The Jarvis Plan will keep us safe during flight

Three cheers for our great American Educational System.  The system that teaches us to ingest and regurgitate volumes of stuff without teaching us how to process it. 

I was just fondled at the San Diego airport by one such dedicated airport employee.  As he groped me over and over, feeling every seam in my jeans and causing me to wonder if he was about to go with the cavity search, I kept explaining that I have a hip replacement and it always sets off the alarm.  I offered to drop my drawers and allow him to gaze upon the long scar on my hip.  He never responded.  Perhaps he is mute and I'm picking on him, but he was very dedicated to feeling up every crease and lump on my clothing, even poking me in my rather pudgy mid section.  I assured him that it was all me in there.  The more he poked, the madder Cathy became.  She's Italian and hiding her feelings is not in her genes.  So I think that he went about his work much longer than needed, just to needle her more. 

But I was not embarrassed or humiliated.  In fact, I felt sorry for the simple minded fellow whose whole purpose in life is to feel up seams in jeans. 

The Jarvis Plan has been proposed elsewhere and should receive serious consideration.  All passengers will strip and board their plane totally naked.  All luggage and clothing will be flown in a separate carrier and claimed at the end of the flight.  Unless it became lost or sent on to Boise. 

During our flight our naked flight attendants would pass out health foods and beverages such as V8 juice and lead us in vigorous exercises to help lighten the load. 

 

Curious Carl

 

my weapon of mass destruction

On my keychain I carry a very small knife.  The blade may be an inch long.  I use it to open the many packaged items we provide clients.  These items are sealed in a tough plastic, preventing anyone from tampering with them.  The thinking must be that things like talking watches could be turned into bombs.  But I find it handy to have this small knife to coax the items from within their plastic cocoon.  So there we are at SeaTac airport about to enter the beeper box, which my hip replacement always sets off.  "Put everything from your pockets into the basket", the young woman requested. 

I did.  "Oh!" she cried, "A knife!"  I almost jumped out of my skin.  "A knife?"  I stammered.  "I don't have a knife".  But there it was, dangling from my keychain, almost hidden by the much larger keys.  "It's not a knife," I said, "It's a rehabilitation tool developed for opening tough plastic containers." 

"It's a knife!"  she declared.  "If you want to mail it home you may step out of line and..." 

"Please," I begged, "keep it."  But I gnarled over that little knife for the entire flight to San Diego.  Especially when the woman across the aisle pulled out her knitting needles and began "threatening" a helpless wad of yarn. 

 

Curious Carl

 

some people got no sense of humor

Far too many of us blind folk have experienced rude and thoughtless treatment by so called flight attendants.  One of my theories is that many of them are frustrated controllers who have finally found a captive audience to control, like some preachers. 

Over my many years of soaring among the "friendly skies" I have had my canes seized, been ordered to "stay put until the plane is empty", and my most favorite, to wait for the flight attendant to come for me in case of an emergency. 

I have learned not to be flip, however.  Once I suggested that the little lights along the floor should be Brailled so I could crawl along and feel them.  Boy!  She had no sense of humor. 

If you refuse to surrender your cane, or even more to the point, if you refuse to do exactly what the "controller" demands of you, they can contact airport security and have you removed. 

 

Curious Carl

 

 

a bigger issue than simply awareness training

When it comes to ending discrimination toward the blind it is a bigger issue than one of simply training folks.  This deep seated stereotype goes too deep and is too well entrenched to be simply fixed through an awareness training session.  Today, airlines employees, Bus drivers, Cabbies, Amtrak staff, hotel clerks, restaurant wait staff, police officers, hospital staff...the list is endless, all receive some sort of ADA training. 

And yet, Blind people are still treated according to the prevailing social beliefs about who we are and what we can be expected to do.  As long as the stereotype stands between us we are treated "differently", we will run into the same problem over and over.  The fact is that all of us have been thoroughly trained.  The training that prevails is that informal training which began from the first day that we moved about in the world.  Much of it we received without ever knowing it, with no spoken words for us to explore or challenge.  With our attitudes already set in cement The training that was given us by our employers was never enough to erase the negative attitudes impressed on our brains over the years. 

 

 

Personally, I would fire any person serving the public who discriminated for any reason.  Then I would pass broad sweeping legislation outlawing all discrimination. 

If it passes the first thing I would do would be to wander into some private country club and order a rootbeer.  Then I would take a hike on a private golf course.  Then I would check out my local gated community and find some fellow and slap him on the back and say, "Nice place we got here".  My list is endless. 

 

Curious Carl

 

forget "Educating" The Sighted. We need to change our stereotype instead

A sighted friend asked folks on a Blind List how they would like to be offered help by the public.  To my way of thinking such a discussion will not be a productive one.  I offer my thoughts. 

**********

 

Before we get into an endless round of personal preferences as how we would have others approach us and with which Kid Gloves they should be wearing, let me shoot off my mouth. 

 

1. How any of  us want to be treated has little bearing on how the public is going to approach us. 

I keep reminding this list that the public is not approaching you as an individual.  They are reacting to the traditional, deep seated, long established stereotype of the Blind. 

2. How we conduct ourselves when being approached with the offer of help has little impact on how people see us overall. 

This is because people measure our actions and reactions against what they already believe about Blindness.  The stereotype is the stereotype.  I can behave in the sweetest, gentlest and most cooperative manner and they will think, "What a nice blind man".  But it is not me, it is the stereotype they are measuring me against. 

I might curse them, shoving their hands off me and snarling that they should go to the Dark Region.  They will think, "What a rude, mean, angry blind man". 

But they are seeing the blind stereotype, not me. 

Even if some of us are consistently rude, they still cling to that basic stereotype.  The rude folks are seen as the exceptions. 

Someone might say, "Well, that blind man certainly bit my head off.  See if I ever offer any of them help again!"  They are still referring back to the stereotype, and they are hurt only because we are not behaving properly. 

 

3. Let's pretend that we can turn every blind person into kind thoughtful, honest and direct people.  Now when we meet the public and they grab our arms or wrap their arms about us in an effort to steer us somewhere we might not want to go, and we turn to them and say, "I understand your feelings that I need your assistance, but I do not.  Please let me take care of myself and I will gladly ask you for help should I need it." 

Now you have gone and hurt their feelings and even embarrassed them.  "You people are sure uppity". 

The stereotype remains in place.  We are the gentle, soft spoken, bumbling, musical, helpless lost Souls.  Unless we root out the stereotype everything else is just spinning wheels. 

 

One last comment and then I'll shut up. 

Just think of the reaction to the assertive, super confident posturing  set forth by Ken Jernigan and the leadership of the National Federation of the blind(NFB).  The public, and we blind people *are part of that public, responded by calling them overbearing and elitists.  And many other things, too.  Why?  Because they flew against our understanding of who we are, based upon our stereotype. 

 

So my dear friend, instead of asking your questions, I would urge you to just go about doing what you do, learning all you can and helping as you feel you can.  Then when you see a blind person who might need assistance, approach them just as you would approach your very best friend.  If they don't like that, screw them!  It's their problem, not yours. 

 

Curious Carl

 

measuring services

Measuring Services

 

By

Carl Jarvis

 

The other day someone said to me, "With our economy in the tank and our state budget about to be cut to the bone, we're going to have to prioritize services for the blind".  

"That sounds logical," I said, "But how do we go about doing that without cutting some services?  The state agency is already pretty lean." 

"Well," my friend said, "you look at which services give you the most bang for the buck".  "Bang for the buck?" I asked, "Did we just get recruited?" 

"You know what I mean; we need to invest our money where it will make the biggest return to our economy.  We must protect Vocational Rehabilitation Services because, once trained and working, those are the people who will make the greatest impact.  They will be paying taxes, buying homes, renting apartments, shopping at the Mall.  You know, become contributing members of their community." 

"What about blind children and the older blind?" I asked. 

"No problem about the children.  The school for the blind already handles most of their needs, and as for the older people, well, providing them services doesn't bring much back

To the economy." 

"Wait just a darned minute!" I cried, pulling myself up to the fullness of my 73 years, "you just blew off the majority of blind people in our state."  I dusted off my soap box and clambered aboard as my friend ducked beneath the nearest chair. 

"Not only that, this is the fastest growing segment of our population.  And despite all the talk about their needs, they are the most poorly served population in the blind community.  Did you know that there are large areas in our state where older blind people are not receiving any services at all?"  I got so excited that I almost fell off my soap box.  "But even more to the point, how can you say that these people don't make significant contributions to their community?  With proper services they will stay in their homes and apartments, go to their local stores, pay their taxes, consume lights and heat, and even hire help. 

Stick them away in nursing homes or adult family homes and they will not be making contributions, they'll be costing taxpayers thousands of dollars each year." 

My friend made a frantic dash for the door but I was too quick.  Barring the door, I shouted, "All that aside, what about our obligation to these folks?  These are our parents, our grand parents and beyond.  These are the people who brought us out of the Great Depression, marched off to war in order to keep us safe, worked hard and raised their children to be productive citizens, paid their taxes and took part in community activities.  These people are what America is all about.  Is this how we plan to repay them?  After all they did for us, are we going to measure the services we provide by the dollars we can still squeeze out of them?" 

I heard my friend sobbing.  "There, there," I soothed, "I'm sorry to have upset you." 

"Please, please," my friend blubbered, "you put your soap box down on my foot". 

 

check out my blog
www.curiouscarlscorner.blogspot.com

is God flawed?

It's a wild and crazy world.  Coming out of the Second World War as an impressionable boy of ten(1945), and being raised in a family that was all people centered rather than worrying about who they were or where they were born, it was just the thing to do, to give the Jews back their Homeland.  I think all of us were duped into overlooking all the folks already living there.  I know that as a boy I just figured here was this land that belonged to the Jews and was just waiting for their return.  But even if I'd understood that this land was already occupied I would have believed that a People so persecuted as the Jews, would treat anyone living there with compassion. 

Of course much of my perceptions were those of a young boy.  But many of them were the prevailing views being peddled to us back in those days.  All Negroes were happy, simple minded folk singing all the day long.  All Chinese wore Q's and owned either hand laundries or Chinese restaurants.  All Indians(American) were drunks and dead beats.  And all Jews were wandering around, bewildered and looking for some place to call their own. 

Only us White(WASPS) had it all together. 

Looking back on it today it looks like an extension of the Super Race concept that we'd been supposedly fighting against. 

Anyway, I don't hold Israel blameless for its present posture, but I can't lay it all at the feet of the USA, so I suppose it goes all the way back to those two folks wearing their Fig Leaves and chomping down on the Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.  But then I'd have to hold God responsible.  Being All Knowing and seeing the Beginning and the End, He knew what He was setting us up for. 

Maybe I'll write a paper entitled, "Is God Flawed?"

 

Curious Carl

 

time for peace

Remember eating dinner with the TV tuned onto the war in Korea?  That was before we were entertained by ads for personal hygiene products.  We chomped down on our hamburgers to the sound of bombs blasting and tanks rumbling.  Well, thank goodness we are spared that today.  Now I eat along with the multitude of ads explaining why there are only criminals running for public office.  Not only does our media ignore the horrors of the war, but they happily replace them with the horrors we will endure after the next election. 

Now it seems that there is a rumble in the wings calling for reinstatement of the Draft. 

But rather than reinstating the draft, I say reinstate Peace. 

 

Curious Carl

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Miriam Vieni

To: Blind Democracy List

Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 7:02 PM

Subject: The Way We Treat Our Troops

The Way We Treat Our Troops
By BOB HERBERT
You can only hope that the very preliminary peace efforts in Afghanistan
bear fruit before long. But for evidence that the United States is letting
its claim to greatness, and even common decency, slip through its fingers,
all you need to do is look at the way we treat our own troops.

The idea that the United States is at war and hardly any of its citizens are
paying attention to the terrible burden being shouldered by its men and
women in uniform is beyond appalling.

We can get fired up about Lady Gaga and the Tea Party crackpots. We're into
fantasy football, the baseball playoffs and our obsessively narcissistic
tweets. But American soldiers fighting and dying in a foreign land? That is
such a yawn.

I would bring back the draft in a heartbeat. Then you wouldn't have these
wars that last a lifetime. And you wouldn't get mind-bending tragedies like
the death of Sgt. First Class Lance Vogeler, a 29-year-old who was killed a
few weeks ago while serving in the Army in his 12th combat tour. That's
right, his 12th - four in Iraq and eight in Afghanistan.

Twelve tours may be unusual, but multiple tours - three, four, five - are
absolutely normal. We don't have enough volunteers to fight these endless
wars. Americans are big on bumper stickers, and they like to go to sports
events and demonstrate their patriotism by chanting, "U-S-A! U-S-A!" But
actually putting on a uniform and going into harm's way? No thanks.

Sergeant Vogeler was married and the father of two children, and his wife
was expecting their third.

It's a quaint notion, but true: with wars come responsibilities. The meat
grinder of war takes its toll in so many ways, and we should be paying close
attention to all aspects of it. Instead, we send our service members off to
war, and once they're gone, it's out of sight, out of mind.

If we were interested, we might notice that record numbers of soldiers are
killing themselves. At least 125 committed suicide through August of this
year, an awful pace that if continued would surpass last year's all-time
high of 162.

Stressed-out, depressed and despondent soldiers are seeking help for their
mental difficulties at a rate that is overwhelming the capacity of available
professionals. And you can bet that there are even higher numbers of
troubled service members who are not seeking help.

In the war zones, we medicate the troubled troops and send them right back
into action, loading them up with antidepressants, sleeping pills,
anti-anxiety drugs and lord knows what other kinds of medication.

One of the things we have long known about warfare is that the trouble
follows the troops home. The Times published an article this week by Aaron
Glantz, a reporter with The Bay Citizen news organization in San Francisco,
that focused on the extraordinary surge of fatalities among Afghanistan and
Iraq veterans. These young people died, wrote Mr. Glantz, "not just as a
result of suicide, but also of vehicle accidents, motorcycle crashes, drug
overdoses or other causes after being discharged from the military."

An analysis of official death certificates showed that, from 2005 through
2008, more than 1,000 California veterans under the age of 35 had died. That's
three times the number of service members from California who were killed in
Afghanistan and Iraq during the same period.

Veterans of the two wars were two-and-a-half times as likely to commit
suicide as people the same age with no military service. "They were twice as
likely," Mr. Glantz reported, "to die in a vehicle accident, and
five-and-a-half times as likely to die in a motorcycle accident."

The torment that wars put people through is not something that can be turned
on and off like a switch. It's a potentially deadly burden that demands
attention and care. People shouldn't be exposed to it if there is any
possible alternative.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been world-class fiascos. To continue
them without taking serious account of the horrors being endured by our
troops and their families is just wrong.

The war in Afghanistan, the longest in our history, began on Oct. 7, 2001.
It's now in its 10th year. After all this time and all the blood shed and
lives lost, it's still not clear what we're doing. Osama bin Laden hasn't
been found. The Afghan Army can't stand on its own. Our ally in Pakistan can't
be trusted, and our man in Kabul is, at best, flaky. A good and humane
society would not keep sending its young people into that caldron.

Shakespeare tells us to "be not afraid of greatness." At the moment, we are
acting like we're terrified.




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just wandering around in my brain

A good friend of mine, a fellow some years older than my parents, escaped Germany with his wife and mother-in-law at just about the last possible moment.  He wanted to come to America, but had to first live in Uruguay for several years.  He and I worked together in the drapery factory for about 8.5 years.  Germany offered financial aid to Jews living abroad, if they would resettle in West Germany.  Walter and his wife decided to do this following his mother-in-laws death.  They lived there about two years and then suddenly moved to Israel.  That would have been in the late 60's. 

About 1975 I heard from another fellow I'd worked with, that Walter and his wife had returned, and were living in the same building they'd lived in years earlier. 

I called him and we stayed connected until his death about 18 years ago.  He told me that as much as he'd felt part of Seattle and the Jewish community, he and his wife had longed to return "home".  When the offer came, they returned to their home town.  "Of course, nothing was the same," Walter told me.  "I learned then that you can't ever return home."  So off to Israel they went, looking for some friends who had moved there.  At first it was exciting, he told me.  "But after a bit we began to be treated differently than the younger people moving in". 

I've often thought just how lonely it must be to live in a land that is not really your own. 

The drapery factory, Bartmann and Bixer, hired many displaced Jews.  Most of us became close friends because we spent so much time working together and grumbling about the cheap wages, etc. 

So you can imagine my shock when I dated a charming young lady only to be met at her door by her father.  "I am sorry," he told me, "My daughter will not go out with gentlemen who are not Jewish." 

Of course, later on when I faced discrimination as a blind man, I chuckled at how stunned I was to have been discriminated as a Gentile. 

 

Curious Carl

 

you can't vote a straight ticket

Today it's impossible to vote a straight ticket.  Just look at the political commercials on TV, there is not one single person who is running who is not being called a crook.  So you can only vote a crooked ticket. 

 

Curious Carl

 

looking for a few dollars to buy me a politician

There is a difference between a politician who is a crook and one who is bought.  The one will do anything to further his/her own personal affairs, while the bought politician usually buys into the positions he/she is being bought to support or promote. 

That still leaves me in the ranks of the disenfranchised.  I can't scrape up enough money to buy my local dog catcher. 

 

Curious Carl

 

Fw: more about unions outspending Republicans

Yup, the best little old government money can buy. 

Curious Carl

--NYT 1-col. lead, "Large Donations Aid U.S. Chamber In Election Drive – Democrats Top Targets: Group Doesn't Disclose Names of Companies Giving Millions," by Eric Lipton in Washington, and Mike McIntire and Don Van Natta Jr. in New York: "Prudential Financial sent in a $2 million donation … Dow Chemical delivered $1.7 million … And Goldman Sachs, Chevron Texaco, and Aegon, a multinational insurance company based in the Netherlands, donated more than $8 million … They suggest that the recent allegations from President Obama and others that foreign money has ended up in the chamber's coffers miss a larger point: The chamber has had little trouble finding American companies eager to enlist it, anonymously, to fight their political battles … And these contributions, some of which can be pieced together through tax filings of corporate foundations and other public records, also show how the chamber has increasingly relied on a relatively small collection of big corporate donors to finance much of its legislative and political agenda. … Business interests also give to the chamber's foundation. Its tax filings show that seven donors gave the foundation at least $17 million between 2004 and 2008, about two-thirds of the total raised. These donors include Goldman Sachs, Edward Jones, Alpha Technologies, Chevron Texaco and Aegon … Another large foundation donor is a charity run by Maurice R. Greenberg, the former chairman of the insurance giant A.I.G." http://nyti.ms/cN9LHj  

--A1 graphic: "74% of chamber money spent in federal races this cycle has gone to attacks on Democrats." http://nyti.ms/aZtsTw  

--The graphic calls the Chamber "The Top Non-Party Spender: Top 10 groups by campaign spending this election cycle, from Jan. 1, 2009 through Oct. 18, 2010. Figures in millions (includes both electioneering and other expenditures): 1) National Republican Congressional Committee $34.3 2) Democratic Congressional Campaign Comm. $26.3 3) Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee $22.0 4) U.S. Chamber of Commerce $21.1 5) American Action Network $15.3 6) American Crossroads $12.9 7) Service Employees Intl. Union $10.6 8) American Future Fund $8.7 9) Nat'l Republican Senatorial Comm. $8.5 10) Americans for Job Security $8.0."

--WSJ graphic on A4, "Top spenders in the 2009-10 election": 1) AFSCME, $87.5 million; 2) U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $75 million; 3) American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, $65 million; 4) SEIU, $44 million; 5) NEA, $40 million.

--The Chamber responds with "Another Day, Another Distraction," a ChamberPost blog post by Thomas J. Collamore, Senior Vice President, Communications and Strategy and Counselor to the President: "The latest shot across the bow comes from the Gray Lady, who is obviously trying to get back in the DNC's good graces … This story reports breathlessly that The Chamber!!! Is Raising and Spending !!! A lot!!! of Money!!!! To Further its Agenda!!!!! You're forgiven if you yawn." http://bit.ly/9r1eHL  

 

FwBad dog! a lesson in how to put your white cane to good use.

I've just got to share this gem of a story about a woman Cathy and I taught basic cane travel to. 

She is a member of Jefferson County Council of the Blind.  So don't mess with us! 

 

Curious Carl

 

Hi Carl and Kathy.  Thought I'd tell you what happened to me last Friday after the lunch.  I was walking to QFC like I always do with my trusty cane and all of a sudden a huge boxer dog came up behind me and attacked me, biting me on the upper leg.  I whirled around and started smacking him with my trusty white cane and he came at me from the front snarling and lunging.  I kept smacking him with all my might and finally he decided I was the bitch from hell and took off.  Not one damn person stopped to help me and there were many driving by.  That made me as mad as the dog attack.  I walked on down to the used clothing store close to the corner and asked them to call 911.  I explained what had happened and asked for the animal control to come.  She said they were already on their way.  When he got there I explained what had happened and that I was ok.  My pants were wet where he bit and it stung but didn't break the skin.  I wasn't scared but boy was I mad.  I never realized that I am a FIGHTER!!!Yea Nancy.  So if you need someone to go with you in a fight,  then I am your woman.  LOL   The animal control didn't find him but we went on to the store and then drove by and there it was.  We drove in and the dog went after the car too.  The owner came out and I explained what had happened and she said...."he has been doing that a lot lately, and I have a 3 month old baby"..  Then she said,  "He won't even let me catch him".  I told her to get rid of the dog before he hurt the baby and that the animal control was going to come.  Then called the animal control, told them the address and what she had said.  He said....well the dog has got to go.  I haven't seen it since and boy do I look good as I go past.  The funny part of this is that I never knew I was so tough...guess the weight lifting has paid off and boy am I lucky I am sight impaired and have that wonderful white cane.  Yea.....for us.  Of course Pat came when I called him to tell him about it and then set about trying to get the animal control guy to tell me I can't walk anymore.  He said nadda to that and told me I did a great job and not to worry about how many times I'd smacked the dog because I could use anything I could get my hands on to defend myself.  Again......Yea to all us "Un-handicapped folks". I'm woman, I'm invincible, I'm a fighter and I'll always be independent.  LOL   So to you two....I thank you very much for the white cane.  I use it with pride.  PS.....The cane had all kinds of dog slobber on it from me hitting it so much.  Yuk!

Misplaced humor?

Some of us are cursed with a perverse sense of humor.  We mean no harm, but...

I was riding a bus in Seattle.  A very kindly, older lady sat down next to me and turned to me and asked? "What is that?", pointing to my long white fiberglass cane.  "This is a Whooshk bat", I answered with a broad smile.  "Haven't you ever watched a Whooshk game?"  I then proceeded to show her just how I had to catch the small red ball on the metal glide tip of the cane and then propel it to the net for a 3 point score.  "Why, I never heard of such a game", she said, wide eyed. 

"It's just catching on.  Very difficult and one must be in excellent physical condition". 

"My," she observed, "You don't look to be mean and lean," she said with a twinkle of a laugh. 

To this day I don't know if I'd schmoozed her or if she'd schmoozed me. 

 

Curious Carl

 

eternal vigilance

Eternal vigilance is the price of Freedom. 

Failing to heed these words is at the root of most corruption within labor unions.  Somehow we forget that the very collective action that gave a labor union its strength must be carried forward for the life of that union.  We hand off our responsibilities to a few "leaders" and eventually they seize control. 

Just because it has always been thus does not mean that it has to.  If I accept corruption as being inevitable, it will be.  But if I continue to fight to educate people in ways of good collective government, then we might one day see change. 

 

Curious Carl

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: R. E. Driscoll Sr

To: Blind Democracy Discussion List

Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 6:43 AM

Subject: Re: E.J. Dion and Jack Brooks

Dear Friends;

We could, in all honesty, say essentially the same thing about any organization that has been initiated by mankind for the benefit of mankind.  For the record I have read and lived a goodly bit of history.

Regards,
R. E. (Dick) Driscoll, Sr.

don't toss the unions out with the bath water

 

My point is that while today's unions are patterned too much like the corporations, it does not mean we should toss them out with the bath water.  Rather than turning to government control, unions will only be effective if the members collectively control them. 

But Americans have been led by the Pied Piper of Pleasure down the glittery path of gadgets, entertainment and personal pleasures.  We spend our time pleasing ourselves and feel put upon if we are asked to take part in some dull meeting. 

We say, "Let the union bosses take care of it.  That's why we voted for them."  Or we say, "That's why we sent those people to congress.  Let them take care of us." 

Until we roll up our collective sleeves and take care of ourselves neither unions nor government will work for us.  They will only work for the folks who buy their loyalties. 

But we must fight to organize labor again.  Just not in the tradition of old Dave Beck and his Sweet Heart Contracts. 

 

Curious Carl

 

Sit! Stand! Stay!

 

Cathy and I had been dating only a short time.  so you can imagine how important it was for me to present myself at my most charming and witty self. 

We left the agency one typical drippy Seattle evening and stepped aboard the local bus, headed for my apartment and a quiet dinner together.  The bus was packed.  The driver looked at me, turned around to the elderly lady sitting behind him with her lap full of packages and snapped, "Stand up and let the blind man sit down". 

The old woman struggled to her feet.  I said, "No, please sit down.  I'm used to standing."  She wearily sank back to the seat. 

"Lady!"  shouted the driver, "Get out of that seat and let the blind man sit." 

Up she bobbed again and shuffled away from the seat. 

I was seething.  This was exactly what I did not want Cathy to see happen.  So I turned to her and said, "Why don't you sit down?"  Of course she would never have done that, but the driver heard me and slammed on the breaks, flung open the door and shut the bus down. 

"Sit down or I'll call the police," he shouted. 

Now at this point I wish I could tell you all that I turned calmly to him and recited the laws that said I was not required to sit. 

Instead I leaned into his face and shouted, "Then call the cops because I'm not sitting down." 

Then I heard a dull rumble.  A growling sound moving forward from the back of the packed bus.  These were tired working folks headed home to their dinners and families.  They had no care about whether a blind man sat or stood.  They just wanted that bus to roll down the road. 

I turned to Cathy and said, "Let's get off."  she agreed. 

Later, after a letter writing campaign, I was sent an apology from the head of Metro, along with a check for my cab fare and a notice that had been circulated to all transit drivers restating the rules regarding blind passengers.  But they only reprimanded the driver.  Seriously, I had demanded that they fire the SOB.  Oops!  I'm getting worked up again after all these 30 years. 

Curious Carl

 

note to a friend

Note to a friend: 

 

Ted,

It's a crazy upside down world.  But I was wondering about your comment that you are not a great fan of unions. 

If workers don't band together and stand up for their rights, safe working conditions, decent pay, and collective bargaining rights, what would you suggest in the place of unions? 

It's my observation that unions suffer from the same contamination that has permeated all of America. 

Capitalism.  This Virus has snaked its tentacles into every walk of life.  Rather than working together to improve their well being, union leaders jockey for power just the same as the corporate bosses.  The laborers become the pawns rather than equal partners. 

I remember being shocked years ago when I read that the Boeing Aero Machinists were planning a strike vote, but first the union president requested, and received, a large pay raise.  He then proceeded to work against the will of the majority of his members, siding with Management's claim that poor Boeing could not afford to share any of its great profits with the workers.  Most of those profits came from our collective pockets.  And those profits enabled Boeing to slam one competitor after another to the mat, costing thousands of jobs.  And then our great "built in America" aircraft company began outsourcing many of its parts manufacturing.  As a great big Thank You to the citizens of Seattle, and Washington State, who had underwritten Boeing by forgiving taxes and paying for land development that benefited Boeing, this caring company up and moved its headquarters to Chicago because Seattle finally could not deliver enough more of its blood. 

If not unions, how do we go up against unfeeling, cold, calculating monsters like Boeing.  Boeing is no longer an American corporation.  You think they wouldn't up and move their entire business to another part of the world if it offered them a better deal and cheaper labor?  And still they suck up your and my tax dollars as if they have a God given right and we have no business questioning their behavior. 

If ever we needed to reform and build strong unions, it is now. 

 

Curious Carl

 

attention all Right to Lifers!

Subject: Re: Utah Governor Signs Controversial Law Charging Women and Girls WithMurder for Miscarriage. 

 

So, who is going to propose legislation declaring masturbation an act of reckless endangerment?  Any male caught in, or reported as having been seen committing this heinous crime will be automatically sentenced to five years hard labor. 

 

Repeat offenders will be castrated. 

 

Curious Carl

Are we being ruled by Filibusters?

Congress is going around in circles, tying itself in knots.  Who ever would have believed that a minority would run the government?  It used to be that you only needed 51% to win your point.  Now it's at least 60%.  A percentage almost as difficult to achieve as to shove a camel through the eye of a needle. 

But we must remind ourselves that this ineffective congress is exactly what the Empire Builders need in order to go forward unhindered.  If we put in a strong congress the Empire Builders would have to take time out from sucking up our planet's resources to knock our sox off. 

 

Curious Carl

 

NYT and the ACORN Hoax

How could the mighty New York Times be duped? 

Once upon a time and far, far away the New York Times had the reputation of being a fair and objective paper, even called "A Liberal Rag" by the Right.  But if it were ever true, the good old Liberal paper has followed the road as it curves to the Right. 

Curious Carl

 

congress does the job they're paid to do

 

Someone wrote, "...but Congress lacks the will to regulate corporate power." 
He implies that congress is some sort of a weak, flabby, stupid bunch of spineless weaklings.  We just have to get our heads turned around on this point.  Congress is doing exactly what they are being bought and paid to do.  Serve their Masters. 

 

Curious Carl

 

send 'em all back!

From a friend.

Did anyone notice the story on NPR yesterday about the blond, blue eyed
woman who has been arrested for planning a murder in the cause of Jihad and
planning to lure other white european women into such acts?  She actually
hadn't done anything except state her plans on the internet.  She is a
threat because she doesn't fit the typical profile of a Muslim Jihadist.
Therefore, according to the story, the government sees her as particularly
dangerous because she may be just the tip of the iceberg.  All these
european looking people may become violent, radical Muslims.

*********

My response:

Send 'em all back where they come from, I say. 

If they can't dress and talk and look like Terrorists they got no business running around scaring little children and old women. 

 

Curious Carl

Commentary, six Reasons to Unplug the TV

Ah yes.  It appears that folks are indeed waking up to the fact that we are at war.  America is under attack from the Empire Builders, and has been under attack for years.  Not only are we being given big lies, but we are being lied to on a daily basis.  We are distracted by silly stuff that is passed off as news and we are turned against our own government, or turned off toward it.  And we never ask the questions that could burst through the smoke and mirrors. 

1. How can our nation be so perfect and free if our government is so corrupt and inept? 

2. If politics are so complex how come such stupid people are the politicians? 

3. If our politicians are not bought by huge political contributions(bribes) then why do they never hear us? 

4. If this is our government and our nation, why is all our money  and all our jobs going overseas?

5. If we are winning the war against Terror, why are we being terrorized by our own government? 

6. If we are defending our American Way of Life why are our highways and bridges collapsing and our schools falling apart and our elderly being driven into poverty and our disabled being thrown to the wolves and our poor being robbed  of their homes and forced into poverty level jobs and our health care is becoming the laughing stock of the civilized world? 

 

Curious Carl

 

equal treatment under ADA: it's all written down

Someone suggested that all we need to do is to point out to the flight attendant that ADA rules allow us to carry our canes with us, and that we do not need to take our dog guides harnesses off.  . 

Well, you are correct.  It's all written down.  Now let's say that you are in a long winding line waiting to board your flight.  You arrived in plenty of time but the line is longer than usual and your flight is leaving in 30 minutes.  The person at the beeper box insists that you remove the harness from your dog guide.  You point out your rights.  The person tells you to obey or you will be removed. 

The same can be true once on board the plane.  the flight attendant smiles and grabs your cane.  "I'll place this in the storage cabinet," they tell you.  You clutch your cane and say, "I have the right to carry my cane with me". 

"Still smiling, the flight attendant snarls, "Let go or I'll have you removed". 

It's your call.  The airline or airport may apologize later, but you have to choose whether to miss your flight or cave in. 

This is the treatment afforded to unequal's. 

Which leads me to wonder, has any blind person flying in first class ever had their cane grabbed? 

Curious Carl

 

One last thought on airlines and their rules

Who is it that decides just what might constitute a weapon on an airline?  Does all this search and seizure really make us safer when locked together in the air? 

Not only do they not take away your eye glasses with those dangerous pieces of glass which could shatter and blind you in event of a crash, but they do not take away knitting needles.  Nor do they take away leather belts which could be wrapped around the neck of pushy flight attendants.  Shoes, held firmly by the toe, make great clubs.  Carry on bags, often weighing as much as their owners, can be yanked out of the over head and slammed into people's heads.  Those little trays are so flimsy that they can be ripped off and used as shields while you are wielding your white cane as a sword.  And then there are those huge refreshment carts.  When they pass by, just jump up and grab the end and begin charging down the aisle.  You should be able to make it all the way to first class. 

I tell you, those airplanes are death traps. 

 

Curious Carl

 

feeling naked without my white cane

Back in 1965, when I first became totally blind, I was so embarrassed to carry a white cane that I would hide it under my coat.  At least I'd hide as much of it as possible.  I practiced after dark, in the alley behind my house.  It was a long time before I felt comfortable using the long white cane. 

 

Frankly, I now feel naked without my cane when I'm out in public.  Besides, on a plane or in any other crowded situation, the cane or dog guide alerts folks that you just might not see them.  Why have the training with cane or dog only to hop out of your seat and bump your way down to the toilet?  In my mind that makes me appear...well, blind. 

 

Curious Carl

 

and more about airlines and white canes

A friend suggested that all we have to do is to explain to flight attendants that we are allowed to keep our white canes with us during flight.  They will then understand. 

 

They do not understand.  Period  Believe me.  I am as patient and articulate as anyone I know, but I have tried to reason with some airline staff who are either robots or programmed to ignore all conversation.  They might try to be nice about it or they might turn hostile, but they never turn reasonable. 

I no longer fight that fight.  I pre-board and get my cane out of sight before the flight attendants notice it.  That is the only way I've found to "reason" with them. 

Curious Carl

 

still more on airlines and rules

Still commenting on the story of the man who had his cane seized by the flight attendant. 

 

In my travels I have seen many other disabled folks being given what might be considered thoughtless or even rude treatment.  Folks might want to check out some of the other disability organizations, such as people in wheel chairs, to hear their own version of what we encounter.  Senior citizens also are often treated as if they haven't a brain in their heads.  My 84 year old mother-in-law was wheeled into a room and forgotten.  Then she was boarded onto a plane bound for Los Angeles, even though she was headed for Fresno.  It seemed not to matter what she said, because "They" knew better. 

I was shoved into the holding pen at O'Hare in Chicago and would have been left behind except that I headed off looking for my gate.  What I am saying is that it goes on all around us and trying to reason with some of these people only makes them dig their heels in. 

What I believe about the article is that this man wanted to travel from point A to point B and to do it without any disruptions.  He was confronted regarding his cane and he reacted. 

It would be amazing if we thought everyone could remain calm when confronted with a strange situation.  I have gone off the deep end more than once after failing to reason with those "In Authority". 

 

Curious Carl

 

to another friend

Talking about airline flight attendants demanding that we surrender our white canes.  . 

 

Jessie,

Well, I was agreeing with you up to the place where you said, "they have their rules and we'll abide by them or no." 

Most change for the better comes from people breaking the rules.  Too many rules are set in place to protect the interests of those making the rules, rather than those having to abide by them. 

Besides, I've been in some pretty scary turbulence and never heard of a cane whizzing past heads.  However, one flight was so rough that several of the over head compartments flew open and luggage dropped onto the aisle.  I don't think anyone was seriously hurt, but those bags certainly became potential weapons of mass destruction. 

 

Curious Carl

 

bursting a friends bubble

Hi My Dear Dreamer,

So you are praying for me? 

Sorry to burst your dream bubble, but I am well entrenched as an Agnostic.  In my life I have been sprinkled as a Baptist, poured on as a Methodist, dunked as an Evangelical and born again, Baptized in the Holy Spirit and even spoke in tongues and had visions. 

All of this I did while honestly seeking God and Jesus. 

But finally I learned that everything is God, and Jesus merely pointed this out to us. 

I have learned that Good and Evil do not exist in the Universe.  They are Man Made and exist within our brains(hearts). 

Most Life on Earth devours other Life in order to exist.  Man devours in anger, pleasure and just out of thoughtlessness. 

Man cannot even own up to His corrupt nature, looking to some Great God to bail Him out.  But our Salvation lies within ourselves.  Earth is indeed the Mythical Garden of Eden.  And we have eaten from the Forbidden Fruit.  But it was never Woman who tempted us.  Another denial by men. 

We are busily destroying this Garden that was ours to care for.  But we blame everyone and everything else for its demise, that is when we even agree that Earth is in trouble. 

We must look within ourselves for our Salvation.  Seeking Jesus only sets us up for another Despot to control and abuse us. 

We need to come to the understanding that collectively we are Jesus, and we can create miracles.  There is no preacher wiser than you when it comes to knowing your heart.  All the great writings and investigations and pontifications are nothing more than smoke and mirrors.  The Truth lies within us.  Why do we buy into this notion that we are so dumb that we need some great leader to tell us how to think?  Even caring Souls like Billy Graham cannot replace my own understanding of what I am.  Teach.  Explore ideas.  Challenge.  But once the alter call goes out we are being duped.  The Alter Call should be, "Enter into your own heart and mind and accept yourself as part of All that exists".  But the preachers turn us away from ourselves and set us up for failure. 

 

End of the Sermon for today. 

 

Curious Carl

 

 

deep seated attitudes

A recent newspaper article reported a story of a blind fellow about to board an airplane.  The flight attendant demanded his cane.  He refused and was told that if he did not surrender it they would call the police and have him removed.  He surrendered the cane but later filed a complaint. 

The reaction among the blind community was interesting.  Some folks were indignant, but more people wondered if there might not be more to the story.  They speculated whether the fellow was hostile or aggressive or rude.  They wanted to wait to hear the airlines side of the story. 

What does it say about a minority who fail to lift up one of their own?  The assumption that this fellow might have provoked such treatment tells us that blind people still question their own social status.  But that is not a surprise.  We blind folks are part of the same community that creates the blind stereotype. 

 

 

Years ago I had a young college student as my helper in the freight room at the drapery factory.  He was a football player at the local JC.  He was Black. 

On his first day I invited him to join me at the local cafe for coffee and pasteries.  Sort of an effort to let him know he was welcome and to introduce him to some of the other local workers. 

We hopped up at the counter in George's Cafe/Tavern.  George, an old Greek, came down the counter and, as he always did, said, "Okay boys, what'll it be?" 

I looked over at the stool my helper had been sitting on.  He was now standing in the middle of the room, fists up and crouched ready to fight.  "What did you call me?"  He demanded. 

Poor old George had the most startled look I'd ever seen on his face. 

"I'm a man!" my helper shouted.  "I'm not a boy". 

"Look around you", I told him.  The cafe was filled with big burley long shoremen and long haul truckers.  "We're all George's boys", I explained. 

The kid settled down long enough to drink his coffee and eat his doughnuts, but he never apologized for his out burst and he never went back to George's cafe. 

This young man's experiences and informal education had been very different than mine.  I understood why he had such a trigger reaction to being called "Boy".  Most of the guys at George's cafe, all white fellows, thought it was a hoot and a holler seeing my helper leap into the room ready to take them all on. 

"He should stay in his place," one big guy said.  "They're all that way," another quipped.

One of the reasons that I am still alive is that I never challenged those big guys.  Any one of them could mop up the floor with me, and would have done so if I'd suggested that they were biggots.  

So, back to the blind fellow boarding the airplane.  What if the thoughtless demand by the flight attendent had triggered an over reaction from him?  Do two wrongs make a right?  How do we begin changing attitudes so deeply ingrained that they are reduced to emotional reactions?  As I say, it's one huge problem.  

 

Curious Carl

 

thinking a thought

To think calls for the possession of thoughts.  And yet, thoughts come by way of thinking. 

Which came first, the think or the thought?

 

I think I thunk a thought. 

A thought I think I thunk. 

But though I strain

With might and main,

My brain is full of gunk. 

 

Curious Carl

 

All about our cruise

If you want to be totally pampered, and you have a week or two and some extra money burning a hole in your pocket and a sighted friend, take a cruise. 

Cathy, her sister and I just spent a week floating between San Diego and Mexico.  We boarded the Oosterdam, one of the larger Holland America liners.  These people have made a science out of pampering.  The crew is made up mostly of young, energetic, super caring Filipinos and Indonesians.  If their English is sometimes difficult to understand, there can be no mistaking their desire to take total care of you. 

But for a blind person to really kick back and enjoy themselves it would be wise to bring a sighted companion.  I was lucky enough to have two such folk.  A blind person with good travel skills can certainly learn the layout of the ship, as huge as it is, but the problem is the language.  We did most of our grazing at the buffet line.  Between the crowd noise and the soft, musical, non-understandable voices of the servers, I would have starved to death trying to figure out what was for dinner. 

But the quality of the food was amazing.  And you could eat until you exploded.  Sad to say, we noticed many people who loaded up platters only to leave most of it on the table when they were done eating.  And the food was honestly served on platters! 

I could write a book just recalling the wondrous days spent on board, but this was a Mexican cruise, after all. 

So we signed up for three tours. 

Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucus. 

I will not take space describing what we saw on these tours.  And here is the reason.  Tours are designed to bring people to a number of sights, such as cathedrals and ancient ruins, and then haul everyone to the eateries and gift shops. 

But if you pay close attention you can get a sense of some of the actual life that goes on around you. 

Mostly what I experienced as a blind traveler in a different culture, was how different that culture is when it comes to assisting the blind.  It reminded me of the long ago times in the USA.  For one thing we saw no blind people on the streets.  Not even beggars.  Local citizens stared openly as I passed them.  Naturally most of this is due to my intense good looks, but some of it was their amazement at seeing a blind man in public.  Now, I am tall.  Six foot three inches.  And I am not wasting away.  Two hundred and forty five pounds.  Many Mexicans are not big people.  However they ar quick.  Strong.  Eager.  And they would encircle their arms about my middle and actually hoist me off the ground in order to "assist" me in boarding or leaving the ship or tour bus or chair or going down stairs or going up stairs or even if they thought that I might be about to move.  So I became well acquainted with the local folks.  Up close and very personal.  But not the ladies.  I might have enjoyed that, but they seemed to leave me to the men to handle.  Now that I think about it, Cathy may have had something to do with that. 

But beyond the discomfort of being mauled, the Mexican people are a beautiful and kind and caring people.  My years as a rehab teacher caused me to think of actually moving to Mexico and beginning a training center.  Naturally I have not researched the subject, so I have no idea just what services do already exist.  But I doubt it will happen.  All my children and grand children live here in Washington state.  All of my friends and all of the organizations I have labored in over the years are also here.  And most of all, those Mexicans all speak Spanish.  My Spanish consists of the normal one word conversations such as, "eat", "Bathroom", "Thank you", and one short sentence, "Which way to Seattle?" 

Another time I will comment on the deterioration of courtesy and assistance in our American airports.  But suffice it to say, I have gone from being an eager traveler to absolutely hating to enter airports.  I will take a bus or a train or stay home before flying. 

But enough for now.  All in all it was a great experience and we did meet so many beautiful people.  Both Mexican and American. 

 

Curious Carl

 

The day I "Fixed" the toilet

I was in my early thirties, newly blind and eager to prove to the world that I could do just about everything I set my mind to.  Of course that would call for a person to have a mind.  But anyway, I had a toilet that was leaking where the water line connected to the toilet.  I decided to repair it.  So I turned off the water and disconnected the line.  Ah, it had some of that waxed string in the threads to assist in making the line secure.  I used to have some, but for the life of me I couldn't recall where it had gotten to. 

Never mind that, I got a spool of string and a chunk of paraffin wax.  I decided that I could soften the wax in a pan on the stove, so I set it up and went back to taking the toilet apart.  Then I heard a crackle.  I jumped up and ran to the kitchen.  The wax was crackling and spluttering.  Naturally I had not bothered to put the pan in a second pan of water.  I turned off the stove burner.  And then I did the second dumb thing.  I picked up the pan.  It burst into flames with a poof.  I'm suddenly holding a blazing torch.  so I tossed it into the sink.  That was my third mistake.  The flames instantly caught the frilly window curtains on fire.  I thought that I had a five pound bag of salt on the shelf next to the stove, but when I pulled it out it turned out to be flour.  I ripped open the sack and dumped the entire bag onto the flaming mess and then turned on the water and pulled the curtains down into the sink.  It's a wonder that the flour dust didn't burst into flame,  too. 

After that I sat down and just shook for about an hour before cleaning up the mess. 

Then I walked to the hardware store and bought a new roll of waxed string. 

 

Curious Carl

 

Virus versus Resistance

 

While Corporate America diverts our attention on what they want us to believe is the "Threat of Terrorism from Abroad", an insidious Virus is spreading across our beloved land.  This Virus appears to be unstoppable.  It's name is Capitalism.  Capitalism devours all in its path and if left unchecked it will eventually destroy all Freedom both within our nation and around the entire Planet Earth.  The Capitalist carriers of this Virus want to believe that it can continue expanding unchecked, just as the Universe expands endlessly...we think.  This is a gamble that will culminate in total destruction, both of the civilized world as well as of the Capitalists, themselves.  But they are willing to gamble because the short term gains are so over poweringly seductive. 

An antidote does exist.  It is called Resistance.  Resistance is being cultured in the slums, the ghettos, the prisons, among the disenfranchised and the outcasts.  It is spreading into the broader population of Americans formerly employed and once called Middle Class. 

The Virus understands this threat.  Virus understands that it must destroy Resistance or it will be destroyed.  Virus cannot survive alongside Resistance.  Capitalists are so concerned that they are actually willing to take some of their ill gotten gains and turn them to blocking Resistance.  A vast campaign has been launched denouncing Resistance as Terrorist Activity and Anti American behavior. 

Capitalists are counting on their ability to buy the American Mind and destroy Resistance.  Resistance is counting on American Determination and Common Sense to send Capitalism and its Virus to an early grave. 

We each must choose which side we will join.  There are no sidelines in this deadly contest.  Those who say, "I'm just not political" are actually joining the Virus.  For when the dust has settled and if Virus wins, they will be swept away with all those supporting Resistance. 

 

Curious Carl

 

ending the recession

Ending the recession

 

The solution is simple.  Stop providing public welfare for the rich and begin providing welfare for the unemployed.  Here's how it works. 

Let's say you are Boeing.  You are busy slopping at the public trough, gobbling up billions of tax payers dollars. 

No more!  All of those tax dollars will now go to provide a living standard for unemployed people.  You will now have to pay for your own planes and weapon manufacturing and sell them on the open world market. 

Now let's say you are the Pentagon.  You are really living on welfare.  But what you are doing is to take billions of dollars from public taxes and build an army that is defending the interests of only about 2% of Americans.  That seems unfair.  Let's take back those billions and give them to the working folks. 

If the super rich do not want to share their money with us, why on earth are we so willing to give them ours?  Let them buy their own army.  We only need a small defense force and perhaps a good, strong Coast Guard. 

When all that money is given back to the people it was stolen from, several changes will occur.  Small business's will spring up and workers will be needed.  Folks will begin buying houses, cars, food, etc.  and the taxes will once again pour in. 

 

It may not be perfect, but it's a start. 

 

Curious Carl

 

 

FBI raids six locations in Minneapolis as part of terrorism investigation

Subject: Re: FBI raids six locations in Minneapolis as part of terrorism investigation

If the FBI were truly protecting us Americans against the threat of terror, they would also be raiding the homes of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Carl Rove.  I'd also urge them to check out Glenn Beck. 

 

Curious Carl

 

forget the iPhone

Now, as for the problem of access.  Forget the iPhone.  What we blind folks need is and EyeBall! 

This amazing little device would replace the defective units now seated in the eye sockets.  I would suggest buying them in pairs and screwing one in on each side of the nose.  The EyeBall would always be turned on.  To inactivate it, simply drop the eye lids down and the EyeBall shuts down until the eye lids go up. 

The EyeBall comes in a variety of colors, but I would suggest that you buy two of the same color.  That will keep people from staring at you.  Unless you enjoy being stared at. 

 

Curious Carl

 

it's all so confusing

I wonder how long it will be until someone documents the fact that Santa Claus does naughty things with the Elves?  Our great heroes are all standing on feet of clay and huge cracks are appearing in their marble sides. 

When I was a school boy I thought that Lincoln only gave one speech in his entire life. 

"Four score and seven years ago...and dedicated to the proposition that ALL men are created equal..."  No doubt about it, Lincoln loved the Negroes. 

All of our Fore Fathers  were bigger than life and had only love for our Black brothers and sisters.  And we all loved and respected our Founding Fathers.  And then I would run out onto the school yard and my little play mates would tell the most cruel and racist stories imaginable.  Straight from the knee of their fathers and older brothers. 

It was all very confusing, but one thing for certain, we cannot grow up in such an environment without being contaminated. 

 

Curious Carl

 

slapped to the matt

Don't sell Americans too short.  Remember, the Empire Builders did not get on top over night or by accident.  They are Masters at manipulation and dividing and conquering.  Us poor working guys have been taught to believe that there is such a thing as fair play and honesty.  Unlearning these false teachings takes some time, especially when they are shoved down our throats day in and day out. 

But always, the Powerful Lords overplay their hand and get slapped to the mat.  It will happen again and we need to be ready to pick up the pieces. 

 

Curious Carl

 

What goes around comes around

Regarding the privatizing of our public schools.  Also known as Charter Schools. 

It has always been thus.  Now we are merely going to clarify the system.  In the past, underprivileged children went to poorly funded and staffed schools while the wealthier kids trooped off to private schools.  And their parents bitched about having to pay taxes to educate the poor kids.  Now they will be able to put their children in good corporate schools and let the lower class folks fend for themselves. 

But, as I said before, we have been doing this for years.  As long as the lower class children can read a little, listen to and take simple orders, they are good to go. 

 

Curious Carl

 

More Supreme Court - Conjecture

Justice  Cagan will recluse herself from 25 of the 51 cases slated for hearing by the Supreme Court this year. 

These are interesting times indeed.  Maybe a 4 to 4 draw isn't such a bad thing, considering how the court has been ruling lately. 

Can we say, "First-Class Corporate Citizens"?  Of course we can. 

 

Curious Carl

 

house burns while fire fighters stand by

 

I was thinking about the fire fighters in Tennessee who stood around watching a house burn because the owner did not pay the special $75 annual surcharge. 

It is our tax dollars that underwrite such basic services as fire and police protection.  If taxes are not sufficient, then either raise them or let All members of the community do without.  Placing a surcharge or extra insurance policy to protect the folks who can afford it is a bad precedent.  Why should the working Class and underprivileged citizens pay allegiance to a government that cannot protect their most basic needs? 

I am reminded of the days when I was a student at the University of Washington.  I worked in a small restaurant that sat at the end of University Avenue, right on the shipping canal.  It was busy and bustling during the daylight hours but became very lonely when all of the surrounding businesses closed up at night.  About 6 each evening the two beat cops would wander in and plump their hind ends at the counter.  They always ordered a full meal and always topped it off with a slice of pie alamode.  Taking their time and enjoying the meal and several cups of coffee, they finally would wipe their mouths and stand and stretch, rubbing their ample bellies.  Then they would turn and amble toward the cash register, making a real show of reaching for their wallets. 

"It's on me Boys," my boss would say. 

"Well, thank you kindly," they always answered, and strolled off down the street. 

I protested to my boss, "Why do you let them get away with that?  We pay taxes and they are well paid to do their job.  Besides, isn't that against city regulations?  I mean, those cops are on the take." 

"Look," my boss assured me, "This is an neighborhood with a lot of breaking and entering during the night.  I consider it an extra insurance policy.  Those boys will keep a closer eye on my business to ensure their free dinners." 

And it was true.  His restaurant was never broken into.  But most of the businesses around him were. 

I understand where my boss was coming from, but was it fair? 

 

Curious Carl

Supreme Court - Conjecture

 Justice Cagan's will recluse herself from 25 of the 51 cases to come before Supreme Court this year. 

but how will that be different?  I suspect that this court is going to go along in the same direction its been going.  Obama can't put anyone in any influential position who will turn us away from the right turn our government is now headed.  Even his most moderate efforts are blocked. 

To think the Right is calling him a Socialist!  What a bad rap for Socialists. 

 

Curious Carl

----- Original Message -----

From: Bob Hachey

To: Blind Democracy Discussion List

Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 7:39 AM

Subject: Re: Supreme Court - Conjecture

Hey carl, I'm afraid you're wrong here, because without Cagan's vote, the conservatives have a better chance to decide these cases in a manner we will not like. Corporatists win again!

Is wonderful Country!

Bob Hachey

---

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reaching for the brass ring

I have long referred to Microsoft as the "White Collar Sweat Shop". 

It is one huge pressure cooker, but it covers up with great PR about young people retiring as millionaires in their 30's and 40's. 

They flock from around the world, drawn by this Fairy Tale of Corporate streets paved with gold.  What I fail to comprehend is why the disillusioned workers continue pouring their sweat and energy into producing billions of dollars for Microsoft in exchange for what amounts to nothing more than crumbs from Massa's table. 

 

Curious Carl

 

the gifts bestowed upon us by the priviliged...after they die

I hear that Bill Gates promised one half of his fortune to those still living after he is dead?  Hmm!  Does that suggest he plans to take the other half with him? 

Seriously, what Gates or any billionaire does with his/her money after they die is of little concern to me.  It is how they treat those living people around them while they, themselves are still alive. 

Another sterling example is Andrew Carnegie, who  left a legacy of public libraries built with the money he stole from the sweat of his laboring steel workers. 

The Gate's, and the Carnegie's, and the Rockefeller's and the Hill's and the Ford's and the whole list of people who think that they are priviliged and entitled to take far more than their fair share of the world's wealth, are a discredit to the Human Race.  They remind me of the rich man in the Temple who made such a grand showing of placing his gift to God upon the Alter.  Then the poor servant laid his small gift, which was all that he had, upon the Alter.  Which of these two was greater in the eye of God? 

While we praise the great works of these super wealthy people, who seldom sacrificed a single day in their lives, thousands of good people go about doing the real job of reaching out to one another, unnoticed and unpraised. 

 

Curious Carl

 

why I changed my mind about school reform

Subject: Re: Why I Changed My Mind About School Reform

Originally, like with bussing, I was firmly convinced that Charter Schools would shake up our educational system.  But it became very obvious at a very early date that the Charter School, no matter how noble intentions had been, actually was destroying public education for all Americans. 

Why are we walking away from a public education system that has worked since the early days of our nation? 

Check out your history books.  You will find the pages bursting with names of those who rose up from humble beginnings through the free public education, often simple one room country schools. 

But once again we Americans have allowed ourselves to be duped.  Talk of challenging students and culling out the sluggish teachers seem to be the way to go.  But the end result is the dismantling of a proven system which could work if we had not allowed the funding to become woefully inadequate.  Carried to its final form, the Charter School will actually widen the gap between the "Have's" and the "have not's".  It will select its students and leave behind a growing mass of under educated, peasants. 

I think they were called Surfs in those good old days. 

And one other thought.  The quick fix is not usually the right fix. 

 

Curious Carl

 

taking back the vote

We need a new slogan. 

"Mister President, you are taking back your campaign promises, so I am taking back my vote." 

 

Curious Carl

 

15 Reasons Why We Need a Revolt in This Country

Subject: Re: Article, 15 Reasons Why We Need a Revolt in This Country

Perhaps we're using the wrong words.  Remember when we had the Great Depression?  That was our last depression.  After that we had recessions and economic Down Turns.  So rather than calling for a revolt or an overthrow, we should call for a People's Readjustment, or a Realignment of Democracy. 

Curious Carl