Don't Miss the Protests for the Riots

No, I'm not telling you to get out there regardless of any danger you might perceive. Public protests are not for everyone. But please don't miss what's happening. Please don't misinterpret what's happening.

Black lives have been in danger, and black people have been disproportionately targeted and abused, for years. If some of us have not been aware, it's time we become aware. And some have been doing just that in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, which was videotaped and shared to the world. We've seen it in that video.

We've even seen it in the crushing responses to some of the protests. Peaceful protests in the daytime, and then, sometimes, as curfew nears, tear gas is used before the protesters can even get out of an area, and sometimes people are trapped on a street or a bridge, or attacked with dangerous rubber bullets.

Some people see it now. But some others have questions.

Some people say: But there's police overreach against white people too. Yep, that's true; but in infinitesimally smaller numbers and degree per the size of the white population. But, also, if we work toward better training and more accountability for our police forces, wouldn't it help people of all races?  And wouldn't it also help those many officers who want to do the right thing and are trapped in systems that are not always honest or fair?

"But it's not okay to loot and destroy," some people say. Is it okay to kill people? Honestly, is it?

While it's true that two wrongs don't make a right, let's get our priorities straight. Life is more important than property.

But who is looting and destroying? Very few compared to the huge numbers protesting. And in the videos I've been seeing, I've been seeing white people vandalizing and destroying property. I've heard that some are anarchists and others white supremacists (think klan or neo-nazi types).  Opportunists find a way to further their malignant goals, and will unfortunately take advantage of such a crisis.

If any of the looting does comes from black people (and like I said, I haven't seen it), that TV you see going out a door might be exchanged for rent, or for food for the kiddos, to keep them alive, or it might come from angry hopelessness, or an effort to get people to pay attention.

I've heard that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard."  He was explaining where it comes from, not participating. And he was referring to the rioting against police overreach and brutality of the 60's, not to the riots which were done by white people against minorities in the 1800's and the first half of the 1900's, where white people took the lives of many black people and some other minorities. 

In some ways, we have come a long way since those white riots against people of other races. Yet, black lives are still being taken, just differently. We need so much more growth, because for too long, we have turned our heads away in denial. We need to grow and make serious changes in our systems, wherever those systems oppress people.

It's time we listen. It's time we learn. It's time we grow. 

A Vintage Pantry Cookbook

Okay, I have just set my newest little cookbook, A Vintage Pantry Cookbook, to be free, as of tomorrow morning, for five days. I thought it might be useful at this time. (Five days is the maximum free period which Amazon allows in a 90 day period.)

"Two dozen recipes you can make with foods you can keep in your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer. Or you can just take a journey back through other times. You will find simple quick breads made without milk or eggs. You will find Spanish rice and crock pot soups and chili. You will also find some original recipes for meals you have probably never heard of before now. Whether you add the recipes to your collection or simply enjoy the trip into 20th Century America, enjoy."

If anyone noticed that I was looking for crock pot soup recipes recently, you see, the soups in this book are made from canned goods. Also, they are made in small batches (4 or 5 cups of soup). However, some of the other dishes in the book are able to serve more people or can be doubled.

Free from Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 12:00 AM PDT through Sunday, April 5, 2020, 11:59 PM PDT.

I have set this to public in case anyone would like to share.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086L1MPSV?fbclid=IwAR3pMUKwTkg_vI1FUWGSnMdVpqwnsZ_ooaNSJl2RlWA3RdFwySlAjRhOYaA

1-Button Rice Cooker Cookbook

I'm not recommending anyone run out and buy something right now. But do you happen to have a simple rice cooker where you just push down the switch for on, and it pops up when it's done?

If so, did you know you can make whole meals with it? Yes, with rice, but alternatively, with pasta. 

That's what my 1-Button Rice Cooker Cookbook is about, using the 1-button rice cooker to make one-pot meals with ease and with what you might have on hand. 

Having trouble finding ground beef but you can find hot dogs? (Or even Vienna sausages?). And do you have spaghetti sauce? And penne? You could make Frankly Pasta in the 1-Button Rice Cooker. Honestly, if you don't have penne but you have elbow macaroni, that would probably work too. 

Do you have rice and barbecue sauce and some chopped chicken or frozen chopped chicken (or even canned chicken in a pinch)? You could make Barbecue Rice and Chicken in the 1-Button Rice Cooker. 

How about Chicken and Rice with Veggies? Macaroni and Cheese? Or even Tuna, Rice, and Tomatoes? 

You can get this as a Kindle book by clicking on the link at the right. It's 99 cents on Kindle. 

It will be free from Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 12:00 AM PDT through Saturday, April 4, 2020, 11:59 PM PDT. 

A Few Important Immigration Facts

Although I'm not an immigration expert, there are a few things I know. There are lots of other things that I have learned more recently, but can't explain as well as some other people can; and there are also lots of things that I do not know. But here are just a few important, easy facts that I've seen some people forget or not know.

It's okay if you didn't know (unless you are in government or saying bad things about whole groups of people, then, well, at the least, it's important to learn).

1) Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and its people are citizens of the United States. They don't have to do anything. They just are.

2) If someone was born in this country, that person is a citizen. They don't have to do anything. They just are.

3) If someone came into this country as a child and went through naturalization later, no one can intelligently tell them to "go back to your country", because this *is* their country. Period.

4) If someone has a "green card", that means they can live here and continue to be a part of this country legally, legitimately, for life! A "green card" (permanent residency) is permanent.They don't have to do anything. They belong here. It is their country.

5) If someone is an immigrant whose papers are not in order, it doesn't mean they started out that way, or intended it that way, or even that they know that something went amiss. They have families and they contribute to their communities.

6) Immigrants who are not citizens or permanent residents ("green card"), do not have access to welfare or food stamps, as some people think. They just don't. 

7) Every single human being, without exception, is a human being and has certain rights as a human being. Full stop.