Reflections on 2017 and Activism
Landing upside down in the wreckage of our airplane in the snowy mountains of Idaho with bones sticking through my favorite jeans a few years ago was easier than coping with the first year of Trump’s presidency. I’m not kidding!
The risk of death and year of chemotherapy after surgery for breast cancer was nothing compared to facing the political chaos of 2017. I
thought retirement from medicine would leave me with a feeling of accomplishment and time be creative, instead I have a new job, it’s activism. As another activist said, “It’s cheaper than psychotherapy.”
I feel fortunate living in the United States and appreciate my wonderful group of new progressive friends who are also Indivisible activists. Although American values have been eroded by this Administration, we have the opportunity to make our voices heard.
Most of us have never been activists, but now we rally, and meet with members of congress and their staff, recognizing this political environment requires our voices & intervention.
The Freedoms delineated in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution are: Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom to Assemble Peaceably, and Freedom to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances.
Freedom of religion does not mean imposing your religious views on others. It means, freedom to practice your religion, and it means freedom from religion.
Free speech and freedom of the press are essential to a democracy, but President Trump has suppressed Freedom of the Press through his lies and acts of calling out journalists who report the truth. Our own Montana Representative, Greg Gianforte, assaulted a journalist and then lied about it, yet people in Montana elected him.
Individual rights are being suppressed through the Supreme Court 5-4 decisions upholding Citizens United and giving corporate stock holders like Hobby Lobby the ability to impose religious and political views on others. Money buys elections, and religious imposition on others was sanctioned by the Supreme Court. Dark money and voter suppression have been a key to Republican success.
We the People, citizens of the United States, are being harmed by this Administration. If you are not happy with the path this President and his GOP followers are taking by selecting Cabinet members to deconstruct the stability of important government programs – to name a few: the EPA, Education, Department of the Interior (Secretary Ryan Zinke of MT, opening monuments and squandering taxpayer money on private/unnecessary flights), and Health & Human Services, (repealing ACA) then, it’s time to become an activist.
You can write letters to your members of congress, letters to the editors of newspapers, run for office and vote. The Indivisible Guide (written by former congressional staffers) is helpful in providing information on advocacy, local organizing, and how to make your voice heard. https://www.indivisible.org/guide/
Please join me in taking action, and making 2018 a better year for everyone, not just the top 1%. Help get out the vote. Contact me, or just show up if you want to join our weekly rallies. We meet every Tuesday for Resist Trump Tuesdays from 12-1 at Second and Main in Kalispell. Be strong and make change with the help of friends.
RESIST!
Betty
Eyes of a Pedophile – Sexual predation and child victimization are prevalent problems in the US and around the world. It happens at home, on college campuses, schools, churches and in the workplace. The #MeToo movement has allowed women, men and children the acceptance to report and reveal sexual violence they endured. Many who have hidden the secrets for decades finally have an avenue to reveal the stories that years earlier would not have been believed.
Your Heart – Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men & Children – Heart disease is the #1 killer of men and women. It is preventable, treatable and sometimes reversible. The 200-page book provides the science behind the disease, symptoms, and what you can do to improve heart health. It is a valuable handbook for information on medical workups, medications, food choices and longevity.
Modern Birth Control – The CDC reported the highest number of STDs ever in 2016. Did you know sexually transmitted diseases could kill you? That some cause infertility? This 50 page booklet is based on current scientific information on biology, ovulation, birth control methods, how to better protect yourself from unplanned pregnancy, and avoidance of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Pedophiles are hunters in camouflage who prey on children.
relatives, teenagers, youth leaders, religious leaders, cops, teachers, fitness and athletic coaches. You trust them. They are everywhere – in your schools, churches and homes. The sexual predators gain your confidence before molesting your children and then silencing them.
In 1866, the influential daily newspaper, The Sacramento Union, sent Mark Twain on assignment to live in the Hawaiian Islands for four months. He wrote a letter for publication each week and was paid $20 for each submission. Letters detailing adventures and mis-adventures made him famous. Surfing, swimming naked with Native Hawaiian women, and riding horseback to the summit of Kilauea watching it erupt, generated great interest in the beautiful islands.
For the first time in my life, I am on vacation with nothing to do, alone, in Kailua-Kona paradise on Hawaii. I can do anything I want to do, and what I am doing? I’m sipping Hazelnut-Vanilla coffee with cream, and writing like I do from my desk in Montana. Instead of looking out my window in at sunrise over the Rocky Mountains, I sit with my feet in warm surf and watch the sun come up over palm trees.
May 25th is designated National Missing Children’s Day, as a reminder to keep children safer. When a child is missing, the fear, anguish and tears are endless. The photograph shows convicted pedophiles. They are everywhere, in every profession, in all social settings. Most victims are assaulted by people they know, not strangers.
Activism for me began on a freezing day in January, the day following Donald J. Trump’s inauguration. My friend Gina and I drove two hundred miles to march for human rights. We joined 10,000 women, men, and children of all ages, color, gender, and faiths in solidarity against abuses we feared would come with the new president.
abuse of power and abuse of human rights.
locked up. Smoke-screens and stonewalling by the White House and Republican congressional members related to investigation into Russian connections to the Trump campaign may be history is repeating itself. I still have a newspaper with Nixon’s impeachment on the front page. Hopefully, I will be able to add a Trump’s impeachment report to the collection.
Author Betty Kuffel, MD 
Sexual Harassment
Exposure of sexual harassment behaviors and violence against women is finally being discussed. I am delighted that Time Magazine chose Time Person of the Year as the Silence Breakers. The Voices that Launched a Movement.
In the past, many aggressive unwanted behaviors, touches, grabs, kisses and more, were tolerated and discounted. “Boys will be boys” or “he’s a jock” are no longer excuses for grown men who in positions of power coerce subordinates into unwanted undesirable destructive situations.
In this evolving atmosphere, bad behavior by men will be less likely hidden, but that is only part of the story. No one is talking about incest, one of the most destructive forms of sexual aggression against children, both males and females. The young victim is held captive by circumstances and cannot escape. The family often knows and does not report due to shame, financial dependency on the abuser, or status in the community.
When researching the true crime book (Eyes of a Pedophile) I wrote about a famous violent pedophile, and at book presentations, I frequently met people who divulged sexual abuse never before disclosed. The women I spoke with expressed a marked feeling of relief after talking about rapes that sometimes occurred decades earlier. The Twitter #MeToo has given victims the courage and confidence to talk about sexual violence they had hidden over a lifetime and begin recovery.
The Movement exposing harassers and rapists opens dialogue for men, women and children. Norms of behavior begin in childhood. What exactly is acceptable behavior? Children who learn violence in the home often mirror behaviors they see. Lack of respect, verbal harassment, physical violence and sexual violence are destructive at all ages. Those who have suffered abuse are often left with vulnerabilities and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that last a lifetime.
Eyes of a Pedophile Ebook is on a special discount for $3.99, available on Amazon. Extensively researched medical and psychological details explain what is known about child predators and shows how to recognize pedophile behavior and help protect children.
Betty Kuffel
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