Link to October 2nd Peace Rally article

Nice article in The Fig Tree. http://www.thefigtree.org/nov10/110110pjalspeacerally.html

Visit from Westboro Church

When Fred Phelps and his crew of haters from the Westboro Church get to Spokane next week, I plan to meet them with my sign:

I LOVE MY GAY SON AND MY GAY SON-IN-LAW

I hope lots of people will stand with me and stand up for love and acceptance as hallmarks of our community. This group of hateful people from Kansas will be exercising their First Amendment right to intimidate and verbally attack our gay population and the people who love them. We can exercise our own First Amendment rights by standing up for our LGBT community on October 21st.

New Jail? No Deal!

A new jail will not make you safer. But it will make you poorer. It will cost every resident of the county nearly $3,000 over the course of the project. I don't know about you, but I can't afford an increase in my taxes unless it's absolutely essential.

What would make a new jail absolutely essential? Would it be an overflow of dangerous violent offenders, so many we would be renting beds in other jails because we had no room for them in our existing jail? Even if this was the case, and it is NOT, we could still explore more cost-effective options, like remodelling existing buildings. If the state can do that, why can't the county?

The joint state/federal work release in downtown Spokane occupies an older building, a remodelled hotel. So does the women's work release on the lower South Hill, where incidentally female county inmates are also housed. That facility started as two victorian houses.

There are lots of vacant buildings all over town. Remodelling one of them would eliminate the need to continuously transport inmates into and out of town from the west plains for court appearances. Promoters of the new jail say we are already doing that. And how much is that costing? How much could we save if we stopped doing that? If it is true that we will likely lose the Geiger sight in 2013, why not simply move into an existing building or buildings in town?

The plan being presented includes a community corrections jail facility, which is supposed to support re-entry into the community. Really? Then why not decentralize it into the neighborhoods? Use some of the empty buildings standing vacant all over town, and convert them into halfway houses. A centralized facility seems like more of a barrier to re-entry than a support.

And a wing just for mentally-ill inmates? Why not address the problem of having to use jails and prisons to deal with mental illness. These people should be re-directed away from custody settings and into foster care settings. Casting the management of mental illness as the role of the jail system is more than one step backward. It's medieval.

If current laws need to change to allow for retracking of mentally ill offenders into more appropriate settings, then let's get our legislators involved in writing that legislation. We all know those people do not belong in jail. More often than not, if they had medication monitoring they wouldn't be involved with the criminal justice system to begin with.

The current dog and pony show orchestrated by Hatley & Co.  misrepresents the project, by confusing what is actually budgeted, i.e. the bricks and mortar, with a noble wish list of programming that isn't budgeted for. Not one penny is slated for all those much-needed interventions. Where is that money going to come from?

Finding yet more money for an ambitious slate of education, employment and treatment programs for the new jail is as likely to happen in this decade as full employment or the restoration of Kaiser pensions. It isn't going to happen. Presenting the new jail project as if all that programming is included is dishonest.

Jail population has declined in recent years, as has violent crime. Are these numbers beginning to rise in response to high unemployment? That is what jail manager Anderton says. And if that is true, wouldn't our half a billion dollars be better spent attracting jobs to our community? That would at least be dealing with the root problem.

Studies show that the best investment we can make in corrections is education. Getting a GED has proven to cut re-offending in half. Why not invest in that? You don't need to build a new jail to do it.

It is well known in the corrections industry that incarceration is the most expensive way to protect the community. And it only works as long as the offender is in custody. It's a temporary solution at best. What we need is a way for offenders to become productive members of the community. That revolving door isn't the way to get there.

$120.00 a day for a temporary interruption in a life of crime is a waste of money. We should ONLY spend it when we have no other choice, i.e. when a person is an immediate threat to themself or someone else.

We can't afford to use incarceration as punishment. Right now, the U.S. incarcerates more of its citizens than any other country. If you must use incarceration, then short-term incarceration is far more effective both as punishment and as a deterrent than lengthier incarceration.

As a society, we already waste enormous amounts of money warehousing people who ought to be working to support themselves and their families. Work-releases operated out of halfway houses could be established locally at far less cost than this elaborate monument to an outmoded and ineffective correctional model.

Alternatives to incarceration cost a fraction, typically in the range of $15.00 per day per offender. And they are far more effective at turning offenders into productive citizens. Incarceration has a negative effect. Jails and prisons are known   as schools for crime for good reasons.

It's clear to me this jail is  going to make a big profit for some people, mainly bankers and contractors and some investors who know how to profit from your tax money. Yes, construction jobs would be wonderful to have. But there are all sorts of ways to create those jobs. Building something we don't need that is not a more effective model makes no sense at all. Unless the only thing you care about is making a profit, and you happen to be one of those people who stands to profit from this boondoggle.

I'm not buying.

Tre's first poem

I Love Wolves

By Tre Johnson-Deridder

Wild dogs

Proud and free

Trying to stay alive

Trying to get food to eat

Always trying to help each other

Some are grey with brown noses

Some are brown with grey noses

Some are just grey

Some are just black

Some are silver with a little bit of white

I love to hear them howling at the moon

I'm a blogging fool

Besides writing and producing my radio program, Serenity's Kitchen, which I promise will be available as a podcast soon, I've started blogging beyond this blog, on Urban Politico and Reader Supported News. I figure if I want to reach people I need a bigger microphone than my google blog. Yes, I want to awaken some minds. I want peace, I want a healthy environment, I want universal healthcare. I want the world to be safe for children. I want, I want, I want....yeah.

I'll try to either link to my other blog posts or archive them here, just to keep track in a central location.

My current blogs are:

"The Corporate Coup of America" aka "Clean Elections A Must"
"The Paradox of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'"
"Defaulting on the Default World" - about the "gift economy" at Burning Man

Counting points?

So hard to believe. Me, counting points? When I was a teen, it was a constant battle to keep me over 100 pounds. I ate everything and anything I could get my hands on, including shakes and malts and egg nog, but I kept slipping below 100 pounds.

During my 20's, my metabolism started slipping. Simultaneously, I was eating better, or at least eating out more. More money leads to more food, not necessarily lean cuisine. By the time I turned 30, I'd shot up to 123. But my 30's were merciless. I gained 60 pounds while I was pregnant with my daughter, Erin. I lost all but 15 pounds of it overnight, but although I exercised regularly I never lost any of that last 15 pounds.

Next came back surgery, and all those casseroles from the church ladies, not to mention the cookies and cakes. Six weeks of that and I was up to 145. Here's the funny part: I thought I was fat.

Over the next two decades, another 10-15 pounds crept on slowly. I went up and down, but most of the time I was still under 160. I didn't think it could get much worse. And then I got sick and had to stop working. I gained 20 pounds in six months. At 180, I really thought there was no way I could gain any more weight. But over the next four years, another 20 pounds crept on, and two weeks ago when I checked in at the doctor's office, I weighed in at 206.

Wait! This can't be right. I'm the girl who had to drink malts to keep the weight on.

There is a day of reckoning, and with respect to weight, that day at the doctor's office was mine. So yes, I am counting points. It's an alternative to eating spontaneously, which I think is the point of the points. You have to count everything that goes in your mouth. This requires thought, attention, detail, looking things up, calculations, recording. So much for spontaneous.

I find myself looking forward to a big meal, but then when I try to eat it I find it is really too much food. Sometimes I get hungry during the day, but a couple of small plums, or a tomato and a string of cheese takes care of that, or maybe 23 almonds.

The best thing is that fat free milk is only 2 points for a whole 8 ounce glass. Ahhh. Life's little pleasures.

The Paradox of "Don't Ask Don't Tell": It Creates The Problems It Is Supposed To Prevent

The ban on gays serving in the military is the law, and it's been deemed constitutional by our highest court. The "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, however has been found to be unconstitutional. But repealing DADT won't solve the problem of discrimination against gays in our military. Only repealing the law will do that.

DADT came into being as a compromise solution the last time a sitting president (Clinton) moved for a repeal of the ban, in 1993. Last week Congress once again refused to consider changing the law, which essentially states that 1. Gays are unsuitable for military service, and 2. Their presence in the military would undermine operational efficiency, including morale, discipline, unit cohesion, etc.

These assumptions have been challenged. I would argue that there is prima facie evidence that the basis for the ban is invalid. Beyond that, enforcement of the ban creates the operational problems it is supposed to prevent.

Over 13,000 GLBT service members have been discharged under DADT, regardless of their service records and ongoing performance at or above established standards. There are undoubtedly many more GLBT service members who have not been identified, and who continue to serve with undisputed honor.

Elizabeth Witt's case clearly illustrates the disconnect between the current law and the reality on the ground. The court found that Witt's discharge, not her service, resulted in operational disruptions, including morale, discipline and unit cohesion, all negatively impacted by her dismissal. While she served, Witt had a positive impact in all of these areas.

It would appear the ban is based on concerns that are not borne out by actual experience. Given the military's stated purpose to preserve and enhance operational efficiency, experience demonstrates clearly that enforcement of the ban is counter-productive. The logic behind the ban is flawed. Worse yet, the ban amounts to unjustified discrimination against people purely on the basis of sexual orientation.

One key facet in the rationale for the ban is that heterosexual service members will be uncomfortable knowing there are GLBT members in their own units. The possibility of being seen naked by a GLBT service member, who might find you sexually desirable is given as an example.

The fact that there are GLBT members in all branches of our military service is well-established. What this means is that there are already persons of various sexual orientations sharing the military life together, including incidentally some nudity. Despite this fact, the current forces seem to be functioning without difficulty. To what extent would knowing (that a fellow soldier is GLBT) vs. not knowing change what is an already well-established ease and ability to function together among our military personnel? There is one way to find out.

It appears our populace is ready for the undertaking. Surveys and polling of both the general population and the military yield almost identical results, indicating that about three-fourths of all Americans support allowing GLBT people to serve openly in the military.

There is an old proverb that says, "If it's not broken, don't fix it." The ban on gays serving in the military is a perfect example of what happens when this proverb is ignored. It's time to recognize that sexual orientation just is not related to successful performance in the military. Thinking it was, well that was just a mistake. It's time to cut our losses, and put this law in our past, where it belongs.

PPS Flare-ups Suck!

According to the statistics I've found, post-polio nerve loss and accompanying functional decline progresses at an average rate of 3% per year. If it was gradual, this might not be too big a deal. But it's not gradual. On the contrary, in my experience nerve loss occurs in periodic spikes, separated by significant periods of stasis. This pattern is consistent over 15 years.

Periods of stasis can be a year or longer...long enough for you to get comfortable with your current neuro-muscular system. Then, for no apparent reason there is a flare-up. Of course, you could induce a flare-up through overuse abuse, which is PPS talk for pushing your compromised neuro-muscular system beyond its capacity. When that happens, you get the really big flare-ups, and your average nerve loss will be about 10% per year.

But even in the absence of overuse abuse, flare-ups happen. And even a 3% nerve loss in your polio-affected body parts is going to hurt. Not only does nerve loss hurt in and of itself, but the muscles those nerves were serving are being abandoned. Even moderate muscle loss puts a strain on the remaining functional muscle tissue. This results in strained muscles and strained muscles hurt too. Never mind the stress on joints, which is cumulative.

I can get pretty bummed when I'm having a PPS flare-up. The most important thing to remember is that it will end. When it ends, you still have to figure out where your neuro-muscular system has landed and adjust your lifestyle once again to avoid overuse abuse. But it does end.

finally found what I've been looking for

As a writer, I have struggled with writing groups and classes where only positive feedback is given. If I wanted nothing more than positive strokes, I would show my work to friends and family. I wouldn't even bother with other writers or writing teachers. It's taken several years, but finally I've found both a writers group and a writing workshop where constructive criticism is the main course, and I can't get enough.

Intelligent responses from a variety of perspectives is the most helpful contribution that can be made to a writer. That is, if that writer is committed to producing the highest quality of work they are capable of; if what's at stake is the work, and not the writer's ego.

I'm very happy today to occupy a seat in a room of writer's who tell you what they really think.

Defaulting on the "Default World"

"That's just the way it is." I've heard this many times, mainly when the narrator has no answer to that pesky question, "Why?" When I hear this, I don't stop inquiring. Rather, my inquiry takes on new dimension. I hear the angels calling. The skies open and the air is fresher than it was a moment before.

Because when I hear resignation, when we reach a limit in our understanding, when there is no other option apparent, for me there's an invitation, an opening to look outside the box, if you will, of the taken-for-granted "default" world. I get excited.

If we can agree that the "world as we know it" is just one possibility, then we can look beyond the way things are now to see what could be. It's a ticket for a ride on the luck dragon.

Imagination is exploration, to which we bring all that we are and all that we hope. It also helps to have like-minded friends to journey with.

A few weeks ago, I gathered with fellow explorers in the desert of northwest Nevada, a state I normally avoid on principle, for an annual celebration of original thought, risk-taking and freedom of expression known as Burning Man.

If you're not familiar with Burning Man, it's an annual gathering of artists and free spirits that transforms a dry lake bed in Nevada into Black Rock City for eight days each August.

It is almost universally agreed that Burning Man can't be explained, defies description and must be experienced first hand. I tend to agree, as much as I agree with anything. Burning Man happens outside the box of the default world. By "default" I mean the world as it occurs to us the rest of the time, the world you see on TV and walk about in when you step outside your door, probably the same world you take for granted inside your home and inside your own head. The "real" world. It's the world we all agree on.

And then, there's Burning Man: 50,000 people camping out for 8 days in a dust storm, in tents, in 100 degree heat, without water, power, internet, deodorant, TV or newspapers. Plagued by "playa hair" and "playa feet," lining up for outhouses. Sounds like something that sheriff in Arizona would design as a punishment for law-breakers. But these people paid dearly for the privilege, and you can see by the smiles on their faces that they're getting their money's worth.

And what are they getting? In the most basic and rudimentary sense, they are getting a much-needed break from the default world. In fact, the more inconsistent things on the playa are with the "real" world, the better burners like it.

There are funny clothes, or no clothes, upside-down flags and countless ways to play. There is music and fire art, and art cars and a party that doesn't stop until people drop. But more-importantly, there's no money: no wampum, no bartering, no exchanges of any kind. There is no profit on the playa. There is no scarcity on the playa. No hunger. No thirst.

But there is giving, and there is sharing. And there is abundance.
And it is in the "Gift Economy" that Burning Man truly departs from the "real" world and strikes out into new territory.

Burners take gifting seriously. They plan for it, wondering not what will I get at Burning Man, but rather what will I give? The best gifts are personal and consist of giving yourself to others, although alcohol and food are highly prized.

I give Reiki treatments. After your treatment, I help you select a stone from my bowl of stones, and then I wire wrap it and make you a necklace. Some of my camp mates give foot baths, deep-tissue massage, morning prayers and giggle therapy. People come to our camp for healing and tender loving care. We have it and we give it. At night, we dress in our playa finery and go out on the town, the temporary town that is Burning Man.

Just down the street from our camp is one of our favorite bars. Free bars are one of the most popular types of camps on the playa. We drink, we dance, we hug the bartender and we wander out onto the playa. We stop at the quesadilla stand. We hop on the bus. It's how we have always dreamed a bus should be, plush with disco lights and loud music. We dance on the bus.

We wander through Black Rock City, getting lost on purpose, in the lights and the music and the art. Nobody cares what time it is. Nobody carries a wallet, money, I.D. or keys. We carry goggles and water and some t.p. and we light ourselves up with glow and LEDs. Sometime or other, we sleep some.

And at the end, we pack up our dusty belongings, our dish water, our shower water, our trash and we go back to the default world. And at that moment, as we line up eight across to leave the playa, we begin to count the days until the next burn, until we can come home again.

For us, for burners new and old, for burners who have never been to the playa, for all those who can't take "that's just the way it is" for an answer, the box is too small and one way or another, we will find a way out.

But what about the other 357 days of the year. Our default world is broken. We see this clearly as we return home from Burning Man. What is to be our gift to this world? Once our eyes are open, we have a duty I think, to keep them open, to share what we see and to offer whatever gifts we may contrive for the betterment of all.

Most of all, I think it's our job to ask the question "What if?" What if we took profit out of the economic equation? What if we chose our jobs, rather than being chosen for them? What if we stopped assuming there isn't enough to go around, and just tried acting as if there is plenty for everyone?

"Impossible!" shouts the default voice inside your head. I'm just saying, "what if?"

Soul Visions has taken over

Yup. It has. I hardly ever post here anymore. I guess that's okay. It's the spiritual quest that has always taken most of my attention in life.

There's so much bullshit going down under the name of religion and spirituality. Jeez, sometimes I think I must be a dimwit to even walk that path. But honesty's the best policy, and that's the road that calls me to it. So there I go.

I just signed up for a domain. Pretty soon when it's ready to go, I'll post a link. And I believe that will be that.