One Big Shameful Bill

 Jimmy Pappas sent along his Quote of the Day from the National Catholic Reporter on the Trump Republican bill: 

There is nothing beautiful about President Donald Trump’s and the Republican House’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The House of Representatives has passed one of the most immoral pieces of legislation in recent memory. Giving this sweeping legislation a sophomoric title does not disguise its ugly nature. The vote took place after midnight on May 22, as most Americans slept, with a tally of 215 to 214, along party lines. 

In reverse Robin Hood style, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act proposes nearly $4 trillion in tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest among us while cutting $1 trillion in vital support for the most vulnerable, including poor families with children and the elderly. 

Over the last 40 years, we have witnessed successive waves of tax legislation supposedly aimed at broadening prosperity. However, in practice, they have done little more than widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. 

…

So, the bill diverts funding from struggling families and environmental programs, cutting food assistance and Medicaid while decreasing clean-energy tax credits (just as climate-driven storms and wildfires become more intense.) It then redirects that money into larger Pentagon and border-security budgets.*

It is all disgraceful and shameful.

After this legislation hurtled through the House, we are counting on the U.S. Senate to bring an end to this great American nightmare. We urge the Senate to heed the voices of millions who will lose vital assistance under its provisions. We call on senators to do their jobs, hold hearings, demand transparency, and amend or reject the provisions that substantially favor the wealthy few over the many. While even Republican senators may be tempted to cut taxes for their affluent patrons and slash benefits for the disenfranchised poor, we implore them to remember their fiscal roots and reject Trump’s misguided proposal to explode the deficit, potentially sending the United States into a debt-driven death spiral.

The promise of American democracy is not merely the freedom to accumulate wealth. It is the promise of mutual obligation, of building a society in which our fortunes rise or fall together. 

If we allow this One Big Shameful Bill to become law, we condemn ourselves to a future where opportunity is bartered away and our social contract is ripped to shreds. 

Jesus weeps over this cruelty. So do we. We must reject this heartless bargain and instead pursue policies that honor the dignity of every citizen and the collective well-being of our nation. 

Girlatee: Acclaimed Poet A. M. Juster’s First Book for Children

Yes, A. M. Juster has written a book for children, but fans of his poetry need not worry that he’s abandoned them. The qualities that make his twelve books of translations and original poetry such a pleasure to read work wonders in this new endeavor. His clarity of expression, his clear-eyed focus on his subject, his cadenced language and his aptitude for finding the perfect rhyme, the one that says precisely what it needs to say without calling attention to itself, make this sea-adventure for young children read like an newly-discovered work of Robert Louis Stevenson.  

Grant Silverstein’s illustrations, in black and white except for the cover, work in a similar manner, each squiggle and script-like shading of sea-foam or seaweed suggesting tentacles or claws, either real or imagined. Every bit of artistry in this book serves to tell the story.

Girlatee is the story of a young manatee (the “girlatee”) who becomes separated from her parents by a reckless man on a speedboat. Author and illustrator have both hit the sweet spot: this tale of adventure is neither too tame nor too scary. The look on my five-year-old granddaughter’s  face when Girlatee was reunited with her family was one of sheer joy—not mere relief.  When we got to “The End,” she asked, “Are there any more stories?” She was eager to read the book a second time the following day, after which she dictated her first ” book report”:

It’s about manatees and octupi, fishes, cranky crabs, mummatees, daddytees, and sweetytees. And there were two fishes, and there was a man, and the girlatee got on shore and it was very hot for her, and too sandy, and no water — just too hot for her. The sun was too hot, and three friends helped her, and officers came and helped her into the ocean. And then the rainbow came. And then she swam back to her mom and Dad and they were happy ever after.

 

Note Mae’s creative misreading, or “mishearing,” of the book I read aloud to her. “Sweetytee” is very good. As for the rainbow, well, judge for yourself. Except for the cover, the illustrations are in black and white! Clearly, this young reader was taken in by the narrative.

I’m going to credit Juster’s metric verse for working that sorcery, while acknowledging that this young listener is particularly susceptible to the charms of rhythm and form. Here she is at The Christmas Revels in Boston, earlier this month:

 

“Jazz Vespers” in Newburyport

NEWBURYPORT — The First Religious Society hosts jazz vespers, an informal service featuring readings, musical selections, and time for quiet meditation on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m.

The event is free. The church is located at 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport. This month, the church welcomes award-winning poet Alfred Nicol, two-time Grammy-nominated sax player Mark Earley, local jazz phenom Chris Plante and rising talent Josh Schultz on bass.

For more details, follow this link: The Newburyport Daily News.

 

One Hundred Visions of War: The North American Review recommends “an intense read of the entire volume in one sitting”

Ann Spiers’ review of One Hundred Visions of War by Julien Vocance was published over two months ago, but has only recently come to my attention, like a birthday gift from out of the blue. What pleases me most is that her praise for the book includes admiration for the physical object: “In addition to the poems’ strength, Wiseblood Book’s book design facilitates an intense read of the entire volume in one sitting.” Thank you, Ann, not least for giving me yet another opportunity to thank Joshua Hren and his excellent team at Wiseblood.

Celebrating Rhina P. Espaillat on YouTube

What an unexpected gift to receive on the seventh day of Christmas and the first day of the New Year! Video of our “Red Shoe Night” celebrating Rhina P. Espaillat, whose papers have been added to the Burns Library archive at Boston College. It was an evening to remember. Fortunately, for those of you who were unable to attend, Christian DuPont has posted it on YouTube. Put on your red shoes and dance the blues away!