Why I March

I'm a retired teacher but I haven't stopped asking questions. Are we still holding minors in detention centers to satisfy the bloodlust of a vile apparatchik? Do millions of kids go to school everyday wondering if today’s the day they’ll be gunned down by a white male lunatic?   Are their schools grossly underfunded but expected to arm teachers? Are unarmed black men still being shot in cold blood by police officers and vigilantes while sex crimes, trafficking, and domestic violence that affect women disproportionally go uninvestigated, unpunished, and unreported?   Is cruelty the point of domestic and international policy because doing the intelligent, compassionate thing is too complicated for the Republican base? Are “know-nothing” politicians and their corporate cronies destroying the conditions for multicellular life on the planet? Do we trample our First Nations peoples shouting "America First" BS? Must mothers continue to teach their daughters ...

Bold plans are in the works for the 2019 Women’s March, to occur on Sat., January 19, 1 p.m., at the Prescott Courthouse Plaza. The first order of business at a recent leadership meeting was to rename Women’s March On Prescott  Yavapai County Women March On.  The new moniker better reflects where those who  have marched with us throughout 2018 reside. The predicate “March On” links the group to national March On , a 501(c)(4) organization formed after the 2017 Women’s March “to coordinate concrete actions at the federal, state, and local level through the joint efforts of millions of marchers.” Yavapai County Women March On is  that local level and we intend to build a strong grassroots coalition of pro-women, anti-authoritarian marchers in our county that will fight for concrete improvements in women’s lives here and everywhere.  The new mission statement of YCWMO puts it like this:  "Millions of us marched in 2017 and 2018. We resi...

I got some good news yesterday, news about a project I've been working on continuously for almost six years. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to feel whole again, what with feeling like my values and ideals have been whirled in a Vitamix since November 2016. It's tempting to take the day off to savor my moment. Independence Day. Barbecues. Lawn chairs. TV fireworks, since even the Chamber of Commerce concedes that setting off bombs in bone dry forests can be too costly. On my morning walk I noticed that most of my neighbors are flying American flags in their yards. What sentiments lie behind these displays? National pride? Respect for the Constitution, the Commander-in-Chief, or the military? Do all these Stars and Stripes convey Love it or Leave it patriotism? How strongly do my countrymen fear what the Joneses will think if the national colors don't fly in their yard on a day meant to celebrate the love of liberty? For some the flags are probably just gard...