Tag Archives: news

We Are All Immigrants

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After a stressful conversation today I wanted to clarify something in hopes that the person I spoke with understands why what she said to me made me unhappy. She didn’t like where my conversation was going when I argued with my friend. (We are friends but have differing opinions about things and can sometimes get a little loud. We will probably never agree about some things, but we continue to talk about it.) So, she kept sighing really loudly and interrupted our conversation because she didn’t like what I had to say. I am sad that something bad happened to one of her family members and I told her I was sorry for her loss. Unfortunately, she blames immigrants for all of her sadness on this subject, and blames them for all of our woes in this country. She thinks (her words, not mine) “they are all criminals” and should be “sent back.”

I am saddened that she has no place in her heart to understand that not every person that has been labeled  in a demeaning way as an immigrant is a bad person. After all, unless we are the indigenous people of North America, we ALL came from somewhere else, albeit mostly Europe, but other countries as well. And we as original transplants weren’t all white people. There are many colors of people who came here with hopes and dreams of a society that accepts them for what they are: hard workers who want a safe place to live. We should embrace that all people should be welcome here. It’s the fearmongering people in office who keep stirring it up that the current immigrants are all bad people and so many of us believe this lie.

Immigrants often get a bad reputation due to a combination of factors including negative stereotypes, fear of economic competition, cultural anxieties, political rhetoric, and the use of inflammatory language. Fearmongers continue to paint immigrants as a threat to national identity, jobs, and social cohesion, even when these perceptions are not based on reality. Let’s break that down a little. Here are some key reasons why immigrants might be negatively perceived:
Cultural anxieties: Differences in language, customs, and religion can lead to concerns about cultural assimilation and a perceived loss of national identity, especially when immigration waves are large or from diverse backgrounds. 

Political rhetoric: Politicians often use anti-immigrant rhetoric to mobilize certain voter bases, which can contribute to negative perceptions of immigrants. 

Media portrayal: Certain media outlets might focus on negative stories related to immigration, further reinforcing negative stereotypes. 

Labeling and terminology: Using terms like “illegal immigrant” or “alien” can dehumanize individuals and contribute to negative perceptions. 

Historical prejudices: Past waves of immigration have sometimes been associated with social problems, leading to lingering negative associations with certain immigrant groups. 

I know some of you don’t want to hear it but I will continue to point out inaccuracies about what you say in public. I hope that I will help you realize that not all immigrants are the same. They come from diverse cultures and backgrounds, and just like us, they have different skills and motivations. They want a good life for them and their families in their countries, but cannot get it because of government corruption or other factors that harm them. I will continue to point out the positive impact of immigration. Research has shown that immigrants can contribute significantly to the economy by starting businesses, filling labor shortages, and boosting innovation. I will continue to combat negative stereotypes by promoting accurate information to you, even when you have closed your mind to possibilities. The best way to combat fear and prejudice and challenge harmful stereotypes of these folks, is to not only promote accurate information, but highlight positive immigrant stories, and use inclusive language when talking to each other. I hope you can overcome your fears and stop condemning an entire group of people who are not so different than you.

And that’s the story for today. I still love you all and feel your pain, but this fear must stop. We cannot continue to pass on misinformation among ourselves. We have to take charge and do what we can, one person, and one day at a time. We have to care about each other once again, no matter what we hear from others. I’ll do my best to help everyone. Can you say the same thing?

Lemons and Legacy

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It doesn’t seem like these two things are related, but hear me out. I went to lunch and afterwards went to swim in the pool. I was thinking about my baking and how I was going to send my kiddo some of the chai shortbread. And then I thought, “Ooh, the lemon shortbread is also good and I should bake those, too!” Which of course led me to, “I’ve gotta put that on the grocery list.” So, here I am making that mental list. Then, I sang our choir songs for a while, (I water walk/swim for an hour), and then my thoughts moved on to: “Why do we think lemons are a metaphor for bad things?” (This is my brain exercise and I have been turning into Sheldon from Big Bang Theory for years!)

The word lemon brings thoughts of something being poor, bad, or broken, or giving an unsatisfactory answer. Lemon symbolizes something that looks sweet but is bitter to the taste so that could mean negativity, disappointment, betrayal, or a bad or bitter experience. Finally lemon can be a metaphor for a defective product, for example a car that looks good on the outside but has significant flaws or problems underneath.

Next, I started thinking about the news (Pod Save America hosts were on Colbert last night) and thus my thoughts went a little downhill from there.

Over these last few days, the news has been somewhat abysmal, yet there are some highlights that I have been contemplating about, such as the loss of two great men in my lifetime, one more recent than the other – Martin Luther King and President Jimmy Carter. They left a legacy that will be hard for anyone to follow.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s greatest achievements include leading the civil rights movement, organizing nonviolent protests, and delivering his famous I Have a Dream speech at the march on Washington in 1963. The speech called for an end to segregation and racism in the United States.
-He was a leader of the modern American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, organizing and leading marches and boycotts.
-He was a catalyst for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
-He organized nonviolent protests, advocating for nonviolent methods.
-King led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a nonviolent protest that lasted over a year.
-He refused to allow violence, prison, or the threat of death to sway his goals. 
-In 1964, King became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

I was young when the civil rights riots took place, but growing up in the south you were exposed to that hatred and fear so it was absorbed into your very bones. I believed in Dr. King’s fight and contemplated how I might make a difference in the future. The injustices that occurred back then cannot be undone, and yet some of us learned that if we kept fighting, one neighborhood at a time, we could help others who didn’t look like us get the justice they deserved. Some of us still have hate in our hearts, but I will continue to strive to overcome that hate in others every day that I am on this earth. I commit small acts of kindness every day and that’s what I can do right now. I believe in Martin Luther King’s legacy. His message and model have reminded us over the years how to combat inequality today. 

Jimmy Carter might not have been the greatest president, but he made great strides. Here are some of the facts about him:
-As president, Carter pardoned all Vietnam draft evaders and negotiated several major foreign policy agreements, including the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, and he established diplomatic relations with China. He also confronted stagflation.
-As president, he set out to increase human and social services. He created the Department of Education, bolstered the Social Security system, and appointed record numbers of women, blacks, and Hispanics to Government jobs. In foreign affairs, Carter set his own style.
-After his presidency, President Carter emerged as a champion of human rights and worked for several charitable causes. He and his wife Rosalynn traveled as freelance ambassadors all over the world to help others. In 1982, he established the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights, which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections and further the eradication of infectious diseases. Their dedication to eradicating Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) was exemplary. Under his championship cases dropped from 3.5 million in the mid-1980s to just eleven cases so far in 2024.
-Additionally, Carter worked with Habitat for Humanity International, an organization that works worldwide to provide housing for underprivileged people. Through such projects, Carter has maintained a high profile; he was often seen on television, wielding a hammer, and helping with Habitat home construction or providing his opinions on the issues of the day.

I grew up in Georgia and remembered visiting his hometown when I was young. I never met him, but people loved him. I campaigned and voted for him when I was in college and was so proud people listened to me and also voted for him. His legacy inspired me to give to needy causes such as Habitat for Humanity, and volunteer and work on various local projects over the years.

So when we Lemons need to change our image (and thoughts, and actions…), we need to make lemonade and create our own legacy. Life may give you lemons every day, but you can make your own lemonade (or lemon melt-away shortbread cookies!) and find your way to overcome the challenges presented to you and keep a positive attitude no matter what happens. Do something great every day. Forgive and be happy with the accomplishments you’ve made in your lifetime so far. Achieve your lifelong dream no matter how old you are and forget about the naysayers and crazies for a little while because no one that I know of can predict my future. I love you all and send you warm wishes!

It Takes a Village

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The phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” is believed to be an African proverb (although there is no hard evidence to the fact). This thought conveys the idea that a community is needed to provide a safe and healthy environment for children. It means that many people, or a “village,” are needed to help children grow and develop, and to realize their potential. This became a popular movement in the 1992-2000 under the Clinton administration as well as once again in 2008-2016 during the Obama administration. Both Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama embraced this idea and took it to great heights, creating programs and many opportunities that helped families and especially the children of those families.

But what I like about this proverb is how it has expanded into other meanings over the last two decades. There is now an essential idea that the village supports the people who live there, creating a like-minded community. Each community has its own life force, some through community or recreation and senior centers, some through town halls, and some through various churches. People can create change through their communities if they work together. Through their collective responsibility, they can share the enormous undertakings in cities as a team. They create the place they want to live and thrive when they create a peaceful environment. You heard the old adage: Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork. Our community believes this and tries to help change the things that need changing (well, with a minimum of complaining, which is okay, too).

I truly believe that no one is meant to do life alone. My village of friends has expanded over the years. For me it’s a lot of the folks at our Recreation and Senior Center through the programs I am currently involved in. For a long time I was adrift. I have other friends, but now I think I have found my new people. They offer me guidance, practical help, and sometimes just a safe place to share my thoughts and feelings.

For more information I encourage you to read and process these great books:
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s book: It Takes a Village
Michelle Obama’s book: Becoming and workbook Overcoming

So, be aware that we need you in 2025 to help us all get through what life will throw at us!
And recognize that it does take a village so thanks for being part of ours (even if it’s building Legos together to create the ideal village)! I love you all and I send you a big kiss. Happy Holidays!

We’re Not Worthy!

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Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar once said, “We’re Not Worthy!” to Alice Cooper, their all-time heavy metal rock star idol, in their movie, Wayne’s World. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey played this Saturday Night Live couple. Their skit was about their basement-living days and their talk show and their special reverence for all the iconic musicians. These musicians also rocked my world back in the day.

Music has kept me sane all these years. When I hear a song that takes me back to my teen years, I pause a little bit and bring it all in. For example, last night I heard Linda Ronstadt’s Blue Bayou on Origins series about Leroy Jethro Gibbs. This show was about his prior NIS days before his NCIS career. It took me way back, to traveling out here in my little Toyota through the Louisiana night. My body shook recalling those vivid memories.

Those ballads as well as those heavy metal base beats reverberate through me every time that I hear them play on the radio. I don’t get the same sense of place when I hear the newer music. I have not been to the places, both mentally and physically, that people younger than me have been to. And since music moves a person mentally and physically, and your perspective as an older person is different, you must actively choose to understand the space where a younger person is right now. So, I don’t discount the current music, I just must learn to appreciate it differently. No matter what style of music, I am trying to embrace the new sounds to understand the angst and soul of the new generation.

Your body will always move to the sounds you grew up with and memories will flood back to the times and places you have been. I never lived in my parents’ basement like Wayne and Garth (because for one thing we didn’t have a basement; Hey! it was Georgia) because that wasn’t what my generation did. We had fewer choices on how to live – get married or go out and do something with ourselves out in the world…. Believe me, I broke the norm, but many of us just wanted to get away from out past and try to make the world a better place.

Parents were less understanding about you wanting to live at home back in those days. It was okay if you were an unmarried woman, but a young man was considered a deadbeat. Sad, but true. Although so many of us women couldn’t wait to get away from our mother’s choking embrace, we didn’t have as many options as men. Our parents thought they were protecting us, but so many of us felt stifled. Today, children are allowed to stay at home after college until they get on their feet. I am a fan of this understanding but only to a point. As I tell my kiddo, “Honey, I love you, but I don’t want a 30-year-old living in the basement! So, finish college and get on with your life!”

There are many things that have changed today, and you can’t just live in a tent across the country like I did in the old days. I wasn’t considered part of the homeless population and made to “move along.” Money will always be an issue, but our children must eventually figure it out and live within their means. Even if it means having lots of roommates to share the costs. They can follow in Wayne and Garth’s footsteps and have their own podcasts, just in their own basements!

So, if you have talent and can follow in those iconic musicians’ footsteps, you are indeed worthy! You will make a mark on the world. It will be a glorious sound, and I will be proud to listen and dance to the beat of your vastly different drum!

Listen to Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Jim Croce, Linda Ronstadt, Coldplay and Toploader and appreciate all the older genres of music. Learn from the past and incorporate what the future will hold for all of us.

To conclude this unusual posting, I am asking you to move with effort towards the gentle side of yourself and move to joy unfolding. Encourage yourself to be less afraid and open to change. Then take a seat. Be still and listen to others purposefully, completely and engaged.

For a fun remembrance of Wayne’s World, visit the Guardian and read this article:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/aug/17/i-once-would-have-been-embarrassed-by-my-love-for-waynes-world-but-no-longer

LIFE IS AN EDUCATION-Reflections from School in the 1960s-Part I

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I think it’s important to expand a little more about my school years and the importance of community, the current events of the time, and of math and science. I grew up in a tumultuous time in this rural county in the south. My pre-college school years were from 1961-1972. It was a time of discovery and baby steps into space. It was a time of transformation from the man-centeredness or anthropocentricity (as Edward Abbey called it in his book, Desert Solitaire). Abbey was right when he advocated that the world did not exist solely for the sake of humankind. The two key events that expanded this opinion into depths we had never seen before were the race riots and space exploration. Our civilization was changing whether we liked it or not.

At first, my small rural community didn’t experience as much racial tension as was occurring in the larger schools such as Atlanta, Savannah, Macon, and in the bigger cities in the mid-west and up north. However, the general opinion among most adults and many of their children was zero tolerance for differing opinions among the races and the sexes. Most people in positions of power would have preferred that we remain as we had for the past two hundred years, since the inception of the colonial states.

Some of the earliest horrible memories of high school were listening to the male students in high school trying to impress me with their tales of chasing down Black men and hurting them. They followed their parents’ lead and would chase these Black students into the woods, in the middle of the night, and unceasingly beat them – sometimes beating them to death – with sticks and chains. We were afraid to speak up in case we got burned out. We saw it on the TV, the burning of churches and crosses.There were talks of hanging these same men in front of their families. Those were the memories that stick out of my early education years, and the people I grew up with.

I had vastly different opinions about who was a part of our community. I believed back then and still believe today that everyone should be treated equally and fairly. Thus, the few friends I had in elementary school dwindled to a minimum, since I didn’t believe in what they did.

My school was the only school in my small rural county. Since it was one school for the whole county, one simply moved up the hall to high school. There were two schools, one for people of color, and one for whites. We didn’t see complete integration until 1971, my junior year in high school.

I suppose I could say I was a crusader, an early civil rights activist, in the south for rights of all people – especially women, people of color and anyone who the southern white male felt was inferior to them. I wasn’t a physical demonstration-type of person, but I continued to write about it in my high school reports as well as to the local paper about what was going on in the world and how we should just Wake Up!

It’s hard to believe how far we still must go and how racism and women’s rights have vanished vigorously in these past few years. I have believed in women’s rights since my birth, but I didn’t like the harshness of the feminist movement. You cannot hate the entire male race for what they believe. Unfortunately, that’s the way they grew up and so many women bowed to that way of thinking. We made some changes, and now it seems to be reversing. I still believe that everyone must learn by doing. I felt that if you did an exceptionally excellent job, didn’t do inappropriate things with men to climb your way up the ladder and expect respect as a result (this was a popular at the time to get promotions through side benefits), that you could do anything. I did learn that from my naivete, I didn’t get as many promotions, but I tried to stay on the path and do the best job I could in the circumstances presented to us. I had to come home and respect me no matter what others said.

I always kept that idealistic belief of how the world should really be in my mind throughout all the struggling times. I continue to work towards that ideal today. We must get beyond that deep-seated prejudice that will rise up inside us when we are afraid. We are ready to unite in one cause to keep our loved ones safe, our fellow human beings alive, our environment clean, and reach for the stars.

We must help everyone, no matter their race or who they represent. We should unite in one cause to keep our loved ones safe, our environment clean, and reach for the stars.

To be continued tomorrow……

I love you all and want you to be happy! Hugs and Kisses!

Battling Prejudice: A Unique Fantasy Narrative

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“The more you are marginalized by society, the more society guilts you into doing more. You become fearful of being labeled lazy.” – Jaiya John

“When we see injustices, both great and small, we think, That’s terrible, but we do nothing. We say nothing. We let other people fight their own battles. We remain silent because silence is easier.” – Roxane Gay

Each person is unique in every way and yet we ignore and hate those who are not exactly like us. My books focus on those who are different from anyone else in society, those who are considered marginalized people, not because they are like those who are marginalized in the current real world due to race, gender, religion, or any other earthly prejudice, but because of their mental abilities and magical powers. This unique group is being hunted on earth, and the non-human off-world creatures want to capture them for their own powerful agenda. The off-world folks do not care about anyone else who lives on the planet and will destroy all people who get in their way.

So, I thought I would present you with a teaser chapter from my next book to ponder what the possibilities are that are beyond our everyday prejudices and the world we currently live in today. The final book of the Caitlin Ferguson Mysteries is set fifteen years in the future and goes beyond our earthly worries.

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 35, titled The Storyteller:

We remember what it was like before the rifts. How we were blamed for everything. We remember how we were feared and treated badly, like a disease that needed to be eliminated. Some of us didn’t make it, but the ones that survived made their way to the farm. Katie took us in, and we protected her and her kin. We know what we must do to keep this place safe. We learn so we can fight for her.

I am worried about the state of the world and what it has become. Even though we don’t have any contact with the media blitz about how bad our people are in the world, we feel the hate of those who don’t understand us, even here, in our protected bubble. It is easier to hate an entire marginalized group than fix an existing problem. What normal people don’t know is that they are currently the marginalized people to the off-worlders. The new invading unearthly force wants to wipe out most of the normal human race for the betterment of their race. And they want to capture us to forward their agenda. Kinda funny to face that reality right now, huh?

But the story must be told in case anyone is left on the planet and history repeats itself once again in the aftermath. We will fight and die if necessary to keep the little ones safe. We will fight to get them off-world into a safe space. And we will fight and die to help all the normal people as well, even though they hate us. It is in our nature to protect others at all costs, no matter how much they hate us.

New Age Meets Modern-Day Preppers – The World is Changing

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New Age: People seeking to cultivate a more peaceful way of living and an elevated conscious experience. These folks also believe in a New Age of heightened spiritual consciousness, international peace, and an end to racism, poverty, sickness, hunger, and war.

When I was young and finally on my own, I embraced the “New Age” Movement. I focused on how I would improve myself in other ways than just believing in something outside and intangible. I admit I bought into the hype of products for a while. My love of rocks had me purchasing so many crystals that my house is full of them. It also took me to so many classes taught by the various self-proclaimed shamans and gurus. I loved the messages and tried to live my life a little better than my co-workers and friends. I wanted to try and pass on the message of the New Age theology to others in hopes of creating a better world in which we live. I liked the idea of inclusivity and acceptance of all personal perspectives on the divine being equally valid.

I recently read an article in the November Costco Magazine about a guy who is trying to do the same things I am doing, speaking to others with “A Thankful Heart.” The article featured writer/motivational speaker David George Brooke. Although I practice the positive self-talk and journal most days, I want to work on the more “doing” side of things.

Recently, it has been the “I got mine, and to hell with you!” mentality, and I despair of that Prepper/Survivor mentality. Sure, we are all preppers in a way when we bulk buy at the local Costco, and we want our family to survive any catastrophe. But it is also a good thing to give half of your purchases to those in need. That is where the New Age teachings come into play. Something good can come out of every disaster.

If you are interested in my perspective on the “Worst Case Scenario,” see the post with this title from February 2, 2021: https://drutieben.com/2021/02/02/worst-case-scenario/

WORST CASE SCENARIO

It is a pandemic rant about what could happen in the future. It was a little long, and a little negative, but I was going through what everyone else was – experiencing trauma. While I am still working on the grand conclusion of the Caitlin Ferguson Mysteries, Book III (hopefully published this year!) this blog still rings true of what we are experiencing right now (well, not the lock-in, but you know what I mean).

So be prepared, but with caution. Do not buy into the media hype about what you need to survive. Wake up! Get involved with your community and help those in need. I will constantly be repeating this in future blog posts. Be kind to yourself as well as other people. Tell others how grateful you are to have them in your life. And let me know what you have been doing of late to better yourself and others. Thanks!