Crying

I have never had a radio news story make me cry before this morning, but I could not contain my tears while listening to the KGO810 report on housing evictions in the bay area. They were following sheriffs who's sole job has become evictions, which they must execute with alarming frequency. In fact, they estimate 100 per week and rising. Their job is thankless and heart wrenching, but they cannot allow themselves to feel the human feelings of compassion and understanding because they are there at behest of the bank - an entity which is not human & is, therefore, not subject to human feelings. It does not matter whether or not these individuals are to blame for their current situation because they signed a loan agreement that they could not afford; they are now paying the ultimate price. And where will they go, the officers do not know. Some will likely relocate with family members or to a local family homeless shelter - if they have openings. Many of them will find it difficult to find a place to rent due to their foreclosure history. The worst, however, is the people for whom hope is lost and they cannot fathom going on, like the man who the officers found had committed suicide in his living room rather than face his impending eviction.

My question is, how have we come to this? How have we as a nation moved so far from basic human compassion and hope that we the people silenly slip into the abyss while the government that is suppose to be by & for us holds up and defends those same entities that are leaving us to bleed out on the battlefield? I have no answer, only a dream of change and a slight kernel of hope that things may improve.

Why kids & politics DO mix!!!

So today my daughter (age 9) asked me why we need a President. Since I never give the short "just because" answer, I proceeded to explain systems of government to her. We talked a bit about democracy (rule by the many), aristocracy (rule by the few), & theocracy (rule by the church). Then I asked her what she thought a monarchy was . .. to which she replied: rule by butterflies!

After much laughter, we decided to read the Constitution as a bedtime story!

Sick of seeing this political ad

I cannot tell you how sickened I am every time I see the "Yes on 8" ad. (this is in the State of California) For anyone not familiar with it, let me fill you in. In 2000, California voters passed Prop 22 defining marriage as a contract between heterosexual couples. After many rebellious events by the SF Mayor allowing homosexual marriage, many court cases were initiate, one of which reached the California Supreme Court. The court ruled that Prop 22 violated the equal protection clause of the Ca. Constitution. Now every couple is recognized equally under the law. Now Prop 8 is out to reverse the Court's decision by once again defining marriage as between a man & a woman. Despite the fact that I am against the principle of the Proposition, the ad that they are running is repulsive. It begins with the gloom and doom, evil judges imposing horror on California, blah blah blah. But then they trot out this expert who says that this law legislates people's personal beliefs and will cause discrimination law suits against churches, etc. It is a throw-back to post-Civil War Jim Crow tactics. And it is absolute idiocy. The legislature & the Court cannot Legislate BELIEFS. If an individual chooses to discriminate against others - that is their choice, but in this state all people have equal rights! After the Civil War, plenty of people were angry about the United States Government LEGISLATING that all men (despite the color of their skin) were equal citizens under the law. It did not matter that the law said it was so, it took more that 100 years for African-American's to be truly treated as equals; and some people still choose to hold onto their prejudices!

So I guess what I am trying to say is - it is WRONG to legislate and uphold inequality. People don't have to LIKE it or BELIEVE it, but they do have to RESPECT it!

So, any Californian who blunders across my blog, please VOTE NO ON 8!!!