Pat Taub
Florida School Shooting
Like most of you I’m still in shock over Wednesday’s horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida. I can’t imagine losing a child to such senseless violence. I think of my granddaughter who will enter high school next year. It’s apparent that the initiative for gun control will not come from our Congress. It’s up to us, we the people, to wage a fierce campaign. Already a young Parkland student has started a campaign for gun control. Let’s hope that this time the public momentum will be so strong that gun control measures will be taken seriously.
Vigil at Parkland School in the memory of the students killed there.
A Spiritual Retreat
Last weekend I attended a women’s spiritual retreat run by my Portland church, State Street United Church of Christ. Around 40 women gathered in a seaside convent, which rents out space. I came away renewed and reminded of the healing power of women’s circles.
My Granddaughter’s Birthday
My granddaughter, Jane, will be 14 on Sunday. I still remember the phone call announcing her arrival. I was living in Key West. My son asked me to mail him a box of Cuban cigars he could distribute as a proud father. Cuban cigars were only available on the black market in Key West. With some effort, but never turning down a challenge, I located a box and mailed it off.
Jane, last Thanksgiving wearing a vintage cape I once owned.
A Possible Trip to Iran
I’m considering joining The Nation Magazine’s trip to Iran in May. It’s a country I’ve longed to visit to see the amazing art and architecture and to obtain a first-hand sense of the country and its people. I also fear that the big hawks in Washington may bomb Iran. In that event I want to visit before their cultural heritage is destroyed— a horrible thought but not beyond the pale!
An example of the beautiful Persian architecture found in Iran
A Shout-Out to Bath’s Bruce Gagnon on a Hunger Strike Protesting the Tax Bail-Out to General Dynamics
Bruce Gagnon, a longtime peace activist from Bath, started an open-ended hunger strike on February 12 in opposition to LD 1781, currently under debate in the Maine Legislature. This bill, would turn over $60 million of your state tax dollars to rolling-in-dough General Dynamics, the parent company of Bath Iron Works. Bruce and fellow peace workers across the state are calling for the $60 million to be diverted to desperately needed social programs in Maine, including funds to address child poverty. Maine ranks third in the nation in child poverty!
Bruce Gagnon on Day #5 of his hunger strike
