MountainMornings

It was a deep sigh that greeted me this morning post-Keurig. Bob is home and switched on CNN, the news on Brexit is stunning and all the talking heads swirled around mine before the caffeine had set in. 

But should we be surprised? Yesterday, amid plaster dust and paint decisions, SCOTUS tied on the President’s immigration scheme to let parents of children born here, stay here. Nationalism, a far right Tumpattania (thanks Michael Moore) has infected our country too. There is a move afoot to stay separate, to isolate ourselves from the world. 

Fear of immigrants translates to FEAR period. Fear of Eastern Europeans taking away jobs, fear of Mexicans and Muslims and anyone not in the same tribe. 

We heard rumblings of such far-right thought throughout our river cruise. Recent elections in Slovakia saw a millionaire political outsider win office. People in Hungary were losing out on the economic rise of the EU. 

But a very sweet Slovakian tour guide told us she would be attending law school in Edinburgh in the fall. For free! Because if you passed the test, students could travel anywhere in the EU to pursue their education. Now I wonder what will happen to her. 

Lightening took out our modem yet again so I had to stop at Starbucks today to connect with y’all. Now I can share this painting of Saint Angela Merkel we saw in a Vienna coffee shop. She is calling the Brexit vote a watershed moment. Remember the EU was formed not just for economic reasons, but to prevent bloodshed and a future world war. 

Let’s all offer up prayers to Saint Angela today. May we not find ourselves in a similar solitary state in this world. Prayers to sustain the EU and to get out our Democratic voters in November!