Tag: mother

Posted on

3,024 Vs. 480,000

#NotMyPresident Trump enacted an executive order on Friday banning or delaying entry to the USA for seven predominantly Muslim countries. Effective immediately. And it includes LEGAL green card carrying immigrants. I don’t even know where to start with this nonsense.

Ok, while it’s enormously important, let us set aside the fact that he has (without notice) separated children from parents, husbands from wives, employees from jobs. Let’s not mention that not one American citizen has been killed on American soil by a radical terrorist from any of those seven countries. ZERO. And forget about the fact that the four countries from that region that are predominantly Muslim, AND are the source countries for all of the radical Islamic terrorists since September 11th, are also countries with which DT has business dealings. Forget all of that “nonsense” and consider this:

According to research conducted at the Cato Institute, between 1975 and 2015, 3,024 Americans have been killed on American soil by 88 foreign-born terrorists. 2,996 of the 3,024 were casualties of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, which was carried out by 19 terrorists from 4 countries NOT currently banned.

Let’s do some quick math, shall we? Let’s say all 88 of the foreign-born terrorists mentioned above are radical Muslim extremists (they aren’t). There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, so 88 of them represents 0.0000005.5% of the Muslim population. Remember, that’s over a 40 year period.

According to the CDC, in 2015 alone, there were 12,979 intentional homicides with a firearm. The population of the United States is 323 million.

Viewed another way, those approximately 12,000 firearm deaths per year in the same 40 year period add up to 480,000 lives extinguished on American soil by guns.

3,024 deaths vs 480,000 deaths. What is the real threat?

#RESIST

Posted on

RESIST for 3 Minutes Per Day

Think you don’t have enough time to make a difference in today’s political climate? If you can find even 3 minutes, then you’ve got what you need. In that 3 minutes, make one phone call. Call one of the two senators for your state and let them know how you feel on your topic of the day. For instance, let them know that you’re concerned about the nomination of Betsy Devos and ask them to oppose the confirmation.

The experience varies from day to day, but the script is essentially the same:

Hi my name is _______________, I’m a constituent from {your state and county}  and I”m calling to express my concern about ____________. I can be reached at {your phone number or email} . Thank you for your time.

Sometimes you’ll only be talking to a voicemail, other times you’ll get a real person. Just say you have a message of concern for whomever you’re calling and they will say they are happy to pass along the message. Then start your script.

202-224-3121 is the number to call to find out who your representatives are, if you’re unsure. Give them your zip code +4 and they will be able to connect you to a senator from your state or your district representative.

If you live in Ohio, you can call our senators directly by using these numbers:

Sherrod Brown (D) – 202-224-2315

Rob Portman (R) – 202-224-3353

My district representative here in Ohio is Jim Renacci (R), if you live in his district, he can be reached at 202-225-3876.

I put all three of those numbers into my favorites list on my phone.  It takes just minutes out of my day, but if we all make those calls every day, they will (hopefully) be more likely to listen.

Posted on

#WhyIMarch – Because I’m raising daughters

It wasn’t my plan to post today, but I’ve been inspired to write. The #whyImarch hashtag has been very important to myself and all of the other women and men who attended the WMW last weekend. All 2.9 million of us may not have agreed on all of the issues called out in the platform, but we all showed up in solidarity to oppose what we believe is wrong.

One of the signs that has showed up in my social media repeatedly, that I am paraphrasing, said “Things must be really bad, even the introverts are out here”. This one hits home for me because I have severe social anxiety, especially when it involves large crowds of people. It was a rough day, and I had a few bad moments, but I never once considered leaving.

Another sign that became one of my favorites said “I am out here protesting so my daughters won’t have to.” That is why I stayed. I want my daughters to grow up in a country where they can love whomever they choose and that their love will be celebrated equally. I want them to know that no matter what other people try to tell them, their bodies are their own and only THEY get to make the decisions. I want them to know that their mother fought for the notion that sexual assault is UNACCEPTABLE and should be dealt with immediately and with harsh, life-altering consequences for the perpetrator. I want them to grow up to be strong, powerful, intelligent women because they were raised by strong, powerful, intelligent women who taught them that they should never allow themselves to be treated as second class citizens.

I really, really wish we could clean this mess up before my daughters have to get involved. But I also really, really wish that my daughters become passionate enough about a cause to jump in and do something about it. I’ve decided to lead by example. My wish for them is peace. But if that just isn’t in the cards, then my wish for them is strength and compassion in the face of adversity.