GAY MARRIAGE WARNING

If you think that legalizing same sex marriage will result in the courts treating gays equally with male/females marriages, you are WRONG.

A California appellate court found that a domestic partnership is NOT the same as a marriage. BUT, they said, by statute, the property part of a domestic partnership IS the same as in a marriage. Therefore, a pre domestic partnership agreement signed in anticipation of a domestic partnership will be treated as if it were a pre marital agreement signed in anticipation of a marriage. Of course, this results in the gay spouse NOT getting his share of his husband's estate.

Are you surprised? I was. I was certain that the courts in San Francisco would not be biased against gays.

The appellate court also found that a certificate of marriage is a written instrument signed by the parties. The court agreed that the pre domestic partnership agreement could be amended or terminated by an instrument in writing. THEN, they held that the marriage certificate did not change the pre domestic partnership agreement, because the property parts of marriage are, by statute, the same as the property parts of a domestic partnership.

This is akin to saying that an addendum for a lease on 5 stories of a 10 story building will be automatically included in a new lease of all 10 stories of the building, because the property parts of the contract are treated the same in real estate law.

The court pretty much ignored the argument that marriage is a contract, which is intended to give the spouse all of the rights and privileges of marriage. A marriage contract can only be changed by a premarital agreement signed IN ANTICIPATION OF MARRIAGE.

Of course, a petition for rehearing has been filed. It has less than a 1% chance of being granted.

At least you are warned. Otherwise, married gays might think that a legal marriage required a premarital agreement and would not realized their old pre domestic partnership agreement was still in effect.

The man who brought me this case told me that he had NEVER seen the gay partner get ANYTHING from his partner's estate. I guess a valid gay marriage is not going to change that.

But, oh, how low The City of Harvey Milk has fallen! SIGH!

YUCKY HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM A PROSTITUTE

I woke up to a text from an unknown prostitute, giving me a web address. This is after Verizon stopped my phone from receiving all such texts.

I felt like washing Siri's mouth out with soap.

I TOLD you all that it was easy to put "backdoors" into phones made in countries that did not share our values.

WARNING, if you click on text ads, you may add a virus to the problems your phone already has.

Currently, ATT, Verizon, and my iPhone do not "talk" to each other. For some reason, I can not use my key pad to put numbers into ATT's phone answering systems. Good thing I am not paranoid or I would think that ATT is purposely blocking Verizon iPhones from using their systems.

Did you know that Homeland Security just ordered 100,000 iPhones? Blackberry provides secure phones that can not be hacked. I guess being "cool as ICE" is more important to Homeland Security than security.

MAYAN APRIL FOOLS!

The world did not come to an end AGAIN.

There is a tradition in the US to play jokes on the first day of April.

First you tell a very plausible lie. My kids' favorite was, "I flunked my math test."

When I would say, "Oh, no!", the reply would be, "April Fools!"

This is a VERY good game as it teaches critical thinking, and checking your sources. Since it is only done on ONE day of the year, it can be somewhat overdone. I am thinking about a blog stating that The Sun published photos of David Cameron sunbathing in the nude and the photos were taken by his security force.

Remember it is a game, so do NOTHING that will really put people in danger.

And you have a riddle for Christmas. WHY did I chose that April Fools joke? Hint. There is a villa in France and a bicycle in Britain.

DOING BAD WHILE TRYING TO DO GOOD

Target's website is advertising flu shots, saying "easy peasy, no appointment necessary". The problem is that there was no one available to give a flu shot on Tuesday. A man is line said that a shot had not been available to him when he tried several days before.

It is illegal in most states to advertise something that you do not actually have available for sale.

Worse, it is a danger to public health to require people to return multiple times just to get their flu shot. I talked to Target management, the Santa Clara County DA's office, and Santa Clara County Health, all of whom blew off my concerns.

Please do not attack the Target website. Target is always very nice to wheelchair users. Feel free to tweet about this problem.

However, if I get the flu before I get a flu shot, I am going to sue Target in small claims court. I have already printed out the website page to use as evidence.

PLEASE STOP THE WORLD, I WANT OFF!

When I was a child, complaining of unfixable injustice, my dad would joke, "Why don't you just tell the world to stop so you can get off?" We would all laugh because we knew we could not stop the world, like we could stop a car.

In the last quarter of this year, young children were killed by a madman, women burned to death in a clothing factory, floods ruined lives, children were killed by a mine, an alleged war criminal was found not guilty, and a dead TV star was accused of molesting teenagers during a twenty year period.

I could not stop any of these things from happening. People who believe the world is coming to an end are really saying, "I want the world to stop so I can get off."

The world is not going to end. So we must all do the best we can to live our lives well, and to help other people as best we can.

May I suggest a New Year's resolution to do your best, every day, to make the world a better place.

An article in the defunct Whole Earth Magazine discussed a decision matrix. It was laid out on a square divided into four quadrants. The quadrants were:
   I WIN, you WIN.
   I WIN, you LOSE.
   I LOSE, you WIN.
   I LOSE, you LOSE.

The article said that too many people believe that a decision where BOTH people WIN was unacceptable because they believe they really WIN only if the other person LOST.

Ever since I read that article, I have tried to find I WIN, you WIN solutions.

It is surprising how often I can find WIN - WIN solutions.

MAYAN MATH & MYTH or THE WORLD IS NOT COMING TO AN END

Around a thousand years ago, a brilliant Mayan mathematician decided to make a calendar that went far into the future. He ended his calendar on a Mayan high holy day, which we call the winter solstice. It was an amazing job, especially considering that he had no computer.

Now a movie decided that when the calendar ended, so would the world.

Honestly, hasn't ANYONE heard of the concept of INFINITY? Infinity is that mathematical concept which points out that the biggest number you can think of can be made bigger by adding that number and the number 1. In other words, there is no limit to the number of things that you can count.

If that ancient Mayan mathematician had known how we would treat his calendar, he would be laughing. Or else he would be on a computer, making his calendar go into the 22nd century.

So far, all of the times people thought the world would end were WRONG. This time, the rumors of the imminent demise of the Earth are so wrong it is silly.

THE ONLY THING TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF.

RAISING TAXES BY DEFAULT

Republicans planned the fiscal cliff so that taxes on the middle class will be raised by default. In order to protect the rich from a tax raise, the Republicans are allowing taxes to be raised for EVERYBODY.

Republicans seem to be counting on the stupidity of the people of the US. Personally, I think they are overestimating our credulity.

As far as I can tell from reading about the so called fiscal cliff, the Republicans want to take from the poor to give to the rich. OVER THE LAST TWENTY YEARS, THE RICH HAVE BEEN GETTING MUCH RICHER AND THE POOR HAVE BEEN GETTING MUCH POORER. I guess the Republicans will not be satisfied until there is again starvation in the US. (If you think I exaggerate, you have not read the Republican plans to cut food stamps.)

ONE MORE TIME, the Republicans are using Christmas vacation as a blackmail tool. This is SO like last year that I re-read my blog on Republicans as the Grinch and/or Scrooge from December 2011.

The truth is that the Republicans want to spend money on military hardware that we no longer need in order to please the manufacturers of military hardware.

BTW, the new plan from the Republicans to cut the tax deductions on home purchase interest will totally destroy the fragile housing industry.

CEOs get HUGE raises while complaining about paying their workers. CEOs refuse to buy health insurance for workers, but insist that their health insurance lasts a lifetime, even if they get fired for cause.

Is this the kind of US that we want?

USED BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS

I am a HUGE fan of used bookstores. Usually, I keep my purchases to mystery, regency romance, and fantasy. I like to escape when I read. I prefer books with humor, insight, and action. I really enjoy the humor which comes from two different cultures or view points learning to understand each other.

But some books have lessons that we have forgotten. Here is my pick of some important books containing lessons we still have not learned.

The Peter Principle -- We need to figure out how to "demote" people who were promoted beyond their ability to cope.

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus -- This is a great book for intercultural understanding. The lesson of repeating what was heard is amazing. Try it and you will see what I mean.

Cinderella Syndrome -- Sometimes women can not accept their own competence.

Silent Spring -- I am really frightened about the birds dying. I see fewer and fewer birds every year. The solutions in this book may no longer be the answer, but she asks all of the right questions.

Dr. Spock on Child Rearing -- It worked for me. Of course, I lost it by the time the kids were 5.

Our Bodies, Ourselves -- Written when most of the doctors were men.

The Emperor Wears No Clothes -- This is a book on how and why marijuana went from being a medicine to being defined as evil. You can skip the political rhetoric, which is understandable, but a little much.

The Da Vinci Code -- This book raises questions about the Catholic Church and the Gnostic texts. Of course, you missed that part, didn't you?

Remember that Christmas is not the time to give someone a book that will upset them. If you think someone NEEDS one of these books, by it for yourself and leave it sitting around conspicuously.

CONSTITUTIONAL ADVICE FOR EGYPT

I am not an Egyptian. I have not read all of the new Egyptian constitution. I will give two pieces of advice anyway.

!. VOTE. If you do not vote, you are not participating in your new democracy. When you do not vote, you give an extra vote to the people you oppose.

2. CONSTITUTIONS ARE NEVER PERFECT. Did you know that the US Constitution was ratified without the Bill of Rights, which protects freedom of religion and freedom of speech? The Bill of Rights was not passed until three years later. Many people objected to the lack of protections for civil rights in the original constitution. They passed the constitution anyway because they needed a framework for running the country and waiting until the constitution was perfect was more dangerous than insisting on a Bill of Rights before ratification.

There is a section of the original US Constitution which counts a slave as part of a person for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. It took over 150 years for all MEN to become equal. (See the new movie Lincoln.) It took another 60 years for WOMEN to get the right to vote in the US.

I think the most important part of our constitution is that it is interpreted by the courts. It is not possible to write constitutions and laws that cover every situation. If your new constitution gives this authority to the courts, you should seriously consider passing it.

Without a constitution, your leaders can do whatever they want. Once there is a constitution, even your leaders have to obey constitutional law.

This is a decision for the people of Egypt, please make it wisely.

SILENCE AND DEATH

Since the 1970's, we have all been silent in the face of spreading lies about marijuana. I was one of the silent.

When my friend David Kessler told me that Nixon hid the results of a 1974 study showing that MARIJUANA MIGHT CURE CANCER, I laughed and said it must be an urban legend.

David told me the truth. A Spanish study in 2000 confirmed that cannabinoids found in marijuana shrunk cancer tumors in mice. The study was designed to duplicate the 1974 study.*

David also told me that the National Caner Institute was being prevented from reporting on these studies. He was right. For a while the NCI reported marijuana cancer studies on the professional side of its website, but now near silence prevails.

So far only a San Francisco newspaper, the Daily Beast and the Huffington Press have had the courage to report on marijuana as a possible cancer cure.

I ask myself, "Did my friend Margaret die because Nixon wanted to arrest hippies?" Not just Margaret died. Over seven MILLION people a year die of cancer.

The studies reported by the National Cancer Institute were compelling. Cannabinoids shrink cancer tumors with NO damage to the surrounding tissue. If any other substance did this, there would be protests in the street until huge research funding was granted.

AND WE STILL LAUGH AT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ABOUT COPERNICUS!

* DO NOT SELF MEDICATE THINKING YOU CAN CURE YOUR CANCER. Cannabinoids are promising as a cure. They are not yet confirmed as a cure.

REPUBLICANS LOSE 'MARKET SHARE'

For many years, the Republican Party has been losing what business calls "market share". This means that there are fewer and fewer people "buying" the Republican Party.

The Republican Party has responded by gerrymandering so that there are as many Republican safe districts as possible.

The Republicans have also conned us into passing laws requiring a "super majority" to raise taxes, giving them almost absolute power to block the ability of governments to pass rational tax policy. Taxes were the only item where people could be conned into replacing the "majority rules" part of the basic political philosophy of the US Constitution. Except for the Senate, of course. The Senate was conned into dropping the "you must be speaking" rule, turning the filibuster into an unconstitutional requirement for a super majority in the Senate.

All this left the Republicans with only ONE non religious issue. Taxes became THE ISSUE of the Republican Party. The Republicans have been using the threat to vote against taxes to control the majority. And you all fell for it.

Now the Republicans are AGAIN using the long con called the "fiscal cliff" . They are saying AGAIN, "we will let the country go down the tubes in order to protect the rich from paying taxes."

ONE MORE TIME FOR THE SLOW LEARNERS. Paying the average person ONE dollar, puts FIVE dollars into the economy. This makes more money available to both the rich and the poor.

Putting one dollar into the hands of a rich man may put only one dollar into the economy, especially if the rich man is a Scrooge.

THE RICH DO NOT MAKE US RICHER, PEOPLE MAKING A LIVING WAGE MAKES US ALL RICHER. IT DOES NOT HURT THE ECONOMY TO TAX THE RICH. It just gives the Republicans an issue that they can "sell" to people who do not understand macro economics.

CALIFORNIA SNOW

I really like California snow. It stays up in the mountains so I can visit it whenever I want. It does not block my driveway. I call it polite snow.

Californians really like their snow.

I was totally shocked when I discovered that California schools each chose different Easter vacation weeks. I was reliably informed that this is because otherwise the ski resorts got too full, and some of the children would be unable to ski. That year my son had chicken pox while my daughter was on Easter break, then my daughter had chicken pox while my son was on Easter break. So I was REALLY unhappy with the schools.

Then I discovered that the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, churches, and various friends would arrange ski trips for my children. Since the wheel chair does not work well in snow, I was really grateful.

The cost of these snow trips was very reasonable as the children would sleep on the floor. Ski clothes for the kids were found at the Palo Alto Goodwill. Thrift stores in wealthy areas are better for such purchases. Most poor people do not give away ski clothes.

So, if someone invites your children to go skiing, accept. Honestly, you can stop worrying about child molesters. The Boy Scouts solved this problem. Just tell your children that they will be safe if they travel in pairs. The molester has to get the kid alone in order to molest. This also makes pairs of adults almost perfectly safe. Adults who hunt in pairs tend to be so weird that they are not trusted.

I always felt really guilty as I slept late, avoided all cartoons, and ate food too expensive for more than one serving. Well, I did WANT to feel guilty. %<)

LOW COST KID PRESENTS AGE 4 - 11

The present that my children used until it was destroyed was a tape with me reading the Just So Stories. You can record onto a CD using a computer. (The kids need to be able to replay the recording. This means that you need to use child friendly play back. Fisher Price used to have a child proof tape player. It even survived the milk. They probably have an updated version.)

My children listened to book tapes as they went to sleep. They LOVED the Just So Stories, but I could not find a professional tape of the stories. I gave them the book so they could follow along if they wished.

You could scan family photos and give the children a digital photo album. Be certain to mark the photos so they know who the people are.

You can buy books at a used book store. I think comic books can be a good way to encourage reading. I still have copies of Star Wars and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Encyclopedia Brown books are always good.

There used to be a really neat toy, which had a compass and two lenses. It could be used as a magnifying glass and a low power binoculars. The toy worked sort of like a Transformer toy as you had to manipulate the toy in order to use it. We took these on walks and to zoos.

Kids learn best when they can touch, feel, build, take apart, explore. Buy things that help them do this.

Do not give electronic shooting games to children. Buy games like Legend of Zelda, where you have to explore and solve logic puzzles. If you must buy shooting games, let the targets be ducks. If you think shooting electronic ducks is evil, then you certainly should not be shooting electronic people.

REMEMBER THAT KIDS BREAK THINGS. Do not give them expensive electronics.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

It will not be possible to have happy holidays for retail stores if the middle class has to worry about a 2013 tax increase. It will not be possible for the poor and the sick to have happy holidays if they will not be able to get food stamps in 2013.

I fail to understand how Christians can believe that giving more money to the rich is the correct way to run a country. For 150 years we have known that the rich are usually so selfish that they have to be forced to pay workers a living wage. Currently, the rich are whining that they will not be able to hire workers without a tax cut for the rich. Did you know the US gives tax credits for hiring workers? A worker's pay is a tax deductible business expense.

These selfish rich people are acting like three year old children. Three year olds often state that every toy in the house is "MINE!"

Their excuse is that they want a smaller government. Of course, a smaller government will not have the resources to stop fraudulent businesses, which means that the middle class can kiss their money goodbye, AGAIN.

A CONGRESSIONAL GOING AWAY PRESENT

Let's give Barney Frank and Ron Paul a going away present. Pass HR 2306, and stop federal prohibition of marijuana. It is the only issue where Democrats and Libertarians actually agree.

If any other substance had shown the cancer curing properties of cannabinoids in marijuana, people would be demanding US research into a promising cure that does not damage non cancer tissue. I can not understand how cancer doctors can ignore a substance that does not cause hair to fall out. But no one can do effective research because of our draconian drug laws. If you do not believe me, Google "national cancer institute marijuana".

The National Cancer Institute also says that a marijuana overdoses can NOT kill people. Too much alcohol can kill people.

Perhaps the Republicans will violate their pledge to not raise taxes if they have a chance to tax non medical marijuana.

The Prohibition of Marijuana is not working. Anybody who wants to buy marijuana can buy it. Because it is illegal, it is easier for children to purchase marijuana than to purchase alcohol.

Let the states decide whether to make marijuana illegal.

UNRECORDED JUSTICE IS A DENIAL OF JUSTICE

In order to save money, courts are not providing court reporters. This often means there is no record of the hearing. I am certain that it is just coincidental that no reporter's transcript means no appeal is possible, allowing the judge to rule without fear of appeal.

This can result in injustice. To illustrate, I will give you an example of one of my current cases.

An administrative judge ruled that a person was not telling the truth because the person "denied being represented by counsel even though his attorney also signed off on the agreement."

The transcript reads:

"You were advised and represented by counsel before you signed this agreement, correct?"

"No. I talked to a lawyer."

This would be funny, if it were not also tragic. The person was testifying by telephone from thousands of miles away. Obviously, the person did not understand complex legal language. So the judge ruled that he did not tell the truth.

Without a transcript, there is no way to tell if the judge misheard something. In a divorce, a hearing without a transcript is an exercise in futility. If you have ever talked with both persons involved in a divorce, you know that they hold radically differing views of the facts. So unless testimony is recorded, it is pretty much a waste of breath.

We can all read the transcripts of the Salem witch trials held in 1692. But poor people who can not afford to hire a court reporter will never see the transcripts of their hearings in 2012.

WHY BORING BEIGE IS 'IN'

For most of human history, color was king. Only the rich and powerful could afford the paints and dyes for intense color.

Then, in the early 1800s, Lord Elgin brought part of the Greek Parthenon to London. The life like marble friezes were the talk of the town. Tourists started visiting Greece and Egypt, bringing back statues in marble, sandstone, and alabaster. Suddenly, beige and ivory were the height of sophistication. Ancient civilizations were 'in'.

The joke is that these white and beige statues were originally painted in bright colors.

So feel free to wear scarlet! Show that you are not ignorant. %<)

A GREAT MAN BETRAYED BY HIS DELILAH

General Petraeus was betrayed by his vindictive lover, who I believe carefully planned to bring him down. I am wondering if she is the one who leaked the fake story of prisoners being held in Benghazi.

I find it interesting that Fox News aired the fake prisoner story just before the lover talked about the fake prisoner story in a public speech. The lover had a high level security clearance, so her speech about possible Benghazi prisoners might have gotten her arrested unless she got the information from Fox News. If you believe that people with security clearances believe Fox News, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might want to buy.

I mourn the loss to the US of the services of one of the great men of the 21st Century.

I am horrified by my theory that the vindictive lover and the Republican Party were planning an October surprise and that the late October speech by the lover was intended to be that surprise.

  

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

Veterans, have a happy day! Thank you for risking your life to keep us all safe and free. Hopefully, we will never forget.

I can not forget the veteran in a wheel chair who whispered to me how very important marijuana was to her/him. (S)he said that marijuana made it possible to enjoy things, even when his/her pain level was overwhelming.

Then the veteran told me that (s)he was still buying marijuana on the black market, even though (s)he could have gone to a medical marijuana clinic here in California. (S)he was afraid that the draconian federal marijuana laws would prevent her/him from getting veterans benefits if (s)he was discovered to be using a drug which the federal government does not even allow doctors to prescribe.

As an attorney, I had to confirm that her/his fears about losing his/her veteran's benefits was a rational response to the current federal laws regarding use of drugs. This is because federal law treats marijuana as the worst of the worst of drugs. Use of marijuana can cause you to lose almost any federal benefit.

Our stupid federal marijuana laws are keeping our veterans in needless pain.

Congress needs to pass HR 2306. Let the states decide how to regulate and tax marijuana.

MAY ALL VETERANS HAVE A HAPPY DAY!

iPAD v. TV

My TV is broken. While I decide if it is better to fix the TV or buy a new one, I am watching shows via the internet. There are three problems with watching TV using my iPad.

Many of my favorate shows are not available unless I use a site that does not pay for content. Since I believe that artists should be paid for their work, I am not able to get shows like Covert Affairs, The Mentalist, NCIS LA, and the latest Masterpiece Mysteries.

My cat HATES the iPad. He believes laps are for cats.

Big Brother Apple will not let me turn off the sound during commercials! Not even the turn off sound button works to shut off the sound. Off course, there is also no fast forwarding. Makes you wonder why the TV companies hate the internet. Seems to be a bad choice for their advertisers to only allow the shows to be shown on network TV..

HOORAY! HOORAY! DRAT!

President Obama will be President for four more years! The Democrats have a majority in the Senate! Republicans will still have a majority in the House.

PEOPLE VOTED!!!!!

In California it is HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! Democrats may even get a super majority so that Republicans can not block tax increases. Keep your fingers crossed.

At least women do not have to worry about their right to control their own bodies. Sick people will be able to get health insurance.

There is still work to do.

So think about the gerrymandering that kept Republicans in the House of Representatives. Did you know that there is no statute of limitations on violating civil rights under cover of authority?

California should think about a constitutional convention. Our constitution is a real mess. As Proposition 40 taught us, money does not confer wisdom.

We also need to think about boycotting all Koch Industry's company products.

BUT FIRST, CELEBRATE. You deserve it.

REVENGE OF THE VOTERS

Let's make voting like a line for Star Wars tickets. For those of you too young to remember the fun of standing in line for a great movie, the line was like a street party. But in this line, everybody gets to vote. IF YOU ARE IN LINE BEFORE THE POLLS CLOSE, THEY HAVE TO LET YOU VOTE. It is the law, and if anyone breaks this law, they could be guilty of a federal felony.

BTW, the law also says that your employer MUST give you time off to vote. Remember that voting is secret and you do not have to obey a bullying employer. Vote the way YOU want.

THE RULES OF THE PARTY LINE.

This is a party. Hold places in line for people getting coffee or mobile food. Dress for comfort. If it is raining, bring all your umbrellas to share. If TV says the lines are really long, consider bringing a tent or lawn chairs.

A LOT of women are voting this year. Feel free to buy them coffee, but no touching and you get to ask for her number only ONCE.

Please let the elderly go to the front of the line. If someone gives you a good story about why they need to vote right away, consider asking everyone to agree to let the person cut to the front of the line. Impatient people can ruin a good party.

I do not know about you, but the Republican idea of letting businesses do what they want, including ripping us off, has trashed my life. I am really looking forward to voting against them this year.

BENGHAZI AND THE CIA

I was not surprised by the news that the CIA was involved in defending the Benghazi mission on September 11, 2012.

I did not blog about my suspicion regarding the CIA for the same reason that President Obama did not talk about the CIA's involvement. Sometimes the need to protect agents on foreign soil is more important than the need for the American people to know exactly what happened and when. This is especially true when talking about the CIA could either get them killed or interfere with an important covert investigation.

I was also not surprised by Fox News and the Republicans trying to get political points from the Benghazi tragedy. After all, the Bush administration "outed" a CIA undercover operative in retaliation for her husband reporting that it was unlikely that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

I think Fox and the Republicans are trying to get people to believe that the death of Osama bin Laden was unimportant.

I am constantly amazed at how stupid Fox News and the Republicans think we are.

STORM'S AFTERMATH

Yesterday someone told me that the New York subways would never work again. Some of the subways are running already.

There are a lot of rumors and faked photos, according the Britain's Guardian newspaper. The Guardian lists sites that post updates for electricity and transportation. The Guardian also says that the New York Daily News has been reliably reporting photos and transportation updates.

Please be careful when you watch TV with young children. They can be more traumatized by the reporting of the disaster than by the disaster itself. I found that buying the children small disaster kits with first aid, flashlights and batteries to be very helpful. I highly recommend the kind of flashlights that you can work without batteries. These flashlights have a little pump to generate electricity when their batteries are not functional. A small radio is another good addition.

When the big 1989 earthquake hit the Bay Area, I did not even have a working radio. Two weeks before the earthquake, my father sent me a big box of batteries in all sizes. I was able to provide batteries to the entire neighborhood  and someone lent me a radio. It was actually fun to meet all my neighbors.

Sometimes good can come from bad. A flood in Florence, Italy, damaged scores of important old paintings. When the paintings were restored the restorers discovered that hundreds of years of soot and grime covered vibrant colors. This lead to the restoration of the Sistine Chapel.

At least the New York subways will be clean. %<)

THE BIG STORM

I hope everyone is safe.

If there are few deaths, then we should thank the National Hurricane Center and NOAA for their excellent prediction of when and where the storm would hit. It is not possible to close the New York Stock Exchange and the subways if one is not almost certain of the time of the storm's arrival.

It is really too bad that these kinds of accurate predictions will soon disappear, because the Republicans did not think that it was necessary to replace our aging weather satellites  In fact, Romney believes that the damages from these storms can be addressed by the insurance industry and the state governments. I live in California, and am glad that California's federal taxes will be used to provide help to those who lost everything in the storm surge.

I am mourning the sinking of "The Bounty" and the loss of a crew member. Luckily, the US Coast Guard was able to rescue most of the crew.

Did you know that "The Bounty" was also known as "The Black Pearl"? Of course, it is likely that the ghost of "The Black Pearl" will be seen sailing the high seas on Halloween Night.

YES ON PROPOSITION 40

It is necessary to vote yes on Proposition 40. A YES keeps the excellent redistricting that we have finally achieved.

If you vote 'no' on Prop 40, the California Supreme Court will appoint the redistricting people. This will result in the California Supreme Court being unable to rule on redistricting because they will have a legal conflict of interest. Then the only people able to rule on redistricting will be the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

It is amazing how stupid the proponents of Proposition 40 were. They did not notice the nasty side effect until they had already spent millions on qualifying the Proposition for the ballot. BTW, I am extremely proud of the engineer who spotted this problem.

I am voting YES on Propositions 30, 34, 36, and 40. I am voting NO on all the other propositions.

It is really too bad that the sex trafficking law was so badly written. But good ideas are not enough. You have to very carefully write law so that the effects are what you want. Perhaps we can get the new legislature to pass a sex trafficking act that is reasonable and effective. Food labeling has to be done at the federal level or it really hurts California farmers. The food proposition is also fairly illogical.

If you pass a bad proposition, the legislature is unable to fix the problem. This is because propositions trump laws passed by the legislature.

WOMEN, MEN, AND BIRTH CONTROL

Birth control is not just an issue for women.

Now that child support agencies have DNA tests, men and boys are held financially responsible for any child with their DNA. Even sixteen year old boys can become responsible for 18 years of child support payments. It no longer matters if the girl or woman had several lovers. The lover with the correct DNA will be paying child support. Even if the man used birth control, such as a condom, if the child has the man's DNA, the man will be paying child support.

VP candidate Ryan believes that birth control is a sin. He will always be working to kill Planned Parenthood. (Planned Parenthood helps people plan how many children they want and when, and provides needed health care.)

Romney is still supporting a US Senate candidate who believes that a pregnancy resulting from rape is a gift from God. (Unless Romney has again changed his mind regarding this issue. Romney says one thing to the Tea Party and another thing to the rest of us.)

YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO WHAT THE CANDIDATES SAID SIX MONTHS AGO, BECAUSE WHAT THEY ARE SAYING NOW IS WHAT THEY THINK YOU WANT TO HEAR.

If you believe in a woman's right to control her own body, then you should vote for President Obama.

DANGEROUS IGNORANCE

Last night, Romney made two statements that showed dangerous ignorance.

1. He said that Iran needed a route to the sea through Syria. How can one even hope to make a rational decision regarding strategy, when one is woefully ignorant about geography?

2. He said that he balanced his budgets at Bain and the Olympics and therefore could balance the US budget. He does not seem to understand that Bain balanced its budget with borrowed money.

If one is so ignorant about money that one does not understand that you BORROW money from INVESTORS, how can one hope to make a rational decision about national budgetary issues. It is actually kind of fun to realize that when you deposit money in a bank, you are actually investing in the bank. (Too bad the cost of accounting for your money equals the interest payable on your money.)

It is not possible to explain accounting in one or two paragraphs. However, when you borrow $200,000 to buy a house, your personal balance sheet shows a $200,000 debt and a $200,000 asset.

One of the main things investors look for when deciding to invest in something is the debt to asset ratio (debt to equity ratio is looking at assets that can be quickly sold). Investors generally do not like first time borrowers as the borrower may not understand the necessity to repay the money.

The US debt to equity ratio is MUCH LESS than the debt to equity ratio of people and businesses in the US. I have never understood why Republicans believe that corporations are allowed to borrow money but governments are not allowed to borrow money.

I am really tired of the "road to Greece" comment. I think all democratic countries need to remember that they are "on the road FROM Greece".

I TRUST JERRY

I trust Jerry Brown and am going to vote for Proposition 30. I do NOT recommend any other tax proposition because our constitution is already a horrible mess regarding taxes. Conflicting tax propositions are making running California really difficult. I think the other tax measures have a hidden nasty secondary effect.

I have followed Jerry Brown's career for 40 years. I have never known him to recommend anything stupid. He has brains, education, experience and a nose for hidden agendas.

I am going to VOTE AGAINST stopping UNION donations. If you want to know what life would be like without unions, ask the South African platinum miners.

I am voting to end the death penalty and to reform three strikes. I am voting against the term limit proposition.

I always read what the people against the proposition write. Be very careful of hidden secondary effects.

I think it is best to vote against propositions unless they are recommended by persons or organizations that you trust.

ROMNEY AND WOMEN

Yah. Yah. The women in binders joke is very funny.

What is more important is that Romney doesn't see that when he hires women it is not enough. Statistics show that women are paid less and promoted less often than men. It is the overall decision making regarding working women that is important.

Saying, "I hired a woman," is like saying, "I have a friend who is a Jew." Admirable, but not a solution to discrimination.

Women scientists have often complained of unequal treatment. To show the women that they were incorrect, a major university did a study. To their surprise, they found that women scientists were routinely given fewer resources than men. This was true even for women researchers who brought in their own research grants.

Discriminatory practices are done by individuals who often decide to have a clone of themselves promoted.

In order to fight this sort of discrimination, management needs to be trained, HR needs to pre-screen candidates, and statistics need to be kept. The only way to show a pattern of discrimination is to keep and report the numbers of people hired, the numbers of women hired, and the number of minorities hired. The same must be done for promotions.

Additionally, I believe that the US should make a course in non-discrimination mandatory before a person can get a work related visa.

I once taught a equal opportunity course to employees of a large engineering company. It was amazing to discover how ignorant of the law engineers could be. It was equally amazing to see how fast the engineers learned.

BTW, promoting beautiful women is not enough. In almost all endeavors, brains and education are more important than beauty and charm.

TERRORIST JESSE JAMES?

I have a grudging admiration for the infamous outlaw Jesse James. He and his Civil War comrades continued to raid trains and banks long after the War had ended. He lived a nice middle class existence in Missouri while he robbed and murdered.

By all reports, the leader of the group that murdered our Ambassador in Libya is a kind of modern day Jesse James. The Libyan is using religion instead of racism as his excuse for murder.

Jesse was able to continue his personal war because of the sympathies of his neighbors and the governmental chaos that always follows a civil war.

Now Republicans are accusing President Obama of not providing enough security for the Ambassador. Of course, it was difficult to provide security as the House Republicans had insisted on drastically cutting the State Department's security budget.

Too many people seem to think that PRETTY WORDS mean more than BUDGETARY ACTIONS. BUDGETS ARE THE WAY WE CHOSE WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US. Security of our embassies is important to me. It should be important to us all.

Rather than blaming the President, who is not usually involved in the travel plans of an individual ambassador, we should be blaming the Republicans. The House Republicans insisted on cutting the budget for embassy security or they would not vote for the budget. This meant there was not enough money for extra security when our Libyan Ambassador traveled from the capital to visit Benghazi.

Libyans reacted to the Ambassador's death by resolving to bring to justice the groups still fighting for a private cause.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are hiding their budget agenda, saying, "Trust us." Experience should tell us that trusting Republicans is probably a very bad idea.

SOCIAL SECURITY AND ADDICTION

I am addicted to books. Thanks to a lovely gift, I can now read huge books, despite my arthritic hands, and my glasses which can not be easily made bifocal.

Ebooks have allowed me to read the second Dorthy Dunnett historical novel series. Someone said that I could not afford a second RenFaire this year so I am reading about the early Renaissance. True. Except that the Nicollo series is 8 books at $9 each, which is almost one quarter of my discretionary spending.

Of course, if I could collect all the debts people owe me, I could afford at least some of the books. And if the books were not at full paperback prices, I could afford more of them. If uncontrolled, my addiction requires 5 books a week. The Dunnett books are twice as long as most novels, so are good value for the money.

I know that most people consider fiction a waste of time, not realizing that sometimes the truth can only be told in fiction.

The Republicans want to risk even my small retirement. Not for me, for my children.

I have watched the rich steal almost all of the retirement of baby boomers THREE TIMES. Once was a savings and loan scandal, once was a mutual funds mess, and lately there was a financial meltdown, which could have been deliberately caused.

The reason that we have to have the government run retirement funds is so that greedy people do not target the retirement funds with scams. No one seems to learn the truth about savings. GET RICH QUICK ALSO MEANS YOU CAN GET POOR QUICK.

Social Security allows me to live inside. I do not think I would like living on the streets.

HOW STUPID DOES RYAN THINK WE ARE?

VP candidate Ryan says that only Romney's views on abortion matter.

What a load of male cow manure!

Hasn't Ryan heard the phrase, "a heartbeat away from the presidency"?

Ryan believes that abortion should not be available for any reason. If you disagree with this, you should vote for Obama, because Presidents have been known to die in office.

GOING BALD? TRY FOLIC ACID

I often do small health care experiments on myself. Here are some of the experiments and the results.

Folic acid helps my hair stay healthy. When I do not use extra folic acid, my hair gets thin and flat. Folic acid is also good for your nerves. (Literal nerves, not figurative nerves.) Folic acid also helps fetuses grow the nerves needed for healthy growth. Folic acid is a B vitamin so if you take too much it just comes out with the rest of your liquid waste. I think about twice the current recommended daily dose is enough.

Unfortunately, I have never convinced a balding man to try folic acid.

Canker sores can be cured by putting a Tums on the sore while you are sleeping. Many people have tried this cure and reported that it works. I guess the virus does not like an antacid environment. You can use any antacid  I use generic Tums as women need calcium to prevent bone loss. It is also important to keep your teeth clean, especially before bed. When you have a sore, always rinse your mouth with water after eating. (Forty years ago, a Tucson pharmacist told me of this cure.)

Vitamin E is a fabulous facial. It is important that the E be fresh, so cut open a couple of liquid vitamin Es, rub it over your clean face, and let it sit for several hours, then wash it off. The skin on your face will look really healthy. Be careful using Vitamin E on an open sore. The sore may heal up with the infection still inside. However, if you have an important event, it is OK to apply E to a zit.

If you get a cat scratch, apply hydrogen peroxide. It will sting, but the cat scratch will usually heal without infection. This also works for insect bites that have been scratched. (Yes, you know not to scratch the bite, but sometimes you or your children scratch anyway.) Of course you know that hydrocortisone stops the swelling and itch from insect bites.

Hydrogen peroxide is great for cleaning small wounds, but it stings. Mom always used to say, "No sting, no cure." I told my kids, "I am 36, you are 4. I get to make the decisions. Sit still and let me do this."

Rubbing alcohol kills lice. Apply it to the hair while the child is in the bathtub with a towel over his/her face. Get the hair completely wet, let sit for one minute, then rise out. Do this once a week until lice are gone. DO NOT LET AN OPEN FLAME OR CIGARETTE GET NEAR THE ALCOHOLED HAIR. When the child complains, remind the child that you told her/him not to share hats and combs.

TELEPHONE SECURITY CONCERNS

A Chinese company wants to build an essential part of the US telephone system.

We should learn from history. During the Cold War, the US allowed the Soviets to build a new US embassy in Moscow. The US never moved into the embassy because it had so many built in listening devices that it could never be secure. Eventually an embassy was built by sending walls from the US to be assembled under the watchful eye of US security.

Telephone systems are part of civil and military defense. It is DUMB beyond belief that the US would even consider allowing a Communist country to build such a system in the US.

In fact, the request for proposal should include the requirement that all of the components are manufactured in the US under tight security. Complex computer chips can contain hard wired code accessible to the county of manufacture.

BTW, Microsoft has stated that many inexpensive computers from China are shipped with viruses already loaded on them. This means that even if you buy a virus checker, it may miss the virus that came with the counterfeit Windows.

RICH COUNTRIES TRASHED GREECE AND SPAIN

During the housing boom and bubble, people from rich countries bought vacations homes at increasingly high prices. Some greedy "investors" bought dozens of vacations homes, thinking to make a killing renting them out.

People who live in Greece and Spain were encouraged to get loans on their homes. It was considered to be old fashioned to just pay off your home so one could have someplace to live during retirement.

Vacation homes in Greece and Spain were snapped up by people in Great Britain, Germany and France.

When the recession hit, foreigners just allowed the vacation homes to go into foreclosure. However, the Greeks and Spaniards tried to keep the homes that had been in their families for generations.

No one seems to care that the Greeks and Spaniards were trying to keep their homes when there was almost no money coming from their major industry, tourism. Did you know that some government workers in Spain are continuing to work even when they have not been paid AT ALL in over a year?

The rich countries are almost entirely responsible for ruining Greece and Spain. And the rich countries feel NO responsibility for allowing rich taxpayers in Greece and Spain to hide their money in Switzerland.

AUSTERITY DOES NOT WORK. It makes people suffer needlessly.

Think of money as if it were stored grain. You store the grain for the time of great harvests and give it out during the times of poor harvest so people do not starve. Sometimes it is necessary to go into debt to buy grain from other countries so that your people do not starve.

YOU IGNORE THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR PROFITABLE ACTS AT YOUR OWN PERIL.

Europe is teaching us all how to get countries together for the profit of all. Did you think there was no down side? It is like you all saying, "Join our family and we will all do better together. But do not expect us to help you if you get into trouble. OUR money is our own. YOUR money is useful to make us all rich, but that is all you second class citizens are worth to us."

If this makes you feel guilty, you can help by going on vacation to Spain or Greece.

THE VAMPIRE WHO WOULD BE PRESIDENT

Last night, Romney wore whiter than white makeup as opposed to his usual matte tan.

He must be after the vampire vote. He couldn't possibly be saying, "Look how WHITE I am", could he?

Reporters did not seem to notice the blatant lie he told about insuring our adult kids. And he seems to live in a world where everyone can just go out and buy whatever health insurance they want.

My Dad would have said, "All sizzle and no steak".

But Obama has BRAINS! I prefer intelligence to rhetoric.

Sent from Pamela Smith's iPad at Starbuck's. 

bLACKMAIL IN HIGH PLACES?

I have been increasingly worried about the possibility that our newest security service has been blackmailing congresspersons, judges, and election officials. I have NO proof. 

Us old hippies remember the rumors that  J. Egar Hoover used blackmail to stay in power during 5 presidents. They used to say,"He knows where the bodies are buried."

I have been reliably informed that the FBI is reformed. If you ARE being blackmailed, TELL THE FBI! They do not have to tell your secret because security people are quietly fired rather than tried. You have to trust someone or you will never get your life back.

Last week I talked about my blackmail theory. Now my ergonomic keyboard has died a strange death just as my reply brief in my appeal is due.

It reminds me of a favorite joke,"Me and Sherlock Holmes just LOVE coincidences." (Yes. It is sarcasm.)

Sent from Pamela Smith's iPad.

WE CAN FIX THE WORLD

The November US election will be a test for democracy.

If huge sums of money can buy an election, then democracy may be doomed.

Please give as much as you can to get Democrats into Congress, into statehouses, as governors, as the president.

You also need to VOTE. The New York Times says that if every registered Democrat voted, we would take the election by 91%.

The life you save may be your own.

ACCUSATIONS

"One should never ascribe to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity." *

In other words, people make inadvertent mistakes. A mistake is not a act of malice.

However, there are some people who use nasty little tricks to harass someone that they should respect, but secretly refuse to respect. I can always tell when someone decides to play dirty tricks on me. The first thing that they go after is my lack of mobility. Unable to win an intellectual argument, they become sneaky vindictive children. (Kindness regarding my lack of mobility is so rare that I always note it.)

I do not believe that the assumption that anything within reach belongs to them is actually malice. They just believe that others will provide the cleaning, the paper plates, etc. After all, their mother always provided such things.

This is not malice, it is a variation on the blindness of the 1% to the difficulty others have in earning money.

* A quote from a friend.

MUSLIMS, MORMONS, CHRISTIANS, AND JEWS

Muslims, Mormons, Christians and Jews all believe in God, in charity, in prayer, and in living a moral life.

The Muslim religion was started 1400 years ago. Muslims believe that Mohammad is the true prophet of God. Muslims are allowed up to four wives if the man can treat them equally.

The Mormon religion was started almost 200 years ago. Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was handed gospels written in gold, which promptly disappeared. Mormons used to be allowed as many wives as they wanted, but are now allowed only one wife.

The Christian religion was started around 2000 years ago. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he died on the cross to save us from our sins. Christians are allowed only one wife.

Judaism was started 3000 years ago. The main prophets in Judaism are Abraham and Moses. The Ten Commandments which Moses brought down from the mountain are the basis for many of the world's legal systems. Jews are now allowed only one wife.

The current candidates for President of the United States of America are a protestant Christian and a Mormon.

Madonna, who started her career mocking the Roman Catholic Church, is now mocking the Christian right by calling our President a Black Muslim. Unfortunately, crazies actually believe this.

Not long ago, I was asked why someone who is half Black and half White is always called Black. I think this is because of the old laws against Blacks and Whites mixing. Those laws made anyone who is even part Black, a Black by definition. It is a very old prejudice carried over to the present day.

President Obama seems to be replaying Paul Newman's role in Hombre. This time, we need to reward the person who rescued us. If you hate the recession, I guarantee you that you would have hated a depression even more. Did you know that almost all the Republicans refused to help save the banks and General Motors?

People keep asking why President Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize. He got the prize because the Scandinavians recognized the real danger to peace that an economic collapse posed.

Our pundits laugh at President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize for the same reason that the hombre was treated with disdain even after he saved everyone's life.

MY POWER CHAIR

I have using a wheelchair for 26 years.

For 20 years, when I was in the wheelchair, I was often treated as a stupid child. People would pat me on the arm, and sometimes pat me on the head. People almost NEVER talked to me directly, but would talk to whoever was with me. If they talked to me, it was often in the tone that one uses to speak with a child.

Then it stopped. Why? Because I recovered my wheelchair in black, making it look like a rolling office chair used by bosses. This was a neato side effect, because I chose black to show off my dragon wheelchair decorations I use when I go to BayCon or RenFaire. I still smile to myself about my change in status just because my wheelchair chair is black rather than ugly battleship grey.

Each person in a wheelchair is different. I am lucky as I can walk about half a block per day. Some people can not walk at all. I use a wheelchair because I refuse to be limited to half a block. I like zoos, courthouses, museums, funky shopping, etc. Without my chair and lift, I can not do any of these things.

So, here are some rules for wheelchairs.

If you are opening a door for a wheelee (person in wheelchair), do NOT stand in the doorway. Wheelchairs have to use extra power going over thresholds, and therefore, do not have as much control over the direction the chair is going. I do not like running over toes, because the resulting screams hurt my ears. %<)

If you want to be helpful to a wheelee, ASK what you can do. You can often make things worse or dangerous for the wheelee if you try to help without getting input from the wheelee.

NEVER climb over the wheelchair or brush closely by the wheelchair. If you fall or trip, you could badly hurt the person in the chair. Treat the wheelchair and wheelee as a PERSON, rather than as a chair in your way. Politely ask the wheelee to move, and give the wheelee time to move.

If a wheelee is entering an elevator, please move to the side so the wheelee can move into the center back of the elevator without hurting anyone. Again remember that an elevator has a threshold, so the wheelee has to speed up to get into the elevator. Wheelees do not want to hurt you, and if you stand in the center of the elevator, the wheelee will hesitate to enter the elevator.

Sometimes people will tell me how they wish they had a wheelchair because they are momentarily tired of walking or standing. I always reply, "Be careful what you wish for."

MASS MURDER OF MUSLIMS BRINGS MUSLIM SILENCE

Assad is killing entire villages and bulldozing the houses in an attempt to hide his mass murders. Almost all of the villagers murdered are Muslim.

I do not understand how a really badly filmed movie can cause riots, but Muslims do not even react when fellow Muslims are being murdered. Does someone have to believe in the exact same Muslim doctrine that you believe before their life has value?

There is a scene in Burn Notice where a mercenary offers (for money, of course) to wipe out an entire village and remove all evidence of the village having existed.  Dumb me, I thought it was just fiction.

How can we allow this to happen?

STOPPING INSULTS TO MUSLIMS

The insulting movie which was blamed for the death of a US ambassador was reprehensible. No one wants their religion insulted in such a way. So how do we stop the nasty, evil people who deliberately, and with malice, say unacceptably insulting things about anyone's religion?

In the case of the current movie, it is easy to argue that the movie was the proximate cause of the ambassador's death, and that a reasonable man could foresee that the movie might result in the death of an American citizen. Please understand that I stress "American deaths" because jurisdiction must be in a US court. All deaths caused by this movie were foreseeable.

Once you have jurisdiction to sue in an American court, you can sue ALL of the people involved in the movie for wrongful death. Again, even if you do not win, you can cost them every penny that they have in paying attorneys to defend them. But honestly, I think there is a very good chance that there will be a huge jury award, including punitive damages for reckless disregard for human life.

My other advice is for Muslims. You will not like this advice.

In the US, we have learned that people who deliberately insult others for personal or political gain, are best IGNORED. If you even have a peaceful protest, the evil people get publicity, and then the evil people have an easier time raising money from stupid people.

The best way to get others to respect your religion is to teach us all about the good things in your religion. You should start by explaining the ways that the Muslim religion believes in God, believes in charity, believes in patriotism. I am fairly ignorant about the Muslim religion. Teach me, and all of the rest of us.

FAIRY TALES AND LIES

When they say Unions are bad, they mean, "All the better to keep wages low, my dear."

When they say regulations are not necessary, they mean, "All the better to steal your money, my dear."

When they say that government should stay out of health care, they mean, "All the better to take your savings before your early death, my dear."

When they say birth control and abortion are evil, they mean, "All the better to force you to have our babies, my dear."

When they say that we need to keep fighting the war on drugs, they mean, "All the better for us to make lots and lots of money selling drugs so we can buy elections, my dear."

When they say that your vote does not count, they mean, "All the better that you do not vote so that we can win, my dear."

DANCING WITH DEATH

Young people, especially young men, have been dancing with death since before we were humans. In ancient Crete, young men and women did gymnastics over the heads of bulls. In modern Spain, young men run with the bulls.

I am worried that our death penalty is making the gangs use of murder as an initiation into a kind of dance with death.

In other words, I think that the death penalty is counter productive in discouraging the gang members from committing murder. Life in prison without the possibility of parole is much less sexy than risking the death penalty.

In other murders, the death penalty is not discouraging because the murderer feels justified in his/her actions.

Getting a person executed is very expensive. DNA evidence has shown that juries can convict the wrong person. Now prosecutors are using deteriorated DNA, which is much less reliable, to convict on cold cases. As romantic as it is to solve an old murder, the chances of an incorrect conviction greatly increase because alibi evidence becomes impossible to prove.

It is way too easy to convict the innocent. Prosecutors have the services of an entire police department. Defense attorneys are lucky if they have the funds for even one investigator.

In my opinion, the death penalty should be abolished.

HOMELAND SECURITY -- ANOTHER BUSH MESS

I recently met two people who I think are with Homeland Security. One of them talked to "Janet, in Maine", in front of me, trying to impress two other people of her importance. The person seemed to think that a General's daughter had never heard someone using the first name of an officer in an attempt to impress.

One of them professed to be a plant expert and proceeded to try to water a six foot tall, potted tree using a quart bowl. One of them was bragging about being a barbecue expert and then did not know that ribs could be beef, as well as pork. One was supposed to have visited Mumbai, but did not pronounce Mumbai right. One said Cuban black beans were a family dish from India.

Both have told racist jokes. One thought it was funny to feed hot peppers to an old lady with digestive problems. Both keep telling me what an unusual brain I have.

Stupidity and arrogance is a deadly combination. My guess is that if anyone dies from their mistakes, it will not be them.

If I were President, I would fire Janet Napalitano. Homeland Security is told to deport felons and they deport people with misdemeanors or no arrest at all. I guess felons are too hard to find.

Have you ever heard of a terrorist arrest by Homeland Security? They can not find terrorists either.

I have a theory that all of the incompetent people were encouraged to join Homeland Security to get them out of the way of effective agencies like the FBI and DOD's investigative services.


I say we get rid of Bush's stupid idea called Homeland Security. Every little bit helps to balance the budget. 

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD

Many young people have the attitude that they will, "Work hard and play hard."

Unfortunately, this leaves almost no time for friends, pets, babies, children, parents, politics, etc. Some things you can only have if you slow down. 

The frenetic play that you engage in is a lot of fun. But such play is supposed to be an occasional thing, not something that you do every weekend. 

Staying home and playing with children and pets is considered to be old fashioned. We do not play with our kids, we take them to organized sports. An afternoon feeding ducks or taking a hike allows you to talk to your children. Cheering on an 8 year old while (s)he plays a ball game with coaches and an opposing team is a kind of child abuse. A child who has talent will ask to play. It is not necessary to make organized play the default choice.

I am a great believer in, "Go outside and play." The number of children kidnapped by strangers is very small. We keep our children prisoners when we could be letting them find out who they are and what they want to be. 

Of course, trips to museums, nature exhibits, zoos, etc. is REALLY GOOD for children. Do not forget to make them promise that there will be no complaining. Get this promise BEFORE you leave the house. Make any child friends also promise not to complain. You will discover that if they can not complain, they amuse themselves with the exhibits, rather than by harassing you.

SLOW DOWN. YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE FUN.

KOCH BROTHERS NOT RELATED TO NAZIS

There is a rumor that the Koch Brothers' Mother was a Nazi, who used human skins to make lampshades. There was a convicted Nazi called Koch. She was NOT related to the Koch Brothers.

Please STOP lying.

We can win this election by continuing to care about babies growing up healthy and educated, about helping the sick and the elderly, about feeding the poor. We have no need to lie.

People can only buy elections if you sell your vote to the biggest ad campaign.

BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR CON ARTIST

Facebook has decided to tell everyone on your friend list when it is your birthday. Google has decided that monkey see monkey do.

Aren't there ANY grownups at Facebook and Google?

A birth date is one of the personal identifying pieces of information that banks and others use to verify your identity. If someone has your birth date, they can more easily break into your bank account and other personal data.

I am an attorney. Sometimes the losing party is VERY ANGRY at me. Facebook has just made it easier for them to get revenge using their computer. Luckily, I seem to remember that I did not give Facebook my actual birthday. Other attorneys probably did not consider whether Facebook should actually have their real date of birth.

Children are using Facebook. Con artists and child molesters use fake Facebook identities to troll for victims. Giving these people the birthdays of children is a scary idea.

People who say things are a bad idea are not necessarily being negative. Sometimes, there are really good reasons why a seemingly brilliant idea is actually a stupid idea.

A CALIFORNIA DIVORCE IS TOO COMPLEX

California is proud that it has one of the first no fault divorce laws. It is really too bad that the process for getting a divorce has become so complex that even attorneys make major mistakes.

For instance, there is a form called Declaration of Disclosure, which has a box to check whether this is the final declaration or the preliminary declaration. Most people, including the Santa Clara County Family Law Clinic run by the court, check the final and preliminary disclosure boxes both. Generally, the courts call that the final disclosure as you can not check both boxes. Unfortunately, the law only requires that the preliminary declarations of disclosures be exchanged, so the people can not actually get divorced because they checked the wrong box. Dumb beyond belief.

This is not the fault of the courts or the family law clinic. It is the fact that the divorce law forms have just added forms rather than reform forms. And the fact that the Judicial Council does not have enough money to fix all of the forms.

Of course, courts could make a quick fix by saying that, when both boxes are checked, it is a preliminary disclosure, and when there is a final disclosure without a preliminary disclosure, it will be deemed a preliminary disclosure.

A better fix would be to modify the disclosure form so that it states, "I have informed my spouse, in writing, by listing all of the community, quasi community property, and separate property, that I possessed on the date of separation. I understand that if I failed to disclose any property, that property may be awarded, in its entirety, to my spouse."

You all need to quit voting for term limits. The main reason the law does not get fixed is that the people have to leave the legislature just as they have finally learned their job. It is as if you told Steve Jobs that he could only run Apple for 12 years. Dumb beyond belief.

ABJECT PAIN THANKS TO DEA

I am sitting here in such pain that I am in tears. I know I can NOT get legal pain medication that allows me to work.

The DEA has successfully frightened doctors into believing that anyone who asks for pain medication is an addict. Addicts must be better at confincing doctors than I am, because all I get is lectures.

Less than 5% of the population are addicts and the other 95% must grin and bear it

I am hoping there is a hell so DEA policy makers can feel how I currently feel as their personal hell.

Meanwhile drug dealers get richer as those in pain get so desperate they buy on the Black Market.

RACIST PHOTOS IN US TABLOIDS

I have been wondering about the tabloid photos of our first lady. The photos are almost always unflattering and dark.

Then an investigative reporter released Romney's offshore accounts. A Romney investment has invested in the National Enquirer.

I guess I no longer have to wonder how Nancy Reagan could shop until she dropped, but First Lady Obama can not even buy a nice outfit to meet the British royal family.

If Romney has any influence over the National Equirer, he should stop what I think is their racist reporting,

PUNISHED FOR BRING CORRECT

It is amazing how often people are punished for being correct about something. Telling the truth or being correct about a warning of impending disaster can get you punished, usually by social ostracism.

Scientists who discovered that the earth went around the sun were imprisoned by a church which believed that the earth was the center of the universe.

Women and minorities have this problem more than white males. The word uppity was used to describe a minority who had the temerity to be correct.

I wonder if the Republican Tea Party people are punishing our President because he nearly fixed the economy in spite of their strong attempts to cause further economic pain. They believe that a depression would allow them to take over. They are strongly backed by the 1%.

ROBIN HOOD AND RYAN HOOD

Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

Ryan Hood plans to steal from the poor and give to the rich.

Ask yourself what your grandmother will do when she runs out of Medicare vouchers.

Poor Romeny doesn't want us to learn the he only started paying taxes when he decided to run for president. Look up the percentage of taxes the self employed pay for Social Security. Of course, small business people pay regular income taxes in addition to SS taxes.

GREAT DRAGON JOKE

An older dragon is showing a photo album to a young dragon. The older dragon says, "This is your great Uncle Smaug, and this is Puff, but we don't talk about Puff much since his arrest."

This joke is from a new comic on GoComics webpage.

I am having a mini vacation, since it is August. I will try to see some of my favorite San Francisco Bay Area things. I again recommend the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and new museum, the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, the Oakland Museum, the Tech, the Exploratorium, all the stuff at Golden Gate Park, the ocean, Muir Woods, Big Basin, Skyline Drive, Gilroy Gardens.

And of course, you should get your costume together for the Renaissance Fare near Gilroy coming in September. You can get an inexpensive sword in Chinatown in San Francisco.

Now is also the time to look in Salvation Army and Goodwill Stores for costumes for Halloween. These are also great places for boots to go with your swordperson's costume for RenFaire (the short form of Renaissance Faire for us horrible spellers). The proper footwear is SO important for the total effect. For women, the Chinese Mary Jane slippers work well. (Black flat ballet shoes with a strap across the ankle.) Please remember that you need to be able to WALK in your costume shoes. Faire is no fun if your feet hurt.

For those of you going to Burning Man, have a fabulous time and I am SO jealous. Too bad I HATE heat and blowing sand.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." This saying means that not going on vacation makes you LESS SMART because all machines, including your brain, need down time.

ASSAD AND GENERAL SHERMAN

In the US civil war, the North sent General Sherman marching through the State of Georgia burning as he went. The burning of Atlanta is a central scene in the movie Gone With The Wind.

Southerns have not yet forgotten that many beautiful buildings were burned. The animosity may have contributed to the long life of the Klu Klux Klan.

Assad is not just killing Syrian people. He is destroying their homes and businesses. The resentment towards Assad will linger for years. His tribe and his religion will suffer from the disdain of those who just wanted to be treated equally. 

US v RUSSIA

One of the reasons I LOVE the US is demonstrated in two news stories.

In Russia, a three woman punk band played a satiric song on the steps of a famous church. The women were arrested for insulting a religion. They are now on trial after sitting in jail for months. The prosecutors (Putin) is asking for three years in prison for singing a song.

In LA, Joan Rivers chained herself to a shopping cart, screaming that the store would not sell her book due to racy content. (Racy is a word used to mean there is explicit sex.) Even the police were laughing. Joan was not arrested.

When I first started blogging, people would sometimes ask if I thought I could get into trouble. My answer was that I had freedom of speech.

The reason we need freedom of speech is because powerful people do not like being criticized. In order to have freedom of speech work, it has to cover ALL speech, music, movies, books, newspapers, TV, etc. In the US, free speech is not allowed if it causes IMMEDIATE danger to others, like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. Panicked people can trample other people. Explicit sex is not allowed unless there is socially redeeming content.

Since Joan Rivers thoughts are considered to be socially redeeming, you may draw the conclusion that any coherent thought may be socially redeeming.

In choosing, the courts favor free speech. This is again because one of the best ways to counter an abuse of power is to sing, talk, write, paint, etc. about the misuse of power.

If you want your country to be as good to live in as the US, you MUST have free speech.

CalPERS STEALS FROM THE DISABLED AND GIVES TO THEIR SPOUSE

CalPERS has decided that disability pensions are community property, which requires that they be divided 50 / 50 with an ex-spouse. This is contrary to both statute and case law, which hold that disability pensions are income replacement, not community property.

Disability pensions for California state employees are not all that generous. My client had a disability income of $3000 a month for getting an on the job illness (stroke) brought on by the stress of his law enforcement job. Even though his ex-wife has agreed that he should get all of his CalPERS disability benefits, CalPERS refuses to obey the Superior Court Order.

Please understand that the wife can still get spousal and child support by using the disability income in the support calculations.

So why does a normally well run state agency decide to disobey state law? CalPERS, like all state agencies, depends on their attorneys to give them correct advice. Sometimes attorneys give advice based on politics rather than on the law. Sometimes attorneys think it is fun to see what they can get other people to do. Sometimes attorneys are lazy. In this case, I think the community property section of CalPERS was empire building.

I am not worried about my client, at least long term. After all, he has an excellent attorney. %>) But CalPERS has written ALL of its QDROs to treat disability income as community property. Worse, the CalPERS appeal division is so overwhelmed that it can not even send out hearing notices correctly. Appeals take a LONG time and then face an uphill court battle as an appeal can only be brought on a writ of mandamus.

Meanwhile, disabled people sign away their own money every day..

DISABILITY AND GRIEF

Being disabled means that you can not do things that other people do as a normal part of their daily lives. Each time a disabled person has a new thing that they can not do, there is grief, because a disability is a loss.

Lately, I have confirmed that I can not cook a big meal without way too much pain. I actually had known this from when I attempted a three person Christmas dinner. Cooking is an art that can not be properly done while the cook is in pain. Drat!

Every time I have a new thing or confront an old thing that I can not do, I grieve. I can now watch myself go through the five stages of grief. I get angry, I bargain with myself and others, I blame persons and things, I deny that anything is wrong, and finally, one more time, I accept.

I am getting faster at recognizing that I am grieving. I just can not always stop the anger, blame, bargaining, denial, and get right to the acceptance. 

DID RACISM COST US MEN GYMNASTICS MEDAL?

I watched the men's gymnastic team competition last night. (I always watch the next day so I can skip the ads.) Both the night of the medal competition and the night of the qualifying, I noticed that the US team was ignoring the only Black member of the team. It was especially apparent the night of the team competition.

The British team was also ignoring its minority member, but one of the British coaches was making sure that the minority member knew that the coach was really supportive. The coaches for the US team mostly also ignored the Black member of the team.

This kind of exclusion is NOT good for team moral.

Additionally, the night of the team competition, the male NBC commentator for men's gymnastics, a former gymnast, made disparaging remarks about the Chinese performance. Several times, after a particularly strong disparaging remark from the man, the female gymnast pointed out how well the Chinese were doing. The man's disparaging remarks did not correlate to the performance being presented. As it became clear that the Chinese were going to win, the disparaging remarks became less frequent. But it looked to me as if the disparaging remarks were because the performer was Chinese, not because the performer was actually doing a bad job.

100 DAYS FOR THE 99%

The 99% have one hundred days until the election which will decide whether the rich get richer.

It is beginning to look like the money from the 1% will buy enough ads to convince the 99% that the rich SHOULD be richer. Not content with fundraising in the US, Romney is fundraising in foreign countries.

It is time for us to start giving as much as we can to the Democrats and President Obama. This time it is clear how each candidate believes regarding tax cuts for the rich. This time it is not the environment, or welfare, or consumer fraud. This time our entire way of life is at risk.

Will we become a nation of rich and poor? Or will we remain a nation with a strong and vibrant middle class? Will we allow the life savings of the middle class to be wiped out again and again? Or will we regulate banks and markets to force them to play fair? This next election will decide.

If you can not give money, please give your time. Volunteer. Help get out the vote.

There is a reason the the Republicans are trying to use non-existent voter fraud to make voting more difficult. If the Democrats voted, then they would win. Republicans are tying to stop Democrats from voting, so you can help by helping Democrats vote. Drive your friends to the polls, have a voting party where you vote BEFORE the party. Whatever it takes. Start planning for election day and getting out the vote.

This next election is VERY important.

THE OLYMPICS

I love the Olympics. The whole world coming together to compete without violence. Well, there is boxing and judo and other sports that could be called violent.

I took judo at the University of Hawaii so I plan on watching judo if I can. I also loved to ride, so I am hoping that the horse - human athletes will be on NBC. I do not get the sports channels.

Humans are competitive. It is best if we compete while obeying rules. There are always some humans who will use reprehensible tactics to win.

It will be fun watching people spin around bars, dance with style, jump barriers, dive with precision, run fast, and toss opponents.

May the best persons win.

WMDs CONFIRMED BY SYRIA

Syria has confirmed that it has weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons. Is anyone upset to hear this? The world has reacted with a big yawn.

In 2001, Bush used our anger over 9/11 to get most of the US to believe that Iraq was a HUGE danger due to their non-existent weapons of mass destruction. Now we have a country in violent turmoil ADMITTING to having chemical weapons, and no one seems to care. Which proves that even the internet community reacts to the political manipulations of mass media.

So what should we do about Syria? As Assad loses control of Syria, he will also lose control of the chemical weapons. This means that the chemical weapons could end up with some very violent people.

I think Assad views the chemical weapons as a poison pill which will keep non-Syrians out of the rebellion. I am not certain that Assad understands that the deliberate use of chemical weapons will make him an international criminal.

The world has changed because of the internet. Just like TV news made the Vietnam War into daily TV news, the internet is making it impossible to hide the use of chemical weapons.

The world can not allow chemical weapons to be sold on the black market. We need 1000 James Bonds to secure the chemical weapons and other WMD that Syria can no longer reliably control.

It would be horrible if Assad used his chemical weapons. It is even more horrible to imagine chemical weapons being used in YOUR city.

RAMADAN & BOMBS

I am not a Muslim scholar. But I do not understand how Al Qaeda in Iraq can justify blowing up people during Ramadan. Especially since the bombings were timed to take advantage of the month long fasting during daylight hours.

Isn't it kind of like blowing up people during Christmas dinner?

Al Qaeda says that it follows the Muslim faith. I must be missing something. Did Mohamed ever say that it was OK to murder people who disagreed with you?

It is easy to use faith as an excuse for acts of violence. It is important to ALWAYS point out that faith is NEVER a good excuse for violence.

You can not force people to believe. You have to persuade people to believe.

DERIVATIVES AND COMPUTER MODELING

Derivatives are untested computer models that no one understands.

We fondly believe that a computer can model the behavior of markets, people, chemical reactions, etc. In most cases, we are correct. A computer can take an enormous amount of variables and predict the outcome with amazing accuracy.

Unfortunately, life is more complicated than any computer model. One of the first computer models was designed to predict the price of oil. It worked really well until the Shah of Iran abdicated. The model was useless to predict what then happened to the oil prices. Some of us still remember the lines at the gas stations.

I believe that the banks are losing large amounts on derivatives because they are using computer models to recommend the buys and sells. These computer models were designed using data from the time before the 2008 monetary crises.

I have already pointed out that banks and policy makers did not realize that people were using the equity from their homes to get loans. They were then using that loan money to buy boats, TVs, etc. Because the equity was being used for purchases, the economy grew as if wages had increased.

Now all that equity money is gone. Wages haven't increased for decades. The entire economy is different.

And the people at the banks are using computer models derived from an economy that no longer exists. Since only the very best economists and computer programmers can hope to maybe understand the computer models that are derivatives, bankers are making HUGE bets using a betting system that no longer works.

SYRIAN VIOLENCE

I am not certain what the rest of the world should do about Syria. So here are some thoughts.

Assad does not yet understand the extent of his problem. He believes that he can put down the rebellion with force. It looks to me like his people have decided that they would rather be dead than live under his rule. Or that his people have decided to risk their lives in order to make a better life for themselves and their children.

My advice to Assad? "Those that live by the sword, die by the sword."

Usually, those who want a change in government have to make that change happen themselves. They can get help from the outside, but the fighting is usually done by the people who want change. This may be especially true in Syria, because Putin is going back to his youth, and using old Soviet tactics.

My advice to the rebels? Now is the time to forget old grudges and work together for a better life for everyone in your country. You will be unable to fight Assad, if you are fighting each other.

My hope is that the UN can step in, institute peace, Assad resigns, and there are fair and free elections run by the UN.

I can hope, can't I?