sudan is in worse shape than Somalia. Tonight 60 Minutes had a segment about the conditions there. Charitable donations are needed for both areas, as well as other East African countries. If you choose to help, the charities all have online websites. One that was highlighted on the CBS show tonight was the International Rescue Committee, which has one of the highest ratings. You may indicate the area you wish your donation to assist. A site to check on a charity's rating and type of assistance can be invaluable. One I like is Charity Navigator.

It has been pointed out that it is very difficult for aid to reach the people. Much is stolen by warring factions or in some cases, even the government. 

BABY, LOOK AT YOU NOW!

Miss Kelly (Future American Beauty Queen) was an absolutely adorable baby and toddler. She is my youngest of nine grandchildren, and is now eleven years old. A couple of weeks ago she accompanied her dad, Matthew, to Grandmommy's house for the purpose of doing a little work that needed to be done around here. 

When they arrived, there was an unopened box from Amazon sitting on the floor. I asked Matthew if he would open it and put together the shower stool it contained. Imagine my surprise when he said, "Kelly, come here and open this box." She immediately plopped down on the floor as he handed her his pocket knife. From the looks of the blade when she opened it, I worriedly asked him if it was a "switchblade" -- it was pretty long. He laughed at me as Kelly set to work cutting all the tape holding the box together. When she finished and returned his knife, he then told her to take the pieces out and assemble them. I protested a little, but Kelly was excited as she emptied the box and looked at all of the pieces of the stool. She ignored my suggestion that she look at the instructions, and went right to work. 

(Future Mechanical Engineer)

In no time at all, she had put together my stool and hurried into the bathroom to place it in the tub. She said the legs were a little too high, and quickly set to work shortening them.

I said, "Kelly, I am so impressed with your skill! Why, you could be an engineer someday." She quickly responded that she intended to be one when she grows up. I said there were many types of engineers -- which would she prefer to be? Without hesitating, she replied, "I'm going to be a mechanical engineer!" 

She and Dad moved on to the next project I had lined up for them. An old lamp of my late grandmother's needed to be rewired with the kit Matthew bought at Home Depot. I hesitantly told Matthew I wasn't sure I would feel safe letting her rewire something electrical (after all, she is going to be a mechanical engineer).  He brushed aside my concerns and patiently began to teach Kelly how to take apart the lamp to begin the process. Here she is cutting the old wire. Dad did most of the work on this, but Kelly watched every step. I have no doubt she will be able to do something like this in the future. By the way, Kelly is a straight A student, creates beautiful artwork, and is as adorable as a pre-teen as she was as a baby!

Matthew later told me that when they left here after taking care of my chores, he and Kelly went geocaching all afternoon. Geocaching is something of a modern day treasure hunt. "GPS coordinates lead you to a location where a treasure, otherwise known as 'cache', is hidden. Many caches come with fun clues that help you along the way. Once found, you log your visit into the provided logbook. Many caches have trinkets to trade – think unusual coins, fast food toys, pencils, etc." If one takes a treasure, you must leave one in its place. For those interested, more information about this fun family outing is on this website Geocaching.

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Another adorable baby!

Travis is Kelly's big brother. He hasn't been over recently as the warm weather has kept him on the golf course where he plays with the Vandegrift Vipers high school golf team. Last week they played their most recent tournament at the Hutto Invitational. Travis placed third on his team with a score of 79. He is a Freshman, and the two who scored lower than he did were a Junior and a Senior. Dad and Mom both were there, and I'm sure they were very proud parents. I am a proud grandmother as well.

Travis is a very good student, being on the A and B honor roll. He's also involved in volunteer work with both his church group and the Young Men's Service League, the Viper Chapter. Here he and his friend are at a recent tree planting day in Bastrop County where in 2011 wildfires destroyed 34,000 acres and killed 2 people. There was another wildfire in the same county in 2015 that didn't destroy as much acreage, but both fires wiped out most of the trees in the affected acres.

(Travis on right and friend Tucker)

Travis will turn 15 this summer, and will be getting his learner's permit to drive. Last fall, when their family was in the country for a Thanksgiving vacation, Dad let him drive a bit on the empty county road.

He certainly looks like he is enjoying this. (I accused his dad of photo shopping this picture.) I will hate to think of my youngest grandson driving on Austin's freeways!

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As proud as I am of my grandchildren, I'm even prouder of all of their parents. Matthew's patience and enjoyment at spending time with both of his children is amazing. He is a super dad who wants his children to explore and learn anything that interests them. They both adore him, too. The next adventure he and Kelly have planned is to release two weather balloons they bought online. They will attach a GoPro camera and send it into the stratosphere. Supposedly, it will land within a 150 mile radius, so using a GPS locator they plan to retrieve it. Sounds like a lot of fun. Hopefully, they can do it on a day Travis isn't playing golf so he can join them.

You know, my own father never wanted to do anything with me as a child. In high school I joined the Chess Club so I could learn to play the game and maybe get him to play with me. We did play dozens of games, but I only beat him one time. To his dying day he denied that ever happened, and if it did, it was only "because I let you win". He never encouraged me to be anything when I grew up other than to "be a secretary". He sure did spend a lot of time telling me the things I could not do, thereby dashing any dreams I had.

My children and grandchildren have more than fulfilled my dreams. They are living and loving their families, accomplishing much in their own lives as well as being wonderful role models, and encouraging their children to pursue and fulfill their own dreams.

In a world -- even a country like ours -- where so many children are deprived of even enough to eat or basic care, much less loving families who provide them with opportunities to explore their future... I can only say how very blessed we are in our family. And I thank God.

Love and peace,
Marilyn

HE'S AN EMBARRASSMENT

I have been trying my best to keep my own negative thoughts to myself about the current state of our government. I give up and give in!

The chaos surrounding our new president and his administration still tops all of the daily news headlines. It's hard to miss. Many of us have been disgusted by this man and his shameful rhetoric since before the beginning of the past election campaign. The offensive way he doggedly pursued President Obama's proof of citizenship was despicable -- and ignorant. The way he currently dismisses, condemns, or claims that any news he doesn't agree with is "fake news", as well as spouting erroneous statistics that put him in the position of being called "liar, liar, pants on fire" by many of his detractors only confirms the belief that he is ignorant.

I never watched his show The Apprentice, but a time or two at someone else's house it happened to be turned on. Only seeing and hearing a few minutes of this show, I was shocked at the tyrannical method he used with the guests on his show. He seemed to love saying the words, "You're fired!" And then, there were the words out of his own mouth on TV for all to hear about the way he chose to greet women. Ugh! The backlash he received by way of the huge women's march, thousands around the globe joining in wearing their pink "Pussy Caps", some complete with cat ears, was undeniably a show of outrage from women everywhere for this leader of the most powerful country in the world.

(Wikipedia)

Some of the proposed spending cuts and/or defunding of numerous programs or agencies including National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, and nonprofits such as Planned Parenthood will be cause for more resistance not only from women. If the GOP has its way and the president goes along with proposals to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits, the country may experience an uprising akin to a second American Revolution!

From the PBS website this week: "...Post-inauguration reports that the new administration was quick to clamp down on the flow of information from some federal agencies prompted additional anxiety among librarians. 

..There is no scheduled librarian march on Washington, for example, like scientists have planned for Earth Day (though librarians with library science degrees say they will be joining in)......(It is believed that) librarians will coalesce against (the) President.. in large, physical numbers if the administration threatens funding to any major library institutions, such as the Library of Congress or National Archives." ..PBS.org

Read this excellent article about what scientists, programmers, professors and digital librarians are doing. Guerrilla Archivists "Structured like all-day hackathons and organized by volunteers, the events focus on downloading federal science—especially climate-change related—data sets from government websites and uploading them to a new website, datarefuge.org,"

(dangerousintersection.org)

Second Amendment advocates are minuscule compared to the army of  volunteers who are working now and will in the future to preserve and maintain vital scientific data that should be available to the American people. Our First Amendment rights are at risk should they fail in their efforts. (Some data is already being deleted from the White House website.) The lengths these dedicated people are going to in order to keep free public access to important information that may not be in agreement with the current administration's agenda, should make us realize how scary the situation is in today's White House. 

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I have started and not finished several blog posts before this one. It is difficult to keep up with the news coverage. Many articles say what I wish to say, and they often point out the latest White House events that are cause for concern. I decided to go ahead and put my two cents in anyway. After all, he has become the favorite subject of our late night comedians. 

As I began this yesterday, I still tried to keep up with news reports and opinions. I ran across this article in The Atlantic, and had to laugh. As you may have noticed, I do not mention the new president's name. I just can't bring myself to put it in writing, as I feel he represents the worst in our society. Reading this article, I discovered that I am not alone in refusing to use his name. On Not Saying His Name 

When he goes on camera to deliver a speech, it is so obvious that his speeches are written by someone else. He reads them haltingly, using grammar and language not part of his usual speech pattern. It was apparent when he appeared with Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada. He was so unconvincing in the spoken words which he read in their entirety that I almost felt sorry for him. The young Prime Minister showed so much more class and was obviously at ease with his own speech, which he delivered without having to read it.

The president is over his head in trying to govern in the manner in which he ran his business. His frustration with the massive bureaucracy is mounting the longer he is in office, and we suspect it won't be long before he blows up in public, truly being the embarrassment we all feel. I suspect the GOP, in their mostly silent support, are waiting until they wring out as much as they can that they've had on their agenda since before Obama's administration. (Then -- maybe -- impeachment? It may be sooner than we think.) The constant flak created by the administration has been a welcome distraction for them as the Republicans go about their business of trying to dismantle Obama's legacy. 

The impromptu, hour and a half long, news conference the president held today to announce his new Secretary of Labor was exhausting. His beating up on the media showed him again as the bully he is. Nothing about this man is presidential. 

When asked what we could do about him, someone said to me "All we can do now is pray for him!"

Peace and Hope,
Marilyn

I just made a correction about the article I read in The Atlantic. I previously said it was from The New Yorker. This was in regards to "not saying his name"! 

From Melancholy to Hope

I received an email from Mary, a long-time friend from Denton, shaman, herbalist extra-ordinaire, and sometime FEMA employee, who has her own memories of the days of segregation. She shared a few of them with me.

Texas Cotton Field

"There was a black family who worked for my mom and dad on the farm. Sadie, aka 'Nigger Sadie', helped my mom around the house and with my brother and sister when she (and sometimes my mom) wasn't out picking cotton or corn or tending the animals. These two women worked side by side. Pappy, Sadie's man, helped my dad. I never knew his given name, and I knew him throughout my childhood and into my early twenties.

Later, when I was born, Sadie helped take care of me while my mom would be tending to some of the older members of the family. Then, when I was about 4 years old, my dad sold his farm. Of course, we all moved to town, and Sadie and Pappy moved to the side of town across from the tracks. They continued to work for us and other people as well.

I remember when Sadie and I rode the bus, she could sit anywhere she wanted when I was with her. I always wanted to sit at the back because that was where a lot of her friends were, and I knew them.  

Growing up in a smallish town was a blessing for me. I knew a lot of black people and had no fear of them. When I married Stephen, who was originally from Illinois and Indiana, he thought it weird that I knew so many blacks and had no fear. I thought of them as friends and felt welcome in their homes. It took years for me to break down those walls he had built up around himself concerning black people.

I went to TWU the first year it was integrated, and I thought it strange that such a to-do was made of it -- even though I had never gone to school at home with a black person. It was during that time that TWU also was letting an occasional male take classes there!"

Editor: Maybe that was true integration, Mary!

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On another note, grandson Travis is doing well at pitching in Little League this year. Sure makes his dad proud. And this Grandmommy as well! He not only plays baseball, but is making the Honor Roll in school as well. That's what I call a well-rounded boy!

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My two oldest grandchildren will both graduate from college in May. Audrey and Cameron are going to be treated to a big celebration in Dallas. Lots of family and friends. I plan to take plenty of photos, and get some first-hand information about their plans for the coming year. I already have an inkling about both, but want to hear it from their own mouths! Two beautiful, talented young people I expect to make a mark in the world.

Peace and love,

Marilyn

THE YOUTH SPEAK

"Tonight was food for my soul. I spent the evening with 4 teenage youth whose compassion and world views left me inspired. We laughed. We cried a little. We made jokes about Putin. We listened to George Harrison. We talked about our fears, especially for our marginalized friends in this country. We talked about our own struggles with bullying and depression. We sang.

My faith, philosophies, practice, and way of life tell me that no matter who you voted for, you too have worth and dignity and are deserving of love and respect. You are a Buddha to me. I'm not going to unfriend you nor stop trying to have a dialogue with you based on your beliefs, and I recognize there is grave danger in thinking that way.

I also recognize that rural, working class America has been, in large part, disenfranchised, and this election was a manifestation of that anger and a way of saying 'We still exist.' I know you, too, have had pain and economic despair, and while I think you have chosen absolutely the wrong leader who does not represent your best interests at all, this shows that we as a nation failed to listen. I hear you.

We truly live in two Americas now. I just wish there were some way for me to convey in my heart of hearts to those of you on the other side that the fear for their lives and personhood my friends are feeling is REAL. My black friends. My trans friends. My queer friends. My immigrant friends. My Muslim friends. My female friends who now know that what kind of domain they have over their bodies may rest in the hands of someone who admittedly views said bodies as objects. The persecution of these groups is nothing new, but we have a president elect who has endorsed this persecution, and so that fear and despair has been exacerbated. 8 trans youth have committed suicide since yesterday. If you still really don't think such oppression exists in supposedly the greatest country in the world, it does. It's real. So please try and take some time to understand that. I beg you.

I wish I had answers to such chaos. I could talk about peace and unity, but that's really just rhetoric. We can't have either of these until we put an end to such atrocities our siblings are experiencing. Let's make it so."

Signing off at 5:40 am.            

Cameron Young
Director of Lifespan Religious Education
Westside Unitarian Universalist Church
Fort Worth, TX

**************************************   

I appreciate your interest in my perspective. 

I voted for Hillary, and admittedly, I was shocked and appalled that Trump won. As everyone knows, none of the polls predicted he could have won, and watching Florida and Pennsylvania swing Republican left me feeling pretty hopeless.

Policies aside, I believe that the U.S. President has much greater duties than the head of the executive branch and commander-in-chief. The president should be a role-model for children and reflect the values Americans hold most dear. Unfortunately, I feel Trump has fallen vastly short in this regard, and I fear for a generation that looks up to him. He blatantly lies, makes racist, misogynistic, homophobic remarks, and relies on petty insults and horrendously inappropriate language. Trump lacks the grace and respect for others that the U.S. President needs. Trump capitalizes on the fears of voters and the American people. Trump wants to build a border wall, a project that, in my opinion, is a step away (from) world peace and cooperation. To my greatest dismay, Trump denies global warming. Trump hopes to weaken the EPA and reverse the role Obama has played in green energy, which I find incredibly ignorant, irresponsible, and disgusting. One's respect for the Earth often indicates a degree of intelligence, and in this case, I think it highlights Trump's selfish, egotistical mindset.

I could continue, and I want to continue. However, the U.S. has made its decision. Trump is going to be president, and no amount of protesting is going to change that. The election IS over. A beautiful aspect of America is the peaceful transition of power, and the American people need to remember how lucky we are to be in a country where an election like this wouldn't result in a civil war.

At first, I found it hard to look at my friends who voted for Trump, but I realized how wrong it was to think differently of someone I respected for political reasons. I still love my friends who voted for him, and I feel guilty for doubting that. I think America needs to move past the election. 

Citizens need to remember that we are all fellow Americans. Those who think Trump will ruin their lives are exaggerating. The divisive nature of our country caused this awful election, and I hope that we learned our lesson to prevent another election like this. Trump-voter or not, we all need to keep our heads up and continue striving to make this world a better place for the next generation." ..Tanner

Like any proud grandmother, my eyes teared up as I swelled with pride for these two young men. Cameron is my oldest grandchild, and Tanner voted for the very first time this year. He is a senior in high school. When I wrote him that he was no longer the little boy I remember so well. (The one who hid from me in the library cupboard.) He responded, "I'll always be a kid at heart. I promise!"

I have highlighted many events in the lives of these two on this blog. They are among the finest in the nation of their generation. Their parents, my older son Craig, and daughter Carajean and her husband Branch, are to be congratulated upon raising such fine men. Our future will be secure in their hands one day. They are handling the election results better than a lot of us "elders".

Cameron first posted the above on his Facebook page following election night. I heard from a good friend who remembers him from his childhood days singing at our Unity Church, "I was incredibly impressed with what Cameron posted on Facebook. Wonderfully astute young man. Hope I'll be voting for HIM for president some day!"

We might  just do that, Pam.

Peace, Love, and Hope for our future.

Marilyn

Addendum:

I'm sorry to interrupt the flow if you were reading this, but I just received a powerful statement from my granddaughter, Hannah, who is Cameron's sister. Not old enough to vote yet, but look out, world, she's on her way!

"It is frightening and hurtful to me that a man who ran a campaign based on fear-mongering and the scapegoating of already marginalized people

could ever win the presidency. In these days following the election, I've had it shoved down my throat again and again that not all of the people who cast their votes for Trump were hateful bigots, and did it for 'purely economic reasons'. Forget that fact that no part of me agrees with his economic policies, but even voting for him because you want a few tax breaks is turning your backs on people who are facing a very real threat in the form of this man.

I can't help but feel that, on Tuesday, the system failed us. I am scared as a woman, as a sister to a biracial woman, and a friend to all communities. Women's diseases are a very real possibility in my family, and, because Planned Parenthood is basically doomed, I might one day be at a place where I can not afford, therefore not receive, the lifesaving tests that they offer. My close friend's family is covered by Obamacare, and as soon as it is repealed, she will no longer be able to afford her birth control. Already, we are seeing people of all minorities, be it gay or Latino, being accosted on the street, because the election of Trump told bigots that their hate is both okay and justified. We are facing a real possibility of a conservative Supreme Court, which will have the largest lasting effect. With all of this and more, it's hard not to feel that we, as a nation, are doomed.

But we will persevere. We will continue to march in protests, with signs proclaiming that, 'Love Trumps Hate', as is within our 1st Amendment rights (though Republicans seem to have glazed over this fact in their hurry to proclaim their 2nd Amendment right, but oh, well). And I feel blessed that the first election I will be able to vote in is the 2018 midterm elections, because we will get a Democratic majority in Congress, if I have to go out and walk every street in America myself, campaigning for the Democratic candidates. But people ages 18-44 voted overwhelmingly for Hillary. Statistically, if millennials had been the only ones voting, only about three states would have been red. So I have hope. I have real hope in the future for a kinder, safer, and more empathetic America for everyone who cares to come. And I hope to be working on the front lines of this change. On Tuesday, a glass ceiling was meant to be shattered, but I still have hope that someday soon it will. Either way, #ImWithHer, always."

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in our family, does it? Proud Dad, Craig is with me I'm certain when I say "I'm with HER".

You go, girl.
Love,
Grandmama

THE DAY AFTER THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION

I continue to get feedback from family and friends regarding the aftermath of the presidential election. Here are a few..

"I am embarrassed and afraid for my country. I feel so sad that I've left this kind of nation for my children.".. son Craig, Dallas, TX

"Well, it looks like the U.S. did exactly what Putin wanted...It is too bad, indeed....My dad was a highly-skilled, blue-collar worker and he would never have voted for Trump. Dad especially would not have voted for Trump when he started talking about what a great leader Putin is, but I will betcha that most of my cousins voted for Trump. Some of them are blue collar and some of them are white collar. Some are business owners. All dreadfully wrong."..Cliffie S., Coppell, TX

"I am sick beyond sick . . . It's going to take quite a lot for me to come to terms with this."..Pam L., Denton, TX

"I'm willing to wait and see how it goes. Worried about my insurance coverage...Hoping this is not a huge setback for us women. We have worked so hard to be where we are. Just going to take a wait and see attitude."..Carol W., Denton, TX

A daughter of a dear friend of mine from high school lost both of her parents in recent years. She lives in the very small, conservative west Texas town where we knew each other. As she knows my family and so many of the ones who read my blog, I always include her. Here is what she has to say about the election:
"I started to cry as I was reading. You know Mom and Dad were Democrats.....so that's how I lean. I feel so alone and like an outcast in this area. I don't start a politics talk to anyone, and very rarely express my opinion."..Amy B., Ballinger, TX

Yes, indeed, her parents were avid Democrats. Sadly, there are few left in that small town. I feel sure this is happening in many rural towns in the U.S.  If you happen to live in one, and you are one of the few Democrats, reach out to others who might be feeling like "outcasts". My dear Amy, you are not alone.

My friend Jack finally came out of his shock mode and said, "I can't think very much. I feel like someone sucker punched me right on the jaw. More then anything I have fear. Imagine a man whose staff took his Twitter account away from him. Who's going to be there to take away the Nuclear Code? I greatly fear nuclear war in the future. Trump does not have the emotional control to be a national leader. I will not go so far as to say he is crazy, but he does have mental problems."..John Nance Garner V, Denton, TX

Jack wrote the following before the election. I substituted "voted" for "vote" in his original Letter to the Editor:

"If you voted for Donald Trump, you are saying sexual assault is all right with you.

If you voted for Donald Trump you are telling the world that lies do not matter.

If you voted for Donald Trump you voted for bigotry.

If you voted for Donald Trump you told the world that it is all right to treat women like second class citizens.

If you voted for Donald Trump you are in effect showing that Black Lives don't matter.

If you voted for Donald Trump you approve of tax cuts for the 1% of the nation's richest.

If you voted for Donald Trump you are satisfied with the super-rich paying little or no taxes.

If you voted for Donald Trump you have no respect for Latinos.

If you voted for Donald Trump it shows you stand for everything negative about him.

That's what voting for Trump says about you."

Lots of cartoons are expressing our feelings about this election. This one has to be my favorite. I think we all woke up feeling this way yesterday.

(David Rowe Cartoon)

I have more reactions for another time. In fact, I'd be willing to bet there will be many unfavorable reviews of this new president-elect during the next four years. May we stand firm in our belief that America is already great, that no one person can tear down all of our beloved institutions, and that we will learn lessons from this election. Hopefully, most of those lessons will be apparent to the disenfranchised voters who put this man in office. 

Above all, let's keep our sense of humor. After all, we will have a clown for president.

Peace, love, and hope for the future,

Marilyn