The Right-Wings unsustainable lie campaign about President Obama/government inaction

I don't know how to start this other than saying that the +GOP's lies have caught up with them and less of the American people find them trustworthy than they do with the +Democratic Party.

Here's why I'm getting more pissed off than ever with the +Republicans. They have not been governing at all since 1999. They've wasted more time on political sideshows than anything else. Their reason, to destroy the +Democrats so that they retain permanent political power. While it was successful during the time between 2001-7 ( +George W. Bush's first six years in office), it lost traction around late 2005 and resulted in the Democratic Victory of 2006. From 2007-9 the Republican Party spent more time defending their actions and attempting to use racism as a ploy to keep power in 2008. Look how that turned out: +Barack Obama won by a huge landslide over +John McCain, 365-173. Obama's victory took states that had not voted Democratic since either 1964 (Indiana, Virginia), 1976 (North Carolina), or 1992 (Colorado), along with the traditional swing-states (Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Iowa, etc.).

Since Obama's been in +The White House, he's been subjected to all kinds of racially charged commentary, and not just by +Fox News, and other elements on the right. He's also been the target of racism by ordinary Americans, as I've seen on +Facebook+ Fan Page and +Twitter.

Now as for the Right-wing's campaign of lies against him, as in blaming him for the shutdown, or only being representative of the Black community's agenda of shoving equality under the law, are part of a sustained effort to demonize him as the "other" and to use him as way of explaining the reason to the American Public why nothing's gotten done. In addition to being called the president of the gay agenda, Obama's had to plow through the muck while still barreling ahead. Additionally, they're starting a campaign of harassment against the black community in the form of voter Id laws as a means of assuring their own political victories (through election fraud) and keeping the blacks from exercising their rights as full American citizens. 

However, what's good to see is that their lies are catching up with them, from Benghazi to Voter fraud. In fact, in an article on +PoliticusUSA (Ted Cruz Tells A Lie So Big Even Jonathan Karl Can't Let It Pass), I believe that it explains the situation quite clearly. This whole set of lies, one after another, is pissing me as well as all other Americans off. It should be a call to action. 

Trucks impeding traffic

How is it that companies like Fedex and UPS can act as if they have every right to impede traffic? This is a consistant problem that takes place practically everywhere in San Francisco. I just finished talking to a cop from +SFPD  in Halladie plaza who’s just as frustrated about this, he said they act like they don’t even care that they’re blocking the road, and citations mean nothing. Here’s a vid to take a look at:

It’s time to change this picture. It’s time to start charging these companies $2,400.00 per employee violation and revocation of their commercial operating license for a year per each employee violation. Companies are responsible for employee behavior and actions, and it’s time to send that message.

Comment, subscribe and/or share if you agree.

Sufferings throughout history (why supremacist [far-right] politics areexceedingly dangerous)

When can there ever be a time without such suffering surrounding us? It’s as if anyone cannot answer this question without getting into utopian idealism.

The reality is such that no one can as it’s not going to happen, hands down. History proves itself time and again, as there’s bound to be a sadistic leader looking for a convient scapegoat for the troubles suffered by a society as a whole. Other times come from a leader seeking to enrich himself and his subjects on the pain of those deemed inferior and subhuman. The cases in point are Leopoldic Belgium and Nazi Germany. A note to all readers, these are just 2 of numerous examples (America during Jim Crow, South Africa during Apartheid, etc.). While it’s one thing to say never again, reality has never made itself work in this capacity.

Thoughts on the Arapahoe Shooting and other hate mongering from the right.

I have to say that in light of the shooting in Arapahoe, I feel very strong sense of grief for the families whose kids needed to go to the hospital, especially the 15yo girl who's still in critical condition, of whom I wish a speedy recovery. As for the guy who did this, no, I'm not surprised he did this at all. I'll include this video to explain why that is:

If anything the teen was not evil, but was in need of some kind of psychological counseling. Let me explain, many young Americans, like myself, sometimes have a very hard time explaining to middle-aged adults how we're feeling. This is not to excuse this mass-shooting, far from it, if he was alive long enough for the police to secure him, it would have been a much better ending. But my overall point is that deranged individuals, like the teen gunner in Arapahoe, generally suffer from unreleased rage and stress. So it does little good to just simply say that they're evil. People in this situation need psychological and psychiatric care, not imprisonment.

As for the Right-wing, I've been seeing them go off the rails about everything from not being able to discriminate against other people they fully consider to be inferior to not allowing private, for-profit institutions rip off the tax-paying electorate. This includes private, for-profit universities profiting off the backs of students through federal financial aid, as well as companies like McDonald’s and Wal-Mart dumping their employees on public welfare programs. However, that shouldn't be news, but it will always continue to be and here's how. These companies' business model depends on them cutting costs by passing the cost-of-living for their employees onto us, the tax-payers. It's basically a legalized form of fraud, but not entirely, for what they are doing is actually in violation of labor laws. Only these are not the only examples, as you look on, there's another one coming from the Right-Wing, via +Fox News, which is incredibly infuriating: 

In this video, +Megyn Kelly, an anchor on +Fox News, makes a fairly insensitive comment about Santa Claus only being, "White," and that there's no way there could be a "Black Santa". This is just teaching our nation's kids that racism is normal, while ignoring this country's violent past. I find this kind of talk absolutely sickening and it makes me think in a way that many of the people on Fox News (primarily excluding Bill O'Reilly, and possibly, Brit Hume) would like to see the return of the Jim Crow Laws, or possibly slavery.

Bill O'Reilly at it again with Religion

Check this article out from the +Raw Story:

Atheists to Bill O’Reilly: ‘Religion does more than just hurt people. Religion kills people.’ (via Raw Story )

On Friday night on his Fox News Channel show, Bill O’Reilly made a show of attempting to understand the motivations and thinking of the people he deemed “angry” atheists, asking, “Are they that bitter against religion?” Raw Story spoke with…

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Corporations getting a payday with taxpayer's hard-earned dollars.

I saw this article on +PoliticusUSA's website. This is absolutely infuriating and just proves why we need to do more to empower not just the people, but the +Democrats to help effect change for the people. The +Republicans are not the solution, or part of it, they are problem along with their corporate cohorts. It's part of this plan by those with ties to the John Birch Society to install a far-right system of government that uses fear and anger at those who are minorities as means of distracting voters from the real theft and graft that's been happening over the past 30 years or so. Let's see, Reaganomics failed, even with the Bushian implementation back in 2001 & 2003. We've seen more economic upheaval and insecurity as well as flashes of racial and other forms of hatred at this time than any other time in US History. It's actually much worse than during the Roaring 1920s and Gilded Age combined which saw Culture-War like clashes at nearly the same level.

Anyway, getting back to the corporations, it's not like this should be news to anyone. This has been an ongoing problem from Reagan's presidential tenure to the present. Not to say that +Barack Obama is a saint in any of this, he's not, but don't misunderstand me, he's really trying to do what he can, where he can to get these corporate titans to at least see some reason. I personally see no reason as to why these corporations need to continually intimidate voters into giving them more tax-dollars that they're simply going to move offshore. If anything this should be a call to +Barack Obama to start going after these guys with the US Department of Justice. Since this is kind of a legal gray area, it might be time also for Congress to do its job and make laws that outlaw this type of behavior. One way or another, it's time to end this corruption and make this government work for the people. We pay their salaries, so we should have the final say in who stays and who goes come election 2014.

Death of an icon

When I saw the newsflash by a friend on Facebook, I thought to myself, "Holy cow! This cannot be." Unfortunately it is. The world has just lost the man who almost singlehandedly battled the Apartheid regime in South Africa, Nelson Mandela. He was 95. May he R.I.P., as the world remembers his legacy and the fight for freedom and justice. His memory will continue to live on as South Africa continues to struggle to overcome this tragic part of its past. I hope that other major icons such as +President Jimmy Carter and others will be able to use their clout to carry on the push for peace in many troubled regions just as Mandela did during his years of retirement.


RIP Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Christians in Powell Station

I know, what the heck is with this picture of a Jehovah’s Witness (JW) Bible Stand? The reason it’s here is to illuminate the fact that not all Christians are of the ravaging Evanglical sort. The gentleman in this picture (a really nice guy at that), Clarence, was making the point that not all of them are Bible-thumping moralists, but those who accept the fact that the world we all live in is a flawed place. Additionally, I remember him telling me that the “rapture” is only about taking out people who are committing harm and mass suppression/oppression of others (whom he referred to as evil).

I’ll say this about the JW, they’re nowhere near as radical/fanatical as some Evangelicals are. I feel that I should clarify this, I recognize that my first statement about Evangelic Christians was too broadly painting all of them as fundamentalists, which everyone knows is not the case. If anything, the most vocal and fundamentalist branch is only a tiny portion. Most are just ordinary people with families like the rest of us. Going back to the JW, if you think about it, when you know you’re being preached to, it feels less intimidating. What I find myself appreciating about them is that they’re not forcing anyone to accept their view as the sole interpretation of the Bible.

I really find myself in heavy gratitude to the fact that their commitment to social justice knows no limit.

Pope’s Greatest Line & It’s Controversey

I’ve been hearing a lot about Pope Francis’ line that, “Supplyside Economics is a failure” and its immediate uproar among American conservatives. It’s great to see him denouncing all this inequity as there’s no reason for rigging any economic system against middle class people.

I believe this cartoon says it all.

The Homeless in San Francisco

It breaks my heart to see others who are completely forced to live out on the streets, but what turns my sadness to fury is when the media and those in the upper eschelons of society continue to dehumanize them and make them out to be a burden on the rest of us. This is not so, many of these people are just average folks with their own life stories, and their own dreams and aspirations, but with no means to see such dreams become reality.

Here's one such example:

This is a great guy with an amazing voice. I've only recently seen his singing prowess, and believe me, if he could be tapped, he'd be a massive hit. But his case, is like many others in San Francisco, unnoticed, since no one gives them a chance. It doesn't even take 5 minutes of your time, folks, to listen to a voice like this, or to hear an interesting story from off the street, which I can tell you, there's a lot of them. No, most times these people are not going to blow the money you give them on drugs (a very small minority do), as much as they'll use it to get either food, or even a cup of coffee, to keep themselves warm. Most, as I've said before, are just normal folks who have no financial means to live what we call a normal life.

A new beginning

I realize that this might be a departure from hitting the Right-Wing where it hurts the most, but I think I need to take a quick break from politics to start speaking what’s on my mind at the moment.

I feel that I now can move forward in trying to navigate my way through life itself due to having the beinnings of a foundation under my feet. In order for me to be successful, I need someone to guide me, as it comes with the territory of living as an American with disabilities, and it’s why I’m so thankful for the active involvement by my Mom. My Mom is like my bedrock, someone who I can count on when I’ll start my transition into the real world of careerbuilding. I’m most appreciative of the fact that she understands this and she’s now able to take a more active role.

I have to admit for my own well-being, the timing could not be better. This was something I stayed quiet about for about 5-6 months, never fully bringing it up as my Grandpa (may he RIP, 1922-2013) was dying and my Mom’s stress level increasing during that period. 

I want all to understand, THIS IS NO EXCUSE FOR ANY INACTION ON MY PART. I realize I might have done this sooner, rather than yesterday, but sometimes keeping quiet about one’s needs until the right moment comes up can pay dividends. Basically, I knew that until my Mom was able to focus on my transition, just bide my time in my current job and try not to do anything within my capacity to upset the situation at hand.

Post from Facebook via Twitter.

I remember that I retweeted this post from on Twitter, in which I was happy to see that Ed Schultz was doing a radio show from Miami, Florida. Anyway, getting a like on this threaded post via Twitter to my Facebook page is enough to show why I enjoy doing this kind of thing. It helps people out, by showing that there is someone who cares deeply about some of the same issues they do.

Post by Jgsf1987.

Take a look, and if you like what else is on my page, subscribe!!!

New thoughts for Veterans Day

This Veterans Day has a special meaning for me as it gives me a chance to reflect on my Grandpa; as he was a WWII veteran. I just miss the guy hella bad.

At the same time, I'd like to take the time to thank a few buddies of mine for putting their lives on the line for the rest of us, as well as all the men and women in our country's uniform. What they do for us is incredible.

That being said, I'd also like to use this as an opportunity to show my disgust with the National Republican Party for doing everything humanly possible to make life impossible for our vets. Taking away the very means of them being able to eat? That's just callous, but what pisses me off even further is them celebrating this. This is fully breaking a compact which gave several rights and benefits for their service.

Major loss for words after seeing some familiar stunts from the far-right

I can't think of why the +Republicans are so keen on vote suppression when they know realistically it's not going to change the demographics of the American public. If they're hoping to achieve a setting with only white men voting, that's just going to make governing that much less feasible. All this points to is the Conservative Movement losing more and more traction with the American populace. Afterall, the +Democrats are gaining more and more credibility by the minute with all of these stunts. Until then, I can't let myself vote for the Republicans, as they're a party of no ideas. It's good to see that the American electorate and the Democrats have shown that they're not going to be intimidated any further, nor are they going to tolerate any more of this childish behavior.

Now for all the complaints about +The Affordable Care Act, I'll agree to some of them, but not all those that are whack. Let me say this, yeah, I really wish that I didn't have to switch plans, but there's no way around it, unless there's legislation in place saying that people can keep their current coverage. However, I've got to admit that some of the other previous coverage plans were just crap as they never fully covered everything, nor did they offer as many benefits. And moreover, when are there going to be rationers of healthcare coming from the government? Try never, as +Barack Obama and others in his administration have other fish to fry. If anything they'll try clamping down on the insurance companies (hopefully) if they begin price gouging again. However my primary complaint about +The Affordable Care Act is that it really lacks any kind of teeth to rein the larger insurance companies who have been ripping off American consumers for years.

New Reality Heating Up

Well, readers. I'm back, and apparently with some new set of parameters to explain.

On the top of the list is the recent amount of petitions I've recieved during and after the shutdown. What the +House Republicans were thinking they could accomplish by shutting down the government is still outside my comprehension, as I'm sure it is with many of yours. Anyway, the resolution isn't perfect, but if they try this same stunt early next year, when they have to recampaign for office (it'll be the lead-up to the midterm in 2014), rest assured the +Republicans will take the biggest beating in their history. Then again, it happened to the Democrats at the end of the 1960s, and again at the beginning of the 1980s. I'm very sure the +GOP will bounce back and a more dynamic form, but it will be some time until the civil war between the liberal-moderate & conservative wings is over.

Another debacle I'll give to everyone is the debt crisis (more like the manufactured crisis by the +Republicans upon the +Democrats to make them cough up +Obamacare). This was a losing strategy from the start, since the +House Democrats and +Senate Democrats, along with +Barack Obama, were not going to give that law up. If this kind of politics failed back in 1995-6, chances are it would fail again in 2013. In fact, in 1996, then-President, +William Jefferson Clinton, was re-elected dispite the fact that the +Republicans retained control of the newly elected 105th US Congress. I think that's what's going to happen this time in 2013-4, only without +Barack Obama being on the ballot, but the battle over who will have full, or partial control, of the 114th US Congress, which is on the ballot next year (2014 being a mid-term election).

I think it's safe to conclude that whatever happens, the +House Republicans and +Senate GOP will come out weakened thanks to the intransigence of +The Tea Party.

BART Strike #2

Hey all in the Bay Area, from talking to a transit worker handing out fliers warning riders that BART workers are about to go on strike for a month starting on Friday. I would strongly suggest taking a look at either one of these fliers or look on http://www.511.org/ for any additional information about how to plan your commute. This is something to commend the unions for as they've started their advisory campaign with ample time to prepare the rest of us.

An important update: I saw on the news that the unions negotiating with BART agreed to push back the strike threat's deadline to Sunday at midnight. This is as reported by all Bay Area news channels.

Government Shutdown and its effects

I've been following this story for the past few days, and it just disgusts me to see how the +House Republicans and +Senate GOP think that by continually making excuses of why the government is shutdown will help them win this #PublicRelationsBattle with +The White House. It's very clear to me that they have no shame about who they hurt: Military veterans trying to get services through the +U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, kids using the +Head Start Administration's program to enroll into preschool, etc. These examples are a few of the many different groups of Americans affected by the shutdown. I saw earlier on +Facebook, an article from +PoliticusUSA, that showed a recent war of words between +Barack Obama, via Jay Carney, and +John Boehner.

However, if I figured the lowest point was the refusal by the President and the Speaker to talk, I was completely off by a longshot. From reading a recent report on NBC News, the shut down has just taken a more horrid turn for the worse. It turns out Military families, until there's either a continuing resolution or budget, just saw their 

Inequity along with the drive to make American lives impossible

I just don't understand the Congresssional Republicans’ drive to fully undermine any aspect of Americans’ daily lives that doesn't fit their ideological model. It's infuriating, yet sad, that they've become beholden to the wealthiest .0002% of the populace and defending this corrupt status quo. In addition to that, it’s like they’re trying to return to Jim Crow again, especially by trying to use law enforcement to harass racial & demographic minorities. This happens at the same time as them advocating for more people to be let off of the social safety net and throwing up more election barriers designed to deny people their right to vote. Honestly, I'm at a real loss, and I'm getting even more pissed off by the minute just thinking about it. I think that people need to wake up and see that +The Tea Party is not what it seems, and have become a major force in pushing for this far-right agenda extened by the +Republicans.

I want all to understand, this is not all Republicans, but a very vocal and extreme fringe within the party, which can occasionally meet out violence. It was this very same fringe that produced the #OklahomaCityBombing of 1995, as well as the recent uptick in exceedingly racialized commentary here in America ever since +Barack Obama became the +President Of The United States on January 20, 2009. Additionally, don't think too hard for other examples, because there are plenty, some here at home and others abroad, thanks to these lunatics for the last 50-60 years or so. However, I think I'd like to keep the events as current as possible, going no further back than 1992, when Bill Clinton was elected President over George H.W. Bush.

Mostly though, my drive for writing on this comes primarily from +House Republicans' attempts to hold the American public hostage, along with the +Senate GOP,  to effect their ideological policy model and cause them absolute chaos in the process. This is not the way to govern, and this is certainly not the way that +Ronald Reagan would have wanted see +The Republican Party use their political power.  I can never understand their wanting to create such instability just for the sole purpose of scoring political points. Are the Republicans seriously this inept and out of sync with the whole of the American electorate? Sadly I believe the answer is a big YES, since they're more interested in keeping their corporate backers happy and their wallets full of donations from these same people. I have to conclude by saying that this is the worst corruption and contempt for working Americans seen in this country since the Gilded Age.

Change in site link

Hey all,

I know that many of you have been wondering what's been going on with the site "jgsf1987" here on Blogger, and I think I should have give you all an explanation. The fact is that over the course of the last couple of weeks, I've been moving the domain from the typical one found on Blogger to a custom-named one. The content shall remain the same, so have no worries, I'll still be here writing about life as I see it. The site was temporarily down due to the move, and getting the new domain calibrated with this blog. Now that it's over, you won't have to endure any further disruptions to this site on my end for a long time. Feel free to comment, and if you like what you see, do subscribe.

Peace and Love,

Jgsf1987

Why I was, am, and always will be a Democrat

For a long time I've been watching the Republican Party let loose a salvo of harmful laws for the American people, and it's gotten to the point of really pissing me off. There's not much to say other than for the past 30 years, the Republicans have been responsible for the biggest redistribution of wealth since the Great Depression, and almost all of it going to the very wealthiest Americans. Additionally, the Republicans have been responsible for keeping us in a Cold War mentality both at home and abroad, and the former Bush Administration is a shining example.

I can't think of one instance in recent times when there's been an example of when the Republicans held the Presidency that they were not engaging in illegal warfare abroad, or picking fights with other countries on an unnecessarily consistent basis, especially when they didn't care for the leader of said nations.

Cat Close Up

This was pretty funny, I've got to say that Katie Cole certainly has a way with cats.



Credit: Katie Cole

Verdict in Fort Hood Shooting

Apparently, since this morning, several news outlets here in America have announced the Court Martial jury's verdict of the Fort Hood Shooter. Maj. Nadal Hasan was found guilty of murder and is set to be sentenced in the coming days.

The interesting thing is that Hasan called upon the JAG running the trial to impose the death penalty on him, saying that it will complete his journey to martyrdom after keeping evil American military officers and personnel from going overseas to, in his eyes, murder innocent Muslims. While some of his rambling is coherent (as in the number of civilian deaths due to American military action in the Middle East being beyond  any comprehensiblity), it still did not justify going on such a massacre at Fort Hood. That being said, it's important to note that he needs to be held accountable for the mayhem he caused and the pain inflicted upon the families whose loved ones died that fateful day in 2009.

In my view, I would not impose the death penalty on him, and here's why. First off, killing him off the bat would only serve his twisted wish to be martyred in the eyes of Islamist extremists, and could give them a new rallying cry to justify the killing of innocent Americans. Lastly, I don't see the ultimate punishment as being that effective, as it won't hold him accountable. It's a better decision to simply let him live and let him think about what he did.

Can You Feel It? People are Getting More Tense as Anti-Human New Political Order Takes Shape | Alternet

I found this on Alternet. While it may sound very extreme to the left, just take a look at what's going on around you, and some of what the author (Yves Smith) writes actually does have a degree of accuracy. It's as if there are forces that want to turn back the clock here.

Can You Feel It? People are Getting More Tense as Anti-Human New Political Order Takes Shape | Alternet

Calls for stripping away the Olympic Games from Sochi next February due to new Russian anti-LGBT law

As I've said on Facebook some time back on my public page, I really think that the Russians have just invited themselves a whole world of trouble. This is not to say that I specifically approve of the new law President Putin signed, I don't, and I would really give him a massive amount of credit if he has the wherewithall to repeal it, but that's not going to happen. However, it should be noted that while Putin is reflecting the aspirations of his people as he is something of a nationalistic populist. I continue to sympathize with the LGBT community in Russia and their struggle for equality despite undeniably heavy odds.

That being said, taking the games away from Russia is going to give the International Olympic Committee a much bigger headache to deal with and not from the anger released by the Russian Government and Russian Olympic Committee. It would be a headache in the sense that they would have to get a 7-year construction and preparation project completed in a new host country in less than 6 months (which to be perfectly candid is highly unlikely). It would be this or cancelling the games as had happened during WWI (1916 Summer Games, which were to be held in Berlin) and WWII (the 1940 and 1944 Summer and Winter Games, which were to be held in Tokyo/Helsinki, Sapporo/St. Morritz/Garmisch-Partenkirchen, London and Cortina d'Ampezzo). Cancelling the upcoming games in Sochi would only bring the International Olympic Committee a large amount of negative publicity and would severely curtail its ability to influence member's behavior in passing such hate-filled legislation, as doing so would be seen as meddling in that member nation's internal political affairs.

Terror Threat From Al-Qaeda

As if this is any massive surprise, Al-Qaeda threatening to hit anything with US symbolism on it again. I've been hearing about the prison breaks as if recently, especially as reported on CNN's website. The security blog, I think makes a very descriptive assessment of how the Obama Administration is attempting to pinpoint these individuals making the threats and prevent such an attack from occuring.

Here's a little bit of background information. I'm sure everyone who's been reading this blog is aware of who Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Penninsula is. For those who've only seen this for the first time, it's currently the strongest cell branch of the Al-Qaeda terror network and is based primarily in Yemen. AQAP is responsible for conducting successful prison breaks throughout the Mideast freeing many of its operatives in countries such as Yemen, Oman, etc., and having apparently regrouped and regrown their operational strength, they're ready to start conducting new attacks against American and other infidel installations in the Arab World, and possibly America itself. Think of the underwear bomber of 2009, he was affiliated with this cell. Anyway, the reason for the high-level concern within the senior ranks of the Obama Administration is that this branch has expertise in constructing and handling chemical weaponry. Imagine the destruction and carnage, as well as toxicity left in the wake of chemical-laced bomb explosion.

The question of whether AQAP will use a chemical weapon is really irrelevant, it's a matter of where they would use one and when.

Ex-Skinhead joins up with a victim of the Sikh Temple Shooting in Wisconsin

From reading this article on the Associated Press earlier, I saw these two gentlemen of completely different backgrounds coming together to educate the youth in Wisconsin about the sometimes violent reality that comes from White Supremacy. Their stories, I think, provide a real learning experience so that the next generation of Americans, be them from Wisconsin or elsewhere, about the real dangers of professing hatred towards other groups of people and how it can end in violence.

For the former skinhead, it gives him a chance to atone for any misery he may have caused other communities. I can tell by his actions that he couldn't be sorrier for his actions in the past, and how they scared others from outside the White race. Additionally, while he did not know the perpatrator of the Sikh Temple Shooting personally, the event scared the former supramcist by making him realize he may have been an influence on the guy pulling off this unspeakable horror.

As for the son of one of the victims, to team up with this former White Supremacist seemed like a difficult decision at the time, but now it pays off with more advantages than not. As a victim of White Supremacy, it can help educate others as to why more needs to be done to stamp out this old plague of the past. The victim has a strong story of how his father was murdered for no apparent reason other than he was not White nor Christian.

Update on the peace process

For once there is good news about the progress of peace talks that have been stalled for the past five years or so. US Foreign Secretary (Secretary of State) John F. Kerry has been able to get a tentative framework endorsed by the entire Arab League, which would be enough coverage for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to make the case to the already skeptical Palestinian public that negotiations within the newly announced framework are within their national interest. While it will be a simultaneously tough sell for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to both his cabinet and his people, it will give him a stronger incentive to make a real meaningful dialogue knowing full well that his American partner, US President Barack Obama, will give him plenty of backup in the international sphere so that there can be an ongoing dialogue. By mentioning Obama's support, Netanyahu can make the case to the equally skeptical Israeli public that reengaging in a dialogue with the Palestinians will help make Israel more secure for future generations. Full credit for the breaking of this story goes to the Associated Press via Yahoo News.

I find this to be a very positive step towards ending the nearly century-old dispute, and one of the biggest sources of violent outbreaks in the Middle East. In addition, to the tough sells involved, doing so will undoubtedly isolate both Syria and Iran. The Arabs' main source of rage now is not so much with the Israelis, as I've mentioned in previous posts, but with the Iranians. The reason is simple: Iran has a relatively strong history of dabbling in the Arab states' internal affairs, and for the past 30 years or so, the Arab states have long complained to the Americans about this. Now this is not to say that the Americans and the Iranians have any business launching threats at each other, because they don't, but that's not the main point here. The Iranians after the Islamic Revolution have long cowed their Arab neighbors threatening to back radical Islamic elements in their borders unless they heed Iranian guidance in the Islamic struggle against Israel. Now this is the main reason for the Arab push for peace with Israel since 2002, as it would free up resources for them to go after elements backed by the Iranians.

Now for the American perspective of this: it's a massive interest for there to be a final accord to the Arab-Israeli dispute as it would finally allow a fully unified front against the main source of terror, the Iranians. For America, like Israel and the Arab states, Iran's reach across the Middle East is a credible threat and the fact that it has not made the proper disclosures for its nuclear program as mandated by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty creates an even larger crisis that threatens the whole non-proliferation regime put in place by both the Americans and the Russians at the end of the Cold War. This is primarily why America wants to see this dispute end, as it would only aggrivate an arms race, but of a smaller proportion to the extent of what it faced with Russia for 40 years (1947-87).

Martin/Zimmerman Verdict

I can't begin to understand how its possible to let a kid, who was unarmed at the time he was shot, receive nothing in terms of closure, especially for his family. At the same time, it's really beyond absurd to allow the "Stand Your Ground" laws to remain on the books, when Trayvon Martin's death clearly showed how ineffective.and dangerous they are.

It makes me concerned that someone can cite this kind of law after looking for a reason to use it. George Zimmerman really had no business following and confronting Martin at all, and was told by the 911 operator with whom he was on the phone to stay in his car. That being said, however, still doesn't change the fact that it could have been anyone who was on the recieving end of the "Stand Your Ground" that would be dead, or very seriously injured. I understand needing self-defense laws to protect oneself against criminals, or threats to one's own survival, but the way this law was applied in Florida only says to would-be vigilantes that they can take the law into their own hands and enforce it how they please.

BART Strike of 2013

I have to say, this has been a crazy week so far with the ATU and SEIU local unions for BART having gone on strike. Apparently it's been over the number of safety incidents that have taken place over the past couple of months which is why I'm kind of understanding of their striking. I'm really concerned that BART's management was not hearing the train and fare-gate operators as they've apparently been making noise about the lack of concern or investment in safety for riders. While I hope they can restore service as soon as possible, I really hope that the State of California can force some changes in terms of safety routines.

Additionally, the unions were also trying to seek a raise, which had been a part of the fight as well, with wages and benefits on the line. The good news is that, while the unions agreed to call off the strike and resume their current contract for another 30 days, they are back to negotiating a new contract, as well as, pushing new safety practices to end the kind of tragedies that have taken place on the BART system over the past few months. I hope for sure that it has some teeth and that BART can increase its presence of crisis management for these types of situations.

Tighter Utility Regulation

Here's something I've got to say, how is it that in a country as expansive and wealthy as the one I live in can have such lax laws governing utilities? I honestly don't get it, as recently as 10 or so years ago they've been cutting corners on safety and other areas to just to make an extra buck or 2. Here's an example of what I'm talking about with an article from Russia Today. 

Cleaner Fuels And Cars Mean Cleaner Air

Seeing this only reminds me of Jimmy Carter's efforts to get us off of Fossil Fuels back in the 1970's. Barack Obama is clearly following in Carter's footsteps (or at least trying to), but he can't do this alone. We need to help Obama force the Republican-led House of Representatives and barely held Democratic-led Senate to push this forward. If you want to breath clean air, to drink clean water/eat food not tainted with pollutant chemicals, then sign this petition. It's time to put an end to the corrupting power of big oil, which only wants to be able to keep its profit margins up by not having to put in technology that will surely lower the number of asthma cases around the country.

Cleaner Fuels And Cars Mean Cleaner Air

Representative's son's racist/homophobic rant

I just saw this on Facebook, and I thought to myself, "Again with the hate-filled speech?" Well, apparently it did happen again within this story:

Sen. Flake’s son threatens to ‘beat the crap’ out of ‘f*ggot’ on Twitter (via Raw Story )

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) apologized on Wednesday after BuzzFeed discovered that his high school-aged son had used racist and homophobic language on the Internet. Screen grabs obtained by BuzzFeed showed that Flake’s son, Tanner, had called one person on Twitter a “Jew” and repeatedly used the term…

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Barry Zito's Award

Coming to AT&T Park today, I was so amazed by the fact that Barry Zito won the Patriot Award on behalf of his charity Strikeouts For Veterans. What I find so amazing is the fact that he's been working with MLB and BofA in helping returning vets and their families.

I think he should be remembered for this and be given a chance to put forth his vision before Congress. Additionally, I'm thinking about starting a drive on FB to get President Barack Obama to appoint him to a commission to help vets and soldiers, along with their families, during the off-season. 

Such An Aggrivating Day

Good God, I've never been this pissed off in my life. It's just one of those days where you want to go off somewhere and scream. Let me explain in the two following stories.

In the first story, it has to do with AT&T (infamous from my last posting), only this time not in conjunction with Starbucks. What happened was that at work, we (meaning our small insurance company) had no internet, and as a result, could not do any work all day. Imagine if you can't email clients or check the status of other business when all of it is online, and then having to wait until close to the end of the workday for a repair person to come and fix the issue. For us, the repairer was attending a house call first down in Daly City before shooting up 280 to get to us asap. This I know, at AT&T has little to no ability to coordinate its workers to house calls, when only having a call center located at the headquarters in Dallas. These guys don't know the San Francisco Bay Area's geography or metropolitan make-up in any form, which leads to more confusion than ever for their workers. I just hope that they can get their act together before people begin to leave in large droves.

In the second story, I learned from a woman with whom I was on the bus with that she's been dealing with SamTrans about filing a complaint about a driver who shut the bus' front doors on her ankle on March 5, 2013. The driver in question wears the badge #1115 and drives bus #333, if someone sees his name, please send it to her, or post it here on my blog. She should not have had this happen to her, and for SamTrans to be pushing this much red tape on her is beyond inexcusable. She just wants this issue dealt with by the proper channels so that it's fully resolved.

Apple and Taxes

I have got to say this as candidly as I can: under no circumstances is Apple the only company engaged in tax-dodging. While I'm not happy to know that they have been using tax shelters (especially in places like Ireland), I think that Apple's actions are only a small role in a much larger problem with the American Tax System. The problem America faces in terms of lost tax revenue is the allowing of corprorations to create subsidiaries and other shadow companies as a means of moving profits away from the taxation system through several legal loopholes. Essentially what should be noted and used sparingly as a tool of legal tax avoidance has instead turned into a legalized version of tax evasion by several of America's largest companies.

Moreover, the recent report released by the Senate about Apple's activities should be placed in the context of doing something about reforming the tax system as a whole. This means that both the President and Congress need to do everything they can to close as many of these loopholes as possible and identify companies that do this as a way of increasing profitability. I'm for business success, but not at the expense of everyone else.

Starbucks and AT&T Internet.

The Starbucks in San Francisco on Fillmore Street, has some of the greatest workers, and the greatest ability to provide customer service on a scale not seen. However, I noticed that they were having some connectivity issues with their router in providing their customers with continuous wi-fi. Speaking to the manager, I think, I learned that he's been complaining to both Starbucks corporate and to AT&T, to the point that AT&T won't take his calls, or the company's for that matter. He's a great guy, but what AT&T's doing is beyond any kind of comprehension. In my eyes, it's up to AT&T to address this, if they wish to keep Starbucks as a customer.

Speaking of my own experience, from working in a small insurance office (we have AT&T U-Verse internet) we've had so many connectivity issues, that it's getting rediculous. This is not to say that Comcast is any better, because let's face it, they're not. My point is that their service is terrible and their customer service is beyond unacceptable, as the level of red tape they throw at customers trying to solve a problem is unbelievable. I wish the manager at the Starbucks here on Fillmore Street luck, and hope that this new set of publicity will finally make AT&T act.

Recent step by China against North Korea

Well, ain't this a piece of good news. Then again, it confirms what I've said in my last posting about the situation with North Korea. In this new development, by the New York Times, it turns out the Bank of China, one of its state-owned commercial banks, has cut ties to some North Korean banks (essentially refusing to lend them any more money). The reason for saying that this is a positive step and is a real step in showing China's growing frustration is that North Korea has largely been ignoring all kinds of warnings telling it not to continue on with its illegal nuclear weapons program, nor more provocative actions. Only now can we see what steps North Korea will take in response. Maybe in the next week, or several, I think the North Koreans will start launching massive threatening volleys at the Chinese, and perhaps, at the Russians as well, since both seem committed to implementing the newer and heavier sanctions just passed in March.

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Recent news in America and around the World

Where should I start? Well, I guess the best place to begin is with the news in America. Apparently, for once, the Republicans have come up with something as a useful alternative to constant overtime payments by businesses (especially for small business). I'll wait to cast some judgment until I know the details, but it doesn't seem like a far-fetched idea to give paid time off, instead of overtime, but still it should be known that overtime is still a necessity in the private sector until it becomes more unionized. Anyway, there's that and Republicans looking for other ways to show that they're in fact reasonable problem-solvers. This is only a ruse in my eyes, but I'll go along with it for the time being.

My main concern, is not the Republicans at the moment. It's actually events abroad and here in the Bay Area. Let's start locally first. Over the weekend, there was apparently a bad fire that killed 5 people going to a bachellorette party in a limo. Well, as tragic as it is, I think there needs to be more details as to what happened.

As for events abroad, well let's take what's going on with the situations in both the Mideast and North Korea. The Mideast is no surprise in my eyes, as Iran's doing everything to distract world attention away from its ilicit nuclear program (I say this in the sense that Iran's senior governing officials still refuse to make the mandatory disclosures to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is the international watchdog for all national atomic programs as per the Non-Proliferation Treaty). Additionally, it feels that its chief ally in Syria (Bashar al-Assad) needs a distraction from the rebellion back home; and what better way than to build up tensions with Assad's neighbor, Israel? Well, that's fairly self-explanatory.

As for North Korea, apparently there was a father-son duo charged with conspiring to illegally sell the Kim regime components to further help them construct their illegal nuclear weapons program, even doing so through the nose of America's sanctions. Well, let's see how else this plays out, because this is very serious. My major concern with North Korea, is that it won't be long until Kim Jong Un decides to unleash the 1,000,000 man Korean People's Army against South Korea, as well launch a nuclear strike against it. This is because Kim feels he has less to lose by picking a fight with the numerically weaker Military forces in the South, than by picking a fight with America, who could easily bring to bear both Russia and China in this sense. I know off-hand that both the Russians and the Chinese will join the Americans in defending the South Koreans and Japanese in this scenario, because of the fact that both the Russian and Chinese leaderships' patience with the North has worn exceedingly thin, and both, I'm quite sure, have warned the Kim regime that more provocative behavior will result in more dire consequences as well as making it harder for them to justify their continued resistance to additional action in the United Nations.

In addition, both America and Russia have a long standing partnership in counter-proliferation, and both see the North Korean nuclear program as a massive destabilizing factor in East Asia. Additionally, China's come to see that the Kim regime does not provide a good enough buffer to deter any American military presence. I think America's Foreign Secretary, John Kerry, made this quite clear to the Chinese leadership, in saying that unless they do more to reign in their ally's provocative actions and threats of pre-emptive nuclear war, they can expect to see a much larger American military presence in the region, and a much more aggressive stance to defend itself.

We're coming close to war

Gees, can this situation get any crazier? Since when do Israel and Iran find it to be acceptable to threaten each other? I just hope that both sides will show restraint and let a dialog resume. No need for any military action, and let the pressure from the sanctions bring back a new round o negotiations.

New developments in the Middle East

Well not surprisingly, Israel's making noise about bombing Iran, and Iran is saying the same for Israel. I know why, it's because both seem desparate to distract their publics from economic troubles at home. Now, I won't argue about who's right to be doing this since neither are in my eyes. Israel is correct in saying that a nuclear armed Iran has every intention of creating another Holocaust, and take out any Jewish livelihood in the area. However, Iran has a point in saying that by becoming a hypothetical nuclear power, it will achieve parity and bring about a balance of power. In addition, it has been further correct in calling out Israel's campaign of assassinations of many of its nuclear scientists.

Regardless, neither Israel nor Iran need nuclear weapons. Israel, as an undeclared nuclear power, should immediately declare that it is, and immediately take steps in accordance with those who have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1970, and begin to disarm itself. Iran, as a signatory, should adhere to its obligations as per the treaty and show more transparency in its nuclear program. If such a program is for creating nuclear power and isotopes for medicinal purposes, then Iran is within its rights to hold such a program. However, if such underlying secrecy is hiding a weapons program, then there is no reason for Iran to have a program at all.

This is why I believe that Presidents Obama and Medvedev got it right to begin with in trying to get Iran to talk, but I still think that additional sanctions won't conduce any kind of dialogue. I do have to admit one thing though, the sanctions seem to be making Iran desparate, which can account for its tantrumous behavior, i.e., threatening to close down the Hormuz Strait. This is a credible, though fairly short term, threat.

New Low for Racial Discrimination

I don't know where to start. What is the point of US Airways telling two Black passengers that they cannot board unless they change their outfits, but letting a White passenger on wearing the same outfit they were? This seems like racism at its most basic core in my eyes, and I think Alter Net really deserves the credit for putting this story up to its followers and for showing us that racist chauvinism is still lurking within our country to this day, even though it's faced a successful mask since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Still, it doesn't help that the Black community still faces too many barriers to achieve their dream of full racial equality, and receive the same opportunities as their White counterparts. I have to say, as someone who is a student of History, we are entering a new phase of race-based violence and terrorism, but at the same time, entering a new opportunity to look our inner-most demons in the eye and learning from our past mistakes. If anything, the Tea Party, like the Coffee Party and Occupy Movements, have shown us that activism, from either the Left or Right, brings change that is neither simple nor clean. However, they serve as a reminder when the political extremes break loose. Only this time, the side going off the rails is not the Left, it's the Right. How might one ask? The answer is convoluted and messy, just like the process of change.

Think of the 40 years of Conservative governmental control, and you can start drawing a series of confirming moments about how we ended up in our current mess. Much of the social aspect goes back to the reaction in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the Voting Rights Act in 1965, and the Housing Rights Act in 1968, all of which culminated in Richard Nixon's election to the Presidency. Unsurprisingly, Nixon campaigned on "Law and Order" to appeal to mostly conservative Whites in the South, as well as on a new expanded version of Barry Goldwater's campaign theme of States' Rights. At the close of the 1960's, this message was especially popular given all the upheavals that came with that decade of radical change. In fact, Nixon's campaign put forth a platform of running against the newly adopted Supreme Court ruling mandating the states put forth busing programs to desegregate schools. The policy Nixon advocated during the 1968 campaign was to end this order immediately. Well go to the 1980 campaign and its aftermath (of course following Nixon's forced resignation following the Watergate Scandal in 1974, and Jimmy Carter's victory over Gerald Ford in the presidential campaign of 1976), we see the Conservative Movement's resurgence in the victory Ronald Reagan heralded in that year's presidential race. Reagan instilled not just supply-side economics which America had not seen since the 1920's, but also a series of roll-backs of Civil Rights policies nearly to the point where they were back in the 1950's. Well, fast foward to the Republican Congressional take-over in 1994, following the Democratic (Bill Clinton) Presidential triumph just 2 years earlier, and Presidential win in 2000, now we're getting to where we are currently, especially at the closing of the Clinton years and the start of the Bush era.

It was under George W. Bush that most of this far-right ideology began taking root, especially following the attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. For the next 4 1/2 years, think of the amount of activity the Religious Right and Crony Capitalists engaged in. I find it's easy enough to see how these actions, together with a real growing disdain for the Black community continued to grow, due to their constant agitation for full equality. However, this cycle of constantly railing about the "Black agenda", the "Homosexual agenda", etc., would eventually catch up with the Conservative movement. Think of the debacle in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans (Case in point), and that should be enough to draw a line towards the Democratic Congressional take-over in 2006, and Barack Obama's presidential sweep just 2 years later.

It's the fact that Obama's been office since 2009, and that under him racism has exploded to the most severe extent since the late 1950's and early 1960's. However, Obama is not the one to blame, as his victory in 2008 marked a shattering of a major glass-ceiling for the Black community and began a new era of racial definition. At the same time, Obama has provided the American people with a whole different kind of opportunity, not just because of his race, but because of his real ability to connect with people of many walks of life, and embodying what our most difficult daily struggles are. Going back to my earlier commentary, the fact is that when Obama took office in January 2009, some of the worst lunatic fringes of the far-right went completely haywire. The reason: a Black man should not occupy the White House. The previous statement is a testament to the fact that the fringe in question is the White Supremacist faction that tends to be one the most vocal backers of the Republican Party (No, this is not to say that all Republicans are racist, not all are, just many from this particular fringe tend to be). Well you see where that got them, as of last year's election, just in control of the recently gerrymandered House of Representatives, as Obama's still in the Presidency, and the Democrats still have control of the Senate, albeit by a slightly bigger margin.

New developments with North Korea

Where do I even begin? Well, like I've been posting on Facebook and Twitter, it's kind of becoming a massive worry on my end that Kim Jong Un (the new North Korean leader) will actually do something stupid. So far, North Korea's threatened to invoke its right to wage pre-emptive nuclear war with America (its sworn enemy), and to bring down South Korea (its direct prosporous neighbor and sworn enemy on the other side of the DMZ - the Demilitarized Zone).

Engaging in this type of reckless behavior is not only counterintuitive, but it's also exceedingly suicidal. At this point, I'm beginning to think that Kim Jong Un has a massive death wish, especially in trying to start a war with the world's 2nd largest nuclear arsenal, especially in atomic warfare. If there's one thing America wants to seriously avoid, as stated by President Barack Obama, and both Foreign Secretary John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, it's a nuclear war, and all have made warnings to North Korea to not even go that route, as it will only bring unnecessary suffering to its people.

It should be said that this situation is more dangerous than the one in the Mideast, there at least things are much quieter. So far Iran isn't making many provocative statements, at least for the time being, and Israel isn't saber-rattling to the extent it was last year.

Bomb Threat

Good God, how is it that San Francisco is the site of yet another bomb threat? Seriously, this is getting old fast. Luckily, this time it turned out to be nothing, as the suspicious package apparently was harmless. Still one can never know when some far-right or far-left extremist could plant a device that will cause massive distruction and casualities. I just pray that does not happen given what happened near the Powell Station. The 45-minute delay for both Muni and BART would have been the least of everyone's problems, just trying to get to work or appointments, or to go shopping. Had that been a real bomb, I just don't want to think of how many lives could have been taken.

I credit SFPD and BART PD's quick response in securing the area and determining the nature of the package. Additionally, I credit SFPD's decision to have a bomb squad robot look at the package as well.

Toshiba

I have to say, this is the third laptop I've gone through that's from Toshiba. I'm not saying their products are bad-looking, they're not, but they're very fragile and really leave a lot to be desired in terms of operational longevity. I had a Satellite L300, which lasted for 3 years, but the current one, which is a Satellite L855-S5372, well this is the second in 3 months. Now explain to me how a product is supposed to be top notch if the motherboard keeps short-circutting. It's an issue that seems to happen too often.

North Korea

Well this is certainly not a surprising development. Apparently North Korea has decided, once again, to start threatening America and South Korea with nuclear anihilation. One can rest assured, this is a fairly routine threat coming from the Kim regime, as they always make statements with this type of violent rhetoric. However, there's a massive and much more frightening difference in this series than in the past: there's enough credible intelligence to suggest that they may actually take their extremely violent rhetoric and turn it into real violence.

Why the Kim regime insists on picking a fight with the Obama administration goes beyond any logical sense. True, America does have soldiers (28,000 to be exact) stationed in South Korea, which the North views as a major threat to its sovereignty. It's also true that China does not look favorably on this situation as well, but does not go out of its way to make the situation worse by consistently threatening invasion or other military action. What's missing here is that America does not wish to keep those soldiers in that area of the world, but feels it has few options due to the continual violent threats that come from the North.

Well because of the Kim regime's threats of a preemptive nuclear strike on America, the Obama administration has taken the precaution of placing 14 more anti-ballistic missiles in both California and Alaska. In fact, the American Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made the announcement that the administration took this action as a deterrent to any North Korean missile launches. One of the ways the Obama administration pulled this off was by all-together scrapping the planned project of placing a missile shield in both Poland and Romania (the cancellation has brought a more cooperative attitude from Russia), which freed up funds to put the additional missiles on the West Coast and possibly to construct one on the East Coast as well.

As for Russia, I think that Pres. Obama and Secs. Kerry and Hagel made the point clear to Pres. Putin and company that America needs its help in dealing with this and the Iranian nuclear issue, as well as to maintain the continuing progress on disarming both the American and Russian nuclear arsenals. However, there's also a message going out to China at the same time.

For China, the message is very simple. America, while not seeking to contain it, wants to get the concept across that China needs to be more proactive about reigning in its small, yet provocative ally, North Korea, if it does not wish to see a larger American military presence in the area. Knowing Chinese aversion to any massive American military build-up in its neighborhood, it's easy to see why China will cooperate with America.

New Vote Suppression

I'm amazed that in the 2010s, we're still living in an America whose social policymakers on the right are still living in the 1950s. When will they realize that era already passed? Seriously, I can't understand why the Supreme Court seems to think it appropriate to rule the Voting Rights Act of 1965 unconstitutional, and why Just. Scalia had to make the remark that voting for minorities is an, "[E]ntitlement". That kind of statement is exactly the reason I'm glad Barack Obama is my President. If anything, it just proves why his tenure iis so critical to our nation's history.

As for vote suppression, it's nothing new or entirely unique, given many states' histories. However, what is new is the recent attempts to circumvent established federal law to make one party's chances of capturing the White House better than the others.