The killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent is the equivalent of the canary singing in the coal mine. Numerous eyewitness accounts, along with disturbing video footage, explain how Renee Good was killed. Yet the President and other top administration officials would have us believe that her murder was justified. They are lying to the American people—that’s called Gaslighting. In her article Rx for an Ailing Nation, Barbara Lloyd McMichael writes about the public health concerns coming out of the federal government. She interviews Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, whose new book Inequality Kills Us All: COVID-19’s Health Lessons for the World examines the ever-expanding gap in healthcare between the haves and the have-nots in America. Rosemary Curran writes about the roots of resentment amid the explosive growth of economic inequality. The second part of her three-part series asks: Can a Capitalist Society be Equitable? On a lighter note, my essay Krystal and the Deep Blue Sea is a profile of a young San Diego woman who is a self-styled acolyte of Elon Musk. At PR for People, we think the killing of Renee Good has coalesced our American values and propelled us to take action to Standup #ForGood. –Patricia Vaccarino
Rx for an Ailing Nation by Barbara Lloyd McMichael The controversial activity at Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is just part of a growing set of public health concerns coming out of the federal government. In Inequality Kills Us All: COVID-19’s Health Lessons for the World, Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, along with his colleagues in Physicians for Social Responsibility, note the decline in health markers and the ever-expanding gap between the haves and have-nots in the United States. Widespread cuts in Medicaid will burden the neediest Americans and will likely strip them of any medical coverage. Congress has allowed the Affordable Care Act to expire, causing health insurance premiums to double or triple last year’s prices for 24.3 million Americans who are enrolled in the ACA Marketplace.
Can a Capitalist Society be Equitable? by Rosemary Curran Ph.D. In Part Two of the Roots of Resentment, we look more closely at the ways in which unregulated capitalism has failed our society and threatens our democracy. While carefully regulated capitalism can provide healthy incentives for effort and innovation, the breakdown of a regulatory framework is simply a recipe for exploitation and greed by the few. A just economic system can only be revived by leaders who recognize the dangers of unbridled capitalism and who are unafraid to propose bold action to limit the power of wealth and reinstate the guardrails and safety nets of a social democracy.
Krystal and the Deep Blue Sea by Patricia Vaccarino Krystal is my Uber driver who picks me up in Solana Beach to take me to the airport. She drives a shiny new red Tesla. As I get into the Tesla, I immediately see the entire roof is plastered with hundreds of stickers of Elon Musk. A large heart-shaped pink sticker stuck on her console says: “I love Elon Musk.” No other stickers dot the car’s interior. No political messages or advocacy for special interest groups. The entire car is a shrine to Elon Musk.
Standup #ForGood We mourn the murder of Renee Good. Like Renee Good, most Americans are compassionate and caring people who want to build better lives for themselves, their children, and their communities. We are enriched by working together to achieve goals that benefit the common good. We believe in our core democratic principles. –PR for People Team
GASLIGHTING Gaslighting is boldfaced lying that is used to brainwash people. The fascists in the White House and in Congress are telling people not to trust what they see with their own eyes. The fascists use gaslighting to make the American people go to war against each other, instead of seeing what the fascists are doing to America. Let’s compare the gaslighting tactics used by three fascist leaders: Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. –Patricia Vaccarino
Stand Up and Speak Out by Annie Searle Annie Searle recounts her history of dealing with bullies, from her childhood growing up in Iowa to her college years when she was a founding member of her university’s chapters for Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). This is the time to return to the Quaker principle of bearing witness with as many of your fellow citizens as possible. It’s also a time to Stand Up and Speak Out.
Trump can’t hide his most serious illness by Nick J. Licata When critics suggest potential illnesses President Donald Trump might have, they point to evidence of a possible ailment. They notice bruises on his hands, swollen joints, dozing off during televised meetings, and his rambling, disjointed speeches. However, they never identify the one hallmark of a serious illness that he had shown even before he became president.
Book Review: Gender Outlaw by Kate Bornstein The first edition of Gender Outlaw, by author and performance artist Kate Bornstein, was published in 1994. A later edition of Gender Outlaw (the one I read) was published in 2016. I have no doubt that another edition might one day emerge. Gender Outlaw is a timeless classic that fills a much needed void. Kate Bornstein has said she wrote the book she had once wished someone had written for her. –Patricia Vaccarino
Book Review: The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint The momentum in this crime stopper, sort of whodunit, action-adventure is excellent. Even if you’re not a fan of magical realism or urban fantasy, you will enjoy the many variations of the fairies who dwell among us. –Patricia Vaccarino