Pat Taub
Primaries Trauma
As a Bernie supporter, I’m in the doldrums after Biden’s Super Tuesday’s sweep. I had such high hopes for a real progressive leader that would address climate change, unfair wages, racial inequalities, the need for universal medical care and more. I realize the primaries aren’t over, but worry that the establishment’s zeal to undo Bernie will triumph, and that Biden will be an easy target for the Orange Monster. Big meditation sessions are in order for my weekend.
A Sad Adieu to Elizabeth Warren
Feeling sad that Warren couldn’t muster enough votes to stay in the primaries. We lost a brave and thoughtful candidate, leaving the field to old white men. Warren has promised to continue her battle for the working class.
Warren addressing reporters on March 5th after she announced her withdrawal as a Presidential candidate
Florida Street Art
I’m vacationing in sleepy Lake Worth, Florida that comes alive each year with a huge street art festival. Artists drew outsize images on streets cordoned off for the event. There was even a section for kids to draw on the street. Once it rains the art disappears, somewhat similar to the manner in which Buddhist monks painstakingly draw mandalas and then erase them, referencing the impermanence of life.
Lake Worth, Fl. Street Art Festival, Feb. 23, 2020
A Good Read
Recently a friend mailed me an absorbing autobiographical novel, “My Home is Far Away,” by Dawn Powell. This book was first published in 1944. It’s the story of a family barely scrapping by in 1900’s Ohio. The story centers on three young girls who, after their mother’s untimely death, are shipped from one relative to another. There isn’t money for new shoes, books or many of the things their contemporaries have. The sisters survive through their rich imaginations and resourcefulness. The middle daughter, Marcia, mimics the life of the author. A New York Times review described the book as “a permanent masterpiece of childhood.”
International Women’s Day
This Sunday is International Women’s Day, which has me reflecting on recent international women’s movements with women bravely challenging the patriarchy. India, Chile, and Mexico stand out for their street protests where huge mobilizations of women of all ages filled their ranks, protesting femicide, or the murders of women by husbands, boyfriends, or gangs. Isn’t it about time for American women to mobilize en masse to address family separations at the border, abortion rights, fair pay, childcare and more?
A masked female protestor, holding a sign that reads, “Femicide State.” in front of Mexico City’s National Palace covered in fake blood,
