Black Men under Attack

Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner; three unnecessary deaths which have brought sorrow and grief to friends and family. Given the circumstances of these needless deaths, our Society grieves as well. The absolute brutality and blatant murders of these three boys are uniting a sleeping giant in America.

The disbelief, disgust and hopelessness I felt upon hearing the lack of justice on all three cases is beyond expression.   I feel as though I’m flying solo in some foreign land, where values, truth and justice do not exist and the World is out of control.   There is no Constitution, justice system or moral compass to rely on; no baseline of reality, facts or value on human life.

Let’s be quite clear that this is has been going on throughout the history of this country, starting with Native Americans to the present day.   A self righteous Christian nation which exhibits anything but Christian values.   As the “secrets” of our history come to the surface, the once Super Power country is being exposed as a Super Hypocrite.   The lack of compassion and empathy for our fellow man is appalling and frightening.

From the Koch brothers to the Tea Party a tapestry of hate mongering and fear has overtaken common sense and community.   The abuse of power and greed by the entitled white male elite can no longer be swept under the American carpet.

It is up to Us, the average American, who remembers what the Constitution and our country is suppose to mean to actively engage, protest and demand change. Our country started as a great experiment in Democracy. As history bears out, the fall of all great civilizations has always been due to greed and power. Thanks to the one percent, that is where our country is now; the last stages of decline. Before it is too late we need to hold our politicians accountable.   No one is above the law, especially our police forces and elected officials who are the parasites of our tax dollars. To protect and serve needs to be re-established.   This is the land of the great experiment where “we the people” make the laws and decide how our country will be best served for ALL the people.

Something to keep in mind…….while waiting for my drink in Starbucks at the Promenade in Santa Monica; I found myself standing next to a young white police officer.   We started chatting and I asked him how he was dealing with all the adverse publicity regarding police in general.   He said it was difficult and the feeling was that everyone had a dislike and/or distrust for all police.   I could tell it affected how he would normally interact with the public. He was shy and I’m sure not as actively friendly since he was unsure as to how he would be received.   This young man is a police officer for all the right reasons but bares the brunt for all the “rotten apples” in the various forces across the country.   Our drinks arrived and our conversation came to a close. I wished him well and told him to take care and be safe; he thanked me for my kindness. It is important to remember that the majority of officers are hard working and good cops. They are just as eager to clean up the system as we are. It is important to keep engaging our protectors on a human level so that we can productively work together to change the system.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Having recently moved to Santa Monica from Philadelphia I’m always on alert for other East Coasters. Surprisingly there are many not just East Coasters but Philadelphians in the LA area. It’s always fun to find a fellow Philly person and share stories. Much of what is discussed centers around sports and food.

Philly can be an abrasive tough town and it can also be lovingly historic and very Dickens like in many ways. The sense of history is pervasive throughout the city. I never tire of crossing Broad Street and standing on the median strip between traffic and looking up at Billy Penn. Walking through Washington Park where thousands of our Black soldiers are buried, where my Grandparents courted when they were 15. Wandering through St Mary’s cemetery where my Italian Great-grandparents were once buried. Knowing that my mom’s family who immigrated here in the 1600s walked these same streets, rode sleighs into town and watched gypsies in the open fields of NE Philly in the 30s. Yes, Philadelphia is my home, it’s where I was born and where my roots will always be….but now I’m a Californian and loving every minute. No winter anxiety about driving in snow; having traffic stop when I step into a street. If I were to do that in Philly I’ve be fair game for road kill.

Here In Santa Monica I have found my Philly home. It’s called The Shack and is a Philly bar on Wilshire. For all the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and Sixers games you have a place to go where there is nothing but other Philadelphians eager to cheer on their teams. The camaraderie is palatable and the enthusiasm is at an all time high. Everyone is family and there is a sense of true connectedness to the history and culture of the city. Many are not from the inner city but from surroundings counties and Jersey but all are considered Philly people. As we watched the Eagles game Thursday evening the network showed views of the city….there was my favorite of Broad St and City Hall with Billy Penn. The city was ablaze with lights and you were flooded with pride and memories of home. Then a slight memory of trying to cross Broad Street invades my mind and I remember running across to the median strip as the light changes, catching my breath and looking up at the view of City Hall and how much I love that scene. Then I also remember some damn cranky driver yelling…”hey you crazy broad hurry up and cross the street”…..aahhhh yes, that’s the Philly I love!

 

The Zombies – No Conscience

Growing up in the 50s and 60s our society was more defined. Spoken or unspoken there were moral and ethical codes which provided most people with a compass. In our community, a small suburban waspy town outside Philadelphia, most everyone belonged to a church and attended regularly. The middle class anchored the moral fiber and most people followed or were at least civil.

Then came the 60s and rebellion, change, growth and much more freedom of personal choice. Many accepted this responsibility and worked for constructive positive change….i.e. civil rights, women’s rights, affirmative action, EPA to name a few. But, obviously along the path many lost their way. Out of this generation grew an epidemic of narcissists; unfortunately many of these people ended up in politics and as corporate leaders. This is a long winded way to come to the purpose of this writing.

What in God’s name makes the politicians and corporations think they are above the law and that they can keep violating the citizens of our country. We are witnessing unadulterated greed and a complete disregard for our neighbors. As the schism grows between the “haves” and “have nots” the violations become more brazen and contemptible. Which brings me to the subject of what is happening in Pennsylvania with the natural gas companies. The American dream was to save your money and buy land and a house. Once owned the house becomes a home. Families grow and create memories; land is handed down through generations and becomes history. There is a spirit to our land and an energy which is revered. Then comes the greedy politicians and gas companies. The politicians have already made promises and taken favors from the gas companies. They have sold away the rights for drilling and fracking to European companies. The gas taken from OUR land will be sent abroad. Jobs created will go mostly to people out of state. The gas companies lie to the land owners to force them and terrorize them into signing leasing agreements. NO, horizontal drilling is NOT legal!! They try to categorize gas as a utility so they can just take the properties under eminent domain. AND then they try to access through guessing how much gas is in a property (which they have no way of doing unless they drill) and raise the property taxes so high that the owner can’t pay. They have the gall to tell property owners that they will have to pay a share in the wells for drilling that will be built on their lands if they don’t sign leases. Of course the owner can always legally sue (the law is on the side of the property owner) but the gas companies know that they have very deep pockets and the poor land owner will run out of money quickly and never get to court. After decades of America going into third world countries and raping them of their resources, they are now screwing their own citizens. We are now the Third World Country!

There is no safe way to frack the land (Halliburton developed this technology). Fracking WILL contaminate the water supply and already has around the country. Just look at Texas and the Gulf Coast. It’s happening in Wyoming and Colorado. People in upstate Pa are already having to live on bottled water shipped in by the gas companies. They cannot drink, cook, bath, water their gardens with their own well water. The other issue which has not gotten much attention is the scarcity of our water supply. Drilling for gas takes an enormous amount of water. It will dry our streams which will affect our fishing, recreation, hunting and the environment overall. The ramifications are huge and long lasting. Where is the conscience of the men and women who are responsible. They must be absent of an inner core, no foundation of values or empathy for their fellow man……Zombies! Greed and money are their only Gods and Guides. It will be up to every man and woman to search their hearts and draw a line in the dirt (quickly while you still have property) and do all they can to fight for our beautiful state. Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful states in the country. My mother’s family immigrated from Scotland to American in the 1600s and settled in Philadelphia. This is our country and our land and we need to fight for it! The time is now or it will be forever too late.

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