A BULLY’S DEAL

By Ruth A. Sheets

On this 2^nd anniversary of Mr. Trump’s inauguration, he is pushing a “deal” supposedly to end the partial shut-down of the US Government which is now a month old.  How can one tell this is a bully’s deal?  It is the kind of deal the schoolyard bully offers his victims.  The bully hits a student for no particular reason and keeps hitting.  He then offers to stop if the kid gives him money or some other “valuable” thing.

Mr. Trump has been punching the American people for the full two years he has been in office.  He ended protections for the Dreamers and for people who have temporary status, for no particular reason, just because.  He really wants a wall from his victims (lunch money).  He offers to “re-open the government, to extend” protections for the people from whom he removed protections.  He’ll also throw in some money for border security (we already have a lot of security there).  It’s a bully’s deal.  He is holding the American people hostage for a  border wall, classic bullying.

His audacity is tremendous, but not surprising.  He whines that Democrats don’t want to “deal,” but when a bully has struck as often as Mr. Trump has, there is no reason anyone should make a deal with him.  He will then note his attack’s success and use the strategy again, perhaps on something even more critical, like a war, perhaps with Iran.

Donald Trump has the intellectual maturity of an 8-year-old, and a spoiled one at that.  Republicans in Congress and in the nation in general are afraid of this out-of-control child.  They have given him the keys to the car, then let him drive.  When he crashes, they blame someone else for not getting out of his way, usually the Democrats.

Hopefully, Nancy Pelosi and congressional Democrats will step up and parent Donald effectively.  He needs to hear “no” often and be guided to do the right things for the American people.  So far, his lying has had no consequences.   His insults have gone unchallenged.  He has put people in charge of things who are just as childish and incompetent as he is while the “grown-ups” in the Senate have said, “Sure, whoever you want, Donnie.  We don’t want you to throw tantrums and do other disturbing things.”

So, here it is.  Donald Trump proudly caused the partial shutdown of our government.  HE ordered people to work for no pay.  HE refused to talk with Democrats with respect, thinking he can continue to get away with his babyish bullying.  HE is the one who promised his pathetic supporters a medieval wall which would end up, if built, costing them a whole lot of money since Mexico has no intention of paying for it, as Mr. Trump promised they would. 

Like a spoiled little kid, if Donald does not like something China is doing, for example, he’ll throw a tantrum and put a tariff on important goods.  Because, like a child, he cannot see the big picture, lots of people end up hurt.  He hates Barack Obama who occupied the White House before him, so he tried to destroy everything Mr. Obama worked for.  He is scared of people who are not white, male, and rich, so he does what he can to limit their power and presence.  He just has to say “I want that done,” and the kids he has appointed will do it, or at least try to. 

Fortunately, there are still a few adults in charge of things in our government, although not enough of them.

We need an uprising of the people who are sick of having a child in the White House, a child who thinks the rules apply to everyone but him, a child who lies with impunity, a child who listens to the people who have the biggest mouths and who say the most hateful things, a child who is pleased to hurt as many people as possible, as long as they are the right people to hurt.  Some steps were taken to curb Donald this past November, but there is still so much to do.  Little Donald and his bully friends have worked hard to keep the people they don’t like from voting, to keep women in their place, to keep immigrants out of our country, to undermine our democracy. 

We all need to be sure we are the competent adults who improve the current child-rearing practices when it comes to Donald Trump.  So, as we tell our children, you can’t make deals with bullies.  

We need to give Donald a time out as one does for children who can’t control themselves.  A 2-year time out would be just about right.

An Open Letter to the US Department of Education

By Ruth A. Sheets

In this administration’s pursuit of overturning human rights, the Department of Education and Betsy DeVos, you know, the woman who hates public education and wants to tap the public coffers for private schools, particularly all white conservative Christian ones, has championed a set of regulations to disregard the concerns of sexual assault survivors, particularly women and LGBTQ students on school campuses.  Her support comes from the administration and Republicans and Conservatives, you know, the super holy folks.

What is every conservative/Republican so afraid of?  Do you think LGTBQ will rub off and you will catch it?  Or, what is more likely, you hate anyone who is not like you, does not look like you, does not see the world the way you do.  Since you have proclaimed yourselves "true Christians," you think you have Jesus in your pockets.  You don't.  You are just a bunch of scared mostly men who are afraid the world is passing you by and you want to grab onto women, LGBTQ persons, immigrants, and anyone you can blame for the change you fear.  How pathetic!

I’m opposed to the proposed amendment to the rules implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 published on Nov. 29, 2018 that threatens all students, including LGBTQ students.  Oh wait, you are scared of students who don't espouse your narrow beliefs too.

Coddling perpetrators would make schools more dangerous for all students, including LGBTQ students, who face high rates of sexual assault and harassment on campuses. Instead of enforcing Title IX and protecting students from assault and discrimination, your department is proposing to undermine basic protections for survivors.  Why is that?  I suspect you want to claim men just can't control themselves around rabid women or LGBTQ persons or that those people just prey on men all the time and men do nothing unsolicited to women, LGBTQ and others.  Men are the poor victims, you say. 

Shame on you.  No matter what you think, women and LGBTQ persons do not want to frame men for sexual assault.  It is a very rare woman or LGBTQ person who would put themselves through the hell of the courts to go after an "innocent" man/boy.  You know that, but, like everything else this administration does, hurting folks and taking away hard-earned rights is what you do and hope no one will stop you.  I hope you are wrong about that.  A majority of us want you all shut down and will continue to work hard to do it.

Oh yes, I almost forgot.  The appalling proposal would also allow religious schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students without notice. In case you are not sure what that means, it means kicking those students out.  Students deserve to know if a school intends to deny them admission or kick them out for being LGBTQ before they apply. Remember, if you can, this is America, not Pakistan,  Saudi Arabia, China, or Russia.  Schools should be transparent about their beliefs and actions, and should get no Federal, state, or local tax money if they discriminate against students because of race, gender, LGBTQ status, age, disability, or any other criteria beyond those necessary to be a successful student.

I hope you consider the lives of Americans before enacting these shameful regulations, although I doubt you will, since your cult leader, Mr. Trump has no empathy for anyone who is not white, male, and rich, and you guys, along with Ms. DeVos, follow him blindly.   

We'll see who you are most loyal to, Mr. Trump or the American people, our Constitution, and human rights. 

WHEN YOU JUST HAVE TO TELL THE TRUTH, WITH A LITTLE SNARK

By Ruth A. Sheets

Yesterday, I was going through my emails as usual and occasionally signing and commenting on petitions to various organizations and individuals.  I tried to choose petitions I felt were worthy of my attention.  I am sure the letters usually sent are far too long for the limited attention spans of current officials, so I often modify them somewhat to be more concise.  Sometimes, however, I include a commentary as I go along.  I was really motivated and sent the following. 

Dear EPA officials:

I know you guys really don't care about science, people's health, or just about anything else except money and how much you all can rake in as whatever office you hold. 

I find it extremely upsetting but not surprising that Mr. Trump is moving to sabotage our national Mercury Air Toxics Standards, which greatly limit the amount of mercury and other air toxins that oil-and-coal-fired power plants can emit into our air. He doesn't care that mercury and lead are extremely hazardous to children, damaging their brains and reducing their ability to think and learn. His children/grandchildren, he thinks, won't face this hazard because they are rich enough and such “good people” that it will never affect them.  Who cares about anyone else.  If they are rich too, they'd figure out how to avoid the problems.

Mr. Trump doesn't understand the word toxin).  However, you guys should understand that these elements are dangerous for everyone, but particularly for some of the most vulnerable Americans, such as pregnant women (Oh wait, men don't have to worry about that either).

These standards were broadly supported when they were first introduced, and they offer a wide range of health, economic, and environmental benefits. They prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks, 5,700 hospital visits, 130,000 asthma attacks, and 540,000 sick days every single year (that is EVERY YEAR!!!!), and are estimated to deliver annual health benefits up to $90 billion, (and we thought you guys   cared only about money, when you only really cared about the money you can get for yourselves, not what our nation can save).

Your own agency found that the standards' benefits for Americans greatly outweigh compliance costs for industry, and that for every dollar spent to reduce toxic pollution from power plants, the American public sees $9 in health benefits (Oh wait, that's a different department, so who cares about that, right?  Besides, we get it that you guys are only running this department until you get caught cheating or some other illegal act and can resign with the president's "blessing.") 

Even utilities, which bear the cost of these regulations, support keeping them in place, even going as far as to express their support in a joint letter to the EPA just several months ago.  Perhaps, like your cult leader, you don't read?)

You well know this proposal is just another pro-polluter scheme aimed at propping up Big Coal at the expense of the American public. I urge you to abandon these attacks and instead stand up for public health. (I know, I'm actually laughing too.)

OK, probably not my best effort, but I am finding that for my own mental health, I have to ADD a little snark to these petitions WHICH ARE OTHERWISE EXTREMELY DRY, INFORMATIVE, BUT DRY.  And, we know how dry information touches the hearts of the EPA and other agencies.

Later last evening I just had to comment to Republicans in Congress, following the Democratic take-over of the House.  I needed this one too.

I know you guys  don't really care about the wall except that the person in the white house with the maturity of an 8-year-old school yard bully wants it.  But, you are willing to put people's lives in jeopardy to give the spoiled child what he wants.  He has no clue what any of this means, but you, who should be the parents, let the child rule the family.  Shame on you.  People who act like children need to be respected, but given appropriate limits.  One limit is that there will be no wall because a wall is wasteful, racist, environmentally unsound and just plain stupid.  That is what you should tell the child, and stand by it.  Then, overwhelmingly pass the budget without the wall in a way it will override any veto.  That would take care of it, prove you are truly patriotic Americans who care about the people and the government you are serving, and provide appropriate limits to a misbehaving spoiled bully child. 

I actually have no idea where the online petitions go after signing.  Since I know most are elaborate fund-raising activities, I suspect they are deleted into the ether once financial goals are reached.

I must admit, I use the comment sections of petitions to relieve some of my anger over the childishness of this administration and the dysfunctional parents who are not appropriately tending and guiding this out-of-control child in the White House.  They cannot blame anyone else for their poor parenting as they brought this child into the White House and keep letting him run wild over our democracy with impunity.  Naughty parents!