sv evi

Just a heads up that this post will talk about the current government of the USA. I know that can be triggering for many people, so you decide if now is a good time to read on or not.

My dad, Tom Pratt, died of pancreatic cancer in 2006. There were six weeks between his diagnosis and his death. His best friend Bob built a simple wooden coffin for him, and we all signed it, as you would someone’s cast. On his coffin was also a bumper sticker: “Better a bleeding heart than none at all.” I woke up thinking about that today. I also remember a cut-out scrap from the American Friends Service Committee newsletter (AFSC, whose byline is Quaker action for a just world) that was on our fridge: “Live simply so that others may simply live”.

One of the three strategic goals of the AFSC is working for “Just Economies”. From the AFSC website: “Economies should work for all people and our planet. They should also promote thriving communities. AFSC challenges growing inequality and the corporate abuse of human rights.” Here in the Philippines I have had many conversations with people about how hard it is to make a living. One taxi driver told me that he drives the rented taxi for 16 hours per day, and at the end of the day makes 300-500 pesos ($5.23-$8.71 USD) on average. Using the high end of his range, that is 54 cents an hour. Yes, things are cheaper here — but not that much cheaper. He told me that university tuition was 30,000 pesos per quarter, or $523. Imagine paying that when you make $43.55 a week, and have to support the rest of your family as well.

For us, using our US dollars from our savings account, some things are unbelievably cheap here. Riki has been getting world-class one hour massages for $3.50. The ferry to Davao costs .35 cents one way. A one hour taxi ride in the city might cost $6.00. We can go out to dinner as a family of 5 to a nice restaurant and pay $14.00. I took the kids to the movie theater (for the first time ever!) and we saw Mufasa, The Lion King 2. Tickets were $3.50 each. We can do things here that back home we wouldn’t do because it is prohibitively expensive.

But it hurts my heart when I see how hard people work (like Dimit, one of the yard workers at the marina) and realize that he is making $3.50/day. And so I bargain the baobao drivers down, but then pay more anyways if they are nice. The different economies in the world just don’t make sense. I know, I learned this lesson a long time ago in the Peace Corps in Guatemala. I know the world isn’t fair, or just.

And amidst this, I am reading the news from Heather Cox Richardson’s daily email update, which gives the history behind today’s politics. (Thank you to my cousin Yvonne for letting me know about it! I highly recommend it…when you are up for it.) I’m reading about billionaires dismantling the federal government, and I think what GREED. When is it enough? I’m reading about T*^&! shutting down the Department of Education. And Social Security gutted. Our country already has the least amount of social services of any developed country in the world. Really? A life is a life is a life. A human is a human, no matter their nationality, their skin color, the amount of money in their pocket. We all deserve the same dignity, kindness, and access to food, water, and shelter.

One night last week I read the daily news from Heather Cox Richardson, and it talked about the Navajo Codetalkers, and how they were instrumental in winning a specific battle. It also talked about Black fighter pilots in WWII, and a highly decorated female officer. If you go to read about the important contributions of these people to US military history on the Department of Defense website, you cannot because the websites have been taken down and replaced with “DEI”.

After reading that, I got so mad and scared. I went out and talked to my kids about how mad and scared I was (Riki was in town getting a massage, so I couldn’t talk to him). I told them that T*&!# and M#$* are changing the narrative so that only straight white (rich) men matter, and that when you convince people that some people are less than people, scary shit like the Holocaust happens. I explained how Jewish people had to wear yellow stars, then one day were made to get on a train, then taken to concentration camps, then gassed to death. By this time both Jade and Luz were crying. Jade said she didn’t want to go back to the US to live until T*&#! was gone, in 2028. Luz said, “what if we get taken to concentration camps when we go back to visit this summer?” So then I started backtracking, and said the reality is, we are here in the Philippines, on our boat, we are far away. They persisted, still crying, “but what about our friends?” I told them their friends would be okay too, and they stopped crying. Then Jade said, “Mama, you need to ask for consent before you can talk to me about Trump. You can never talk about him after dinner, and if you want to talk about him to Papa you have to go in your room and shut the door.” I said, okay Jade, fair enough.

When I read about student activists getting taken to jail, I think about this quote from Pastor Martin Niemoller that I had on my door in college:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”

I wrote down some inspiring quotes and calls to action in my journal last week (taken from Heather Cox Richardson’s daily updates).

“Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So, gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the ‘tragic spirit of despair’ overcome us when our country needs us the most.”

–Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, State of the State Address, Feb. 19, 2025

“Today, the President of the U.S. has targeted one particular group on one particular issue which Maine law has addressed. But you must ask yourself: Who and what will he target next, and what will he do? Will it be you? Will it be because of your race of your religion? Will it be because you look different or think differently? Where does it end? In America, the President is neither a King nor a dictator, as much as this one tries to act like it — and it is the rule of law that prevents him from being so…

Do not be misled: this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.”

-Maine Governor Janet Mills

I have long believed that our diversity of cultures, races, religions, and our wilderness are our greatest strengths as a country. I have never been proud to be an American. I have felt lucky to be an American — lucky that my Gung Gung and Po Po immigrated, so that I was born with so many more options in life. Lucky, but never proud. Never proud of our imperialism in Latin America and beyond. Now it is downright embarrassing being an American. I feel ashamed, horrified, and pissed off. I wonder what to do. How can I fight back?

When my friend Lynda and I were talking about the disaster that is the US government right now, she mentioned that she’s had it with men in charge in the world. Maybe all the women of the the world should withhold our sexual favors until we have women in power, she proposed. I turned to look at her, hmm, that’s an idea I hadn’t thought of.

When will the Republican Senators and House Representatives say enough is enough? When will we impeach T*&#! for repeatedly breaking the law? As a public school educator (currently on hiatus), I firmly believe that public education is one of the greatest assets of our democracy. We have to fight for it!

In other news, we are leaving for Indonesia tomorrow. It’s been a busy few days of checking out (Quarantine, Immigration, Customs), provisioning, and cooking.

Riki and I were able to play pickleball for the first time since New Zealand twice in the past 10 days. It was quite a commitment — involving riding a scooter for 1.5 hours each way, in traffic, on wet roads, and in the dark with no headlamp! We got schooled by some tweens the first day, and although we played much better the second time we went, we still lost. 🙂 It was super fun!