Dimensionally Barrett

Source:  https://bayoubluedems.com/ It’s been a minute since the last Democracy Cafe in March , but I really genuinely enjoy these meetings. The idea is simple; cover a topic and its relevance to Houston. Last Saturday’s was “Immigration” and provided a couple of hours of reflection and spirited discussion.  People start arriving at ten and meet and mingle and then break up into groups of four for two sessions. Each session is about half an hour long that goes by far too quickly. A facilitator is chosen who remains in place, then the other three people find other places to light. This keeps perspectives fresh and all of us motivated to learn. I was a facilitator and couldn’t ask for more vibrant cohorts. The first break-out session was centered the question “How do immigrants (legal, illegal) impact Houston specifically? Recognizing that Houston is 24% immigrant population means that the impact is immense. Consider that one in four people are non-native across a broad section ...

The Reverend Al Sharpton devised this as an action to protest the attack on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that we’re seeing swiftly erased from policies across the board and used as a cudgel by the regime to bring corporations to heel. What critics of DEI don’t seem to  understand is how necessary it is. They don’t seem to understand that the reason affirmative action policies and programs exist is to level the playing field, to open up opportunities for all Americans so that they cannot be discriminated against because of race, gender, disability, or age. DEI is being used by the hardline conservatives as a term of derision or to use as an example of how much Democrats and liberals have rotted the fabric of America. The issue is that the fabric has been fraying for decades. Freed slaves were met with Jim Crow, immigrants were met with xenophobia in the form of legislation like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, homosexuality was a crime, and women couldn’t get a credit card wit...

Photo credit: tedosius.com I’m kicking off this “what to keep in mind” as a reminder to myself and others of that what Trump 2.0 has stated it wants to accomplish. I want this to serve several purposes. One is to just keep this administration’s policies and goals firmly in front to remind everyone of what they voted for and what others voted to stop. I also want to post these to let folks know that we’re not powerless and that there are individuals and organizations that will be fighting on many fronts. Some, admittedly, will be more successful, some may not. But we can all find a community to share ideas, voices, and actions. Today,, I’m looking at Trump’s deportation plan. Setting aside the immorality of it, the cost alone will be $88 billion in tax dollars.  It will likely worsen housing costs and add greater stressors to the economy. Additionally, “  a deportation operation targeting millions would require many more officers, detention beds and immigration court judges. Am...