20 reasons why you should be writing a guest blog at "Learning to Stand."

1.     If you have turned on the television in the past two weeks and you have stared with slack jawed amazement at what is transpiring in Washington D.C. and you fear for the stability of our democracy you need to share your thoughts with others.

2.     If you are the child or grandchild of immigrants who fled their home country and came to the United States to provide a better life for their family, you need to tell us that story.

3.     If you have ever felt you were discriminated against because you do not practice Christianity, by all means, we need to hear about that situation.

4.     If you felt your stomach churn with anger or embarrassment when you saw Donald Trump mock a reporter who had physical impairments that is a nobel  reason to take a stand as a guest author and sharing your feelings.

5.     If you feel that the Trump Administration is  making the world a more dangerous place in which to live by his cavalier disregard for for the the science of climate change consider telling us about your concerns.

6.     If you believe that it is a dangerous and unprecedented maneuver to embrace the Russian government who according to seventeen separate intelligence agencies, interfered with our presidential election we would love to hear why that is wrong.

7.     If you believe that Mr. Trump has a misogynistic attitude toward women and has bragged about his exploitation of them in his past, this is a platform to share why this is such an important issue.

8.     If you believe that President Trump has appointed a cabinet of wealthy business people whose only interest in government is to make it easier for them to enrich themselves at the expense of  the middle class and working poor then we need to hear about it.

9.     If you feel that the Trump Administration is making a mockery of the party of Lincoln perhaps you can make us understand how it feels to have your party hijacked by an opportunistic huckster who figured how to manipulate the election process.

10.    If you believe that Social Security is in trouble because these people are fast tracking privatisation of our hard earned contributions and this upsets you, we want to hear your thoughts.

11.    If you think that it is unfair that President Trump refuses to show us his tax returns which will shed some much needed transparency on his business holdings and possible conflicts of interest, don't you think it is about time you said something?

12.    If you think that President Trump should be able to use Twitter as a legitimate means to attack the press and his detractors with no obvious way to counter his arguments then you might just want to say something about that in the form of a guest blog.

13.  If you are concerned about the term alternative facts, as a way to distract you from his inability to handle the truth of a situation, perhaps you could instruct us on a better way that you believe our POTUS should behave.

14.    If you are concerned that our POTUS may actually be suffering from a severe form of Narcissistic Personality Disorder as diagnosed by famed psychiatrist John D. Gartner,  you may want to share your ideas about what the country should do about it.

15.    If the temperament and impulsivity of Donald Trump in conjunction with his access to the nuclear codes keeps you up at night you could elaborate your thoughts here.
 tell us why
16.    If the placement of Steve Bannon the Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to United States President Donald Trump, a known white nationalist icon with alt right underpinnings is disturbing to you, then you are welcome to share your feelings on the topic here.

17.     If you believe the President is currently benefitting financially in violation of the Nobility/emoluments clause of the United States Constitution and you believe that is an impeachable offense, there is no better place to unburden yourself than right here as a guest author.

18.    If you think that NATO and our commitment to the countries of Europe has not become obsolete as proclaimed by Donald J. Trump, I want you to espouse your reasons why we should stand in support of this important treaty organization tell us why.

19.    If you think firing the U,S, Attorney General being fired because she refused to follow the Muslim Ban proposed in Trump's executive order because in her professional opinion it might not be lawful, I would hope you might take the time to expound upon it here.

20.    And finally,  if you are afraid that the election of Donald Trump poses the greatest threat to our democracy since the advent of the Civil War, please, please step up and tell us what you believe our best recourse is.

The Not So Secret Power of Women

Let's face it, the reason you are reading this is that you have become concerned that our newly elected POTUS is a couple of Cheetos short of a full bag and he is attacking many of the principles of our government on which you used to rely.  Perhaps you are worried that he has the nuclear codes and seems to be fixated on imaginary illegal alien voter fraud.  That is a pretty nasty cocktail.  Or just as importantly, perhaps you have a health issue that involves the use of Planned Parenthood services to insure that you are able to stay well enough to provide for your family. That used to be called "being responsible" but Trump and his sidekick Pence insist that you are really just using that evil institution as a place to gain access to abortion as an alternative means of birth control. That makes no sense whatsoever!  Their attitude is the epitome of both  arrogance and ignorance.  Neither of them knows the difference between a UTI, an STD or an IUD.  They are children who blush if they have to use the word Volvo in a sentence because they think it is the Swedish word for a woman's external sexual organs.  When a grown man opts to call those organs a "pussy" instead of its name, you are dealing with a child.  I know, because I taught sex ed. for nearly twenty years to grade school children and that is what children do, not grown men.

That is what was so powerful about the various Women's Marches. You had millions of women and women who were enlightened marching together wearing "pussy" hats not because they were acting like children, but instead they were mocking the unenlightened elected government officials who are acting like the children I used to teach in elementary school.  It was a great big beautiful reminder for these people, most of them pasty white old men, that they need to grow up and start treating women as equals.  It scared the crap out of them.  They have always been aware that to continue to remain in power they must control the majority of the voting population who just happen to be sporting two "x" chromosomes. Men have, up until the last two centuries, dominated women in this world because of their physical abilities to hunt, fight and protect their families, but that is no longer necessary for survival.  In a modern society, women are every bit as capable and perhaps even better suited for the jobs that provide for the family unit.  It is a fact that scares many men half out of their wits.  This recognition that women might even one day be treated equally intimidates them and unfortunately some men turn to the age old practice of suppression. The current administration is no friend to women.

It is a tool that women should keep in their tool box.  These political figures need to know that you are completely aware about their fear of women.  They need to know that you are not going to back down and are united in numbers that can and will make a difference in the 2018 election. They will respond to courageous action. Sara Bareilles says it way better than I ever could in her song, Brave.

 

Everybody's been there, everybody's been stared down
By the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don't run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

 

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

 

Do not ever forget that it has taken literally hundreds of thousands of years for mankind to reach this point.  We no longer need to play by caveman rules.  Women will be need to be the leaders in a future where the ideals of humanity will be vastly more important for our survival as a species than  faux toughness and bravado. These men are pushing back with fervor because they know this reckoning is near.  Enlightened men and women must continue forward and not be pushed backward.  Backward male politicians are in the minority and they must be reminded of it with a tone of complete resolve. As those of us who have ever run competitively will tell you, this a marathon, not a sprint. We must not lose sight of the finish line, but to regain civility we must stay organized, be supportive and endure.  This is why we must learn to stand.

Hello. I suppose you are wondering why I am here.

This is the the first post in Learning to Stand. This blog, unlike several other of the blogs that I have done over the years, is a shared project.  As I have stated on the Facebook group page, The High Plains New Common Sense, many people are feeling the need to be able to speak truth to power.  Standing up for something in which you truly believe does not come naturally for all but a few lucky individuals.  As a retired public school teacher for many years I can tell you that this is there is some good news here... it can be learned.  And better even yet, is the fact that there are tons of different methods by which you arrive at the place where you can stand up and speak your truth.  Even when the people to whom you are speaking are rude, or loud, or vulgar, or in a position of power, you can make your point without having to adopt those ugly and frightening tactics.

I am going to assume that if you are reading this, you are probably struggling with the recently emboldened followers of Donald Trump.  You are not alone.  I too struggle with getting my message out to people who seem unwilling or unable to listen to reason.  I have done community advocacy work for years and no two issues ever seem to be alike when you step into the fray.  Each and every argument presents many faceted reasoning, and it always feels like the people with whom you are facing on the other side other side, are more confident and willing to do do battle.  But let me let you in on a little secret here.  When an opponent is being loud, crass and even vulgar, it is because they have no substantive facts on which to make their opinion known.  They only have anger and a few time tested slogans guaranteed to fire up the the people around them, i.e., "If you don't love this country, leave!"  It is not fact based and appeals only to those people who are ill-prepared.

I recently posted the following on January 26, 2016 in feed stream on The High Plains New Common Sense, "If someone tells you that they believe torture is something that they believe the United States of America should utilize calmly ask them if they would want their own child who might be serving in the military to be tortured. Remind them that even if the person they love survives the torture, their child will never ever be the same again. Ask John McCain. Do not argue. Just plant the seed." I stated my point in this manner on purpose.  Many people can relate to someone who has a child in the military.  Generally speaking, most people can understand and empathize with the notion that this country has made great sacrifices in recent years.  This usually means that a young person goes off to war.  Many of these children come back and they are never quite the same.  Often it is because of injuries or PTSD.  If someone is tortured, it is life-altering. Rape is a form of torture. Hate crimes are a form of torture.  It is not a point that can be refuted, and even if someone tries to cast the argument aside, the others in their camp will most likely hear the message.

In the above example, I believe that you are refocusing people on their own "humanity," a quality to which most people, even those people on the other side of the argument, can relate as was pointed about by my friend Gail Segreto in her comment to the post.  This can all be done without screaming.  This can be done even if you are frightened because it is the truth.  The truth is powerful and if practiced with some regularity makes you brave and a worthy adversary.

This blog is about sharing your experiences.  This is a place to learn to stand up for your beliefs by hearing how others have arrived.  This is a place to share what your fears about standing up for what you truly believe.  If you are so inclined, I would love to have you guest blog here.  Just send me your post and I will post it for you here.  We are all in this together and this is a good place to share your story with others who are wanting to help you find your voice.

Be strong.  Share. Learn every day.