I just read this on upworthy, which I get on Facebook.  Please take a look.  It is more about what is happening on our border with Mexico.  This whole drama has conveniently receded from the headlines and day to day conversation.  But refugees still suffer a perilous journey to get here.  See what you think:

http://www.upworthy.com/shocking-yes-preventable-most-certainly-cruel-you-bet?c=ufb1

Racism In America, Land of the Free

Turns out I am a racist

As much as I prefer to see myself as  wonderful, without any type of fault and all that hoo hah, like we all do, I must embrace (before I can cleanse myself) of my own racism.  The events in Ferguson, Missouri should force all whites in this country to face honestly the reality of white privilege and the legacy of slavery that we carry in our DNA.  It is the only way forward to a future where racism is eradicated from our culture. We cannot look at that cop in Ferguson and condemn him if we don't see the racist fueled fear, that caused him to kill an unarmed African American young man, in ourselves.  Whether that young man stole something from a store or not is irrelevant.  His story is for someone else's telling.  The story lies for me and for all whites in the moment that the white cop pulled the trigger.  The story lies in the crazy extreme overreaction by the police force to the protesters.  It was all fear fueled by racism.  So that leads me to have to admit, with shame and humility, that I don't know if I were in that police officer's place if I would have reacted the same or differently.  Because I know, without a doubt, that I carry all of that poison that is the legacy of slavery in this country in my blood and bones.  I know it as well as I know I am sitting here typing. I wish it were not that way, but it is. 

Let me tell you a story about myself that illustrates the point I am trying to make.  Only just a few years ago I was at the Boise airport.  I was looking to check my luggage and there was no one out in front to do it.  Well, I am looking around and out the front door comes this African American man.  I said, "Oh, are you the luggage check guy?"  Just as innocent as could be.  He just looked at me and said, "No, I'm not".  But he had the most hurt and sort of bewildered look on his face.  I didn't say anything, except,"oh, I'm sorry" or something like that. He walked on and I walked on in our own worlds. I was dumbfounded by that moment.  But I have not forgotten it and never will.  To me it was like the spontaneous unconscious expression almost projectile vomiting of the racism that I carry within me.   There was no excuse for what I did, period.  I was too humiliated to walk up to this man and say, Oh, Jesus, I am so sorry.  Please forgive me or something.  What I'm trying to say here, is if that could come out of me so spontaneously and with so little thought, what else is in there? I know someone out there is going to want to let me off the hook.  It might be someone of color who might want to tell me I'm being to hard on myself.  Or some white person who wants to tell me that "my ancestors weren't even here during slavery days".  But I don't want to be let off the hook and nor should any other white person in this country. It is a form of malignant collective denial that any white person in this country should be let off this particular hook.  And I'm not beating myself up either.  I am just acknowledging a truth. That is the truth that all of us here are poisoned by racism and we all must participate personally and publicly to eradicate this from our collective unconscious.  All.

 Photo by Steve, taken on Cape Cod

Goodbye to Robin Williams

In do hope that Robin Williams woke up in a place that looked like this, free of the pain that caused him to take his own life. I am somewhat concerned that his actions might model to others suffering with mental illness and addiction something like: "If someone like Robin Williams with all his material resources couldn't find some way to overcome his pain, other than by suicide, then what hope is there for me?" I'm not saying, either, that suicide is the worst thing that can ever happen. Living with intolerable psychic or physical pain or the terrible disease of addiction might be worse than suicide. I don't know. I do think, however, that trying to live with all that plus the burden of celebrity was maybe the one thing too much for Mr. Williams. People should not have to carry our collective projections of "happiness"and "importance" for us. Truthfully, if not being a celebrity might have saved his life, I would have gladly foregone the delight he brought to me and anyone who watched him perform. Maybe he would have just been your crazy funny neighbor, working in a bookstore, delighting all his customers. The world would have only been brighter in his little corner of it. Then maybe he could have continued on with healing into life instead of into death, to borrow a phrase from Stephen Levine. So to any reader out there or friend of a reader, keep on in your own little corner of the world. Let Mr. Williams' life be an example to you, not his death.

 

Livin' Without It

My Mojo went out to buy cigarettes and has not returned.

I thought I might find him in a monastery, might bring him back

Then when I found

The bastard  he was all

"Just wanted to, you know, chill out, baby"

So I slapped him across the face and:

I just walked. Said nothing, 

Just walked

Linda Lester

Thoughts about aging in community

This is a photo of the Potala in Lhasa taken by my husband, Steve.

Hi all, I just lost the post I was working on through my own apparently unending ignorance about how to do stuff on this blog.  Anyway, what I was talking about is that I have been thinking lately about the concept of Intentional Community especially as it relates to aging.  I have a long time interest in cohousing, which is a living environment that incorporates the concept of intentional community.  Basically the idea is that people come together who want to live in community.  Usually the dwellings are separate family type dwellings, either condo like or maybe town homes or even single family homes. Usually the communities are developed around a common interest or activity.  Some are developed around urban gardens, sustainable living or something like that.  I saw one in Portland that was developed around a shared interest in urban biking.  Like commuter bikers, that kind of thing.  Anyway, there are many different kinds and maybe hundreds of these communities in the U.S. and many more all over the world.  Scandinavian countries are kind of where this concept began, I think.  There are a number of these places that are for seniors. These ones are developed around the idea of people wanting to age together, care for others in that process and be cared for in return, with the idea that one would stay in the community as long as possible and maybe pass on in the community.  

Both Steve and I have dreamed about the  idea of joining together with friends of about the same age and living together as we continue to age.  The vicissitudes of timing, geographic considerations, etc. may make that dream kind of hard to realize. .  However, I don't think that the idea of joining an already existing senior cohousing community is that far off.  Here is a link, in case you might want to look more into the concept of cohousing:  http://www.cohousing.org

Here is one for senior cohousing:   http://www.elderspirit.net

Hello all: here is an update on the cut in funding for refugee programs related to the refugee crisis on the Mexican border.  It is written by Jan Reeves, who is the Director of the Idaho Office for Refugees.  It is only by the circumstance that there are fewer numbers of children crossing into the country from Central America that some of the funding is being restored.  As Jan notes here, it looks hopeful that the remainder of funding will be restored.  Wanted to let you all know who may wonder onto my blog site.  

Subject: Latest News on Refugee Funding Issues

Hello all,

Please forgive the multiple emails, but I want to be sure to get this information out as widely as possible.

Thanks so much to all of you who have advocated for restored refugee funding and who have supported refugees in our community and state for so many years. It is so encouraging to know that so many friends and colleagues can stand together in difficult times.  

The Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement has announced that because of reduced numbers of children crossing the border in July and increased efficiencies in processing them out of Federal care facilities, HHS has moved to restore $22.5 million of the $94 million that was reprogrammed and will continue to assess the situation in hopes of incrementally restoring the rest of the funding for this year (FY 2014). ORR is “very hopeful” that the full $94 million will be restored by the end of September.

Again, thank you all for your steadfast support and for the energy you have put into speaking up for the refugees in our community. We will continue to update you as the situation evolves. At this point, Congress has recessed for five weeks without completing work on the President’s supplemental request, but legislative action could resume in September.

Best regards,

Jan

Jan A. Reeves | Director

Idaho Office for Refugees | www.idahorefugees.org

Office  208-336-4222 | jreeves@idahorefugees.org

 

More On What is happening on our border

Congress "Acts" (crazy)

Okay, this is the latest I have come to understand.  So the House passes this  bill at the very last moment that is supposed to address the refugee crisis on our border.  It is done just for political showmanship so these persons who have been elected to do something can look good during their August recess.  Boehner was no desperate to get something done so he wouldn't look totally like a horses rear and at the same time trying to appease the tea partiers hands over the responsibility for writing the bill to the only person in the House who is dumber than him, Michelle Bachman.  So nothing is passed, because it can't go anywhere because of the recess, our heroes go home and get to boast that they did something while Obama did nothing and aren't we great.  And in the meantime, if nothing passes, things are rigged so that, if no bill is passed,  money that is meant for agencies that serve refugees throughout the country,  (people coming here because they have no choice, people from Congo, Bhutan, Iraq, Afghanistan, people who fled their countries under threat and danger), will be automatically taken to fund some unknown as of yet undefined "actions" on the border.  These will likely be more detention centers and more law enforcement.  The refugee agencies are looking at cuts as high as 46%!!!.  And in the meantime, the State Department, which is in charge off establishing the numbers of refugees allowed into the country has finally gotten it's numbers back up to pre-9/11 numbers.  The refugee agencies are being told that the numbers will stay up even if their funding is cut.  Who on Earth is running this country?   

We are living through some of the most cynical, nasty times that I can remember in my adult life.  The "center is not going to hold" if kind of foolishness prevails.  Write to your House members and let them know that they are elected to serve the people, respond to national problems and act like grown ups.  This may be far too much to ask, but ask we must.  

P.S. Please feel free to comment with any correction of information I have included in this post.  I have just talked to people in the know here and read what is available and listened to what I consider to be reliable sources of news.