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WHERE IS BARRON TRUMP?

Demented Donald Trump idiotically insists local school boards should illegally force your vulnerable children back into crowded classrooms unsafely as the Trump-caused COVID-19 catastrophe only continues to get worse, while on permanent vacation Trump golfs endlessly at the taxpayers’ expense.

Delusional Donald continues to claim the coronavirus will simply “...disappear, one day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear...” as some sort of sick, psychotic rationalization for his Russiancontrolled regime’s intentional inaction during this deadly pandemic. Vladimir Putin and his pathetic puppet Trump aren’t fooling anyone other than Jim Jones Trump’s Orange Kool-Aid drinkers and their greedy, hypocritical charlatan pastors in their private jets.

Over 170,000 Americans are dead due to the Republican Party’s ongoing criminal negligence and purposefully incompetent cruelty. On November 3, the American people will finally render their political and constitutional judgment against Orange Julius Caesar in a landslide defeat for the GOP of historic proportions. Adios, Trump!

And if the GOP’s dimwitted, draft-dodging version of Julius Caesar follows through on his tyrannical, terroristic threats to sabotage and/or cancel this November’s presidential election, the American republic’s defenders will respond appropriately in the remaining days of traitor Trump’s pathological presidency. (Perhaps the Orange emperor has never read William Shakespeare’s play about this subject?)

Speaking of Shakespeare, where in the world is the Tangerine Tyrant’s 14-year-old son Barron Trump—a sad, tragic, unloved Shakespearean character if there ever was one. Considering the virtual blackout of almost all news coverage of President Trumptanic’s troubled relationship with his youngest son, Barron, isn’t it time for the craven corporate media to highlight the highly relevant fact that Barron will not be returning to school in person this year like your children, but Barron Trump will instead stay safe at home and attend class online?

Jake Pickering

SAFE AND SOUND

Is it democratic that one man can prevent bipartisan legislation passed by the House not be acted upon by the senate? Over 275 bipartisan bills are sitting in the grave site of the Grim Reaper. Many of these bills are strongly supported by Republicans like the “impeachment and replacement of the president” that was supported by 71% of the Republicans. Here are a few relevant bills buried in McConnell’s graveyard.

• The Safe Act, which is a bill to help states build a support system for safe, reliable elections. Why would the senate not support this important bill? • The Equality Act that has received so much needed attention and is vital to our efforts at the very least to begin to take this American issue seriously. Of course, this is not a Republican goal. • Raise Wages Act. Wages have been flat for four years due to President Trump’s overt actions to support corporations and businesses over American workers. Although Trump has claimed workers are his top priority like many other promises, he has taken actions to do the opposite. Like gun violence also proposed by our frightened children, Trump promised action but never accomplished a thing. Now, he and Mr. Barr are trying to eliminate Obamacare.

Finally, as we continue to amass over 5.1 million virus cases and our death toll keeps rising—to 169,000 now—our president claims, “It will disappear.” It is my wish that he will disappear after the fall election!

Dr. Richard A. French

Pasadena

COMMUNITY COLLEGES RESCUE CALIFORNIA’S STRANDED WORKERS BY DR. EDWARD C. ORTELL CITRUS COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER

Who are California’s “stranded workers”? According to leaders in higher educa tion, they are the state’s 2.5 million working adults who have graduated from high school but have not earned a postsecondary degree or any type of vocational certification.

The more important question, however, is why they are considered “stranded.” Data from California Competes, a nonpartisan research and policy group, show 41% of this racially diverse Dr. Edward C. Ortell, Governing Board Member, group are parents; more than half work full time; Citrus College. and 58% earn less than $25,000 annually. In other words, they do not have the financial means, the time or the necessary information to pursue higher education options that could help them break the cycle in which they are trapped.

Today’s high-tech workplace requires advanced training and a new set of skills across all industries. Workers employed in low-wage, entry level jobs have little hope of advancing to the next level in their careers without acquiring additional training and new skills.

COVID-19 has further changed the workplace in sudden and dramat ic ways. Jobs once thought accessible only to workers who could commute to and from the workplace each day are now being done entirely online. Other employers are using technologies that combine commut ing and working from home. As we emerge from the pandemic, much of the new workplace model will remain, given its convenience, flexibility and cost-saving advantages. And much of it will require new skills.

A recent study by the Strada Education Network indicated that non degree programs have the highest level of interest among Americans who desire career advancement. According to Andrew Hanson, direc tor of research for Strada, “…Americans are telling us they’re interested in immediate opportunities to develop their skills.”

Stranded workers need look no further than their local community college to quickly acquire new skills. Citrus College offers skill awards and certificates of achievement in 30 disciplines or programs. The col lege has also partnered with ED4Career to deliver online career training and certification in a variety of fields. Students can enroll in this program at any time, and courses can be accessed 24/7. New students can tap into counselors, financial aid information and other services at citruscollege.edu.

Extraordinarily difficult times such as these require extraordinary solutions. Community colleges continue to prove they are able to step up quickly and help students across all educational levels find a pro gram that will maximize their employment opportunities and provide a pathway to a better life. n

Professor emeritus at Pasadena City College and former executive director of the Pasadena Education Association, Dr. Edward C. Ortell is the senior governing board member at Citrus College. He has served on the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) state board of directors and 11 terms as president of the Citrus College Board of Trustees.

CARTOON

WE ARE AGAIN WATCHING HISTORY BEING MADE

REFRESHINGLY, THE RIGHT KIND

Let me start by categorically stating that Mount Rushmore is not available for a makeover, OK? The fantasies of the Orange Horror should stay solely in his addled brain and not foisted onto the public consciousness. Had any of us been told four years ago of his dream to be installed on our beloved national monument, it would have been met with immediate derision from all sides. Today our collective reaction is, “Well, of course, he does.” Do the indignities ever stop?

Yes, they do! My chronic 3 1/2 yearlong indignation streak just got a joy break! This week, former vice president and presump - tive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden—not my first pick by any stretch—se - lected our junior senator from California, Kamala Harris, to be his running mate! I cried with joy and gratitude. She was not my first pick either. So what? I’m behind the two with all my might. I’m not looking for perfection; I’m looking for liberty and justice for all, and that’s not a perfect pursuit by any means. I know that this team will be light - years better than Trump and his Minions of Evil, and last I checked all candidates are human. Except for… oh, never mind.

History-making events this August: On Wednesday, August 26, it’s the 100th anniver - sary of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States—a long, hard-fought battle to overcome the most massive voter suppres - sion effort ever mounted. Winning the vote for women was not easy, anywhere at any time. The U.S. campaign for the women’s vote started in 1848; they finally won it 72 years later in 1920. For a boastful democracy like ours, you have to wonder why it took so long for women to achieve the most basic right of being a citizen in a democracy: voting.

The situation was almost like a Zen Koan: how do you win the vote if you can’t vote for yourself to get it?

So why did it take so long? Several factors are involved. Let’s start with it… Ridicule! American men are notoriously insecure about their “masculinity.” They are so afraid to be seen as “feminine” or “gay” that they don’t want to do anything that challenges their frail masculine ego. This has not changed. In the 1800s, men were afraid that if women could vote, they would suddenly “wear the pants” in the family. Women would go to work while men stayed home and took care of the house and kids. Horrors!

Today, some men are so wimpy they feel “e-mask-ulated” when asked to wear a mask to protect themselves and others. Go figure.

And then there’s … Fear! If the society you’re in tells you that your very survival depends upon a man providing for you, and the only outside jobs for women don’t pay enough to live an independent life … well, you’re going to go with survival. This, of course, leaves out societal outcasts like women who were single or widowed. A person whose survival is threatened is least likely to “rock the boat” when it comes to social reform. That’s one reason why there were also women who were against the vote.

And let’s not forget this evergreen… Follow the money! While maintaining that women were “designed” for the home, men were afraid of having to take up the slack there if the women had a role outside of it. Besides, if you can have a whole group of un - paid people doing laundry, cooking, diapers, child care, sewing, decorating and elder care, think of all that hidden free labor! And think of who profits from it.

The liquor industry, excuse the expres - sion, poured millions of dollars into defeat- ing the women’s vote because they feared women would immediately vote to ban booze. Ironically, the amendment to prohibit alcohol was enacted before women won the vote.

Science and clergy also opposed women voting: Some preachers and scientists issued dire warnings to women that if they voted, their ovaries would dry up. That didn’t sound like a threat to a woman who already had 10 kids. “Hey, sign me up for that!”

August 26 is Women’s Equality Day—ev ery year! How apt that we can celebrate 100 years of the vote with the V.P. selection of Kamala Harris; she’s not only Black, she’s also of Indian descent and is the first woman of color to be a V.P. candidate on a major party ticket.

I want to weep when I think of how her foremothers in the U.S. suffrage movement would have felt if they could see this. For sure, the more well-known white women would be overjoyed, but even more over-themoon happy would be Sojourner Truth, Har riet Tubman and that woman of metal, Ida B. Wells. I call Ida that because she had a heart of gold, nerves of steel and brass ovaries.

Thinking about them leads me a fantasy… if we were going to alter Mount Rushmore, let’s put up Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tub - man and Ida B. Wells, while leaving room for President Kamala Harris. That’s a sculptedin-granite fantasy I can support. n