Immigration and the Shock Doctrine
By Andrew Moss
757 words
If you look back over the Trump administration's handling of immigration during the past two-and-a-half years, you'll see a pattern of chronic tension and dysfunction. Like many people, you may have apprehended the pattern as a series of specific emergencies and dramatic events: the declaration of an "invasion" at our borders; the shutdown, or threatened shutdown, of our government or our southern border; the separation of migrant families crossing the border; the forced resignation of government officials unable to fulfill the president's demands for ever-harsher measures.
Some of the wild careering of the administration's behavior can be traced to a particular mix of incompetence, willful ignorance, and toxic narcissism. But a good part of it is explicable if you consider the concept of the "shock doctrine" that author and activist Naomi Klein introduced back in 2007 (The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism). In that book and in subsequent publications, Klein showed how political leaders exploit the disorientation and fear resulting from various kinds of calamities: a sudden economic collapse, a terrorist attack, a natural disaster. Pursuing authoritarian rule, these leaders declare states of emergency and take advantage of the circumstances to ram though measures benefiting economic and political elites.
In the case of Trump's immigration policies, a number of "emergencies" were simply manufactured or generated by the administration, e.g. the termination of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program, or the institution of the cruel "zero tolerance" (family separation) policy. While headlines focused on these issues, the administration continued efforts to criminalize migrants and to normalize its emphasis on detention, deportation, and the militarization of our borders. Its ongoing efforts have continued to benefit for-profit prison corporations like the GEO Group ($2.3 billion in 2018 revenues) and CoreCivic ($1.8 billion in 2018) as well as a host of military contractors involved in border security.
Now we're faced with a genuine, unprecedented border crisis. As New York Times journalists have reported, the number of people (mostly Central American) attempting to cross the border and seek asylum has risen to about 100,000 a month, almost a million in a year. The number of migrant families seeking entry this past February increased five-fold over the same month in 2018, and there are now 800,000 pending cases in immigration courts, with each case requiring an average of 700 days to process. Many families enter the country facing woefully inadequate resources for housing, food, and medical care.
As Naomi Klein has argued, Donald Trump's actions and policies represent not so much an aberration as a culmination of anti-democratic trends impacting American political culture over many years. Trump's responses to the most recent crises – his threats to shut down the border, his attempts to make asylum ever-more difficult to attain, and his cutting off of aid to Central American nations – emerge from such trends. And, as can be expected, his responses have exacerbated, not alleviated, problems by encouraging people to migrate sooner rather than later, and by eliminating programs that could help reduce violence in neighboring nations.
The past two-and-a-half years have taken us to a critical juncture. Immigration policy based on incarceration, deportation, and militarization has proven itself to be a disastrous failure, and Trump continues to double down on a course of action that inflicts suffering on countless individuals and families. Enabled by the powers of his office and the support of his anti-immigrant allies, he daily enacts his own shock doctrine to distract and disorient. As the crisis grows, so does the danger and potential for more harm.
Yet as the crisis grows, so does the possibility for positive change. It shouldn't be too great a leap to see that anti-violence and anti-poverty assistance to other nations represents a far wiser investment than millions spent on drones and other military equipment. Nor, with some degree of awareness, should it be too difficult to perceive the immorality of incarcerating migrants in detention facilities – and the far better (and more cost-effective) alternative of community accompaniment programs that help people integrate into communities. Nor should it be impossible to grasp that lifting the taint of criminalization from millions can help actualize human potential in unimagined ways.
These views may seem alien or even threatening to many people in our current political climate, and it will be difficult and fatiguing to ensure a fair hearing for them amidst the noise of the Trump shock doctrine. But much present suffering hangs in the balance – as does, in the longer term, the promise of a broader and richer vision of human community.
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Andrew Moss, syndicated by PeaceVoice,is an emeritus professoratthe California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he taught a course, “War and Peace inLiterature,” for 10years.
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Spring cleaning your finances word count: 527
By Rachel Cruze
Think of making a budget like spring-cleaning: It’s a great way to get things in order around your house, and you’ll feel so much better after it’s done.
I know lots of people think of a budget as something that limits freedom. (I know because I was one of them!) But just like getting all those old clothes out of a closet and into a yard sale or finally Marie Kondo-ing your kitchen cupboards, there’s a sense of relief once it’s done. Both spring cleaning and budgeting give you freedom and space to do more of what you want to do!
Here are three things to remember that will make budgeting and spring cleaning much easier:
1. Tackle one area at a time
Don’t think you have to clean the entire house in one fell swoop. Pick a small room to start and go after it. Once you have a little task done, go on to something larger. Same goes for your budget. Don’t focus on saving 15% of your income or tens of thousands for your kids’ college fund—that gets overwhelming fast! Start with Baby Step 1: Get $1,000 saved for emergencies. Then, tackle each Baby Step as you get there. For more on the Baby Steps, go to www.rachelcruze.com.
2. Start with a small task
If you begin cleaning and organizing in your bedroom, do something small and simple like cleaning out a drawer to get yourself into a work groove and see some progress. Just like budgeting for your debt snowball where you target one debt at a time (starting with the smallest), this approach will get you motivated to clean the rest of the rooms in your house.
Here’s the next small thing to check off your list! It couldn’t be easier to make sure your family, your savings, and your identity are covered with the right insurance policies. Take this 5-Minute Coverage Checkup to see what you need and what you don’t: daveramsey.com/coverage-checkup.
3. Give yourself plenty of time
You don’t need to have a schedule that would make the hosts of Hoarders beg for a rest. Set a timetable for yourself for each task. It’s your house, so that means you get to operate on your clock. There’s no need to compare your progress to anyone else’s—and no need to think you’re not winning because you’re not at their level. Same goes for your progress as you budget, save money, and pay down debt.
You may feel like your house and money situation are both in a mess—and who hasn’t at one time or another? That’s totally normal. But the good news is, both situations can change starting right now!
About Rachel Cruze
As a #1 New York Times best-selling author, host of The Rachel Cruze Show and The Rachel Cruze Show Podcast, Rachel helps people learn the proper ways to handle money and stay out of debt. She’s authored three best-selling books, including Love Your Life, Not Theirs and Smart Money Smart Kids, which she co-wrote with her father, Dave Ramsey. You can follow Cruze on Twitter and Instagram at @RachelCruze and online at www.rachelcruze.com, youtube.com/rachelcruze or facebook.com/rachelramseycruze.
Save the Date
Sat, Apr 20: Story Pirates: Symphony Extravaganza! - Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall
Sat, Apr 20: SPRING SPECTACULAR at South Jordan City Park - South Jordan, UT
Sat, Apr 20: WOODLAND FAIRY FESTIVAL AT GARDNER VILLAGE
Sat, Apr 27: 2019 SoJo Earth Day 10k at West Riverfront Park
Thu, May 16: Great Salt Lake Bird Festival at Davis County Legacy Events Center
Fri, May 17: 2019 Living Traditions Festival at Liberty Square
Sat, May 18: Night Lights Event: Salt Lake City at Utah Motorsports Campus
Fri, May 31: Ogden Music Festival at Fort Buenaventura
Fri, Jun 14: 2019 Park City Kids Adventure Games at Canyons Village at Park City - Utah
*Some events may have additional dates. Click through to see more information.
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
"There are dragons in the twins' vegetable garden."
That's the first line of one of my favorite novels, A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L'Engle. L'Engle was one of my childhood heroes; her A Wrinkle in Time series had a profound impact on my understanding of what it means to think for oneself. At the age of 12, I knew with fist-pounding certainty that I could never be as good a writer as Madeleine L'Engle. But that was okay, because she was a genius, and I was not.
Madeleine L'Engle died in 2007 at the age of 88. And yet, recently, she rocked my world all over again.
A friend of mine showed me a copy of a story L'Engle had published before A Wind in the Door, called Intergalactic P.S. 3. It was, in essence, a first draft of A Wind in the Door, and it was... not so good. The first line was: "It started at the dinner table." Much less grabby than dragons in a vegetable garden, and the rest of the story was similarly hum-drum. To put it bluntly: Intergalactic P.S. 3 was not even close to the genius standards that L'Engle set in book after book throughout her career. And this fact thrilled me.
But...How could I possibly be rejoicing in a dead author's crappy first version of a story, you ask? Because it showed me how wrong I'd been: See, L'Engle's genius didn't reside in some Talent Spark conferred by the Universe, but in her persistence and guts. And this means that the world is filled with more possibilities for mere humans like you or me than we have imagined. If success is more a matter of work than luck, then it's in my grasp, or yours, or our kids'. So how about this: The next time you sit down for a nice meal with your family, talk with your kids about how geniuses are not born, but self-made, like Madeleine L'Engle.
It all can start AT THE DINNER TABLE. Hmmm... Maybe that's not such a boring beginning, after all!
—Debra Ross, publisher
Have the ultimate summer camp experience out at the American West Heritage Center. Choose from 1 day camps or 4 day camps. All filled with outdoor activities geared to teach about the American West and bring out the adventurer in everyone. Camps range from Shooting bows and arrows to taking care of animals on the farm. Enjoy farm life, fishing and life on the farm. We offer a variety of options for children 1st through 6th grade.
AWHC family Members receive a 10% discount!
Join us at our FREE Eggcellent Easter Carnival Fundraiser!
Lots of activities including: Free professional face painting, Free clown with balloons, meet the Easter Bunny, meal for $1, and LOTS of EGGS! Egg hunts will happen each hour at 4 pm, 5 pm, & 6 pm. Join in the silent auction and raffle prizes. There will be lots of vendors for shopping and having fun with!
Event will take place at 3688 W. 12600 S. at the Larkin building (directly across from the Intermountain Riverton Hospital)
Time: 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Click on our Facebook event for more info!
If you are interested in being a vendor with us email Elizabeth at: esquires@larkincares.com or call 801.837.0240
Does your high schooler like economics? Apply now for a free economics camp at Chapman University in June!
For over a decade, the Vernon L. Smith High School Workshop in Experimental Economics at Chapman University in Orange, CA has introduced rising high school juniors and seniors to economics with a free, weeklong workshop. No previous knowledge of economics is necessary, only a desire to learn! Attendees grasp economic concepts via innovative experiments that leverage the latest in computer technology to immerse participants in institutions that are merely described in textbooks and traditional lectures. As one recent attendee put it: “Economics is considered as [a] ‘dismal science,’ but the experiments make it fascinating! Click here for the application. The seminar is free, though you need to make your own housing arrangements. The deadline to apply is April 12th 5 pm PST.
Go Down the Rabbit Hole with the U of U Youth Theatre!
Bring the whole family for this original musical production of Alice, based on the Lewis Carroll classic and reimagined by Youth Theatre’s Penny Caywood. Performed by the young actors of U of U Youth Theatre, the story follows Alice’s adventures in the wild and wacky world she discovers after falling down the rabbit hole. For more information and to order tickets, visit tickets.utah.edu.
Get into the Olympic spirit this summer with Kids Go for Gold!
Kids Go For Gold is a local one week summer camp for children ages 8-13. They will get into the Olympic spirit and meet athletes, hear Madilyn Paige perform at our closing ceremony, craft, exercise, compete and design a medal etc. There is not another exclusive camp like this that will help you and your children enjoy a fabulous summer week of fun, making friends, and making real life connections. Check out our website www.kidsgoforgold.com for the three locations and camp windows that will suit your family and summer schedule best. Davis County June 17-21, Daybreak July 8-12 and Soldier Hollow July 29-Aug. 2nd. 2019. Sign up before your spot is filled.
Summer Camps with Natural History Museum of Utah!
Register today for fun and inspiring science-based Summer Camps for K–7th grades starting June 10 at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Our 2019 camps will spark curiosity for the natural world and they’re selling out fast! Camps are based at the Museum on the campus of the University of Utah, with some camps hosted at partner venues in Salt Lake City.
Sign up here: http://bit.ly/2VuP52Y
As the weather turns warmer the tulips at the Ashton Gardens begin to bloom! 2019 marks the 15th annual Tulip Festival and we want you to experience it. Come enjoy 280,000 tulips in hundreds of varieties, all imported directly from Holland. The 15 themed gardens throughout Ashton Gardens highlight different displays sure to bring out plenty of oohs and aahs! This is one festival you’ll want to have a camera handy for sure.
Click here for more information.
Tech Take Apart - The Leonardo Museum
Those old tech and appliances are still good for one thing, tinkering! At Tech Take Apart we encourage visitors of all ages to open up gadgets like printers, stereos, computers, media players and more. No experience is needed our facilitators will help get you started with the right tools and our resident engineer can introduce you to the inner workings of the machines you disassemble.
Click here for more information.
Easter Events and Egg Hunts in SLC
Easter Egg Hunts, visiting the Easter Bunny, making springtime crafts. . . there are tons of ways to celebrate this spring holiday!
Check out the KidsOutAndAbout.com list of upcoming local Easter events.
Want to plan your own hunt? Click here for tips!
Happy spring!
Spring Break Camps and Activities
Spring Break is approaching and it's time to start filling in your calendar. Check out dozens of camps and activities taking place during Spring Break week.
Find out how countries around the world celebrate Spring with the fun slideshow you'll see here.
How will you celebrate the new season?
80 Easter Basket Ideas That Aren't Eggs or Candy
Of course we all love chocolate bunnies, but you likely don't want the Easter Bunny to fill your kids' baskets with pounds of candy. The staff at KidsOutAndAbout have put their heads together to share some of their favorite, most well-received treats to fill your Easter baskets. Whether you're trying to avoid sweets, you're looking for practical items that won't break your budget, or you just want to celebrate spring, these ideas will delight your kids while getting your household ready for warm weather. Keep in mind that these are also great treats to offer to the kids at your Passover seder or just gifts to say "Happy Spring" to everyone.
Click here for more information.
Featured Events
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