cd ybarra
Cynthia is a living contradiction. She writes about trauma, childhood PTSD, recovery and politics. It may not sound like it but she is a lot of fun!
She identifies as Latina/x, and is a life long, card carrying lesbian.
Rights without Responsibility
Since the advent of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and its variants, I have heard a lot of people talk about "their rights". They should have "the right" to refuse vaccination, the "right" to refuse a mask, the "right" to create lies and miseducate people. But what exactly are rights? Are these so-called "rights" god-given, are they something we are born with, and most importantly, do they come without any burden of responsibility?
The Box
The soldiers working in the Conn Barracks post office had it easy compared to their battles sweating it out in the field or in the motor pool. Yes, it was a lot of sorting, lifting, and careful handling of fragile packages and long awaited mail from home, with a lot of smoking and joking in the air conditioned offices. These pogues had it made, but you always wanted them on your side. After all, it could be your mail they were handling. Anything derogatory you had to say needed to be done a safe distance away and shared in confidence with others that would not blow your cover. Or else mail could go missing.
Scorch
California, varied and fine, became the 31st state in record time. Dusty Mexican territory, until the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 1848, ending what was known as the Mexican-American war. Gold was discovered just nine days before, in Sutter’s Mill, bringing wealth and population to California. Forty-niners, as the gold seekers were known, came in rushes in 1849 and beyond.
The Fall of Icarus
The mass murders of eight people in Atlanta and 10 in Boulder were only 6 days apart. 144 hours, 8,640 minutes, 518, 400 seconds. How many times have we lived through this? How many more times must we go through this before something is actually done?
The Deadly Power of Words
Words have incredible power, especially when they are repeated and digested as truth. No, you can't shoot or stab someone with words, but they are tools on the continuum of violence.
The Keystone XL
On January 20th, President Biden signed an executive order on "protecting public health and the environment and restoring science to tackle the climate crisis." This executive order essentially halted the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline which would have run from Canada to Nebraska. You can read the executive order here.
Why Do Black Lives Matter?
Black Lives Matter is an anthem, a rallying cry to bring attention to the daily reality that black folks live. BLM does not negate that all lives matter, rather those with black skin are not valued in this culture.
The Corona Virus
As of January 25, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that SARS-coV-2, which causes the disease, COVID-19, has infected 98,794,942 people worldwide. We now have vaccines that can protect us, up to 95%, from contracting the virus, yet the myths and conspiracy theories continue to proliferate.
