Our children are listening. What are they hearing?

In one week with the stroke of a pen this new Administration elected to move back in time .

The first time machine was set to immediately repeal the Affordable Care Act AKA Obamacare by declaring it a financial burden and repealing the funding. In some homes children heard their families rejoice but in most there was fear of losing the Act’s provisions that provide protections for all Americans including my daughter who has Crohn’s and needs expensive treatment every six weeks.

Another time machine was set to move back in time to strip American women of their right to control their own body.  The right to choose to have a baby or abort a pregnancy. This motion didn’t make abortions illegal but it made them a procedure for the elite. Any women choking in the grips of poverty, relying on the generosity of her fellow citizens, without the Affordable Care Act birth control provisions would be forced to have children she couldn’t afford. With a President who boasts about grabbing women without permission, what does this action say to our little girls? How does this impact the college campus rape culture for our daughters?

Next our time machine was set to “America First” to alleviate America of her promise to “conserve natural habitats” and “preserve natural resources.”  Our children heard these actions would speed up the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects without concern or respect for their land or resources.  Children could not only hear but also see for themselves the  repeat of America’s sins to her Naive American hosts. Does this news make our Native American children feel valued, honored and loved? How does this say thank you for sharing your land with us?

Before America could run to their assistance this new Administration elected to move back in time to when governments around the world thought walls were an effective way to govern her people.  A time when prejudice, discrimination and abuse was clearly written into law. Children already heard about the wall but now America would begin the process of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, create border detention centers and aggressively pursue rounding up our Mexican neighbors to determine their immigration status.  In some homes, families rejoiced this new Administration putting into writing their prejudices and fears flamed by this Administration’s campaign.  Little peach children no longer had to be kind to their brown neighbors.

How does this make America safe? Walls divide. We need to build bridges not walls.

As our immigrant neighbors cowered for fear of the promise that their family members would be deported, this Administration declared a Muslim ban, including legal green card holding immigrants, which went into effect immediately forcing the return of anyone in route. The ban was for individuals returning from seven Middle East countries which the new Administration doesn’t have any financial holdings.

The people who elected this new Administration elected to strip American rights from Muslims, Native Americans, black, brown and anyone else of color. What does these actions say to our black, brown, yellow, mauve and peach children?

What is next? The people who elected this new Administration elected to move back in time to end same gender marriage and make discrimination against our American LGBTQIA community legal for “religious” reasons. And the list goes on.

And where are we to run for help? The people who elected this new Administration elected to give them all branches of power. This Administration sows doubt in We the People’s fourth arm – the freedom of the press. And silenced the government.

How do these actions plant and grow prejudices, attitudes and beliefs? How will our children play in same sandbox? Do these actions create dreams or nightmares?

Little Pitchers have Big Ears – What are they hearing?