Lesson for the Ages

Teach your children

It is prudent to anticipate that someone 

who lies about most everything may be 

expected to lie about most anything.

Read It Yourself | Whistleblower’s Letter to US Congress dated 08.12.19, made public 09.26.19

Here is a searchable PDF of the August 12, 2019 letter from the "Whistleblower" — at this writing not identified — to the chairs of the US Senate and House Intelligence Committees.

The original file, publicly available from a variety of sources, came from The Washington Post, here. 

The optical character recognition function in PDF Editor 6 Pro converted the scanned image to a searchable PDF. No translation errors have been identified.

For Those About to Vote, We Salute You.

Today of all days, if you're happy with what's going on ... or if you're not ... register to vote. Check and update your status. 

When the time comes, you don't have to vote, but you can't vote if you’re not registered. 

REGISTER.ROCKTHEVOTE.COM

Rock the Vote

You can't vote unless you register. Register to vote using our quick and easy online voter registration tool.

Still standing with students for Climate Protection

I stand with the students striking for Climate Protection.

April 22, 1970, I skipped high school to take part in the first Earth Day teach-in at the university in my home town. There were thousands of us on the lawn in front of the library, eager to learn and eager to act. 

We weren’t the only ones. 

In July that year, President Nixon filed the executive order that created the Environmental Protection Agency and laid the groundwork of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. 

The Clean Air Act of 1963 was extended and expanded to set national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants. The Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Act, the Environment Quality Improvement Act, the Clean Water Act were all signed that year. 

Much more followed, to the benefit of the real economy and the health of the nation. Over the next few years, we saw dramatic turnarounds in air and water quality in disaster zones like Southern California and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania … meaning we could literally see the positive changes in the environment and see the positive impact on public health costs.

It was an important start.

Today, the evidence-based macro- and micro-ecological sciences are clearer than ever about what we need to do for ourselves, our children, our children’s children….

The striking students, unlike many of their parents and grandparents, are open to learning and action … they are, after all, students. They take seriously the ancient wisdom: "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example…" 

I stand with the young, and with many in my own generation, determined not to let anyone look down on us because we’re old … but to be an example of openness to learning and action for the common good.

You may say I’m a dreamer; but I’m not the only one.

raising children is not all it’s cracked up to be [updated]

Raising Adults 
Because raising children is not all it’s cracked up to be, is it…. 

Now available for download at NoiseTrade by Paste

A nice thing about NoiseTrade is that you can pay what you can afford — from “I need this book and I’m going to download it even though I don’t have an extra cent right now” ... to “This book is prices way too low and I’m going to pay what it would cost to put my name on a new computer science building at my alma mater.”

Most of us buying books on NoiseTrade fall somewhere between those extremes.

Because I Said So :: 10 Things I Never Say to Kids + What I Say Instead :: Thing 03 Available Now

Because I Said So :: 10 Things I Never Say to Kids :: Why I Stopped + What I Say Instead

Thing 03 Available Now at NoiseTrade  

This 10 Things Single is about how we run to risk of setting children up for abusers if we teach them that the demands of parents and other adults with authority doesn’t need to be reasonable, fair, consistent — or ever subject to review or negotiation.

I get it: sometimes swift obedience is necessary for protecting life and limb. Do you get that that’s best accomplished when children come to believe we will never make unreasonable demands simply because we can?

This is one of 10 Things I Never Say to Kids :: Why I Stopped + What I Say Instead. It’s adapted from the book Ten Things We Should Never Say to Kids.

Turnabout is fair play for American Evangelicals

From two years ago, today, an update that has aged distressingly well.

Jim Hancock

August 12, 2017 · 

I have an American Muslim friend — an imam — who is constantly challenged by White Americans to disavow ISIS — which he has done, over and over, without any prompting from people outside his religion, from the moment ISIS raised its ugly head. 

Perhaps turnabout is fair play. Perhaps every White American preacher should disavow White nationalism from the pulpit this weekend and every weekend until everyone gets the message: There is no place for White nationalism in a church that follows Jesus. #nojokeproject #NoWhiteNationalism

Again....

Lament . Resist . Vote . Repeat

Read it yourself. House Resolution "Condemning President Trump's racist comments directed at Members of Congress"

..................................................................... 

(Original Signature of Member)

116th Congress1st Session

H. RES. ________

Condemning President Trump’s racist comments directed at Members of

Congress.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. MALINOWSKI submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on_____________

RESOLUTION

Condemning President Trump’s racist comments directed at 

Members of Congress.

Whereas the Founders conceived America as a haven of ref- uge for people fleeing from religious and political perse- cution, and Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison all emphasized that the Nation gained as it attracted new people in search of freedom and liveli- hood for their families;

Whereas the Declaration of Independence defined America as a covenant based on equality, the unalienable Rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and government by the consent of the people;

Whereas Benjamin Franklin said at the Constitutional con- vention, ‘‘When foreigners after looking about for some other Country in which they can obtain more happiness, give a preference to ours, it is a proof of attachment which ought to excite our confidence and affection’’;

Whereas President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ‘‘Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists’’;

Whereas immigration of people from all over the Earth has defined every stage of American history and propelled our social, economic, political, scientific, cultural, artistic and technological progress as a people, and all Americans, ex- cept for the descendants of Native people and enslaved African-Americans, are immigrants or descendants of im- migrants;

Whereas the commitment to immigration and asylum has been not a partisan cause but a powerful national value that has infused the work of many Presidents;

Whereas American patriotism is defined not by race or eth- nicity but by devotion to the Constitutional ideals of equality, liberty, inclusion, and democracy and by service to our communities and struggle for the common good;

Whereas President John F. Kennedy, whose family came to the United States from Ireland, stated in his 1958 book ‘‘A Nation of Immigrants’’ that ‘‘The contribution of im- migrants can be seen in every aspect of our national life. We see it in religion, in politics, in business, in the arts, in education, even in athletics and entertainment. There is no part of our nation that has not been touched by our immigrant background. Everywhere immigrants have en- riched and strengthened the fabric of American life.’’;

Whereas President Ronald Reagan in his last speech as President conveyed ‘‘An observation about a country which I love’’;

Whereas as President Reagan observed, the torch of Lady Liberty symbolizes our freedom and represents our herit- age, the compact with our parents, our grandparents, and our ancestors, and it is the Statue of Liberty and its val- ues that give us our great and special place in the world;

Whereas other countries may seek to compete with us, but in one vital area, as ‘‘a beacon of freedom and opportunity that draws the people of the world, no country on Earth comes close’’;

Whereas it is the great life force of ‘‘each generation of new Americans that guarantees that America’s triumph shall continue unsurpassed’’ through the 21st century and be- yond and is part of the ‘‘magical, intoxicating power of America’’;
Whereas this is ‘‘one of the most important sources of Amer- ica’s greatness: we lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people -- our strength -- from every country and every corner of the world, and by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation’’;

Whereas ‘‘thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we’re a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge’’, always leading the world to the next fron- tier;

Whereas this openness is vital to our future as a Nation, and ‘‘if we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leader- ship in the world would soon be lost’’; and

Whereas President Donald Trump’s racist comments have le- gitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color: Now, therefore, be it

1. 1  Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
   
   
2. 2  (1) believes that immigrants and their descend-
   
   
3. 3  ants have made America stronger, and that those
   
   
4. 4  who take the oath of citizenship are every bit as
   
   
5. 5  American as those whose families have lived in the
   
   
6. 6  United States for many generations;
   
   
7. 7  (2) is committed to keeping America open to
   
   
8. 8  those lawfully seeking refuge and asylum from vio-
   
   
9. 9  lence and oppression, and those who are willing to
   
   
10. 10  work hard to live the American Dream, no matter
    
    
11. 11  their race, ethnicity, faith, or country of origin; and
    
    
12. 12  (3) strongly condemns President Donald
    
    
13. 13  Trump’s racist comments that have legitimized and
    
    
14. 14  increased fear and hatred of new Americans and
    
    
15. 15  people of color by saying that our fellow Americans
    
    
16. 16  who are immigrants, and those who may look to the
    
    
17. 17  President like immigrants, should ‘‘go back’’ to
    
    
18. 18  other countries, by referring to immigrants and asy-
    
    
19. 19  lum seekers as ‘‘invaders,’’ and by saying that Mem-
    
    
20. 20  bers of Congress who are immigrants (or those of
    
    
21. 21  our colleagues who are wrongly assumed to be immi-
    
    
22. 22  grants) do not belong in Congress or in the United
    
    
23. 23  States of America.
    
    [copied and pasted here by me on July 16, 2019, from: https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=6200155-House-Resolution-Condemning-Trump-Comments]

Plausible deniability for the underlying thoughts, ideas and motives driving the behaviors and policies of Donald John Trump crumbled with his affirmative declarations on July 14, 2019. The sitting president has unmasked himself as a convinced and determined racist. Every subject and friend of the United States is on notice and every citizen is on the hook for damages the chief of the executive branch is permitted to inflict going forward.

This is what we signed up for | Miss Sarajevo

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights | Signed in Paris | December 10, 1948

Article 1.
 

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.
 

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.
 

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.
 

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.
 

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.
 

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.
 

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.
 

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.
 

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.
 

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.
 

(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.
 

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.
 

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.
 

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.
 

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.
 

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.
 

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.
 

(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.
 

(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.
 

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.
 

(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.
 

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

10 Things I Never Say to Kids :: Why I Stopped + What I Say Instead :: Thing 02 Available Now

10 Things I Never Say to Kids :: Why I Stopped + What I Say Instead :: Thing 02 Available Now at NoiseTrade

This 10 Things Single is about using words to command compliance from children. As it turns out, this is a pretty effective tactic for keeping kids in line — right up to the moment when it stops working. From then on, all bets are off. 

Big Hairy Question: If your parents used words to overpower you, and if — once you saw what they were doing — you hated it, can you really expect a different outcome if you do that your own kids? 

This is one of 10 Things I Never Say to Kids :: Why I Stopped + What I Say Instead. It’s adapted from the book Ten Things We Should Never Say to Kids.