the whole damn system is rotten to its core

the whole damn system is rotten to its core

we need reform from shore to shore

brave souls crossed the sea to escape tyranny 

but brought with them their bigotry 

They created laws for the common white man

making rank elites was the plan 

They doled out freedom, the masses to allay 

and proudly stand on feet of clay 

They built in a Constitution of redress 

it serves the needs of the noblesse

by custom, design, and with the law in place

they keep cover over their base 

vile behavior to the victims is assigned 

that keeps the eyes of justice blind 

wars of aggression are launched with impunity 

their station gives them immunity

They rob resources  from the poor to feed the rich

wealth comes from hard work is the pitch 

with silver spoons they feast on lies fed to them

those in their service they must condemn. 

and for those that haven’t enough utility

they save the most hostility 

their biggest fear is a level playing field

knowing that their power would yield 

their hold on resources is with guns, germs, and steal

robbing from labor with much zeal 

from a high horse they breath a rarefied air

it is but the stench of despair 

And if the masses rise against oppression

they will stomp on any progression

with whips, hoses, and extrajudicial action  

freedom has never gained traction 

we all must  be aware of the thin blue line

it hides the murderous incline 

even when unarmed children lay dead in a street 

we find justice wears a white sheet 

 

just in case you haven't kept score 

the whole damn system is rotten to its core 

Darren Wilson is a murdering psycho cop

  "Can I shoot this guy? You know? Legally, can I?" I had no intention of reading or listening to anything Darren Wilson had to say. But, since the internet is my playground it was inevitable that I would run across something he said. I can't imagine having such a thought in my head. It isn't that I can't imagine being in a situation where I feel that my life is in jeopardy it's happened many times. My thoughts are never if I can do a thing and get away with it or not. My thoughts are to get out of the situation more or less intact and alive. Not can I get away with it. This is at the very least an admission of failing to protect and serve and at the very worst an admission of guilt.
  I  have heard other things through the grapevine and read several accounts of the altercation that led to Michael Brown's death in a hail of bullets. The claim that Michael Brown assaulted Darren Wilson is a dubious one to warrant the death penalty. His injuries are apparently on the right side of his face, a very odd place for them to be. It's almost as if someone else hit him in the face to make him look injured, but they were a buddy and didn't want to hurt him. Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but if you read enough news stories you know people do crazy things. Like shoot kids for jaywalking. Or shoot someone in the head because they pulled into your driveway. Or shoot someone who is trick or treating, you can literally get away with this in Texas.
 I wish I could say I want to see all the evidence, but I really don't need to. I was strongly suspicious of this shooting from the get go. No police report was filed by Darren Wilson. The police openly did everything they could to obfusticate what happened that day. Michael Browns body lay in the hot sun for 4 hours, destroying much of the evidence. It seems no one that performed the autopsy actually tried to recreate any kind of a scenario, maybe they don't do that in real life, but it seems odd that they don't. Like hey shoot a dummy and see what kind of pattern it would make if the dummies hands were up or if they were down. I guess that's too difficult for a government paid coroner and the one the family paid.
  So Darren Wilson gets away with murder. And the death by cop rate goes up by one. And this week statistically 2 more young black males will be killed by a cop either justified or not, but statistically speaking probably not. It will be a kid who may have mental health issues, he may just be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it might be someone who is pulled over and given contradictory orders and fails to follow them.
  You would think after all I  have written that I blame Darren Wilson entirely. But, I don't. These things don't occur in a vacuum. Darren Wilson had the training from his police department, the blessings from the public, our laws that put police officers out of the reach of the law even with very serious allegations. We have a culture that condones this. We have institutions that allow it and in fact encourage this behavior. Darren Wilson might even be telling the truth about one thing, he feared for his life. He has been conditioned to fear black people, most white people have. So, even if Michael Brown was not in fact threatening Darren Wilson he may well have been interpreted as being threatening.
  We need to change the way law enforcement works. We should consider having police that are unarmed at the very least. It works in England though they aren't armed to the teeth. But, I think it can still work here. Police Officers can always call for back up. They rarely use their guns anyway so I have heard. If they are going to a domestic dispute or any other situation that requires a gun and ammo of course it's a well known that these situations are very dangerous. But, I doubt they need them all day everyday. Some officers could be armed for these kind of special calls. The fact that officers need to understand situations from the perspective of an average person on the street is a given. They need to know how they are perceived in communities. They need to understand what people think they are asking of them. They need a whole lot more education on how to deal with mentally ill people. And they need to know that if they are in a vehicle and a person is charging them from 30 feet away, that their vehicle does indeed go in reverse.

The gift of giving

    Yesterday was Halloween, was a good day to think about giving. I actually think about this quite a bit. On more than one occasion I have been told that giving isn't altruistic because the person giving gets something, in that it makes them happy. Personally I think the only reason to be generous is because it can make a person happy to give. Happiness is not a four letter word. It is also a great motivator.  I ran out of mini candy bars for my trick-or-treat bags, I didn't want to go get more. But, the thought of finishing up making the bags and being able to hand out treats got me out the door. I handed out some Tootsie Pops on the way to the store. It was fun. Everyday should be hand out Tootsie Pops day for some it is. I used to work with someone that frequently brought in candy to share. But, I digress. Giving isn't about taking something you have and transfering the ownership to someone else. It is a transaction of course, but it isn't about the material value of what you are giving. That of course is also important, but this is not the only thing that is happening.
    When you give someone a gift you are communicating something to that person. You are telling them they have intrinsic value. This usually makes people happy and they at least try to show that they are happy, they say nice things usually, they are grateful. They are communicating something to you as well that is beyond being happy they are saying you have intrinsic value too. They recognize the humanity in you that you opened up at the very least your wallet and gave them something that they either wanted or needed.
   I don't know of any studies that have been done on people who have had to rely on the kindness of strangers or in other words charity or social services. If long term receiving has negative mental reprecussions or not. I am going out on a limb and saying it probably does not. But, people in this position rarely have resources that they can share with other people. This might result in some issues if there are issues to be found. I have myself been so broke that I couldn't give people collecting money by the grocery store my spare change, I literally had been counting quarters for taking the bus to work and I literally had none to spare, I felt aweful. Should we think about this when we allow the minimum wage to be so low, when we deny COLAs for Social Security? What if the takers as some so callously lable people, would like to be givers? It isn't easy to give when you are on a fixed income and your expenses are calculated down to the quarter. Or should we concentrate on recruiting people to volunteer more? This usually a more cost effective way to give. Should giving be seen as something we require people to do even if they are not inclined? Can forced giving have an effect of making the giver happier or must it be voluntary for the benefit of happiness to occur? I don't know the answer to these questions, but somebody has to start asking. Is the true cost of poverty not having anything left over to give?
   

I do not have a problem with authority

   I have been told this more than once. But, they are completely wrong. There is no such thing as authority. We have laws of course, but everyone has to decide for themselves if they will or won't obey them. Most people obey the law and if the laws are reasonable this is not a problem. Or if something is illegal that you are not in anyway inclined to do then it is not a problem. I am not inclined to rob a bank even if it was for some extremely stupid reason not illegal. Most people don't need the law to tell them to behave properly, being out and about in society is usually enough to teach people how to conduct themselves. The point is that people who have violent tendencies are going to be violent. People who don't will tend to not be violent, the law doen't determine behavior, only what to do when someone breeches the law.
  It is true I don't always respect the expectations of other people. They may or may not have a reason for those expectations. If we have no contract I have no problem not meeting an expectation not even a teeny tiny problem with it. If they have unreasonable expectations I have no problem confronting them on that. I really really don't. I might even raise my voice. I might even sue them if they are violating the law. I did that a couple times and won. Boo yah.
  One of my favorite bosses got me, he really did. He asked me to not do something once, I am pretty sure it had something to do with an ongoing feud I had with an extreme slacker and then "But, I am pretty sure you are just going to do what you want anyway."  Of course, he was completely correct. I did change my course of action though cuz I do that. I decided to be nice to the guy. Well that completely freaked my boss out it freaked out the guy I was fighting with and we were put in different areas of the store to work. Yeah, I still don't know what happened there. But, the point is most of us are going to do what we are inclined to do anyway. We can be infuenced by a variety of factors. But, we really can't be forced to comply. Many people have died because an authoritarian personality type has decided that they should do something that is against their religion or because they refused to convert to a religion or because a fascist made them a scapegoat. Many have died defying laws that were against what they believed was right. I totally get that. I hope that if I am confronted with an extreme situation like that I have as much courage.
  The fact of the matter is though most people do comply with unreasonable requests. We have a huge problem with income equality in this country, It effects everything from the quality of life for the vast majority of Americans to the environment. Yes, the environment it turns out that selfish people ruin the environment. It effects what judges are appointed, if effects what bills are introduced to congress, it effects the health care debate. Unreasonable requests are literally killing people. I don't have a solution for this other than we need to have the political will to change this. We need to have stronger laws against companies being able to offer sub-living wages. We need to have stronger laws against companies and individuals not paying their fair share of taxes. We need to have LE that is much more responsive to the needs of the community rather than being trigger happy.
  In short what we need is not more authority and a not more laws against people being people. We need to have a more compassionate society where looking out for one another is the norm rather than the exception. Peace out.

Hug a hippie today

   Then beg them to teach you their ways.  Because those dirty hippies were right.  Scientists have found that countries with a higher number of people who are compassionate have better environmental records in this study; "Nation's 'personality' influences its environmental stewardship..." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141023193608.htm. People who are compassionate and care about the environment also tend to have better mental and physical health. Of course there is not a 100% correlation, but when more people are compassionate and this statistic becomes significant then health benefits tend to rise.
    This doesn't mean you have to go out and hug everyone. But, the more you can incorporate kindness in your life the better off you will be. The "Pay it Forward" concept is a good model for this I believe. Small acts of kindness can grow into habitual kindness. The reward for habitual kindness is better health and possibly happier communities.
   I am one of those people who rarely give money to people who just ask. I probably will still not give out cash. But, there are other kinds of kindness. In my city there is an organization that assists homeless people, with shelter, food, and clothing, they also direct them to social services that can provide more comprehensive care. Many of the homeless are also in need of mental health services. But, lets say there is nothing like that where you live. Perhaps give them a dollar. But, just as important I believe perhaps more important treat them like human beings. I wish I had given each person who asked at least one dollar. I don't always have cash on me, but I can always stop a minute and talk and let them know they are still a part of humanity, that they are still seen and they have not become invisible. They need people to care.
   This is something I have started a while back, not far enough back, but a while back. That I would do something nice for other people I usually don't make it known. But, when they find out they are usually happy that I have made an effort. Having chronic fatigue limits me a bit, but being nice costs very little and it doesn't take a lot of energy. It costs nothing to breath first and snap back with harsh words later. I don't know how many arguments I have avoided doing this, but it is very rare these days for me to have words with people. That doesn't mean don't ever stand up for yourself, please do I wouldn't want to see a nation of doormats. But, what I have observed is this, the nicer I am the more effective it is when I stand up for myself. The person I have become assertive with stops for a bit and looks at my point of view with a bit more respect. One of my favorite bosses lived this concept a bit too well, we learned from each other. She learned assertiveness, I learned to temper my temper better on the job at least. We both ended up more effective on the job.
   In Liar Liar, Jim Carrey faced a dilemma his career practically depended on him being able to appear to be especially nice. But, he wasn't actually all that nice. He had to get along well with his co-workers, his boss, and his clients. He had to learn how to tell the truth, but in a way that wouldn't hurt people's feelings. I think he did it in an extreme way and ultimately a superficial way, but there is a lesson here. If you have to say something say something nice. If you feel compelled to tell the truth tell it in a neutral way, deflect from the question at hand if you must (although that seems a bit like lying to me). The question of "does this dress make me look fat" can be answer in different ways that can still be yes, but not in a mean way. Such as "I don't think that dress is you it's a bit too ____" Fill in the blank with whatever you think is most appropriate. For me it's a little to feminine works.
   If you want to make a bigger impact, there is no shortage of places that need volunteers. There is no shortage of charities that need donations. There is no shortage of people in politics that need people to help with their campaigns. There is no shortage of platforms to reach out and encourage people to find it in their hearts to do the right thing, If nothing else start a blog and spread a positive message no matter how small your audience is that one or eight people know other people and they know other people. Peace out.

The Economic Gas Chamber

    Just in case the title of this essay has not given away the plot, I will say it outright, I am not going to be polite about this. Thousands of people die each year due to being homeless. There is no age group, gender, family situation, mental health status, physical ability status, religion, or ethnic group that is immune. The one thing they do have in common is that they face a much earlier death than the general population. Many people think that the homeless are the deserving poor, that is they deserve to be poor. The punishment for being poor is to live in substandard housing or no housing. It doesn't matter if the person is physically disabled, has cancer, has a mental illness, has children, is a veteran, a battered spouse, or a child who has run away from abusive parents. They all deserve it by gosh they should have worked harder, especially those freeloading children. How dare they cost the hard working public a dime to care for them. How dare they be abused. How dare they have a mental illness. How dare they lose their jobs. How dare they have a job that barely pays for food let alone a roof over their heads. How dare they live when they aren't producing goods or services for the powers that be.

    More than 600,000  people in this country are sent to an economic gas chamber each night. Most of them manage to survive. Finding the actual number that doesn't make it is a tough proposition. The CDC doesn't track that particular statistic. Numbers I have found vary from between 10,000 and 30,000 dying each year. We used to have a concept that some people were worthy of assistance. It was a horrible concept. It separated people who lost a spouse and or a job and just needed temporary help, people who at least recently had value according to society and then there was the undeserving people who were able bodied but for whatever reason didn't have a current job. Of course at this time minority groups were always undeserving even if they just recently lost a job or had some other hardship. This is not an unfortunate by product of capitalism in this country it is a feature. It is a welcome feature for the powers that be. As long as we have homelessness in this country people who need workers can continue to abuse them and work them into high stress levels, they can demand an outrageous amount of productivity. They can do it because one of the biggest fears poor people have is not making rent. Every month can be a nightmare, especially the last couple of weeks. Some play at bill juggling, getting behind on one or two bills, catch up then let a different set of bills get behind then catch up, just barely keeping ahead of being cut off from electricity, water, or the telephone (which is usually a cheaper cell phone now), and then there is the food rationing. At the beginning of the month or whenever there is the most money in the bank account the cupboards are full of food. After a couple weeks of eating PB&J sandwiches and Chili and corn bread or whatever else is very cheap, there is a period of eating "high on the hog". I know this pattern well. Even after doing everything that can be done, spending is cut and the budget is down to the last dollar accounted for. Someone loses a job, someone gets sick, or even worse someone needs to escape abuse, they now face the streets. Many homeless are families who are escaping abuse. But, they are still useful to the powers that be. See what happens if you don't conform. Never mind that it's something they can't conform to.

From those that have the least we expect the most. Poor people are supposed to mold themselves in the image of Horatio Alger. They are supposed to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Never mind that the system has cut the bootstraps in half. Never mind that most people never escape the economic situation they were born into. People who were born into relative comfort don't seem to understand what a leg up they have on not falling into extreme poverty. Many will wail about how hard they work at their one job. Homeless people often do have jobs. They have jobs that pay minimum wage sometimes a bit higher. Those jobs don't pay enough for even a basic apartment in so many cases. Families who rely on one or two adults in the family who make minimum or just a bit more aren't just struggling, they are drowning. They are drowning while people snug in their heated homes, with full bellies, watching their big screen TVs, complain that poor people are just lazy. If they aren't demanding that the government keeps running the economic gas chamber they are at the very least not complaining about it, they are not seeing homelessness as an issue of economic injustice that leaves 600,000 people facing the elements every night.  Most of them having committed no other crime than being poor.

Living with Dignity: Why Brittany Maynard's choice is a celebration of life.

I have to admit it Brittany Maynard's story gets me. I am writing this with a lot of sadness. She is 29 years old and by all accounts loves life and she had just gotten married, she also has a beautiful dog and a loving mother. Her dying wish and cause she is working on is to give others the chance to chose how they will live the last days of their lives. She makes an eloquent case for her choice to not be called suicide. I agree and further I would say she is not dying with dignity she is living with dignity.

Terminal diseases can end your life long before you die. Your personality can change from being in constant pain and from being on pain management medications. You need to have constant care from nurses and doctors. You can't do the things that you love to do. There is not much that resembles a functional and enjoyable life. Brittany is living her life right up to the moment it no longer resembles a life. When the pain is too much and outweighs the benefits of life she is going to succumb to the cancer that is killing her. She isn't hastening her death. The fact that she is going to die happened when cancer started ravaging her brain and a tumor gave her headaches so bad she sought medical treatment leading to the discovery of the tumor that is killing her. She was given a six month prognosis of death and she chose a date close to that time. She may as she says push the date farther back if she isn't in extreme pain. Good for her she doesn't have to keep the date it is a calculated date based on her prognosis. Sometimes doctors are off a bit and that is alright there is no calendar under the microscope, just a view of damaged cells.

Brittany has given a face to terminal illness. She has helped an unknown number of people to eventually have the right to live with dignity, to choose. That is what a life with dignity is the ability to make choices. It is one of the first urges we have as humans. The terrible two's are all about a child wanting to make choices. It is when the parents and families needs, wants, wisdom, and experience often baffle the young child and they just want what they want. Life is a series of choices if we are lucky. We will try to choose the thing that makes us the happiest either in the short term or long term. Often we are wrong, but that isn't near as devastating as not being able to make the choice at all. Brittany did not choose to get a brain tumor. She didn't choose for it to be terminal and make dying at an appointed time look like a better option than a slower lingering painful death at which time she has already lost the capacity to recognize the people she loves. She wants to be with and be fully engaged with life. At some point in the near future she will have lost that. She will have lost more and more of her ability to choose for herself as the disease progresses. She will not be able to choose doing the things she loves or choose to be with the people she loves as these things are not possible in a nursing home or hospice. They just aren't. You don't make choices when you are in extreme pain the only thing you do is manage the pain if possible or feel the pain and nothing else. This is not living with dignity in so many ways it's not living, it's dancing with death waiting for the final twirl as death takes in it's arms and bends you backwards for a final look at life upside down. Then the curtain falls and leaves devastation in it's wake. Brittany wants to be with her family for that final dance to be fully engaged as she passes to live with dignity up to the very last minute.