Why don't we have a U.S. holiday that honors all immigrants? The day could celebrate contributions while weaving people together.

Why don't we have a U.S. holiday that honors all immigrants? The day could celebrate contributions while weaving people together.

Let's see, we honor and celebrate Irish people with St. Patrick's Day. Columbus Day for Italians, Easter for Catholics, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for Jews, Juneteenth and Kwanza for Black people, Day of the Dead and Cinco de Mayo for Mexican people, Ramadan for followers of Islam, and Asian-Pacific Heritage Month for those who fit that description.

And there are many more for each group! Nearly each day of the year, our calendars are marked by a holiday focusing on a specific slice of the population. These commemorations, of our religious, ethnic, or racial identities are tributes to our heritage.

While I applaud these individual days, and celebrate many, I wonder why there is not one holiday, just one -- and simply call it Immigrant Day. I see it as a national holiday with schools and federal offices closed. It will allow us to observe and honor the contributions of all who have come to this country from any other place. 

In doing so, in encouraging people to reveal their own familial or personal tie to immigration, we could perhaps erase any negative connotations that darken the designation. 

Perhaps through this one-day of emphasis, we could learn and appreciate the struggles and hopes that bring immigrants to the United States.  And, hope against hope, that the Day will bring this country closer together.

Organizations that support immigration remind us of the benefits these new people bring, as well the devastating effect if we were to curb or halt immigration.

A shortage of immigrants, who staff our hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants, businesses, and many industries, cripples our economy.

Travel up the income ladder and look at entrepreneurs and tech geniuses that drive business creation and stimulate innovation. A healthy number of them left their childhood shores to come here and they have achieved astounding success that benefits all of us.

Sadly, there are members of the Republican Party, and other misinformed people in our country, who have the opposing view. They disparage lawful immigration, and tell tales to rile Americans against newcomers. 

Most importantly, though, those who degrade immigrants also dishonor their ancestors, many of whom fit the immigrant profile. I'm certain if we were to trace the DNA of immigrant-bashers, we would find forbearers who would be embarrassed at the destructive behavior of their fortunate kin. 

Those who oppose immigrants tarnish them with false stories of criminal behavior, while ignoring school shootings and other horrific behavior on the part of white citizens. Not only are these dishonest Republicans ignoring those catastrophes, but they also want their searchlights to illuminate the innocent.

Let's remind Republicans and other anti-immigration disciples of those immigrants who have made contributions in all fields of our country. Just a small bunch: Albert Einstein, Sergey Bring, Levi Strauss, Madeleine Albright, Miriam Amoeba, Kwame True (born Stokely Carmichael), Irving Berlin, Rita Moreno, Wyclef Jean, Sophia Loren, Neil Young, Henry Kissinger, Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, I.M. PEI, Yo-Yo Ma, Cecilia Chung; my parents, and possibly yours.

Naturally, this list is miniscule compared to the real number of well-known citizens. Now think about your own city and neighborhood, and the immigrants who are now devoting their time and passion to bettering their block, community, zip code and city. 

If Immigrant Day were to become a reality, for fun, let's think commerce and imagine the hats, t-shirts, and buttons we could all wear -- no matter our individual faith or race.  While we're dreaming, let's see the smile of recognition when we pass another sporting one of these accessories. 

Oh, I could go on and on, so I will. Restaurants could stage Immigrant Food Week. Theatres would produce Immigrant Playwrights Month. Movie houses and streaming series could unearth films with immigrant directors and actors, Immigrant Film Month? 

I understand there are Jewish, Black, and other film months. I've attended many.. But what if there could be an additional point of time -- after all we have 365 days and 12 months -- to circle the calendar for the screening of stories by or about immigrants that could enlighten and applaud.

My goal is exploration, acknowledgement, appreciation, and finally, reconciliation. Maybe I'm just an old lady who dreams of a better America before I peel off? But I doubt I'm the only one of any age that wishes/prays our country would be less divisive, more loving.

I acknowledge our national holidays. But I believe that annual celebration may rankle some. Don't erase it; simply create another that honors the immigrants who have enriched it.

What lone gunman? Let's also indict his gang of collaborators.

What lone gunman? Let's also indict his gang of collaborators.

News reports of the latest mass shooting continue to label the perpetrator as a "lone gunman." I find that description tragically inaccurate.

By singling him out from his collaborators, we're forced to envision a young white man who has lost his way. He's sick, deranged, spurred on my video games, and violent movies. Meanwhile, the rest of his gang has jammed into the getaway car and sped away to avoid any taint from the poor sap holding the bag.

Let's halt the speeding car and identify the fleeing felons: the NRA, Republicans who support gun rights, members of the Supreme Court who believe Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms, and the crowd of hunters who claim pride in gunning for innocent animals.

Lock them all up!

It matters not to me that that galling gang were not in the vicinity of Highland Park, Uvalde, Buffalo, San Jose, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Dayton, El Paso, Virginia Beach, Ascension and Livingston Parish, Thousand Oaks, Pittsburg, Scottsdale, Santa Fe, Sutherland, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Bernadine, Newtown, Aurora, Binghamton, Red Lake. (This is not a complete list. Halfway through 2022, 302 mass shootings have been reported. And it is missing several school shootings.)

Along with the description of the psychotic gunman, we've learned that the majority of these attacks were planned violence. To me that doesn't suggest a frenzied murderer, rather a criminal who had multiple sources of encouragement to back up his rationale to own and use a high-powered rifle.

After all, his (note, always a "he") state legislator surely put his sweaty arm around the gunman's shoulder, pulled him close, and whispered in his ear, "I've got your back."

Lock him up, too.

What about the NRA's five million or so members? They may have been at home, in their dens decorated with heads of animals slaughted and mounted. But our gunman surely heard their cheers coming from wood paneled man caves as he placed the sight to his eye.

Perhaps the "lone gunman: felt as untouchable and beloved as a former president? He could envision himself on a podium receiving their annual Gun Owner of the Year award. Lone? Those five million are waiting for him to exit the stage so they can clap him on his boney back.

Along with being labeled deranged, the latest gunman, like others in his fraternity, are young, 18 - 29. "Teen and young adult males have long stood out from other subgroups for their impulsive behavior. They are far more reckless and prone to violence than their counterparts in other age groups, according to *Vanderbilt University psychiatrist Jonathan Metzl.  

“There’s a lot of research about how their brains are not fully developed in terms of regulation,” he said. "Perhaps most significantly, studies show, the prefrontal cortex, which is critical to understanding the consequences of one’s actions and controlling impulses, does not fully develop until about age 25."

What's the excuse for this reckless behavior by our lone gunman's crew? They are all -- NRA, Republicans who support gun rights, members of the Supreme Court -- grownups. What can we pin their irresponsible behavior on?

I'm not relieving the most recent mass shooter of his crime. He's already been charged with seven murders. But I refuse to accept the depiction that he acted alone. He never felt alone.

In my opinion, he has been emboldened and accompanied by his own sad, ragtag army of adults who should know better. Some have been misidentified as "Supreme." Others have swapped Legislator for Henchmen. And the largest groups, lolling in their Lazy Boys, with dismembered prey pasted to their walls, are accessories.

Lock them all up!

*The Washington Post, June 3, 2022)

.

SMART TVS MAKE OLD PEOPLE FEEL DUMB

Smart TVs Make Old People Feel Dumb

My friend is 83, the same age as I. She's not comfortable with technology. Her solution was to watch streaming platforms on her desktop computer, and cable television on her TV.

She is an extremely intelligent woman, but like many our age is often frustrated with online ordering, a cellphone that demands updates, and now her newest appliance, a Smart TV. The new TV was not her choice; family members goaded her.

Previously, she managed to watch her favorite shows comfortably. But now, with the souped-up version, she finds her heart rate rising, and anxiety threatening anger rather than pleasure.

My friend shared this with me, but she is not alone. The Pew Research Centre reported in 2014, that as many as 77 percent of seniors report they would require assistance were they to try and learn how to use a tech device.

Sadly, in the intervening eight years, technology has become even more sophisticated, and likely a higher percentage of my age group are throwing up their hands at the growing difficulty.

Among other complaints, my friend felt angry and defeated that two remotes accompanied her Smart TV. I don't blame her; I have three.

Now combine those remotes with their teeny buttons to be maneuvered with arthritic fingers. Add in sound set at a level that requires perfect eyesight to manage increase and decrease.

My hearing is fine, but I've learned how to use closed captions to be certain I don't miss a word. But this helpmate is not always easy to access, even on my Samsung that professes intelligence.

I often wonder what the age was of those who assembled the first Smart TV. I imagine them to be male, in their 20's, and childhood fans of Legos. Armed with eyesight and hearing that could spot an attractive gal in the window of the office building across the avenue, they could never envision their product would be desired by their grandparents.

The kids might think, "They're happy with their rotary phones on the hall table, radios that dial right or left, and TVs that play episodes of "Columbo" and "Jeopardy."

We were never their target market. I find this lack of empathy to be an example of ageism. At the same time, I wonder at the shortsightedness of makers who are ignoring a substantial segment of the population that may have retirement savings and abundant time to be entertained.

Do the developers of TVs, cellphones, iPads, and computers include people over the age of 80 on their crew? To pinpoint problems, have they sampled their newest versions with members of my age cohort? Or like so many producers, do they continue to try and outrun competitors to earmark younger folk with the latest tech.

There is one more issue with senior subscribers, which we can't blame on tech developers: patience. At our age, likely in the last decade of our lives, patience is scant.

But I am an anomaly; an old lady so enamored with tech that I once worked at an Apple Store. Before that, I owned a Kaypro computer that was green metal and looked as if it would be content in Army barracks. WordStar was the writing program.

I often wonder why I, a writer who swoons over ink pens and legal pads, fell for the opposite. I think it's tagged to efficiency. I no longer had to use a mimeograph machine to produce newsletters (circa 1970 for my community), and I could banish whiteout to the dustbin.

In 2010, when I was a mere 72, I started a blog called, "Never Too Old To Talk Tech." I wrote essays about sharing links, shortening web addresses, saving to Google Docs, how to cut and paste, using iPhoto, and other tasks my cohort found difficult.

At the same time, I taught a class with a similar theme at the Chicago Public Library. Seniors brought their cellular phones, computers, and iPads, and together we'd attempt a solution to their latest blockade.

Back then; I thought I was being helpful. My class was popular and students were eager to learn. But now I believe my attention should have been targeted to manufacturers. They are the ones who make older people feel dense just because we can't figure out how to work their latest triumph.

Here's an idea: if ever manufacturers of tech devices are willing to take a trip from Silicon Valley and listen to the complaints and suggestions of my senior set, I'll use my airline miles to offset their expenses. (Just kidding.)

My friend and I will gather others our age to chat. We promise to behave.