Sal's Reflections

No place is safe anymore.Children are slaughtered in schools,worshippers are killed in temples and churches while others are massacred while shopping.Politicians utter the same refrain every time , and we are told it is “too soon” to talk about attempts to remedy these horrible acts.They have become so common place that we expect at least a couple of mass murders a week.There is no magic wand, but “thoughts and prayers are not enough.”This is a national crisis, and we have to try multi-faceted approaches to combat these horrors.We cannot settle for politicians to block new attempts to address every aspect that will at least minimize the danger.This is the moment,long overdue, when we as citizens create massive pressure that will get them to forget their lobbies and do the work of the people.

We cannot continue to thrive as a nation when one man daily refuses to let the Democratic process work. The Congress was meant to be a body where vigorous debate leads to laws and processes that positively effect the lives of the American people.Lobbyists and dark money have made the body largely ineffective . However, one man has brought the legislative function to a screeching halt. Mitch McConell has become the grim reaper and refuses to let any legislation see the light of day.Our Founding Fathers never envisioned that so much leverage would reside in one person ,and there must be a way to remove this obstructionist from power.Foreign governments daily meddle with our electoral systems and even in this case McConnell refuses to bring anything to the floor. Democracy depends on transparency and voting.It may do little good, but I would urge you to contact your representatives and senators to oppose this obstructionist.

I respect those who say they are tired of all of the political statements on Facebook. They have the right and privilege to ignore every post that deals with politics. However, I am aghast at the man who now resides in the White House.I feel free, to on Facebook and every other forum that is available, to stand against his daily assault on decency and racist rants. In my opinion he has been, and will continue to be a disaster who has surrounded himself with a group of fawns that are incompetent and do not represent the needs of all of the people. Scrutinizing the talents and competencies of his cabinet, I come to the conclusion that everything is rigged toward the rich and the powerful. For me , threats like climate change cannot be met with silence.Couple this with daily assaults on the free press,the judicial system and the safety net for the weakest in our society .
I, for the first time in my life, fear for the survival of our Democracy that has thrived for centuries.Friendship with those who differ with me is sacred ,but so is witness against a tyrant.

Remember when you start to dissect the faults of the Democratic candidates you must compare them to a man that:

Has mocked someone with a handicapping condition

Has talked and bragged about grabbing women

Has abused a “Gold Star family”

Has embraced murderous dictators

Has alienated our traditional allies

Lies consistently about everything

Has attacked the free press and the judicial system

Has children living in cages

Has the most corrupt cabinet in recent history

Has exploded the national debt

Plays golf consistently which costs the taxpayer extraordinary amounts of money

Has obstructed justice and has counseled people to lie

Has run a fake charity and broken campaign finance laws

Has a history of not paying bill for goods and services

Has failed in a series of businesses

Inherited much of the wealth that he purports to have raised

Participated in red lining schemes in attempt to keep people of color from renting

Has lied about his academic standing

Has paid pawn stars to keep his affairs secret

Has defrauded a host of students with his phony University

Has surrounded himself with fawns that have abused the public funds

Has denied climate change and was the driving force behind the “birther movement.”

Has been embraced by white nationalists and has supported those “good people”

Has punished transgender persons that have honorably served in the military

Has only one piece of legislation-a giveaway bill to the one percent and corporations.

Has members of his cabinet and transition team convicted of felonies

Has taken the word of thug Putin over his own intelligence personnel. Has cultivated hatred and violence at his rallies.

Wrote his own medical history

Used bone spurs to get out of the draft.

So before you reject anyone do a comparison shopping list.

Disagreeing with politicians is part of the fabric that has made America survive for centuries. However , there is a limit to what we should aspire to and “send her back” in my opinion is over the line.I don’t know all of the four women that Trump has targeted but I do know Ayanna Pressley. I worked as a volunteer on her campaign and she is a model of dedication and commitment to all she represents. Ayanna was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth and that reality drives her to seek justice and fairness for all.It is legitimate to be on the other side of issues with her but she has done more for those on the margins than almost anyone I know.

Through the years when I interviewed survivors of the Holocaust I was haunted by one question. “What would I have done to oppose the Nazis persecution of the Jews and others? “There is no way that I can answer that question but I can answer the question of what I must do to stand up against the racism of Donald Trump. The president is deliberately stoking the cauldron of hate, bigotry and racism and silence is not an option. I am only one person, but I will do whatever is possible to openly confront his racism, and support all my brothers and sisters who are the targets of his bile. This is no longer about politics, It is about decency .Supporting this racism is immoral and un-American.

There are some persons that should be referred to as “show up” friends. Ralph Pickett ,who passed away recently, was the role model for those words. Whenever anyone in his circle experienced loss or tragedy Ralph and his lovely wife Shelia were the first ones to respond.He was never one to bask in the limelight of his kindness and always maintained a quiet presence.When his wife began to suffer the loss of certain abilities he was ever present at her side and all who knew them marveled at their love and devotion to each other. He was a rock that never sought praise, but deserved the admiration of all who were privileged to know him. Ralph was an outstanding husband,father grandfather and friend and will be sorely missed. Thank you Ralph for making all of our lives better.

My brother Russ never ceases to amaze me.Although extremely close in our relationship we differ on many political and social issues.Yesterday for over two hours we had a conversation about immigration, social issues and the world of politics. The time flew past and neither one of us was at any given time trying to win an argument or convert the other. It was about listening to understand what we believe and why that was important for us. Because of this open posture there were many times where common ground surfaced. It was so refreshing in this time when it is so difficult to have this kind of exchange without vitriol .There are so many reasons to love my brother and yesterday was one more wonderful experience.

Thanks to my friend Terry and her Tech support person Paula I had an outstanding book club session today. We worked the session via Zoom and it was perfect. I am capable of doing book clubs anywhere, so if any are interested contact me and we can schedule an event.

There are memories and moments that live in such intensity that they influence your life forever. One of the moments that changed my life happened in a small cafe in the center of Vienna. I had experienced a series of interviews with Holocaust survivors and was feeling an overwhelming sense of anger toward the Nazis. I shared my feelings with Viktor Frankl and though I knew he would not openly say he hated the Nazis I did not expect his response.He patiently listened to my cry for some sort of revenge and then gently uttered the words that still influence me to this day”Salvatore there can be no acts which even resemble justice, but carrying hatred or living with deep rooted grudges does not change anything.It will only minimize our lives to linger in the valley of revenge. Grudges, though understandable, poison the mind,body,heart and soul.It is not easy to move beyond grudges but the attempt must be made to find meaning and purpose.If you carry grudges Salvatore you will be poisoned and the other person in many cases will be untouched.”