If you don't agree...

The following are simply my own musings. I’m not judging, or even attempting to call out, those who engage in the activity with which I'm struggling. Not yet, anyway.

Lately I have been seeing a lot of, “If you believe X delete me now” posts on social media. I am torn by this idea. I have deleted some folks who are particularly extreme on certain issues, like people I think would somehow find a way to defend genocide. But is it realistic or even desirable to only interact with those who share my views and values? While it is important to me that my partner and closest friends share my core values, I will always have to interact with and share spaces with those who do not share all of my beliefs or values. That doesn’t mean, however, that we cannot find common ground, or that I shouldn’t engage with them.

That being said, I am incredibly frustrated by the fact that I feel as if I am having to teach and/or debate things like basic human decency and compassion with grown ass adults. These conversations are frustrating AF and incredibly draining, but perhaps they are worth it if even one person begins to think about the world differently. Most days it doesn’t feel like that will ever happen; statistically I know it’s unlikely these conversations will get anywhere...but maybe they will. If I didn’t have some faith that people can change and grow then I would be even more depressed and anxious than I already am.

I also imagine it’s much easier for me to endure the frustration and seeming disregard for humanity from my place of privilege in this world. For me that privilege necessitates tolerating this kind of thing, though. I can only imagine how scared, overwhelmed, exhausted and so many more feelings the disenfranchised feel as these conversations happen around them -- often as if they aren’t even there, aren’t even human. I feel obligated to let them know they aren’t alone. That others value them simply because they’re human beings.

However, at what point to do I give up hope for people? How long do we endure the headache and pain of people being assholes? At what point do I delete those assholes or otherwise excommunicate them from my life? I’m still trying to figure that out. People of color, the LGBT community, immigrants, etc. cannot turn this off or shut it out in the way that those of us with privilege can, so is it fair for me to just give up, stop trying to change hearts and minds? I don’t think it’s fair or right for me to do that. I also doesn’t believe that means people of privilege can’t take a “break” or create a space for self-care. We can, and we should, but we also need to be conscious of how and when we take that time and space.

As far as changing hearts and minds, I know for damn sure social media is so unlikely to have an impact. However, social media is how so many people connect, both formally and informally. It allows us to maintain some type of contact with folks with whom we may not otherwise regularly engage. But do I want to be connected, formally or informally, with people who believe it’s okay to put kids in cages because their caregivers (likely parents…) didn’t show up with the correct documentation while literally fleeing for their lives? Or people who believe that all poor folks are just lazy and/or need to work harder? From a passionate and emotional place my answer is, “Hell no. I have no desire or need to connect with people like that.” But then I am reminded of the fact that one view doesn’t make an entire person, even if that one view makes me physically ill and emotionally exhausted. I truly do not know where to draw the line on keeping these folks in my life in any way, shape, or form, and I will likely struggle with it for a long time. I imagine the answer is different for each one of us. While I do not want to be associated with assholes and bigots who may or may not be my Facebook friends, I do want to keep the door open for the potential ‘big’ conversations. I want to show people the kindness and understanding they seem incapable of showing to those who are different from them. I hope to challenge them to be more kind, open-minded, and loving. For now I will also continue to hope against hope that our society can be better.

Is This Who We Are?

A quick note unrelated to the title: Clearly I failed to return back in 2013. I have no excuse. Life happened, and I dropped the ball...and here we are in June 2018. I hope to be back on a semi-regular schedule, at least until I begin law school in August. Time will tell whether that actually happens. Right now the state of our country is terrifying me to the point that I’m losing sleep. I hope putting some of these fears and anxieties into a more concrete form rather than allowing them to rattle around in my mind will be cathartic. If I can spur conversation in the process that’s even better.

Another note: I wrote this super quickly over a couple of evenings without much proofing. Judge away but know that I’m actually a little bit intelligent, even if it’s not evident here.
____________________________

Is this really who we are? As a society. As a nation. As a world. As humanity. This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. So frequently that it keeps me up at night. I’m terrified and disgusted by the fact that the answer seems to be a resounding, “Yes!”

This isn’t our nation’s first, or even second, foray into separating families for the financial or political gain of those in power, or for fear of the other and the unknown. It’s almost as if this is an old tradition for us, and it’s sickening.

Some more thoughts that have been rattling around recently. I wrote this before 45 signed his Executive Order to put out the fire that he fucking started. I also used news as sources rather than actually looking up the law. Please feel free to correct me (with sources) if I’m wrong. While I will not have conversations about whether or not we should care about what happens to other human beings, I do want to learn & understand more.

• There is absolutely NO law requiring every immigrant who crosses the border illegally to be charged in criminal court and detained. (One source, although I looked at many.) Previous administrations have processed many of these cases through civil proceedings. The so-called “zero tolerance” policy enacted by this administration means many more adults are charged in criminal court for “improper entry,” even if it is their first offense. The criminal charge results in detainment, and children, of course, cannot (and arguably should not) be detained with ‘criminal; adults, resulting in the systematic separation of families. This administration dictated this policy, and this administration can change it. Changing this policy does not require an act of Congress. Literally.

• Further, the criminal charge increases the likelihood of deportation. The children are not included in deportation proceedings decreasing the possibility of reuniting children and parents/caregivers.
• Immigration court does not allow for the right to counsel, so we are literally asking these CHILDREN to represent themselves in a court of law.

• Some people are using children who are not their own to enter the country under false pretenses. I have no doubt about that. However, even that does not justify family separation or the detention of CHILDREN.

• The Obama administration prioritized the deportation of only the most dangerous undocumented immigrants. The current administration has no priority list for deportation and only references “criminal offenses.”

• NO HUMAN BEING IS ILLEGAL!

This demonizing and dehumanization of those entering our country improperly (or any human being, for that matter) is the beginning of a slippery slope toward all sorts of atrocities. Are we too far down that slope? I hope not. However, failing to recognize what is happening, or simply denying it, only increases the speed at which we move even further from the ideals we claim to hold so dear. We will likely always fall short of our ideals because ideals are just that -- a standard of perfection, according to dictionary.com. But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to reach them or that we should make excuses for why we haven't reached them.

And my final thought of the day: There is no circumstance in which it is acceptable to do irreparable harm to a child. Forcibly removing children from their caregivers (even if said caregivers are not their biological parents) and then denying them basic human needs like affection and comfort is something we cannot ever take back. It is not so different from removing Native American children from their homes and families. I cannot, in any way, endorse what is currently happening on our southern border. I am ashamed of the way this country is behaving.

Hiatus

I am currently taking a 5 week summer course, so I will not have time to blog until the beginning of July. I don't intent this hiatus to be as long as my last, and this one is very intentional. Upon my return you can expect 2-3 posts/week. Thanks for reading! Can't wait to get back to it.

Higher Education vs Housing Market

Back in June (Yes, almost a year ago...I know...) I listened to this piece on NPR Morning Edition about how the crash of the housing market has impacted the higher education decisions of students across the nation. I began to overlay this thought process on the Montana University System (MUS), where I have real experience.

In case you didn’t listen to the NPR story here’s a very basic synopsis: Students who are the children of parents who own homes in which the price decreased in the housing market collapse are applying to community colleges rather than flagship schools. One psychologist believes this shift is because students are internalizing the fact that their parents feel “poor” and because it is more difficult for parents to borrow against the value of their home to send their child(ren) to school.

While I recognize this is ONE psychologist’s opinion based on ONE study, it got me thinking about how the MUS fails to consider the systemic reasons for student success or lack thereof. I recognize that the Board of Regents only has power over the MUS, but each Regent has a certain level of influence in various areas, departments, and industries around the state, and most are active in the Legislature. However, in my experience the Regents view the issue like this: Many students are not successful in a 4-year setting, so we should encourage them to begin their higher education tenure in a 2-year setting because the students and university system see more success at that level. Many of these students do not continue their education immediately upon completing a 2-year or certificate program, so they enter the workforce sooner.

It is absurd that no one looks at, or perhaps simply fails to mention, the systemic reasons for lack of student success. Here’s an example: In 2005 in Columbia Falls Elementary School District #6 v. State the Montana Supreme Court declared that the State Legislature was violating the state’s constitutional requirement to fund and establish free schooling to provide students with a “quality” education. Has so much changed since then in terms of funding in Montana?

What about young children in School District #2 (Billings) with class sizes of 40+? How can a teacher in that environment supervise and develop a relationship with each student? How can a teacher recognize the possibility of a learning concern, family abuse, bullying, at-risk behaviors, or the many other things that may interfere with learning? It’s not like we’re talking about high school seniors who should, hopefully, be preparing to enter college courses. Speaking from a developmental standpoint preschool through 3rd or 4th grade is VITAL to the success of students. Without the development of strong relationships with caregivers, including teachers, at this age it is difficult if not impossible for learning to occur. If relationships aren’t developed with teachers throughout grade school, will they ever be?

I understand these aren’t the only issue influencing student success, but I urge us all to consider addressing systemic causes for the numerous problems we see every day. Band-Aids are only temporary fixes to long-term problems; without systemic change we will forever be buying more Band-Aids. I have much more to say on the topic and hope to return to it soon. In the meantime I’d love to see some discussion on solutions.

Call to Action from In the President’s Own Words

An anonymous reader recommended I share a petition to encourage Congress to support the Due Process Guarantee Act, which would strip away some of the scary parts of NDAA. I found a couple of petitions via Google. One of them was relatively outdated, and the other had to vague a request, so I'm choosing not share either. If you find something, please share!

A more solid step may be to contact Senator Tester, Senator Baucus, and Representative Daines asking them to support the Due Process Guarantee Act of 2011 (which never left the Senate Committee on the Judiciary) or some other similar piece of legislation.

In the President's Own Words

It has been said that a society should be judged by how it treats its weakest members, and prisoners certainly fall in to that category. Before I go much further let me make it clear that I’m not advocating that those who are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt (whatever that is) get to play in meadows with unicorns and rainbows, but I also believe we should treat every human being with dignity and follow the rule of law in all cases. 

Prisoners in Guantánamo are so fed up with their situations that 100 of them are on a hunger strike! According to this document on Guantanamo:

• 86 detainees have been cleared for release since 2009. However, the US government refuses to allow them to return to their homes or otherwise release them. The most common theory on why that is: these detainees have been treated so badly they’ll certainly join the opposition, al-Qaeda, or somehow set out to harm us. Shouldn’t that be a lesson in itself on how we treat people?

• The US doesn’t have sufficient evidence to prosecute 46 prisoners, but those 46 are apparently too dangerous to release. How can we be certain enough to detain someone indefinitely, though, if we don’t have sufficient evidence to prosecute?

• Remember when Obama campaigned on closing Gitmo? Well, it appears he wasn’t incredibly serious about that: 532 prisoners were released by the Bush administration. 72 by the Obama administration. I understand there other powers and factors at work in that numbers game too. If only the President had the power to release prisoners and challenge the flawed system that put them there…

• Only 5% of the prisoners were even captured by American troops.

I’ll stop paraphrasing, but I highly recommend you read the whole thing. It’s an easy read.

Below is a small piece from a first hand account:

I could have been home years ago — no one seriously thinks I am a threat — but still I am here. Years ago the military said I was a “guard” for Osama bin Laden, but this was nonsense, like something out of the American movies I used to watch. They don’t even seem to believe it anymore. But they don’t seem to care how long I sit here, either.

I just hope that because of the pain we are suffering, the eyes of the world will once again look to Guantánamo before it is too late.

Again, I recommend you take the time to read the entire Op Ed.

Out of sign, out of mind. According to President Obama this is one of the reasons closing the prison at Guantánamo is “a hard case to make.” So let’s change that. Let’s put pressure on those in power to move on this ever important issue. Let’s pressure the media to report on the hunger strike and the apparently innocent people imprisoned there. Let’s get people talking about it. Our friends, our families. It has to start somewhere. Let us not continue to ignore the atrocities happening in our name. 

If you’re not convinced this is important simply because what is happening here is morally and ethically wrong, think about this: The 2012 NDAA (signed by Obama) allows for indefinite detention of anyone captured anywhere in the world without charge or trial. That could be you detained indefinitely without sufficient evidence to prosecute. Think that couldn’t possibly happen to an American citizen? Google Anwar al-Awlaki and/or Abdulrahman al-Awlaki. Both American citizens. Both killed by the CIA in targeted drone strikes in Yemen. No trial. No due process.

Indian Country

While driving through Indian Country a few weekends ago my heart began to weep. With tears streaming down my face I wept for the countless atrocities committed against the indigenous peoples of this place. As I wept I wondered how different the course of history might be had my ancestors & European predecessors dealt with Natives honestly and justly.

Strangely, I was also filled with gratitude and joy for the perseverance and spirit of Native Americans. If not for the strength of these people we may still believe that Europeans “saved” Natives from “savagery;” we may still think it acceptable that our history books do not mention the raping, pillaging, and genocide that happened in what many people refer to as the greatest country in the world. Because of the strength Native Americans have demonstrated we are beginning to learn the truth and to understand the horrendous reality of the European conquering of this land.

My message to Natives may not be perfect and is certainly lacking, but it is this: I recognize your journey has been blemished in more ways than one can count. I try every day to empathize with the trauma that endures still today. I stand in solidarity with you as you fight for rights, land, money, recognition, and numerous other things that are rightly yours. I also know that as much as I would like to I cannot right the wrongs of the past, and I alone cannot solve the lengthly list of broken treaties, promises, and systems that perpetuate unimaginable poverty, abuse, and continued trauma. But I also hope you recognize that many of us stand with you, wanting nothing more than to stand in partnership with you to rectify the wretched reality that has existed for far too long.

To those of us who live each and every day with white privilege I challenge you to take some time to evaluate the countless opportunities you enjoy. I challenge you to open your heart to the realities and impact of racism in our communities and our world. I ask to search your own heart for the closed doors or bigoted feelings it may harbor. I ask you to do these things not because I want you to feel shame, but because I know how completely your life will be changed by fully opening your heart, by unconditionally accepting people into your life. 

Finally, I challenge you to create authentic relationships with all the people of color in your life. I ask you to listen to their stories and hear them with your whole heart. I hope that by listening with your heart you will be able to begin to empathize with the realities of system racism in our nation. Lastly, I hope that you will begin to act to create the change our world so desperately needs. We need more people on the right side of history, more people who are brave enough to stand up even when it isn’t necessarily popular.