Family Separation: SPACE FORCE is the Answer!!!

Posted on 2018/06/19 by circuskitchen

June 18th 2018

YASSS!!

How else are we going to build a SPACE WALL in SPACE for SPACE MEXICANS???

Trae Crowder puts it best [4:21]: 

 

In conclusion:  “Fuck ‘Space Force.'”

♠

 

Posted in activism, border family separation, childhood, family, fight, health, history, mental health, money, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, Religious Hypocrisy, social justice | Tagged | Leave a comment

Family Separation: Who You Gonna Call

Posted on 2018/06/18 by circuskitchen

Monday, June 18th 2018

Working my way through this list; wanted to share it asap.

The trauma a child incurs from parental separation lasts a lifetime.

Here are numbers to call in addition to your senators and representatives to tell them to STOP separating children from their parents!

delete if this is what it takes...no thanks

The DOJ comment line (202) 353-1555

Chief of Staff, John F. Kelly – 202-456-1414

Attorney General, Jeff Sessions – 202-353-1555

DHS Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen – 202-282-8495

Acting ICE Director, Thomas Homan – 1-866-DHS-2-ICE

HHS Secretary, Alex Azar – 202-690-7000

Acting Assistant ACF Secretary, Steven Wagner – 1-877-696-6775​

ORR Director, Scott Lloyd -202.401.9246

 

God dammit all to hell.  I can’t believe THIS is what it’s come to.  And STILL family members support tRump!!!

♠

 

Posted in activism, animals, childhood, family, fight, mental health, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, social justice, The Progressive Movement | Tagged | Leave a comment

Trump and the Baby Snatchers

Posted on 2018/06/18 by circuskitchen

June 18th 2018

“I don’t have a long treatise to issue here, no meandering argument. I am simply outraged beyond my ability to articulate it.” ~Charles M. Blow

STILL the Trumpsters rally behind him.

Denying this is even happening.

Which is the only thing possibly more cruel than actually doing it.

♠

 

Posted in activism, animals, border family separation, childhood, family, fight, mental health, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, social justice, travel | Leave a comment

Family Separation at the Border: It’s Everything

Posted on 2018/06/17 by circuskitchen

June 2018

delete immigrant #47 Messing.jpg

Debra Messing is an actress experienced in practicing compassion.

 

And this article is succint and informative:

 

Seizing Children From Parents at the Border Is Immoral. Here’s What We Can Do About It.

delete mom & daughter

 

Never in my life did I imagine bearing witness to  anything like this.

♠

 

Posted in activism, animals, Bernie Sanders, childhood, family, fight, health, history, love, mental health, money, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, social justice, travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

At Rise: Don’t Make Me Answer That

Posted on 2018/06/14 by circuskitchen

Thursday, June 14th 2018

Border Separation

Off to the City of Tents.   

AT RISE:  Mom is holding sleeping daughter close in bed.  Boy climbs in other side.  Mom turns over, snuggles in and wraps all around in and over.

Mom:  You got gotted.

Boy:  Ha.  I don’t really think ‘gotted’ is a word.

Mom:  Well it’s what you are.

Boy:  [struggling mildly]  Aagh!  Why am I getting strangled tonight?

Mom:  [holding him tight] Don’t make me answer that.  Please don’t make me answer that.

Boy:  [stops struggling]

SCENE. 

♥♥♥♥

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/06/14/tent-city-tornillo/

Posted in Bernie Sanders, childhood, domestic life, family, fight, health, history, love, mental health, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, social justice, travel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Border Separation: Harvesting Babies Fresh Off the Tap

Posted on 2018/06/14 by circuskitchen

Thursday, June 14th 2018

delete flag baby.jpeg

 

Federal officials took her daughter,

 while she was breastfeeding the baby.

They handcuffed her for resisting.

Another day another dollar for privatized prisons.

Another victory for xenophobes.

Another head for the ledger.

I listened to a caller today on Boston radio say that border separation is “being overplayed” and that he “doesn’t know” about breastfeeding mothers.  Another one saying she stands with Trump “all the way.”  She’s got her 401K for her retirement in Arizona and is sick of people in her workplace not having visas “for more than five days.”

video/watch/undocumented-mom-child-taken-while-breastfeeding

 

As a reminder:  If you ever wondered what you would have done when fascism was on the rise in late 1930’s Germany… you are doing it right now:

first-they-came-final.png

 

Not a child of an asylum seeker you say?

Not a descendant of one either?

Are you sure?

Oh then you must be NATIVE AMERICAN then.

How wholly unexpected.

♠

Posted in activism, animals, Bernie Sanders, childhood, family, fight, food, history, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, social justice, The Progressive Movement | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Disparity

Posted on 2018/06/13 by circuskitchen

Wednesday, June 13th 2018

Computer, coffee, flowers, food, notes, wallet, wifi…

I started my day as I always do snuggling and giggling in a cozy bed with my children.

Later I stopped by city hall to reserve a moving truck parking permit in front of our house for unicorn trailer parking for my daughter’s upcoming birthday party.

Then I stopped by our wonderful pediatrician’s office to pick up a copy of my son’s complete immunization and (perfect) health record, for circus camp.   In the waiting room I passed a mother and her severely disabled child in a wheelchair.

Then I came here to my favorite cafe for the three things I depend upon to operate:  Coffee, Wifi and Time Alone to utilize them.  As you can see from the photo I also have access to a beautiful healthy salad with a generous dose of protein on top.   I also have a chaotic cornucopia of notes and reminders of all the rich muchness swirling around my realm of responsibilities.

Meanwhile, as I write and you read,, a baby is being ripped away from its mother –by force or by deception– and thrown in a concentration camp.  Indefinitely.  For PROFIT.

 

I walk around all day wondering how any of this is possible.  The random luck;  there is nothing more inherently deserving in me than them to deserve these relative fates.  I am incapable of understanding the callous greed of men and their ability to dehumanize others and profiteer off their suffering.

♠

Posted in activism, Bernie Sanders, childhood, family, fight, mental health, parenthood, politics, racial injustice, social justice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Parenting: Getting Unstuck

Posted on 2018/06/13 by circuskitchen

June 13th 2018

delete sad dash

Today I said this to my daughter:

Me:  Sweetheart I want to talk with you about something.  You know how sometimes when you don’t like something or you get stressed, you… I don’t know a better way to describe it, but,  you kind of “Shut Down.”  Do you know what I mean?

Girl:  Yes.

Me:  Great.  Well what I’ve realized is that in those situations I don’t really KNOW how to help you!  Like the most recent example I can think of when you got home from school and I reminded you to do Bag-Jacket-Shoes-Potty-Hands?  And you stopped in your tracks; I saw your body get stiff and you clenched your fists.  You did not answer me and would not move.  I asked if I should stop talking and you nodded “Yes.”  Remember that?

Girl:  Yes.

Me:  Well at least that time I figured out to stop talking. (!)  But I can’t always just drop it and walk away.  Sometimes you “shut down” on us and there’s still things that need to get done.  Like if I’ve asked you many times to focus on your Morning Routine and it keeps not getting done.  In that case it’s not your privilege to just shut down and not do it.  So I was hoping you and I could come up with some different things I could try to HELP you get unstuck in those situations.  What do you think?

 

She liked the idea.  We agreed to brainstorm some ideas, and write them on “Get Unstuck Cards” to try in those situations.

Here are some of our ideas so far:

  • deep breaths
  • Hug
  • 2 minute mindfulness break
  • carefully try to crack a joke
  • stop talking, walk away
  • cuddle an animal
  • take a short break outside
  • ?
  • …

 

Um… if you have any more ideas please comment below!

delete stuck in the mud

♥♥

Posted in activism, art, childhood, domestic life, faith, family, fight, forgiveness, health, learning, love, making art, mental health, Mindfulness, parenthood, patience, work-life balance | 2 Comments

At Rise: Read It Or Else

Posted on 2018/06/13 by circuskitchen

Wednesday, June 13th 2018

delete hera

 

AT RISE:  Mom and kids are about to head for the bus to school.

Gavin:  Mom.  Before I leave, I’m going to bring you the book HERA.  And you must have it read by NEXT Wednesday.  And then, if you fail?  If you fail… I get an extra hour of video game time.

Mom:  Um… OK!

Gavin:  And if you don’t succeed, I won’t just take the hour anytime like if we have a busy schedule or something.

Mom:  Right.  We’d come up with a good time for it.  Besides I’m not going to lose anyway.  I may be illiterate but I’m not a loser!

Gavin:  [Tiny, almost imperceptible fart.]

Mom:  Good.  I’m glad we agree!

Gavin:  First of all, that was a scoff of disbelief.

Mom:  What?  That wasn’t a one click fart?

Gavin:  No, that was a one-click fart.  But what my butt was saying was a scoff of disbelief.   Anyway, I believe you!

Mom:  Thanks honey.

SCENE.

♥♥

Posted in childhood, comedy, domestic life, education, family, learning, love, parenthood, patience | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Children in Cages – What to Do?

Posted on 2018/06/11 by circuskitchen

June 11th 2018

Screenshot 2018-06-11 13.23.57.png

 

These children are imprisoned for being born somewhere.

https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/dhs-official-658-children-taken-from-adults-at-border-1245015619748

My hospital clown training has taught me that the pain we feel in the face of others’ suffering is not only perceptual but neurological.  And the way to relieve that neurological distress is to ACT on the sufferer’s behalf.   Therefore for my OWN health my first act is a mere $5 per month contribution to MoveOn.org to join the fight against these and other injustices.

Jeff Merkley is the Senator from Oregon who recently toured the detention facilities of immigrant children separated from their parents and trapped in cages.  He is the one politician most visibly fighting this inhumanity.  He also has the balls to call it exactly what it is: Evil.

For starters I follow his lead by supporting MoveOn.

Though what I really want to do is become a performer with Clowns Without Borders and visit all 12,000+ children in all 100 detention facilities in 14 states, and do my best to provide relief -even if for a moment- by helping them remember their own humanity,  experience that someone cares, and promote their resilience- through the fundamental human right that is laughter.

 

Yeah sure, military bases too.

♠

 

 

Posted in activism, animals, Bernie Sanders, childhood, Clowns Without Borders, family, fight, Hospital Clowning, love, mental health, parenthood, politics, Secret Juggler, social justice, travel, work, work-life balance | Leave a comment