Speaking of Spirit

ICE is out of control. They are not using due process, a right ALL people living in the US are afforded. They are distroying families, putting children in danger by arresting their parents and leaving the children, sometimes infants, behind unattended. They are arresting citizens, people with green cards and anybody else that stands in their way.  In WWII, my father fought against this kind of behavior. He risked his life both in the Mediterranean  and in the Pacific to stop regimes in Germany that terrorized citizens just as ICE is doing. My father and his comrades did not fight in that war so that the people of our country would live in fear. Thanks to all those demostrating and pushing back. There is no honor in what ICE is doing. Their tactics are pure terrorism. We must stop it immediately.  To all our politicians...For the sake of our country's people and the civil rights of all, stop these people from carrying out orders that break the law, now.  

Maybe it is because my family is a conglomeration of several nationalities or perhaps it is merely my own intrinsic love for world culture, but finding myself immersed in teaching immigrants and refugees the intricacies of the English language is one of my greatest joys.  We will begin 30 Poems in November in two days.  This is the major fundraising event for Center for New Americans where I teach.  Yes, we are teaching in the middle of the pandemic.  Let me tell you a little about that. First, imagine the difficulties of learning a new language. Now, imagine that you are in a new land, where you must support yourself and your family. Add to this mix a pandemic that closes most of the industries that will hire someone new to this country with limited English skills. Finally, imagine that for the first time in your life you must master technology so that you might continue to learn English.  Most people would have given up long ago, but my students have tenacious...