Memorial Day is the day that we honor those people who fought, and fight, for our freedoms.
It takes tremendous courage to pick up a weapon and take it to a place where you may be lawfully ordered to risk your life. There can never be enough respect for those people who obeyed a lawful order which resulted in their death.
Our police officers also obey orders in an attempt to keep us all free from violence. Sometimes the violent kill police officers. There can never be enough respect for those people who risk their lives to arrest a violent person.
Sometimes people risk their lives demonstrating on the streets for an important cause. There is NEVER an excuse to use violence while demonstrating. Throwing rocks at police officers and/or their horses is unacceptable behavior. It makes the cause of the demonstrators weaker, and makes their opponents stronger. It makes it easier to say, "Just ignore those crazy violent people out there on the streets."
Our democracy has multiple rules regarding what is a lawful order. Sometimes the pressure to make immediate gains blinds officers, who then make unlawful decisions.
Democracy is never easy. In a democracy you make progress by convincing people that your ideas are good ideas that will work for us all.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Monday, May 23, 2016
FREDDIE GRAY
PLEASE DO NOT RIOT.
I TOLD you that it is VERY DIFFICULT to convict police officers. This is because INTENT matters. INDIFFERENCE is NOT the same as INTENT.
Stopping the killing of black/brown men is going to take time. The violence caused by the War on Some Drugs is causing normal citizens to be frightened of black/brown men.
In case you still do not understand, I ask you to remember the St. Valentine's Day massacre during the height of prohibition. People refused to obey the laws against drinking alcohol. Police and the FBI tried very hard to enforce the laws against drinking alcohol, and violence resulted.
Originally the violence was blamed on the criminal. Eventually the people understood that it was the law that was at fault, and prohibition ended. The violence also ended.
You all seem to think that the War on Some Drugs only affects those of us who dare to violate those laws.
Now we are seeing young people die of heroin because they can not get pain medication. We are seeing black/brown men sentenced to life in prison for something a large number of us have also done. Most of the street drugs have WAY less effect on users and society than ALCOHOL.
The police have to show at least SOME drug arrests. It is way easier to arrest a poor person than a rich person. Rich people sue for false arrest, and they hire very effective defense attorneys who make the police look incompetent. Now really, if you were a police officer, who would YOU arrest?
I will never forget the Black man who told me that he had been arrested in Palo Alto for having less than an ounce of marijuana, which should have been a misdemeanor. He was charged with a felony because the marijuana was already rolled into cigarettes. Do you think a Stanford student on the way to a party would have been charged for a felony? In fact, the police would have never even opened the student's glove compartment, like they did the Black man's glove compartment.
WE NEED TO STOP THE WAR ON DRUGS WHICH IS CAUSING A WAR ON BLACK/BROWN MEN!
I TOLD you that it is VERY DIFFICULT to convict police officers. This is because INTENT matters. INDIFFERENCE is NOT the same as INTENT.
Stopping the killing of black/brown men is going to take time. The violence caused by the War on Some Drugs is causing normal citizens to be frightened of black/brown men.
In case you still do not understand, I ask you to remember the St. Valentine's Day massacre during the height of prohibition. People refused to obey the laws against drinking alcohol. Police and the FBI tried very hard to enforce the laws against drinking alcohol, and violence resulted.
Originally the violence was blamed on the criminal. Eventually the people understood that it was the law that was at fault, and prohibition ended. The violence also ended.
You all seem to think that the War on Some Drugs only affects those of us who dare to violate those laws.
Now we are seeing young people die of heroin because they can not get pain medication. We are seeing black/brown men sentenced to life in prison for something a large number of us have also done. Most of the street drugs have WAY less effect on users and society than ALCOHOL.
The police have to show at least SOME drug arrests. It is way easier to arrest a poor person than a rich person. Rich people sue for false arrest, and they hire very effective defense attorneys who make the police look incompetent. Now really, if you were a police officer, who would YOU arrest?
I will never forget the Black man who told me that he had been arrested in Palo Alto for having less than an ounce of marijuana, which should have been a misdemeanor. He was charged with a felony because the marijuana was already rolled into cigarettes. Do you think a Stanford student on the way to a party would have been charged for a felony? In fact, the police would have never even opened the student's glove compartment, like they did the Black man's glove compartment.
WE NEED TO STOP THE WAR ON DRUGS WHICH IS CAUSING A WAR ON BLACK/BROWN MEN!
Thursday, May 19, 2016
VOTE FOR SCIENCE OVER FEAR
SCIENCE HAS SHOWN that TEEN USE GOES DOWN when MEDICAL MARIJUANA is available. SCIENCE has shown that marijuana has never been directly responsible for the death of a human.
Those of us Silicon Valley people who live in San Jose have a chance to vote for SCIENCE OVER FEAR.
Measure C is a rational method of providing medical marijuana to those in need of marijuana's medicinal qualities.
So far, the City of San Jose has been extremely arbitrary and capricious regarding medical marijuana clinics. My visiting a clinic seems to be the 'kiss of death'. The clinic will tell me that they are OK for a year, then are closed the next month.
The clinic I mourn the most, is the clinic that renovated an Art Deco house. Just after they put in an expensive wheelchair ramp, San Jose shut them down.
I can not prove that bribes are being taken, but the decisions made by San Jose officials do not seem to be consistent. Measure C will stop the weird decisions being made by San Jose officials.
An example of a weird decision was when the last downtown clinic was shut. The city official told me that the clinic was a gross violation of the location law. But the San Jose City Attorney stated in the voter pamphlet, that the downtown core was a valid location for a clinic.
Please let me and all other disabled people be able to go to clinics that are close and safe. Going into an industrial area with cash is dangerous for me. It is even dangerous for disabled veterans who want to try to conquer their PSTD.
PLEASE VOTE FOR SCIENCE OVER FEAR.
Those of us Silicon Valley people who live in San Jose have a chance to vote for SCIENCE OVER FEAR.
Measure C is a rational method of providing medical marijuana to those in need of marijuana's medicinal qualities.
So far, the City of San Jose has been extremely arbitrary and capricious regarding medical marijuana clinics. My visiting a clinic seems to be the 'kiss of death'. The clinic will tell me that they are OK for a year, then are closed the next month.
The clinic I mourn the most, is the clinic that renovated an Art Deco house. Just after they put in an expensive wheelchair ramp, San Jose shut them down.
I can not prove that bribes are being taken, but the decisions made by San Jose officials do not seem to be consistent. Measure C will stop the weird decisions being made by San Jose officials.
An example of a weird decision was when the last downtown clinic was shut. The city official told me that the clinic was a gross violation of the location law. But the San Jose City Attorney stated in the voter pamphlet, that the downtown core was a valid location for a clinic.
Please let me and all other disabled people be able to go to clinics that are close and safe. Going into an industrial area with cash is dangerous for me. It is even dangerous for disabled veterans who want to try to conquer their PSTD.
PLEASE VOTE FOR SCIENCE OVER FEAR.
Monday, May 16, 2016
TESLA SUBCONTRACTORS
The scandal of the day is how Tesla saved money when building a paint shop by using a contractor who brought in H-1B workers.
The foreign workers were not paid the prevailing union wage, nor were they paid for their amazing overtime hours. It does not look like they bothered to buy worker's compensation insurance.
This is more than an indictment of the H-1B worker program.
Now Tesla has a real problem. May I suggest that the attorneys bringing suit against Tesla request copies of ALL federal, state, and local grant, tax subsidy, etc. contracts and other documents. Be CERTAIN that all parts of the contracts are present.
I would be really surprised if most, if not all, of the grants, subsidies, etc. did not include clauses that require Tesla AND ITS CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS TO PAY PREVAILING UNION WAGES.
As we move into an economy where construction and service jobs are more important than manufacturing, we have to insure that construction and service workers are treated fairly and paid correctly.
Did you know that The Donald also uses H-1B and other programs to bring in foreign workers? It is said that he got his start in New York by not paying Polish workers to tear down a building where he then built Trump Towers.
The foreign workers were not paid the prevailing union wage, nor were they paid for their amazing overtime hours. It does not look like they bothered to buy worker's compensation insurance.
This is more than an indictment of the H-1B worker program.
Now Tesla has a real problem. May I suggest that the attorneys bringing suit against Tesla request copies of ALL federal, state, and local grant, tax subsidy, etc. contracts and other documents. Be CERTAIN that all parts of the contracts are present.
I would be really surprised if most, if not all, of the grants, subsidies, etc. did not include clauses that require Tesla AND ITS CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS TO PAY PREVAILING UNION WAGES.
As we move into an economy where construction and service jobs are more important than manufacturing, we have to insure that construction and service workers are treated fairly and paid correctly.
Did you know that The Donald also uses H-1B and other programs to bring in foreign workers? It is said that he got his start in New York by not paying Polish workers to tear down a building where he then built Trump Towers.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
HOW CHINA CHOOSES LEADERS
Yesterday, in the China Daily, there was a very interesting cartoon booklet that explains how China chooses its leaders.
The booklet states that leaders are now judged on more than just GDP. Social change and the environment are now part of the criteria for doing a good job in government. If you can find the booklet, there is a stack of books listing the major criteria for judging whether a party leader is doing a good job.
The booklet mentions several times that polls regarding how people are thinking is a major part of the process. I loved the snarky comment about how they did not want their leaders wasting time and money on getting elected.
The booklet also states that currently the leaders have to reflect the ethnic makeup of the population. This especially includes Tibet, the booklet states.
I found it amazing that ALL of the party cartoon leaders in the booklet were MEN. It is sad that China has given up on equality for women.
Maybe this misogyny is what is responsible for the behavior that Queen Elizabeth found to be "rude". The Chinese delegation was almost certainly all men. The British people doing planning and security were women.
Those cultures who treat women as if they were children and/or possessions are going to have increasing difficulties operating in the 21st century.
The booklet states that leaders are now judged on more than just GDP. Social change and the environment are now part of the criteria for doing a good job in government. If you can find the booklet, there is a stack of books listing the major criteria for judging whether a party leader is doing a good job.
The booklet mentions several times that polls regarding how people are thinking is a major part of the process. I loved the snarky comment about how they did not want their leaders wasting time and money on getting elected.
The booklet also states that currently the leaders have to reflect the ethnic makeup of the population. This especially includes Tibet, the booklet states.
I found it amazing that ALL of the party cartoon leaders in the booklet were MEN. It is sad that China has given up on equality for women.
Maybe this misogyny is what is responsible for the behavior that Queen Elizabeth found to be "rude". The Chinese delegation was almost certainly all men. The British people doing planning and security were women.
Those cultures who treat women as if they were children and/or possessions are going to have increasing difficulties operating in the 21st century.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
DOG WHISTLE POLITICS
Dog whistle politics is when someone makes a statement, but there is a hidden meaning in the statement. Usually this hidden meaning is racist, misogynistic and/or xenophobic.
I believe that Donald Trump is using dog whistle phrases. When he says, 'Make America Great Again', he means 'white men should run everything' and 'beautiful women can work for me because then I have a pool of women to hit on'.
I do not believe in using nasty nicknames, even though Donald uses nasty nicknames.
However, I may make an exception.
Have you seen the Lady Trump bit on the Bill Maher Show? He likens Donald's actions to a song in My Fair Lady. The bit has to be seen, it can not be described.
If polite people do not want to use 'Lady Trump', may I suggest using The Donald. That would bring to mind Donald Duck rather than winning in poker.
Do you really want The Donald to have his finger on the nuclear bomb button?
I believe that Donald Trump is using dog whistle phrases. When he says, 'Make America Great Again', he means 'white men should run everything' and 'beautiful women can work for me because then I have a pool of women to hit on'.
I do not believe in using nasty nicknames, even though Donald uses nasty nicknames.
However, I may make an exception.
Have you seen the Lady Trump bit on the Bill Maher Show? He likens Donald's actions to a song in My Fair Lady. The bit has to be seen, it can not be described.
If polite people do not want to use 'Lady Trump', may I suggest using The Donald. That would bring to mind Donald Duck rather than winning in poker.
Do you really want The Donald to have his finger on the nuclear bomb button?
Friday, May 6, 2016
SCAN YOUR PHOTOS
At any time, Mother Nature can turn all you own into ash or rubble.
When I have talked to people who have lost everything, the thing they most mourn is the loss of the photos of friends, families, and good times.
Scan your photos, upload them or send them to others, such as your children.
Then if you are caught by Mother Nature, you will have photos to remind you of the past, giving you courage to walk into the future.
When I have talked to people who have lost everything, the thing they most mourn is the loss of the photos of friends, families, and good times.
Scan your photos, upload them or send them to others, such as your children.
Then if you are caught by Mother Nature, you will have photos to remind you of the past, giving you courage to walk into the future.
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