Communication is complex and subtle.

All living creatures communicate. Humans, of course, but much has been written about the communications of all the other primates, plus dogs, birds, insects.

And then there are the trees, grasses, and other plants that communicate by emitting chemicals into the air, water, and soil. These chemicals communicate to other plants that someone is being eaten or attacked in other ways, so that defensive measures might be taken.

There not only is intra-species communication, but inter-species communication, whereby the actions and cries of one species provide valuable information to other species.

Even bacteria communicate via many means, including “quorum sensing,” the release of chemicals that, in essence say, “There are enough of us to do as a group, a thing that individuals of us cannot do.”

And by this torturous road,  we approach Serena Williams and the “f” word.

Serena is considered by many people, me included, to be the greatest female tennis player in history.

Her combination of speed, strength, guile, serving power, and her never-quit, incredible desire to win have been unequaled for more than twenty years.

So dominant is she, that had I merely referred to her as “Serena,” you probably would not have needed the “Williams” to know whom I meant.

Last night, Serena, age 36, lost to a player 16 years her junior, and perhaps that age difference alone tells much of the story.

But there is another part to the story, and that involves the “f” word.

No, not that “f” word.

Because communication is so complex and subtle, we have evolved many complex and subtle rules that differentiate acceptable vs. unacceptable communication.

For example, there is a hideous and hateful word, often and widely used in earlier times, that now is used only by the coarse and the bigoted, and even then only in coarse and bigoted situations. That word is “nigger.”

It is a bastardized version of “Negro,” which itself is considered impolitic in many settings, as is the word “colored” when referring to people, though mysteriously, “of color” is acceptable.

If we add “black” and “African American” to the list, we have a broad range of references to the same human feature. And this doesn’t include the various slang derogatory terms used to reference minorities, each with degrees of unacceptability, depending on audience and situation.

In today’s hypersensitive world, references formerly considered innocent, now are grouped under the title, “Shaming.”

Clicking the above link will reveal to you many sorts of shaming, all designed to separate and denigrate some subgroup that is different from you.

Part of shaming is the use of certain shaming words. One of those words is the “f” word. I mean,  “fat.”

Politically, one does not refer to a person as “fat.” The more acceptable reference is “big,” or in clothing, “plus” size, or “not in condition,” or “out of shape,” even more gently, no reference at all, as though we are blind to all differences.

I do not know how Serena’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, will reveal to her that part of the reason she lost yesterday is that she either is fat, big, plus, not in condition, or out of shape, if she isn’t already aware of it.

In her younger years, Serena moved to the ball like a lioness after a gazelle. She was a graceful ballerina, but with strength and power.

Yesterday she abandoned the rapid, lithe steps that formerly brought her into perfect hitting position. Instead, she stood flatfooted, and settled for taking a long, slow, laborious stride, punctuated by a lean and reach, that almost, but not quite, allowed her to stroke the ball properly.

She was (dare I say it?) a fat ballerina.

Perhaps she knows, but due to her sensitive physical condition (She almost has died on two separate occasions, the most recent, a year ago) and possibly sensitive emotional condition (after postpartum and losing in a second consecutive tennis major final), either cannot or will not change.

Or perhaps she believes, that given her age, her accomplishments, and her limited future in professional tennis, she doesn’t wish to go through the effort and discomfort of weight loss.

That Serena remains one of the world’s greatest players, is a testament to her will and her natural athleticism. But I, as an admirer, am sad to see this magnificent champion turn “large,” in a tutu bordering on the comical.

I suspect that if Mouratoglou somehow could communicate to her the need return to better “condition,” i.e. lose about 20 pounds, Serena still might have more championships left in her. Otherwise . . .

Communication, especially in the high-strung, sensitive world of professional sports is, as we said, complex and subtle. It requires great care and delicacy. But if anyone can do it, the Serena/Mouratoglou team can.

At least I hope so.

Serena seems like a very kind and moral person, a magnificent champion, and a good mother.

She is the G.O.A.T., who warmly hugged the young woman who defeated her and demanded the crowd to “stop booing,” lest the youngster’s victory not be tarnished.

Serena would not deserve to be remembered with the “f” word.

A fan,

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty
Twitter: @rodgermitchell; Search #monetarysovereignty
Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

Last June, we published The final solution to the immigration problem. Torture the Children.

It described the Trump administration’s cruelty to children as the official policy designed to prevent illegal immigration.

The idea is that if America can subject children to terrifying cruelty, their parents will be less likely to come to America illegally.

In short, we tell the world, “We Americans torture children. We will inflict permanent mental and emotional damage on your children. So, if you have more decency and concern for children than we Americans do, don’t come here.” 

That Donald Trump is an indecent man, is sickeningly obvious.

That he has surrounded himself with similarly indecent creatures, also is beyond debate.

That Trump’s family also lacks moral character is a sad truth.

Trump has infected the entire Republican party — the party of “law and order,” which now puts party before country, and rich before poor. Immorality has become standard operating procedure for Trump’s “religious” followers.

And it just gets worse:

The Trump administration said Thursday it will seek to keep some undocumented immigrant children in detention for far longer than currently allowed, a move that would have sweeping implications for the families and for the immigration detention system.

You see, the current level of cruelty to children is not sufficient. We must tighten the thumbscrews further — much further.

We have no decency ourselves. We want to hurt these children so badly and do so much permanent damage to them, that no parent ever would want to come here.

The move comes on the heels of the administration’s decision this spring to separate families at the border as part of its “zero tolerance” prosecution policy, which resulted in more than 2,500 children being separated from their parents for weeks to months at a time.

We don’t care about the outcry from truly moral Americans. We don’t care about the rulings from a moral judge.

We don’t even care that more than 500 terrified children remain separated from their parents, because — well, because we simply don’t care.

It’s not our fault that we are immoral bastards. It’s the parents’ fault for trying to escape horrifying conditions and for seeking sanctuary with us immoral bastards.

So quit your whining, snowflakes.

The more than 200-page proposed regulation would circumvent a court settlement that has, for 20 years, set standards for the care of children in immigration detention.

Regulations? Standards of care for children? Court settlements. Who cares about regulations, standards of care for children, and court settlements?

The Nazis had it right. The white supremacists have it right. As our President said, they are “some very fine people.” They know how to treat aliens.

The administration has long sought to overturn the court agreement, arguing it binds the government’s hands and contributes to attracting undocumented immigrants to the country.

By holding families as long as their immigration case moves through the system and deporting them more quickly, they argue, families will be less inclined to try to come to the US illegally.

Yes, it’s true. The more horribly we can treat these unfortunate people, who have given up everything to escape terror, the less likely they will want to come to America for sanctuary.

If we could get away with shooting them all, we’d do that, too.

The proposed federal regulations would nullify the court case known as the Flores Settlement Agreement, which governs how undocumented children can be treated in custody.

The administration has targeted the Flores settlement as one of the main sources of its frustration with the immigration system, specifically the requirement to release children who arrive as part of families from detention within 20 days.

In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen labeled the settlement as a “pull factor” that drives immigrants to the US illegally.

Everyone who touches Donald Trump becomes dirtied by the experience.

You can add Kirstjen Nielsen to the long list of people who lost their decency, if they ever had any.

“There’s a reason we have Flores in the first place, and that is to protect children. Period,” said Philip Wolgin, director of Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress.

“Given any number of recent reports on the abuses of children in immigration custody, we need these common-sense protections more than ever. … It’s hard to see how the rules wouldn’t be challenged in court as not living up to the substance or spirit of the agreement.”

Like all Trump agreements, this one is void before the pen touches the paper. Ask anyone who ever has dealt with him.

And as for the “spirit of the agreement,” you have to be kidding. This is Trump we’re talking about.

“The last thing we need to do is to expose children to even longer detention under weaker conditions as the Trump administration is proposing,” echoed Ur Jaddou, a former DHS counsel now at the immigration advocacy group America’s Voice.

“Medical and psychological experts all agree that detention, including family detention, is no place for children, let alone under inhumane conditions, and especially when there are viable and workable alternatives available. This proposed regulation is unacceptable and should be challenged.”

Inhumane conditions. That’s not a bug; it’s a feature.

Trump loves it. The GOP loves it. Trump’s followers love it. The party of waterboarding is 100% sold on the benefits of torture — especially the torture of children.

The government wants to keep families in detention for the duration of their immigration court case. Those cases can take years to finish.

“The proposed rule may result in extending detention of some minors, and their accompanying parent or legal guardian, in (family detention centers) beyond 20 days,” the rule acknowledges.

“ICE is unable to estimate how long detention would be extended for some categories of minors and their accompanying adults in FRCs due to this proposed rule.”

So we keep children in jail for weeks, maybe months. The longer the better. That’ll teach ’em not to come to the land of opportunity, freedom, and compassion.

If a mother and child, trying to escape a pack of wild dogs, came knocking at your door, begging for sanctuary, would you let them in?

Trump and the GOP would imprison the child and throw the mother out to the dogs.

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty
Twitter: @rodgermitchell; Search #monetarysovereignty
Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

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The single most important problems in economics involve the excessive income/wealth/power Gaps between the have-mores and the have-less.

Wide Gaps negatively affect poverty, health and longevity, education, housing, law and crime, war, leadership, ownership, bigotry, supply and demand, taxation, GDP, international relations, scientific advancement, the environment, human motivation and well-being, and virtually every other issue in economics.

Implementation of The Ten Steps To Prosperity can narrow the Gaps:

Ten Steps To Prosperity:
1. Eliminate FICA

2. Federally funded medicare — parts a, b & d, plus long-term care — for everyone

3. Provide a monthly economic bonus to every man, woman and child in America (similar to social security for all)

4. Free education (including post-grad) for everyone

5. Salary for attending school

6. Eliminate federal taxes on business

7. Increase the standard income tax deduction, annually. 

8. Tax the very rich (the “.1%) more, with higher progressive tax rates on all forms of income.

9. Federal ownership of all banks

10. Increase federal spending on the myriad initiatives that benefit America’s 99.9% 

The Ten Steps will grow the economy, and narrow the income/wealth/power Gap between the rich and you.

MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY