Ed. note: Please click on the link at the bottom of this post to watch this unique interview with President Biden and historian Professor Heather Cox Richardson.
Every day, people write to me and say they feel helpless to change the direction of our future.
I always answer that we change the future by changing the way people think, and that we change the way people think by changing the way we talk about things. To that end, I have encouraged people to speak up about what they think is important, to take up oxygen that otherwise feeds the hatred and division that have had far too much influence in our country of late.
Have any of your efforts mattered?
Well, apparently some people think they have. Last week, President Biden’s team reached out to ask if I would like some time with him to have a conversation to share with you all.
On Friday, February 25, I sat down with the president in the China Room of the White House to talk about American democracy and the struggles we face.
It was an amazing time to be able to talk to the President. Russian president Vladimir Putin had just attacked Ukraine, Biden was preparing to give his first State of the Union address, and the president had just made the historic announcement of the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for a seat on the Supreme Court.
But I didn’t want to ask the president about anything I could learn from other publicly available sources—I already read those every day to write my Letters from an American. I wanted to hear from a historic figure in a historic time about how he thinks about America in this pivotal moment, to put the specifics of what he does in a larger context.
In my books, I have argued that throughout our history, America has swung between the defense of equality outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the defense of private property outlined in the Constitution.
Our peculiar history of racism has meant that every time it seems we are approaching equality before the law, those determined to prevent that equality have turned people against it by insisting that government protection of equality will cost tax dollars, thus amounting to a redistribution of wealth from those with property to those without. That is, if Black and Brown Americans, and poor people, are permitted to vote, they will demand roads and schools and hospitals, and those can be paid for only by taxes on people with money. In this argument, an equal say in our government for all people amounts to socialism.
With this argument, those defending their property turn ordinary Americans against each other and take control of our political system. Once in power, they rig the system for their own benefit. Money flows upward until there is a dramatic split between ordinary people and those very few wealthy Americans who, by then, control the economy, the government, and society.
This point in the cycle came about in the 1850s, the 1890s, the 1920s, and now, again, in our present.
In the past, just when it seemed we were approaching the end of democracy and replacing it with oligarchy—and in each of these periods, elites literally talked about how they alone should lead the country—the American people turned to leaders who helped them reclaim democracy.
We know these leaders from our history. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt all have entered the pantheon of our leaders because of their defense of democracy in the face of entrenched power. But all of those presidents became who they were because they rose to the challenge of the pivotal moments in which they lived. They worked to reflect the increasingly loud voices of the majority of the American people.
James Buchanan, William McKinley, Herbert Hoover, and Donald Trump did not.
And now President Biden stands at another pivotal moment in our history. What he does in this moment will reflect what the American people demand from his leadership.
So do your voices matter? He wouldn’t have taken the time in the midst of such an important day in America to talk to you if they didn’t.
Following Judy Mayotte’s inspiring presentation on refugees and internally displaced people last Monday, she responded to residents’ request for recommendations and provided a list of organizations involved in helping refugees. (The greatest need at this time is money)
Ed note: Please peruse the great articles in this issue. You’ll find articles dealing with arthritis, dementia, caregiving, DWD, fire safety and advance care planning.
This exhibition shares stories and works of art that highlight the experiences of people living with dementia, their care partners, and those who help make the programs happen. Their experiences are testimony to the success of arts engagement programs in bringing joy, respect, and dignity to people living with dementia while destigmatizing the disease. Click here to learn more.
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Thanks to Mary M. If you have a newer vehicle, just how does all that new technology really work for you? Check out the AARP offerings below.
AARP just announced Smart DriverTEK, a free Zoom-based workshop re new vehicle safety technology. Looks like lots of dates and formats available. (Times are Eastern Zone.) Looks like there are both instructor-led and DIY versions. aarp.org/SDTEK4 for more information.
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As the Russian military invasion of Ukraine has unfolded, so too has a humanitarian crisis that has forced civilians to flee their homes or take refuge in bomb shelters and subway stations throughout the country.
As the world watches on TVs and smartphones, it’s a natural thought to want to help in some way.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of organizations that are asking for assistance. Donations can be made through the links to their websites or social media pages.
UNICEF
UNICEF supports health, nutrition, HIV prevention, education, safe drinking water, sanitation and protection for children and families caught in the conflict in Ukraine.
“Heavy weapons fire along the line of contact has already damaged critical water infrastructure and education facilities in recent days,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine M. Russell in a statement.
Médecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders
MSF runs a range of activities in Ukraine working with local volunteers, organizations, health care professionals and authorities to help people travel to health care facilities and access prescribed medications.
Voices of Children
The Ukrainian organization’s Charitable Foundation helps provide psychological and psychosocial support to children affected by the armed conflict, according to its website.
Voices of Children’s efforts of support for kids include art therapy, video storytelling, providing mobile psychologists and even individual help for families.
Sunflower of Peace
The nonprofit organization is raising money to prepare first aid medical tactical backpacks for paramedics and doctors on the front lines.
Each backpack is designed for groups of 5 to ten people and includes an array of first aid supplies — such as bandages, anti-hemorrhagic medicine and medical instruments, according to the organization’s Facebook page.
International Committee of the Red Cross
This Switzerland-based organization is aiming to help people affected by the conflict and support the work of the Ukrainian Red Cross.
Save the Children
Save the Children, based in London, helps to deliver lifesaving aid to vulnerable children in Ukraine and around the world. According to its website, the organization says it is on the ground in the U.S. and other parts of the world “delivering essential humanitarian aid.”
“We are gravely concerned for children in Ukraine, Afghanistan and around the world who might be caught in the middle of armed conflict, forced to flee their homes and exposed to injury, hunger and sub-zero temperatures,” the organization writes in a statement online.
“UNHCR is working with the authorities, UN and other partners in Ukraine and is ready to provide humanitarian assistance wherever necessary and possible. To that effect, security and access for humanitarian efforts must be guaranteed,” the organization said in a statement.
CARE
CARE is raising money for its Ukraine Crisis Fund, which will provide immediate aid including food, water, hygiene kits, support services and direct cash assistance.
The humanitarian organization aims to raise $20 million and help at least 4 million Ukrainians. It says it will prioritize women and girls, families and the elderly.
International Medical Corps
The global nonprofit has been delivering primary health care and mental health services in eastern Ukraine since 2014, and is raising funds to expand those services for people affected by the latest conflict.
It says cold weather and economic insecurity in the leadup to Thursday’s attack have left nearly 3 million Ukrainians relying on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs, a number that is certain to rise nationwide.
Its Ukraine team is preparing to deploy mobile medical teams to provide emergency and primary health services, mental health and psychosocial services and COVID-19 awareness and prevention services for people who have been displaced.
Posted inWar|Comments Off on Want to support the people in Ukraine? Here’s how you can help
A woman is being hailed on social media after she confronted a heavily armed Russian soldier and offered him sunflower seeds – so that flowers would grow if he died there on Ukraine’s soil. ‘You’re occupants, you’re fascists,’ she shouts, standing about a metre from the soldier.
‘Take these seeds and put them in your pockets so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here’
On weeks like these, it’s hard not to feel … well, a little silly or impotent writing about movies and their business. So instead of doing that, I’m going to relay a story about Jack Palance.
Palance is one of the most famous tough guys in Hollywood history, coming to showbiz after boxing and serving in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. I remember seeing him in one of the first movies I can remember seeing: Batman, where he played the crime boss who set Jack Nicholson’s Jack Napier up for the fall that turned Napier into the Joker. But he had a long and storied history: the heavy in Shane (for which he received an Oscar nomination) and Second Chance (in which he went toe to toe with Robert Mitchum). He eventually won an Academy Award for City Slickers as aged cowboy Curly Washburn.
Jack Palance was not born Jack Palance; like so many movie stars, he changed his name to something a bit more palatable to the ticket-buying public (though the ticket-buying public was buying tickets to see him box at that time). And that’s how Volodymyr Palahniuk became Jack Palance.
My point: his parents were Ukrainian immigrants and Palance remained proud of his heritage to the end of his life. In 2004, he was asked to accept an award at an event sponsored by the Russian Ministry of Culture. When he was introduced to accept the award, he took the stage and said: “I feel like I walked into the wrong room by mistake. I think that Russian film is interesting, but I have nothing to do with Russia or Russian film. My parents were born in Ukraine: I’m Ukrainian. I’m not Russian. So, excuse me, but I don’t belong here. It’s best if we leave.”
And then he walked out.
Vladimir Putin wasn’t there, but one imagines Vladimir Putin was none-too-pleased when he got the report if any underling dared bring it to his attention. Make no mistake: This was an insult to the Russian strongman and a well-delivered one at that, aimed as it was at Russian efforts to expand cultural influence. One could make a larger point here about the importance of artists not offering themselves up as propaganda wins for authoritarian regimes. It would be a fair point, and one artists should think about when China comes knocking or when, say, a golfer is asked about playing for a Saudi Arabia-backed league.
But the narrow point is good enough. Jack Palance was a Ukrainian-American badass. One hopes the home of his parents is filled with similar sorts.
Thanks to Alice W. whose daughter and son-in-law and Jeff Robinson all graduated from Harvard Law and moved to Seattle in the same year.
Interweaving lecture, personal anecdotes, interviews, and shocking revelations, ACLU deputy legal director Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America.
Eventually, the film will be available on a streaming service such as Netflix, no doubt. But for now, if you can’t find it at a local theater, or don’t yet want to sit inside a theater, and would like to see it without waiting for months, SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) is offering an opportunity to stream it, for a fee.
LIVE Q&A – April 13, 5:00pm PT This film is available to view April 8–18. We suggest watching it on April 13 starting at 3:05pm PT followed by the live Q&A at 5:00pm PT. Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler (directors), as well as Jeffery Robinson (subject) scheduled to participate.
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Ed note: Sadly we note the passing of a pioneering physician sociologist who has inspired so many. The foundation Paul Farmer left behind, Partners in Health, is a charity well worth supporting. His book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, was reviewed at Skyline’s book club several years ago and was the One Book at the University of Washington.
By Tracy Kidder
Mr. Kidder is the author of “Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World.”
More than two decades ago, I had the great good fortune to spend parts of several years traveling with Dr. Paul Farmer, to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, Russia and Mexico for my book about his life. He was a good companion, funny and talkative and when I got sick from a night of too much rum in Cuba, he took care of me.
In airports, he would buy presents for people he was visiting at his next stop. He’d buy present after present until he could barely manage to carry them all. His itineraries weren’t on any of the usual sightseeing lists. In Russia, for instance, he didn’t see the Bolshoi Ballet but rather went to advise beleaguered doctors at a prison where inmates were dying of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
Paul’s basic belief was that all human beings deserve equal respect and care, especially when they are sick. His dream, he once told me, was to start a movement that would refuse to accept, and would strive to repair, the grotesque health inequities among and within the countries of the world. When I first met him — in Haiti, in 1994 — he had already created a growing health care system in a desperately impoverished area. I thought he’d done a lot already. Now, looking back, I realize that he was just getting started.
In 1987, he and several friends had founded the organization Partners in Health. Membership has come to include thousands of young people, many of whom Paul taught and mentored, and legions of friends and colleagues in the countries where Partners in Health works. Paul was the main inspiration for so many efforts: medical education and hospital-building in countries such as Haiti and Rwanda; campaigns against diseases such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, AIDS and Ebola; providing surgery and giving chemotherapy in places where all sorts of illnesses and injuries have typically gone untreated.
From my time with him, I remember most vividly a moment in Lima, Peru, when he had just been reunited with a boy he had treated who had been afflicted with a case of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis so severe that it had broken the long bones of his legs. Paul was visiting a hospital to meet with Peruvian doctors about a different patient when he ran into the boy’s mother and father and saw the boy come running toward him down a hospital hallway, actually running. The boy wasn’t just healed, he was restored. After cries of delight and hugs, Paul met with the Peruvian doctors and then headed out to the parking lot. I sensed that someone was following us. I turned, and so did Paul, and we saw the little boy’s mother approaching with her head bowed. She came up to Paul and said in Spanish, “I want to say many thanks.”
Paul immediately took her hands and said, also in Spanish, “For me, it is a privilege.”
Paul was not a perfect human being, any more than you or I. He didn’t always treat everyone as well as he might have, but to be a patient of his was a great privilege. He was a gifted doctor and a deeply compassionate doctor, the kind of doctor we all would like to have. And I believe that the love of doctoring was the ultimate source of his strength and perseverance in the face of endless obstacles and disappointments. He wanted to make the whole world his patient, and he made a good start on that.
Paul described what he did as “accompaniment,” working alongside others as a member of a large cooperative enterprise. With his Rwandan colleagues, he had conceived and seen to fruition a large medical project in a rural district where there had never been a hospital. This team created a beautiful, full-service facility, which now serves as a cancer-treatment center for the entire country and as the campus of the University of Global Health Equity. Paul had gone there to teach and celebrate the white coat ceremony of its first cohort of medical students. He died on the campus on Monday.
I’m told that he had been up late the night before, seeing patients, which in my experience was for him the equivalent of a night on the town. The next morning, feeling tired, he lay down for a nap and didn’t wake up.
Many people feel deep grief at his death. Speaking only for myself, I find it hard to imagine a world without him in it, especially in this moment when cynicism and cupidity seem to have become cardinal virtues, and compassion and decency are deemed a sucker’s pursuit. But Paul’s plans and dreams live on in the minds of thousands of people, who are equipped and eager to follow his example. I like to think he died happy.
An 11-year-old girl has written to President Joe Biden asking that he nominate her to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The girl is Maddi Morgan, who told Biden that she would be able to walk to work because she lives only blocks from the Supreme Court, CBS News reports.
“It all kind of started in fourth grade where we’re learning about America’s government systems,” Maddi told CBS News. “There aren’t really many requirements to be a part of the Supreme Court. You just have to be appointed by the president. So, I thought, why not? And I just shot my shot.”
Maddi said children don’t have a voice in this county, and they should be given one.
If a Supreme Court career doesn’t work out, Maddi said she has another ambition.
“I have always wanted to be an astrophysicist,” she said.
Posted inGovernment|Comments Off on 11-year-old girl tells Biden why she should be nominated to Supreme Court
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