Blog Archives

"No Hate! No Fear! Refugees Are Welcome Here!"

1/28/2017

Last night I received this email from my daughter Claire, who lives with her husband Miguel in Chicago:

     Hi mom,
     Here's basically how our evening went: We had a fine Saturday, had friends over for brunch, went for a walk, got a few things at the store.
     Around 5 pm I sat down at my computer and signed on to Facebook. I immediately saw a post about an "emergency protest" at the O' Hare airport, as some Muslim families were being detained as they were coming off the plane. There were lawyers there trying to get them out and activists were gathering to protest.
     Miguel and I talked it over for a minute, put on our shoes and were headed out the door by 5:15.
    At the train stop we saw several groups of people holding signs and many of the women were wearing their pink hats from the women's march last weekend.

By the time the train rolled up to the airport it was filled to the brim with people holding signs and gearing up for the protest.

We followed the crowd to the international terminal and made it outside the arrival gate to join the rest of the protesters.

     People had many signs and Miguel and I both had tears in our eyes as the chanting started:
    "Muslims are welcome here"!
    "You build a wall, we'll tear it down"!
    "Si Se puede!"
     "A people united will never be divided!"
     "No hate! No fear! Refugees are welcome here!"
     "Let them in! Let them in!"
     "First they came for the Muslims and we said Not Today, Motherf****r!"

The arrivals area filled up and people spilled into the street, blocking the cars. The glass walkways between the terminals were filled with folks carrying signs.

There was plenty of security and police and they were respectful and mostly directing foot traffic so passengers could get through. We ended up leaving after about two hours, as it was pretty cold outside and I had to work the next day. People were still arriving as we left and we handed over our sign to the new comers.

On our way home we saw online that a judge had granted a stay, blocking part of the ban. My heart felt better than it had in days.
We've determined that political action is the only cure for the Trump Blues!

Love,
Claire

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What You Can Do About Donald Trump

1/26/2017

4 Comments

     You've got a bad case of the Trump Blues. I understand. But dragging around in a depression until the next election will accomplish little. Here's something you can do right now: Speak out to Washington.
      My daughter Claire sends a letter or email to the President, Vice-President, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell every day on the issues that worry or appall her. One woman I know calls her Congressman every day. I've been a bit of an emailing fool myself lately, likewise sending lots of emails about my concerns to the powers that be in D.C.
      And you can, too. Even if the Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen themselves don't answer your calls or see your emails and letters, there are interns who keep track of how many constituents are communicating about what issues, and our reps and leaders are apprised of those figures. And if people are blowing up the phones and computer lines and sending bushels of letters, our elected officials do indeed know about it - remember how the GOP plan to shut down the Independent Ethics Office was wiped out in a tsunami of public outrage?
      It's a matter of discussion whether it's more effective to call your representative, send him or her an email or write them a letter, but they're all good options, and the general consensus is that doing all three is even better.
      The important thing is that you do something.
      So, then, for the purpose of making this task easier for everyone, I'm posting below some templates for letters that you can copy and paste and scripts for you to use for phone calls - your message need not be eloquent, it needs simply to state your stand, so I've kept these messages simple and to the point. Some of them are verbatim letters that my daughter wrote, but she's happy to let us use her words.
   But first here are the contact pages, snail mail addresses and phone numbers of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman and Representative for my Congressional district, Pat Tiberi. If you don't live in Ohio or my part of Columbus you can find your representative's contact info at their website.

Donald Trump
Contact page: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
      Snail Mail: President Donald Trump
                    1600 Pennsylvania NW
                        Washington, DC 20500
              Phone : 202-456-1111

Mitch McConnell
Contact page: https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform
      Snail Mail: Senator Mitch McConnell
                   317 Russell Senate Office Building
                       Washington, DC 20510
            Phone : 202-224-2541

Paul Ryan
Contact page: https://paulryan.house.gov/contact/
      Snail Mail: Congressman Paul Ryan
                    1233 Longworth HOB
                           Washington, D.C. 20515
              Phone: 202-225-3031

Sherrod Brown
Contact page:    https://www.brown.senate.gov/contact/email
        Snail Mail: Requests you use contact page or call
               Phone: 202- 224-2315

Rob Portman
Contact page: https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
     Snail Mail:   Senator Rob Portmsn
                           448 Russell Senate Office Building
                       Washington, DC 20510
             Phone: 202-224-3353

Pat Tiberi
Contact page: http://tiberi.house.gov/contact/
       Snail mail: Congressman Pat Tiberi
                   1203 Longworth House Office Building
                              Washington, D.C. 20515
                Phone: 202-225-5355

    Below are letters on several issues. If any of the below issues are your concerns you can you copy and paste if you'd like, or, of course, you can always write your own letter.

Media Blackout
Dear (Mr. President, Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell [Your Representatives]),
I am saddened and appalled over the media blackout involving the EPA, National Parks and Agriculture and Interior Departments. We Americans demand the information these vital departments provide. As taxpayers we have that right.
Thank you

Repeal of Obamacare
Dear (Mr. President, Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell [Your Representatives]),
I am saddened and appalled over the Executive Order to repeal Obamacare. There are millions who will be left without affordable care. Rather, you should fix and improve what can be fixed and improved. And the biggest, best improvement you could make would be to expand the Affordable Care Act into a single-payer health care system.
Thank you

Mexico City Policy
Dear Mr. President,
I am saddened and appalled that you have reinstated the “Mexico City Policy”, which prevents international NGOs that perform or promote abortions from receiving US funding. You reinstated this policy surrounded by men, making a decision that will negatively affect the health of millions of women. By limiting this funding millions of women in developing countries will lose access to contraception and safe family planning services. Maternal deaths will rise. Please do not remove funding for the vital health services these NGOs provide. Please rescind the Mexico City Policy.
Thank you

Dear (Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell, [Your Representative]),
I am saddened and appalled that President Trump has reinstated the “Mexico City Policy”, which prevents international NGOs that perform or promote abortions from receiving US funding. He reinstated this policy surrounded by men, making a decision that will negatively affect the health of millions of women. By limiting this funding millions of women in developing countries will lose access to contraception and safe family planning services. Maternal deaths will rise. Please do not remove funding for the vital health services these NGOs provide. Please support the effort to rescind the Mexico City Policy.

Divestiture
Dear Mr. President,
I am saddened and appalled that you have not yet divested yourself of your businesses. It is unconstitutional and unethical for our President to be taking payments from foreign governments. You now face conflicts that will pit the interests of your business against the interests of the country you have been elected to lead. Please divest.
Thank you

Dear (Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell, [Your Representatives]),
I am saddened and appalled that President Trump has not been required to divest himself of his businesses. It is unconstitutional and unethical for our President to be taking payments from foreign governments as he now faces conflicts that will pit the interests of his business against the interests of the country he has been elected to lead. Please require President Trump to divest.

Trade Wars
Dear Mr. President,
Please be very careful not to lead us into trade wars with China, Mexico, and other countries. This will only hurt American workers and all Americans.
Thank you

Dear (Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell, [Your Representative]),
Please do not allow President Trump to lead us into trade wars with China, Mexico, and other countries. This will only hurt American workers and all Americans.
Thank you

Access Pipelines
Dear Mr. President,
I am saddened and appalled to hear that you signed the executive order to open up the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines. The people of the United States have spoken: they do not support the environmental degradation, water contamination and human suffering that those pipelines would cause. Instead please focus your efforts to fund and vitalize alternative energy sources.
Thank you

Dear (Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell, [Your Representative]),
I am saddened and appalled to hear that President Trump signed the executive order to open up the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines. The people of the United States have spoken: they do not support the environmental degradation, water contamination and human suffering that those pipelines would cause. Instead please focus your efforts to fund and vitalize alternative energy sources.

LGBTQ Rights
Dear Mr. President,
I am concerned about the future of LGBTQ rights in this country under your administration. Please assure us that everyone, whatever their race, religion, gender, ethnicity or orientation will be insured freedom and equal rights under the law.
Thank you

Dear (Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell, [Your Representatives]),
I am concerned about the future of LGBTQ rights in this country under President Trump’s administration. Please assure us that everyone, whatever their race, religion, gender, ethnicity or orientation will be insured freedom and equal rights under the law.
Thank you

Opposition to Jeff Sessions
Dear (Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell, [Your Representative]),
I urge you to oppose the nomination of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General. This man has a dismal civil rights record and is a poor choice to stand up for justice for all in this diverse country of ours.
Thank you

Opposition to Betsy DeVos
Dear (Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell, [Your Representatives]),
I urge you to oppose the nomination of Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary. Her plan to siphon public money away from public schools to fund private, unregulated for-profit charter schools will poorly serve young students and the quality of American education.
Thank you

     If you would like to leave a phone message for one of the above here are some scripts you could use;

Media Blackout
"My name is (    ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, "your constituent) and I want to let ( President, Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that I am appalled by the media blackout imposed by President Trump on the EPA and those other Federal agencies. This is America, not Russia, and the President cannot be cutting information to the public. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

Repeal of Obamacare
"My name is ( ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, your constituent) and I want to let ( President, Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that I am appalled over the Executive Order to repeal Obamacare. There are millions who will be left without affordable care. Rather, you should fix and improve what can be fixed and improved. What we need in this country is some form single-payer insurance like every other developed country in the world has. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

Mexico City Policy
"My name is ( ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, your constituent) and I want to let ( President, Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that I am against the Mexico City Policy. Millions of mothers and babies will be without care and so many of them will die and that's wrong. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

Divestiture
"My name is ( ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, your constituent) and I want to let (President, Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that (he, President Trump) must divest himself of his businesses because this is unethical, it's a conflict of interest and our constitution strictly forbids elected officials from receiving payments from foreign governments. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

Trade Wars
"My name is ( ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, your constituent) and I want to let (President, Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that (he, President Trump) must be very careful not to lead us into trade wars with China, Mexico, and other countries. This will only hurt American workers and all Americans. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

Access Pipelines
"My name is ( ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, your constituent) and I want to let (President, Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that I am
against the executive order to open up the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines. These pipelines will cause environmental degradation, water contamination and we should be working on alternative energy sources. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

LGBTQ Rights
"My name is ( ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, your constituent) and I want to let (President, Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that I am concerned about the future of LGBTQ rights in this country under (your, President Trump's) administration. We need to be assured that everyone, whatever their race, religion, gender, ethnicity or orientation will be insured freedom and equal rights under the law. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

Opposition to Jeff Sessions
"My name is ( ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, your constituent) and I want to let (Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that I urge him to oppose the nomination of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General because this man has a dismal civil rights record and can't be counted on to stand up for justice for everybody in this country. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

Opposition to Betsy DeVos
"My name is ( ), I am an American citizen (or, if calling your representative, your constituent) and I want to let (Sen. Mc Connell, Congressman Ryan, Your Representative) know that I urge him to oppose the nomination of Betsy DeVos for Education because her plan to siphon public money away from public schools to fund for-profit charter schools is a terrible idea. Would you please give (Whoever) my message? Thank you."

     So, there, you go, everybody. I hope this helps. And be sure to share this post with five other people - at least!

4 Comments

My Sweetheart

1/24/2017

7 Comments

I'm not talking about this sweet heart,

...though he and I are approaching the big four-oh together,

...I'm talking about this one, the one that beats in my chest,

...and which almost had an attack the other day when I read a review of a recently published book excoriating the evils of sugar.
According to science writer and diet researcher Gary Taubes in his latest book,

... "The Case Against Sugar",

...sugar is not only bad for you, it's terrible for you. It's as bad as cigarettes. Even a little tiny bit is bad. Very bad. According Mr. Taubes, sugar causes obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, metabolic syndrome, a number of degenerate diseases including Alzheimer's, and turns people into axe-murderers.
     Just kidding about sugar turning people into axe-murderers, though I'd probably turn into one if anyone tried to take my sugar away from me.
     The thing is, I love sweets. So shoot me in the head. Oh, never mind, all the sugar I eat will probably do it, if Mr. Taubes is telling us true.
       The truth is, I eat sweets every day. The last time I can remember going for more than a day without eating any sweets was when I was in 5th grade and gave up eating sweets for Lent,

...which was probably a good thing.

And, all right, I could still stand to lose a couple of pounds.

I'm talking about the two pounds I gained over the holidays and now can't seem to get rid of,

     ...probably because I can't stop eating sweets.
     But then how can I?
     I was programmed to crave sweets from an early age. I grew up in a home with parents who were fabulous cooks, where every meal was an occasion and no meal complete without dessert.
      Mayhaps my sweetness for sugar runs in the very sap of my family tree.
     It's not that I need a whopping big slice of strawberry cheesecake with whipped cream every day, though I'd gladly eat a whopping big slice of strawberry cheesecake with whipped cream every day, twice a day, even, if I didn't fear revisiting my 5th grade physique.

In truth just a quick dip now and then into my stash, which I keep tucked away in the bread box (as is fitting, the staff of life for me being not bread but sweet treats), is enough to provide me with my sugar fix in case there's nothing better around to take care of it.

     But when the craving calls, I've got to, just got to, have something sweet.
    When I was in Portland a few weeks ago visiting my sister one of her friends - a vegetarian, anti-sugartarian, and fierce health-food disciple - informed me that I had an addiction to sugar.
      I did not dispute her but pointed out that even if I did have a sugar addiction it didn't keep me from getting to work on time nor did it have a deleterious effect on my interpersonal relations or my life in general. Quite the contrary: sugar is the fuel that energizes me, gives me a boost, cheers me up and incentivizes me, as in:

..I tell myself that if I just eat this:

...then I'm allowed to have some of this:

...which will help me get through this:

...along with the rest of my day.
     For me a spoonful (or two or ten) of sugar helps the medicine of life go down and makes the sweet times sweeter.
     And it tastes good.
     But now along comes this anti-sugar zealot,

...who looks to me like one of those salty/savory types who doesn't even go for sweets,

...telling me that sugar going to kill me.
(Sigh). Talk about wasting my flavor.

7 Comments

"Welcome To Your First day, We Will Not Go Away"*

1/21/2017

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      What a difference a day makes.
      On Friday the day was dull and dark and the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens** in Columbus, Ohio, Washington D.C. and in my heart as I watched the rain fall during the swearing in and angry, awful Inaugural speech of Donald Trump.
      I wasn't the only American overcome with a feeling of Weltschmerz last Friday.
     My sister woke up feeling sick to her stomach. My children were down with the Trump blues.
     Tom and I made a consolation dinner date for Friday night with some friends, staunch Republicans, who were grieving as much as we were. More, maybe. It was their values and their Party's philosophy that had been despoiled by Donald Trump.
      But then the sun came up on Saturday morning and has been shining ever since, both outside my window and in my heart.
     Yesterday what was planned at its conception to be a single event, a Women's March in Washington to protest violations of women's rights inherent in Donald Trump's political agenda, bloomed into over 670 marches in over 60 countries world-wide.
        Women and men joined hearts across the oceans and rivers and mountains and deserts to march together for the cause of not only women's rights but all human rights and to demand that the most powerful leader in the world use his position not to enrich and empower himself and his billionaire cronies but for the well-being of his country and the world. The message that united the marchers transcended every physical, cultural and language barrier on the planet.
          The cloud that my spirit had been under for the past two months finally lifted and my heart sang with each new photo of the marches I saw posted on Facebook:

...from my daughter, who marched in Chicago,

...from my sister, who marched in Portland, Oregon,

...from people who I know, young and old, who marched in D.C. and other cities around the country,

I feel so proud to know all these people and thank I them for marching.
But what truly gave my heart wings was seeing the photos posted from marches all around the world:

London,

Paris,

Munich,

Australia,

India,

Kenya,

Nigeria,

Mexico,

Nicaragua,

Antarctica,

...and many, many other places.

Even in Russia, where such public demonstrations are forbidden, a few brave people took a surreptitious stand in Red Square, Moscow.

   And I have hope again. It's in the air.
   At the end of his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live last night comedian Aziz Ansari said:
     "If you look at our country’s history, change doesn’t come from presidents. Change comes from large groups of angry people. And if Day 1 is any indication, you are part of the largest group of angry people I have ever seen".
      Welcome to the Resistance, Mr. President.

*This was one of the chants sung by marcher across the country.

**With apologies to Edgar Allen Poe, who turned this phrase in the opening line of his uber-creepy story, "The Fall Of The House Of Usher"

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Women%27s_March

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/women%e2%80%99s-marches-more-than-one-million-protesters-vow-to-resist-president-trump/ar-AAm5C4O?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=UP97DHP

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170122/first-day-of-trump-presidency-spurs-massive-protests-around-world

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High Crime

1/20/2017

0 Comments

       This afternoon I witnessed a crime.
     There were many other witnesses along with myself, and yet no one, myself included, did anything about it.
       It was witnessed by millions, live-streamed over the internet even as it was happening, and people even cheered on the perpetrator.
       The perpetrator was one Donald J. Trump, with one Chief Justice John G. Roberts and One Melania Trump as his accomplices.

A photo of the crime scene.

      The law that was broken this after noon is one that was made for the protection and well being of our country by our Founding Fathers. This law is the Emoluments Clause - Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 - of our Constitution and it states that no public official may receive payments of any kind from foreign governments.
      The Trump Organization is a global empire that is saturated with money - money that goes into Donald Trump's pocket - coming from foreign governments.
   The moment Donald Trump took his oath of office he broke the law.
        Somebody should have called the police.
      But nobody did, and so Donald Trump continues to flagrantly violate the law as long as he continues to own his planetary conglomerate, which he's made clear he intends to do.
       He's even claimed that a management decision he made to put his children in charge of his business organization frees him of all culpability. But it doesn't. No matter who manages Donald Trump's organization, the profits are still going into Donald Trump's pocket.
       Subsequently we now have a President who is illegally enriching himself on foreign money and we the people are the victims who well may suffer for his wrongdoing.
       And yet it's not too late for President Trump to give up the life of crime he stepped into on the very day when he took an oath to uphold the Constitution of The United States of America. He could take immediate steps - something he should have done the day after he won the election - to divest himself of his foreign business holdings. Sell them off. Give them away. Get rid of them. Now.
        And as for me, I'd have no problem, once Donald Trump has ceased and desisted in his illegal activities, with him giving himself a Presidential pardon so that he can avoid prison time and, who knows, maybe even forswear his foolish ways and figure out how to become a good and productive President of the United States.
         I'm all about giving reformed criminals a a second chance.

References
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/trumps-ethics-train-wreck/513446/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-emoluments-clause_us_58794852e4b09281d0eaf212

https://thinkprogress.org/trump-constitution-first-day-office-55d1f0668c27#.jiw1j3qzd

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Bye-Bye, Megabus

1/17/2017

2 Comments

Today I learned that Megabus has left Columbus. And it's not coming back. I'm a little bit in shock and a little bit heart-broken.
For anybody who doesn't know what Megabus is, it's a low-cost bus service that provides transport between cities,

...with cheery, blue and yellow double-decker buses,

...for which the fare is determined by how far in advance one purchases one's ticket. The fares start at $1.00 for the first few people who purchase tickets on any date, then the fares go up as the bus fills up.
As anybody who regularly reads this blog knows, I love Megabus, and I travel by Megabus several times a year to Chicago to visit my daughter and her husband.
Ever since I discovered this gem of of the public transportation genus, I've been a regular right-down evangelist of the Megabus, singing its praises for, among other things, its economical pricing (we've paid as low as $45 for a round-trip ticket to Chicago),

...roomy, super-comfy, nap-inducing seats,

...clean on-board restrooms, electrical outlets, free WIFI,

...glass sun roof,

...and the fact that we've never had a Megabus driver who wasn't friendly, helpful, and a bit of an entertainer (though I've always figured they must learn their schtick and funny lines from the Megabus handbook, or something).

Here's our favorite driver, Dwayne, who drove us on the Columbus-Chicago route several times.

     But last week Megabus ceased service to and from Columbus because, according the company, Columbus routes were not profitable.
       So now I have to find another means of getting from Columbus to Chicago.
      Oh, I know there are other available modes of transport between the two cities; people have traveled from Columbus to Chicago and back long before Megabus came on the scene and they will continue to do so now that it's gone.
       But the thing is, for me a Megabus trip was more than just a means of getting from point A to Point B.
        I loved the whole process:
       Walking out the front door in the early morning, Tom and I carting our suitcases through the neighborhood

....here, as it used to look before they widened the road last year,

...to the stop for the COTA bus (as our city bus is known),

...then riding the COTA bus downtown,

...with a transfer in Whitehall along the way,

...arriving in downtown Columbus,

...stopping for breakfast across from the Ohio Statehouse at our favorite bagel shop,

...then walking through town,

...to the Megabus stop, where we board with our fellow travelers.

I enjoyed the ride, watching the city go by through the windows,

...and through the glass roof,

...then later, sitting back and reading,

...or working,

...or sleeping,

...or watching the Ohio and Indiana scenery roll by.

I enjoyed our quick truck-stop lunch break,

...so quick that we sometimes had to finish up on the bus, but it was all good.

I liked traveling in community with my fellow journeyers, passing some time in conversation with one or another.

One time we met Jesse Kharbanda, the passionate young Indiana environmental activist and former candidate for Indiana State Senate who was on his way to a conference in Chicago and who was taking the Megabus - which picks up passengers in Indianapolis - out of his commitment to public transportation and the environment.

I liked arriving in Chicago in front of majestic Union Station,

...then taking the subway,

...to the Damen stop in Wicker Park, from where we'd walk to our final destination,

...one of the local hostels where we stay during our Chicago visits,

...the IHSP,

...or the Urban Holiday Lofts,

...where, after our long day's journey into night,

...we travelers can gratefully rest our heads.

...but after meeting Claire and Miguel somewhere for dinner, of course.

(Sigh). It all just won't be the same without the Megabus.
Aw well. Bye-bye Megabus. Hello Greyhound, I guess.

2 Comments

Women's March On Washington/Ohio

1/15/2017

4 Comments

     On January 21 200,000 women and men are expected to come together in Washington, D.C. for The Women's March On Washington. The purpose of the march is to denounce the presidency of Donald Trump and to stand up for human rights, in particular the rights of women.
      It is expected that more people will turn up for the Women's March than for Donald Trump's inauguration the day before.
       In advance of the Washington march and as an expression of support and solidarity with the the Ohioans who will travel to D.C to participate in the Women's March, this past Sunday a Woman's March On Washington/Ohio was held in downtown Columbus.

Participants on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse.

     I'd been going back and forth in my head over whether I wanted to go to the Ohio march. That is to say, I wanted to go, in theory, but, well, in reality it was a case of the spirit being willing but flesh not wanting to venture outside into the frigid January weather. And I was a little nervous about trying to find a parking spot. I was a little nervous in general - what if the opposition showed up? (Spoiler alert: it did, but very mildly).
    But then I read about a 76-year-old woman who was traveling to D.C. for the march because she wanted to do her part so I thought, if that old sister can do it then this old sister can do it, too!
     So I proceeded as I always do when I need to make myself do something I'm feeling a little weebly-wobbly about doing: First, I told myself I was going to do it. Second I went around telling other people I was going to do it, which would mean that I couldn't then not do it without looking like a schmo; I find there's hardly any greater incentive to get something done than to avoid looking like a schmo. Third, on the day of the march I bundled up, stepped out of the house, walked to my car, one foot ahead of the other, got into my car and drove downtown.
     Once I arrived downtown and easily found myself a parking spot in the public garage under the Statehouse I was fine, fired up, and ready to go.
      After I parked I made my way up to the sidewalk in front of the Statehouse,

..where there wasn't much action yet,

...except for a few lone news people near the Statehouse,

...and the folks who were walking towards the Center Of Science And Industry, where the march was to start.

So I followed, enjoying the walk and the scenery in spite of the chilly weather- thankfully not too chilly and not raining or snowing - and overcast sky,

...until I arrived at the gathering place.

In the gathering area the marchers picked up placards on which they wrote their reason for marching,

...then pinned to their coats..

Those who would be going on to the Washington march next Saturday wore their placards on the front of their coats,

...while the rest of us pinned them onto our backs.

Many of the marchers carried signs,

...and many wore pink knit hats with kitty-cat ears.

At 1:30, the appointed time, the march began,

...and we walked together through the streets of downtown Columbus, over 2,000 strong.

   We marched along to the rhythm of call-and-response cadences:
     "Stand up!" "Fight back!"
     "Show me what democracy looks like!" "This is what democracy looks like!"

      There were quite a few children marching.

We passed by one small cadre of opposition Right-To-Life protesters,

But it didn't seem as if anyone on either side was much interested in a dust-up.

There were a number of marchers carrying signs that read, "Rise".

     When I asked one of the sign-carriers what "Rise" meant she told me that it was the name of an organization that was formed for the purpose of providing transportation to rallies and protests.
     "So this means that there will be more rallies and protests?" I asked her.
     "I think so," she replied with a smile.
     All right! thought I.
     After half an hour we arrived at the Statehouse,

...which we then encircled.

Just before the march ended, those who were going to Washington on Saturday were asked to raise their hands and the rest of us were invited to find a marcher to pin our placard onto so that we in Columbus could be represented with them while they marched in Washington and be there with them in spirit.
I found a sweet young lady named Kyra to pin my placard on,

...upon which I had written my reason for why I marched:
Because I am among those who hold these truths to be self-evident: that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

References:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/women-march-washington-outdraw-trump-inauguration-article-1.2945187?cid=bitly

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2016/11/14/womens-march-on-washington-planning-for-big-crowds-on-inauguration-weekend/?utm_term=.2fc5fcb521e2

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This Time Eight Years Ago

1/13/2017

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One week from today Donald J. Trump will be our President and there’s something I keep wondering about.
This time eight years ago,

...when it was Barack Obama who was about to take the oath of office as leader of our country,

...I was in a very different state of mind than I am today.
I was in a state of happy excitement. I woke up with a smile in my heart, which would flip-flop for joy every time I recalled that Obama had won the election,

...and that I had been part of his campaign.

I was on cloud nine, maybe even cloud ten. Tom and I had an “Obama party” to celebrate with our friends, and a jubilant group we were that night.
Which brings me to my question eight years later: Do the people who voted for Trump feel today the way I did eight years ago? Happy, excited, jubilant, over the moon over our new president?

Are they as charmed today with the new First Family,

...as I was back then?

Are they still keeping a campaign photo of Donald Trump on their fridge,

...as I did for quite a while?

    Back then I was full of hope, but it was a bright, sunny hope born of the belief that the world had just become a better place and not the kind of hope I have now, the meager hope that sustains one through troubled and frightening times, hope that maybe things will work after all, maybe things won't turn out too badly, maybe no one will suffer too much.
    This time eight years ago I felt a wonderful optimism, a positive energy in the air. Is there anything like that in the air now? Maybe there is for others and I just can't feel it.
     Maybe after a presidential election we don't all breathe the same air.

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A Day Lost To Anxiety

1/10/2017

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…Continued from yesterday:

When I woke up early Sunday morning and checked the skylight,

...in the cozy loft that serves as my room whenever I visit my sister,

…all looked well. No ice on the window, not even a drop of rain could I detect.
We were planning on Romaine driving me to the airport at 9 am for me to catch my 11:47 am flight to Minneapolis from whence I was to link up with my flight to Columbus. But at 7:15 my sister called up to me with a request to haul elbow: she thought we’d be wise to get on the road ASAP with the storm due to start any minute. I began rushing to finish up my packing as the first drops began tapping against the skylight.

But by the time I’d zipped up my suitcase and hauled it down Romaine’s beautiful blonde wood staircase,

...we could hear the sleet hitting the porch and window panes.
      After checking to see if my flight was still scheduled - it was - we came up with a plan B: Rather than having Romaine drive me to the airport I’d take a taxi to the train station a few miles away and hop a train to the airport.
       But the taxis weren’t running. The streets were already so bad that the taxis were venturing out only for emergencies, among which a plane to catch was not counted. But it was just as well; we learned that the train had also suspended operations due to ice on the tracks.
     But my flight was still on and still on time.   I continued checking my airline’s website every few minutes to see if it had been cancelled yet but it was still good to go every time. Outside on the steps, sidewalks, and streets the layer of ice was thickening.
     So there I was in the situation of having a plane to catch and no way to get there.
     But surely I wasn’t the only traveler in this pickle? The trains weren’t running and if the taxis wouldn’t pick me up then they wouldn’t pick anyone else up either, right? I mean, nobody was gonna make that flight, right?
     I pulled up the Portland International Airport website. Dozens of flights had already been cancelled. But not mine!
      At around 8:30 am I called the Delta customer service line to find out what I should do. I was connected to a friendly machine who strongly suggested that I seek to resolve whatever issue I was having online as all the customer service representatives were busy and that the wait for the next available rep was more than two hours. However I was welcome to stay on the line or I could leave my phone number and wait to be called back.   I left my phone number then went online to the Delta website to try and find a sympathetic web page that would understand my plight and let me change my flight without charging me.
     But the Delta web page wasn’t having it. I tried several times to change my flight due to bad weather but each time I tried the web page refused to acknowledge my efforts. The one time it let me start the process of changing my flight to the following day it threatened to charge $1,100 for the new flight.
       “The website’s probably being slammed,” my sister concluded. “Better just sit back and relax and wait to talk to somebody from the airline.”
         But I couldn’t sit back and I couldn’t relax.
        At around 11 am my phone finally rang and as I checked out the screen I recognized with a rush of relief the number of the Delta customer service. “Hello?” I said and was answered with that insidious beep indicating that the call has been lost.
        “Maybe they’ll call back?” my sister tried to console me, but of course they didn’t.
       So I called the Delta customer service again and it was back to the end of the more-than-two-hour -wait-leave –your-number line for me.
        As time went by I watched the online the progress of my flight:   Now it was boarding without me. Now it was awaiting take-off without me. Now it was in the air, flying over North Dakota without me.   And I asked myself, over and over, how the heck did everybody else get to the airport to make that flight? Because obviously enough people showed up for the flight to take off, right?
      Now, I knew, or kept telling myself that I knew, that I really had nothing to worry about.   I had a place to stay. I was bound to miss at least a day of work but I could make it up. I’d get home eventually. Even if I lost my ticket I could buy another one.   Mine was truly a first-world problem of the most rarified kind. But myself wasn’t listening. Myself was in a state of anxiety. I felt lost in a shuffle within which I might never be found.
       At around 3 pm my number came up again and I received another call from Delta customer service. This time I managed to speak with a cheerful youngster probably calling from the other side of the planet who listened to my tale of woe and then got to work finding me another flight. What he came up with was a flight the following night, Monday night, which left Portland at 6:37 pm, had two changes, and arrived in Columbus the following morning at 9 am. And for this 14 ½ one-way ordeal I’d have to pay only $487 on top of the $207.60 I’d already paid for the flight I missed. Sensing my unhappiness with this arrangement my sympathetic service rep said he’d go ask his supervisor if he could help me out.
      After about ten minutes of waiting for my rep to return the call was lost.
     “No!” I cried, “Oh no!”
      “Aw, don’t worry,” my sister again sought to comfort me, “he’ll call you back.”
      He never did.
     Dejected but not knowing what else to do, I went back to the end of the line and once again waited my turn.   Only this time I wasn’t given the option of leaving my name and number and waiting for a call back. This time I was told I had to stay on the line to wait for the next service representative, who would be with me in more than two hours. I wished I’d just agreed to pay the $487 dollars for the trip from hell and been done with it.
     But in the meantime Romaine came up with an idea: If I was going to have to pay so much for a replacement ticket with Delta, why not just go to a discount flight and seek a cheaper, better flight from another airline?
        This is why my sister has a job teaching computers to be smarter.
       I took her advice and went on Travelocity and found a flight on Tuesday morning with one lay-over for $418. I grabbed it. Meanwhile I noticed that I’d been cut off from being on hold with Delta.
       Even though I was out hundreds of dollars on this new ticket which would get me home two days late I felt a great warm wave of relief wash over me.
       But shortly after I purchased my new ticket my wave of relief rushed back out to sea when I received an email notification from Travelocity, the site from which I’d purchased my original Delta ticket, that the flight that I had supposedly missed hours earlier was now rescheduled, though it wasn’t clear what day or time it was rescheduled for.
     So, with a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, I called Travelocity. When the friendly recording informed me that my wait would be two minutes I almost teared up in gratitude.
       However when I told the service rep who was soon on the line about the ice storm, my missed flight and the mysterious email that followed hours later, she seemed to have no more idea than I did what it all meant and asked me to hold while she looked into it.
    Thirty-eight minutes later – during which time I was not, thankfully, cut off – my rep returned and said she was going to call Delta airlines for me then hand me over to their rep.
    I will now shorten this overly long story by cutting to the ending: Delta got me on the next available flight which was Tuesday - two days later than my original flight but hey, I was a happy camper – and I was able to cancel the new ticket I’d bought from Travelocity. By 5:30 pm my
flight and my head were finally squared away.
     Too bad anxiety doesn't pay by the hour.

Epilogue:
The ice covering the streets of Portland finally began to melt when the rain started late Monday afternoon,

...here's Romaine helping the process along with the assistance of her poochie Lucy,

...and so by yesterday (Tuesday) morning I was able to catch my flight. I arrived home in Columbus close to midnight last night.
I just received this text from Romaine: "12 inches overnight and up to five more today. The city is pretty much shut down."
I got out just in time. Thank you, Lord.

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The Ice Storm Commeth

1/9/2017

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By Saturday morning Portland was under a winter storm advisory,

...but as the storm hadn't yet arrived.

...we walked to a nearby restaurant, a cheery little place called Utopia Cafe,

...where I ordered my perennial standard - my potatoes were awesome -

...but Romaine ordered a yummy vegetable and bacon egg white omlete with with an even more awesome side of potato panckaes made from mashed potatoes, a variation that I am definitely going to try my hand at, having become a latke afficionado this past Chanuka (see post from 12/30/2016).

After breakfast we walked back home then headed out to Fred Meyers, the local supermarket,

...to join the crowd of shoppers who were probably there, like us, to stock up on provisions before the storm.

While at the store we stocked up on my favorite Portland treat, Toby's tofu spread,

...a delightful concoction that, thankfully, I've never been able to find in Columbus, because if I could buy Toby's in Columbus I'd become addicted and eat it all day long spread on box after box of gluten-free, vegan crackers.
But eat it all day long on vegan crackers I did after we returned to Romaine's house to while away the rest of the day,

...Romaine's cozy, arty, beautiful house being a prime place for a day of whiling-away.

A kite fish and a sea horse.

We spent the afternoon and evening on a movie binge: "Chef", "The Scouts' Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse", "Zoolander 2", and "The Brady Bunch Sequel".
In truth I enjoyed all the movies, though my favorite was "The Scouts' Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse",

...the story of three intrepid boy scouts who end up saving the town, including their fellow classmates who used to make fun of them for being boy scouts.
I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. But in a good way.

Meanwhile outside a soft, pretty snow began drifting down.

   An ice storm was in the forecast for the next day, my departure day, but I wasn't concerned. I figured that either:
    1. The storm would not materialize after all - which was also being predicted as a possibility - and I would catch my plane as planned, or
     2. The airport would be iced-in and my flight would be cancelled.
     I figured that in either of the above outcomes there was really nothing to stress about.
     What didn't occur to me was that the outcome of the upcoming weather event might end up being neither of the above.
     But neither of the above it was.
     To be continued...

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