The Randomness of Me

Ooops!

This could be the best pic from the GOP circus, I mean primary, yet.

Ideas around who are the 99% are as vast and varied as the protestors occupying public spaces around the globe. The same is true for the 1%.

Those people, households and families on the bottom of the threshold could very well be the work-a-day guy driving the bus to the encampment who is struggling with a mortgage and college tuition for his kids or the single parent police woman called upon to “control” and disburse the crowds. Pitting one class against another without fully understanding and knowing the faces and stories behind the numbers does a diservice to this growing movement and the change and dialogue it can create. In Oakland, a young black man fell victim to an old argument and died in the encampment, the 99% was quick to point out that they - the young man and his killer - were not a part of the 99%. How can that be true when young men like them struggle every day to find jobs that will support them and, when they can’t, resort ot underground economies like drug sales to make ends meet. Aren’t these young men a part of the 99% and don’t they deserve not to be demonized and ostracisized from a movement that could helo them find a road out of poverty?

As we move to create change and hold true the ideals of free specch and public dissent, we must be careful not to make judegments about people on the other sideof the table. Yes, the Donald Trumps of the world should be made to pay thier fair share but let’s be clear that not everyone in the 1% is a Fat Cat who is milking the system. No, we can not condone violence but we can acknowledge that the pathology that leads to young men of color engaging in these behaviors is based in poverty and exclusion that must be a part of this dialogue.

In order to make this movement be one that truly embraces the ideals and values of our Constitution and that provides spaces for all of the 99% it must first do a bit of soul searching and not become like the monster against which it rails.

Norman Borlaug: Scientist and Father of the Green Revolution…if food justice, equity, and access are your thing, and you don’t know Norman, you need to get with him…

Well here’s a statement if ever I saw one…

My question though is - What’s the message? Is it a pronouncement on the state of America or a disgruntled dog owner ticked off with pooper scoop and leash laws?

Here is a fundraiser for Ed Lee that some of you might find interesting. District 10 Supervisor Mahlia Cohen and a group of African American professional organizations will host Kasim Reed, Atlanta’s Mayor, at a networking event this Friday. Here are the deets (You must RSVP using this link http://africamericanprofessionalsnetwork-eorg.eventbrite.com/:

Bay Area Professionals

Business Reception/Mixer

Special Guest

Kasim Reed - Mayor of Atlanta, GA

                San Francisco Chinatown Hitlon Hotel

750 Kearney Street, San Francisco

VIP Reception w/Kasim Reed: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Event: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

HOSTS

African American Professionals Network

Glass House Communications

Black Founders (Start-Up)

Howard University Alumni Association

LinkedIn Bay Area Black Professionals Groups

National Organization for the Professional Advancement of
Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChe)

VIP Reception & Mixer - Requested Contribution - $100.00

Professional Mixer (Contribution at the Door) - $50.00

For contribution at the door, please make checks payable to: 
Ed Lee For Mayor 2011

No Corporate/Business Checks Accepted
FPPC# 1340520

Somaly Mam Foundation - It’s all about eradicating human trafficking which is tantamount to modern day slavery. The foundation is the project of a survivor from Cambodia. I like that they do more than just promote that issue - they go out and help rescue and recover people impacted by the trade in human capital. They also facilitate Project Futures which provides ways for others to get involved in a real way… 

Ok…Fat Cats first…Whose got utensils?!

Ok…Fat Cats first…Whose got utensils?!

Clearly Mr. Burns is not with Warren Buffet on the whole tax me more debate. Oddly he looks a bit like Mayor Bloomberg right before he decided the Occupiers camp needed “cleaning”…

Thanks Juan…

thepoliticalnotebook:

#OccupyManchester. More than 20,000 people are currently taking part in the protests against Britain’s Tory Party and massive government spending cuts. The pictures above are from Twitter users @Marvscouncil and @RichardSearle of protests in Albert Square. The hashtags being used for this are #OccupyManchester #OccupyMCR #antitorymarch #oct2demo.

Read the BBC story.

Thanks to Tumblr user revolutiontrainee for alerting me to this.

(via bespangled)

Apparently the United States Postal Services debt chomped more than the agency could part with and it looks like the USPS will become a mere shell of its former self. No Saturday service, no mailboxes…say it isn’t so.

The creed frequently attributed to the Postal Service is actually a quote from a Herodotus text that appears on a Post Office in New York Cityand not  the agency’s motto.

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” 

 They did, however, approve a commercial with a similar sentiment after 9/11: 

We are mothers and fathers. And sons and daughters. Who every day go about our lives with duty, honor and pride. And neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, nor a nation challenged, will stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds. Ever.

Guess they all forgot about how debt can cripple…

The GOP War on Voting (via pantslessprogressive)

(Source: thesmithian, via bespangled)

Snapped this pic of cops in riot gear just before tonight’s madness began…ready, armed and waiting…

Poverty Matters…

This interactive map shows where the London rioters came from. Take a look and you will see that a significant number came from disenfranchised, poverty stricken areas. Disillusionment with the system is common among oppressed people. The police shooting of Mark Duggan is one event that sparked the riots but underlying issues associated with poverty (like the deep cuts to social support programs made by England’s Parliament) must certainly have played a role in people demonstrating their anger and frustration through violence.

Those who think those in London had no legitimate reason to take action, should, in fact, look more closely at the widening schism between classes and how that contributes to feelings of anger and the need to do something, anything to make change. Our American legislators would do well to take note from what happened in London. As we move towards finding ways to reduce our national debt, we must not allow our poorest and most vulnerable to bear the brunt of these efforts. 

Chipping away at or dismantling the social programs that enable millions to sustain themselves, their families and communities could very well result in poor,  disenfranchised Americans taking to the streets to affect change, to be heard and to send a message that they are not the problem and should not be treated as such. 

Last night, I dropped in on the SF Mayoral Forum at the African American Cultural Complex in the Fillmore.

The packed house sat on the edge of it’s collective seat as the candidates fielded questions about everything from their positions on state budget cuts and their impact on City services to whether or not they’d keep the newly (Ed Lee appointed) Police Chief.

The moderator kept it quippy and light in the first round of questions - even when Ed Lee finally showed up and she shot him with a ‘so did you lie about not running or what question,’ which he answered quite well.

The follow up query, which she directed at several of the current and former Supes on the stage - ‘What vote, if any, do you regret?’

All of respondents - Chiu, Alioto-Pier, and Dufty - took the bait and laid in to Lee about actually running when he promised he would not. Which, did not really answer the question…

In round two, no more jokey fun. The gloves came off and candidates responded to questions with the tenacity of a pit bull in the midst of a dog fight. All in all they did pretty well and clearly have mastered their sound-bite training.

Let’s see how things progress as we move closer to election day.

To the Supes who thought Lee wouldn’t run after tasting the Mayoral  Kool-Aide, I’m not sure I want you negotiating for me in these hard times…