Shauna Thomas and Senior Fellow Adam Conner are on the panel at the "Building a Progressive Youth Movement" session. If I could read the guy's name, I would tell you all about the guy spitting amazing facts about how youth have changed politics within the last four years specifically. Seeing as I can't read his name plate, I'm forced to refer to him as "The Guy."

MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! wHO wants money? We all do, if we're being honest. At the "Creating a Culture of Grassroots Giving" session, I got an ear-full on how to get that money into the causes we love and live to serve. The guy that manages Obama's contributions spoke and seeing as Senor Obama has raked in more small donations than anyone else, these comments are kid-tested and mother approved. I apologize that I didn't catch each panelist's name but here are some highlights of how to get (progressively) mo' cash:

1. You must have many SMALL donors.

2. "Lower the barriers to giving...Raise expectations of what it means to be a supporter." Make giving push-of-a-button simple and ask supporters not just to read the blogs, but to donate money and tell 10 friends to do the same.
   
   
3. Encourage activists to use TALENTS not just DOLLARS.
   
   
4. Train your children to give with allowance money.
   
   
5. "Put a face on the donor". Allow donors a space to express why they are giving.

Yep. Bet you're feeling fatter pockets in our progressive future, already. Up next... Why are liberals such soul-less, god-less heathens and how to trick a liberal into going to church. (I cringe each time progressive equated with "secular".)

Sigh... I was just perusing the YP4 home page and saw a link to some photos. Rifling through pictures from this year's summit in January just brought a smile. So many positive people, cultivating productive, inclusive, affirming energy. I have been fortunate to be able to be in contact with several fellows since the summit and I am looking forward to us gathering again to share our collective progress and continuing to build upon it. No politics and sarcasm this entry folks, just love.

I credit the Associated Press writer that included the word "chicanery" in the title of his piece on a Mexican Presidential hopeful's slim defeat in last Sunday's elections. I never knew what "chicanery" was until Merriam-Webster online illuminated for me that it is



1 : deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry : TRICKERY



2 : a piece of sharp practice (as at law) : TRICK. I love how the second part of the definition mentions tricky behavior as it pertains to law. Seems in politics however vigilant the public, someone will inevitably try to pull a legal rabbit out of a hat and attempt to placate the audience. Andres Obrador, the left-leaning presidential candidate who found himself about 250,000 votes shy of victory (out of the 41 million votes cast) demanded and was denied a broad recount and called for people to peacfully protest today as officials go through the process of addressing his complaint.

The striking part of this article for me was not the liberal candidate's defeat, or even his call to protestors, consistent with his history of rallying the public to what he's deemed issues of injustice. What was really interesting was the comments of political analyst, Oscar Aguilar, as he chastised Obrador's post-vote tenacity and offered that the candidate's chances in the next election would be greatly helped if he could "concede defeat gracefully." It seems to me liberals, progressives and democrats at-large have internalized this idea of "playing nice with others" and conceding "gracefully" even in the face of blatant wrong-doing or "chicanery" by opposing candidates or parties.

If there is a time to be reserved and not "rock the boat," it certainly isn't on the eve of potentially criminal, incompetent bullies being installed into the highest office in the country. I am alledging nothing against the winner of Mexico's election, but I am affirming the necessity and the right of the people to take their institutions to task and demand more from politicians on a consistent basis. It is all too easy to see the rotten fruit yielded by our supposed leadership opting to "concede defeat gracefully". If some graceful candidate had been more concerned about counting votes and utilized the options afforded by the legal system rather than fretted over being dogged by an impatient, skewed and bought media, the state of this nation might be entirely different. But hey, what's a little matter like loss of credibility, political disenfranchisement and plain 'ole wide-spread fraud when political commentators and news anchors are just so tired of talking about the same old thing? Gee, can't he get over the under-handed deals that lost him an election he otherwise won by vote of the people? Honestly, some guys just don't know when to quit. Well, whatever happened in the voting and counting of the ballots, I hope that Mexico's people and it's leaders know that when to quit is right after every available legal avenue to addressing the issue of possible fraud is explored. Mexico, from my country to yours, it pays to make sure the guy running your nation is actually the president.

With crime. This is the article folks, "NOPD is set to do battle with an influx of criminals to make the new New Orleans safer."



This article on NOLA.com (everything New Orleans) describes law enforcement's battle with the influx of people returning to the city. This influx which, apparently, also signifies a return to business as usual in Sin City. To be fair, the writer does suggest that law-abiding citizens have not returned in such full force because they continue to wait on job placement, housing, things of the like. But the criminals with their "street sense" have no need of such formalities. The drug trade never sleeps.

The article mentions the sociologist theory, the broken window, that suggests the mere sight of graffitti, litter and abandoned homes invites further disorder which spirals into violent crime. The article even quotes one resident who hopes for another storm to sweep the criminals out of town again. Everyone has the right to live in peace and try to provide for him or herself and his or her family. But here is my question: When will this (and every nation) start asking the sociologists the RIGHT questions?!!!! The WHY's behind the WHO's and WHAT's of crime?!!!

New Orleans' violent crime is, according to police, tied to its drug trade. But who are dealing the drugs there? The people who have lived admidst the graffitti, the trash and abandoned homes since time immemorium. And why do their environments look this way? Because they are poor and self-hating. Why are they poor and self-hating? Because they have been showed time and again by this nation that they are ugly, unwanted and undeserving of what the rest of the population receives. Not everyone who is poor is a criminal. But if you take a tour of the "broken window" effect in any major city in America you will find increased crime. For centuries African-Americans (who constitute the majority of New Orleans residents) and the poor (also the majority in NOLA) have been treated with less dignity than their white counterparts in this country (see slavery, jim crow, present day racism).

Though many blacks have risen above self-hatred and criminality, others have not. And even though the self-images of many black people in America reflect pride in their heritages and cultural backgrounds, that does not mean that the rest of America sees them any differently from the unfortunate part of the community that turns to drugs and crime. Some may still remember as desperate families searched for food and much needed supplies after Hurricane Katrina the media reported that white families "found" while black families "looted".

Even put side by side, facing the same stark reality, the black families could still find no dignity next to their white brothers and sisters. We must change our perceptions, share our resources and stand in solidarity with ALL of America's citizens. If we want to see a lessening of social ills like crime, we must apply ourselves to the task of alleviating the other social ills that gave birth to it, like poverty, inequality in education, employment and housing. The person who commits the crime was created, nurtured, mentored, just like the person who follows the law. But the person who commits the crime has, in this case, a harsher teacher advising him/her on which way to go. Provide consistent opportunity and education then go find a sociologist and watch the broken window be repaired.

Ok. I admit this entry is just shameless. Germany has a legal sex industry with pension plans, unions, etc. for its workers ala this article. This is good news when it comes to disease prevention and protection of the human rights of the workers. This article just happened to strike me funny. Sex workers lament the fact that they're not getting any ac-tion during the World Cup. Not even from their regulars! Yeah, like I said before, this is a shameless entry, and proud I yam, I yam, I yam! Guess we all hit hard times at some point. Wow.

Hmmm. If the AP says it, it must be true! At a news conference, super-famous astrophysicist, Stephen Hawking, told the press that humans have to go into space to ensure we survive the most pressing threats to our existence among which are "sudden global warming," viruses and nuclear war. Mr. Hawking guestimated (and being an astrophysicist I'd say his guess is at LEAST as good as mine) that we could have colonies on the moon in 20 years and on Mars in 40. Am I the only one who feels a certain since of dread at the prospect of "humanity" being exported Star Trek style into the great nothingness? And was I the only one who read the article about a week ago on blood-colored rain that fell in India carrying an organism with no detectable DNA?!!!! What in the world, or on other worlds, is going on?!!!  First of all, it would be a sad turn of events indeed to take a look at the moon via telescope and be able to detect the faintest outlines of red states and blue states. This is some bad Sci-Fi, folks. Is there anyone out there who believes we've done a poor enough job of managing the resources we've been given on Earth that we really shouldn't be too eager to ball this planet up and find a new one to terrorize? We are such a disposable society that now even our mother planet may be left in the landfill of the cosmos. If nothing else, please read those articles so I won't be the only one breaking out into a sweat the next time I watch Pitch Black.



 

These are just a few words of peace. According to the Associated press article, two U.S. soldiers have been taken by insurgents in Iraq. I offer these words in the hope that daily we will remember our privileges as American citizens and how truly fortunate we are to be able to defend human rights as ordinary people by raising our voices on our own behalf and in the name of all beseiged people, everywhere. May we go forward and create peace in the midst of suffering, may we be graceful enough to forgive, may we be forgiven, and may we never be too afraid to admit when we are wrong and seek remedy.

Dear Mr. P,

I apologize for the length of this letter but I didn't have time to send it to Fox News for editing. I know that if you ever actually read my blog comments I'll be put on a "no fly" list immediately. But because it seems you leave your advisors to do the heavy lifting for you, I'm sure that I have at least until right before you leave office to vacation in Jamaica. Mr. P, what's up? How are you doing? Not as the country's leader, I know that part. I mean how are YOU? I find myself thinking of you as a private citizen because I wonder how much your professional decisions come home with you.

I recently find myself breathing a sigh of relief on your behalf. I mean let's be honest, you and your administration have broken and attempted to break more laws these past 6 years then I venture to guess... everyone else in this country who's been locked up during that same time,if you tally the crimes based on multiple counts for each victim. I breathe a sigh of relief for you because America isn't like other countries and that really works to your advantage. In other countries, when the people are displeased with the policies being put into place they protest, riot, boycott, walk out of schools, walk off the job and even fed up leaders themselves seeking to alleviate the problems of poverty in their countries kick out foreign businesses, reclaim their natural resources and take land from the rich and (you guessed it) give it to the poor. That is UNHEARD OF in America.

Sure, we have pockets of people protesting, even walking out of schools and jobs but guess what? THEY'RE IMMIGRANTS!!!!! Who has put more foot to pavement for their rights in these past 6 years than the Latinos and Latinas from other countries and those who support them? You'd actually have to take the number of native-born protestors at marches for DIFFERENT CAUSES on different days and total them to add up to the number of people the Latino community brought out to address the issue of immigration policy countrywide. Several businesses decided to close on the day of marchinig in their area because they knew they weren't making any money with the Latinos gone! Ironic,huh? You can get pretty much everyone except those born in America to come out in mass and BE the democracy. That's why I take my hat off to you, sir. If you were installed anywhere else in the world your term would have been over 4 and a half years ago or at least, it wouldn't be so cushy. People make jokes at your expense, on the tv and in the streets, people read the headlines that you've shaped (quite literally at times) and they shake their heads, sometimes people even sign a petition, vote, pick up litter or do some other thing that they count as the totality of their civic duty and pollitical involvement. But you know what they don't do? They don't impeach you. They don't throw you out of office. They blow the whistle on your operations but then you try to change the laws to afford them less protection.

I've kept hoping these past years that one day you would wake up after a dream with an epiphany that you're killing the hope of America one soldier, one flood victim, one death row inmate at a time. And that this epiphany would change your heart, because only your heart can truly change you and impact the place your decisions come from. I'm still hoping for you, honestly, because I figure that you go home, take off your work shoes, get into comfortable clothes and try to relax after a long day, like the rest of us. No amount of conservative or liberal or Republican or Democrat or native vs. foreigner can fix what is wrong with our Nation or other nations around the world. How can we export Democracy to other countries when we, it's great proponnents, don't practice it? How can we take from the treasury, take from the neediest citizens, take from other countries, take from the Earth and not realize the husk of earth and lives we leave in our wake? Does anyone deserve a life of suffering and hardship when there is something we can do to help them?

We are supposed to come through trials, Mr. President, they are meant to pass. So why are you trying to institutionalize and ratify ongoing loss of human life, human rights and human dignity? I'm hoping for that epiphany, sir, but maybe saddest yet, it has already come and gone on some visit to see wounded soldiers in Iraq, or New Orleans after the flood. Maybe you looked at your own children and it occurred to you that if you are leading them by example, you hope that example would encourage them to create and enjoy a better world then the one you have helped mold so far. Who knows? Only the ones you can never hide from, yourself and God. Rest, Mr. President, I hope you have a dream... and soon.