Posted on by jfrusch

The Terrorist Threat I fear most

I notice the intensity of the comments that you get when you post things that do not support Trump.

I notice the quiet reports of death threats to anyone who challenges Trump in a visible way.

And I remember those that talked about taking to the streets with guns if the election didn’t result in a win for ‘their guy’.

We hear talks about an increase in hate crimes since the election.  But I couldn’t find any trustwothy facts to confirm this.

It is almost like no one cares – no one is counting.

We have observed the change in tone in the Administration to favor those with White Nationalist and Fascist histories.

The terrorist threat I fear most doesn’t come from those who follow Islam – but those that claim to be Christian.

Just like the ‘Radical Islam terrorists’, these people no more represent the teachings of Jesus and Christianity than ISIS and others represent the teaching of Islam.

But there are rumors that this Administration will move away from watching and monitoring the actions of the White Nationalist / Hate groups.  And if they are true, we are at real risk.

We have had numerous real terrorist acts in this country by ‘Radical Christian Extremists’.   Yet that label didn’t appear….  instead we focused on each as individual acts with no real connection.

But there is a growing movement – now made to feel safe and normal by the current Administration.  And that is the movement that I am concerned about.  It is fueled by fear.

How about you?  Does the talk of death threats to Trump critics concern you?  Or do you hold the attitude ‘You lost – get over it’

 

The Terror Attacks Trump Won’t Talk About

White Nationalists on Twitter

Posted on by jfrusch

What are you afraid of?

I am white of mostly German heritage. This means that I carry a responsibility for having a heritage / culture somewhere in my family that enabled a hate-filled dictator to cause the Holocaust. I say this for background.  So you know who is speaking in this post. I watched the movie Hidden Figures this weekend.  And also the movie Denial.  Both were relevant to this new hypothesis of mine.

In my lifetime or at least in my children’s lifetime the demographic of the United States will shift and the majority ‘white’ race will lose its majority status.

So what?  Why does this cause so much fear?  Why are we now looking to ban people who look different than us?  [sorry – we aren’t talking about building walls on both borders].

After the 2016 Presidential election, I believed that far too many of my fellow Americans honestly believed that they, as whites, were better than others; that they, as Christians, were better than others; that leaders who were men were better than leaders who are women – because women have a place that is not a place of leadership.

But my reflections since November have led to a different hypothesis.

Perhaps we fear the change in the demographics that shifts us from majority to minority because we know in our hearts that we have tolerated in our society the discrimination of people based on their skin color, their gender, their sexual preference, their religion.  We have observed it and allowed it.  We stayed silent.

And we are now afraid that when we become the minority they will treat us as we have treated them.  Or that we have allowed other to treat them and have not stood up and spoken up. We remained silent.

This election was about remaining silent.  We elected someone who spoke hatefully to people based on their race, their gender, their sexual orientation, their religion.  We elected someone who declared that he felt his fame and status gave him the right to take advantage of women.  We elected someone who felt it was ok to make fun of others and to even threaten them and encourage others to take action on their hate and fear.

And in electing him, this country said this behavior was ok.  In making him their candidate, Republicans said this was ok. In allowing him to be elected, those that voted for him or chose not to vote said this was ok.  And now our president is taking action based on a mandate he thinks he has because we elected him knowing full well he courted the Alt-Right and the White Nationalists who believe that this country is to be led by the whites and the rich.

Equal means Equal.

It doesn’t mean the same.  We are all human beings.  Fundamentally we are the same.  And we should think and act as if we are all fundamentally the same.

If we could commit to equality for all – and ensure that our actions align with that commitment; if we could begin to act as if we are all equal, would we create a country and perhaps a world where a shift in demographics wouldn’t be so scary? And if we could put laws in place so those that do not act this way have consequences and those that are impacted have recourse.

We know that people are not created equal in the USA.  We know that they don’t even have equal rights under the law – because we never passed the Equal Rights Amendment.  We know that this latest uproar is because those in power now are seeking to act from the position that some people are more equal than others.

It doesn’t matter what makes us different, it doesn’t make us a better human.

Only our actions and our beliefs can make us lesser.

Our world is changing – and it will take great courage to see us through the changes that are coming.  We have the technology to take amazing care of all humans.  We could end poverty. We could end hunger.  We could create a world where the barriers to be able to dedicate your life to inventing and improving the world – if that is your calling – could be removed.  We could take care of our environment and be the custodians of our earth.

We could – but will we?

Because it means that we all need to come together as a human race and work for the good of all over the good of some.  It means we need to tackle the greed that has allowed some to take power over others.

And we need to hope and trust that those that have been put down by the majority will forget about that when they bccome the majority.

Isn’t that what some who are white in the USA really fear?  That we will become the other.  That we will be treated as we allowed others to treat those that are not white.  That we will be shunned for our beliefs as we shunned others who were different.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on by jfrusch

We, the people ….

We are divided.  It was supposed to be “One Nation, Indivisible”.  But we are divided.
 
One side cannot tolerate the other side winning. They cannot tolerate not being in power. They must win at all costs.
 
Observe South Dakota. Voters put in place a law to enact campaign finance reform. The Republican controlled state government declares an emergency rather than let this law go into effect. They can’t stand the voters to ‘win’. And they don’t want to lose.
 
Observe the Senate. President Obama nominates a Supreme Court Judge candidate and the Republians refuse to hold a hearing. Now they are waving ethics reviews and almost abolished the ethics committee to get this cabinet in place. And they refuse to start investigations on Russia’s actions and other oddities in the last election. Because they won.
 
So anything is ok if Republicans win and nothing is ok if it means they don’t win.
 
This is win-lose. And ultimate this leads to authoritarian rule or a lose-lose end.
 
Democracy is about win-win – which leads to compromise and dialogue to find shared values and objectives. It is inclusive and messy.
 
But this new Republican tea-infused party is only about winning at all costs. They now suggest alternative facts – required for their story of how things are.
 
This is what we are resisting.
 
And it is American to do so. And it is Un-American not to.
 
If you have to make up a ‘patriot’ day it is because what you are doing is not patriotic at all. Because it doesn’t need a day.
 
And the only American Carnage we face is the one that will result from the tea-infused Republican party willing to take any action to remain in total control / power.
 
But there are more that want what we had – a Democracy. A messy, diverse, challenging and complex Democracy.
 
And that ‘many’ is willing to act. That is what the Women’s March was – not a protest but a declaration of independence. we, the people, spoke and showed up and are calling.
 
Did you know the switchboards were jammed and voice mail boxes were full from the calls to representatives and senators?
 
The action from the White House? Take out the comment process. Look for this to extend to the House and the Senate.
 
For the one thing that this new tea-infused Republican party seems to be against the most is “We, the People”
 
That is why the counts at events and votes matter so much.
 
They refuse to admit they are not the majority – they are not representing ‘We, the People’ as their oath requires.
 
We are not against Republicans and are not for Democrats – we are for the principles of equality for ALL that this country was founded on. And it is past time to get it right.
 
It doesn’t have to take 2 years for the next federal election. It could happen in a day if a handful of Republicans in the Congress and Senate decide to act as true Patriots instead of Party Loyalists and step away from the tea-infused party and become Independents. They agree to caucus with the Democrats and control of Congress changes.
 
And we can stop the carnage that is planned
 
Or they can stay loyal to the party of the few, the powerful, the one that has to win.
 
We, the people, are not backing down.
Posted on by jfrusch

It took awhile, but I get it

I started to hear the term ‘Intersectionality’ while attending the conference “Watch Us Run”.  Then I heard it again throughout the speakers at the DC Women’s March on 1/20/2017.  I could figure out what them meant by the word but it wasn’t obvious why a new word was needed.

Then I heard the conversation / interpretations around the decision to exclude “Pro-Life” groups from the march.  Media reported on this as the Women’s march not being inclusive enough by excluding this key group.  And then I got it.

Not because the reporting was accurate- it was not.  The women were not excluded from attending.  Their position – which was in conflict with the platform adopted by the Women’s March – was not in alignment.

The organizers did not invite the “Pro-Life” groups to participate, present and have their causes showcased / represented.  The organizers took a stand driven by Intersectionality.

Because you cannot be for women’s rights and be against reproductive rights.  Women reproduce.  Limitations on reproductive rights impact women.  Therefore they impact women’s rights.  The right of a woman to choose what happens with her body – especially in areas around sex – is fundamental to providing equality and autonomy to women.

When abortions are legal – no one is making anyone get an abortion.  When abortions are illegal or restricted someone else is closing out an option.  Legal Viability for humans is set at birth – or 1st breath.  Before that, you have life but not a human.  The position on choice allowed the woman to hold the right over her body up until there is a lifeform that is mature enough to survive outside of the women’s body [which means they can breathe on their own]. The choice is made between the woman and her health care providers in privacy – as all health decisions should be.  Anything less makes the woman lesser – takes away control.

So you can hold a position that abortions should be illegal – but that means you are for restricting the rights of women.  You cannot claim to be for women’s rights and against their right to choose.

Just as you cannot be for woman’s rights and against LGBTQ rights, or disability rights, or race equality, or other aspects of equality.

Free means Free. Equal means Equal.

That is why Intersectionality is essential.  It means we have to be serious about human rights.  We need to quit pretending that we are for equality or for human rights but not for everyone and not all of the time.

Intersectionality provides a word to the fundamental that we, as humans, are complex.  We are the fundamentally the same and yet we have many variations.  As we celebrate and respect our commonality we MUST also celebrate our diversities.

Humans are complex.  Politics are complicated.

The beauty is in the intersections.