Why I Don't Think Donald Trump Passed Geometry

posted by Etta Worthington

I got an email from Donald Trump today. Well, actually it was from the Trump-Pence re-election campaign.  

How did I get on this email list you might ask? Not sure. Maybe it was because I kept mailing back those surveys I got from the Republican party about how well Trump was doing. You can imagine my answers.

These are the first three paragraphs from the letters:

We just watched Democrats EMBARRASS themselves at the Mueller hearing. Even after I was completely EXONERATED, they still can’t give up the WITCH HUNT.

Ummmm. Well, where do I begin?

“Did you actually totally exonerate the president?”  a question by House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler to Mueller during the  hearing.

“No,” Mueller replied.

And from the Intelligence Committee:

"It is not a witch hunt," Mueller said after Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., noted that the president had often condemned the probe as just that.  (from an article by NBC news July 24, 2019 By Alex Seitz-Wald)

This is the Democrat Party that has embraced SOCIALISM as their official platform and completely abandoned all sanity.

What?  Since when? Yes, there are a couple of Democratic members of Congress who are unafraid of connecting with the idea of Socialism, notably Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but the rest? Not so much.

There are no agreed on definitions of socialism. But most self-described socialists in the U.S. today don't want a government-run economy but an "economy where the government has a larger role to play in guaranteeing the basic necessities of life,"  said Michael Kazin. (By Kathryn Watson, CBS news, March 7, 2019)

Democrats have made it clear that radical big government socialists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar are calling the shots now. That’s why their party continues to prioritize illegal immigrants over the American people.

AOC and Ilhan Omar are calling the shots?

"Ocasio-Cortez, who represents one fourth of the freshmen Democratic quartet commonly known as "The Squad," has butted heads with Pelosi, most notably in recent days over a dispute for funding to aid the humanitarian crisis at the US southern border. Shortly after Congress addressed the issue, Pelosi made incendiary comments to The New York Times about how the group of progressive freshmen "didn't have any following" in Congress, leading Ocasio-Cortez to tell The Washington Post that Pelosi has been "singling out" freshman congresswomen of color with her criticism."

(CNN,by Jason Carroll, Lauren Fox, Sarah Fortinsky and Morgan Rimmer, July 26, 2019)

Well, Pelosi and AOC met today. To “clear the air,” the Speaker said.  But The Squad calling the shots? Definitely not.

So, how does this connect to geometry? I loved the class actually, when I took it in ninth grade. I loved the protractor that I had to carry. But mostly I loved proving theorems.  And that involved connecting to things that were known to be true, and then building on those knows to prove that another thing is true.

I admit.  My proofs were often much longer than my geometry teacher wanted. (I’m a writer, after all.)  But I liked how you could go about supporting a statement based on assembling other known truths and come up with a truth that others would accept.

Oh yes, truth. Something the head of our government knows very little about.  And as to proving something based on other truths . . . Well.

Come to think of it, maybe he is doing what I learned to do in geometry class. But he is basing it on lies.

Unfortunately it works for some people.

You Won't Believe How Many Times I Got Honked at This Morning!

posted by Etta Worthington

What I do this morning? Why, I hung out on a pedestrian bridge over an expressway for two hours with a bunch of friends. But it really started yesterday.

Sign-making.  So there I was, hovering over some tables outdoor, plastering red duct tape on mesh garden fencing . . .

Well, it really starts a few days earlier when I heard that Wednesday July 24th was going to be a national day of action calling attention the the Robert Mueller testimony to Congress. And the need to start an impeachment inquiry.  I was all ears.

"Make a banner and hang it over a major highway," instructed the group ByThePeople.  Sounded good to me. Fortunately they provided instructions on possible approaches to banner making. 

So I scouted out a location and set out making a banner.  Since it had to be read from the highway, the letters had to be big.  Thirty six inches high, I decided. And red.  This was by no means going to be a singular project, so I called out to friends.  And so people dropped by to help. Some for an hour or two. Some for all day (and evening).  But finally we had two fully constructed signs, mounted on PVC pipes ready to unleash on the world.

Yes, it was that late when we finished.

This morning, bright and early, I rolled up to the pedestrian overpass selected.  Already Karin, and Deb, and Jan were there.  We unrolled the banners, and stood with them over the I-290 Expressway. One for each direction. And by that time others had appeared: Douglas, Blair.

It was 7 AM and we were giving drivers, going into the city or out, something to look at.

Immediately there was response.  A weak honk here. A stronger one a moment later. Then another.  At first it seemed like only the traffic flowing east, into Chicago, was responding. But that in time started to change.

Fun to watch and listen to responses. Some people waved to us. Some clapped.  Not all positive reactions.

Some people had to leave. More showed up, including Chris, Phyllis, Fanny, Jackie, and Terry.  We always had enough to keep the banners up.

And then photographer Paul Goyette showed up. He helped us see what the traffic was observing. And yes, you can see those three foot letters from quite a distance.

Photo by Paul Goyette

The responses continued and grew. "A few finger salutes," claims Deb Jensen, "but mostly supportive honks!!"

Jan Pena-Davis noted that most of the "fingers" were from males in pickup trucks or males in big Mercedes.

Chris Martin observed that the reactions (visual and auditory) were 50 to 1 positive. Although this wasn't a scientific poll, Chris said, "I was really encouraged at how much positive response we got from motorists. It made me feel much more positive about things."

Does this make any difference? I'm not sure. But maybe, just as Chris was encouraged by the response of drivers, maybe a whole lot of drivers on the 290 this morning felt encouraged. Hopeful.

Photo by Paul Goyette

Thanks to all my friends and fellow activists who worked with me on this action. Thanks to everyone who tooted their horns in support. And now, for me it's Mueller time, thanks to my DVR.

And you! Have you called you Representative today and told him/her that you want to see an #ImpeachmentInquiryNow?  Just pick up your phone and . . .

How To Effectively Stay Engaged in the Political Process

Posted by Linda Kallas

Does this sound familiar?  You want to take action against the Trump Administration and/or help get a candidate elected but you feel like you don’t have enough time, don’t know what to do when you have time and/or feel overwhelmed by the amount of information being thrown your way.  Somebody sent a great article you wanted to read but you can’t find it now. You wanted to get educated on something. What was it?

All these things happen to me.   So I have decided to get myself organized and share my plan with others.   I am starting with the overall concept of thinking of this as a job. That may sound negative but I have full control over the time and activities yet it requires me to hold myself accountable.  And by making this more of a routine, I am more likely to be successful. It’s said that it takes 21 days to make something a habit and that is my goal.  

So here’s my plan.  My tools will be a paper calendar, a note pad, and a folder to keep the aforementioned items and various other papers.  About a week ahead I will set aside 30 minutes a day/5 days a week for my activism as it fits my schedule. Where possible I will try to pick the same time each day.  Monday will be my day to read the Western Front Indivisible (WFI) Action List and develop my “to do” list for the week. For special events, WFI meeting etc, I plan on updating the calendar as I commit to things.

As I start down this process, I plan on creating two main tools for myself that should help me be more effective.  First is a single sheet of paper with all the contact information I think I may need. That includes all my representatives, other high profile legislators, and key people I may be working with.  This will give me more time to call and less time looking things up. The second is a list of resources from WFI or other groups I may belong too. What are the links to the sites and hints on navigation so I don’t have to try to remember every time I enter the site.  

Finally, I plan on keeping a pen and paper handy so when I get an e-mail or think of something I want to tackle I can just jot down the specifics and look through the notes when putting my “to do” list together for the week.  Once it’s documented, I can get it out of my mind!

I am purposely going to try the old fashioned paper approach first although all of this can be done on the computer.  It seems a little more in your face as I try to make this a habit.

So that’s it.  Wish me luck and hopefully you found some of these ideas helpful.

Recycling has changed, and we must, too

posted by Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin

A few years ago, I felt virtuous when I filled my recycling bin but had only one small bag in my trash bin. Sure, I knew the hierarchy is reduce-reuse-recycle, but still, I was pleased by all the waste I was diverting from a landfill.

That was then. This is now:

China, which accepted 700,000 tons of plastic waste from the United States as recently as 2016 (and about 7 million tons worldwide) has all but stopped accepting that material. In 2018, China accepted less than one percent of those figures. The reason: much of the material was contaminated or difficult to recycle. As a result, it wasn’t profitable enough, and much of it ended up being dumped.

After that, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam began accepting more plastic waste, but they lacked the capacity to recycle it and have since restricted imports. This left municipalities to either stockpile recyclables, hoping for a new market to open up, or treat them like trash, either landfilling or incinerating them.

Not much to feel virtuous about there!

So what can you and I do about this?

First, reduce: It’s hard to talk about reducing without being preachy, but the bottom line is fairly simple: You can reduce the volume in both your recycling and trash bins by buying less stuff and seeking out items with less packaging. You can also call companies that send you catalogs and direct mail and request they stop. You can subscribe to publications online instead of getting them on paper. You can avoid disposable containers and straws. You can buy items that are repairable instead of replaceable. Got more ideas? Put them in the comments below.

Second, reuse: You probably already bring your own shopping bags to the store. You can also bring your own jars to the Sugar Beet Co-op to purchase peanut butter, almond butter, oil, detergent and many other household staples. You can bring your own reusable produce bags to the store, wrap sandwiches in reusable beeswax, pack snacks in silicone bags, and shop at thrift and consignment stores. And instead of discarding things you no longer want or need, you can donate them to the Brown Elephant, the ReUse Depot and other local organizations that simultaneously help those in need and divert castoffs from landfills. Share your reuse tips in the comments below, too. (And note that the links above don’t take you to Amazon; support the companies that are supporting our planet by buying directly from them.)

Third, recycle properly: If you put any “contaminants” into your recycling bin, you turn the whole collection into trash. In fact, Oak Park is now cracking down on residents who don’t recycle properly and refusing to empty their bins! So know what you can and can’t recycle, and make sure everything you do put in the recycling bin is clean and dry. Just because an item has a recycling logo on it doesn’t mean it can be recycled if you put it in your bin. Many materials have to go to specialized recycling centers for that purpose.

Here are the general guidelines:  

·      Empty and rinse all jars, cans and bottles. Plastic caps can be included on empty plastic jars and bottles; all other lids should be discarded in the trash.

·      Break down cardboard boxes and remove tape and stickers.

·      Remove plastic “windows” and other plastic from envelopes and magazines.

·      Remove labels from cans.

·      Make sure pizza boxes have no sauce or cheese on them. If they do, some municipalities will allow you to compost them. Otherwise, throw them out.

·      No plastic bags of any kind! This includes grocery bags, which can be returned to most grocery stores.

·      No bubble wrap even if it claims to be recyclable.

·      No automobile fluid containers.

·      No #6 plastic (polystyrene).

·      No Styrofoam.

·      No plastic toys or furniture.

·      No garden hoses, propane tanks, or anything with mixed materials even if it says it is recyclable.

Finally, support environmentally friendly companies and urge the others to get with the program. Let them know that you vote with your dollars and want to purchase items that last and that come with less packaging. Our goal is no longer full recycling bins. It’s less material in all our bins.

Sharon

Some Myths About Immigration Policy

Have you heard that children were separated from their parents under Obama & Clinton? Then, you need a little Facts vs Myths lesson. Michelle Martin, PhD Cal State Fullerton summed up the most important FACTS.

"There is so much misinformation out there about the Trump administration's new "zero tolerance" policy that requires criminal prosecution, which then warrants the separating of parents and children at the border. Before responding to a post defending this policy, please do your research...As a professor at a local Cal State, I research and write about these issues, so here, I'll make it easier for you."

Myth: This is not a new policy and was practiced under Obama and Clinton 
FALSE. The policy to separate parents and children is new and was instituted on 4/6/2018. It was the brainchild of John Kelly and Stephen Miller to serve as a deterrent for undocumented immigration, approved by Trump, and adopted by Sessions. Prior administrations detained migrant families, but didn’t have a practice of forcibly separating parents from their children unless the adults were deemed unfit. https://www.justice.gov/…/press-rele…/file/1049751/download…

Myth: This is the only way to deter undocumented immigration  
FALSE. Annual trends show that arrests for undocumented entry are at a 46 year low, and undocumented crossings dropped in 2007, with a net loss (more people leaving than arriving). Deportations have increased steadily though (spiking in 1996 and more recently), because several laws that were passed since 1996 have made it legally more difficult to gain legal status for people already here, and thus increased their deportations (I address this later under the myth that it's the Democrats' fault). What we mostly have now are people crossing the border illegally because they've already been hired by a US company, or because they are seeking political asylum. Economic migrants come to this country because our country has kept the demand going. But again, many of these people impacted by Trump's "zero tolerance" policy appear to be political asylum-seekers. https://www.npr.org/…/arrests-for-illegal-border-crossings-…

Myth: Most of the people coming across the border are just trying to take advantage of our country by taking our jobs - FALSE. Most of the parents who have been impacted by Trump's "zero tolerance" policy have presented themselves as political asylum-seekers at a U.S. port-of-entry, from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Rather than processing their claims, they have been taken into custody on the spot and had their children ripped from their arms. The ACLU alleges that this practice violates the Asylum Act, and the UN asserts that it violates the UN Treaty on the State of Refugees, one of the few treaties the US has ratified. This is an illegal act on the part of the United States government, not to mention morally and ethically reprehensible. https://www.nytimes.com/…/meatpackers-profits-hinge-on-pool…

Myth: We're a country that respects the Rule of Law, and if people break the law, this is what they get.
FALSE. We are a country that has an above-ground system of immigration and an underground system. Our government (under both parties) has always been aware that US companies recruit workers in the poorest parts of Mexico for cheap labor, and ICE (and its predecessor INS) has looked the other way because this underground economy benefits our country to the tune of billions of dollars annually. Thus, even though the majority of people crossing the border now are asylum-seekers, those who are economic migrants (migrant workers) likely have been recruited here to do jobs Americans will not do. https://www.upi.com/…/Donald-Trumps-wall-ign…/2621477498203/

Myth: The children have to be separated from their parents because there parents must be arrested and it would be cruel to put children in jail with their parents.
FALSE. First, in the case of economic migrants crossing the border illegally, criminal prosecution has not been the legal norm, and families have been kept together at all cost. Also, crossing the border without documentation is a typically a misdemeanor not requiring arrest, but rather a civil proceeding. Additionally, parents who have been detained have historically been detained with their children in ICE "family residential centers," again, for civil processing. The Trump administration's shift in policy is for political purposes only, not legal ones. See p. 18: https://www.aclu.org/…/ms-l-v-ice-plaintiffs-opposition-def…

Myth: We have rampant fraud in our asylum process the proof of which is the significant increase we have in the number of people applying for asylum. 
FALSE. The increase in asylum seekers is a direct result of the increase in civil conflict and violence across the globe. While some people may believe that we shouldn't allow any refugees into our country because "it's not our problem," neither our current asylum law, nor our ideological foundation as a country support such an isolationist approach. There is very little evidence to support Sessions' claim that abuse of our asylum-seeking policies is rampant. Also, what Sessions failed to mention is that the majority of asylum seekers are from China, not South of the border. Here is a very fair and balanced assessment of his statements: http://www.politifact.com/…/jeff-sessions-claim-about-asyl…/

Myth: The Democrats caused this, "it's their law." 
FALSE. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats caused this, the Trump administration did (although the Republicans could fix this today, and have refused). I believe what this myth refers to is the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which were both passed under Clinton in 1996. These laws essentially made unauthorized entry into the US a crime (typically a misdemeanor for first-time offenders), but under both Republicans and Democrats, these cases were handled through civil deportation proceedings, not a criminal proceeding, which did not require separation. And again, even in cases where detainment was required, families were always kept together in family residential centers, unless the parents were deemed unfit (as mentioned above). Thus, Trump's assertion that he hates this policy but has no choice but to separate the parents from their children, because the Democrats "gave us this law" is false and nothing more than propaganda designed to compel negotiation on bad policy. https://www.independent.co.uk/…/trump-democrats-us-border-m…

Myth: The parents and children will be reunited shortly, once the parents' court cases are finalized. 
FALSE. Criminal court is a vastly different beast than civil court proceedings. Also, the children are being processed as unaccompanied minors ("unaccompanied alien children"), which typically means they are sent into the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS). Under normal circumstances when a child enters the country without his or her parent, ORR attempts to locate a family member within a few weeks, and the child is then released to a family member, or if a family member cannot be located, the child is placed in a residential center (anywhere in the country), or in some cases, foster care. Prior to Trump's new policy, ORR was operating at 95% capacity, and they simply cannot effectively manage the influx of 2000+ children, some as young as 4 months. Also, keep in mind, these are not unaccompanied minor children, they have parents. There is great legal ambiguity on how and even whether the parents will get their children back because we are in uncharted territory right now. According to the ACLU lawsuit (see below), there is currently no easy vehicle for reuniting parents with their children. Additionally, according to a May 2018 report, numerous cases of verbal, physical and sexual abuse were found to have occurred in these residential centers. https://www.aclu.org/…/aclu-obtains-documents-showing-wides…

Myth: This policy is legal. 
LIKELY FALSE. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on 5/6/18, and a recent court ruling denied the government's motion to dismiss the suit. The judge deciding the case stated that the Trump Administration policy is "brutal, offensive, and fails to comport with traditional notions of fair play and decency." The case is moving forward because it was deemed to have legal merit. https://www.bloomberg.com/…/aclu-suit-over-child-separation…