All right, guys.  I’m ready for the slings and arrows.  I have said that in my opinion, expressing our opinions to our representatives on any level means less than spit in the ocean (meaning it has no effective outcome).  That doesn’t mean that you won’t find me on the hamster wheel every now and then (meaning making great effort with no forward progress).

I received an e-letter from Senator Richard Burr today with a little update on his activities in Washington.  He opened with a note of concern about how health care reform may effect women.  Luckily, he made this one clear statement upfront.

As I have stated before, I agree that we need health care reform so that Americans, regardless of whether they are male or female, can access affordable coverage.

It’s a great relief to know that my senator is going to represent North Carolinians regardless of gender.

So I read the e-letter half-wondering what his IT staff is doing since they are clearly not filtering their databases.  When I got to the bottom, what do you know, there were some phone numbers.  In fact,  Richard Burr lives near here and he has a local office.  So I called.  I didn’t expect to talk to him but the receptionist was very nice.  At first. And I was very nice.  Although I’m sure she wanted to wash her hands after I finished.

“What was this news-letter you received?  Where did you get this phone number?” she asked.

Because I doubt that she was going to personally (or at all) deliver my message I decided to get on-line and e-mail it too.  (That’s how I got on the newsletter mailing list in the first place.)  Ahem.

I just read your e-letter about health care reform and women’s health.  It said “Rather than creating a new government-run plan”;  I hope you meant “In addition to creating a new-government run plan.”

You brought up a number of points that are not primary to reform of the nucleus of our profit driven health care payment system.  Of course insurance companies should not be able to cherry pick according to fluid rules and formulas.  This is close to the mark.

In the same e-letter you talk about malpractice issues and ob-gyns.  This is less a women’s health issue than it is a doctor- insurance issue that effects pregnant women during the window of active reproductive cycles. It could be addressed more simply by decriminalizing lay midwifery. The majority of women’s health issues (heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis) are not related to a full uterus.  Again, this is not the primary issue you need to be working on.

The payment for health care services is dominated by a system that demands more and more and delivers less and less.  This is where reform is needed.

I hope that you can help focus an effort to create effective and reasonable legislation that serves the people that you are serving.

With kindness,

A productive tax-paying volunteering charity-donating interfaith-supportive patriotic egalitarian vocal American mother/daughter/sister

This from Reuters

“School children dressed as Mahatma Gandhi take part in a cultural programme on the eve of Gandhi’s 140th birth anniversary, in the central Indian city of Bhopal October 1, 2009.”

Adorable, yes?

I have known for a long time that war is gruesome.  I made that connection when I was only nine years old and this picture taken by photojournalist Nick Ut was published.  Here was another nine year old girl from the other side of the world.  She effected me profoundly.  It frightened me then and even now makes me little nauseous.

Phan Thi Kim Phuc, Vietnam, 1972

Perhaps we have forgotten that war is a messy place where people get maimed and killed.  Maybe out of respect for this girl’s family, for her own dignity our media should have suppressed this picture.  Certainly Robert McNamara would have appreciated a little space to do his job without being hounded by liberal humanists that didn’t have the heart to recognize that when you make an omelette you have to crack a few eggs.

Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard, Afghanistan 2009

(update: photo of Bernard family and John Bernard’s recent efforts here)

Robert Gates is not very happy about the publishing of this photo which was taken by Julie Jacobson, an embedded photojournalist in Afghanistan.  He publicized his criticism of the Associated Press which included this sharp retort.

“Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me,”

“Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling,” Gates said.

“The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right — but judgment and common decency.”

My heart goes out to this boy’s father, his family, his friends.  I have never forgotten that little girl or the image that helped shape my political perspective.

We do not have to be a brutal species.

Here she goes again. In case you don’t believe your ears, the quote follows.

“make sure we bring down the cost of health care for all Americans and that ensures affordable access for all Americans and is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government.”

–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people will not vanish from this earth.

I wonder if Abe Lincoln envisioned the modern electorate and with it, the pool of potential candidates that would strive to lead and serve.  A couple of weeks ago I posted an article from the town to our east about Wade Preston Salmon, Jr.,  a middle-aged petty criminal that lived with his parents and was running for office.  Wade wants to see better bus service, free educational cable packages for children, more effective public run drug rehab centers and improved homeless shelters.  Two years ago Billy Jones, a good ol’ boy who started writing poetry in his late 30s, drives a truck part-time, and built a foot powered street plane for fun, ran for mayor of another nearby city.

Billy’s family has been in this area for generations.  He has a strong commitment to his neighborhood and community and wanted to address the ongoing issues of the people.  The city government is very involved in attracting business and industry, creating a fun environment to encourage people with discretionary money to live downtown and spend locally, and generally stoke the economic engine.  People like Wade and Billy see unaddressed problems that relate directly to the citizens daily living and have decided that the only way action will occur is if they roll up their sleeves and do something about it directly.

This election season another candidate has emerged from the street to challenge the status quo business model.  Jorge (George) Cornell is running for an at-large position on the city council.  As the founder and leader or Inca of the local chapter of the Almighty Latin Kings and Queens Nation (ALKQN or ALKN), this has garnered a great deal of attention.  North Carolina is one of the states that has refined the federal definition of ‘gang’ and the town has adopted a direct response through a gang unit with the police force to suppress gang activity.

About the candidate, yes, he is a convicted felon.  In a recent interview he couldn’t recall the specific year that he was convicted or the charge or the details of the crime.  He was put on probation and lost the right to vote in New York.  North Carolina voting does not have a reciprocal arrangement with New York nor are convicts barred from voting after serving their term of punishment.  After his probation and once he moved to North Carolina Jorge was surprised to find out that he could not only vote but could run for office.   Does he think that his criminal past will have a negative impact on his campaign?  Not according to this interview.

“More people can relate to me because I know what it is to be screwed by the system,” he said. “I know what it’s like to live in a city where your own police department can target you and racially profile you.  I’m your everyday person.  I’m a felon.  I believe we’re going to make history in more than one way:  I’m going to give the youth hope that, ‘Yeah, I could do that.’  I’m going to give hope to that felon, that, no, you don’t have to be a number , and still keep going back into the system.”

Yes, the people.  I have to wonder, is this casual acceptance of lawbreaking related to the proportion of our incarcerated citizens?

I found it interesting that the title of the article referred to this candidate as a gang leader so did some research.  All legal and political definitions of gangs reference criminal activity.  North Carolina defines a gang as an organization, association or group of three or more persons that has as one of its primary activities the commission of one or more criminal acts and whose members individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal activity and which has a common name, identifying sign, colors or symbols.  It is inclusion of criminal activity that makes say the Boy Scouts of America or the Shriners clubs but not gangs.  As well, there are religious orders that would qualify as gangs, for example some Christian churches that allow consummation of marriage with older men and underage girls.

In 2008 the Beloved Community Center and the Pulpit Forum of Clergy in Greensboro developed a document called A Paradigm Shift where the participants assert that the local ALKQN “have renounced stealing, drug use and initiating violence.”  These religious and gang leaders met for the purpose of creating a plan to engage gangs as a potential resource for safe communities, justice making and community building.  (I find it interesting that in doing so they candidly admitted that the ALKQN had in fact engaged in criminal activity.)  Under the direction of Inca King Jorge they dedicated themselves to put aside differences, amend their behavior for the higher purpose of improving the quality of life of socially and economically marginalized populations.

The internet is a funny place.  In an attempt to decide if the ALKN qualified as a gang, that is, has as a primary purpose felonious behavior I found two camps.  The law enforcement and academic sites that described gangs mentioned the ALKN and asserted that they were a gang.  The ALKN member sites primarily wrote about Kingdism, the religious outgrowth of the ALKN.  All the historical sites talked about their politics.  All of it is pretty heady stuff.  The group started in Chicago as a support to people from Puerto Rico which in the 40s was still in the process of moving from an American colony to a territory.  Previous to the Nationality Act which was passed in 1941 and the Nationality Law which was ratified in 1942, people born in Puerto Rico were statuatory United States citizens.  It wasn’t until 1950 that Puerto Rico became a commonwealth.  As there was more movement between Puerto Rico and the continental states there were adjustments and resentments.  Like the Young Lords, the originators of the ALKN were trying to ease that transitition.

It is undeniable that over the last 50 years many members and leadership of the Almighty Latin Kings and Queens Nation have been prosecuted and jailed for the types of activity that are associated with gangs–assault, larceny, procurement and dissemination of controlled substances, murder.

There is evidence particularly in the behavior of Inca Jorge that the local ALKQN has truly renounced initiating illegal violent behavior.  In fact, after Jorge called for a cessation of violence among all local gangs for the greater good of the community there were a number of incidents that could have resulted in escalating violence in retaliation.  Over the last year the ALKQN has made every attempt to work through the system, particularly the Human Rights Commission in order to resolve differences peacefully.  I applaud that.

From my reading this group does not resemble a gang so much as it may be defined as a cult.  There are of course many definitions of a cult.  The qualities that I am considering include the following:

• religion is a primary purpose of their gathering
• they set themselves away from associated religion through novel beliefs
• they set themselves away from mainstream society or politics
• there is a high degree of tension with surrounding society

The member websites that I read relied heavily on their connection with Christianity.  It seems somewhat cherry picked theology.  Their rituals seemed to feed directly to the power structure, somewhat like the very early Catholic Church.  Considering the general acceptance of thievery and violence they are a little shaky on the ten commandments.  As self-proclaimed lumpen they are clearly set away from mainstream politics and society.  They identify as oppressed citing non-black and non-brown people the oppressors.  Although there may not be the same degree of tension with individuals in the larger society there is a huge tension with this group and law enforcement which is the appointed protector of that greater society.

However this group and leader is defined, there is a long history of connection with street associations and politicians and this would not have escaped Abe Lincoln in being inclusive in a government of and by the people.  In his time there were the Bowery Boys in New York and the Plug Uglies in Baltimore.  These were influential and violent organizations that had cozy relationships with the men with legitimized power.

So why is this man who is counter to the system so determined to become a part of that system?  Last weekend I spoke to an uncle who had done social work and community building in New York City in the the late 60s.  In his view, successful politicians are motivated primarily if not solely by power.  Ideology is a vehicle and agenda is a non-issue.  In the community building he was involved in the aim was to create an agenda and exchange it with any politician in exchange for votes.  The community would put their support behind anyone who promised the most of what they wanted.  In other words, the community built the platform on which the politician stood.

There has been progress but there has also been disappointment and disillusion. For those people who have worked toward social justice there has been positive movement.  For the disenfranchised there has been improvement.  But not in proportion to the advancement of a select few.  I think the United States has an unstated caste and class system and it is just getting too big to deny.  I think that there are some very forward thinking people that are saying, hey, why not.  I have ideas and I have energy.  I represent at least the people I know and I have to do better than what’s going on right now.

I applaud Wade, Billy and Jorge.  I think that if they found themselves in public office they would be eaten without ketchup but it is a step in self-actualization and a positive example to others.

This is a candidate for city council at large in the town to our west.

Sure video killed the radio star.  That was just a warm up.  Like the recording from the Gates arrest, people are interpreting this video to strengthen whatever opinion they held before the event.  The comments section of the local on-line paper is instructive.  Some say “police brutality, plain and simple.”  Another claims that this was a set-up for publicity for the candidate’s campaign (I don’t know how they got the police to agree to stage this).  Another says that clearly, the policeman was overwhelmed by this hooligan and had no choice but to regretfully arrest him.

What did you see?  Think about it.  Video is a mirror.

This from the local paper to the east–Burlington Times News.

http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/candidate-26751-shouldn-class.html

617 N. Elm St in Historic Fisher Park

Our legislature is exploring taxing medical services in order to close the budget shortfall.  That means an extra charge on top of each dental cleaning, physical, check up, illness which I already pay for through insurance premiums, co-pays and the little extra doctors charge that insurance companies don’t cover.  In practical terms, this means that I will have my teeth cleaned once per year so the rest of the family can have their bi-annual check ups.

2205 W Market St in Historic Sunset Hills

A letter to today’s paper proposed government buying foreclosed property from banks then using a lottery system to dispose of them because this shell game works so well for education.

302 W Market St, downtown Greensboro

I think it may be time to look at some untapped resources.

The year we bought our house, the nearby town that provided our water hook ups decided that they needed to update the pipes that delivered our water.  As our property is in an unincorporated part of the county, we do not pay taxes to this municipality nor do we have representation.  There was a contract drawn up about 30 years before.  It was a simple agreement that the couple dozen households near the border would pay for the installation and upkeep of a water delivery system and would pay for the water at twice the rate of people living in town.  Not ideal but it worked.

After 30 years the town decided that the pipes needed to be bigger.  It is not that there is more demand along the line.  There had been some breaks and leaks which we property owners promptly had fixed at our own expense.  Still, the town insisted that our two inch pipe needed to be replaced with a six inch pipe.

As it turns out, we were paying for a system to serve a new neighborhood that was in the planning stages.  Several dozen new houses that would be within the city limits could be most directly served using the pipes that serviced our few houses.  My suggestion was that if the town had to use larger pipes they should pick up the difference in price.  We would pay replacement value for the current system; they could kick in the increased cost of a heftier infrastructure.  Of course, since we had no representation the town refused to entertain negotiations.  We got stuck with the inflated bill.

(This is typical property owner rant, I know but there is more to the story.)

You know how they say that Americans work a certain number of days just to pay taxes?  Well you could add another 9 weeks to that for me to pay off that freaking water line.  An unexpected expense but I paid it off.  Then several weeks later I heard the same lament but accomanied by a choir.  Apparently a property owner had petitioned the town to waive the fee.  They couldn’t afford it.  They were poor.  They had limited resources.  They asked for mercy.  And they got it.    Because they are a church.  Now I understand they are a small church with just a few dozen congregants but they are associated with a larger worldwide organization that rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars yearly.   And I understand that their portion of the bill was larger than mine because their quaint little congregation holds onto 14 acres of undeveloped land next to the new development.  And I understand that they are water conservationists of a sort, adhering to baptism of the Holy Spirit.  But all this is besides the point.

They got an exemption because they are a church.

First Presbyterian Church, 617 N Elm St in historic Fisher Park.

Our Lady of Grace, 2205 West Market Street in historic Sunset Hills.

West Market United Methodist, 302 W. Market St, downtown Greensboro.

Why are these agencies which sit on some of the most valuable land in the county not paying property taxes?

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

²²When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Matthew 15-22

I understand that a lawyer for the outgoing governor of Alaska has sent a warning to bloggers to back off.  This is from an associated press article.

…Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.

“To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as ‘fact’ that Governor Palin resigned because she is ‘under federal investigation’ for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation,” Van Flein said in a statement. “This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law.”

Now I know that defamation is the false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another so I will be very careful here.

Based on observation and analysis of public record, Sarah Palin is a loose wing nut in need of the firm application of thumb and forefinger.

So sue me.

My aim in being involved in establishing a community garden was not just to grow local foods but to build community.  This is expressed in our 10% giveaway, the community beds, the layout inviting people to walk and enjoy the tranquil scene.  It is also integral in the chance meetings of gardeners and the conversations that naturally arise as plot owners come by daily to care for their individual gardens.

Last night when I went to water another gardener came by.  I was a little preoccupied.  One of my sons had just told me that he was interested in talking to a marine recruiter.  He is a rising junior and is beginning to think about what he will do after finishing high school.  I mentioned this to the other gardener as we were watering our plants.

“Given your beliefs I imagine that’s really hard for you,” she said.

That seemed like an odd thing to say.  She and I had never spoken about my beliefs.  We had never spoken about philosophy or lifestyle or religion.  We’d talked about beans once or twice.

“I mean, you probably don’t think that it is ever acceptable to go to war.”

Where was she getting this from?

“Actually,” I told her, “our country was justified in entering World War II.  There were atrocities that needed to be addressed and I can wish that there had been a peaceful resolution to them but I can understand that a military response can be part of a solution. “

“Well I think that punishing a country that sent terrorists to destroy buildings in our country merits a military response.”

I was dumbfounded and made the mistake of reacting rather than responding.

“Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks.”

She gave me one of those knowing smiles that are reserved for the terribly ignorant.

“My son’s are in the Marines.  They tell me things that you probably don’t know about.”

How can anyone still believe that Saddam Hussein was the true initiator of the 9/11 attacks?  This amazes me.

But some people do.  And I would not have believed this if I had not had the opportunity to talk to a stranger with a similar common interest in making life a little better by clearing ground and growing something good.

For those who didn’t get the memo…