[Ready2Transform]

Ready-I fail to understand how Native Americans come into play.

 

It was sarcasm. You don't want people "not native to here" to complain about the fine country built on this stolen land, but the bulk of the people living here for these mere hundreds of years since the country was established are descendants of immigrants. No culture, race, or creed has been immune from being changed here.

What happened to them was wrong.  In fact it plays into my point.  Settlers came over and believed their way of life was superior.  They looked down on the Native American’s way instead of gleaning the good things.  We want people to come here, but not come to complain.  Not come to change our way of life.

I don't think American culture, whatever that is, is in jeopardy. I'm glad you're choosing to self-isolate with your kids. It is the right choice. I feel very badly for those who are risking not just their own health, but the health of others they could potentially infect. I don't wish for anyone to have to learn the hard way that without your health and your loved ones, the perceived temporary loss of some sort of liberty means little. But I will concede that I had those same sorts of impending feelings when Bush Jr. started some of the practices after 9/11 that we still utilize today. Remember showing up at the airport and getting on a plane without a long wait and a pat down? The dangerous racial profiling that is still the norm because of it? Way of life changed for lots of brown people forever who did nothing wrong. Let's not forget how unfair that is as well, but also that it's an accepted part of the routine now because it helps ensure that if we all submit to it, the collective stays safer from a possible threat. Just like now, only the 'enemy' we're protecting ourselves from is invisible, doesn't discriminate, and has a potential for destruction that we still can't quite measure.

Now if people (or one person) would just stop complaining about Obama...

[Nerissa]

Well not to worry.  Trump has (by tweet) banned all immigration.

Xenophobia will save the day

[xyzcf]

Nerissa:

Well not to worry.  Trump has (by tweet) banned all immigration.

Xenophobia will save the day

My heart breaks at this. How can this happen in a democracy? How can one individual(dictator) put into place such a measure that will do absolutely nothing to prevent the continuing spread and disaster that COVID is inflicting on the whole world?

As was written by Emma Lazarus in November 2, 1883 is engraved on the Statue of Liberty, known throughout the world as the "Land of the Free"

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

[marvin4242]

How can this happen in a democracy?

A democracy is no guarantee of wisdom or understanding. It simply means the majority chooses what they want. The founding fathers, concerned about the "tyranny of the majority" attempted to build safeguards into the US constitution. But they are not guarantees of success. If the electorate chooses to remain willfully ignorant the guardrails won't work. At this point a lot of people don't understand the difference between opinion and fact, that they are entitled to their opinion but not their "facts." When presented with information they simply reject it and say "I know what I know."

Once voters start making up their own "truth" disconnected from reality all bets are off. I think we all know how that goes when we see it in our MLCers.

[Acorn]

Hello! 

I hope you are all staying healthy in these unusual and turbulent times, which calls for checking in with my HS buddies. 

Please, if I may offer the perspective of a healthcare worker who is deeply involved in a world-wide Covid 19 research and at the frontline of caring for patients afflicted with the pandemic. 

H is a physician and an epidemiologist with decades of experience and hundreds of publications on public health.  At the moment, he is heavily involved in Covid19 research.  He has several conference calls every day with numerous doctors in North America, Europe and East Asia who are directly treating and researching C19 patients.  No, they and H do not get paid a single cent for their work.  It is all in the spirit of professional cooperation, academic curiosity and community service, the last point being the central theme. 

I feel comfortable saying that H knows what he is talking about and I respect his opinion on the current pandemic.  This is what he tells family and friends when they seek his advice:

“In the absence of any proven and well vetted vaccine and medication, our best treatment is social distancing. Be patient, be tolerant, and be charitable.  For the time being: Stay home, stay alive.  Stay home, keep the community alive.  Stay home, keep me and other healthcare workers alive.“

An entire wing of the hospital where H works has been prepared for Covid19 patients.  It’s standing almost empty.  H is delighted — it means social distancing and closing down non-essential businesses, events and schools are working.  Nearly empty C19 wards mean that the government took action in time but prepared for the worst case scenario.  It means people are trusting the experts’ recommendations and are complying.  It means scores upon scores of lives, especially the most vulnerable among us, were saved by collective actions of the citizens.  The Covid19 wards will stay nearly empty if we continue to practice social distancing until the infection and death rates go down to the level deemed safe by the population health statistical modelling experts.  These are one of those things lay people (including H, he says) do not know enough to form meaningful opinions on them.  H tells me those empty wards will stay for a while as the virus is not going anywhere fast.  It’s found a wonderful host (humans) and, among them, behold, some individuals that are willing to be its foot soldiers, voluntarily and ‘generously’ spreading it to others.

Many people I know have lost their jobs.  Money is very tight.  Some have closed their businesses and are suffering from huge financial losses. These are some of the serious consequences of shuttering non-essential businesses.  These are facts and mostly beyond our control.  The only thing we can control is our response.  (Heard that before?  ) There seem to be two major types of responses to them, rather similar to LBS’s responses to MLC and MLCers.   

1. Some are angry and bitter about the virus and the restrictions put in place to protect the community.  Some people are busy looking for others to blame and falsely accuse.  Some complain that they cannot go about doing their favourite activities and ask where is my freedom.

2. Some count their blessings — they and their families are healthy, even if their financial situation is nothing but rosy.  They are thankful they have a roof over their heads and enough food on the table, and they have each other.  I hear this time and again — many things in life are superfluous: this pandemic has given a precious opportunity to prioritize what really matters in life.  Money, beyond their needs, seems to have been taken off their list.  For the time being, anyway.   Of course, there are those who worry about roof and food.  Each one of us needs to dig deep and help those in need.  I am thankful and feel blessed that our government is leading us in this charitable effort to help suffering fellow human beings. If I may allow myself to make one cheeky comment, please — No, the name of PM’s is not on the relief cheques.

In all this turmoil, a sense of social responsibility is strong in my neck of the woods — everything is not about ME.  It is about my neighbours, too.   A period of self control and self sacrifice will benefit the whole society, and in turn, it will benefit each individual.   What goes around, comes around. 

Where I live, family, friends and community are rallying around those struggling financially or emotionally  — daily calls with those who live alone, gifting money, offering cooked meals and playing a secrete Santa by dropping off store vouchers in the letterbox of the families whose breadwinners lost their jobs.  There is a flower angel amongst us who has been dropping off beautiful bouquets to those who desperately need a boost.

The pandemic is bringing out the best in my community and country.  And the worst. I am thankful ‘the best’ outnumbers ‘the worst’ by far.   My belief in the goodness of human beings is holding well.

Stay safe. 
(((((HUGS))))))

[Nas]

I wrote a long response with links and information and lost it. 

So I'll just say this:

"The half of the country that I tend to side with is fiercely independent, entrepreneurs, hard workers, they believe in individual rights and individual responsibility, a small government,  making your own way, etc.  It’s that pesky other half...😉. "

This quote troubles me.  The "othering" of people leads to nothing good.  Ever. 
And the poorest and most vulnerable among us are also hardworking people who just may not have had the same choices and opportunities in life.  Many people live in circumstances that don't allow them to "make their own way" without some help. 

[Treasur]

Nice to hear from you, Acorn, and that you are well. Please thank your h for his service and commitment.

I agree with you, Nas. If nothing else, I hope this global crisis causes us all to pause a moment before we make assumptions about 'others'. If only bc tbh, if we found ourselves ill and needing care, we would hope that we would be treated as an 'us' not an 'other'. It is a fact that, given the demographics of our frontline workers here in the UK as well as in some other countries perhaps, many of those who are risking their lives to save ours are disoroprtionately from communities or countries seen as 'other' by some. And that their increased risk is now starting to be seen in some of the mortality figures.

I imagine that, given your past health trials, this is a particularly difficult time for you Nas and I hope you know that you are still in our loving thoughts even if you have stepped back from posting for a while. Bc HS is an 'us' too I hope. And you are always part of 'us'. Xxx

[Nerissa]

This quote troubles me.  The "othering" of people leads to nothing good.  Ever. 
And the poorest and most vulnerable among us are also hardworking people who just may not have had the same choices and opportunities in life.  Many people live in circumstances that don't allow them to "make their own way" without some help.

I agree with all this.  . But where government evacuates its own failures and pathologies  into ‘the other’ - be it foreign powers; immigrants; dissidents etc, they engender and exploit the same fears In their citizens with disastrous results and a significant number of people end up voting against their own interests without realising it. 

Divide and rule.  It’s ‘splitting’ - in action in society.  .  Encourage citizens to tilt at straw windmills and demonise  ‘the other’ and ignore what those in power are doing. We have seen  it in the UK over the past few years and I hope this crisis causes a lasting re think of our priorities.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2020/apr/21/sweden-covid-19-policy-trust-citizens-state

A lovely article here which describes and expands upon Treasur’s earlier post about historical cultural and societal differences illustrated in the way different countries respond to crisis. 

And it’s nice to read posts from two people who have been away for a while 🤗

[readytofixmyselffirst]

Hello,

A lot goes on the forum when you have a busy day and you get home to be told that the new washer is leaking. It's two years old. I look it over and run a wash only to find out the stand pip is clogged. I use drano and run a hose down the pipe and flush it out. Washer is back. Go to bed and awaken to find covid-19 thread has gone full tilt from my post on High Reliability Organizations to a discussion on protests to socialism, and the loss of freedom in the US.

FJ, perhaps you might look at information about Scandinavian countries with high taxes and socialism.  I

I live in California. A radio host stated that California had embraced "new socialism". That is they tax like a socialist state but give none of the benefits.

Now a couple of quotes on education:

I have paid double for my children’s education for years at great cost because of lack of choice. 

and

Public schools are necessary, however they take our money with high taxes, remove God from the schools and then act like public schools are free. 

I worked for a public system for 30 years. I have now worked for a charter school for one. While charters are not perfect, they do provide choice although the state is working hard to regulate them as much as public as public schools, I believe charters have helped public schools become more innovative and competitive. Education is expensive, but ignorance is twice as much and leads to a much lower quality of life.

I can't really respond to the God aspect because I do believe in separation of church and state and while I received a lot of compliments as being a highly effective teacher, I am by no means qualified to teach God to anybody. Just to be fair, I never felt qualified to teach sex education either.  Thank God I taught first and second grade.

Obviously for me, truth, respect, honor, dignity are core values so qualities I seek in troubling times from a leader that engender trust and security.

Wow, I really liked this. May I also had the word humble? I spent the past seven years working close with two leaders and they were strong, open, and honest. When one walked on the campus and saw a piece of trash, he picked it up and threw it away. No comment. If he came up to a table and spoke to the members, he always took the time to ask if he could clear away their plates. He valued people's opinions and showed respect even when he disagreed. The other leader always was polite and compassionate for all the employees. I learned a lot from observing how they lead and model my own leadership after them.

No sense looking at the past when I have too much to do today for the future.

Nice comment. I like to say that we live forward and understand backwards.

Also good to hear from Nas and Acorn.

I will post later on HRO's. Got to get to work.

((((Ready))))

[Ready2Transform]

I wrote a long response with links and information and lost it. 

So I'll just say this:

"The half of the country that I tend to side with is fiercely independent, entrepreneurs, hard workers, they believe in individual rights and individual responsibility, a small government,  making your own way, etc.  It’s that pesky other half...😉. "

This quote troubles me.  The "othering" of people leads to nothing good.  Ever. 
And the poorest and most vulnerable among us are also hardworking people who just may not have had the same choices and opportunities in life.  Many people live in circumstances that don't allow them to "make their own way" without some help.

This fiercely independent, hard working entrepreneur agrees. When we hold fast that "they are not like me", you don't see that either "they" really are, or maybe we don't have as clear of a hold on our own identity as we think you do (ask an MLCer about that one!). I could roll on forever about both my great-grandmother and grandfather coming off of the res and running successful small businesses, thank God passing that spirit on through our generations, but still I know their suffering too. Unimaginable poverty that isn't just a bootstrap challenge. It changes who people are. Many people (and I direct this at no one in particular, so not a personal attack) I have heard tell me all about how people need to quit being "lazy", or "welfare queens", etc. are people who have rarely worked, been supported from parents' house to husband's house, enjoying a life of a $5 cup of sugar every morning they pick up in their luxury SUV. For most of us here, MLC has been the "great equalizer" that we've learned holds no cares for our tax brackets or station in life - rock bottom hits just as hard, and comes just as much from left field. This virus (and thank you Acorn, and thank your husband!!) is much the same. It's a natural (?) disaster. When tornadoes hit us here in the midwest, and destruction leaves cities dangerous for days at a time while cleanup is happening, sometimes curfews happen. That is a revocation of civil rights, for sure, but it is for public safety. It lasts as long as it needs to. I hope for all small businesses (and mine is very lucky since I've been able to continue working throughout), as long as it needs to is as short as possible. Be safe, above all things.