Yes wildfire season is year-round in California, and Yosemite National Park is on the map this week. Satuday night two friends and I camped out accros the valley from Half-Dome, and we could barely see the valley floor because of all the smoke. We had no way of knowing at the time, besides the obvious smoke, that a huge fire west of the park was about to make headline news. Monday's edition of the Chronicle had the story front page above the fold with a good sized headline. It was bad. The air quality up there was just awful. It was even worse driving back to the Bay Area on Sunday morning. As we lost altitude going down highway 120, the smell of burning wood was unbearable. For about six or ten miles, I had to cover my mouth with my shirt so I could breathe.
Wild fires are terrible, terrible things. If you've never seen an out of control fire, it is a real fright. The feeling of helplessness is difficult to describe. My hands are shaking at the thought of a fire in the East Bay hills where I live. And I love fire; campfires and bonfires fascinate me. I was a cook for many years partly because of my relationship with fire I think. But a wild fire is horrible. I witnessed one in 2006 in San Rafeal, California on a hillside just above downtown. They had helicoptors swinging big buckets of bay water below them, trying to douse the flames. Airplanes flew overhead dumping that pink retardant on the fire.
Those guys are freakin' heroes because I could see the helicopter fly into the fire, realize he had the wrong angle, re-position himself, and dump the water and return to the bay for another round. I mean he's flying a helicopter into the fire! That's crazy! I watched in terror as the flames jumped out of the thinly treed hillside, and poured black smoke into the air. That hillside was just bone dry. It was like June or July so there hadn't been any rain for a long time, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The flames must have been 100 feet high. I don't know, but I'll take earthquakes anytime over wildfires.
Wednesday, July 30
Friday, July 25
Mother Jones story about Incarceration in Amerca.
It's friday and because I'm spending the weekend outside, I'll discuss those who are stuck inside. California is putting record numbers of people in jail and it is really breaking our asses. Not to mention those whose asses are in the pokey. We are in a huge budget crunch and it got me to thinking about my inspiration Bob Fitrakis. Now I don't know if Bob has ever been to Jail; (have you? write me at anthonymyers4@gmail.com) but he has reported about a man who used to build jails for the state of Ohio. Of course I am referring to deceased brother of U.S. Senator George Voinavich, Paul Voinavich.
Now why would someone have built prisons when their brother was a high ranking public official? We can all add up the score here. It was an obvious conflict of interest, though somehow legal, that had dumped millions into the Voinavich family coffers. Republicans use fear to criminalize poverty, incarcerating young people of color while undercutting the very social underpinnings by which those same poor people scrape out a living. It is really disgusting, and I am glad Bob is out there watchdogging those folks. In California, obviously a more populated state than Ohio, we have Mother Jones. Thank you both and I hope you readers get as much out of these stories as do the regulators who are officially asleep at the wheel.
Now why would someone have built prisons when their brother was a high ranking public official? We can all add up the score here. It was an obvious conflict of interest, though somehow legal, that had dumped millions into the Voinavich family coffers. Republicans use fear to criminalize poverty, incarcerating young people of color while undercutting the very social underpinnings by which those same poor people scrape out a living. It is really disgusting, and I am glad Bob is out there watchdogging those folks. In California, obviously a more populated state than Ohio, we have Mother Jones. Thank you both and I hope you readers get as much out of these stories as do the regulators who are officially asleep at the wheel.
Thursday, July 24
Non-Profit Steering Committee
I'm sure you know there are a ton of non-profit organizations out there. Save the whales, the trees, the homeless, the cancer-stricken, on and on. In San Francisco, it seems like every other office is some non-profit. All good things in my opinion. The problem is that, in the Bay area anyway, the pool of would be donors to these organizations gets tapped repeatedly. I mean the same person can only give so much to so many organizations for so long. At least that is my experience. I sure as hell don't have any money, but even people who do I'm sure get hit up constantly.
So methinks a non-profit steering committe is in order. Some mechanism for putting some of these groups in the same boat. I mean really, how different is one cancer organization from another? How many arts organizations can you support? Believe me, my canvassing days taught me that there are thousands of these groups each with their own niche.
Some of us lefty-types ought to start convincing these groups to work together, to federate under one banner. You see I think we have more in common than not. Especially when it comes to going up against corporate entities that can out fundraise us by a freakin' mile. Many of these non-profits have their heart in the right place, but they get so caught up in the day-to-day stuff that they lose sight of the big picture. In this election year, we should focus on how we can help each other instead of fighting over the crumbs the rich leave behind.
I know this is not a new idea, I just think it bears repeating. When it comes to fighting oppression, and ending poverty and global warming, we have nothing to lose by working together. Our interests are clearly not being addressed by those in power, and I think a group of people dedicated to getting us on the same page would have a big impact. By dividing ourselves, we are playing right into their hands. If they can pigeonhole us, then it's the oldest trick in the book; Divide and Conquer. And it is at least obvious to me that the Bush administration has used this tactic very effectively. By attempting to focus our attention away from how bad we are getting screwed by the upper one percent, they can pick us off and reduce our effectiveness.
The steering committee should focus on organizing the array of non-profits out there, and connecting the dots of economics, politics, and equality. By working together we have the best chance of changing the rules and not playing into the hands of the corporate warfare state.
So methinks a non-profit steering committe is in order. Some mechanism for putting some of these groups in the same boat. I mean really, how different is one cancer organization from another? How many arts organizations can you support? Believe me, my canvassing days taught me that there are thousands of these groups each with their own niche.
Some of us lefty-types ought to start convincing these groups to work together, to federate under one banner. You see I think we have more in common than not. Especially when it comes to going up against corporate entities that can out fundraise us by a freakin' mile. Many of these non-profits have their heart in the right place, but they get so caught up in the day-to-day stuff that they lose sight of the big picture. In this election year, we should focus on how we can help each other instead of fighting over the crumbs the rich leave behind.
I know this is not a new idea, I just think it bears repeating. When it comes to fighting oppression, and ending poverty and global warming, we have nothing to lose by working together. Our interests are clearly not being addressed by those in power, and I think a group of people dedicated to getting us on the same page would have a big impact. By dividing ourselves, we are playing right into their hands. If they can pigeonhole us, then it's the oldest trick in the book; Divide and Conquer. And it is at least obvious to me that the Bush administration has used this tactic very effectively. By attempting to focus our attention away from how bad we are getting screwed by the upper one percent, they can pick us off and reduce our effectiveness.
The steering committee should focus on organizing the array of non-profits out there, and connecting the dots of economics, politics, and equality. By working together we have the best chance of changing the rules and not playing into the hands of the corporate warfare state.
Bingo night
I'd like to start with a story that ties together two different eras of my life. It's called Bingo night because back in March or so I got to work at my friend Juan's Bingo night in San Francisco. It was a fundraising task for my own trip to LA, but also a fundraiser for other worthy non-profits and what not. So I am selling games to people who are chilling on a Saturday morning gambling, er, playing bingo with their friends and neighbors. No biggie, it helps pay for my trip and it's a new experience for me.
The reason it ties togther two different eras of my life is because it reminded me of Saturday mornings with my friends at the local bowling alley. During the summer after my 6th and 7th grade (I think) school years, I and four (I think) friends joined a youth bowling league. Hey, we're talking suburban Ohio here okay, so bear with me. So we spend three or so hours instead of watching cartoons, bowling.
Now the reason it seemed the same to me was; 1) You are competing, in a friendly way, for prizes; money on one hand, bragging rights and maybe a t-shirt or plastic trophy on the other. 2) It's weekly and mostly the same people show up every time. Okay that's pretty general but the point is that it is a chill way to kick it with your homies, and just have fun.
I guess the large hall reminded me of a bowling alley. And frankly, there were a lot of old people around, like a bowling alley. There were concessions at the bingo hall, and big screens on the wall with the bingo numbers n' junk on it. Then there was the bingo caller person, I don't know what that person is called. The lady that says, "B-15, O-34" and all that. She's like the lady at the bowling alley who controls all the lanes right. Don't screw around or she'll turn around and switch off your lane and then no rollin' for you!
Big deal right; Okay Anthony we get it, you're a big dork who likes bowling and bingo enough already! Maybe, but those were good memories with my buddies, and it just seemed to be alot like those folks at the bingo parlor, hangin' with their cousins and relaxin' playin' bingo.
The reason it ties togther two different eras of my life is because it reminded me of Saturday mornings with my friends at the local bowling alley. During the summer after my 6th and 7th grade (I think) school years, I and four (I think) friends joined a youth bowling league. Hey, we're talking suburban Ohio here okay, so bear with me. So we spend three or so hours instead of watching cartoons, bowling.
Now the reason it seemed the same to me was; 1) You are competing, in a friendly way, for prizes; money on one hand, bragging rights and maybe a t-shirt or plastic trophy on the other. 2) It's weekly and mostly the same people show up every time. Okay that's pretty general but the point is that it is a chill way to kick it with your homies, and just have fun.
I guess the large hall reminded me of a bowling alley. And frankly, there were a lot of old people around, like a bowling alley. There were concessions at the bingo hall, and big screens on the wall with the bingo numbers n' junk on it. Then there was the bingo caller person, I don't know what that person is called. The lady that says, "B-15, O-34" and all that. She's like the lady at the bowling alley who controls all the lanes right. Don't screw around or she'll turn around and switch off your lane and then no rollin' for you!
Big deal right; Okay Anthony we get it, you're a big dork who likes bowling and bingo enough already! Maybe, but those were good memories with my buddies, and it just seemed to be alot like those folks at the bingo parlor, hangin' with their cousins and relaxin' playin' bingo.
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