My thoughts on Ukraine.

By Silvia Uribe

A country is being reduced to rubbles in front of our eyes. The killing of thousands of people, the fear of children, not knowing why things are exploding around them, if they’re going to be safe, or wondering when they will see their father, their brother, their grandpa again. Women trying to save a new generation by fleeing to another country, to another life that they have no idea how will develop. It is like running towards a black hole. A force is taking them to where, as far as they can see now, awaits them with uncertainty, fear, responsibilities. They will have to face that future by themselves, most likely, with no other support except their two arms to work, and the hope that, life will be good again…for their children.

We, the international community are watching in disbelief, with horror, gasping at the images that leave us with a sense of impotence. What could we do? The U.S.A is giving Ukraine, as a country, humanitarian help already. Perhaps we are donating our hard-earned dollars to an organization or giving other in-kind donations. We are putting sanctions on a country ruled by a crazy, self-centered bas***d, whose mission is to conquer at any cost. But…is this enough? No. Obviously, it is not enough.

On the other hand, the international community keeps buying Russia’s fuel, and who knows in how many other ways we are helping this mad man to kill innocent people. At least the U.S. and Great Britain today declared that they gave the order to stop doing it, but what about the rest of the countries? We are so concerned about the “possible consequences” that those actions can cause our countries. Ukraine’s President, we heard him, is asking for the Allies to help him by protecting their sky, but we are afraid that this will make Putin madder and would try to invade other countries or start a nuclear war. Ukraine is asking for help with troops and weapons on the ground to reinforce what they’ve been doing so valiantly, and the international community keeps showing fear.

Can all countries be strategic about this? The only strategy, from my point of view, is to stop Russia now…today, it is to attack his troops while they are focused on attacking Ukraine. I have no military background, but if 90 percent of Russia’s troops are inside Ukraine, wouldn’t it be logical to get them there now? Or while they are in Ukraine, could we and our Allies nullify their nuclear plants bombard the Kremlin? We have Generals that are great strategic people. Let’s use their skills, please! It seems to me that we are very effectively playing cat and mouse, us being the mouse. Only one man is having the upper hand dictating to the rest of the world what he wants everyone else to do, and we are doing it in a submissive way. It is maddening.

I understand that no one wants a nuclear conflagration in which no one will win, but c’mon! Not offering the help that is really needed is as cruel as what Russia is doing. Someone once said this. “When someone asks you for help, if you can, provide the help they are asking for, not the help that that you want to offer. “

Just sitting in front of the T.V., being horrified, but going on with our normal lives seems inconceivable to me. No, we don’t need to start or participate in another war, no we don’t want to pay higher gas prices, no, we don’t want to take any more risks… but we need to get rid of this cancer called totalitarian Putin and finally do something effective to end Ukraine’s suffering, and to protect the world from him, once and for all. Otherwise, we all will be guilty; he as the invader and us, for our inaction.

Please, call or write to your Representatives in Congress and in your State, and urge them to convince our Allies to take real action now. The kind of action that will effectively save us all.

 

 

SO, WHAT NOW?

By Silvia Uribe

I must confess that I feel kind of lost, kind of empty, kind of afraid and kind of mad. Driving home earlier, and on the wake of the insurrection of January 6^th, which has taken days to sink-in. Having not been in this space before, I needed to understand it.

I feel lost because although all the writing was on the wall, I never expected to see what I saw that day. Not in the U.S. Not living in Santa Barbara, our share of paradise. I felt the same feeling I felt on 9/11 watching the violent images at the Capitol: incredulity, and yet, it was all real. I felt, like many others did, that this country was far from becoming one of those countries in which a nut-head gets to power and never wants to leave it, placing his country and its people in the verge or extreme hunger, and constant social unrest. Well, there you have it. We have our own version of it right here; a “leader” who only takes care of himself and those around him, IF they do as he says, whether legal, good, decent, or not. This is our reality now, unfortunately.  Was he a good “leader”? Some might say yes, “he did good for the economy.” But is that all that we must judge a president by? Is the economy the only standard? Up for debate.

Emptiness: Yes, because the question is, what now? Do we have any options other than accepting the fact that our country, as we know it, does not exist anymore? We do not have what most of us value so much: peace. I have lived enough years to foresee what is there and what is not, and to maybe make a prediction or two. This is not the country that I always admired and loved. A beast, with a familiar name, was unleashed: Hate. When this happens, we must always watch over our shoulders. We would never know whether it may charge us, bite us, or try to kill us. When we hate and distrust each other, as human beings, what do we have? How can we work together? How can we go back to what we thought we knew about each other? I do not have answers, and sadly, I do not feel much hope.  

Fear: Of course, if there is no trust among us; if our views are so different, what can we expect? Peace means nothing to those who believe they can take a country with violence, based on nothing but on the lies they were told, which perfectly plays with their leaders’ insatiable hunger for power. If you try to tell them otherwise, with reason and evidence, they will still disregard you. My father used to say, “People will believe what they want to believe.” Americans are well-intended people, with values, and integrity. We are also prudent and quiet, for the most part. We do not like to create controversy, and much less verbal confrontation, so most of us keep our values and opinions quiet, and let the noisy ones raise their voices without challenging them. That is a problem.

I am a Latina, and although I might look as white as the next person, and I have enjoyed the same kind of privilege, many in my family have not, and I fear the racist and discriminatory environment in which my children and grandchildren will be living in the future. I am not a person who brings up discrimination frequently in conversations.  However, the hate that Trump unleashed toward blacks, Latinos, Jews, and women, has no limits, as we all realize now. Hate is, precisely, the fuel that ignites this violence. It is the undercurrent. The noisy, violent individuals come from all walks of life, but their common thread is discrimination, and the preservation of their privilege. They do not believe in Democracy, they like leeches, just benefit from it. They want to keep in check those who they perceive as a threat. It is a very scary notion for some to accept, but if we observe the images of the mob at the Capitol, we will see the Confederate flags, and the discriminatory messages written on their clothes. Is there any doubt?

This re-ignited hate, obviously, started with the election of Obama. Many felt that their country was overtaken and wanted revenge. The election of Trump was their retribution. With him as president, and his servants in Congress, those who felt threatened and disfranchised before, felt that they belonged, and felt safe to express their hate.

So yes, this new reality makes me mad. For me, my family, our community, and for our Country. This is not what most Americans want or look for. This social unrest is imposed upon us, and unfortunately, we will have to deal with it. We might see more acts of violence in the future perpetrated by radicals. These radicals may expand their reach, and recruit, and radicalize more people: maybe some of those we think we know and trust. Trump’s legacy, as I see it, is the beginning of a slow dismantling of our society, if we allow it.

So, this is a call to action for those of us with real American democratic values: speak up and push back on every discriminatory comment, joke, and aggression, against you or those around you, no matter how big or small it may seem. Let the radicals know that they have a steep hill in front of them, and that getting to the top will not be as easy as they’d like it to be.

The Fears of an Optimist

 

There are only a couple of weeks from now to election day. WHAT? have you noticed that we have been in election mode for a good 2 years? I am exhausted! A couple of days ago I heard, really heard for the first time. that this is going to end in 2 weeks. I have tuned all things political out that much. I was surprised that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, to tell you the truth. 

By now, I can’t stand to watch the news, or to hear Trump's lies, and some of the repetitive comebacks from Democrats. I'm tired of the Republican party having no backbone. no decency, no values. I'm talking about the Republican party as a whole. There are some exceptional Republicans, some of which I'm proud to call friends, who see the present reality of their party with pain and with shame. I'm tired of the pundits, and of people who keep repeating what they are fed by Trump and his entourage. People can support whoever they want, but then the question is, can they not analyze and observe for themselves, instead of just repeat what Trump says in his rallies?

Covid made things worse. Not just because all the people who have died, but also because it has killed me and many others with boredom, inactivity or lack of social diversion. We had to sit in front of a screen and become victims of all that they wanted us to hear, throughout the best part of 2020. I just want this to end. But, being an optimist, I want this to end like in a storybook. ...And they live happily ever after. However, I well know that this is not going to be possible. I hope for the best but fear the worse.

I fear that if Trump wins, things are going to get really bad, really quickly. He will be more embolden than ever, and since there's no one branch of government that would call him on his BS, he will really become something no one wants to see. I also fear that if he losses, those who support him, and who believe everything he says, will be brain-washed to do who knows what, in their own detriment, and everyone else's.

I wonder how the US is going to look like after this election. In the past, I never had those fears, and I never, ever, wondered about what would happen to us, the citizens, those of us who do not know who's allowing all of this to happen, or maybe even promoting it. Who are those really in charge behind the scenes? Who is dictating the marching orders? And, what's the purpose? Why those in power want to desensitize us?  Where do they want to take us? Experts are talking about a huge recession coming soon. Well, we don't have to be an expert to see it coming, right?  I'm afraid of it too. How will we look as a country after such immense recession? America is not used to the notion of extreme poverty.

Just look around. Talk to people on the street. If you have not heard how much people are suffering already, try and get out of your comfort zone and talk to those who perform the service jobs around us. They are behind in their rent and a blink away from homelessness, they are indebting themselves into a dark hole, and they don't know when or if they'll be able to overcome their situation. My heart brakes every time I hear one of those stories.

I hope, that for the sake of Americans of all colors, religions, sexual orientations, ages, origins, races and what not, and of those who are not Americans yet, who live here, and love our country, things won't get as bad as I fear they can become. I hope that at some point, we will again be the country that I got to love so deeply, for everything it has given me, but mainly for its people, who I know to be different enough to have their own opinions, but united enough to pull together for the cause of the strong, reliable country that we feel proud of. 

Yes, I am an incorrigible optimist. That's why I voted already. That's why I have been working to encourage people to vote. And, that's why I invite you to vote. Exert your voting power, so our country can see a less dark and a more hopeful time. This is not the time to be complacent and watch from the bleachers. It is not, either, a time to take is as a joke and write-in any name. Take it seriously! Do whatever is in your power, your country is at stake.

Please... VOTE!

A QUARANTINE PERSONAL EVALUATION…

By Silvia Uribe

I’m sorry to say this and go against the current, but I am quite content being quarantined. I’m healthy, don’t get me wrong, and I’m not dying of fear of becoming infected either, but I’d like to remain healthy. I do get around, every now and again. I like seeing what’s going on “out there.” I like talking with family and friends over the phone, on FaceTime, and seeing some of them, very few, in person. I work from home most of the time, but if I leave my fortress’ safety, to exercise or run to the store I cover my face and wear gloves, as the scientists advise. So, if I have to evaluate my social distancing is at an 85%, and I’m content with that.

I must say that the “out there” that I mentioned, seems a bit outlandish. The empty streets with mostly empty commercial spaces give an eerie feeling. However, every tone of green of the trees is greener, the sky appears brighter (either because I have less chance to look at it, or because there is less pollution, or both) and these things give me joy. The view of the ocean is completely unobstructed and the sense of calm, due to the abundance of birds singing, and the lack of car noises, is like a river of peace. 

However, there is one thing that disturbs me more and more, as the days go by. Face masks. As necessary as they are, they make me sad. Why? It is simple. I miss your face! I may or may not know you, but I miss your face. With the masks we are faceless beings, moving from place to place, with no expression; making lines at stores with no identity that we can account for. We look cold and... generic. If, on top of wearing masks, we wear shades, it is even worse. I cannot see the expressions that your eyes convey. I cannot see the human being inside you at all.

I miss seeing my fellow humans, and I’ll be fully content when, after the quarantine, I can see your face again, with the peace of mind of knowing that both of us will be ok.

Teleworking, is another thing I love. I must admit that working from home is quite different and has its challenges. But c'mon! isn't it great to not be rushed in the mornings? I have been a proponent of this for years, and for years I encountered a myriad of nay-sayers. Today, the world is finally understanding that most of the things we do in the office can be done from afar, and in much less time. I feel validated. 

And finally come the concerns that I have: Other than those who contract the virus, of course, are the small business owners. Those who have put all their money and dreams in their venture, and they might lose everything. And their workers that relied in their now nonexistent jobs; their families, that not being able to have a steady income can’t pay their rent, or buy food, or clothing… I have the tendency of getting very anxious about things like these, things that I cannot change; because they are way over my scope of influence. So, I immerse myself in whatever I can do, like cleaning my closets of unused items and donating them to those who I know need them. And, volunteering for an organization that offers financial resources to those who can’t get any financial relieve from anywhere else. This makes me feel that I’m doing something to contribute. We all can do something. If you have a sense of impotency, I invite you to help someone you know, in any way you can. We all know people in need. We know who they are. Reach out. Don’t wait until they come asking for help. Helping others is the only recipe I know to finding satisfaction, and contentment during uncertain times. 

As for the things I cannot solve, I do my best to pray that the situation won’t get as bad as I fear, and then I put my head in the ground, as a self-preservation method.

Please, stay safe.