We start the week with a Hero Award, something we occasionally give out here to someone who just does the right thing on a matter big or small.
And this week, in fact, we have a double award.
Our first hero is Brennon Jones of Philadelphia, who for the past year has been running a service he calls "Haircut 4 Homeless," a one-man mobile barbershop giving free haircuts and shaves to the city's homeless men - not only that, but providing food, clothing, and toiletries. Which certainly makes him a hero around here.
Meanwhile, Sean Johnson had a successful barbershop going in the city, successful enough that he had just purchased a new storefront a few doors down from his existing one.
Jones was likely a little surprised when Johnson, who he had never met, said he - that is, Johnson - wanted to show Jones something.
As Jones tells it,
[Johnson said] "Listen, I’ve got a building I want you to come check out." He said, "Do you like this place?" I said, "Yeah I like it." He tossed me the key and said, "It's yours."
The new shop opens sometime this month, with Mondays dedicated to serving the homeless, partnering with shelters and stylists to provide transportation, a haircut, and food.
Making Sean Johnson, whose decision to pay it forward made it possible, our second hero.
What's Left
for the week of November 10 - 16, 2017
This week:
Hero Award: Brennon Jones and Sean Johnson
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/11/6/1713224/-Barber-who-has-been-giving-free-haircuts-to-homeless-is-gifted-barbershop-by-stranger
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/01/stranger-gifts-barbershop-to-man-behind-haircuts-for-homeless.html
Clown Award: unnamed man who went to a Halloween party dressed as a suicide bomber
https://splinternews.com/louisiana-supreme-court-rules-that-a-man-who-asked-for-1820085946
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2017/11/02/the-suspect-told-police-give-me-a-lawyer-dog-the-court-says-he-wasnt-asking-for-a-lawyer/
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/357985-roy-moore-impeach-judge-blocking-transgender-military-ban
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/the-lawlessness-of-roy-moore/541467/
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-arrests-man-who-dressed-as-suicide-bomber-for-halloween-9384492
Question: why has the left dropped military spending as an issue?
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/house-senate-negotiators-land-on-700-billion-deal-for-pentagon/
http://fair.org/home/outlets-that-scolded-sanders-over-deficits-uniformly-silent-on-700b-pentagon-handout/
http://www.pogoarchives.org/straus/dm/defense_monitor_jan_may_2017.pdf
https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1190216/dod-releases-fiscal-year-2018-budget-proposal/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/opinion/americas-forever-wars.html
We Are Not Alone: Malaysia, Vietnam, India
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-to-roll-out-more-than-us-1b-worth-of-flood-mitigation-9378508
http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/7-killed-10000-evacuated-penang-and-kedah-floods-worsen
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/malaysia-to-roll-out-more-than-us-1b-worth-of-flood-mitigation-9378508
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/11/299593/penang-floods-meteorological-dept-explains-what-triggered-heavy-rainfall
http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/1056471.html
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2017/11/07/death-toll-from-vietnam-typhoon-rises-to-69/
http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Blanketed-in-toxic-haze-New-Delhi-has-become-12338697.php
http://abcnews.go.com/International/severe-air-pollution-declared-public-health-emergency-delhi/story?id=50987745
Outrage of the Week: sexism, the cause of sexual harassment and assault
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/10/22/women-of-the-senate-share-their-metoo-stories-of-harassment/23251721/
https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/one-common-denominator-all-sexual-harassers-seem-share
https://hbr.org/2017/10/a-study-used-sensors-to-show-that-men-and-women-are-treated-differently-at-work
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/03/gender-pay-gap-facts/
https://womenintheworkplace.com/
Next up, another of our occasional features. It's the Hero Award, something we give out as the occasion arises to someone who just does the right thing on a matter big or small.
Earlier in the show I said I regarded any obstruction thrown in the way of the death penalty to be good news. So this certainly counts.
Our Hero is Aramis Ayala, the State Attorney for Orange-Osceola counties in Florida. On March 16 she announced that her office will no longer seek the death penalty as a sentence in any case in which it is involved.
Ayala, the first African-American in Florida history to be elected a prosecutor, said the death penalty provides no safety benefits to the public or law enforcement, is not a deterrent, winds up costing more than life in prison, and gives victims' families false hope for closure, among other reasons.
Bear in mind that Florida is home to death-loving "Stand Your Ground" laws and has as a governor Rick Scott, the secret identity of Voldemort. Florida loves death almost as much as Texas does.
Aramis Ayala
So it should not be a surprise that reaction from Florida officialdom was swift and hostile. Gov. Voldemort pulled her off the case and the judge in the case was so eager to get the possible killing started that he would not even delay case until Ayala could get a ruling on her claim that Voldemort had no lawful authority to remove her.
What's more, the GOPpers who dominate the state legislature propose to cut her budget by $1.3-1.4 million and eliminate 21 staff positions for daring to exercise her prosecutorial authority in a less bloodthirsty way than they want.
How this will play out from here remains to be seen. What is clear is that Aramis Ayala has chosen the correct side of justice and history and pointed up, even if unintentionally, how the death penalty is not about justice but bloody vengeance. And for that, she is a Hero.
What's Left
for the week of March 30 - April 5, 2017
This week:
Good News: victory on disability rights
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/22/high-court-bolsters-rights-learning-disabled-students.html
http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-supreme-court-rules-for-children-with-1490202454-htmlstory.html
Good News: victory on the death penalty
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/03/28/supreme-court-rules-for-texas-death-row-inmate-over-iq-claim/22015198/
Good News: resistance to corruption in Russia
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/nationwide-protests-bring-thousands-to-russias-streets/2017/03/26/7e3af598-128b-11e7-bb16-269934184168_story.html?utm_term=.dcb767264b97
https://www.rt.com/news/382381-russia-opposition-protests-detentions/
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/26/521594477/russians-take-to-the-streets-in-nationwide-anti-government-protests
http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-russia-protests-20170326-story.html
Not Good News: $15 minimum wage vetoed in Baltimore
http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/26/dem-mayor-vetoes-15-min-wage-bill/
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/pass-the-buck.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-actually-earns-the-minimum-wage/
Right-wing trying to change rules on minimum wage
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/11/minimum-wage-advocates-won-big-in-november-but-now-theyre-at-risk-of-losing-all-over-again/
http://www.thestand.org/2017/03/early-i-1433-results-are-in-raising-minimum-wage-boosts-jobs/
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/3/23/1645780/--SaveTheWage-Protect-Minimum-Wage-Raises-from-Corporate-Lobbyists-and-Lawyers
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/minimum-wage-supreme-court-backs-voters-over-business-interests-9163185
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2017/03/1511-update-repressing-protest.html
The love of profit is the root of all economic evil
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2015/10/2227-pursuit-of-profit-is-baseline.html
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-Timothy-6-10/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-03-23/inside-alabama-s-auto-jobs-boom-cheap-wages-little-training-crushed-limbs
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/02/26/during-obamas-presidency-wealth-inequality-has-increased-and-poverty-levels-are-higher/
http://www.epi.org/publication/the-top-charts-of-2016-13-charts-that-show-the-difference-between-the-economy-we-have-now-and-the-economy-we-could-have/
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEHOINUSA672N
http://fortune.com/2017/01/16/world-richest-men-income-equality/
Outrage of the Week: TheRump attacks the climate
https://thecorrespondent.com/6285/shell-made-a-film-about-climate-change-in-1991-then-neglected-to-heed-its-own-warning/692663565-875331f6
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/08/exxon-climate-change-1981-climate-denier-funding
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/7/8/1400557/-Former-Exxon-scientist-says-Exxon-knew-about-climate-change-and-fossil-fuels-in-1981
http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/3/27/14922516/trump-executive-order-climate
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/11/06/2013-26785/preparing-the-united-states-for-the-impacts-of-climate-change
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/16/press-briefing-press-secretary-sean-spicer-3162017-25
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/03/trumps-war-on-the-climate-begins/519159/
For the Record: Daniel Pantaleo should have been fired long ago
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/3/22/1646219/-Leaked-documents-show-the-NYPD-officer-who-killed-Eric-Garner-should-have-been-fired-a-long-time-ago
For the Record: MakeTweetsGreatAgain
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/03/27/1647743/-Thanks-to-these-computer-developers-when-Trump-tweets-the-ACLU-gets-a-donation
https://maketweetsgreatagain.us/
For the Record: forum on trade with Africa included no Africans
https://www.indy100.com/article/africa-trade-meeting-african-visa-denied-us-travel-ban-global-economic-development-summit-7637666
Clown Award: a majority of American men
https://www.scribd.com/document/342699692/PerryUndem-Gender-and-Birth-Control-Access-Report
https://thinkprogress.org/congress-is-more-regressive-on-womens-rights-than-most-voters-poll-finds-88efc93d7e59#.t6051vj6e
Hero Award: Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Somerville, MA
Now for one of our occasional features; this is the Hero Award, given out as the occasion arises to someone who just does the right thing on a matter big or small.
Our hero this time is Mayor Joseph Curtatone of Somerville, Massachusetts, oddly enough not for what he did but for what he didn't do.
But now, the police union in Somerville is demanding the banner be taken down and replaced with one carrying the vapid greeting card sentimentality of "All Lives Matter."
Joseph Curtatone
Demonstrating true command of hyperbole, the union's letter to the mayor accused the Black Lives Matter movement of "inciting" violence against police, called the banner "deeply troubling," "inconceivable," and "demoralizing," and accused the mayor of "standing silent over the seemingly daily protest assassinations of innocent police officers around the country."
Just as a sidebar: Thirty-three cops in the US have been killed by gunfire so far this year. Well over a third, perhaps half of them if not more, were killed by white people.
So what didn't Mayor Curtatone do? Capitulate.
"My unwavering support for our police officers does not and cannot preempt our commitment to addressing systemic racism in our nation," Curtatone said.
The banner remains. And Joseph Curtatone is a Hero.
Sources cited in links:
http://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/07/20/somerville-police-union-asks-mayor-remove-black-lives-matter-banner-city-hall
https://www.odmp.org/search/year
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-cops-killed-white-men-conservatives-silent-article-1.2632965
After that, we have to lighten things up a bit, which we will do by giving out a Hero Award, something we do as need arises to recognize someone who just does right thing on a matter big or small.
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on May 25, Lofgren read aloud part of the testimony of Gail Heriot, who had testified against the Obama administration's recent guidance for schools on how to accommodate transgender students.
This is the part of Heriot's testimony which she quoted: "If I believe that I am a Russian princess, that doesn't make me a Russian princess, even if my friends and acquaintances are willing to indulge my fantasy. Nor am I a Great Horned Owl just because I happen to share some personality traits with those feathered creatures."
Rep. Zoe Lofgren
Lofgren called that "offensive" - which is probably the mildest description it deserves, as it equates being transgender with being delusional to the point of insanity. Lofgren said that she regretted that it was in the record.
When Heriot jumped in to say the Obama administration's guidelines were "offensive," Lofgren would have none of it, declaring and this is the money quote,
"I think you're a bigot, lady. I think you are an ignorant bigot."
The committee chair told Lofgren she was out of order. I think she was spot on. And a Hero.
Sources cited in links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Lofgren
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/zoe-lofgren-witness-bigot-transgender
Left Side of the Aisle
for the week of June 2-8, 2016
This week:
Good News: Mr. Death loses a couple
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2016/05/john_roberts_s_court_sees_racism_in_foster_v_chatman.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/im-not-saying-the-supreme-court-is-passive-aggressive-but/484007/
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/05/supreme-court-foster-chatman
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/05/31/supreme_court_makes_death_penalty_less_inhumane_in_lynch_v_arizona.html
http://www.npr.org/2016/05/31/480181285/amid-strong-dissent-supreme-court-weighs-in-on-2-death-penalty-cases
Not Good News: "End of the road" for antibiotics in sight?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/05/26/the-superbug-that-doctors-have-been-dreading-just-reached-the-u-s/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_p1most-partner-1
http://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2016/05/26/dreaded-superbug-found-for-first-time-in-u-s-patient-a-physicians-perspective/#752e7a786241
http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/organisms/cre/index.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/05/27/1531441/-First-superbug-resistant-to-a-last-resort-antibiotic-confirmed-in-US
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/05/03/1-in-3-antibiotics-prescribed-in-u-s-are-unnecessary-major-study-finds/?tid=a_inl
http://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2016/05/26/dreaded-superbug-found-for-first-time-in-u-s-patient-a-physicians-perspective/#752e7a786241
Ya Gotta Just Laugh: what TheRump wants in a VP
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/5/26/1531171/-Trump-adviser-Trump-wants-a-white-male-vice-president-to-do-all-the-presidenting-he-won-t-do
Footnote: media ignore poverty in debates
http://fair.org/home/in-nine-democratic-debates-not-a-single-question-about-poverty/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/23/youre-more-likely-to-be-fatally-crushed-by-furniture-than-killed-by-a-terrorist/
Still trying to start on upbeat notes, we have a Hero Award, something we give out here on occasion to someone who just does the right thing on a matter big or small.
This time, it's a joint award and it's going to two young Australians, Nic Marchesi and Lucas Pratchett.
In 2014 they came up with a simple but brilliant idea to improve the health standards of and offer some self-respect to homeless people in their home city of Brisbane. It began with an old van, a generator, and, most importantly, a washer and dryer. With that, they founded Orange Sky Laundry, a free mobile laundry service for the homeless.
The pair, who had previously worked in a food van to help feed those in need, realized there were mobile organizations that fed people, offered medical care, and so on, but nothing to help people maintain clean clothing. They set about to fix that.
In no time, the program expanded and now has five vans operating in 36 locations in five cities in Australia with the help of more than 270 volunteers, washing and drying over 350 free loads of laundry every week.
It's one of those things we don't often think about, one of the more hidden burdens of homelessness and poverty, that a simple thing we take for granted, like putting on a clean shirt, is something denied to so many.
Nic Marchesi / Lucas Pratchett
Does Orange Sky Laundry - the name came from the song "Orange Sky" by Alexi Murdoch - provide a home for the homeless? Of course not. Does it provide some dignity to the homeless? Absolutely.
In recognition of their work, Patchett and Marchesi just became the first-ever joint winners of the Australian of the Year Award.
Now they are talking about going global: They intend to introduce the service to Europe next month and the US later in the year, where it will no doubt be sneered at by some as just encouraging dependency.
Doesn't matter. Nic Marchesi and Lucas Pratchett are, without doubt, heroes.
Sources cited in links:
http://www.care2.com/causes/young-aussies-become-heroes-doing-laundry-for-the-homeless.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak7afgLM5fM
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-26/brisbane-friends-win-young-australian-of-the-year/7114428
As long as the subject of guns is up, let's go right to one of our occasional features, it's called the Hero Award and it's given as the occasion arises to someone who just does the right thing on a matter big or small.
In this case, it is a big thing and our hero isn't a person, it's a newspaper - or, to be precise, the editors of a newspaper. And you could consider it our first double award because there were two things that prompted it.
The paper is the NY Daily News and the first part of the award is for the image on the top right.
It's the front page of the paper from December 3, the day after the mass murder at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernadino, California on December 2. It called out in no uncertain terms the cowards who hide behind platitudes of "our thoughts and prayers go to the victims" in lieu of actually doing anything about the type of weapons that make such slaughters possible.
The picture is of Syed Farook, who together with his wife Tashfeen Malik carried out the attack in California. "He's a terrorist," it says, something with which I think essentially everyone would agree.
But below that, it says "But so are these guys." Pictured are Robert Dear, who shot up a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs on November 27, Dylann Roof, who murdered nine people in a church in Charleston, South Carolina in June, Adam Lanza, the Newtown, Connecticut school killer in 2012, and James Holmes, who perpetrated the attack in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in 2012.
What nails the award is the last photo, labeled "AND this guy." It's a photo of Wayne LaPierre, director of the Nutzoid Rabbit-brains of America, also known as the NRA.
I don't know a lot about the Daily News' overall editorial policy; when I was growing up in New Jersey, the Daily News was the right wing paper in New York City (believe it or not, the Post was the liberal one). Maybe it still is conservative, I don't know. But on this topic, on the topic of guns and gun control, the New York Daily News is, and not for the first time, a Hero.
Sources cited in links:
http://images.dailykos.com/images/182711/story_image/image.jpeg?1449109968
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/12/3/1456666/-NY-Daily-News-calls-Wayne-Lapierre-a-terrorist-accuses-NRA-of-sick-gun-jihad-against-America
Left Side of the Aisle
for the week of December 19-16, 2015
Sorry for no show last week; I was felled by asthmatic bronchitis and thanks go to those who sent good wishes.
This week:
Good News: Abortion restriction found unconstitutional
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/23/federal-court-rules-wisconsin-abortion-law-unconstitutional/21271456/?
Good News: SCOTUS refuses to hear challenge to gun control law
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/12/07/us-supreme-court-rejects-challenge-to-assault-weapon-ban/21279657/ http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2004/06/rambling-meditation_20.html
Hero Award: New York Daily News
http://images.dailykos.com/images/182711/story_image/image.jpeg?1449109968 http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/12/3/1456666/-NY-Daily-News-calls-Wayne-Lapierre-a-terrorist-accuses-NRA-of-sick-gun-jihad-against-America
Clown Award: Marco Rubio
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/marco-rubio-no-fly-list-vote http://www.mediaite.com/tv/rubio-bashes-gun-control-narrative-i-dont-hear-anyone-talking-about-bomb-control/
Outrage of the Week: Prosecutors trying to let cop killer of Tamir Rice walk
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/king-tamir-rice-investigation-farce-article-1.2444315 http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2015/10/2238-cleveland-prosecutor-lays-grounds.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/11/29/tamir-rice-family-releases-their-own-experts-reports/76501920/ http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/cleveland-statement-explains-shooting-tamir-rice-article-1.2452070 http://abcnews.go.com/US/tamir-rice-case-officer-knew-gun-aimed-weapon/story?id=35518961
Corporations and the rich are usually scumbags
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-lux/christmas-tree-oh-christm_b_8687648.html https://theintercept.com/2015/11/24/lobbyists-refugee-crisis/ http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/26/martin-shkreli-wont-cut-individual-daraprim-price-after-all/21273557/ http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/25/martin-shkreli-hiv-drug-daraprim-turing http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/business/dealbook/how-mark-zuckerbergs-altruism-helps-himself.html?_r=0
Shredding of "The Commons"
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/michele-fiore-gun-christmas-card http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/michele-fiore-syrian-refugees-shoot-em http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/11/17/1451200/-Americans-demanding-war-refugees-be-turned-away-are-reading-from-a-very-old-script
Racism of Justice Antonin "Skeletor" Scalia
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2013/06/left-side-of-aisle-114-part-5.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/antonin-scalia-black-students_5668804ae4b009377b236c70 http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/scalia-race-affirmative-action http://www.aol.com/article/2015/12/09/scalia-channels-u-s-top-court-colleague-thomas-in-race-remarks/21281275/
Personally, I'm not a fan of Murphy, not after he declared last March that he is "100% against" the "homosexual lifestyle" but that's actually neither here not there right now.
What is here and there right now is that Will used $175 of his own birthday money to purchase a signed Daniel Murphy bat from Topps. When he ordered it, the bat was in stock online and he was even promised a delivery date.
But in the postseason, Murphy got real hot. He broke a record by hitting home runs in six consecutive postseason games, set a Mets franchise record for most homers in postseason, and became only the second person - Lou Gehrig being the other - to have a hit, a run, and an RBI in seven consecutive Major League postseason games.
Will Smith
Suddenly, the bat was unavailable. Topps cancelled the order, claiming it had run out of bats, and said it was processing a refund.
Will's father, suspecting as I did and do that Topps intended to raise the price of the bat because of Murphy's increased profile, told the story to the New York Daily News. Which published it.
And guess that, presto, the bat was not out of stock. Not only did Topps have a bat to send to Will, it also sent a refund.
Okay, so it's a cute story of a corporation getting shamed by some bad publicity into doing what it should have done in the first place. So why is Will a hero?
Because he took the $175 refund and donated it to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, a national, non-profit organization which gives scholarships to minority youths for higher education. Maybe it will remind Topps that there are more important things than its bottom line - but in any event, in my eyes it makes Will Smith a hero.
Outrage of the Week: SCOTUS makes it almost impossible to sue killer cops http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-bernick/hollowing-out-civil-right_b_8517138.html http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-supreme-court-police-shootings-20151109-story.html http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/15pdf/14-1143_f20h.pdf
Hero Award: 11-year-old Will Smith http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-sale-daniel-murphy-bat-nixed-historic-hr-article-1.2410947 http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/10/28/11-year-old-mets-fan-duped-by-topps-gives-refund-to-jackie-robinson-foundation/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Murphy_%28baseball%29 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/billy-bean-mlb-inclusion-ambassador-visits-mets-article-1.2135840 http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/young-mets-fan-signed-daniel-murphy-bat-article-1.2411779 http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/jackie-robinson http://www.jackierobinson.org/
Heroics: Soldiers are not heroes http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/11/11/veterans-group-wants-return-of-armistice-day.html http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2008/06/heroics.html http://crooksandliars.com/2008/06/10/sen-webb-on-the-daily-show-john-mccain-voted-against-a-first-class-future-for-our-veterans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenhawk_%28politics%29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vI7r6Rjp-g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngl33ucB7oE&feature=related https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgNInWQI-qU&feature=related https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0 http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2008/02/untucked.html
After all that I needed something lighter, gentler. And so we have this, a story I wanted to tell about something I wish I could have the chance to see.
You have to take Wisconsin state road 85 a few miles southwest of Eau Claire to find it. By all accounts, route 85 is a pretty road, going through farm country and often lined with fields of corn or soybeans. But at for now there is something different: a strip of sunflowers, 60 feet wide and four-and-a-half miles long.
They were planted by Don Jaquish as a tribute to his wife Babbette, who died last November from multiple myeloma. "She always loved flowers, but sunflowers were her favorite," he said.
The tribute crosses five farms. Neighbors opened up their land, telling Jaquish to pay whatever rent seemed fair.
What makes this even better is that the seeds will be harvested and sold as bird seed under the name Babbette's Seeds of Hope with a portion of the proceeds going to support hospitals, research, and patient advocacy with regard to cancer. This actually was Babbette Jaquish's idea and now stands as her legacy - and her face is printed on every bag of the seeds. Which may not have been her idea, but it was her husband's, whose loving tribute to her memory is a thing of true beauty.
Sources cited in links:
http://www.krem.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/16/grieving-husband-plants-4-mile-ribbon--sunflowers/31819017/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/17/1412809/-Wisconsin-man-creates-beautiful-4-mile-long-sunflower-memorial-to-his-wife
Left Side of the Aisle
for the week of September 3-9, 2015
This week:
Good News: Connecticut Supreme Court finds death penalty unconstitutional
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/us/connecticut-death-penalty/ http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/health/death-row-stories-execution-methods/index.html
Good News: homophobic bigots slowly being brought to heel
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/31/politics/kentucky-gay-marriage-licenses-supreme-court/ http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Supporters-opponents-gather-outside-Rowan-County-clerks-office-323227931.html http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/08/26/appeals-court-upholds-gay-marriage-ruling-in-kentucky http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/08/31/supreme-court-rules-against-kentucky-clerk-in-gay-marriage-case/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-peron/the-phony-martyrdom-of-ki_b_8074338.html https://duckduckgo.com/?q=jesus+on+divorce http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kentucky-clerk-gay-marriage-fracas-married-4-times-article-1.2345036 http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-hypocrisy.html
And not just Kim Davis
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/13/us/colorado-same-sex-wedding-cake/ http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/08/13/colorado_cake_wars_decision_discrimination_is_not_free_speech.html
More tragedy, still hope in South Sudan
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34083964 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sudanese_Civil_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34066511 http://news.yahoo.com/south-sudan-rivals-trade-accusations-over-fighting-073419632.html https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/south-sudan-insufficient-peace-deal
Clown Award: Patrick Couderc
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2013/05/left-side-of-aisle-110-part-1.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bandage-dress-not-for-voluptuous-women-lesbians-herve-leger-director-says_55d0dc67e4b0ab468d9d9927 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3199606/Fat-lesbian-don-t-wear-dress-Fashion-tycoon-iconic-bandage-frock-risks-women-s-wrath-bizarre-outburst.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline
Outrage of the Week: blaming Black Lives Matter for shooting of deputy sheriff
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-arrest-suspect-killing-deputy-darren-goforth/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/suspect-no-motive-houston-officer-darren-goforth-slaying/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-lives-matter-fox-news-hate-group_55e5c102e4b0b7a9633a3b12 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/darren-goforth-killing-sheriff-cites-black-lives-matter-movement/ http://avedoncarol.blogspot.com/2015/08/your-day-breaks-your-mind-aches.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-lives-matter-fox-news-hate-group_55e5c102e4b0b7a9633a3b12 http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2015/0818/Why-Black-Lives-Matter-activists-are-arguing-with-Hillary-Clinton
Man’s sunflower tribute to deceased wife
http://www.krem.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/16/grieving-husband-plants-4-mile-ribbon--sunflowers/31819017/ http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/17/1412809/-Wisconsin-man-creates-beautiful-4-mile-long-sunflower-memorial-to-his-wife
Hero Award: Speaking up for fast-food workers seeking a living wage
Now, another of our occasional features, this one being called The Hero Award, which is given out from time to time to someone who deserves recognition for having just done the right thing on a matter big or small.
I've several times brought news of the movement sometimes known as "Fight for 15" that is, for a $15 an hour minimum wage. This movement has mostly involved fast-food and other service workers, leading some voices to dismiss the call on grounds along the lines of something like "I’m a licensed electrician, I make $13/hr. Those burger flippers think they deserve more than me? Screw that.”
So we bring to the discussion the voice of Jens Rushing, an EMT in Arlington, Texas, reacting to the fact that the state of New York plans to raise the minimum wage for employees of fast-food chain restaurants to $15 an hour over the next few years. He wrote on Facebook that:
I’m a paramedic. My job requires a broad set of skills: interpersonal, medical, and technical skills, as well as the crucial skill of performing under pressure. I often make decisions on my own, in seconds, under chaotic circumstances, that impact people’s health and lives. I make $15/hr. And these burger flippers think they deserve as much as me? Good for them.
“Look," he want on, "if any job is going to take up someone’s life, it deserves a living wage. If a job exists and you have to hire someone to do it, they deserve a living wage."
Jens Rushing
"Why," he wrote, "are you angry about fast food workers making two bucks more an hour when your CEO makes four hundred TIMES what you do?"
Directing your anger at other workers who, like you, are just trying to get by, he said, is "exactly what the bosses want!" They want us fighting over who has more crumbs while they take off with "almost the whole cake." (And parenthetically, I want to note my pleasure at seeing the very useful phrase "the bosses" re-enter our vocabulary.)
Okay, so it wasn't some grand gesture, it wasn't something that echoed from the hilltops, it was just a Facebook post. But it was, absolutely, the right thing to say and at the right time. It was the right thing to do.
Doing the right thing, especially when there is no particular gain in it for you, is what makes for a hero around here. Jens Rushing, you are a hero.
Sources cited in links:
http://www.alternet.org/labor/texas-paramedic-has-perfect-response-conservatives-whining-about-living-wage-burger-flippers
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/nyregion/new-york-minimum-wage-fast-food-workers.html?_r=1
Left Side of the Aisle
for the week of August 13-19, 2015
This week:
Good News: Washington Supreme Court says pharmacy can't refuse to fill prescription for birth control
http://news.yahoo.com/pharmacy-owners-cannot-cite-religion-deny-medicine-u-175216202--finance.html;_ylt=AwrC0CYKUbFV0yQAK0.ZmolQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByOHZyb21tBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg-- http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/politics-government/article28436038.html http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2004/05/first-they-can-for-abortions-but-i.html http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2004/12/dont-complain-if-someone-says-told-ya.html http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2008/10/before-this-gets-too-far-away.html http://www.biography.com/people/margaret-sanger-9471186#legacy
Good News: Second Circuit Court of Appeals turns away attempt by religious nonprofits to block employee access to birth control
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2015/07/2122.html http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202734189438/Circuit-Rules-Religious-Rights-Not-Violated-by-ACA?slreturn=20150712122917 http://www.aol.com/article/2015/08/07/catholic-groups-lose-another-contraceptive-court-ruling/21219881/
Footnote: Planned Parenthood rated more favorably than any presidential candidate
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/wheaton-birth-control-obamacare http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/how-public-views-planned-parenthood-nra-n403451
Good News: Advisory panel tells judge in Ohio he can't refuse to perform same-sex marriages
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/10/1410728/-Ohio-Supreme-Court-No-Judges-May-Not-Refuse-To-Marry-Same-Sex-Couples
Good News: New vaccine highly effective against Ebola
http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/235347869
The little Thing: A judge orders a man to get married; does the woman have a say
http://www.kltv.com/story/29721876/judge-sentences-east-texas-man-to-get-married-or-face-jail-time
Hero Award: Speaking up for fast-food workers seeking a living wage
http://www.alternet.org/labor/texas-paramedic-has-perfect-response-conservatives-whining-about-living-wage-burger-flippers http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/nyregion/new-york-minimum-wage-fast-food-workers.html?_r=1
Clown Award: Bic Pen company
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/africa/feat-bic-sexist-pens/index.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/bic-apologises-for-sexist-think-like-a-man-advert-designed-to-celebrate-south-africa-womens-day-10449842.html
Outrage of the Week: Sloppy, lazy media leaves us ignorant of the wider world
Headlines obtained from one day's listing at Worldpress.org (http://www.worldpress.org/) plus one update on the typhoon.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is not the only massive trade deal being negotiated in secret
http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/235365699 http://www.rt.com/news/271138-wikileaks-tisa-leak-documents/ http://www.rt.com/usa/167088-wikileaks-tisa-secret-trade/
Hero Award: Whataburger continues ban on guns in its restaurants
Keeping with the upbeat nature of things, we have a Hero Award this week, which is given out around here to someone or some group or some whatever that just does the right thing on a matter big or small.
In June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill allowing gun owners who previously qualified for concealed carry permits to carry their handguns openly in shoulder or hip holsters. To walk around here, there, everywhere, openly packing heat and you better not rile me, boy. The law will go into effect in January.
Well, on July 2, the CEO of a Texas-based hamburger chain called Whataburger issued a statement saying the chain will continue its policy of prohibiting customers from openly carrying firearms in its restaurants.
Whataburger is described as a cult favorite with some 780 stores in 10 states and the ceo, Preston Atkinson, said the company has to "think about how open carry impacts our employees and customers," with "many" of them saying "they’re uncomfortable being around someone with a visible firearm who is not a member of law enforcement."
Which would seem to be a reasonable, even very moderate, statement, but of course the gun nuts are up in arms, you'll pardon the expression, issuing denunciations and threatening boycotts.
In his announcement, Atkinson insisted that the decision to maintain its longstanding ban on openly carried handguns, despite the new law, was a business decision, not a political one. And in fact, the company has stayed out of the maelstrom erupting on its Facebook page, limiting official posts to subjects like root beer floats.
So perhaps it was just a business decision. But the company had to know that doing it, especially in Texas, would get them a lot of flak and potentially cost them business, at least from the "my gun's bigger than your gun" crowd, and did it anyway, with a position that by prohibiting the open carry of guns goes beyond previous examples such as Chipotle and Starbucks, which merely requested that customers not do so.
So perhaps it was a business decision. It still was the right thing to do - and gets Whataburger a Hero Award.
Sources cited in links:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/14/whataburger-says-no-to-ne_n_7793274.html
Good News: court finds that invoking God does not automatically exempt you from following laws
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/14/little-sisters-of-the-poor_n_7796404.html
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/becket-fund-pretends-its-not-fighting-culture-wars
Good News: Boy Scouts end blanket ban on gay scout leaders
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2015/07/2103-hero-award-girl-scouts-of-america.html
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/07/13/boy-scouts-executive-committee-oks-ending-ban-on-gay-leaders/21208789/
Hero Award: Whataburger continues ban on guns in its restaurants
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/14/whataburger-says-no-to-ne_n_7793274.html
Footnote: Why do we keep arguing about guns on the NRA's terms?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/14/whataburger-says-no-to-ne_n_7793274.html
http://mikethegunguy.com/2015/06/14/do-we-really-know-how-many-americans-own-guns-depends-who-wants-to-know/
Outrage of the Week: State Dept. to upgrade Malaysia's ranking on human trafficking so it can stay in the TPP
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2015/06/2079-outrage-of-week-obama-thinks-tpp.html
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/09/us-to-move-malaysia-off-lowest-tier-on-list-of-worst-human-trafficking-centres
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/10/malaysia-human-trafficking_n_7771652.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_2hlKqRTPg
Greece: what the "bailouts" mean
http://fair.org/home/after-greece-cuts-a-quarter-of-its-budget-wapo-asks-if-its-willing-to-trim-spending/
http://www.thenation.com/article/austerity-has-failed-an-open-letter-from-thomas-piketty-to-angela-merkel/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/euro-zone-greece-bailout_55a366a6e4b0ecec71bc6171
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33531845
Iran: comments on "the deal"
http://www.nytimes.com/live/iran-nuclear-deal-live-updates/key-provisions-of-the-accord/?partner=rss&emc=rss
http://whoviating.blogspot.com/2015/02/goody-goody.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1108/Imminent-Iran-nuclear-threat-A-timeline-of-warnings-since-1979/Earliest-warnings-1979-84
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/14/2016-candidates-iran-deal_n_7793558.html?utm_hp_ref=world&ir=WorldPost
We have a Hero Award this week, the Hero Award being given as the occasion arises to someone or, as here, some group that just does the right thing on a matter big or small.
Even as the Boy Scouts of America continues to struggle, fuss, and fume, trying to come up with policies that are sufficiently non-discriminatory to get it out from under criticism without having to actually be, you know, non-discriminatory, the Girl Scouts of America is making a change.
In May, the GSA said it would accept transgender children. Specifically, "if the child is recognized by the family and school/community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl," then the Girl Scouts will regard her as a girl. Which seems so simple, you'd wonder why it would ever be a problem.
Even though the amount involved was a quarter of their entire annual fundraising goal, the chapter did precisely that, with Council CEO Megan Ferland including a note saying "Girl Scouts is for every girl."
Now, that is a hero.
As a footnote, the chapter set up an Indiegogo fundraising page to try to replace the $100,000. In little more than a day, they had raised over $216,000 from over 4,000 donations. Fitting reward for a hero.
Sources cited in links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_Scouts_of_America_membership_controversies
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/19/1385958/-The-Girl-Scouts-of-America-announce-they-will-accept-transgender-kids
http://www.themarysue.com/girl-scouts-indiegogo/
"He writes with sensitivity, passion, intelligence and with an eye to the common good."
"[He is] clearly one of those silly people who believes in 'civilization,' probably along with the Tooth Fairy and justice."
"He lives in a magical fantasy world."
"Powerfully spoken."
"A balanced and sensible view concerning the crazy ideas that often prevail regarding war and freedom."
"You do good work."
"Our political differences are vast and irreconcilable but he earnestly believes what he wants is best for the country; he’s firmly committed to it, makes no apologies for it and won’t settle for less."
"God bless you!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP."
About Lotus
Lotus has been at various times the newsletter of a local peace group, a column in a different group's newsletter, a stand-alone monthly, and now a blog. Posts appear bi-weekly; posts are drawn from my weekly cable-TV show "The Erickson Report," which can be found here.
Comments either here or by email are encouraged. Comments here must be reasonably relevant and reasonably civil. Spam, trolls, and comments that are merely personal slams on me or another commenter will be deleted without hesitation, warning, or regret.
Note well: Anonymous comments that do not make clear and explicit reference to the post in question will be assumed to be spam.
Our lives are not our own, we are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future. - author David Mitchell
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