thank you, barack

I must admit... I had some issues with voting for Barack Obama for a second term.

I wanted to cast my ballot for Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala but as I thought long and hard, realized I might not have the opportunity to once again choose an African American as the president of the United States during my lifetime... and so, once again I chose Barack Obama.

As I listened to Obama giving his acceptance speech, I realized this was the right choice for me. And while I have issues with the way we elect our leaders, I feel comfortable with my choice in this election cycle.

the politics of "big bird"

By now I'm sure most people have heard or read about the dilemna facing PBS following the first debate between President Obama and Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. Romney commented "I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm going to stop other things. I love Big Bird," he insisted... "I actually like you too (referring to debate moderator Jim Lehrer), but I’m going to stop borrowing money from China to pay for things we don't need."

Here's the problem... we do need PBS... we do need the programs that Romney would eliminate, because they're effective in a variety of ways and ultimately make life bearable for those living below the poverty line. But getting back to Sesame Street... it prepares very young kids with the tools necessary to move into the educational process in a non-threatening manner, by teaching them the rudiments of math, the alphabet, language, and more...

But according to Mitt Romney, we should just trash the Big Bird because we can't continue to borrow from China and Japan to "pay for things we don’t need." So, what would he continue to fund? The military, and those weapons contractors who continue to profit from our overseas incursions.

I wonder... is he speaking for himself, or for the American public?

As the election looms in the not-so-distant future, it will be the undecideds who ultimately make the choice for the presidency, not those of us who've already indicated our choice.

fun with elections 2012

Ok... the gloves are officially off.

It's about time. The last election cycle was, well... so boring... so predictable. Any party that nominates someone so dismally unsuited to the role of president (or vice president) of the United States deserves to lose big time (note to GOP... that's exactly what happened).

This one will prove to be, perhaps even more boring.

But wait... maybe not.

After all, the GOP has been scrambling to purge voter rolls in key states, and Dems have been slow to thwart this move. Meanwhile (back at the ranch), some states have continued to eliminate potential voters, even as federal judges are denying the validity of claims of voter fraud. Even if all these claims are found to be lacking in merit, in the end, the real losers in this maelstrom will be the voters themselves...

Remembering...

On July 3rd, my brother Steve would have been celebrating his 64th birthday.

Problem is, he lost his life during the war in Vietnam.

Around this time of year, I begin thinking about the waste of war... those who came before, and gave up their lives, and those down the road who will go to war never understanding the realities of war... 

I started looking at his record (according to the VirtualWall) and discovered he went to Vietnam the same year I graduated from high school. In truth, I thought it was later than that...  and now I know.

Occasionally I would receive letters from him while he was over there, "defending the nation" against the spread of communism. He spoke not about the angst of war, but rather about the banality of war... the waiting, the weather... never about the whys and where-fors.

For years I railed against the unfairness of the situation. The circumstances of his demise. The reality of our parents flying quickly to San Francisco from the east coast, only to acknowledge the loss of their first born. Never enough time to grieve, only time to plan for a funeral. The loss of a brother that many of my siblings never knew, the loss of an artist, the loss of a child... I could go on.

And by the way, I no longer buy into the necessity of Vietnam foisted upon a naive nation.

After all, communism is merely the flip side of capitalism.

The medals are a reminder that Steve no longer exists, but his name (and many others) will always rest on a memorial in Washington.

changing the world

Once again, the question of constitutionality is the issue...

For those far too young to remember, it's always about civil rights...

During the 1960s, the ugliness around civil rights for blacks in this country reached an all-time high. Civil rights workers coming into the southern states lost their lives... children were murdered and churches were bombed... marchers for racial equality were attacked by white mobs, drenched by fire hoses and attacked by dogs unleashed by those who did not believe anyone should have access to the same rights they enjoyed.

While we've come far, we've not come far enough because "civil rights" are not just about "racial equality."

In 1998, a young man named Matthew Shepard lost his life when he was attacked for being gay. A great many people were shocked and horrified by the brutality of the murder... but for those who face this descrimination, it was not so surprising because, in varying degrees, gays have faced hostility from any number of fronts... The Stonewall Riots in New York began a movement... only to be followed by Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign in California (in the late 1970s), the murder of Harvey Milk and most recently, Prop 8, which was funded in great part by the Roman Catholic Church and Mormons of Utah.

But the question: should gays and lesbians who desire to create a strong committed relationship with another like-minded individual, have the right to do so?

I believe, absolutely!

This debate is not about morality... we may agree to disagree on the topic of morality... rather, this discussion is about civil rights, not the words of the bible.

In September, these arguments will be presented to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals so, as they say "Stay tuned..."

Matthew Shepard photo: Gina van Hoof

warning: uncharted obscenity ahead

Recently, I read about a woman removed from a flight for wearing a t-shirt deemed offensive by the American Airlines pilot.

Seriously?

Ironically, the woman seated directly next to her had no issue with the shirt.

So, let's talk about this a bit... her offense? Wearing a t-shirt that read "If I wanted the government in my womb, I'd fuck a senator."

The obscene nature of the language apparently offended the pilot and we all know how sensitive pilots are...

Interestingly, a great many people I know personally, know and occasionally use this language and therefore, are not overly shocked by the usage.

Perhaps the pilot should have been more offended by some of the legislation coming from state assemblies across the country, aimed at women's health and women's bodies. Take the recent laws passed in Virginia, Texas... or any number of states where the rights of women to control bodily functions are now given to men because god knows, we certainly don't know how deal with our own "female issues."

Right?

Please, let's get real.

life is very short...

So it's important to step outside occasionally and blow off some steam... or just celebrate the moment... whatever it might be.

etheral quality in the park

Early morning, bird sanctuary...

seen in the park

While we talk about the wildlife in Griffith Park, we're usually not very privileged to see coyote wandering down the paved roads... at such a leisurely pace.

Two weeks ago, after our Sunday hike, we were deciding what to do next when I glanced over to my right and noticed a lone coyote crossing the street (to get to the other side). It was so casual... not a care in the world...

I quickly snapped a pic before it disappeared into the brush. How cool!

in honor of mothers everywhere...

My mother and I struggled for many years to find common ground.

This has never stopped me from loving her, and I trust she loved me in return. She died a few years ago, and I find there are moments when I wish I could once again express to her how much she molded me into the person I am today...

I look at my sisters and see in all of them, our mom... and so, to them and to all my friends and extended family members, I wish a very Happy Mother's Day.

May you all have a very positive effect on your children's lives!

'nuff said...

May day is quickly approaching and as I attended a function on the stairs leading to city hall, I couldn't help but notice the signage posted on the fencing next to the staging area. The irony of city council members talking about budget issues affecting parks and recreation was not lost on me...

more in the trayvon martin/george zimmerman saga

It seems to be a case of "he said... he said"... Oh, wait... one of those directly involved in the incident is dead, so we're gonna just take the "he said" side of the situation and leave it at that.

I think George Zimmerman thought this would be the end of it... thankfully Trayvon's parents wouldn't let it go and yesterday marked George Zimmerman's first appearance in a court of law.

Now we shall see how this plays out... not in the court of public opinion, but in a judicial setting better suited to hear all sides...

nice quiet dinner

It used to be you could go for a rather uneventful dinner and wend your way home without incident...

So, imagine my surprise when it turned ugly.

As we were making the transition from one freeway to another, we encountered a huge fire... the wall of flame was a beautiful scary sight to behold, especially with all the cars racing by, attempting to avoid the mess.

Turns out some drunken moron decided to rear-end a gasoline tanker, creating an accident on the 134 going west near the 5 freeway, which probably wasn't such a bright move, given what happened next.

Boom... tanker exploded, shutting the freeway down for nearly 24 hours while fire crews doused the flames, followed by DOT checking the structures (as the impact and fire happened directly under several transition overpasses...)

An unhappy travel time was had by all...  but the best part, the fool that created the mess was jailed. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, except perhaps to the foliage framing the underpass, which burned to a crisp.

Moral of the story... don't mix alcohol with gas... it never works...

speaking up for women's rights

Recently at an Iowa town hall meeting, a woman named Shirley Grant called Congressman Steve King and other Republicans to task for their attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. Even as Republican pundits have endeavored to paint this organization as one that ONLY provides abortions, Grant politely pointed out that Planned Parenthood provides many healthcare services and "the political arena has made a big mistake" for not continuing to fund the organization.

For those unfamiliar with Planned Parenthood, abortion is quite low on the list of services... some of the many services they provide include mammograms, cholesterol, high blood pressure, thyroid and diabetes screenings, flu vaccines, as well as reproductive services for women and men.

So, why exactly is this organization targeted?

From my perspective, it's all about women having equal access to good healthcare.

Because of Republican-led efforts across the nation, Planned Parenthood is currently under attack in multiple states... it's already been defunded in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, and of course, Texas. A recent federal ruling declaring this legislation unconstitutional in Indiana has halted further defunding in other states, at least for the moment.

Hostility seems to go hand-in-hand when discussing women's rights to controlling their health care needs.

The People's View website commented "Among women voters in swing states, healthcare was the top issue respondents said would influence their vote for president, followed by gas prices and unemployment. Among men, the top issue was the deficit and national debt. Healthcare ranked third, and unemployment ranked fifth." This information seemed to acknowledge the importance of access to decent healthcare among females... and unfortunately Republicans (and the frontrunner) don't seem understand (or care) what this information portends in the upcoming election. Rather than address the issue squarely, Romney has continually referred to the gender-gap healthcare issue as a Democratic distraction.

Even as the courageous constituent Shirley Grant decided it was time to speak out in defense of Planned Parenthood, it'll be up to women across this country to speak out strongly against the Republican onslaught as they step into the voter's booth come November.

Either that, or we'll all continue to see an erosion of equitable healthcare.

so little time...

So much to comment on these days...

If you've been following the Trayvon Martin fiasco in Florida... frankly, it's a mess. Depending on your position, it was either a cold-blooded murder, or a justified homicide because currently anyone in the state of Florida can claim self-defense (real or imagined).

Personally I believe one should have the right to defend one's property to a degree but this is not one of those times...

When George Zimmerman ignored the cease and desist order and continued to follow Trayvon, he stepped across the line. As more information is forthcoming, this open and shut case is looking more murky. The self-appointed defender of record (Joe Oliver) sounds like a shameless self-promoter, after giving up his job to defend the actions of the [non] accused Zimmerman. Really?... how many of us have someone in our back pocket who would be willing to give up all income in order to dash to our defense? 

Worse, the father of Zimmerman is trying to lay the blame for a great deal of the outrage over this situation squarely on the president. If this weren't so silly, it would be sad. Further, he's suggesting that Trayvon severely beat his son in a life-or-death struggle but since he wasn't there and Trayvon can't speak in his defense, he (and we) only have the words of George Zimmerman.

In short, neither father nor son is willing to take responsibility for the actions of that infamous night. It's always someone else's fault, right?

But here's the bottom line...

If no real investigation occurred, and a 17-year-old kid is now dead, why didn't officials do their job?

Why did officials hold the body for three days before notifying the next of kin, even though they had Trayvon's cell phone in their possession? At the very least, they could have dialed the last number called and gathered more details about the "John Doe" in their custody.

Why didn't officials speak with potential witnesses before concluding that Zimmerman acted in self-defense?

Why did officials drug test the "victim" but not Zimmerman? (By the way, because he was underage, the police department may be slapped with some lawsuits).

Even though Zimmerman was not charged with any crime, pending more information, at the very least, his gun should have been confiscated.

There are far too many questions and far too many insufficient answers at this point.

As they say in the cliff-hangers... stay tuned...

seen on hollywood blvd.

I wonder sometimes if we really need to be reminded that many of our fellow citizens go hungry...

I saw this billboard and started thinking about the message...

It used to be when the parental units wanted you to finish your peas, they would remind you of the poor starving children in China, India, ... well, fill in the blank.

No one spoke to the issues happening in America, but now thanks to the economics of the last 30 some years, homelessness, hunger, lack of resources, family abuse and racism are now rearing their ugly heads and we're all faced with problems that seem to mount daily.

stop the madness...

Just another Sunday in Balandi, Afghanistan as an Americans soldier swept through the village, and opened fire on mostly women and children as they slept, killing 16.

It is small wonder that the world reacts in shock and horror. After all, it is the Americans who claim to wear the white hat, taking on evil around the globe. Truth is, we long ago lost the luster of being the "good guys" in the fight.

Last month we burned Qurans, today, we slaughter women and children in their beds. Tell me, why is it ok to go to third world nations and kill those citizens? Or, as some friends like to say... "Who died and made us God?"

When will we stop the madness, and prosecute the individuals responsible for these heinous crimes? And when are we going to acknowledge we made a HUGE mistake, and walk away from the mess we created over a decade ago?

We could take a fraction of the money we've sunk into Afghanistan, and put it into our infrastructure, creating jobs, fixing bridges, giving people an honest pay for an honest day's work... what a concept!

KONY 2012

"We should stop him..."

If you've not visited youtube and watched this short film... you are missing a real opportunity to get involved in a world-changing moment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

state mandated rape

Women in Virginia are suddenly aware that women's rights might go the way of the dinosaur if they fail to speak up...

Thankfully, the soft sound of silence is golden as the governor begins to confront the realities of his intractable position.

To all who support the women in this ongoing fight, you challenge those who would push women back into the kitchen, and back to when women had no voice when it came to control of their bodies.

(...and while McDonnell may have been a rising star in the political arena, this one issue may be his political demise.)

the swift decline of women's rights

Two centuries ago, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton advocated for women's suffrage, including women's right to control their lives, finances, health, the right of women to organize and finally, an end to slavery. These two women believed ultimately they would win the right to vote for women when the 13th Amendment was passed, but the final legislation excluded any language concerning women.

Did you know that an anti-abortion, anti-women's rights group has absconded with Anthony's good name (www.sba-list.org). Frankly, I had no idea this group existed, but their positions clearly run counter to those espoused by Susan B. Anthony when she was alive. During the twenty years SBAList has existed, this group has fought to abolish women's control over their bodies by insuring that potential legislators with like-minded values are elected to state and federal legislative bodies.

Perhaps you've also noticed... many of the decisions that would affect women's rights to control their bodies are being imposed by MEN, beginning with the U.S. Supreme Court.

The recent congressional panel chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, supposedly enjoined to debate women's contraceptives in the health care bill began with an obvious omission...

Where were the women?

After all, wasn't this conversation about access to contraceptives... and just who normally uses contraceptives? Certainly not the men on the panel...

In reality, this panel wasn't about women's health care, but rather, as Issa remarked, "about religious freedom" (although I didn't quite get the connection... I thought there was church/state separation in this country).

There was a time when women were treated as the property of their husband, father or brother. During the era of the Salem witch trials, anyone who stepped out of line (as in the case of Bridget Bishop1, the first woman hanged for the crime of witchcraft) could find her/him-self accused of cavorting with the devil if she/he refused to remain subservient. At the end of these trials, nineteen individuals were hanged, and hundreds imprisoned. Ironically, it was two young women who began the process, accusing individuals who had somehow "dissed" them.

Recently, it was announced that Susan G. Komen for the Cure had severed ties with Planned Parenthood because Planned Parenthood provided abortion services to women facing unwanted pregnancies. It was only after the Komen offices were inundated with phone calls from irate women, that they backed off their position, yet they've not completely rescinded the idea of severing ties with Planned Parenthood.

Achieving equality has been a long hard struggle.

One step forward... two steps back...

Here's the bottom line (at least for me)... I  don't want anyone telling me what I can, or can't do with my body. I don't want congress butting in, and I certainly don't want some busy-body from an anti-female group forcing me to adopt their backward views when it comes to control of my body.

And, that's all...


1 June 10th -- 1692
According to the Within Written precept I have taken the body of the within named Brigett Bishop of their Majes'ts Goale in Salem and Safely Conveighd her to the place provided for her Execution and Caused the s'd Brigett to be hanged by the neck untill Shee was dead # [an d b uried in the pla] all which was according to the time within Required and So I make Returne by me
George Corwin Sheriff 

fukushima followup

Earlier this month, it was announced that TEPCO (the nuclear plant operator at Fukushima) had failed to winterize the cooling system, leading to more radioactive leaks.

Perhaps you noticed this information did not get broad media exposure.

No surprise here.

John Ritch, Director General of the World Nuclear Association, a nuclear energy "expert" decreed nuclear power to be historically safe... at the same time referencing minor blips at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and now Fukushima as anomalies to a "stellar safe record" that began in the 1950s. According to Ritch, enormous changes have taken place during the fifty-some-odd years that nuclear plants have been operating, making this the safest form of energy creation. He then went on to suggest there were no atmospheric emissions from the latest problem at Fukushima, but failed to note those atmospheric "radioactive emissions" circling the globe. Nor did he include the waste products from spent fuel rods that currently, cannot be safely stored.

Now I don't want to alarm anyone, but in early February, there was another "small" leak at the nuclear plant in San Onofre (north of San Diego county in California). While authorities suggested the amount was "barely measurable," the facts remain... this is cause for alarm for anyone concerned with safety in the nuclear industry because we are not being given all the facts.

(For those who might be interested, I've commented on the industry and lack of information in earlier blogs... japan hit by 8.9 earthquake and tsunami, a followup to the earthquake and later blogs include, let's all go boom! and mining for uranium).

I know, this may be somewhat depressing. but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

When we begin to  think outside the box, we discover there are reasonable alternatives to those touted by the oil and nuclear industries... like wind, solar and water-generated power.

But, these potential industries need financing in order to move forward and between the oil, and nuclear industries, that financing is currently in short supply.

is this the end of the era?

Personally, I hope it's the beginning of a resurgence toward equality of rights under the law.

When rights in the new country were being formulated and debated, Abigail Adams admonished her husband to "remember the ladies" and not place unlimited power into the hands of their spouses, to which John Adams replied "...we know better than to repeal our masculine systems." (from Alice S. Rossi's The Feminist Papers: From Adams to de Beauvoir, New York: Columbia University Press, 1973. Abigail Adam's Letter, dated March 31, 1776) 

For far too long, women have been given short shrift in the social arena... lower wages, higher insurance rates, fewer rights, despite gaining the right to vote in the early 20th century. The march for the right to vote was long, and ratification of the 19th Amendment came only after a prolonged fight to deny women this semblance of equality.

Fast forward to 2012 as we see the rights of women to control their lives and their bodies debated in a number of state legislatures, and in some cases, rolled back to times when men controlled all aspects of women's lives. In Virginia, (I'm constantly embarrassed to admit this is my home state) we've seen debate on what constitutes "personhood" in the case of an unborn child and what "rights" should be conferred on "unborn children" and whether they should enjoy all the rights and privileges as those "living" persons/residents/citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. If left to the legislative body, the answer is yes, these unborn children will have all the rights as those fully-formed human beings currently walking the face of earth.

We've seen candidates for the highest office in this country question whether women are even capable of making decisions that will affect their health and well-being (please note some of the comments by  arch conservative catholic, Rick Santorum).

The real tragedy is, there are women who support these Neanderthal ideas... without fully contemplating what this will mean for women coming behind them. They have only a vague idea what torture transpired during the era leading up to suffrage and buy into the idea that women are already equal in this country.

if not now... when?

judicial followup...

I was asked to finish my "judicial...inaction" blog entry... and so, I am.

I did finally extricate myself from the jury pool, but only after much frustration and time... All in all I spent three days waiting for those in power positions to draw the same conclusion I had already come to... I would simply not make a good juror in this case. There was no way I could remain impartial... nor would I want to be.

The case revolved around an individual charged with driving in such a manner that raised questions about his ability to safely navigate the streets. When was asked to present his license, registration and proof of insurance (a standard request these days), he could not or would not.

Further, he was asked if he had been drinking.

He was eventually arrested for driving without a license and yes, he had been drinking. The question was... was he above, or below the legal limit.

For me, there was another problem. He was driving without a license. This simple fact was glossed over by his defense attorney during the seating of the jury... probably because he deemed it a minor infraction.

Personally for me, it pointed out a glaring issue in this community. There are those driving our streets who believe rules do not apply to them and feel they are above the law.

Granted... in the scheme of life, it's probably not as big a sin as... say cold-blooded murder, but we're all required to go down to the DMV and renew our licenses for good reason.

It's a way of insuring everyone on the roadways is responsible because if you've ever been involved in an accident with someone uninsured, or, in the case of this individual, driving without a license... all bets are off.

to dear friends near and far

Cupid's Greek name was?

EROS

the new low information voter

Is this the way we want our country to go because if voters don't begin to pay attention, this is exactly the way our country will go... up in smoke.

By now, I'm sure everyone is aware of the wildfires that raged through Texas last year, where approximately 27,976 fires burned 3,959,040 acres across the state, destroying 2,862 homes and 2,700 other structures.

According to information posted on Huffington Post, not only were firefighters fighting massive fires, they were also fighting for basic firefighting necessities... like hoses, protective gear and fuel for their vehicles. Even now, Texas Forest Service's funding has gone from $117.7 million in the 2010-2011 budget years to $83 million in the 2012-2013 budget years...  a figure that does not even begin to pay for the level of destruction created by this year's wildfire, much less address the needs of firefighters in  future years. During the past fire season, two firefighters lost their lives fighting fires. The first was Gregory M. Simmons who died battling a 3,000-acre blaze. Then in the same month, firefighter Elias Jaquez died after sustaining injuries while fighting a blaze in April. Two civilians also lost their lives in a firestorm in September, 2011 during a wildfire considered the worst Texas fire to date.

Ironically, the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters was one organization that endorsed Rick Perry in his reelection bid last year. I wonder... would they have endorsed him had the election happened this, or next year?

Rick Perry... the name sends shivers up my spine as I think back to his failed bid to be the Republican nominee in 2012's presidential election. As Texas governor during this tragic fire season, he was a dismal failure. Even as he was requesting disaster relief from the federal government, his critics were noting how his budget cuts led directly to death and destruction in Texas. And by the way, this was the same governor advocating for secession from the union a few years ago.

What is it they say... pay attention!

image: NASA image photographed from the International Space Station on September 6, 2011. Smoke plumes are clearly visible to the east of Austin; to the north of Houston; to the north-west of Lake Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend Reservoir; and to the west of Shreveport, Louisiana. Diffuse smoke is moving offshore into the Gulf of Mexico at image bottom.

reaching for stars

Somewhere in the current election cycle, with accusations running rampant, we've forgotten about the most important aspect... what is ultimately best for all Americans... not just the 1% who are currently doing quite well (actually, extremely well), thanks to policies of the last 30-some years... but everyone in America.

The questions we should be asking... is this really the best we can do for our children, or our country... are sadly missing from the discussion. Instead, fingers are pointed at immigrants... or gays... or women... for all the ills currently plaguing this nation.

I think it's time to get back to basics, because we do need to bring jobs back to the states, and stop the bickering amongst ourselves.

As I look at those who've tossed their hat into the ring... the current crop of Republicans vying for the opportunity to take on Obama, I have yet to see one candidate up to the challenge! I see nothing presented by any of the would-be candidates that would put this country first... would encourage the best from the upcoming graduating classes... unless it's to put self first, above everything and everyone else.

We need to stop this "Me First" attitude that seems to have permeated our society and our political process. It used to be that politicians ran for office because they were interested in making a better society for all... Now, it would appear that no one of substance wants to run because self above all seems to be the driving force in politics. It appears that the crop of candidates on the Republican slate are more interested in selling books, or themselves as potential speakers, but not making a better country for the rest of America.

A while back, I had a conversation with a well-educated young woman who felt let down by our current president and felt that Ronald Reagan was a much better president on policy issues than Barack Obama. While I could appreciate how disappointed she felt, I disagreed profoundly with the notion that Reagan was a better president in any respect.

However, to a degree, I share her disappointment because, while many promises were made, only a few have been kept. Although we could argue about the reasons for this, the facts are irrefutable.

The DOMA [Defense of Marriage Act] still affords only a man and a woman all the rights and privileges of marriage, shutting out many who would like to share the benefits but because they are gay or lesbian, marriage is currently not an option. And while we celebrate the ending of DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) policies in the military, this was only a small step. Other countries have scoffed at our policies around treatment of gays for years, yet our conservative bent persists. I wonder why this is... 

This discussion will be further investigated in future posts...