HAPPY NEW YEAR

My New Year's Present to Parents is my mother's LEGO trick.

Before you let any age child play with a LEGO product, you put down a large sheet. Then when they are done playing you just pick up the sheet by the four corners and the pieces are ready to put away.

The only thing the kids have to do is to keep the pieces on the sheet. But most children do not want to lose the neato cannon balls and light sabers, so they will cooperate.

You can do the same thing on the table you use for your LEGOs. 

HAPPY 2015!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS

Christmas is like a country wide birthday party. If you do not see your family, you phone your family.

Do not overdo presents for children. A cardboard box big enough to climb into is often the child's favorite toy. Buying presents for children because YOU want to play with the toy is OK. But only disabled children need an electric car.

Adult gifts can be inexpensive if the gift shows that you really KNOW the person getting the gift.

Did you know that they now have bubble stuff where you can hold the bubbles and the bubbles glow in the dark?

I think books, real books that you can touch, are a good present. You can take real books to places like the beach and not worry about sand ruining your expensive electronics. You can lend the book out to other people. And NOTHING looks better on shelves than real books. (When I still had my book collection, the first thing people said when entering my usually really messy house was "look at all the books.")

If your friend cooks, cooking gadgets are always welcome. If you are on a limited budget, then check out Cost Plus World Market. Their kitchen gadgets are unusual and fun.

If you can not afford a present, reach out and say, "Happy Holidays!" Just the exchange of good cheer is a present in itself.

BELIEVING WHAT YOU READ

I read a review of the new Hobbit movie that proved that the critic had not even SEEN the movie. This makes me think that the reviews of ANNIE are either racist or the critic failed to take a child with him.

I need to also give fair warning that after the coming solstice, harming an endangered species will bring bad luck and helping an endangered species will bring good luck.

I believe that all pagans are going to use the power of the people who care about saving endangered species. They will use this power to put a powerful bad luck curse on whoever helps to harm an endangered species.

Eating a part of an endangered species will be especially dangerous.

It might be possible for a powerful person to deflect the effect of the spell on objects such as ivory or rhinoceros horn. However, the effect will deflect upon their business associates.

As pagans know, having a specific focus, such as a dagger or an ivory carving, will make the spell even more effective. The spell should have no effect on ivory which is legal to sell in the US.

All my books say solstice is a magically powerful time of the year.

All of my books also say that it is A VERY BAD IDEA to anger the local medicine man, shaman, or witch doctor.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! %<)

VIOLENT PROTESTS HURT MINORITIES

Cops use extra force against black and brown men in a conscious and/or unconscious belief that black and brown men are more violent. By using violence you make the problem MUCH WORSE.

Putting the general public at risk because of your actions is WRONG. Freeways are DANGEROUS. The freeway is dangerous to protesters, dangerous to the cops who have to protect protesters, and dangerous for the driving public. When you stop the traffic on the freeway, you are doing exactly what you accused Governor Christie of doing.

People who are caught in a traffic jam caused by protesters are NEVER won over to your cause. Instead, their anger stops them from even considering whether you have a righteous grievance.

If you have so much energy and commitment, let me suggest that you start attending court hearings in your area. Take a notebook and write down every time you believe that a judge has ruled unfairly against a black or brown person. (When attending court you must not take any drugs or weapons with you. You must sit and be quiet. Most courts require notes to be taken with pen and paper.)

Or you could just sit at home watching TV and count the number of times black or brown people appear, and the number of times they are allowed to talk. Then publish the results, which we all know are going to be horrible.

We all have a strong sympathy for people who come from our home town, or who look like us. The first step to stopping discrimination is to TALK to people who do NOT look exactly like you look.

STREET PROTESTS

Street protests are useful to bring attention to a problem that has been ignored for too long.

But once you have drawn attention to the matter, it is time to leave the streets. Technology has made it possible to communicate with each other in case the problem gets worse or does not get resolved.

Right now, protesters could be killing small businesses as the Christmas shoppers stay away from the protest area.

In a democracy, it takes time to solve hard problems. Police officers shooting black and brown people is part of a problem that has existed since the US was founded. May I again suggest that the LA Police have solved some of these problems, and you should ask them how they did it?

Here are three possible helps for the police officer shooting problem.

1. Immediately start a federal data base where ALL law enforcement shootings are reported. It would be good to track the ethnicity of all involved in the shooting. THIS NEEDS TO START BY JANUARY 1.

2. Assess whether the fines people are required to pay for small offenses are so large that they would throw someone into homelessness. $100 is not much to you, but it is a fortune to someone on welfare. Denmark sets fines by a percentage of income.

3. Make certain that your "broken window" policing has not become "harass minorities" policing.

It is Holiday time. ENJOY THE SEASON!

But do not forget to let us all know if another horrible shooting happens.

"LET THEM EAT PAIN" *

THE DEA IS TORTURING THE DISABLED IN ORDER TO INCREASE THEIR BUDGET AND THEIR POWER.

I have a bunion, which is VERY PAINFUL. I had to wait AN HOUR for codeine pain medication. The DEA has decided that ALL patients who get pain medication are addicts.

Now a patient MUST see a doctor EACH TIME pain mediation needs to be renewed. Codeine needs to have a HARD COPY of the prescription in order to get pain medication. This meant that I had to sit for AN HOUR while IN PAIN.

The ABLED **  at the DEA think that all pain is temporary or a fantasy designed to feed addiction.

Of course, the results are already clear. Some of the disabled are buying brown Mexican heroin instead of using the medications that their doctors think is safe.

Doctors are incredibly frightened of the DEA, because the DEA punishes disobedient doctors by taking away the doctor's authority to prescribe ANY medication.

* Marie Antoinette lost her head after saying, "Let them eat cake."

** An ABLED person is the opposite of a DISABLED person. ABLED persons often can not imagine the pain of a bunion or arthritis. They think if someone can walk 10 steps then the person should be able to climb a mountain.

MY POLITICAL BET

I bet that both Attorney General Holder and Secretary of Defense Hagel will be in office until 2016.

Both have resigned, but have stated that they will stay in office until their replacement has been confirmed.

In this case, "confirmed" means that the President appoints the new prospective office holder and the US Senate "confirms" the appointment.

Although the Senate has new rules about being able to confirm presidential appointments with just a simple majority, I do not believe that it applies to appointments at the cabinet level.

I do not think that the Republicans will agree with ANY of the replacements that President Obama appoints.

When I was in high school, I read a book called, Advise and Consent, about the confirmation of a presidential appointee. I do not know if it has held up to the test of time. It did teach me that a confirmation is a serious political event.

The Republicans are trying to act as a monolithic group. The prospective Republican presidential candidates tend to turn against any of their leaders that gets too far in front of the pack.

Does anyone want to take my bet?

BARBIE BODY IMAGE

I feel SO guilty that I let my daughter have Barbie dolls. I thought that there was NO WAY that a doll could affect my daughter's body image of herself.

Many girls were not affected by Barbie doll image. But too many TV women look exactly like a plastic Barbie, complete with big, unbelievable breasts. Their plastic surgery faces are so identical that I can only tell them apart if the surgeon made a visible mistake. I think they are removing teeth and ribs in order to be a more perfect Barbie. They are certainly dieting to the point of starvation.

The worst is the Barbie shoes. Five inch heels are stupid, unsafe and VERY BAD FOR THE BODY. I am SO DONE with the women detectives on TV who wear these heals while investigating crimes. THERE IS NO WAY that ANY intelligent investigator would wear shoes that are basically like wearing shackles.

What is REALLY WEIRD is that men seem to like these plastic women. I guess some men are attracted to women partly as a trophy to dangle in front of their friends and enemies.

If women want to be accepted as serious people, then they need to dress and act like serious people. A doctor recently said that no man, who wants to be taken seriously, wears clothes exposing legs and arms. The doctor is right.

I know that when we were liberated, we wanted to be able to choose what we wore. I have no objection to anyone wearing whatever they want in a party setting. But in a business setting, it is STUPID and unprofessional to wear mini skirts, plunging necklines and crippling shoes.

BARBIE IS A DOLL, NOT A ROLE MODEL.

WINTER HOLIDAYS

I am starting to celebrate the winter holidays. For me, this means Christmas shopping.

Cavepersons celebrated this time of year. There are caves in Arizona where the transit of the sun is neatly marked so people could know exactly what day would be the shortest day of the year. Stonehenge famously marks the summer and winter solstice.

Anthropologists think that solstice information was necessary for agriculture. I think it was simple fear of the dark and wanting assurance that the sun would return to light the way. It is an easy step to light a bonfire to help the sun want to come back.

A large portion of the world does some celebrating at this time of year.

So I am going to a holiday theme faire, where I hope there will be hand made crafts, such as wooden toys, silver rings, bone buttons, and lots of great food.

It is important to take time to celebrate with your fellow humans.

AN EARTH ROBOT IS ON A COMET!

It is like every Earthling will get to ride the tail of a comet.

Hooray! Hazza! Good work Europe!

THE FALL OF THE WALL

My children could not understand why I was SO HAPPY when the Berlin Wall fell. I did not know how to explain that an entire country had been a prison.

So I told them that I had been on the other side of The Wall. I went on a tour of East Berlin from West Berlin. The entire city of East Berlin looked totally empty, with almost no cars on the streets. The guide said that it was a holiday.

Even the museum was empty. We were quickly shown the bust of Nefertiti, and then were told to go immediately to the bus. But I saw the fabled gates of Babylon, and could not resist a quick side trip to see them more closely. When the guide found me, she was trembling with fear. As if losing me would cost her life.

On the way back to West Berlin, we had plenty of time to see The Wall as our bus was searched for people trying to escape into the West. The Wall looked like prison walls, with barbed wire on top, guard towers, guards with machine guns. A large mirror was bought out to search under the bus.

Since then, I have visited several US prisons. NONE of them had anywhere near the number of machine guns per yard as did The Berlin Wall.

If you use just intimidation to govern, then eventually you have to imprison all of your people to keep them from escaping into freedom. Or else all that can escape, do escape. Leaving you to govern the ones who have figuratively crawled into bed and pulled up the covers.

Now, twenty five years later, the old Soviets are trying intimidation one more time.

If I were them, I would worry that their aging nuclear weapons might blow up in their faces.

DEMOCRACY'S DOWN SIDE

The Republicans DID take over both the US Senate and House of Representatives.

When I am done crying into my beer, I will try to find issues where a compromise is possible.

IS DOES NOT HELP to use hyperbole and name calling.

I think the war on drugs is a racist policy, because so many chocolate people are convicted of drug crimes. It is important to call the policy racist, but to NOT call the politicians racist.

The nasty name the Republicans called Senator Udall is NOT helpful. Senator Udall was trying to give women control over their own bodies. To call him an insulting name is to lower a political debate into unproductive name calling.

Let us try to keep the debate civil. I will do my best to not use nasty name calling.

To clarify. Democrats already have compromised on health care. Most of us wanted universal health care, like Medicare, for everybody. We agreed to accept a plan Romney implemented in Massachusetts, but we are not happy with having to give up universal health care. 

Republicans did not compromise on health care, they just want it repealed. 

The art of compromise is a tough challenge. Often, in a good compromise, both side are unhappy, because they did not get everything they wanted.

For instance, I want complete control over my own body, but I am willing to accept the compromise in Roe v Wade. It is also important to NOT forget the horrors of back alley abortions.

Getting everything you want is NOT compromise.

GOOD LUCK TO THE USA. We are going to need it. :)

THE MOST SCARY STORY

I was going to say, The Telltale Heart, but I have decided it will be even more scary to wake up on Wednesday morning to find out that the Republicans have taken over the Senate and picked up seats in the House.

The reason that people LISTEN to conservative Republicans is that conservative Republicans VOTE.

The reason that progressive people are IGNORED is that progressive people DO NOT VOTE.

The BIGGEST LIE told by the hippies is that your vote does not count.

What does NOT count is sitting in Wall Street. What DOES COUNT IS VOTING FOR PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE.

NOTHING MATTERS SO MUCH AS VOTING IN EVERY ELECTION!

WE CAN FIX THIS NOW, but only if everybody VOTES!

FANTASY HISTORY

Putin believes that it would be fantastic to recreate the Soviet era. The DEA is saying that alcohol prohibition actually worked.

It is easy for Russians to remember being one of the BIG GUYS. It is uncomfortable for Russians to remember the fear of the knock on the door. Even highly placed communists could suddenly find themselves in a labor camp. Does Russia REALLY want to go back to the era where people stood in days long lines just to get a winter coat?

The US Drug Enforcement Agency wants to remain a BIG GUY. So suddenly one of the stupidest social experiments in modern times is hailed as a success by the DEA.  NO ONE else believes that alcohol prohibition was anything but STUPID, causing violence and allowing crime to be organized, and corruption to spread.

Russia and the DEA have the same problem. People have decided that both are bullies, using lies and intimidation to gain power.

FOR ALMOST 100 YEARS, RUSSIA HAS THREATENED ITS NEIGHBORS AND FINANCED REBELLIONS IN OIL RICH COUNTRIES.

FOR OVER 100 YEARS THE ADDICTION RATE FOR HEROIN USE HAS REMAINED AT ABOUT 1.5% OF THE POPULATION.

I worry about Russia, because I admire large portions of the Russian culture. If Russia gives up fantasy, then they can make the hard choices necessary to turn their country into a place where ordinary people can grow into an extraordinary people.

I worry about the DEA. As they ramp up drug enforcement in Mexico, they are destroying Mexico. Now 43 students arrested by the police have disappeared. It is impossible to know if a police officer is helping the drug dealers. THE ONLY WAY TO ADDRESS DRUG PROBLEMS IS TO TREAT A DRUGGIE THE SAME WAY WE TREAT AN ALCOHOLIC.

I love fantasy history, which is why I go to Renaissance Faires.

MY 70th BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Peter, may I please have THE SCOURING OF THE SHIRE as my 70th birthday present?

It was always my favorite part of Lord of the Rings. It is also an excellent lesson in taking care of country that you love.

Hobbits know that we should not destroy our environment just to allow some people to make money.

Hobbits learn that we all have to protect our own borders from orcs and would be orcs.

As long as I am on this subject...

Right now, oil from Canada is coming into the US on trains. These trains leak all over the train tracks, both in cities and in pristine wilderness. The proposed pipeline has passed environmental impact assessments in both US and Canada and in several provinces and states. The pipeline would leak MUCH LESS OIL than the trains leak.

Protecting the environment is NOT a DO NOT BUILD ANYTHING game. It is a balancing of progress vs. protection. Sometimes really hard choices have to be made. The pipeline does not seem to be a hard choice.

All causes have a group of people who are beyond logic, because they are fanatics. Unfortunately, fanatics tend to act like orcs.

WE HAVE TO STOP THE FANATICS WHO TRY TO FORCE US ALL INTO MAKING ILLOGICAL DECISIONS.

ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES

Cut funding to the World Health Organization and soon a small epidemic goes out of control.

Cut funding to State Department security and soon an ambassador is dead.

Cut highway funding and soon a bridge collapses.

Cut funding to police training and soon suspects are dying.

Cut funding to the Veterans Administration and soon vets are dying.

Cut funding to colleges and soon our graduates are drowning in debt.

Cut funding for research and soon we may really fear China.

Debt is an investment tool. 

By refusing to invest in the US, Republicans keep us all from being all that we can be.

VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4, 2014. We can only fix this if YOU VOTE.

POT SHOPS - LIES AND TRUTH

Banishing pot shops makes little old ladies carry cash into deserted industrial areas. Teenagers report that pot is HARDER to buy because legal pot shops were putting drug dealers out of business.

POT SHOPS MAKE PEOPLE HAVE A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE AND A VALID ID. Drug dealers sell to ANYONE.

The only people who are afraid of pot shops are the helicopter moms who control every aspect in the life of their child. They treat children as if they were programmable robots. They blame marijuana for teenage rebellion, so that they do not have to take responsibility for making their child chose between obedience and fulfillment.

Any other rational adult long ago reached the conclusion that the US marijuana laws are STUPID BEYOND BELIEF. It is sad that so many politicians are willing to bow to the demands of the irrational.

It is NOT the drugs that are killing our children. IT IS THE WAR ON DRUGS THAT IS KILLING OUR CHILDREN.

Republicans will NEVER agree to dismantle one of their favorite racist laws.

OUR HOMELAND IS NOT SECURE

We can not even afford to pay Secret Service agents enough so that we have plenty of agents. Homeland Security did not ask for enough money so that the Secret Service does not have to force agents to work overtime.

Like all of Bush's ideas, Homeland Security is a hopeless mess. I never believed that I would want the old INS back.

Almost every decision made by HS is counter to the core beliefs we all hold.

HS has deported children without providing them with an advocate. Do we really expect six year old children to be able to articulate a need for special consideration?

The Secret Service has become a bastion of male supremacy.

Internet security is underfunded and ignored so we have computer viruses and spam everywhere. This endangers our economic security and is especially hard on Seniors who fall victim to these scams.

No wonder the top HS management positions are unfilled.

Republicans believe that less taxes will make them secure. Sorry guys. SECURITY TAKES MONEY!

Vote for the Democrats. Leave your grandchildren the freedom that comes when you carry a big stick.

DO ASSAD AND ISIL HAVE A SECRET AGENDA?

Why did Assad allow the Islamic State to refine oil without even attempting to bomb the refineries?

Why did ISIL invade Iraq rather than try to defeat Assad?

If I was writing a political thriller, I would use the story that Assad and ISIL have a secret agenda. In my story, Assad makes a deal with ISIL. ISIL's job is to take out the moderate opposition, allowing Assad to say that Assad is better than these evil terrorists.

In my story, ISIL would have agreed to invade Iraq, rather than finish off Assad. Iraq was an easy target because no one expected a quick and dirty invasion. Also, it is possible that Assad was using Sadam's plan to ruin Iraq if Sadam was gone.

It is really clear that Assad is willing to bomb his country into total rubble in order to stay in power. Is it such a reach to think that Assad would make a deal with the devil in order to stay in power?

MY FAVORITE POLICE CHIEF IS GONE

Years ago, the former police chief of San Jose, Joe McNamara, spoke to the California Bar Association about the War on Drugs. He believed that the enormous amount of black market money was too much temptation for young police officers.

He brought respect to the San Jose Police Department.

If you have not read his novels, you should. The novel set in LA made clear the problems then faced by the LA Police Department. For instance, every police person in town went to view celebrity crimes, in spite of the contamination of the crime scenes.

He believed that the police should become professional investigators, and not just be societies' "bouncers".

The War on Drugs made the intellectuals of the 60s hate the police. Dr. McNamara taught us that we could respect the officers of the law.

Dr. McNamara is dead. I am not certain that he can be replaced.

SCOTLAND THE BRAVE

The romantic in me wants an independent Scotland where Bonnie Prince Charley won the rebellion.

The realist in me thinks that counting on a revenue stream from North Sea oil is a BAD idea. It is never a good idea to "put all your eggs in one basket".

I believe that all countries are going to have to learn to work together. A UNITED EUROPE was possible because of the example set by the United Kingdom of Great Britain.and the United States of America.

I know that being UNITED is sometimes a drag. Ask me how I feel about our federal policy toward marijuana.

A democracy means PATIENCE. It takes a long time for us all to agree on anything.

Now Scotland is voting, which is the way we solve these things in a democracy.

I just hope Scotland does not vote "yes" just because of a three hundred year old grudge.

THE PAST MATTERS, BUT THE FUTURE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PAST.

NOTHING COUNTS AS MUCH AS YOUR VOTE

I REALLY hope that I am wrong about this song. (To the tune of "John Brown's Body")

  "Michael Brown's body lies a bleeding in the street,
    "Michael Brown's body lies a bleeding in the street,
    "Michael Brown's body lies a bleeding in the street,
    "With the cop car no where near.
  "Michael Brown's body lies a bleeding in the street,
    "Michael Brown's body lies a bleeding in the street,
    "Michael Brown's body lies a bleeding in the street,
    "And the Blacks still did not vote."

It is almost impossible to convict a police office of murder. Murder is an intent based crime. Juries can not bring themselves to find that a police officer really MEANT to kill an unarmed person.

The only way to prevent these kinds of shootings is to VOTE. ALWAYS VOTE for the people who say that they will get an independent police review board, and who will pay for training of police officers so that they react appropriately during stressful situations. These decisions are made at the local level so you need to vote in the elections for the people who run your city. I almost always vote for the Democrat.

You also need to be VERY CERTAIN that your US Congressperson has enough sense to stop the militarization of the police, the legal theft of property of arrested persons, and the stupid, racist War on Unauthorized Drugs.

If you do not vote, and things go wrong, the only person you can blame is yourself.

BTW, in a Democracy, only one person wins the right to the elected office. The loser needs to concede, work with the person that won, and wait for the next election. Too many people do not seem to understand that DEMOCRACY IS COMPROMISE. Compromise means that you NEVER get everything you want.

BULLIES LARGE AND SMALL

A bully wants you to obey. First they will try intimidation, and then they will try harassment. Basically, a bully wants you to be a slave and do what the bully wants.

Countries can often be bullies. Gaza said, "Do what I want or I will bombard you with rockets."

Intimidation is a more subtle form of bullying. Russia says, "I want Eastern Ukraine or I will cause chaos in Eastern Ukraine. If the Ukrainians separatists will not cause chaos, I will order Russian soldiers to spend their vacations causing chaos in Ukraine."

If you obey a bully, you will become a slave of the bully.

Cutting off heads is an extreme form of bullying, but it does not cause as much over all harm as deliberating financing and fighting a civil war.

I am not certain how to stop bullies. I can not even stop the bully in my house from leaving hoses for me to trip over. What kind of person thinks it is OK to try to trip a 67 year old disabled person, a pregnant woman, and the mailman?

I do know that submission to a bully does not help. I again recommend the book, Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Hitler taught us that submitting to international bullies is A VERY BAD IDEA.

PRIDE vs PRAGMATISM

ANY decision you make because of PRIDE is almost certainly a MISTAKE. A decision made because, "I am not going to let that _______ WIN," is ALWAYS A MISTAKE.

Even though you might "win", the price you pay will be too high. The biggest price is always LINGERING RESENTMENT from the losers. Ask Britain about the price of this lingering resentment in regards to SCOTLAND.

Just because you CAN do something, does not mean that you SHOULD do something. Sometimes I will stand or walk just because I am too embarrassed to ask for help. I ALWAYS pay the price in pain.

Sometimes leaders kill people to try to get others to comply with their orders. Unless those other believe that death is the correct punishment for the act, they may obey direct orders, but quietly resist acting with intelligence in doing complex tasks.

If you do things that make other people HATE you, you and your family may pay a unknown price sometime in the future.

Compromise is ALWAYS better than winning at all costs.

LABOR DAY PRESENT

The best book I have read in a long time is 'Nice Dragons Finish Last', by Rachel Aaron. The first chapter is a little too generic. But when we meet the nice dragon, the book takes off.

Labor Day is the day that those who labor are supposed to rest. It became a holiday back when people actually believed that workers should be PAID for their work.

It is also a celebration of the fact that some dragons were taught that they could not kill workers and then just hire another worker. Of course, in many countries, this is still true.

Here in the US, we STILL have not learned that paying people a living wage would be great for the entire economy, making the 1% even richer.

If I was to get a present for Labor Day, I want accountants to reverse the rule that stock options need to be immediately expensed. Accountants were TOLD that such a rule would mean only the top executives would get stock options, which is EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.

Stock options are an amazing way to pay workers, get workers involved in the success of the business and to keep the 1% from selfishly taking everything.

So have fun reading about the nice dragon.

THE GIFT OF SIGHT

My eye surgeon has given me the gift of sight. She took my cataracts out and replaced them with corrective lenses, which work better than my glasses ever did.

I have had bad vision my entire life. Now that my vision is almost normal, I feel like I know longer know me. Wierd, huh?

But I REFUSE to fuss about something so wonderful. I am going to look at things for as often and as long as I can.

Too often we are angry at people who give us help that changes our lives. I understand. Accepting help is the hardest thing that I had to learn to do. But sooner or later EVERYONE needs help.

I had always been the person who helped. I find helping people brings me more happiness than almost anything else. If you are feeling depressed, you should try to help someone else. You might be surprised at the result.

Meanwhile, my face looks back from the mirror reflecting that I am not wearing glasses.

MISSOURI - PLEASE ASK FOR HELP

Kent State taught my generation that protesting can be deadly. Untrained troops can make things MUCH WORSE.

However, it does help if the untrained troops are being led by trained, experienced commanders. May I recommend asking for the help of a California National Guard commander?

It would also be advisable to enlist the help of the Los Angles Police Department. LA has partially solved the same problems afflicting the Ferguson community.

The kind of anger that erupted into the streets takes YEARS to accumulate, and therefore takes YEARS to solve. However, inviting those who have been through these situations can make things significantly better almost immediately. It is important to invite those who have been successful in CALMING THE ANGER.

PLEASE INVITE THOSE WHO WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU HAVE REACTED INCORRECTLY. I do not have to explain this, as the situation speaks for itself.

FERGUSON AND SELMA

The US policy of turning minority men into felons is even worse than making blacks sit in the back of the bus.

The back of the bus policy was humiliating, a symbol of how blacks could not be hired into white collar (color) jobs. But the war on drugs has escalated into masked men armed with assault rifles breaking into houses in the middle of the night.

After arresting mostly blacks and browns for drug sale and.or possession, the war on drugs makes it impossible for the poor kid to get a job, an education, and/or a home. If it were my children, I would be totally p***ed.

THIS HAS TO STOP. We can NOT keep large portions of the population in prisons just because they use or sell an unapproved drug. If you are serious about stopping addiction, fund treatment centers.

FERGUSON: Please use non violence. I know we are all tired of children being killed, but violence will NOT solve the problem.

SAY IT'S NOT SO!

For the first time ever, I am ashamed of one of my alma maters. The University of Arizona has FIRED a researcher in order to prevent a study to find out if marijuana is effective in treating post traumatic stress in VETERANS.

PTSD does not just destroy the life of the veteran who cannot control his/her symptoms. Uncontrolled PTSD also destroys the veteran's family. Anecdotal evidence from the 70's is an indication that marijuana may be very helpful for PTSD. But anecdotal evidence is not scientific proof.

The fired researcher had gotten federal funding to study the effects of marijuana on PTSD. Her proposal must have been both brilliant and scientifically rigorous for the FEDS to give a WOMAN funding to research a medical use of marijuana.

Rumors are that prohibitionists in the Arizona State Legislature demanded that she be fired.

This is because if marijuana is scientifically proven to have medical value, marijuana can not stay a schedule 1 drug. Of course, the FDA has ignored all of the hitherto accumulated evidence of marijuana's medical value.

Again, propaganda wins over science. And at MY alma mater!

THE WORLD HAS CHANGED

At one time, Hamas could shoot rockets at Israel, and then get the world's sympathy when Israel shot back. Then Ukrainian separatists shot down a civilian aircraft, and we all learned that untrained fanatics shooting rockets can not be allowed if we ever expect to be able to fly anywhere in the world.

I have never understood how Hamas can believe that shooting rockets at a neighbor will ever get them to be able to visit that neighbor. It should be noted that Egypt will not allow Hamas to visit either.

The result is that the people of Gaza are imprisoned in a very small area, unable to go anywhere.

Have you ever known anyone to be let out of prison after they committed more violence?

I am very sorry about the dead children of Gaza. But the parents of the dead children support a government which does not seem to be connected to reality.

NO ONE IS GOING TO LET GAZANS GO TO EGYPT OR ISRAEL AS LONG AS GAZANS ARE SHOOTING AT ISRAEL AND BLOWING UP RESORTS IN EGYPT.

THE RED DEATH STALKS FROM THE JUNGLE

If you get the the Red Death, you will infect anyone who touches you. Doctors dressed like SPACEMEN have come to take care of the sick. They wear the suits so that they do not get sick by touching the sick people.

The RED DEATH kills nine out of 10 who get sick. If you run off into the jungle, you may kill nine out of every 10 people who touch you.

The quicker you get to a SPACEMAN, the better for you and your family

Reminder to spacepersons: Do not take off your spacesuit when you are helping the sick.

BTW, health workers do not spread the disease because they get tested if they feel sick. and they wear spacesuits.

SAFETY FIRST

THE MOST IMPORTANT CIVIL RIGHT IS SAFETY.*

Airline passengers do not feel safe because people used a powerful weapon to shoot them out of the sky.

Israel does not feel safe because Hamas is shooting rockets at them.

And people in Central America do not feel safe because of gang violence. (IT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO TRANSLATE GANG VIOLENCE. Gang violence means THE VIOLENCE CAUSED BY THE STUPID, UNWINNABLE WAR ON DRUGS.)

How can we teach the Ukrainian separatists that they are expendable pawns in Putin's game of global chess? And that Russia ALWAYS looks better when you are no longer living in Russia?

How do we teach Hamas that violence begets violence? Fixing poverty is a long and hard job, made almost impossible if one tries to hurry the task by resorting to violence.

How can we expect Hamas to become rational and quit shooting rockets when we are unable to become rational and stop the violence caused by making marijuana illegal? Marijuana has not been directly responsible for the death of a single person. BUT the War on Drugs begets violence where ever the DEA goes.

DO NOT TELL ME THAT THESE ARE SEPARATE ISSUES. If irrationality is causing violence, then we NEED TO FIGHT IRRATIONALITY where ever and when ever irrationality is found.

*LA civil rights attorney in the educational CD from the LA County Bar.

DEATH IN THE SKY

All people within the Ukraine need to CALL A TRUCE, so that there can be an international investigation of the passenger jet crash.

I believe that those in East Ukraine, who are fighting to become part of Russia, need to extend all courtesy to the international investigators. Otherwise, they will take the blame, whether or not they are at fault. This is because reporters have seen technology capable of downing the passenger jet, when the separatists showed off their captured weapons. And we all know that untrained men can make mistakes with complex weapons.

SHOW YOUR HUMANITY. CALL A TRUCE. Let the investigators investigate. 

DEBTS AND TAXES

All US paper money says, "LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE." Now our money needs a footnote to say, "NOT VALID TO PAY US TAXES."

Colorado's booming new marijuana businesses CAN NOT PAY THEIR PAYROLL TAXES WITH PAPER MONEY. Banks will NOT allow marijuana businesses to have bank accounts, because of our draconian drug laws. The Obama administration tried to fix this, but bankers are conservative and the "fix" did not GUARANTEE that the bankers would not get arrested for breaking federal money laundering statutes.

So marijuana businesses are paying their taxes in cash, for which the IRS is CHARGING A 10% penalty, as well as another 10% penalty when the penalty is paid in cash. Without a bank account the businesses can NOT pay payroll taxes electronically as required by the IRS.

THE EASIEST WAY to FIX THIS PROBLEM is to TAKE MARIJUANA OFF SCHEDULE 1.

As you should know by now, the US defines marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, which means that, according to the US, marijuana has NO medicinal value. The DEA has asked the FDA to review this classification, but the FDA has never, ever, been willing to even GLANCE at the multitude of research showing the medicinal benefits of marijuana. Without a drug company pushing for FDA approval, the FDA seems to just rubber stamp the propaganda lies generated by the War on Drugs.

This is an amazing TRIUMPH of PROPAGANDA OVER SCIENCE.

HELP PEOPLE IN PAIN

There will be a protest against the draconian ordinance that prevents almost all sales of medical marijuana in San Jose.

It will be Thursday, July 11, 2014, from noon to 7:10 PM, in front of City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose, CA.

PROTESTING IS A LOT OF FUN! Please go to the protest and help those of us who need marijuana medication to deal with pain, nausea, MS, epilepsy, depression and other illnesses. I would come, but us pink people become red people when in the sun.

BTW, I tried posting this on Facebook and they would not let me do a post. Do you think it is a conspiracy or just my lack of computer skills?

TORTURE BY EMAIL

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I received over ONE THOUSAND emails. I had to delete all but 5. IT TOOK ME AN HOUR of painful clicking with my arthritic hands.

Several of the emails told me that I had jobs at Google or Facebook. (Yes, I know these are scams used to put viruses on my computer.)

I know that I can have a computer check my email, but computers seem to delete the email I NEED, like the email from clients angry at the other party. Also sometimes I get emails from REAL new clients. (I have learned that the emails addressed to all attorneys are almost always scams. A good test is to let them know that you put all checks into a separate account, and will do no work until the check clears.)

WHY DO WE LET THIS GO ON? People are getting ripped off every day. Viruses are spreading like the plague. 

I KNOW WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO STOP THIS. 

A CALIFORNIA BABY WAS KILLED BY A LIE

This week, a California baby died of whopping cough, because a LIE BELIEVER did NOT vaccinate her child. A QUARTER of the people in the US believe a LIE TOLD BY A BRITISH DOCTOR.

In 1998, a British doctor found fame and fortune by TELLING A LIE, which the medical journal Lancet did not catch. I guess Lancet thought that no one would be so EVIL as to tell lies about vaccinations. After the LIES WERE PUBLISHED, all the other studies done on MILLIONS of children showed that there WAS NO CONNECTION between vaccinations and autism. NO CONNECTION.

VACCINATIONS DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. THERE IS NO LINK BETWEEN AUTISM AND VACCINATIONS. THERE IS NO MERCURY IN CHILDREN'S VACCINATIONS.

Let me tell you that YOU ARE KILLING BABIES with whopping cough because you believe that a known lie is the truth. If your unvaccinated child gets the measles, and your unvaccinated older daughter is pregnant, the unborn child could be born BLIND AND DEAF.

Your child could end up paralyzed because they got polio and you thought they had a cold. POLIO CAUSES IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE. You could condemn your child to a lifetime of being crippled, just because you insist on believing a LIE.

These "childhood diseases" can have serious, long term health effects.

I have all of the vaccinations that doctors recommend. In fact, I have not gotten the flu since I started getting my flu shot.

Those of you who think that you are stronger than any disease need to start thinking about the fact that you could be spreading death and disabilities to babies, and other vulnerable people. This is NOT MACHO, it is SELFISH BEYOND BELIEF.

GET YOUR CHILD VACCINATED. HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF THE EVIL LIE.

CORRUPTION DUE TO PROHIBITION

Prohibition of alcohol taught us that passing a law that LOTS of people ignore causes CORRUPTION EVERYWHERE. A police office takes a bottle for his birthday and gets trapped by blackmail into turning a blind eye to smuggling and illegal sales of alcohol.

There is SO MUCH ILLEGAL MONEY that there are machine gun murders on the streets of Chicago.

People DIE FROM DRINKING BATHTUB GIN, which is often poisonous rubbing alcohol.

CRIMINALS BECOME ORGANIZED, with Canadians cheerfully selling to smugglers. THE FBI SPINS OUT OF CONTROL, trying to stop the unstoppable.

WHEN ALCOHOL PROHIBITION ENDED, OTHER HITHERTO LEGAL DRUGS BECAME PROHIBITED.

Marijuana was chosen because it was used by Mexicans. Cocaine was chosen because it was trendy, and unknown to the majority of people. Opiates were chosen because it was Oriental. 

BUT MOSTLY THESE DRUGS WERE MADE ILLEGAL TO KEEP THE BLACK MARKET MONEY FLOWING.

Black market money is generally untaxable and untraceable. Criminals will happily PAY POLITICIANS to keep black market drug money flowing.

Currently, YOU CAN NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING DETRIMENTAL THAT ANYBODY SAYS ABOUT AN ILLEGAL DRUG. The politicians and PR persons who want to keep the drug money flowing will SAY ANYTHING, TELL ANY LIE, in order to keep drugs illegal.

THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF PARANOIA

Iraq is in danger of being destroyed by paranoia. The leaders are judging people by whether they are Kurds, Shia, or Sunni. They believe that if you are not one of us, then you are our enemy, because you can NEVER trust a ___________.

It does not matter what you put in the blank. The truth is that about 5% of the population IN ANY GROUP are completely untrustworthy because all their choices are completely selfish.

ALL COUNTRIES HAVE MINORITY POPULATIONS. These minority populations are just as patriotic as the majority populations. The only way you can make a minority population rebellious, is to treat the minority population as if they were all untrustworthy criminals.

Young adult males are especially vulnerable to charismatic leaders who tell them that they are being mistreated and should rebel. But if these young adult males were being treated with respect by the majority, then they would just live productive, non rebellious lives.

YOU CAN NOT STOP A REBELLION WITH VIOLENCE. You can only stop a rebellion by LISTENING to the complaints of the rebels and then fixing the cause of the reasonable complaints.

ALL COUNTRIES need a reconciliation process. RECONCILIATION WORKS!

BTW, it is incredibly STUPID to put YOUR FRIENDS, and only your friends, in charge of your ARMY. Armies are not as easy to control as people think. You do not just give orders and get the orders obeyed. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN PEOPLE ARE SHOOTING AT THE ARMY.

But, unfortunately, if you are oppressing minorities, you will not take my advice. This is because YOUR MIND IS NOT FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO SEE THAT WOMEN AND MINORITIES ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR COUNTRY AND SHOULD BE TREATED WITH RESPECT.

MAKING MISTAKES

After you make a mistake it is important to remember that THE ONLY THING YOU CAN NOT CHANGE IS THE PAST. So the mistake has been made, and now you have to deal with it.

"Everybody makes mistakes. That is why they put erasers on pencils."*

The way you tell the grownups from the children is what they do after they make a mistake.

Children blame others for their mistake. Grownups admit their mistakes.

Children expect other people to clean up after their mistakes. Grownups accept responsibility for fixing the problems caused by their mistakes.

Children believe that people can be perfect, and that mistakes should NEVER happen.

Grownups realize that MISTAKES CAN HAPPEN, and they do their best to prevent mistakes, knowing that they can prevent some, but not all, mistakes.

Grownups also try not to say, "I TOLD YOU SO", when someone ignores a warning and makes a mistake. (I am not very good at resisting saying, "I told you so." Sigh.)

*Square One, a PBS math show for children, which sadly and stupidly went off the air. The show really taught math, our kids need to know math. I have NEVER understood how such an entertaining and effective show could be canceled.

Remembering D-Day

As I watched the D-Day ceremonies on CSpan, all I could think of was that WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WWII, SO WE DO NOT HAVE WWIII.

I believe that Hitler used FEAR to manipulate his people. It is VERY EASY to get people to fear other groups. Zenophobia seems to be part of our primitive response system, as a THEM v US response.

Twenty years ago, I would have laughed if you had told me that the United States of America would hold prisoners for over 10 YEARS without a trial. WE DO NOT DO THAT, I would have said. IT VIOLATES OUR CORE VALUES. We do not throw people in prison and throw away the key.

Then came 9/11.

I never thought that the US would ever again blame individual soldiers for an entire war. The treatment of Vietnam vets made me ashamed. So I tried to be nice to the returning vets, as I knew they were not actually "baby killers."

But the fear from 9/11 is still a potent force. We are trashing a returning prisoner of war, using rumor, innuendo, and his father's beard.

Worse, we fuss about letting go five prisoners who were never tried for their alleged crimes. These men could NEVER be tried. It is one thing to say that you can use torture to get information. It is another matter to admit into court evidence acquired through torture.

FEAR and XENOPHOBIA stop people from being able to use logic. So I ask you, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE TORTURED and then PUT IN A PRISON WITHOUT A TRIAL?

The five that were released will be carefully watched. Hopefully, if they go back to using violence, they will be caught, tried, and convicted.

OUR BILL OF RIGHTS DEMANDS NOTHING LESS.

A REALLY STUPID NY TIMES REPORTER

A New York Times reporter ate 15 times the recommended amount of a marijuana edible. She recovered in plenty of time to write about her harrowing experience.

If one assumed that the recommended dose of alcohol was 2 drinks, if the stupid reporter had consumed 30 drinks, she might be dead. She would certainly have spent her night in the bathroom rather on her bed.

If YOU decide that you want to try a marijuana edible, I recommend that you take HALF the normal dose. I think it is better to be with a friend, especially an experienced friend. If you decide to be alone, start watching a favorite, non violent cartoon movie. Yellow Submarine, Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and the Disney Hobbit cartoon are all good choices.

For your first time, you should be hungry. BE PATIENT, it can take awhile before you feel results. DO NOT TAKE ANY MORE than the initial dose until at least an hour has gone by. Have some good food available, because the food will taste SO GOOD. Do not eat for at least one hour.

There is going to be amazing pressure to keep marijuana illegal so that the black market money will keep flowing.

SO EVERY TIME YOU SEE A LIE ABOUT MARIJUANA, YOU NEED TO COMMENT WITH THE TRUTH.

IS FEINSTEIN IN TOUCH WITH CALIFORNIA?

OUR SENATOR FEINSTEIN WANTS TO ALLOW THE DEA TO HARASS MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLINICS. Feinstein announced that she would NOT vote for House amendment 272*. She has chosen the DEA over the DISABLED.

Politically ambitious US Attorneys have been using every legal means possible to harass, close down, and imprison medical marijuana providers. Personally, I think this shows that these US Attorneys are politically ambitious, but politically STUPID. The tide has turned. NO ONE of intelligence believes the old anti marijuana propaganda lies. Being against medical marijuana is now a political liability, especially in California.

I have always admired Senator Feinstein. She is a busy person and may not have kept up with the latest information on the medicinal use of marijuana. Her staff needs to educate her PRONTO. She needs to be informed of the CNN reports by Dr. Gupta regarding children with epilepsy. She needs to be informed of the extremely promising research into marijuana as a cancer cure. The American Cancer Institute keeps track of some of this research, in which cancer cells in mice shrunk after being given a strong dose of CBDs from marijuana. There was NO DAMAGE to the non cancer cells.

For me personally, I resent people believing lies, and deciding that they should keep me in pain, because they think they know better than me and my doctor.

NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO TWITTER, FAX, EMAIL, WRITE, OR CALL YOUR US SENATORS. Ask your two Senators to VOTE FOR the medical marijuana amendment 272.

* The Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment was unexpectedly passed by the US House of Representatives on May 29, 2014. The amendment would prevent the Justice Department and the DEA from spending money enforcing the federal prohibition against medical marijuana in states that have medical marijuana laws.

HACKING TRANSPORT

I have a conspiracy theory nightmare about hackers causing accidents on planes and subways. MH370 was turned and disappeared. The AirFrance plane lost off Brazil had no fight recorder data left when the recorder was found.

Several years ago there was an accident on the San Francisco Muni, with evidence showing that the driver was frantically trying to remove the automatic controls right before a rear end crash. This was eerily echoed by a similar accident on the Muni in DC.

It is well known that car computer chips can be hacked. A hacker could disable breaks, or turn off an engine, causing a possibly fatal accident.

For years I have been blogging about the dangers of having unknown "back doors" in the computer chips used in our phones, computers, cars, etc. The chips used in transport need to be protected from hackers. Currently, everyone has their heads in the sand*, denying that the problem exists.

However, I find that I CAN NOT IGNORE my nightmare about MH370. In my nightmare, a hacker takes over the plane and flies it into the ocean. In my nightmare, for six and a half hours people frantically try to retake the controls from the hacker, to no avail.

By choosing the least expensive chips, you are choosing the chips that are easiest to hack. Those companies making unhackable chips can not sell them. Or worse, the unhackable chips are made in a country that automatically puts a "back door" in the chips so that only they can hack them.

We need to pay more for our computer equipment, if we want to trust that our computer equipment only takes orders from the "good guys".

THE LIVES WE SAVE WILL BE OUR OWN.

* This comes from the legend that an ostrich puts his head in the sand when he wants to hide. Of course the rest of his LARGE body can be seen by the predator. It is used to indicate that someone is ignoring reality. Something we all do a lot.

PAY HER LESS, THEN TRASH HER

Even the New York Times follows the pattern of paying a woman less, then firing her when she mentions the pay gap. She was quiet, but rumors "forced" the Times to totally trash her reputation.

The New York Post reports that, in 2011, the male executive editor was paid $559,000. His female replacement was paid $475,000. She was earning $525,000 when she was fired. I am not very good with math, but it seems to me that she was getting the standard 20% deduction from her pay for being a female.

Then, the rumors of the pay gap started. The owner of the New York Times announced that the woman could be abrasive, and that is why she was fired. Nothing like a good attack on a woman to cover up for unequal pay. It has worked in the past, and it will work again.

So why do we not start a twitter campaign against the Times? Is it because all you men are STILL AFRAID of strong women?

CONGRATULATIONS MODI!

Mr. Modi has a chance to improve India for everyone, not just for the elite. 

But please, Mr. Modi, remember that women helped elect you.

Please, Mr. Modi, remember that minorities who did not vote for you still need to be included in your plans for a better India.

I agree with the voters that you have a unique chance to improve the lives of everyone in India. But real progress only comes when a country tries to provide services to EVERYONE.

WE ARE ALL HOPING THAT YOU CAN DO THIS.

MY SAN JOSE SPEECH

I am a local attorney who uses medical marijuana for arthritis pain. Sending me to the industrial district to purchase my medicine is both dangerous and difficult for me.

For ten thousand years, marijuana has been considered to be a safe and effective medicine.  It has never been the direct cause of a single death.

I am tired of watching this city council try to gain political points by passing measures that harm the disabled.

Thanks to your no free grocery bag ordinance, I watch the disabled get handed loose items to carry on their laps, because they forgot to purchase a bag.

This is the second time you have tried to sneakily outlaw the sale of medical marijuana.

But the worst is that you are trying to convince people that disabled police officers and their doctors are lying about their disabilities. You do not want to give police officers decent disability pensions.  After all, you need money for your doomed quest to steal a baseball team from Oakland.

(At this point, the audience clapped, which was counted against my 1 minute, so I was not able to say...)

If you vote for this measure, I will do my best to insure that you never get elected to anything ever again.

(BTW I was told that the numerous complaints from dentists were caused by SAN JOSE ORGANICS on Tully Rd. PLEASE DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE. Maybe putting them out of business will teach them to be polite to their neighbors.)

TAKING MEDICINE AWAY FROM THE SICK

On May 13, 2014, at 7 pm, San Jose may make THE SICK DRIVE TO THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT in order TO GET MEDICINE.

The San Jose City Council seems to believe that people who use marijuana are not actually ill, they are just stoners. The council does not want to get input from the medical marijuana clinics, they just want to get more votes in their races for major. Reading the reports, it is clear that the city is willing to listen to any untruth about marijuana in order to justify closing down the discrete, friendly, and really necessary neighborhood clinics.

If you think I am exaggerating, let me tell you about my ADA request to have the MEDICAL marijuana issue heard as soon after 7 pm as possible. I said I would be in a wheelchair and many disabled people would be coming to the meeting. I was told that any such request would require me to attend an additional rules meeting.

What part of MEDICAL marijuana do these people fail to understand? These out of touch politicians do not even understand that some patients NEED concentrates.

If you have cancer, arthritis, MS, or are using marijuana to help with ANY illness please come to the meeting. You will have ONE MINUTE to speak, so write it down and practice.

THE HEALTH YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN!

THE JUDGE, THE DA AND THE MERCURY NEWS

There is a Mercury News columnist who is trashing the reputation of a judge who had the courage to rule against the DA. She ruled in favor of the defense. SHOCKING, I know.

It should be no surprise that an Deputy District Attorney is running against Judge Richie.

When Judge Richie ruled against the DA's office, the DA refused to have any more cases be heard in front of Judge Richie. You can stop wondering why there is a bias against defense motions in the local court systems.

I watched this same columnist trash DA Carr, then praise the new DA for doing the same things he trashed Carr for doing.

You can make up your own mind. Me, I am going to vote for Judge Richie. We need judges with the courage to follow due process of law.

UKRAINE--IS THE DARK SIDE STRONGER?

"No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive," says Yoda. As Russian thugs try to use fear to trigger anger and aggression, what can we do?

Too many people in this world are beating people with billy clubs, blowing up or kidnapping school children, using evil ways to try to force others into obedience.

I believe that the forces of goodness and light will win over the forces of evil and dark.

It is way too quick and easy to blow up and kill people. What is hard is helping a baby grow into an adult or building a building or a bridge or roads.

Unfortunately, the Nazis have totally tarnished the word fascist. So I am going to call these evil people "BOORS".

BOORS are the kind of people who use intimidation rather than persuasion. If they do try to persuade people, they tell deliberate lies.

SO WE TELL THE TRUTH, use economic pressure, and treat the boors with the contempt that they deserve.

Right now, my only advice to the Ukrainians, is that they should VOTE. All that happens when good people boycott bad elections is that the bad people believe that they have more power.

RACIST CLIPPERS OWNER

If you REALLY want to send a message to the NBA, DO NOT WATCH THE CLIPPERS GAMES. In professional sports, IT IS THE TV REVENUES THAT ARE BIG BUCKS.

Do not ATTEND the Clippers playoff games, do not WATCH the Clippers playoff games on either TV or the internet. When advertising revenues drop, the NBA should pay attention.

BTW, while you are not watching sports teams owned by racists, do not forget to not watch the Washington Red****s.

Let major league sports know that overt racism is not acceptable in the US.

'LITTLE GREEN MEN'

Eastern Ukrainians are calling the camouflaged Russians 'little green men'. IMHO this is a Ukrainian FOLKLORE INSULT.

Such an insult serves two purposes.

If you do not understand the nature of the insult, you are NOT from East Ukraine. Local folktales and legends can be specific to an area. Questioning locals about such folklore can result in the tallest of tall tales. In the American West, the jackalope is a good example of this.

The locals are able to get away with an extreme insult. All they have to do is say, "But it just means alien, like in the movies."

I am very proud of Ukraine for doing its very best to act with wisdom, rather than with fear. Russia needs the Ukrainians to act with fear, because fear is the only thing that makes smart people collectively act with stupidity and violence.

MURDERING SLAVERS

The criminals who call themselves Boko Haram have kidnapped 129 schoolgirls to be their slaves*. They also left a hole in the road where a bus used to be.

Boko Haram uses Islam as an excuse for kidnap, rape, and murder. 

The truth is that they are insane criminals who use fear in an attempt to avoid the consequences of their horrible crimes.

They have to kidnap girls, because no girl is stupid enough to marry these insane criminals. 

They say that Islam allows them to kidnap and/or kill anyone who tries to get a Western education. Islamic leaders need to make public statements about how Islam does NOT justify criminals.

Both Islam and the Eastern Orthodox Church need to STOP BEING PART OF THE PROBLEM AND START BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION.

*Last I checked, 45 girls had escaped, leaving 88 girls enslaved.

.

HAVE A PEACEFUL HOLIDAY

Much of the world is celebrating Passover and Easter this week. It is very unusual for Jews, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Western Christians, to celebrate these holidays at the same time.

Perhaps it is a sign that all of us should respect each other and live in peace.

I have often thought that the statement, "The meek shall inherit the Earth," means that people who learn to live together in peace will be the only people left on Earth.

In order to live in peace, you need to allow each person to make their own decisions regarding religion.

In order to live in peace, we have to respect each human for who they are. It should not matter whether you are female, are male, are transsexual, have dark skin, have pink skin, are young, are old, are quick, are slow. We are all people and each of us has something to contribute to our world.

EMOTIONS OVER BRAINS

I believe that Putin has hired the same PR firm that convinced the US to invade Iraq. Please, Russians, do NOT fall for the propaganda that will result in more poverty for the Russian people.

Please look at only THREE FACTS.

1. Normal protesters do NOT wear flack jackets and carry assault rifles.

2. Normal protesters do NOT go after police stations until they control the streets.

3. If there are only a few protesters, then the photo will be taken by a photographer standing in the street. If there are a LOT of protesters, then the photo will be a shot taken from a tall building. No Eastern Ukraine protest photos have been taken from tall buildings.

Most of the US believed Bush. THE RESULT WAS A WORLD WIDE DEEP RECESSION.

If Russia believes Putin, Russia will endure YEARS OF POVERTY for all but Putin's close friends.

ONLY YOU CAN STOP THIS INSANITY.

FRENCH WISDOM

France has said that workers do NOT have to deal with work emails during time off. The question is, why is this headline news? NONE of us should respond to work emails during our off hours. Working all the time makes people CRAZY.

I almost NEVER deal with ANY emails during off hours.

I am grateful for my iPhones email capabilities as there are some people who like using dirty tricks, and an email warning of a dirty trick is useful. Luckily, I can usually judge when a dirty trick is coming at me, so I check my emails during such critical times.

IMHO, in California, you have to be paid for FOUR HOURS each time your employer requires you to deal with an email during your time off. IMHO, for hourly employees, an email that you have to deal with is exactly the same as calling someone into work. And for that, you must be paid for a minimum of four hours.

WE ARE NOT SLAVES. Do not allow your employer to take advantage of your addiction to techie toys.

DIXIE CHICKS AND PUSSY RIOT

In the US, when the Dixie Chicks told the truth, Republicans borked* them, and their record sales plummeted. In Russia, when Pussy Riot insulted** Putin, one of the women was sent to a Stalinist Soviet Era reeducation camp.

Using the excuse of meeting sewing goals, the woman was starved, endured wet and cold, was sleep deprived, and had her sewing machine broken to ensure more punishment. You really need to read her account.

I do not understand why anyone in Ukraine would prefer to be treated as Pussy Riot was treated. Most people in Eastern Ukraine moved there so that they would no longer be in Russia. Now some men, who look military trained, are trying to have another province live under Russian control.

If you live in the Ukraine because you wanted to avoid Stalinist labor camps, YOU NEED TO TELL YOUR STORY. By making Russia romantic, you have made your grandchildren vulnerable to Russian propaganda. ONLY YOU can correct this problem. TELL YOUR FAMILY OF THE CONSTANT FEAR YOU FELT WHEN YOU LIVED IN RUSSIA.

* to bork means to smear a political opponent.

** Pussy Riot sang a punk rock song in a Russian cathedral. The song is purported to have insulted Putin. Putin then pretended that he was concerned that the Russian Orthodox Church had been insulted. We all know how much former KGB agents care about the Russian Orthodox Church.

CHEERLEADER MINIMUM WAGE

The NFL cheerleaders do NOT have to beg for minimum wage. All they have to do is join the Screen Actors Guild. Then they can sit back and let one of the most powerful unions on the planet insist that their members get paid for rehearsals, performance and residuals.

I see no reason that cheerleaders can not be defined as performers, as they do perform in front of an international audience.

I would also advise the Washington Red***** to change their name. Moral is an important part of having a winning team. If even one critical player is secretly ashamed of  his team name, it will affect team moral.

No amount of charitable contributions can wipe out the continuing use of a racial epitaph.

BIRTH CONTROL AND HOBBY LOBBY

The Christians that I know recognize that, if you do not provide birth control, pretty soon all anybody is doing is feeding babies. Ask any mother of twins.

IMHO, it is a sin to oppose birth control. Babies deserve to be wanted. Babies deserve to have parents who can afford them. Babies deserve to have countries who can do more than attempt to feed an ever increasing population.

You can refuse to pay for birth control for your child, as stupid as that is. But women are not children, you can not refuse to pay for their birth control. That would put your religious beliefs in charge of another person's health care.

The whole idea of freedom of religion is that YOUR religion does not get to tell ME what to do.

To make this even worse, health insurance companies do not charge more to provide coverage for birth control. So all this, "I do not want to pay for this, put that scarlet letter on her NOW" stuff is just them being control freaks.

Luckily religious control freaks do NOT have a constitutional right to control ANYONE ELSE.

SCHOOL BULLIES CHEMISTRY TEACHER

Unhappy with an uppity chemistry teacher, SJUSD charged him with unprofessional conduct for burning magnesium ribbon (using the same method as other chemistry teachers), for video taping a classroom lecture (on the written orders of his mentor), and for having a student stand after she made disruptive noises with her lab stool.

After the teacher submitted a claim for damages, the school told him his actions were now considered to be "immoral behavior".

The "immoral behavior" idea was almost certainly legal advice.

It is troubling that schools generally retain attorneys for a monthly sum, with additional payments due if there is litigation. Such a method means a law firm receives more money if there is litigation. For years, I have been hearing rumors that attorneys for school districts do not give the district advice that an action may get them into trouble. Instead, the rumors say, the attorneys encourage the schools to do exactly what they want, and then the attorneys profit from the resulting litigation.

I am certain that someone wanted to intimidate the chemistry teacher. Luckily, it is difficult to intimidate someone who was a member of a safety team at a nuclear laboratory.

JUST VOTING DOES NOT MAKE YOU A DEMOCRACY

Too many leaders think that all they have to do is to force people to vote for them. They think that the rest of us are so stupid that we do not see how the people are forced to vote in a particular way.

THE ABSOLUTELY WORST instance of "the people have spoken" is in the Crimea. Unidentified armed troops held the island in their grip. Posters incorrectly branding good people as fascists were put up all over Crimea. Crimea was under the impression that Russia would build them a bridge.

The election had to take place quickly, before people discovered that the new Ukrainian government was in the hands of good people; and that the bridge was almost certainly unbuildable using current engineering techniques.

Ten days is not enough time for a considered discussion of the issues, especially under the threat of occupation.

I am not surprised that Putin and Karsai think that the vote was valid. I do not think that either of them understand democracy.

IT'S SPRING, TRA LA

I love everything about Spring, except the cleaning. However, I did think that I could manage putting toilet cleaner in the toilet. I mean, how hard can that be?

I had already purchased toilet cleaner, which was made more necessary by my "lovely" roommates using my private bathroom, clearly marked private.

So I got out the cleaning bottle, twisted the cap and squeezed. Nothing happened. Naturally, I squeezed harder. Then I noticed that the stuff was leaking out of the bottom part of the cap. Since toilet cleaner can take your skin off, I immediately put the bottle and my hands under running water.

Of course, if I had read the instructions I would have known that one had to hold the cap in a certain way before you twisted the cap. But it is EXTREMELY dangerous that the product came out of the bottle when the bottle was squeezed. Kids could stand on the bottle and get hurt badly.

Corporations get away with these little cost saving devices because you all believed that corporations were being bullied by personal injury attorneys. So you restricted class action lawsuits.

What was actually happening is that the class action lawsuits were forcing the corporations to be safely conscious. to use understandable contracts, and to stop using bully tactics to rip off consumers.

Luckily, I was not hurt during my cleaning spree. However, I still have to figure out how to use the stupid cap, and probably should wash the bottle a couple of more times.

Even the first day of Spring did not make me a better cleaner.

Good thing that there are flowers everywhere. HAPPY SPRING TO YOU ALL

A PANICKED PRINCE

Historically the best way for a dictator to defend against rebellion was to push a neighbor into an attack. Every time that a country tells outrageous lies about a neighbor, you know that the country's leader is in real deep political trouble.

Sometimes the leader is in such trouble domestically that he will actually attack another country, because he knows that being in a "war" will silence his critics until the "war" is ended.

You all spend a LOT of time reading The Art of War. You should also be reading The Prince by Machiavelli. Written in 1513, The Prince outlines how to hold power. It is a cynical, logical, and appalling way to get and hold power.

THE ONLY DEFENSE to this kind of political manipulation is CRITICAL THINKING. Those of us who THINK are almost always drowned out by those of us WHO USE FEAR TO KEEP THEIR FACE ON TELEVISION.

In the current situation, it looks like Europe and the US are using The Prince to counter Putin's use of The Prince. People are happy as long as they can keep their property and their wives. Sanctions take away property, and upset wives and girlfriends who can no longer shop in Paris, London, or New York City.

BUT HEAR ME WELL, Putin is afraid that he will go the way of Yanukovych. Putin believes that Crimea will save his political career. I believe that Putin is on the wrong side of history, and that he will go down in history as the man who wasted Russia's strength in fighting the inevitable, rather than leading his people in a brave new world

SHE IS MINE!

Russia is acting like an abusive husband, saying it 'owns' parts of Ukraine. If Russia is correct about 'owning' Ukraine, then Turkey would 'own' Syria, Iraq and many other countries.

It should be remembered that UKRAINE VOLUNTARILY GAVE UP ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS. If we allow Russia to steal parts of Ukraine, how will we EVER CONVINCE ANOTHER COUNTRY TO STOP MAKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS?

WE NEED TO PROTECT BORDERS. No country can solve its internal problems if the country is also being bullied by its neighbors. If necessary, the UN has devised a way for part of a country to secede from another country. Such a succession involves years of planning and a vote which is monitored by the UN.

Russia got away with stealing part of Georgia because of a world wide economic crises. Now Russia seems to believe that Russia can get away with stealing part of Ukraine. WE CAN NOT LET THIS HAPPEN.

Putin is pretending that the Ukrainian freedom fighters are Nazis. However, the person who is acting like a Nazi is Putin. The Nazis also invaded other countries and pretended that they were just 'restoring old borders'.

Putin keeps from being criticized by pretending to be so sensitive that he can not withstand criticism. This is a common tactic used by abusive husbands.

THE PRINCIPLE OF SECURE BORDERS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE WORLD TO ENFORCE.

I am told that the Italian navy could defeat Russia's Baltic fleet. I think it is time for Greece, Turkey and Italy to do NATO navel exercises in the Baltic.

THE TIME OF ANNEXATION BY INTIMIDATION IS OVER!

MARIJUANA MONEY

In just one month, Colorado has sold $14 MILLION of recreational marijuana from 136 licensed stores. WE NEED TO SOLVE THE BANKING PROBLEMS CAUSED BY FEDERAL LAW.

Marijuana is STILL a schedule 1 drug, CLASSIFIED by our FEDERAL government as WORSE than any other drugs in existence. The US Attorney General has the authority to reclassify marijuana tomorrow, if he should so choose.

As long as marijuana is against federal law, any bank doing business with a marijuana provider or farmer is risking prosecution by a politically ambitious US attorney. THIS IS INCREDIBLY STUPID as cash businesses are vulnerable to armed robbery. It is almost certainly easier to rob a marijuana store than a bank and you will probably get more money.

Additionally, WE CAN NOT TAX SALES UNLESS WE CAN TRACK SALES.

HOLDER SHOULD TAKE MARIJUANA OFF SCHEDULE 1.

THIS IS A CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE. Historically, marijuana has been used to keep minorities and liberals "in line". In other words, we are pursuing a policy that allows the police to arrest almost anyone they dislike for use of an herb that has never been proven to cause a single death.

Worse, since we can no longer track political contributions, the illegal marijuana money is almost certainly being used to finance politicians who will vote to keep the illegal drug money flowing.

BY TRYING TO FORCE PEOPLE TO USE ONLY ALCOHOL, YOU ARE DESTROYING OUR DEMOCRACY!

YOU DO NOT GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO

Too many people seem to think that I am SO STUPID that they have to tell me what to do. Thin people tell me about the perfect diet, athletic people tell me about how I should walk more, doctors tell me that using a wheelchair makes them look bad.

There are certain people that get to tell me what to do. I obey judges. I try to cooperate with law enforcement. But otherwise, I consider that the decisions about my life are mine to make.

So if you have GREAT ADVICE about diet, health care, or spiritual acceptance, please keep it to yourself until I am giving you unwanted advice.

CRIMEA AND SANTA ANNA

Like the Texans defending the Alamo, Ukrainian sailors are defending their ships from the surrounding Russian warships. Like Santa Anna, the Russians pretending to be Russian-Ukrainians expected the Crimea to rise up in revolt against the new Ukrainian government.

The Russians had good reason to expect the Ukrainian forces to surrender, as they had bribed some of the Ukrainian commanders to surrender. The Ukrainian soldiers and sailors reacted like the defenders of the Alamo. They held on to their ships and some of their bases and refused to submit to what everyone knows is Russian special forces.

Santa Anna marched into Texas expecting the Mexicans in Texas to rise up and join him. Instead, the brave men in the Alamo held Santa Anna in place until the Texas army could get into position to defeat Santa Anna.

I have said over and over again that OUTSIDE AGITATORS CAN NOT START A REVOLUTION.

I hope the situation in the Ukraine remains peaceful. But we all know that brave Ukrainian men and women are risking death by daring to try for a better life for themselves and their children.

PAYING FOR PREJUDICE

"Be kind to you gay Ugandan friends, for they may be granted asylum." The rest of you can stew in poverty and prejudice.

The richer nations are NOT going to give money to a government that imprisons gays just for being gay. Nazi Germany castrated, imprisoned, and killed tens of thousands of homosexuals. THE FREE WORLD WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN.

Ugandan politicians can call it blackmail all they want. I guess it sounds good to the people who unfortunately voted for them. But I say that the IMF IS NOT OBLIGATED TO HELP YOU. And if you persecute minorities, then the IMF probably will NOT help you.

And to use God as an excuse. How horrible can you be? GOD IS LOVE, GOD IS NOT HATRED. If you are truly Christian, you love people exactly the way they are and try to help them to be better people. You DO NOT put people in prison, just because they are different from you.

THE NAZIS ALSO KILLED DISABLED PEOPLE. IS THAT WHAT UGANDA IS PLANNING ON DOING NEXT?

COMPUTERIZED

Computer programmers become computerized when they EXPECT PEOPLE TO OBEY LIKE A COMPUTER OBEYS. This is more common with men, probably because women have a monthly reminder that the body does not obey orders.

The Google guys in San Francisco can not understand why small businesses are not happy that they are spending money in San Francisco. Small businesses know that spending money does not help if the rents go up so high that the business can not afford to stay in business.

Now San Francisco is repeating the Republican LIE that affordable housing will help with the crises. AFFORDABLE HOUSING ISN'T. What used to help in this type of crises was SUBSIDIZED housing.

With affordable housing, the rent is set by the developer and you MUST make an income of twice the rent or you cannot move in. And the rents are discounted, but NOT by enough so that a minimum wage worker can move in. SUBSIDIZED housing is when you get the size of apartment that you need, the landlord gets market rent, you pay a percentage of your income as rent, and the government picks up the difference.

Unfortunately, computerized people believe that the entire world can make money doing what they think is easy, because it is easy for them. So the computerized consider the rest of us to be lazy. And why should they pay taxes to help lazy people?

The cure for being computerized is to GET OUT INTO THE REAL WORLD. Meet people who are artists, cooks, dancers, writers, lawyers, doctors, professors. Many of these people CONSIDER THEIR COMPUTERS TO BE ADVERSARIES, NOT FRIENDS.

'LET MY PEOPLE GO'

The story of Moses teaches that YOU CAN NOT EVEN GOVERN SLAVES WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED.

Too many new democracies incorrectly believe that the majority rules, therefore the majority can do anything it wants. Then these misguided leaders are surprised when there are protests in the streets.

DEMOCRACY IS A DANCE BETWEEN THE MAJORITY AND THE LOYAL OPPOSITIONS. It is not possible to peacefully govern a country without treating all citizens with equal respect. (Often this respect is taught in terms of civil rights, but it really means that ALL citizens should get a fair hearing and be treated equally.)

Putin seems to treat the citizens of the Ukraine and Syria as chess pawns. I believe these 'pawns' have history on their side. People try to say that the US also treats people badly. However, 90% of US poor have hot water, electricity, and flush toilets.

But we should at least assuage Putin's real fear that Russia will lose its cold water ports.

THIS IS NOT A GAME OF CHESS, THESE ARE VERY REAL DEMANDS TO BE TREATED EQUALLY.

RUSSIA NEEDS TO LEARN THE LESSONS OF FREEDOM THAT MOSES TAUGHT. And those demanding freedom need to remember the years of wandering in the desert that came with freedom.

WIDOWS AND ORPHANS CAN STARVE

CalPERS takes up to three months to pay death benefits after their paperwork is approved. This means that CalPERS is taking FIVE TO SIX MONTHS TO PAY WIDOWS AND ORPHANS.

WHY? Because CalPERS kept its head during the recession and did NOT lose money. Also, CalPERS tried to help the counties by keeping their administrative costs down as low as possible. This professionalism means that CalPERS is growing faster than CalPERS can handle the growth.

Now CalPERS needs to increase the percentage they charge for administrative costs. CalPERS also NEEDS A WAIVER so they can HIRE EXPERIENCED RETIRED EMPLOYEES to get them though the backlog and to help them train new workers.

It is not possible to hire an untrained person and expect them to be able to make decisions in the complex area of retirement benefits.

I once asked a friend why he sold life insurance, but did not sell health insurance. He replied, "It is easy to prove that someone is dead."

TAKING 5 TO 6 MONThS TO PAY DEATH BENEFITS IS UNCONSCIONABLE! A widow may not starve, but she can certainly lose the family home.

LIVING FOREVER

"I want to see more of the black and white little girl," requested my four year old, back when we all rented old movies. So we rented another Shirley Temple movie.

If you have not yet showed the Shirley Temple movies to your children, you should watch one tonight. I do not remember wincing even once during these old movies. The movies are very Downton Abbey meets Little Orphan Annie. And the dance numbers! Sometimes it is not necessary to talk in order to teach one of the most important lessons of all.

Now the woman the child became is dead. But the child star will live on forever in the imaginations of every succeeding generation of children.

GARBAGE WARS, PART DUEX

One of my new roommates has decreed that I can not have ANY garbage in the kitchen and I can NOT soak my dishes, even if she is not using the kitchen. This means that I can no longer cook.

I AM DISABLED. Like a blind man who has memorized where everything is, I do not look disabled as I have carefully arranged my life so that I get optimal use out of the short periods of time that I can be standing up.

I think this new roommate is from one of those cultures who believe that older women should be a slave or thrown into the street to starve. Maybe she is from India, where men throw their mothers out of the house when their father dies.

Americans do not harrass the old and the disabled. We have passed laws protecting the elderly.

These protective laws do not work when people use petty harassment to try to force the elderly into obedience.  However, my roommate could not do this to me if the landlord and the other people in the house told her to stop harassing me.

HELP ME by helping others. If you see a disabled person, offer to help. (Forcing help is a bad idea. Let the disabled person tell you if you can help and how.)

For me, it would be nice if the garbage cans were returned to the kitchen EVERY time the crazy one puts them out into the wind and rain.

I do not know what to do about soaking my dishes. For a year and a half, soaking my dishes has gotten in the way of someone about four times. If asked, I ALWAYS quickly rinse my dishes.

FAIR WARNING! SUFFERING IN SILENCE IS NOT MY STYLE,

HOW SPOILED WE ARE!

In the US, there are almost no homes without hot and cold running water, flush toilets, electricity ALL THE TIME. Most of the rest of the world is not so lucky.

I was SHOCKED when I visited Europe 47 years ago. Youth hostels scheduled the hot water, which was available for about two hours. Hotels had bathrooms down the hall. Some of the places were "out in the country" and did not have electricity.

I focused on the fact that I got to stay in a former palace, rather than the fact that I shared a bathroom. Putting plumbing and electricity in a 400 year old stone building is not as easy as putting plumbing in a new building.

But LOTS of money has to be spent on invisible things like gas lines, water supply, drains, and sewage treatment plants, in order for me to have hot water any time I want it.

My advice to those who are in Sochi. Focus on what the Russians do almost better than anyone else. The Russians really know how to THROW A GOOD PARTY. After several vodka shots, your cold shower will not be nearly as cold.

I am looking forward to seeing the Opening Ceremonies tonight. I hear they are really special.

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY OLYMPICS!

BETTER OFF DEAD THAN ADDICTED?

The DEA seems to believe that YOU ARE BETTER OFF DEAD THAN IN PAIN. The DEA threatened doctors to make them stop prescribing Oxycontin. So people in pain turned to heroin. Now 100 people are dead because they were sold fentanyl instead of heroin.

REMEMBER THAT LESS THAN 5% of the population are ADDICTS. The 5% includes addicts to alcohol, heroin, prescription medication, and marijuana. (Yes, I know marijuana is NOT addictive. I do not keep these statistics, which are probably WAY skewed to make addiction rates as high as possible.)

In the 1800s, morphine was used to cure opium addiction. Then, when that was a complete failure, heroin was discovered and used to treat morphine addiction. We would probably be better off returning to opium, which is a 5000 year old pain medication.

The main thing in favor of addiction to prescription medication is that an accidental overdose is much less likely. (Except for medication which contain acetaminophen, which damages the liver.)

I have no intention of using heroin. But there have been many days, when I counted the few pain pills I had left, that I REALLY UNDERSTOOD how one could just purchase street drugs to dull the overwhelming physical pain.

Those countries that have chosen to treat addiction, rather than imprison addicts, have had amazing success.

And I strongly believe that I SHOULD BE ABLE TO LIVE AS PAIN FREE AS POSSIBLE. I should not have to fear going to a movie, because it might cause me so much pain that I can not sleep.

ONE MORE TIME, just because you tell someone to stop doing something, does not mean that they will actually stop doing that something. If the only person that I might hurt is me, than I get to make the choice for me.

TEACHING GOD TO SING

Pete will be up in heaven, teaching the angels to sing, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone."

Most of his song, "Turn, Turn, Turn" came directly from the Bible.

All of the songs that he wrote and sang, taught us something important. The songs were easy to sing and remember.

All lawyers should read the transcript of his brilliant testimony in front of the House Un American Activities Committee. He defied Congress so well that his 10 contempt of Congress convictions were overturned on appeal. He had the courage to show us all how easily fear can cause a lack of civil rights.

Let's honor Pete and drop all charges against Snowden. He did us all a real favor. And we need to know how and what he has done. So drop the charges if he agrees to 40 hours of questioning, with his attorney present. After what was done to Manning, Snowden has a right to be paranoid.

Pete will be missed by the entire world.

Please join me in the chorus to 'WE SHALL OVERCOME SOMEDAY.".

GARBAGE WARS

My new OCD roommate has decided that the kitchen garbage should be stored outside the kitchen door. She has ignored my warnings of attracting rats, raccoons, skunks, etc. At every opportunity, she leaves the kitchen door open, just because I warned her to keep it closed because of the critters.

Now she has yelled at me, standing six inches in front of my face, holding a wooden garden tool in the 'my sword is drawn and ready, but I am not yet in full attack' position. She also told me that I was NOT disabled. I probably should not have replied, "Thank you for telling me, Doctor." Sarcasm is wasted on bullies.

Now, the only person living in the house that I trust is being evicted, because she reported all of the times that she was harassed by the people living in my house.

IMHO, these people are not Americans. IMHO, they may be foreign spies. Bush's "brilliant" idea of contracting out security clearances has resulting in the INCORRECT GRANTING OF OVER 600,000 SECURITY CLEARANCES.

BRAVE OLYMPIANS

People who jump off snowy mountains do not scare easily. But I am wondering if Russia is not trying to psych out the friends and relatives of the athletes.

Terror is with us always. IF WE STAY HOME IN FEAR, THEN THE TERRORISTS WIN BY DEFAULT.

Two years ago, I watched as the news raised fears over the Olympics in Britain. The stories sound the same as the stories about safety in Russia. The Boston Marathon taught the US that all sports events can be dangerous. But as my Mother says, "You can be killed crossing the street."

If you are frightened you should stay home. Paranoid people can really spoil a good party.

CHANEL'S GIFT TO WOMEN

CHANEL HAS GIVEN ALL WOMEN THE GIFT OF FREEDOM FROM HIGH HEELS! Every single model in Chanel's Paris fashion show was wearing Chanel designed sneakers. Even the ball gowns had silver and beaded sneakers.

This means that, from now on, every woman can wear sneakers and be in current fashion. Chanel is noted for its timeless fashions. A Chanel suit is ALWAYS IN FASHION, whether it was made in 1960 or in 2014.

Therefore, SNEAKERS ARE NOW IN FASHION. And like Chanel suits, Chanel sneakers, or copies thereof, will always be in fashion to be worn with ANY outfit.

I have spent my life figuring out how to wear comfortable clothes to work and to court. Once something like designer blue jeans are fashionable for wearing for business, they are also acceptable in court. (At least no judge ever challenged ME for wearing designer jeans to court.)

YOU NEED TO PRINT OUT PHOTOS OF THE CHANEL FASHION SHOW. It is important to have the photos to show HR and the iconoclasts who insist that a woman can not be dressed up unless she is wearing high heels.

TO KEEP UP WITH MEN, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WALK AS FAR AS THEY CAN WALK. Thanks to Chanel, many women will be able to OUTRUN men. :)

LEGAL GRASS AND THE SUPER BOWL

It is statistically improbable that both teams going to the Super Bowl are from the only two states to legalize marijuana. Perhaps it is the relaxed and happy home town crowds cheering on the Seahawks and Broncos.

I remember how I felt when California made possession of small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor rather than a felony. I was not the only person who felt released from a bubble of fear.

If you are one of the few that still believe the lies told about marijuana, it is time for you to realize that you were manipulated by the media into believing a lie. There is research that shows most people believe a lie if you repeat the lie often enough.

I track which of the old lies are currently in favor. The current favorite lie about marijuana is that "it is a gateway drug." Actually, beer is statistically more likely to be the first substance tried by a teenager, making beer "a gateway drug." Although, in my experience, people who sell black market marijuana, often sell other substances.

Now we have to get serious about the effects of marijuana on driving. Current drug tests for marijuana almost always use the metabolite test, which shows if someone has used marijuana during the last month. It is akin to using a liver function test to see if you are currently drunk.

A test for whether someone is currently "high" on marijuana is to test for THC in the blood.

Making the test actually reveal if someone is currently "high", would allow people to use marijuana for health purposes, and still allow the employer to require that the person come to work sober.

But look what joy and relief about NOT getting arrested can do the the SPIRIT of a community.

RAINLESS CALIFORNIA

Too many Californians wish for sunny weather for their special planned event. What if the fantasy books are right, and we get what we wish for? Some more of us need to start wishing for rain.

We are into our second year of drought. I know most of you do not care about farmers, BUT WE ALL CARE ABOUT SALMON. Large numbers of us have worked for YEARS to get wild salmon back into our streams and rivers. If the streams dry out, we could lose all that we have accomplished in reintroducing salmon.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL. I think it is OK for most of us to just wish for rain. But the books I read indicate that weather magic is very tricky and can be overdone. Doing a spell to get rain, could perhaps cause flooding. So if you are into Wicca or its relatives, you need to be careful about thinking about bringing rain.

Seriously, thinking of salmon reminds me of the movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. I guess I know too many engineers. When I saw that movie I wondered why the Yemen was such a desert on either side of such a huge river.

But speaking of rain, it is actually fun to go places in the rain if you can manage to stay dry. My best memories of Disneyland are in the rain. The crowds thin and the lights are reflected in the rain and puddles. I enjoy this so much, I am not even going to share how I keep dry.

DEFENDING OUR DATA

We need a PUBLIC DEFENDERS office to PROTECT OUR DATA. A court does not work well unless there is experienced, vigorous, well researched argument for both sides. We already have a special court where the government subpoenas information. We just need to make that court work.

Even expert corporate attorneys can be outmatched by government attorneys. Corporate attorneys do not have the necessary background in criminal law and privacy law. If EVERY CASE was assigned a PUBLIC DATA DEFENDER, then even the small companies would have protection from government pressure.

Then we will need to set up an INTERNAL AFFAIRS office inside the NSA. Police officers are FIRED for accessing the police data base without proper investigative cause. NSA employees who casually give protected data to DEA agents, should also be fired. It may be necessary to protect the phone number data by putting it in a separate branch where data goes in, but data does NOT come out without the special court's order.

Emotions are running high over these issues. You should be aware that the NSA must go to a LOT of effort to listen to cell phone conversations. Mostly, the NSA just stores phone metadata. Metadata does NOT include the actual conversation. It is access to this metadata which should be defended by the PUBLIC DATA DEFENDER.

In order to reassure people, the first PUBLIC DATA DEFENDER should be a well respected civil rights attorney.