Almost There....

I have one paper due on the 25th and another on May 1st and then I am finished with Spring Semester.

Good Riddance....

What do I plan on doing with my Summer?

1. Gardening

2. Prepping my child for Pre-K

3. Playing Video Games

4. Practicing French

5. Prepping for Comps


 I have two courses to go before I am done with my PhD coursework.... ITS HAPPENING!

Bad Week

I don't get down in the dumps too often and even when I do I try to keep my head up. I know everyone has tons of struggles and for a lot of people, mine are pretty insignificant. That being said, this week has just sucked. I have a lot of things on my mind right now and so even the smallest setback just feels like the earth's main purpose right now is to rain on my parade. I tried to go to bed over an hour ago and my brain is just in worry overdrive and stressed so completely that I am sitting at my computer getting emotional over the smallest of perceived slights. 

I've been unable to truly enjoy anything for about a month now...
My research/coursework has not been perfect and while I don't feel overwhelmed... I also don't feel super motivated.
I feel like everything I say is the wrong thing.
I feel like nothing I do is good enough. 
I feel pretty insignificant right now and defeated.
and I don't feel like I have anyone to talk to about it. 

Founding Fathers?

This is not an America bashing post, but more of a... think about our past and learn from it post.

I had someone the other day essentially say... what is the point of studying history, the past isn't useful.

Now... I did not flog them, I wanted to... but I refrained.


This is one of those reasons, well to me at least.


America kind of idolizes the guys who put together the government and I get it to a point, but we have to understand that the real beauty in American democracy does not lie with a bunch of dead dudes who wore white wigs and lived in the 18th century... its our history of compromise and working together and we need to know and understand that BECAUSE for some reason our politicians have completely forgotten it and sometimes resemble the guys in this picture a bit more than I am comfortable with....


For example...

During the American Revolution...when those guys up there were contemplating about what our country, what America should look like... they had some pretty interesting concepts of individual freedom, citizenry, and the franchise (aka voting).

Gordon S. Wood has a pretty awesome book called The Radicalism of the American Revolution that I totally recommend and in that book Wood delves into early ideas about civic participation. In part II of the book, Wood delves into how Republican-minded Patriots worked to overturn the traditional system of patriarchy and patronage that plagued the pre-revolution colonial governments. One way this rejection manifested was by the Patriots disavowing the coercive relationship between landowner and tenant...arguing that a landowner often tried to rule and influence the way his tenants behaved and thought, something that would endanger a Republican system of government right?????

WELL...
They had a solution:
The solution was to prohibit non-landowners from voting. Yes, that is what I just said. Thus, the Patriots were technically removing the influence or abuse of influence of landowners on elections... BY MAKING THE FRANCHISE ONLY AVAILABLE TO LANDOWNERS... yea. 

We need to know that freedom took time and compromise and we need to know how our government was forged or the entire country is going to believe that prior to 1776 we were all these oppressed serf-like colonists and immediately post-Revolution we were independent and democratic citizens where everyone had a say.... every white male landowner had a say I mean.  

I know... it has been a while.

For the three people who are not bots who actually read this blog... It has been a while since I've posted...
Life is busy and insane right now with two jobs, a child, school, a husband, and everything else that goes on.

I do want to say that I will be updating more in the future, I promise.

Right now I am reading about the decline of Detroit and its heartbreaking.  



I did want to plug a new podcast that I am really into. 


Its called Decode the News, and its done by a PhD who is informed, clear, and very good at conveying how the news media works.


I love it. 

Here is a link to the site: Click Here

memorials

Finding words to talk about this on a blog has been a difficult task. I began one post almost a week ago and it will never see the light of day. Last Saturday morning, after a great day at an academic conference on campus, I received a phone call from a fellow student, telling me that the professor I worked for had died suddenly the night before...it was unreal.

Over the last week I have struggled with that situation and asked myself how something like that happened to such a kind and vibrant person, a question I still cannot answer.

After a beautiful and love-filled memorial to his life yesterday, I can finally write a few words about why this has affected me so deeply.

I have dealt with death before... I lost grandparents, other family members, and a child over a decade ago, but for some reason, the speed...the abruptness, and the disconnect that this death caused me is just arresting.


I will say this, the professor I worked for was a joy to be around. He was motivational, light, funny, and always telling me that despite mistakes or issues, everything was going great.

Graduate students operate in a very stressful environment and having mentors around us that promote positivism and calm is just vital to our success... my boss made me smile every time I talked to him and he also made me feel like despite all the hang-ups and difficulties, I was doing a great job every day.

I feel horrible for his family, his close friends...and everyone who were lucky enough to meet him and know him.

Classic Sexism

We, as Americans want our top representative, the President to stand as an example of proper and dignified behavior. Currently, Donald Trump is our President and thus, we get none of that mess. 

He looks like a petulant child 

When this photo was taken a few days ago, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Trump if he wanted to do a handshake for cameras and this is how he acted as she spoke to him... he did not even register that she spoke at all, nor did he respond to her. It was embarrassing to say the least... especially when he also brought up the faux wiretap claims at a dual press conference. 

There are days like this when I think to myself... I can't even.

That is pretty much it for today and maybe this weekend, I am under the weather and I have a book to finish, a paper to write, and another book to start.

Have a great weekend! 

What's the Goal

The news out of Washington seems bleak if you are someone who works in the Arts and Humanities or if you are old and poor. Apparently the Trump Administration's idea of a sound fiscal budget is....

-defunding the National Endowment for the Arts
-defunding the National Endowment for the Humanities
-slashing funds to the Environmental Protection Agency
and...

cutting programs like Meals on Wheels

oh... and have you seen the new healthcare bill that basically says if you are over 64... don't get sick.


And according to New York Magazine, Trump knows it...

Trump admits GOP health plan would hurt his voters, says it’s "going to be negotiated" https://t.co/EJUR10cZks

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) March 16, 2017

I have family and friends who benefit from many of these programs and to see them at risk upsets me. What is more, I have dedicated my entire academic career to the Humanities and I believe that these things are important to cultural development and social stability.

Now... speaking of being ignorant of culture and history...

Hoping @POTUS tells Hawaii judge what Andrew Jackson told overreaching court-"I'll ignore it and let the court enforce their order."

— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 15, 2017

Former Governor Mike Huckabee takes the Steve King award for racist and insensitive comments of the week.... Holy Crap... he is talking about the Trail of Tears here...that is what Jackson ignored, the  Supreme Court Judgment that essentially stated that stealing the land from the Cherokee was illegal. 

Way to go Mike, way to adult today.


It is like 29 degrees outside and my allergies are killing me, I cannot handle the dumb today. 

Not the Best Day

So I do not talk about it a ton online, mostly because I think that many will feel as if I am complaining or bemoaning things I cannot change, but I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and there are days when it really just gets me down and causes me serious issues that restrict my actions. Today, well, the last few weeks really, I've had this issue where my joints have acted up or my medication has just made me ill.
I do not like this AT ALL.

We are experiencing a cold snap here in the south, as you do the week before Spring. 

It can truly be 70 one day and 40 the next.... which, for me is bad.

So today I have felt ill all day, been moody, stressed, and trying to finish a book and not fall behind.


I think Trump's Travel Banned got screwed over in court again.

and...

He thinks the media is mean, unfair, and fake news for reporting stuff he did.


Yep....
Normal Wednesday. 

So Easily Duped

It is already Tuesday, and my Spring Break is ebbing away faster than I would like it to. The chilling weather has, at least, kept me to my studies...apart from the random distractions of registering my child for pre-k and helping a friend with their taxes. 

But... lets talk about distractions....


(entering the political zone once again)


HEY EVERYBODY WE HAVE SOME OF TRUMPS TAXES FROM OVER A DECADE AGO AND THEY TELL US NOTHING BUT LOOK!!!!!!!

Is it that easy to be distracted people?? Tomorrow Comey is going to talk about whether or not there is a Russia election investigation and suddenly a few pages of a really old tax returns appears and everyone jumps at the bait.

Stop it!  Put down the shiny! Pay attention to what is important!


Lets talk about that for a second....

We have a healthcare bill going through the congress that is a complete disaster for most of the country unless you are wealthy....yay.

More ties to Russia are coming out on a daily basis.

Trump's spokespeople are completely terrifying and say insane things.

Oh and one congressman decides that he can be full on white supremacist and not even blink because we are used to it.

All in one day....

So, I know that these tax returns sparkle and grab your attention like a 1/2 off sale at Krispy Kreme when the Warm sign is on... but do not lose focus.
Keep paying attention to what this administration is doing every day.

Some of it is really problematic and warrants the public's attention. 

OMG What is Happening??!!

Not a ton to cover today but.... first... let's go to twitter and crazy people in government saying horrific things that should get them immediately removed from their jobs...

Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies. https://t.co/4nxLipafWO

— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) March 12, 2017

Yea and then... this guy doubled down....

CNN - King says he meant exactly what he said....

That is a link to the video, its... well yea.

Here is the thing, when did it become totally OK to support racist ideas in America, the place that is made up of people from all over the world? Is America white to him, what does he mean?

I know what he means really and the fact that he has no problem saying it in public is a problem.
This used to be stuff guys said off the cuff, in the back room, where no one heard it and I understand, well it is good that we know what kind of person King is, but at the same time, he says it on TV because he feels it is now culturally acceptable to do so... and that is dangerous.

It is so crazy that I am reading a book about the progressive South right now and racism... everything is so connected.

Spring Break has turned into last gasp of winter. I am sitting at my desk in a scarf, a hat, and gloves...because my RA is making my joints go nuts.

Yep I am bundled up so I wont ache too much lol

Anyone in the South right now, I feel you. 

Spring Break!!!!

So technically I am on Spring Break this coming week, meaning I will spend my time working on some papers I have due at the end of the semester, cleaning the house, registering my child for Pre-K, and at least trying to take a few minutes and relax. I have been on a bit of a news break the last few days, I find it keeps me not wanting to run away screaming into the night.

So what have I done that is fun, exciting, and non-school related??

1. I organized my jewelry and put up new necklace hangers. Yes, this is how I enjoy myself.

2. I cleared out the brush in my side-yard before the temperatures dropped again to winter levels.  

3. I bought myself a lavish cupcake.

4. I have played more WoW than usual.


I know, I am a wild child to the 1000000th degree. 

Lots of academic/school related things coming up that make me feel like the 2nd owl here:

Conference
lecture
papers
end of semester rush


I need to buy myself a giant bottle of wine and just do this.

That being said, a week to get caught up is nice, and the weather that hates my RA motivates me to stay inside. 

So... I've Lost My Mind

Politicians say stupid things all the time and do stupid things all the time... but the repeal and replacement of the ACA is a disaster the day it gets announced and the way politicians have handled it... is what I call, really dangerous. 


My Choice for Fail of the Day is:

U.S. Congressman Jason Chaffetz (Visit his site of pain here)

Chaffetz decided to say, on CNN that people should buy healthcare instead of iphones, that they should make tough choices and be self sufficient.  


This was my Response...

@jasoninthehouse One of my medications is 1200 a month before insurance, thats two iphones for one 30 day supply. #themoreyouknow

— lucindawst (@Lucindawst) March 7, 2017

Now I will be honest, I tweeted like four or five more that broke down a year of my family's health plan was only about 26 iphones, that a visit to a specialist was only about one iphone, and that you too could go to the ER for the cost of simply 3-5 iphones.

Healthcare is not that simple, its not simply 700.00 you drop once every few years, its a consistent cost, an extra burden for millions of people who cannot afford it. Unlike an iphone though, unlike spending 700 on something you don't need.... if you don't have the money to go to the hospital or the doctor or to pay for your medication... you could die.

Its not that trivial and for an elected representative to be so callous and disjointed.... unattached or unknowing about what it is like to live in poverty or live with a disease is not stupid, its dangerous.

Makes You Think

Sometimes our own political outrage and shock at the behavior of those in power makes us forget about the people who live without any. Most of the time I live in a relatively quiet neighborhood in a small Georgia town. Most of the time the loudest noise I hear is someone's car going by or one of my odd neighbors who owns a Harley and blasts his 1980 hair rock when he goes on a daily ride. I live on the corner of two streets with a nice yard, a quaint little house with ivy on the front, and a garden and blooming peach tree... we won't even talk about the fact that it is blooming and February....

But there are also people in my neighborhood and area that live very different lives, wrought with difficulty and hard choices and sometimes that difficulty can lead to violence. Today, as my son and I played out in the backyard... in my neighborhood that was so quiet...that I heard a car stop at the three way stop down the street.... I looked up to see a drive-by shooting. Thankfully no one was hurt, but I wasn't aware as I heard the shots echo down my street and immediately find myself terrified for myself and my son...we had to hide behind our house, I had to explain to my four year old why there were over a dozen police working down the street all day and why one came and took my statement. 
It was...just a bad experience. 

----
It has been almost a week since I wrote the above, the street has been commonly quiet since Monday, nothing has happened and everything is as it was, but I find myself a bit more aware and a bit more careful when going outside. My son is four, he loves to be outside and to run through the yard, playing with the dogs and his toys... but I found myself a great deal more cautious and observant the entire time we've been out this week.

In Politics...

Well, first the President displayed the ability to read a speech and half the country breathed a sigh of relief that I will admit, I have no earthly idea why.

This should not be the standard people...

Just because a speech was measured, does not mean it wasn't riddled with dangerous rhetoric and the same pushy xenophobic logic he has been pushing this entire time. His immigration stance has not changed, he lauded it in his speech and continued to paint enemies of the state with a wide brush... this is not toned down, this is scary. 
Thankfully, well not really, because this is the world we have to live in...
The Jeff Sessions chaos has overshadowed the fact that when pressed Trump can give a speech without flailing.
How many people have to have met with Russian officials and then lied about it to cause those who voted for Trump to ponder whether or not this is a problem? I say all of them... I know some pretty staunch Trump supporters and they either 1. do not care 2. think its all lies. 
Meanwhile, dreamers are being deported for speaking out and the immigration push to get "bad hombres" off the street have removed fathers, grandmothers, and people who have lived in this country since they were 7... with no felonies or anything dangerous in their records and Boeing, is getting rid of 1800 jobs. 


Healthcare:

I want to say something about Healthcare because it affects members of my family very differently and it infuriates me to no end.
First, I support the original reach of the ACA and the goals that program entailed. Through it (implemented properly without the interference and destruction of it in the states), most people had the opportunity to get affordable care and the insurance pools should have made coverage overall cheaper... but business and state interest got involved and things went off track quickly and I will be honest, the ACA is not functioning the way it was meant to or should have.

Right now, my husband...through his paycheck, pays almost a grand a month for our family's healthcare. That being said, we have no deductible, we can go to the doctor whenever we want, and a stay in the hospital will not leave us destitute. But, I remember, before he had this job, how often we would linger in sickness because we had no or bad coverage and it was not worth it to risk spending a ton of money just to see a doctor. It was horrific and I never want to go back to that, our insurance is expensive, but its worth it.  That being said, my mother-in-law has NO insurance at all. Her husband makes too much to have them qualify for medicare, his employee insurance premiums to cover her are outlandish, and she also cannot qualify for any ACA program... she is stuck, without insurance, and at the will of a doctor whether or not she can get care she needs without putting herself in debt to do so... its criminal to me to see that. Why is this though? IS this the ACA, kind of... not really.  The State they live in makes it very difficult for the ACA to work, there are provisions in that state's law that did not take the medicare expansion and thus did not take monies that would help people like her get insurance....at the same time, this is the ACA's fault.... and if we are going to change it, which I have no problem with, we need to replace it with something that will take care of people because healthcare should not depend on people's income.... if you are sick, you deserve treatment.   Simple.

I want universal coverage or a single payer option, I think that is the only way healthcare can work and I think these profit-monger companies need to get out of the process.  We have too many people dying because of finance not care available and that is completely disgusting in one of the richest nations on earth. 

If you are sick you should get to see a doctor and not worry about whether or not you can afford the care you need to survive... that is a right I think that is covered by our constitution and the bill of rights we so love. 

New Computer!

Adam put together my new computer tonight.  It is pretty awesome... but it might take me a few days to get everything back to normal and all files switched over.  
Might be a tiny downtime.

-Shonda 

Weekend Home and Trump Hates the Press

So I have the entire house to myself this weekend and it is a mixed bag. On the one side, school work and work on the Bulletin I help edit goes by rather quickly without much interruption (unless you count the Boxer who needs to go out to chase squirrels every ten minutes. On the other, I really do like having my four-year-old chaos monster around and my awesome husband, so it is super quiet. 


BUT.... I do get to have fancy tea time! Complete with yummy tea and fresh blooming rosemary picked from my small herb garden. 

Right now I am reading Gail Bederman's Manliness & Civilization, which looks at the transforming notions of manliness and power in connection to race during the Progressive Era in America, it is an interesting book, especially since the author uses character profiles to support her argument and explains Foucault in a way that does not make me want to cry tears of infinite sadness. 


And what about this news guys!

Trump is essentially picking what press is valid and continues to try to belie the New York Times and other legitimate news outlets that simply will not stand by while he lies and makes a mockery of the White House. 
OH the weird times we are living in... there are days I am very glad I am a historian of centuries ago. 

I am pretty much resolved as well that here in Georiga, we are not getting winter...its been early Spring since December and now its full on Spring with my peach tree getting ready to bloom and my allergies on par to explode anytime. 


I think I am going to leave this Washington Post article here about how the White House is actively trying to put the clamp down on the Russia story, because I think it is just going to get worse and we need to stay informed people!

White House Wants to Quiet Russia Questions

Too Much Awful

When the News is too much?

I don't know, I mean I like a bit of contention and chaos in my life, that is a given as I decided many years ago that it was a good idea to raise a child and pursue graduate degrees at the same time, but lately the news feels oppressive and well, it just brings me down.

Trump Steps Back Trans Protections

This one really bothered me. I am not transgendered or a member of the LGBT community, but I know and have had the pleasure of knowing many people who are and this step in a backwards direction is chilling to say the least. When the President and his spokespeople act as if the world is happy with what they are doing as thousands across the US and the rest of the world protest them, we can equate that to selective viewing or simply ignoring the truth.... but when you work consciously to remove needed protections from vulnerable people, that is dangerous. 

So I took a break myself the last few days and have not posted on Twitter (as much at least) or read every article I usually read, instead focusing on school and other things that will give me just a breather.

That being said... I think the comfort in moving back is a bad idea... taking a breather for a day or so is one thing, but letting this stuff become normal without consistently speaking out is another.

We need to protect people. 

I think this pretty much sums up my entire being lol...

Back from a Conference

I had the extreme pleasure this past week to attend and present at the Georgia Association of Historians annual conference, which was held in Jekyll Island, Georgia this year. The experience was fulfilling and helpful for me as a historian and I cannot recommend enough taking time to attend one of these conferences if you are a historian in Georgia. At the conference, historians produced scholarship from a variety of historical fields and illustrated the amazing well of talent the state has in the field of history. Exploring the past seems increasingly relevant in current political and social conditions. Throughout the weekend, conference attendees had the opportunity to discuss urban development, Early Modern England, The American Civil War, and Women's Activism along with a host of other amazing topics. I felt very lucky to have experienced such a great weekend.  

Land of Confusion

I am going to admit that I am slightly confused and concerned after only watching about thirty minutes of the news cycle this morning...
Is it really happening that when the Administration has direct ties to Russia, the ruling party in congress essentially feels it unnecessary to look into it deeply? Are team politics that important now that when someone flirts with letting Russia interfere with American governance, the Republican party is going to give him a pass because he pretends to be a Republican as he gaslights the United States?
Do we not remember Benghazi?  I do... it was overwrought with coverage and hearings and inquiry and there was nothing there... and yet this guy has now had someone resign because of known ties... KNOWN as in they knew...

I am no fan of Trump. I think he is crass, unamerican, and dangerous... but that is not why I am super concerned when our checks and balances are not in balance. 
Regardless of who you voted for, this should worry you. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

So I am not super cynical about Valentine's Day... I know some people are and I try not to do the eyeroll about it, but man... if you read facebook today it is almost like a vehement cry of 


ITS SO NOT A BIG DEAL I DONT KNOW WHY  PEOPLE CARE UGH STUPID MADE UP HOLIDAY ARGGGGGGGG!

There is also the random post about St. Valentine which, to just spoil it for you, he has a bad end. 


I personally like the Galentine's Day posts I have seen... they are super cute and not bemoaning the roses and candy crowd.

I am not a roses and candy person to be fair...

This is what I sent my Husband...

and....

This is the romantic life between my husband and I.

TO be fair, he loves his academic and historian odd wife who sends him stuff like this. 

It has been a crazy few weeks.... the President is exploding on twitter and at his resort in Florida and I can only imagine in some sort of toddler fit in the White House while his staff is, not even joking, just falling apart and all over themselves...
Looking at you Spicer, Conway and Miller....
Oh and Flynn, see he is having a bad Valentine's Day...
Maybe he needs one too:

Lies We Tell Ourselves

There are books that I read sometimes that truly transform the way I look at an issue... especially as a historian, that should happen a lot I think...as new research comes out, new perspectives arise...we should never become stagnant....


I am going to just rave over Edward Baptist's The Half Has Never Been Told more. I think slavery is a subject that we, as a nation, should never shy away from and his book not only places the conversation in the face of anyone reading his text, but he brings up some important points about how we as a society have portrayed slavery... to lessen the burn, and that is a tragedy. 

Slavery was a thriving and growing business that helped fund the nation off the backs of other people.

The discipline often described in slavery amounted to nothing less than psychological and physical torture and it completely destroyed people

Slavery's legacy is alive and well today.

People do not want to talk about it, people want to forget about it, and rave about the "good" parts of the antebellum past and the "heritage" that musters... and that is simply 100% wrong. 

Former slaves would often sincerely state that they would rather be dirt poor and starving than back in servitude, where their lives amounted to nothing but capital and absolutely no humanity. 

Even the most benevolent slave owner... still made a living off of people he looked at as property.  There is nothing moral or forgiving about that. 

Pick this book up...
Read it.

Buy it HERE 

The cultural connections to slavery and the past are everywhere and I believe that the experience of slavery made America what it was then and what it is today. It is funny... but it was not reading this book that made me think about writing this blog post, but my lunch. I wanted something I used to eat as a kid when I visited family in the mountains of North Carolina and I made a mixture of new potatoes and green beans.... it was something we had all the time and it is a comforting and warm food, but it is also a recipe developed during the antebellum period by people who used what they had to survive.

Race is still very relevant... I still truly believe that most of the nasty backlash against Obama as President and against his wife were racially motivated, even if it was not a conscious decision... people automatically distrusted Obama and his family because they were different and still represented the other, and while its wrong...shocking, and disgusting... I think it is more true than ever before. Instead of hiding from this past or forgetting about it because slavery ended over a century ago, we should visit the lessons slavery provided every single day to work and make this a better place for every person living in the US. 

Stories to Not Ignore

I think one of the big problems with having a President who does so much in a day to cause alarm is that we often miss stories that are truly chilling or highly problematic... like this one.
I read it at midnight after coming home late and it was shocking.

Trump Relegates the Press Blackout Style

We know that Trump has a contentious relationship with the Press, because many of them simply report the truth, the President feels they are against him. Perhaps he is so delusional that he truly believes they are lying about him. I have given it some thought and someone with that level of narcissism may actually believe his own fantasies about how the rest of the world is against him...which is in no way comforting, just explanatory. 

A free and uninhibited press is one of the more important factors in our working democracy and I fear his behavior is slowly limiting that, especially when he constantly goes on twitter and riles up his base to believe that the Press is some malevolent attacker and he is simply the upstanding American victim.  Do not take that for granted that everyone knows this is not true, I know people who believe every word that comes out of his mouth...which is reinforced by radio personalities and other outlets that these people exclusively get their "news" from. 

He also uses his position to completely infiltrate the business sector he is supposed to be detached from

I am so proud of my daughter Ivanka. To be abused and treated so badly by the media, and to still hold her head so high, is truly wonderful!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 11, 2017

I think this should get a ton of attention, his attacks on the press and the response from his base.
The nation dismissed the power he has over the base once before and now it has much higher consequences. 

This is NOT Fine.

So the Senate today decided to confirm someone who is completely unqualified for the job she was appointed to. What is more, DeVos has an obvious bias against the Public Education System and prefers Private School education and good education for the select few who can afford it...while everyone else suffers.
This is bad for each and every child in the country and I will explain why...

Regardless of how great an education your child gets, the overall educational average for the country matters.... if most kids are in a failing or underpaid system, then the standards slip and things go south....

We are in a very competitive educational environment on a global scale, where people compete for jobs across national lines and thus our kids need to be prepared for that scenario and instead we are continuing to marginalize the people who cannot afford to send their kids to nice private schools....
I do not want to be cynical, but perhaps this is what the wealthy want, to maintain their class supremacy at all costs, even at the risk of dumbing down the rest of the nation.

I am a product of public education... I do not think all private schools are bad and I do not think they are the enemy, but many of the private schools in the area where I live were specifically created as a counter to school desegregation and thus I find them to be kind of disgusting and a huge part of the problem. Moreover, I was sent to a private school for a year and loathed its closed minded and noninclusive atmosphere... I felt ostracized because I did not like the right type of music, wore the right type of clothes, or concerned myself with the right social necessities (which apparently was not doing schoolwork, but trying to date boys).
I am not laying all of this on the doormat of a private school... 
My husband went to a private school and loved his education and received top notch attention in a very multi-ethnic and diverse atmosphere... but again, most children cannot afford such things and having a head of the Department of Education who has not one single day of experience in the Public School system....who openly is antagonistic towards public schools, and prefers a voucher/charter school system... worries me. 

In other news....
Our President cannot help himself from tweeting like an angry 9 year old every single morning. 
Its embarrassing. 

The failing @nytimes was forced to apologize to its subscribers for the poor reporting it did on my election win. Now they are worse!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2017

I call my own shots, largely based on an accumulation of data, and everyone knows it. Some FAKE NEWS media, in order to marginalize, lies!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017

Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election. Sorry, people want border security and extreme vetting.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2017

What a Busy Week...

While probably super productive on an academic and job level, this week may be obviously less productive on a social/political/blog front. I have a conference next week, a lecture this week, and a lot of classwork I have to get through in order to actually have a moment this weekend to work and have inventory at the bookstore...wooo!

On a political front though, I thought I would say something rather simple:

1. If you did not see the political implications in Lady Gaga's very positive and inclusive half time show for the Superbowl, you were not paying attention.

2. Acting like a child on twitter does not win you any support or fans of your policy, it just makes you seem like a giant man child with a cellphone. 

Addendum: Toddlers

My child is insane.  I needed to record this... 
After two hours of building a fort, running in circles, and then categorically blessing out his father because he would not allow the toddler to watch him play Witcher 3, I wrangled him into the bathtub, got him relatively clean...and now I am going back and forth about him actually going to sleep in his room.

He was just beating his tabby because an app didn't work.

So I walked in there.... had a long conversation about some part of Star Wars Rebels that had nothing to do with the problem with the tabby or his bedtime... hugged him, talked about a pencil... and now am again trying to get back to work.

Reading....
Eugene D. Genovense's Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made which is pretty good.

Click Here if you want to get yourself a copy. 

Are We in a Post Truth World?

Recently, I found myself speaking out when I saw something online that was 100% untrue and misrepresented and although I backed up my rebuttle to the issue with facts and evidence, my post, my response, was deleted. It was an odd moment because there is a part of all of us who believe that there is some truth in the world or at least some underlying reliance on truth, even if it proves that we are wrong.

I am a historian, there are things I read daily that challenge my pre-conceived notions about a specific time period or event and that is just part of our academic world... we are challenged, we search for truth, even if it contradicts everything we believed prior. I don't reject facts is what I am saying, but what if we are in a world that simply does now.

Oh... I don't like this fact or I do not like the criticism I am receiving, so I will make up my own truth, use that as an excuse, and move forward.... alot of times without any real pushback. Now of course... I am speaking of this...

Yep... that is Kellyanne Conway basically citing a fake massacre to support Trump's Muslim Ban. It did not happen, the incident never occurred and yet, because Matthews didn't really have time to process... she does not get called on it IMMEDIATELY.
(and she should have) 
Whether she believes there was a massacre or she was outright lying, this is simply a dangerous spread of non-factual evidence to a populace who wants to believe anything that comes out of her mouth or out of the mouths of the people she represents and works with.

So.... Does it matter that this story is not true?
In the end, does Kellyanne get what she wants by saying this anyway...and now it is out and thus it is "proof" for Trump supporters who think the Muslim Ban is OK?

I don't know, but its really disturbing that she even still has a job after this.  There are some jobs that require you to be on point all the time, I think working for and within the white house is one of those jobs. 

So is lying, not knowing the facts, or simply spreading un-truth now the norm and is it OK?

Hard questions. 

This is Hard

I do not even think I have the ability to maintain the format for the blog that I want to keep for this post. I have not posted all week and it is because every day another attack on what I believe to be American values has come from the highest office in the land and I am deeply concerned. I love this country and I love that we each have the freedom to express ourselves and be who we are without repercussion, but today that truly changed as immigrants from specific places were barred from entry... even if they had homes, families, jobs, and lives here.  

I do not know what else to say.

Please, contact your representatives in Congress... tell them to temper this man. 

Monday Monday Monday

It is chilly and dreary out and thus, it feels like a Monday. My cup of coffee is working to keep the chill off, but I wanted to share something that I found important while reading a book for class. 

According to Gordon Wood:

"The revolutionary generation was the most cosmopolitan of any in American history. The revolutionary leaders never intended to make a national revolution in any modern sense. They were patriots, to be sure, but they were not obsessed, as were later generations, with the unique character of America or with separating America from the course of Western civilization...And Americans prided themselves on their hospitality and their treatment of strangers. Such cosmopolitanism was a consequence of civilization." 
       -The Radicalism of the American Revolution


In Politics:

     I think it will be increasingly important over the next four years to remain vigilant over policy and government action, especially following such an unprecedented election. Today, the President signed more executive orders that will affect men and women not only in the United States, but around the world, potentially causing more problems between this county and some of its allies. 
First, the federal hiring freeze could hurt the VA Hospitals, Social Security, Medicaid, and many social programs men and women in this country in need depend on to survive, it is not a good sign and it is not where anyone with economic sense and not a specific austere agenda would cut first. Second, the President also signed an executive order to cease funding to any international organization that provides financial support for abortion, reviving a problematic and controversial directive under President Reagan from the 1980s...this can endanger the health and safety of women all over the world and aggravate allied countries.  In other political news, the Press Secretary held another briefing today and stated that he did not say when he said the day before, this again...does not bode well.


----------
The Diet kind of went south today, not in a huge way... I did not devolve into a food mess and eat a pint of gelato, but dinner was not as healthy as it has been, I made home made pasta with a great red sauce that also included sausage (also known as not diet friendly). On the other hand, I have not had soda in a week now and I think I am pretty much good without it. I have settled on carbonated water and iced unsweet tea for my cold beverages and hot tea and coffee in the morning and evenings. I still drink beer, we all have to have our little treats.  I actually found my way to my treadmill today...since for some reason over the past three days it has been lost to me (not really, just no time) and I felt  a ton better after an hour of walking and watching the Masterpiece Elizabeth I mini-series they did years back... did I mention it has Tom Hardy in it (he is adorable, even in his scary Taboo phase he has going now). 


In The News:

Trump's Hiring Freeze of Federal Workers 

Trump Adopts Reagan Era Abortion Policy with Executive Order 

Problematic Peace Talks in Syria

Storm Deaths Reach 20 in the South