I was driving one evening near my apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn when I came to a stop sign. I had, just days before, found out I was pregnant with my first child, and as I came to a rolling stop at the intersection, about to roll right through, I remembered - my child was in here too. It wasn’t just that I needed to be extra careful to protect the being we now know as Baxter. It wasn’t just that I realized my body was no longer my own. It wasn’t just that it was the first time that the heaviness of being responsible for another living thing - for their very life - dawned upon me. It was all of those things but also, perhaps most scarily, the dumbfoundedness of how universal the experience was of not wanting your child to die.
1. KEEP WRITING (AWESOME); be prepared for the occasional unjustified criticism and take it with aplomb, because you know are WISE
2. I’m just a smidge over 30 and I apparently I have now gone from ‘conservative’ to ‘flaming liberal’ thanks rediscovering my critical thinking neuron listening to Rush and Hannity and Neal Boortz in the ‘90s and accelerated by the most evil msn to ever walk the face of the earth in 2016.
3. I have told my wife and children, if the unspeakable ever happens to them, I will never support retribution (God, I’m starting to hate that word even more) in the form of capital punishment.
As always, I was struck by your beautiful words, but I was also stunned that you express compassion for the Palestinian woman morning over her child but you had no reference at all to the brutal massacre in Israel October 7th. Parents were murdered in front of their children, people - including children - were burned alive and dismembered. Yes, extremists are in charge both in Israel and in Gaza, but children were attacked in both places. The Hamas terrorists displayed visceral hate for Jews and for women, and Israel is now fighting for its right to exist. In the 1930's, Jewish people denied that what Hitler did later could happen. We cannot make that mistake again. A deep, emotional hatred for Jews has surfaced all over the world. Our university students have been threatened and attacked all over the country, and expressions of hatred for Jews have surfaced all over the world. Your omission of this was painful and offensive to me.
1. KEEP WRITING (AWESOME); be prepared for the occasional unjustified criticism and take it with aplomb, because you know are WISE
2. I’m just a smidge over 30 and I apparently I have now gone from ‘conservative’ to ‘flaming liberal’ thanks rediscovering my critical thinking neuron listening to Rush and Hannity and Neal Boortz in the ‘90s and accelerated by the most evil msn to ever walk the face of the earth in 2016.
3. I have told my wife and children, if the unspeakable ever happens to them, I will never support retribution (God, I’m starting to hate that word even more) in the form of capital punishment.
4. Save me a dance!
As always, I was struck by your beautiful words, but I was also stunned that you express compassion for the Palestinian woman morning over her child but you had no reference at all to the brutal massacre in Israel October 7th. Parents were murdered in front of their children, people - including children - were burned alive and dismembered. Yes, extremists are in charge both in Israel and in Gaza, but children were attacked in both places. The Hamas terrorists displayed visceral hate for Jews and for women, and Israel is now fighting for its right to exist. In the 1930's, Jewish people denied that what Hitler did later could happen. We cannot make that mistake again. A deep, emotional hatred for Jews has surfaced all over the world. Our university students have been threatened and attacked all over the country, and expressions of hatred for Jews have surfaced all over the world. Your omission of this was painful and offensive to me.
Barbara Schwartz
Another impressive piece of writing and thoughtful expression of deep feelings by Jessica James. Thank you for this.