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.

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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.