| No Images? Click here  We made a stop in Arivaca, Arizona — a town just 11 miles north of the Mexican border that’s home to fewer than 700 people. While there, Hayley Miller met Dan Kelly, a 72-year-old Vietnam War veteran. Dan, who moved to Arivaca after his wife died last year, said he loves living in a small town of "cowboys, ranchers and retired hippies.""I'm delighted to be in a community of like-minded souls," he said. "There is a very live-and-let-live attitude here." Dan volunteers at the local humanitarian aid office, a project sponsored by the nonprofit People Helping People In The Border Zone. The organization provides aid and crisis relief to borderland residents. Recently, Dan has been focused on delivering shower shoes and blankets to local immigrants."My involvement here is out of a commitment to human beings," Dan said. "We have an economy that relies on immigrant labor. We need to honor it — not demonize it. ... These people aren't rapists. They aren't murderers. They aren't animals. They are human beings.""On the border, seeing people starving to death, seeing people dying of dehydration because of a set of policies designed to garner votes through division, hate and discord is appalling," he added. "We have an opportunity in every lifetime to stand for something. Human life is sacred — every human life is sacred."  And yesterday, the bus tour crew spent the day at the Sign Language Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico.Paul Mansfield, 69, drove 30 minutes from Corrales, where he lives, to pay us a visit. Paul retired in January after a career in journalism and computer consulting. A self-described “political junkie,” he also worked as a field organizer for the nonprofit Organizing for Action during Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns.Since retiring, Paul has had ample time to enjoy his town. “Corrales is one of the oldest communities in the state,” he told HuffPost's Antonia Blumberg. “It’s very funky, very eclectic. It even has a restaurant in town that will give you 10 percent off if you hitch your horse to the front gate.”Paul said he has some health issues that often keep him inside, which has given him some time to experiment with new recipes and ingredients.“My focus since retirement has been on sharpening my skills as a cook,” Paul said. “I’ll be going shopping for tonight's dinner. I’m not sure what I’m going to make yet, but I love to cook. ... I’ve tried to go more toward simple but delicious, fresh, wholesome food. None of that prepared stuff.”
 Nearly half of U.S. teenagers say they’ve had sex. But only 24 states and the District of Columbia require that public schools teach sex education. Still fewer states stipulate that sex ed must be factual and medically accurate.Emily Feher and Melanie Lucash are sex educators in Mississippi and Massachusetts, respectively. Mississippi requires public school districts to adopt an abstinence-based sex education policy. The state is also one of just four in the country where sex education is taught on an “opt-in” basis, meaning it requires parental consent. Massachusetts doesn’t mandate whether districts teach sex ed, but it does stipulate that sex education must be medically accurate and age-appropriate. As in most states, parents can opt their kids out.Emily and Melanie told HuffPost about the joys and challenges of their jobs. It means a lot to us that you've joined us virtually on our bus tour as we've listened to America — and we want to hear from you, too! We'd appreciate it if you would take this short survey so we can learn more about the issues that matter most to you. And THANK YOU to all of our readers who have already shared their thoughts with us!  If you’re in the area, come see us! We’ll be at the John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin tomorrow afternoon.
 Join us virtually on the bus! Ride along with our editor-in-chief, Lydia Polgreen, as she dispatches news from the road via Facebook Messenger.  Learn more about what it really means to be an American by signing up for our morning news brief.Did a friend send you this? Subscribe here. For more politics news, check out our HuffPost Politics email.©2017 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 |
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