Pat Taub
Abortion Rights
Thanks to a leaked report, it’s now almost certain that the Supreme Court will reverse Roe v. Wade this June. Abortion advocates have been demonstrating across the country, but is this enough? In a recent interview with Chris Hedges, V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, the playwright, author, and political activist, called for a general strike. V proposes that women across the country refuse to go to work until abortion rights are guaranteed. This was a successful tactic in Poland and Iceland. Will American women answer this call?
Are we destined to live out “A Handmaid’s Tale?”
Buffalo Shooting
America’s Black community, is reeling over the May 14th killing of 10 Blacks at a Tops Market in Buffalo, N.Y. The 18-year-old shooter was a white supremacist. The Black community is calling for action on gun control and social programs to address the inequalities in Black neighborhoods. They are understandably weary of prayers and Biden’s response to beef up police departments, rather than programs to uplift Buffalo’s Blacks. Here’s how one Black resident told The New York Times: “We want Biden to give the same support to Buffalo, to the East Side, that other communities get. That Ukraine gets.”
Spring in Maine
Nature offers hopeful signs in its bountiful blossoming trees and spring flowers. My new spring planting in the urn by my front door is a reminder that beauty can be restorative. Flowers are my personal beacon of hope.
Louise Erdrich
One of my very favorite writers is the brilliant Native American author, Louise Erdrich. A few weeks ago, at Longfellow Books in Portland, I purchased a used copy of LaRose. Now I’m fully absorbed in this story of two Native American neighbors who struggle to deal with the accidental killing of one of their young children. I marvel at Erdrich’s portrayal of how Native American spiritual beliefs inhabit daily life, carrying a deep respect for all life. Mysticism abounds in this treasured novel.
Happy Spring to All and to a Weekend of Hope Sightings!
Three Cheers for Spring!
