Author: Sharron Burnett

Last fall my husband Mike and I visited London, Scotland and Paris. It was a hastily created trip designed to celebrate Mike’s victory over cancer. I was awaiting a total knee replacement that would not come for many more months, so to say I was limping all the way would be an understatement. It did not take long for the two of us to realize that walks to and from tube stations to the various sights were out of the question for me. Our solution was to surrender to the idea of catching rides from Uber that left us on the doorsteps of the sights that we wished to visit.

Those Uber rides ended up being one of the more fascinating aspects of the trip. The drivers were more than ready to engage in friendly and informative conversations as we rode around town. We soon learned that London is attempting to make all public transportation in cars and buses gasoline free within the next few years. Laws require taxi and Uber drivers to switch to hybrid or electric cars with those hybrids eventually being phased out as well. As a result we enjoyed test rides in a wide variety of electric cars from Tesla to Mercedes Benz.

Among the most interesting electric autos were the BYD electric models from China. I have to admit that I was rather surprised by the comfort and luxury of the cars from BYD which seemed to be the best made of all of various brands. Not only were they incredibly luxurious but their cost was much lower than other brands according to the drivers. Soon we were seeing BYD automobiles almost everywhere that we went.

Just this week I read that BYD automotive had invented a charging system that is as fast as pumping gasoline into a car. It is rather exciting to imagine traveling down the road and spending only a few minutes recharging for the next leg of the trip. The innovation of BYD automotive is rather stunning, especially since I had no idea that they even existed before that trip to London. 

As I pump sixty dollars worth of gasoline into my truck I find myself wondering why we are so adverse to taking advantage of the expertise and low pricing that BYD has given to drivers all over Europe. Our country is not only far behind the idea of weaning ourselves from the use of gasoline but blatantly against the idea of using more and more electric cars. We act as though doing so would be impossible and yet it is already happening across the pond. Surely we would do well to wake up to the fact that alternative ways of providing energy are the wave of the future while we cling to our old ways of sticking with fossil fuels. 

There is something rather prideful and perhaps even a bit ignorant about being so unwilling to investigate alternative ways of living. We all hate the cost of the fuels that keep us moving and living well but when provided with alternative ideas we are reluctant to even try the new ways of doing things. Additionally we are unwilling to have real competition by creating tariffs that make it certain that we will be mostly bound to products created in the United States. 

In modern times there is a world market in which different nations offer their products but we have turned away from the idea of participating in that freedom. Instead we pay more for everything than we did a couple of years ago and we turn our backs on innovations that are not American made. In the meantime much of the world is moving forward and away from fossil fuels that pollute the air that we breathe and are becoming more and more rare and hard to produce. We even go to war with nations who have an abundance of such things making our day to day costs rise. 

My brother has Parkinson’s disease and his wife has a number of health problems as well. For well over two years they had to depend on family members and Uber drivers to get them from one place to another. Recently they purchased a self driving electric car and are now feeling free again. Life has suddenly become fun again as they are able to travel anywhere they wish without having to wait until someone is available to take them around. It has transformed their lives in more ways than one because when the price of gasoline spiked after Trump embarked on a war with Iran they were getting their fuel from electricity for a much lower cost. 

Instead of investing in foreign wars that rarely lead to positive changes Americans would do well to begin trying alternative ways of living. Our nation should be investing in research that will free us from the need to use energy from fossil fuels. We should see more and more wind farms and solar panels lighting up our homes and businesses and schools. We need to be sharing ideas with other nations and bringing down the cost of electric vehicles. Creating charging stations that take the same time to charge as filling a tank should become as important as building a transcontinental railway once was. The future could be so exciting and promising if only we were willing to invest in new technologies instead of pouring money into wars. 

It’s time that we looked toward world wide cooperation with each other for the good of human kind. It is time to live in peace on this earth with the idea that we are all the same and each of us is deserving of a comfortable life. That never happens with force or tariff wars. We are at our best when we work together for the betterment of all. 

PBS and NPR have survived in the Houston area because of generous donors who appreciate the high quality of the productions featured in both the television and radio programing. I depend on both types of media to provide me with information and entertainment that might not otherwise be available from stations committed to wealthy owners and advertisers. I often tell people that if I had to choose a single outlet for my viewing and listening pleasure it would be these two icons of fair and honest communication. 

I am a particular fan of programming on PBS like Masterpiece Theater and Frontline. Of late I have watched the new offering of The Forsytes featuring John Galsworthy’s sweeping saga but my favorites are the incredible real life stories featured on Frontline. I eagerly await each new topic knowing that I will learn so much from the insightful reporting that is the hallmark of the Frontline franchise.

Not long ago I spent a breathtaking two hours viewing 2000 Meters to Andriivka, a stunning look at a treacherous attempt by Ukrainian soldiers to retake a tiny village that had been overtaken by Russian soldiers. It was one of the most harrowing looks into the horror of war that I have ever viewed. I wanted to run away from what I was seeing at the same time that I was unable to look away and understood that I had to watch.

The route to Andriivka used by the soldiers lay along a once heavily forested area that was only two thousand meters long but may as well have been two thousand miles long given how difficult it was for the soldiers to inch their way to the once lively village. The long and dangerous push is the crux of the documentary that captures the spirit of the Ukrainian army and puts a personal face on the soldiers hoping to free their country from Russia. 

I can’t think of a single war movie that is as emotionally wrought as this documentary captured by Ukrainian film makers. It is a stunning vision of both the hell and the honor that Ukraine has endured for four years of fighting a war that was not of their making. It puts a deeply human commentary on the devastation and struggle that has been the daily reality of everyone in that war torn nation. It keeps the horror of that struggle front and center even as some silently question whether it would ultimately be better just to cede some of the land to Russia and call it quits. 

During the two hour film we get a personal glimpse into the psyches of the soldiers and the bravery that has been foisted on them. Nobody wanted this war. Nobody expected this war and the toll that it has taken on the people of Ukraine. Everyday is as difficult as the slow movement down the two thousand meters to the village of Andriivka. Lives have been forever changed and places on the map have been obliterated save for the ruins that stand where thriving communities once lived. 

I was stunned by the youthfulness of the soldiers, baby-faced young men who have set aside their aspirations to fight for their freedom. I saw my grandsons in their earnestness and fears. Some will live. Some will die. All the while the interest of the rest of the world in the Ukrainian tragedy seems to be waning. The one time alliance from the United States is gone with the presidency of Donald Trump. The only card the people of Ukraine have is their determination to be free. Like the soldiers of the American Revolution they are fighting a mighty power that has an almost endless supply of men to send into a war that they do not really understand. It is the story of David and Goliath all over again, but will the true heroes still be standing at the end?

While it is admittedly difficult to watch 2000 Meters to Andriivka I strongly feel that all of us need to steel ourselves to see what is happening in a place that we may not think matters to us. Looking away is too easy, too uncaring. Everyone in the world should be aware of what we are asking Ukraine to endure so that Putin does not realize his dream of recreating the USSR. Every decision that our nation makes should consider how we might support the brave souls who simply want the freedom from domination that our ancestors gave us with their victory over the powerful army of a long ago king. It should be in our natures to do whatever we can for a nation as determined for freedom as we have always claimed to be. 

Right now we have given the advantage to Russia. The war with Iran has made Russian oil a valuable commodity that fills their coffers with funds that will keep the war going indefinitely. Our withdrawal of help for Ukraine is the wrong move at the wrong time. The selfishness of “America First” seems to be a sham when we turn around and start our own war and upset the balance of powers in ways that will benefit the worst among us. 

Real Ukrainian heroes are offering their lives for the very freedoms that we have come to take for granted. Watch the documentary and then tell my why we should simply leave Ukraine to become a pawn of Russia. I suspect that when you witness the bravery and determination of the people of Ukraine you will surely change your mind.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the right of the state of Texas to require every public school classroom to have a display of the Ten Commandments. The posters are directed to be placed in the front of the room and be large enough so that everyone can see and read them. While this new ruling from the state legislature may seem harmless on the face of things I propose a few problems that I see with this situation.

The first problem is one of space and logistics: I have always been a mathematics teacher. My classrooms have had either large blackboards or white boards dominating the front of the room. Any bulletin boards near the front, if they even existed, were rather small. In almost every school where I worked we were also told to place a poster outlining class rules at the front so that they would be easily seen by every student. I wonder how both the Ten Commandments and the class rules are going to fit the allotted space. Will class rules have to take a back seat to the ten commandments or will teachers have to use some of the board space to take care of this dilemma? While this is a small problem it is nonetheless very real. Space inside any classroom is limited and much of what teachers display focuses on subject matter. If there is to be a site for descriptions of preferred behaviors the offerings need to be small enough to leave room for all of the required bulletins.

The second and most serious problem is what to do if students ask questions about the Ten Commandments poster: According to the ruling teachers only have to post the Commandments. Theoretically they do not have to discuss them like they do with the class rules but years of experience tell me that students will indeed have questions that may be difficult to either ignore or address. My understanding is that the Protestant rendering of the ten commandments will be used even though they are slightly different from the Catholic and Jewish versions. What will a teacher do if a students points out such variation and wants to know why the Protestant version was used rather than the other two? What will a teacher say if a student whose religion is not Christian asks who the one God is supposed to be and who are the false gods? Obviously the posting of commandments from a religious source sets up an uncomfortable situation that will no doubt be challenged by students. 

The third problem is that from a educational point of view the Ten Commandments will create a diversion from the content of lessons. A mathematics teacher has a very rushed schedule for delivering all of the knowledge and skills that the students are supposed to learn in a given school year. Taking time out to justify a religious poster detracts from the main purpose of the school. Students will most certainly want to know why the beliefs of only one religion are being prominently featured in the classroom. Those of the many other faiths will no doubt feel as though they are being ignored and perhaps even being subjected to unwanted pressures to accept one way of thinking. I suspect that teachers will have to allow for uncomfortable and distracting protests and discussions from students and their parents. 

I know that there is a naive belief that posting the Ten Commandments is not an effort to influence young people’s spiritual beliefs but my own life experiences tell me that their will be individuals who will earnestly attempt to go a step further in favoring one religious group over another. I have many times seen devout souls promising to allow those not in line with their beliefs to be left alone only to push them to change over time. 

In two very personal instances one of my Catholic daughters and my Catholic granddaughter ended up feeling very uncomfortable because fervent protestants felt the need to push them to change their beliefs. In both cases subtle pressure was slowly ratcheted up until they were literally being told that they risked eternal damnation if they did not conform to the “true faith.” How are we to be assured that every single teacher will adhere to the Constitutional requirement regarding freedom of religion? One small breach of this right can potentially lead to big trouble. 

I very much believe in God and I have done my best to follow the Ten Commandments just as they were taught to me in Catholic school. I had religion classes every single day for twelve years. I went to mass on Sundays. My faith is deeply embedded in my beliefs but mine was a choice originally made by my parents and later confirmed by my own decisions. This kind of choice should only be the domain of parents and each individual. No child should be subjected to any particular faith in a public school setting even with a seemingly generic poster at the front of the classroom. There are too many differing personal beliefs to consider if we are to be fair. Will we provide the same kind of respect to all faiths? Will our classrooms be fair by displaying the tenets of every single religion? Will we allow agnostics and atheists the ability to post their views? If we cannot be fair for all then we should not be willing to cross the line of public versus religious education. Only parents should have the authority to make spiritual decisions for their children and once those children are of age it should become their choice. 

In fairness to all, posters derived from the core beliefs of any religion need to be removed unless they are part of a study of all religions of the world in a history class. I cut my educational teeth on a system that respected all faiths. We were not allowed to pray during the school day but a teacher was permitted to gather with like minded students before or after school to pray or read the bible. We allowed certain religious children to stay seated without question during the Pledge of Allegiance. We knew that some of our Muslim students would be fasting at different times of the year. We had students wearing required clothing associated with their faiths. It was a mutually understood protection for each and every student. We left religious education to the parents. I still believe that is how it should be.  

I boast about my hometown of Houston quite often. Some may say that because I have lived in Houston for all of my life I have no way to compare it to other places. Many who come to Houston for a visit focus on the traffic, the heat, the humidity, and the lack of zoning that all come together to create a city that seems to have no purpose other than providing jobs and houses for people. They speak of the hurricanes and floods that endanger the citizens with a certain level of regularity. They insist that there are no natural features of the city that make it stand out as beautiful. Instead cities like Austin, Dallas and San Antonio get much more favorable reviews than Houston ever does, thus its only claim to fame seems to be that it is the fourth largest city in the United States and perhaps the most diverse. 

Indeed all of the above ideas are somewhat true but they tend to be the observations of those who do not take the time to discover the heart and soul of Houston. The reality is that Houston people are some of the best folks anyone might ever hope to meet. For the most part we celebrate our differences and do our best to make sure that everyone is respected. Still Houston is much more than just nice people who always answer the calls for help. It is indeed a fun place with more to do that even most of the citizens ever discover. 

Of course we have our sports teams that enliven our town throughout the year but we are also known for having some of the best cuisine in the entire United States. When I leave Houston I always find myself yearning for the culinary excellence and variety of my city. There are few places where the dining experience is so wonderful and it would literally take years to experience all of the wonderful places that cater to our taste buds. 

Houston is also as weird as Austin in its own way. We have a crazy art project called the Orange Show which is one of the finest examples of folk art anywhere. Every year over two hundred art cars parade through our streets delighting thousands who are awed by the artful renderings of automobiles sporting the creative genius of the community. We celebrate the Houston Heights and the Montrose area where everyone feels free to be themselves and a full-fledged China town offers shopping for exotic food, clothing and other goodies.

Houston has it’s sophisticated side as well with a symphony orchestra, a ballet company and theaters offering live musicals and plays. There are multiple universities in my city offering degrees in virtually any area. Our medical center is one of the best in the world and people come far and wide in search of top notch healthcare. 

We have an museums along with a natural science museum and a fabulous zoo. Tucked in central Houston is a Holocaust Museum and a Children’s Museum. We even have museums celebrating different cultures. We boast the Space Museum on the campus of NASA. When those rockets head for the moon they are communicating with the headquarters that made “Houston we have a problem”famous. 

On any given weekend there is some kind of celebratory event happening in every corner of the city. A devoted individual would be able to fill a calendar with things to see and do. Our rodeo is a weeks long celebration of customs, food and entertainment. Each year the Houston Garden Club hosts an extravaganza of floral delights. For the adventurous the Gulf of Mexico is only an hour drive away. 

I can’t possibly name everything wonderful about Houston but I do know that for many people we are just a big crowded city with little to offer other than traffic. Those of us who have lived here truly understand how much more there is to this place. We understand why it continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. We are an island of acceptance and understanding in a state too often known for its rigid ideologies. The church going folk here live in peace with a population so diverse that anyone is sure to find a group that feels comfortable. We really are a place of peace and love. 

It would be nice if we had a mountain view or a nice lake or river to provide some scenery but the flat land is all we have. It is in the people of Houston that we find our glories and I just wish that everyone might see what a grand place this is to be. 

Imagine we all walked into the world with the belief that each person was inherently worthy. Imagine if our goal was to help each recognize that we are worthy of being loved. Imagine if we sought to listen more than we spoke.  Fred Rogers

With all of the violence and hate in the world today I find myself looking back on my life and thinking of the moments when I felt that it was possible for humans to actually get along with each other. Watching Mr Rogers when I was a young girl always made me feel comfortable and positive about the direction in which the world was moving. He reminded me of my Uncle Willie who was a good and humble man who always seemed to be thinking about other people rather than himself. He was so observant that he noticed someone who was feeling sad or lost when nobody else did. He loved everyone with the same quiet and reassuring compassion that Mr. Rogers seemed to have. 

Of course the world is not a wonderland filled with puppets and nice people. As I grew I saw anger, misunderstanding, unwillingness to get along or attempt to understand our differing points of view. My college years were dominated by protests, movements and assassinations. I suppose that all of the violence made me realize how truly fragile life is and when I met the man who would be my husband I found no reason to wait to begin our life together. I was quite young when I married but the loss of my father and my mother’s mental illness had transformed me into an old soul who knew how to adult. Somehow the challenges that I had already endured insured that I would adjust to situations without a blink but I still wondered if we would ever reach a time when the world felt more like the one that Fred Rogers imagined. 

I longed for such a place more and more as I worked with one group of students after another. I saw how earnest and worthy every one of them was no matter what circumstances had affected their lives. Rich and poor, from many different cultures and races they all wanted the same things that I wanted, a world that would love them just as they were. 

There were indeed times when I believed that we were moving closer and closer to the kind of world where every person is treasured. There were of course outliers just as there will always be but for the most part we seemed to be working together as humans to listen more and to help every person reach his or her potential. I watched the city in which I grew become one of the most diverse places in the world and we actually got along and helped each other. I had no idea that hate was brewing in an undercurrent. I naively believed that we had conquered so much of the hate that has plagued the world that nothing would change our forward motion toward the kind of world that Mr. Rogers envisioned with his puppets and little trains. 

The middle of my life was enchanting. I loved my work. I loved my family. I loved my friends who were many. I had sisters among my friends and spent weekends laughing and living life with them. My daughters were smart and beautiful and just as open and honest and loving as I had always hoped they would be. Our world did become more and more willing to embrace our differing ways of being. Nothing was perfect but it was a time that felt so good then fear knocked on the door and stole our innocence and willingness to trust each other when two planes flew right through the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. 

For a time it felt as though we were going to take the high road as humans. We worked together to sort things out. We did not break, but a fear silently took hold that cultivated the kind of closed thinking that we had seemed to put behind us. We differed on how to deal with our changing world. Schools became killing grounds. Guns became the choice for feeling comfortable in a world that felt dangerous. Climate change caught up with us. People that I loved with all of my heart began to die along with the older generation of my family. As a people we seemed unable to agree on how to get along. A movement began that strictly classified people as being worthy or unworthy. We seemed to be living on a razor’s edge and then the whole world was sickened by a virus that killed millions before we humans were able to find ways to halt its progress. How to proceed became a political football rather than a moment to work together for the good of all. We divided into camps and pointed fingers at each other. The deadly shootings continued because we were never able to agree on ways to protect everyone. The Mr. Rogers dream seemed to be shattered when even our system of voting felt suddenly fragile with a president chiding his followers to demand that a legal election was rigged. Our nation’s capital became the site of an insurrection and the fabric of our cooperative spirit was rent in two. 

Is this how it felt during the Civil War when brother fought against brother? Are we not thinking of how badly this is affecting our young? Why are we insisting that one group is good and the other is bad? Why are we allowing the man who leads our nation to do whatever he wants without consulting Congress or wanting to know how each of us feels. Why have we become enemies of each other? Why do the words from our president sound so threatening to anyone who does not agree with him? Why does the violence seem to be consuming us?

There is a level of nationwide anxiety unlike any I have ever before seen. Little wonder that anyone with a sick mind is reacting badly. We don’t know whose words to trust anymore. We are urged to turn on each other by the very man who should be pulling us together. We are involved in a war that we never wanted. Our lives are upside down and inside out and if we speak out we are counted as being treasonous. Worst of all there is no end to the violence. Up is down and down is up. Truth is difficult to find. 

I am old enough and tough enough to know that we will get through this juncture and maybe even restore hope and trust in or nation. We are all brothers and sisters with dreams and needs to be recognized. We should all demand that nobody should be allowed  to make us enemies without criticism. We must come together and stop the violence and hate. It begins with those in whom we entrust our votes and our expectations. We will only heal when we recognize that everyone is worthy of being loved and when we begin to listen to each other again. No one person should be able to make us turn on one another no matter what his status may be. If we are willing to try we may imagine a better world and we must get there without violence. Mr. Rogers dream can become a reality if only we try to follow his example of believing that everyone is worthy of our love.