Stand there and Bleed-

When John and Elizabeth lost their beloved son Wade, in 1996, they could have rolled up together in a ball, bemoaning their fate, giving up on themselves, on life and on the ideal that is America.

They did not.

When Kerry and Edwards took their run for the Presidency in 04, and perhaps had their hopes, and the hopes of our Nation perhaps stolen from them in Ohio, John might have then retired form public service for life, and return to his home to enjoy his millions.

He did not.

Instead, John refined his message, rolled up his sleeves and like the man he is, he went to work. The Poverty Center, the plight of the people of New Orleans, helped to define his great purpose, his true cause and his personal calling in life. He traveled the country; as we pushed against the media blackout, fighting his way through Iowa, New Hampshire, the slap that was Nevada, and South Carolina. By the time the others discovered there was still a problem in Louisiana, he was all ready there, rebuilding houses. The others pulled their heads out of the sand, realized the Nations health care system was in crises, some seven months after John Edwards had released his Universal Heath Care Plan, and then they came up with health care plans of their own. In kind of the way, that first there were the Beatles, and then there came the Monkees.

I cold go on and on here people, economic stimulus package, veteran’s issues, the wanton ignorance of our governments policies toward rural America, are all issues John Edwards brought to the forefront of his campaign. Issues that have sadly, not gone away with the suspension. No, the issues, the needs and the problems are still there, staring is in the face every single day.

So what are we to do about these issues? They have not gone away, but the campaign has, right? Our candidate is no longer there, so we’re doomed, right? The media, the pundits, the other candidates handed us a red raw deal, and now we are lost, and there is no hope to repair the hole that leaks the hopes and draws the tears from the least of us. Right?

Let the poor suffer, let the unemployed sit idle, throw some blankets to those vets under the bridge, just to keep them warm.

I can’t do that.

John is gone, and short of seeing him as a VP candidate, or playing a major roll in the coming Democratic Administration, he’s not coming back soon. Sorry, it’s a fact. I’m asking you, no, begging you, to dry up your tears, and go back to work. We’ve had a little break, and breaks are a good, and much needed thing. We’ve cried, we’ve grieved, and yes we’ve howled at the moon of misfortune. We’ve looked back, we’ve scratched our heads in puzzlement, and we’ve analyzed, argued, and agonized this chain of events beyond reason. And it’s time to stop our sobbing, and I’ll say it real clearly, it’s time to get off our asses and go to work.

I am convinced that if John were here, right now, he’d slap us all on the back of our collective heads, and say, in his sweet southern drawl, “What in the hell are you people doing? It’s been more than two weeks, and now it’s time to get something done!”

Many times, during this race that was one of the most amazing adventures of my life, John pounded it home that he and Elizabeth would be just fine if they did not win their bid for the White House. He told us it was the Nation and it’s great people that he was worried about. And I’m worried about our Nation, and it’s great people still, as I’m sure he is.

So now, I guess all is lost. We should leave our party, roll up into a ball, and watch our country fall into chaos and depression, as corporate elitist take the reigns of reason and ride us to the very gates of hell.

Sorry, I can’t do that. Really, honestly, I’ve tried, but I just can’t do it. The world hasn’t stopped turning. The country hasn’t stopped hurting. The problems have no plans to just go away. Apathy solves not one thing, and sitting around just makes you fat and lazy, and I’m still too young, full of life, and good looking to get fat and lazy.

The Edwards campaign, the people I’ve met along the way, the wonderful buddies of the boards here, and at other sites, have been my inspiration and my reason for getting up every morning, and tackling one issue, after another.

Now, I think it’s time for some tough love. John Edwards is not the Messiah. He is not the second coming. His hands are not the only hands of healing for our country. He is gone, for whatever reasons, and to sit and cry, and wring our hands and stipulate those reasons, feeds not one hungry homeless person, gets not one child health insurance, and solves not one problem. We can fill a bucket with our tears, or we can pick that same bucket, take it to the pile of woes that affect us all, and start the work. If you really believe in John Edwards, his message and his plan, it’s time to carry it out. If idol worship is your only concern, then by all means, you just sit there and cry.

House of Representatives, the Senate, state races, school board, city councils, dogcatcher, are all out there just waiting for you. Hell, pick one people, go ahead and pick two or three, even. There are lots, trust me, lots to choose from. Find a Progressive or two, a few true Edwards Democrats, and go to work. I want to know who’s running for Congress in your district. I want to know if you have a Progressive Governor, or a just another stuck in the mud pug. Can we beat anyone? Can we turn a red state blue, or a blue district a shade of true Progressive blue?

I can’t sit and cry any more. It’s not what a Progressive does, go ahead and look up the word, I’ll wait. I must move forward, as I’m sure John and his family is doing, right now. We are left here with two choices, wrap it all up, sell everything we have, and move to another country, or wade unbounded into this fight that still rages all around us. Make your choice now.

Are you going to do something, or are you just going to stand there and bleed?

RE Rhoades

http://journals.democraticunde…

SF: Election 2008 Board of Supervisors Preview and Forum

While there is a presidential race going on throughout the country, there will be races for Board of Supervisors seats here in San Francisco and the San Francisco Examiner provides a glimpse of what we can expect throughout the years. Here are some quick points:

Thus far, incumbents Carmen Chu, Ross Mirkarimi and Sean Elsbernd are unopposed.

The biggest non-incumbent fundraiser by far is Claudine Cheng in D3 with $44,145. This is my district and the one I am most interested in. It looks like Cheng could be the frontrunner. David Chiu has the support of the progressives.

Anyone have opninions on the race in D3 or any other district?  

In the meantime, a conservative organization called Plan C is holding a candidate forum this Wednesday evening.

2008 will be a watershed year for San Francisco politics, as seven seats on the Board of Supervisors are up for election. Four “open” races are being watched most of all, as in districts 1, 3, 9, and 11, Jake McGoldrick, Aaron Peskin, Tom Ammiano and Gerardo Sandoval are all being forced out by term limits.

This large turnover means that San Francisco has a tremendous opportunity to make a fresh start this year with new ideas, new visions, and hopefully, a new spirit of cooperation that will improve the quality of life for all San Franciscans. The new Supervisors will take office in January 2009.

Candidates are beginning to emerge for the four “open” districts – and it’s time to get to know them! Plan C is sponsoring a “Meet the Moderates” event – an opportunity to meet and hear from moderate, pro-quality of life candidates who will be running in the open races this year. Virtually all of the high profile candidates who have announced thus far will be there – and this is the first time that most of them will be addressing a citywide gathering. There will be plenty of time to mingle one-on-one with the candidates, so we hope you’ll come.

My understanding is that among the confirmed candidates are:

D1: Alicia Wang

D3: Joe Alioto, Claudine Cheng, Lynn Jefferson

D9: Eric Storey

D11: Ahsha Safai

This is not my ideal organization to spend an evening with, but they did manage to get a number of candidates together and, since my Supervisor, Aaron Peskin, will be termed out, I appreciate the chance to size up the candidates early. Should be interesting.  

Fun Times in SF Politics

Save rent control: Progressive reading seriesWell, there are always fun times in SF politics, right? While I suppose Robert might be the best arbiter of that question, I know I had a really great time last night at the progressive reading series last night.  Produced by Stephen Elliott, a great writer and critic in his own right, the event got together a bunch of talented writers to read fictional and non-fictional works. If you want to know more about what you missed, check out the Facebook page. My personal favorite? Steve Almond’s reading of emails people had sent him (along with his responses) after he resigned from Boston College because Condi Rice was the commencement speaker. Oh, and thanks to my T-shirt models! I’ll be wearing my Save Rent Control shirt out to the dog beach today.

There’s more typical political fun going on, of course, like the SD-03 race. John Wildermuth tosses his thoughts out there in the Chronicle this morning, but I have to say, the article leaves a lot to be desired. He doesn’t even mention that Mayor Newsom endorses Assemblyman Leno at the screening of the marriage video last week, and the rest is pretty much a rehash of what’s already appeared in Matier and Ross.

Speaking of those two gentleman, they got their grubby little hands upon a David Binder poll showing the Mayor’s approval rating slipping down to 67%. 2 out of 3, the poor guy. I’m guessing that much of that has to do with the SFPUC goings on. From that tiff, which will likely boil over next week when the board fires Susan Leal, we got one of the more interesting quotes of a long-time from Newsom SFPUC appointee Ryan Brooks:

“The (San Francisco) Board of Supervisors took Black History Month a little too seriously – because I am history.” – Public Utilities Commissioner Ryan Brooks, an African American, in reaction to the board’s decision not to reappoint him Tuesday. (SF Chron 2/13/08)

Election 2008: John McCain Disdains LGBT Community and Its Issues

XPosted 2/14/2008 12:00 AM PST on MyDesert.com

Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for President has little to say about the rights of the LGBT community or its issues on his campaign website at JohnMcCain.com.

Under the link “Human Dignity & the Sancitity of Life,” McCain lists (1) Overturning Roe V. Wade, (2) Promoting Adoption, (3) Protecting Marriage, (4) Addressing the Moral Concerns of Advanced Technology, (5) Protecting Children from Online Predators, and (6) the Greatest Concern is to Serve the Cause of Human Dignity.  As you might guess from the above headings, McCain and his campaign is pandering to the so-called Religious Right community.

More below the flip…

More specifically, according to About.com: Gay Life, McCain has a spotty record at best on the LGBT issues themselves.

(1)  McCain on Gay Marriage: McCain opposes Marriage Equality, but believes the issue should be left up to the states.  McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, but according to McCain’s campaign website,

“[He] believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.”

I am guessing that in the case of Marriage Equality, McCain does extend his greatest concern to serve the cause of LGBT dignity or, perhaps, does not include the LGBT community within the context of the Human community.

(2) McCain on Gays and Lesbians in the Military: McCain believes the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has been effective and should be left untouched.  At the 2007 GOP debate at Saint Anselm College on Jun 3, 2007, McCain said,

“We have the best-trained, most professional, best- equipped, most efficient, most wonderful military in the history of this country, and I’m proud of every one of them. There just aren’t enough of them. So I think it would be a terrific mistake to even reopen the issue. The policy is working. And I am convinced that that’s the way we can maintain this greatest military. Let’s not tamper with them.”

How is including LGBT community members in the Armed Forces “tampering” with the military?  McCain fails to explicate his position or clarify his terminology.

Allowing LGBT community members to serve openly in the U.S. military is a matter of Human Dignity, and McCain refuses to accord respect to the LGBT community in a fashion similar to that accorded to the heterosexual community in the military.  McCain also does not address the fact that the U.S. military loses millions of dollars of tax payer money each year in attempts to enforse the DADT policies.

McCain fails to address the fact that many Arabic-English and English-Arabic translators are discharged from the U.S. military each year due to DADT.  Finally, the United States is one of the few Western countries to disallow LGBT members from serving in the its Armed Forces, yet, the military leadership is coming around to a more progressive perspective.

McCain on Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA): McCain voted against ENDA and prohibiting job discrimination based upon sexual orientation.

McCain on Federal Hate Crimes Legislation: While in the Senate, McCain voted against extending the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation and opposed the so-called Matthew Shepard bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

McCain on HIV/AIDS: McCain’s stance on HIV/AIDS is ambiguous at best. When asked in the New York Times political blog McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention about the use of contraceptives or counseling to help prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, McCain said,

“You’ve stumped me. I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was.”

“You’ve stumped me?”  “I’m not informed enough on it?”  “I have to find out what my position was?”  The United States, California and the Coachella Valley have been ravaged by HIV/AIDS, and McCain is either uninformed or incompetent on the issue.

How can a World Leader be unaware of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the Nation?  Oh, I forgot, the Republican Party has a long history of neglect on the people affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS from former President Ronald Reagan who refused to utter the words “HIV” or “AIDS” throughout most of his Presidency, to President George H.W. Bush and so-called President George W. Bush who attempted to either reduce funding for HIV/AIDS, attempted to pit the HIV/AIDS community against other chronic illness communities, or attempted to gut HIV/AIDS programs in this country.

McCain is more of the same.  Ignorant, ill-informed, AIDS-phobic, and incompetent on the issue.

I’m fighting Obamaphilia

Yes, I’m fighting it, not outwardly, but the inner struggle is what I am referring to.  I’m fighting Obamaphilia…


What the Cult of Obama doesn’t realize is that he’s a politician. Not a brave one taking risky positions like Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich, but a mainstream one. He has not been firing up the Senate with stirring Cross-of-Gold-type speeches to end the war. He’s a politician so soft and safe, Oprah likes him. There’s talk about his charisma and good looks, but I know a nerd when I see one. The dude is Urkel with a better tailor.

All of this is clear to me, and yet I have fallen victim. I was at an Obama rally in Las Vegas last month, hanging at the rope line afterward in the cold night desert air, just to see him up close, to make sure he was real. I’d never heard a politician talk so bluntly, calling U.S. immigration policy “scapegoating” and “demagoguery.” I’d never had even a history teacher argue that our nation’s history is a series of brave people changing others’ minds when things were on the verge of collapse. I want the man to hope all over me.

LA Times

I want to resist, I really do.  I’ve got my inner cynical to fight, but there is something more than that, something that’s more important to me and that is my own sense of hope.  Corny, I know.

But my philosophy is, hope for the best, prepare for nothing less.  That’s right, I hope for the best and tell myself that if I don’t get that, I can deal with the worst later.  It’s not naive, I am also one of those people that believes our point of view can greatly increase our own inner wellbeing.  

The irony of this?  I struggle with chronic depression and yet I still push everyday for the best.  I smile and I try to be as kind and gentle with everyone, I turn the other cheek and I sometimes weaken and say things I regret.  But, I still hope for the best and I rely on faith, in myself, in the universe and in life that things will work out, those things that I cannot control will fall into place with or without my hope, so I might as well be positive.  What’s the harm?

I know, there are those who see plenty of harm, but this isn’t blind faith, I am aware of so many things, in fact, I tend to be the kind of person who does care too much and if I didn’t push forward with my silly optimism, I probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed everyday.

I was talking to the receptionist of my company one day and I said, damn, I grouchy, I’m having a bad day.  She said, “What?  You grouchy?  No you are not, I love that you are always smiling and that you always take time to say hello.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a bad mood!”.  That meant a lot to me.  I do believe that we can affect those around us, that the small things we do matter and I imagine if every single one of us attempted to be a little kinder, a little more patient and a little more hopeful, it could change the world.  People say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

So, fuck you say?  How the hell could I resist Obamaphilia?  I can’t.  I believe if you go into a fight thinking you can’t win, then you’ve already lost half the battle.  I believe that if you can’t talk big then how can you dream big?  And if you can’t imagine the change you want to be, then how can you even start?

Stein talks about how his mother just doesn’t get it, she fears for all those young people and the eventual heartbreak that life is so good at handing us.  


Obama is Peter Sellers in “Being There.” As a therapist, she’s seen the danger of ungrounded expectations. “You feel young again. You feel like everything is possible. He helps you feel that way and you want to feel that way; it’s a great marriage. Unfortunately, the divorce will happen very quickly.”

“We want what he represents,” she said. “A young, idealistic person who really believes it. And he believes it. He believes he can change the world. I just don’t think he can.”

Thing is, I’ve watched too many movies and read too many novels; I can’t root against a person who believes he can change the world. The best we Obamaphiles can do is to refrain from embarrassing ourselves. And I do believe that we can resist making more “We Are the World”-type videos. We can resist crying jags. We can resist, in every dinner argument and every e-mail, the word “inspiration.” Yes, we can.


But I agree with Stein and it’s the reason I’ve come around.  Oh, I have also spent a couple of nights at Obama’s website.  He has plans, I see that and I find that arguement against him to ring hollow.  I’m ready for something other than more of the same.  And even though my concerns are many, from the Reagan comments to the lack of mandates, I have decided that hope outweights these concerns and that it’s okay to hope for the better rather than prepare for the worst.

And there is another thing, Obama visited New Orleans and he said the following words…


So many of us live a life that is ordered, with comforts we can count on. Somewhere, we know, there are people who don’t have a house with a sturdy roof; who have nowhere to go when they can’t make rent; who don’t have a car to drive to another city when a storm is coming; who can’t get care when they’re sick, or get the education that would give them a chance at their dreams.

But too often, we lose our sense of common destiny; that understanding that we are all tied together; that when a woman has less than nothing in this country, that makes us all poorer.

and this…

We are tired of being disappointed by our politics. We are tired of being let down. We’re tired of hearing promises made and ten-point plans proposed in the heat of a campaign only to have nothing change when everyone goes back to Washington. Because the lobbyists just write another check. Or because politicians start worrying about how they’ll win the next election instead of why they should. Or because they focus on who’s up and who’s down instead of who matters.

And while Washington is consumed with the same drama and division and distraction, another family puts up a For Sale sign in the front yard. Another factory shuts its doors forever. Another mother declares bankruptcy because she cannot pay her child’s medical bills.

Each of us running for the Democratic nomination agrees on one thing that the other party does not – the next President must end the disastrous policies of George W. Bush. And both Senator Clinton and I have put forth detailed plans and good ideas that would do just that.

But I am running for President because I believe that to actually make change happen – to make this time different than all the rest – we need a leader who can finally move beyond the divisive politics of Washington and bring Democrats, Independents, and Republicans together to get things done. That’s how we’ll win this election, and that’s how we’ll change this country when I am President of the United States.

BarackObama.com

So you see, I have to believe, there is something in me that cannot fight hope, that cannot fight possibility and cannot fight another chance for something to change.  Does it mean it will work for sure?  No.  Does it mean that anything is guaranteed?  Of course not, there are no guarantees in life.  I’ve long ago accepted that there are many things that are out of my control, but I’ve also taken on the responsibility to be in control of those things I can change.  Perception is a powerful tool and rather than doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, I can change how I interact with the world and I can fight for change in my own way.


If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.

Martin Luther King, jr.

And lastly, I am supporting Obama in spite of the many people at this site that have acted so poorly and call themselves an Obama supporter.  You do not do yourself or Obama any favors when your arguments prey on fear, on doubt and on hate.  I’ve been saddened to see so many negatives come from this site and I realize that just as Obama is a mere human being, so are all of us.  So just think before you type, breathe before you yell and ask yourself if what you are about to say is going to further hope or continue the same old bullshit of looking down and belittling anyone who doesn’t not see what you see or believe what you believe?

Update:  I am and will always be an Edwards supporter.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t support another candidate.  I was inspired by this man to be involved and to care again.  Now I want to stay involved and keep caring.  So no matter who the nominee is, I will continue to be involved and to push a progressive agenda within the Democratic Party.  Can I make a difference?  I don’t know, but it makes a difference TO ME, that I stay true to what I believe and that I continue to fight for what I think is right.  I don’t believe that tearing down the remaining candidates does anything to progress any agenda.

Bay Area Shock and Awe?

The SF Chronicle reports a plan for aerial spraying of pesticides over Bay Area cities — including San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville, and Tiburon — to combat a potential threat of infestation by the little known   light brown apple moth, an exotic  agricultural pest.  The spraying is proposed to occur at night, starting in August, 2008, and continuing over as much as a five year duration  The chemical agent — Checkmate — contains a pheromone ingredient to disrupt mating of the moths, as well as other inert ingredients, whose identities, while partially known or suspected, may also constitute a protected trade secret.

Despite local protests and a court injunction (later overturned) spraying has already occurred in Monterey County, where, despite assurances of product safety, some adverse health effects have been reported.  Further details appear in the Chronicle story.

My initial response to this story was incredulity mixed with outrage, but I am not asking you to share my views, which I will elaborate below.  At the outset let me state my qualifications: I am a Ph. D. biochemist, trained in nucleic  acid physical chemistry, currently working in the field of analytical instrumentation.  That doesn’t make me an expert on pheromones or insect physiology, but it does, I hope,  establish a certain baseline competence.

Why am I upset about this project?  First, the use of the pesticide agent, Checkmate is being rammed through the usual regulatory channels.  Allow me to  quote from the Chronicle article:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture obtained an “emergency exemption from registration” from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that allows the agency to use the pesticide in aerial sprays over California cities. Because of that exemption, the spraying program isn’t subject to state approval, according to representatives of the state Department of Pesticide Regulation.

Second, as reported in the Chronicle, the effects on human an animal health remain in question, but are quite possibly negative.

Third, the moth is not yet established as a bona fide threat in the area.

Fourth, the spraying  is essentially an uncontrolled biological experiment performed in a highly populated urban area, where we may count, among the many unknowns, the lifetime and tenacity of the agent in the environment.

Fifth, the decision, although nominally taken at the state level, seems to have had strong advisory component from the US Department of Agriculture.  This nexus of state and federal authorities I find troubling, under the circumstances.

Sixth, I cannot force myself to ignore the possibility that there is a hidden political agenda in a decision which I see as harmful to whole Bay Area — which has been markedly unpopular in the corridors of power over the last several years.  Forgive me for indulging in conspiracy theory, but under the circumstances, I refuse to entirely discount such possibly sinister motives.

Finally, for those who wish to become active in opposing this program, I recommend the following:

http://www.lbamspray.com/

CA 80th Assembly District: Dismal Republican Voter Registration Figures Bode Poorly for GOP

XPosted 2/16/2008 3:08 PM PST on MyDesert.com in the BluePalmSpringsBoyz blog

The California Secretary of State has released the most recent Report of Registration as of January 22, 2008 by State Assembly District.  The picture looks bleak for local Republicans as registration figures for the Yacht and Country Club Party are decreasing while that for local proud, progressive Democrats and their supporters are increasing.  This does not portend well for the presumptive Republican candidate, Gary Jeandron.

In the CA 80th Assembly District, there are now 168,497 registered voters.  This includes 52,367 voters in the Imperial County portion of the district and 116,130 in the Riverside County area.

Democrats now have 28,542 registered voters in Imperial County and 48,429 in Riverside County for a total of 76,971 registered voters.  Democrats now consist of 45.68% of the overall voter registration in the 80th Assembly District.

More below the flip…

On the other hand, Republicans have 13,567 registered voters Imperial County and 47,934 in Riverside County for a total of 61,491 registered voters.  Republican voter registration is now only 36.49% of the overall registration in the District.

Remember when Republicans dominated the voter registration figures and they held a tight grip on local political machinery in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Coachella, and Palm Desert?  Well, as the Poet sang, “The times, they are achangin’!”

Decline to State now has 8,446 voters in Imperial County and 15,955 in Riverside County for a total of 24,401 voters.  Decline to State voter registration is now at 14.48% of the voter registration in the 80th Assembly District.

The bad news for the Yacht and Country Club party begins at the fact that Democrats now outnumber Republicans in the District by 15,480 voters!

The news gets worse, as Decline to State Voters have recently been casting votes for Democratic candidates across the Coachella Valley.  John Kerry succeeded in winning a majority vote in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, and Coachella in 2004 in part due to the voting pattern of the Decline to State voter.  When Decline to State registration figures in the District are added to the Democratic figures, then proud progressive Democrats and their allies outnumber Republicans in the 80th Assembly District by almost 40,000 votes!

With the California Republican Party (CRaP?) in disarray and in deep financial debt, November looks to be a devastating year for the Grand Old Party in the CA 80th Assembly District in 2008.

More bad news for the local Republican machine in a later post on the changes in the 45th Congressional District.  They and not a recent marriage may send the local absentee Congresswoman into early retirement.