In the Matrix

Too often,I think I live in a sort of matrix, enveloped by something alien that's trying to force-feed me its version of current events--while my common sense is telling me otherwise. In the United States, there are two big propaganda machines, each grinding out its own version of The Truth: the one promoted by rabid conservatives and the one favored by the Biden crowd. Their propaganda machines are the Mainstream Media, the pundits on TV, talk radio and the print outlets who widely disseminate views on either side. There's Fox on the extreme right, MSNBC (supposedly) on the left. There's the New York Post on the right and the New York Times on the left. And so on, down the line. Sane consumers reject rabid conservative Republican views, but find little comfort in modern Democratic attitudes. That's because both Republicans and Democrats are in the pockets of the rich. The Democrats in charge are really corporate conservatives, more interested in keeping their donors happy than in meeting the needs of the little people who voted them in. They'll say things that sound progressive, then do nothing to promote true liberal goals: affordable housing and education, decent laboral conditions, fair pricing, fair wages, reproductive choice, voting freedom, gun control and health care for all. Democrats in power say that they are "centrists", and that centrism is the only way to pacify Republicans and dissuade them from trying to destroy the Democratic Party. They claim "extreme" liberalism--or what's needed to right socioeconomic injustices in this country--will only frighten Republicans into further hostility. And so, their main struggle has been to foil progressives within the Democratic party, instead of battling the Republican thrust to take over this country. Except for senators Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachussetts), the stars of the progressive movement are people of color, most notably, representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Ayana Pressley (Massachussetts) and Rashida Tlalib (Michigan). These women, known as The Squad, have been effectively silenced by centrist Democratic heavyweights the likes of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. So "Centrist" becomes just another word for "conservative", make no mistare. And when you hear the term "both sides", you are really listening to a camouflaged conservative argument because we all know that there's only one side, the side of truth and justice. And the truth is that there's no justice for average Americans struggling to survive on many fronts while the current Democratic leadership does nothing about it. There's no profit in it for our "leaders" ; it's been that way for decades, Clinton was Republican Lite, and Obama was all flash and no substance. And supposedly liberal mainstream media only parrots the corporate Democrat view, so forget THEM. If you want the truth unvarnished by politics, you have to resort to the independent YouTubers who freely voice their indignation at what's going on. And if you want solutions to the popular plight, don't look to Washington. Start building a liberal movement from the ground up. Start mobilizing to elect true liberals to state and local office. There's some indication it's already happening. In the recent primaries, true progressive candidates swept by corporate Democrats with much larger war chests. Of course, the mainstream media didn't mention it, but there are stirrings of a mass movement that's trying to break out of the informational matrix we've been dozing in for so long.Let's hope the trend continues.

US Latinas: Pro abortion, or no?

Depends on who you ask, I guess. The churro peddler in the subway might think differently from a staff interpreter at the United Nations; we're a varied bunch. They say that, as devout Catholics, most Latinas in the US reject abortion. They say that recent Latina immigrants oppose abortion more than do US-born Latinas. They say a lot of things. Yet, the numbers paint a clear picture: most US abortions are obtained by minority women. In Texas, Latinas are 74% of women getting abortions. The Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights think tank, states that the abortion rate among US Latinas is double the rate among white women.

This is because Latinas are more likely to have unintended pregnancies. My own perspective on the subject of abortion is based on personal contacts. Most Latinas I know have a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude towards abortion. Latinas get abortions, they just don't talk about it-- and they don't believe in imposing their views on anyone else. Latinas seem to believe in choice. They also compartmentalize their beliefs: you can have an abortion one day; attend church the next. This is not hypocrisy; they just don't see these things as related. And abortion has been commonplace for generations. My mother had one just as we were getting ready to leave Cuba for the US. Our family faced an uncertain future in a new country;mom already had 3 children, a baby would've made things even worse. I myself had an abortion just after I'd moved to New York with my brand new bridegroom. We were struggling newlyweds in a strange city; we couldn't afford a baby. Mind you, this is not some angst-ridden confession; I have never endured a day's worth of guilt in my life. On the contrary, I was relieved that I'd dodged such a bullet. I've never felt that I'd "killed a baby"; to me, a cluster of cells with a faint heartbeat, unable to live outside the womb, is not a "baby". I did feel as though I'd been vacuumed clean from the inside out, and I didn't menstruate for two months, which was fine by me. Other than that,my abortion was uneventful, painless, and probably safer than actually giving birth years later. That was like being run over by a truck several times over 12 hours of labor that left me a weakened, bleeding mess with some of my innards pushed sideways. So it's not just liberal propaganda, it's actually true: a well -performed abortion is safer than vaginal birth or a c-section. Which brings us to the main reason for this blog: the current reality that the US Supreme Court has overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, making it almost impossible to obtain legal abortion in about half of the United States. This will heavily affect poor minority women who can't afford to travel to states where abortion is legal. They will be forced to have unwanted babies or seek dangerous, back-alley abortions. But for white conservatives, what's the point of cancelling Roe? Do they really want to be inundated with unwanted brown babies? I think not. Currently making the rounds of fascism is the infamous "replacement" theory, where whites fear they'll be "replaced" by minorities due to their rapidly growing numbers.The unofficial immigration "policies" being enacted to counter these fears are as shocking as they are insidious. To begin with, US authorities have been waving in rosy-cheeked Ukrainians at the US/Mexico border while holding off the much darker-skinned Latinos. I guess whites are hoping to expand the nation's dwindling pool of white genes by welcoming unlimited numbers of Ukrainians. This is not new, other countries have tried it with varying degrees of success. The policy (obviously) failed in Cuba. But Argentina turned itself into a Caucasian nation by letting in only immigrants from Europe during the last century. In fact, Argentina used to have a small Black population which simply disappeared over time.To date,nobody knows where they went. I doubt, however, that they were forcibly sterilized into oblivion-- precisely what's happening to certain populations of US minorities. The forced sterilization of black and brown inmates (some men, but mostly women)in prisons and immigration detention centers is a common, but little known practice rooted in the eugenics movement. (Yes, we're talking about the US in this century. NOW. They'll try to tell you this infamous practice ended sonetime in the 1960's, but it still goes on). From 2006 to 2010, 148 female inmates were illegally sterilized at two California prisons)The practice disproportionately affects Latinos, Blacks and Native Americans, who are more likely than whites to be institutionalized. Typically, detainees who request minor medical treatment are sterilized during these routine procedures without their knowledge or consent. Those who protest risk deportation, solitary confinement,or any number of other punitive measures,depending on where they're being held. Lack of institutional oversight facilitates the abuse while cloaking it from public view. As with abortion rights, the US Supreme Court has been a major player in the sterilization drama. In 1927, the US Supreme Court ruled that "public welfare may require preventing unfit individuals from reproducing",in one of its most infamous rulings,Buck v. Bell. The Supreme Court has never expressly overturned Buck v. Bell. (In 1942, Skinner v. Oklahoma didn't specifically overturn Buck, it only ended "punitive" sterilization of felons, not sterilization of the "mentally ill"--and it required a "compelling state interest" and close scrutiny of each case, in forced sterilization. Big loopholes.)According to the National Women's Law Center, 31 states still allow forced sterilization! Maybe instead of overturning Roe v. Wade, which is, after all, about freedom of choice (and no doubt helps keep the number of black and brown babies in check without forcing anybody's hand)the Supreme Court should overturn Buck v. Bell. Stop forcibly sterilizing minority men and women and instead,let individals regulate their own reproducive choices.

When forbidden fruit turns sour

The latest crime that titillates New York City news media has unfolded like a cautionary tale for bored housewives or husbands who keep trophy mates.A Queens mother of two got herself killed by the Latino handyman with whom she'd been having an affair. After two years, she wanted to dump him and he'd have none of it. He started texting threats to her husband and kids. So she stuck a note on her fridge, casually reminding herself to "get a new handyman". A few days later she was dead. She argued with the handyman and he stabbed her to death. A charmed life cut short. She was a blonde beauty who at 51 looked 31, thanks no doubt to the ministrations of beauticians,dieticians, plastic surgeons, personal trainers, tennis pros and masseurs. She lived in a $2 million dollar home in an affluent suburb of Queens, courtesy of a rich and handsome husband whose Jewish last name she didn't take. Though the headlines lovingly mention her as a "Queens mom", she led a double life. She strove to maintain a respectable façade while also enjoying a Walk on the Wild Side, an exciting fling with an untamed brute. But this ended her life and brought public grief and shame to her loved ones. Did her husband know? At least suspect? Was he turning a blind eye on what he considered a casual fling? Maybe. After all, it was all happening under his nose. Is this like blaming the victim? Sure, though that doesn't make it any less true. She didn't deserve what happened to her--she did help bring it on. And what woman wouldn't want everything this one had and threw away with both hands? The killer was caught and he'll get his comeuppance, but that won't undo the tragedy he helped cause. He can be viewed as just scum who acted like scum because that's what scum does. At 44, he lived with his wife (yes, he was married,too) and two kids in a shack in a working class neighborhood of Queens.He did odd jobs for a living. Then he met this magic creature from a different world, got a taste of privilege, wanted more, and became obsessed with her. He was enraged when she eventually, inevitably tried to discard him. This was not some docile boy-toy, and ignoring that was her undoing. He erupted in all manner of dark passions fueled by jealousy, spite, and a wounded macho psyche she probably did not understand or count on, having no cultural point of reference for it.

Any Latina could have told her she was playing with fire. The headlines are full of Latinas killed by lovers or ex husbands in public housing or barrio street corners. In our culture, we know very well what spiteful men are capable of. She should've known better, but she unfortunately didn't.

Orwellian tales in the USA

What I'm going to write about has been abruptly dwarfed by the sudden possibility of global annihilation through nuclear war. Why worry about our country's internal problems when soon we might have no country? Well, maybe because some things need to be said--and now time is of the essence. We can sympathize with Ukraine's struggle against Russia. We can and should, send them aid and welcome their refugees with open arms and cheer their fighters on from the sidelines. But at the same time, we cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into some wag-the-dog scheme that will mask our domestic problems and give fumbling American politicians a pass. I hear that 51% of Americans believe our country is in a recession or a depression. I see pro-Biden pundits and politicians pooh - pooh that, claiming the economy is better than ever. Yeah, but for whom? The much-touted opportunities are lowly service, sales, manual or clerical jobs. Crap jobs with scant pay and no benefits. One hears rumors about obligatory overtime enforced with lockdowns, and prohibition against bathroom breaks in some places. The corporations have responded to workers walking out on crap jobs, not by improving salaries and conditions, but by making them worse. Now big employers contract with recruiting agencies to find their labor force. People are hired through these recruiting agencies without benefits or a guarantee of job stability. Because officially,when you sign on, you'll work for the recruiting agency-- not the corporation that actually uses your services.All the legal loopholes in these arrangements make the concept of corporate employment like a sieve. A joke. You never stay

long enough in any one place to claim benefits or raises, because your "job" officially ends every three months, and then it 's out the door,or on to another gig, where you're a new employee all over again. That's the "wonderful, expanding" job market that we're "enjoying" now,according to politicians and the mainstream media. But nobody tells you the truth about matters "on the ground", as war correspondents like to say. That, you have to find out for yourself. Unfortunately, There's enough dissembling in the air to keep the entire Morality Fact-Checking Police busy. Alas, everyone -- Republicans,Democrats,the media on both sides-- lies about everything, and it's up to smart, alert citizens to figure out the truth by reading between warped lines. I'll say it again: we're on our own, folks. Take, for example, the Ministry of Truth's sanitizing of the Covid pandemic. There again, pundits and politicians are claiming that everything's hunky-dory tickety-boo. Perched like sweet sirens on sharp rocks, they spin promises meant as soothing music for the beleaguered majorities: "Covid's all gone. Take off your masks. Go hug a stranger. You're safe.NOW GET BACK TO WORK!" We, the huddled masses,are the ones who turn the wheels of industry and commerce that keep elites fat and happy. The privileged and their mouthpieces NEED for Covid to end ipso facto so they can go back to guzzling grapes on the chaise, while the rest of us work to subsidize their lifestyles. But who will mind the kids while we slog? Let's just drag them back to those overcrowded schools-- and forget about masks. Never mind that the numbers of infection and deaths are still unacceptably high in the United States. What, almost 79 million cases in the past 30 days? Almost 948,000 deaths? These are CDC figures, is anyone paying attention? Somebody may be. The masses are not as stupid as the high establishment thinks. They can differentiate convenient lies from the truth and they 're voting with their feet. They refuse to go back to lousy jobs and they continue to take precautions against Covid, despite all the propaganda. Thank God for You Tubers, who can still sing out their version of truth unrestrained by commercial interests or Government supervision. This is the first time since the 60's that I've sensed stirrings of a mass movement beneath an oppressive status quo. Let's hope it turns into an earthquake.

A New York Story: My Subway Valentine

<

Of late, we're getting horrible news from the New York City subway: women getting pushed onto the tracks, with the expected, appalling results.(Lesson: never stand on the edge of the platform while waiting for a train.)The New York City subway must've been part of the punishment God had in mind when He condemned humanity to work for a living. Morning commutes are nightmares of biblical proportions. Every day, you fight your way onto crowded trains (or risk being late for work) while simultaneously dodging potential gropers. If you're a woman, you quickly learn to identify the types of male commuters most inclined to try and cop a feel (the ethnic-looking ones--of ANY ethnicity-- are good bets). Some of these guys even turn it into a sport, riding the train lines in loops, scouting for potential victims. Usually a target for such affronts, it never occurred to me that I could turn the tables and do something similar to a man on a train. But I have,I did, and if it bothered him, he didn't let on. It happened pre-pandemic, a couple of years ago. I was making my way home, after a bad day at work and a nasty encounter with a groper. He had rubbed his groin against my backside and flashed a ferocious grin when I turned around to see what I was dealing with. He looked like a homeless Buckwheat on steroids (or heroin, more likely). Homeless men are the ones attacking women on subways these days, BTW. NYPD take notice. But back to my story: not wanting to cause a commotion or gratify the creep with any shows of anger, I just edged away from him. But I had moved in front of a door, where there was nothing to grab onto for balance. And the train was packed. Directly behind me, holding on to a ceiling bar, was an Irish-looking old man, with the requisite tweed jacket, wool beret, and clear blue eyes. Almost without thinking, I did the unthinkable: I leaned sideways against the old man's chest. I don't know what possessed me, you must believe me when I tell you that I don't go around throwing myself at strange men in public transportation.

But as the old song goes, we all need somebody to lean on, and the tolerance of this stranger was the only thing keeping me upright on that train. The funny thing was, we didn't acknowledge each other during the entirety of that odd little moment in time.We pretended it wasn't happening. Another man might have grinned or pushed me away or tried to pick me up or touch me inappropriately, but this one did none of these things. Instead, he chose to be a gentleman, squaring his jaw and staring ahead with those steely blue eyes, while intermittently tensing and bracing himself to support my weight with every bump and jostle.(Mind you, I'm not exactly light).Was he pissed? I'll never know. I got off that train in a hurry, without saying goodbye. Or thanking him. But wherever he is, whoever he might be,I'll light a candle for him every Valentine's Day until the day I die. (Full disclosure: the gentleman in the above photo is not my savior of

the train,just someone who looks extraordinarily like him)