Updating my earlier posts reports HERE about California
enacting network neutrality rules to ensure equal internet access, our Governor
Brown has signed the bill. Immediately
afterward the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the
bill which you can read about HERE.
California experienced the dangerous effects of not having
the protections of network neutrality during a major fire this year, so once
again this President and his political party betray the best interests of
ordinary people – could even threaten our safety and security.
DISTRESS
We live in increasingly troubling times for preservation of
our individual rights as guaranteed by our democratic form of government’s constitution. Once more our current government majority
leaders have betrayed their responsibility to the American people.
The serious matter of a lifetime appointment to our Supreme
Court for any individual should warrant a thorough vetting and investigation
when viable allegations are made questioning a nominee’s testimony before an official
committee. An adequate time period to search for the
truth in this recent instance with nominee Kavanaugh was denied which our President
could and should have prevented. Even the Senate Committee should have
specified this reasonable requirement.
The President’s failure to act in the interest of insuring
our Supreme Court Justices are free of political bias, not to mention questions
of mendacity related to their personal behavior, reveals his continued systematic
undermining of the credibility of the other branches of our government in favor
of Executive Branch excessive control.
Most Congressional members of the political party which he
represents collude with him which serves to perpetuate divisiveness rather than
unification of the American people.
Foreign nations with dictator regimes, such as Russia, China and North
Korean, increasingly Poland, Turkey, must welcome such democracy weakening
actions as our President becomes more autocratic – like them.
LANGUAGE
Relating my language translation experiences in my previous
post prompted more recollections.
Years ago when serving one local hospital we could access by
phone a translator for a three way process – therapist, translator, patient. I
tried it but this was of limited value and could not be used effectively for services
my profession provided in most regular intervention processes. I
determined coordination with a family member to be present for translation
assistance was best.
Sometimes if staff members who spoke the
needed language were available they could assist, but they did so voluntarily
in the moment as they were still responsible for their regular work assignment. Total communication using speech, all non-verbal
means including gesture, printed words, pictures were used – whatever helped.
During some of my hospital years I encountered a variety of
languages, the more common, Spanish, German, including some of the less common
European, Asian, Arabic, Iranian and additional languages. I thought of how I might feel being ill in a
country where people did not speak my language, might not have anyone traveling
with me and what would help me cope.
Some years I served a number of skilled level facilities
providing rehabilitation services. I recall my first ever encounter with a
Spanish speaker and the only words that came to my mind as I walked down the
hall toward her room were that song “Be’same Mucho”. English translation is “Kiss me, now.” There was no time for advance planning as I
had just been told I needed to see her.
In a well-intentioned effort to comfort this lovely
grandmotherly type lady in her own language, since she had been surrounded by
only English speakers, I managed to offer a brief Spanish greeting, smile and
then talk-sang the song title words.
She gave me the strangest apprehensive look. She hesitantly cooperated for an oral motor
functional examination with my using gesture and eliciting imitation.
Her
bilingual daughter eventually arrived to translate allowing me to explain my
earlier behavior. Ever after what
limited contact was needed this dear grandmotherly lady and I exchanged lots of
laughs over this “loco Gringo’s” behavior.
Have you ever had complications, humorous or otherwise, trying
to understand or communicate to someone whose language was different than your
own?
