That smell!

This morning I was riding the Metro Blue Line down to Long Beach. About halfway down the tracks a man got on the train and took the seat in front of me. I wouldn't have even noticed, except for the smell that wafted my way. I'm normally one with a high tolerance for odors of all kinds, but this was really nasty. The guy was neatly dressed, but clearly hadn't had a bath in a while.

I struggled for a bit, thought about moving, and decided that I would stay right where I was without really knowing why.

Later, over lunch, I walked by an open dumpster in downtown Long Beach and smelled the same smell.

We treat people like garbage. We pick and choose our favorites, we care for those we love, and the rest--the nameless troubled masses--we leave for garbage. And after a while, it all starts to smell pretty bad.

In fact, it stinks.

Consider the costs

With the lastest plan including a mega-memorial to Michael Jackson at Los Angeles' downtown Staples Center, one has to ask about the costs. Estimates are running in the millions for the added police and security that will be needed when tens of thousands of fans descend on the area next week. Who should bear the burden of cost?

While I find the whole Michael Jackson phenomenon interesting, and his personal story tragic, I really can't condone this kind of wasteful spending, particularly during a time when the city is strapped for cash and (once again!) the most vulnerable in society are being further marginalized. What does it say about us as a people, as a culture, that we will jump at the chance to underwrite the memorializing of a pop music figure and simultaneously consider cutting funding for programs that help people who don't have enough to eat and no place to sleep, whose education opportunities are substandard?

Why should the poor, once again, be forced to pay for the rich?

Sad, tragic, but....

The untimely death of Michael Jackson is a sad and tragic end to a storied life and career, and clearly is affecting many. It's heartbreaking.

But can we please keep this in perspective? I just heard a woman say that Michael Jackson was like "Ghandi" and a newscaster likening his death to that of Jack Kennedy.

Really? Ghandi, the great peacemaker? Kennedy, President of the United States, assassinated?

Talented, yes. Meaningful, yes. Someone who did many good things in his life, certainly. But are we seriously saying that our culture of celebrity somehow elevates a pop music star to the same plane as a Ghandi or a Kennedy?

Strewn across the water

The news services are reporting that hundreds of personal items belonging to the victims of the Air France disaster, strewn across the South Atlantic, have been recovered.

I can't help but picture it...eyeglasses, maybe, or a child's doll...a novel half-read or a wallet or the photo of an unmet grandchild? And I wonder, as I trudge through life, worrying about the stuff that I need to pack for my next trip up the freeway or across the continent, whether my life can be any different knowing that one day the little treasures that I can't seem to do without will be strewn and forgotten.

Our hearts go out to those left behind in the wake of such unexpected tragedy. How might we best remember them and work to make the world better for everyone?

People can change...

The view from here...

It's Tuesday morning, and I just looked out my kitchen window to see a couple of guys sitting in the parking lot next door...looks like they're smoking crack.

It's times like these I can understand why people have come to the conclusion that some people are beyond hope. But further reflection requires me to ask about my own addictions, about the way I live my own life, about the the things that I do (daily!) that are self-destructive. Just because no one has drawn a line around my behaviors and called them "illegal" doesn't mean they aren't abuses of self and others.

GM and Uncle Sam

Well, isn't THAT special! Uncle Sam has finally grown some huevos and laid down the law for GM and Chrysler: you take public money, you are accountable to public officials. Bye bye, Rick Wagoner! (Hmmm...wonder what color HIS parachute is...).

Isn't it interesting that all these capitalists are suddenly beating at the door of the GOVERNMENT to bail them out of the piles of CRAP their self-centered over-indulgences have created over the years? How long did they think world markets would tolerate their stupidity? They learned nothing from the 70's and 80's...now they have no right to cry when the big "guy" with the money bags actually wants a say in how they run things. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

And please don't blame this on unions. Car companies in places with far more restrictions and responsibility to workers aren't in the mess that GM and Chrysler are in...this cannot be blamed on offering fair wages and benefits. It's the result of big business greed and stupidity.

And don't expect the government to make things much better. It's big business in the public sector too. But maybe, MAYBE, we're beginning to see a new level of accountability, and some hope for those who have, forever, been living at the whims of people with money and power. The only REAL freedom in the world has been experienced by the rich...and it's time, finally, for a change.

Joel Stein on charitable giving....

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-stein27-2009mar27,0,3207801.column

In his op/ed piece, Stein challenges the traditional idea of deductibility for charitable contributions...it's worth reading.

"Blowin' in the Wind:" Disaster in Malibu, California

An article in the Los Angeles Times this morning (Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!) highlights the terrible difficulties people are facing in today's rough and tumble economy. It seems that a beleaguered family in the slums of Malibu, California, is beset by the stench of Bob Dylan's portable toilet. It's so bad, they say, that they have trouble sleeping at night, and have installed large fans in their yard to try to blow the offending odor away. Alas, poor souls.

No, I am not making this up.

And to make matters worse, it turns out that Mr. Dylan (you remember him, don't you? That radical guy who sang about justice and all that?) has had relationship issues in the past. When he was building a guard shack on his property it didn't meet code for accessibility, and so he promised he wouldn't hire "any handicapped people" to work there.

That's right, while the world is in a tailspin and the most vulnerable and marginalized among us are being pushed even closer to the brink of disaster (or over the edge!), these filthy rich folk are bickering over fumes and promising not to hire people with disabilities? My heart is overflowing! Perhaps we should take a collection...

What the future holds

This morning I was driving on the LA Roller Coaster (also known as the Pasadena Freeway) and I got to thinking. As the road twisted and turned, I recalled that it holds the title of LA's first freeway, and was met with great eagerness when it opened at the dawn of the age of the automobile. Back then, folks were excited about the growing symbol of American prosperity: a car in every garage. Roads, and eventually freeways, would take over wherever streetcars had once been a major mode of transportation. For many it's hard to believe that the Los Angeles area was once home to one of the world's most comprehensive public transit systems...the famous Red Cars.

Now, of course, there are many who lament what was once hailed with exuberance. Those who sit in traffic on smog-choked freeways, driving to work or school so far from suburbia are realizing that something has gone wrong. This isn't a dream...it's a nightmare. And what we wouldn't give to have the old Red Cars back?

There's a lesson in all of this, of course, and it goes way beyond the lack of sustainability of the culture of the automobile, or nostalgia over a mode of transportation that has vanished. What are we doing, today, to plan for the future? How are these plans, even if well-intended, leading toward results that will be as untenable as we experience the results of yesterday's dreams today?

In some ways it would take a crystal ball to answer that question. But it's not completely outside of our power to think beyond our exuberance to the potential realities of tomorrow. And while we may not, ourselves, be living with the results of our good or ill planning, chances are someone we love will. And who among us wouldn't want them to look back with fondness on a generation that showed true vision for a positive future?

OK...a little premature...

You can't blame me for getting a little worked up over this whole Prop. 8 thing. It's enormously frustrating.

We live in a representative democracy, and far be it from me to suggest that the majority is not always right. But you'll have to excuse me, because I have roots in the German culture, and something tells me that there's a lesson to learn there...that maybe just because a majority of the population thinks something is right, doesn't mean it is.

I'm pretty sure that's why we have courts in this country...to keep things in check. That way, even if the majority DOES decide to take away the rights of a minority, there are level-headed folks who can say "Whoah! Let's think about this. Let's think about our founding principles and not be quick to trample on the rights of the 'few' just because there are 'many' who think it's a good idea."

But that is precisely what is happening in California...and all over the world, for that matter.

Couch it in whatever religious terms you like (we've separated religion from the state for a reason!), it simply IS what it IS. The State of California offers privileges to some people and not to others based on sexual orientation.

Hate is Legal in California....

Or whatever...as long as a simple majority of the people say it's OK, the constitution of the State of California can be altered to SPECIFICALLY limit the rights of minority populations.

Well...isn't THAT special?

You know what? The lives of real people are affected by this, and it's an outrage. Real people are tired of waiting for popular opinion to catch up or get with the program. Real people with real life issues facing them square on are tired of waiting for so-called "moral" people to come to their senses and realize that they are RUINING peoples' lives. Real poeple who live real lives are forced to remain second-class citizens with rights that are separate-but-equal (at best).

It's WRONG.

It's WRONG.

It's WRONG.

So...what's next? What course of action can real people take? How can they go on with their lives in a place where they are not allowed to do what the majority of the population is allowed to do?

Ken Starr want's to halt the recognition of same-sex marriages, basically invalidating 18,000 couples' real life experience...as if it never happened. There's a place in hell for that kind of hate.

This is a sad day for California.

This is a sad day for America.

This is a sad day for the world.

What the %$#^@&????

Oh, it sounds innocuous enough...cute even. Young McKay Hatch of lily-white South Pasadena, CA, crusading for a cuss-free LA county (and beyond). Isn't that nice!

Actually, no, it isn't nice...it's a really BAD idea.

First of all, limiting anyone's speech, or even suggesting its limitation, based on one's personal perspective of what is profane opens a very dangerous door. What you think is OK may be deemed pornographic to someone else. Do you REALLY want the LA County Board of Supervisors involved in the determination of what language it's OK to use?

Second, young McKay's perspective is clearly rooted in a religious perspective that is not reflective of any majority or tradition. The Bible speaks specifically about the misuse of the name of God to the end that some traditions won't even USE a name for God...but the Bible never predetermines what kind of language is "clean" or "dirty." "Oh Pickles" may just be offensive to cumcumber farmers is Peoria...but that doesn't mean McKay should be told not to say it.

It's all a sham perpetrated through youthful ignorance by people set on turning the world into a place that looks and sounds just like they do. Why are people so uncomfortable with variety? It's the saltiness that adds the flavor...or so I've heard. Sure, it's true that words matter...but so do the words that never get spoken because of overzealous censorship.

Greak, McKay...don't cuss. And tell others when you are offended by their language. But don't tell us what it's OK for us to say or not say. That's just un-American.

Look up!

It's so easy to become mired in negativity these days. Everywhere one turns there is disaster: economic, social, political. It would be easy to join in the collective sigh of "What's the point?" now heard 'round the world.

But there is another place to look: up. Now is the time for the optimistic at heart to take a lead and work to lift the spirits of the downtrodden, to offer hope to the hopeless, liberty to the captive--to proclaim the year of favor.

Because if not NOW, then when?

It's our new obsession. The newspapers are overflowing with it. Everyone is talking about it. Many can't stop thinking about it. WORRY.

There is no doubt that these are troubling times. There seems to be more to worry about than there used to be. In some ways, that's true.

But fundamentally, what has changed? What is different now from last month...last year...last century? It's as if those terrorist-guided airliners poked a hole in our balloon, and we've been on the deflate ever since.

Or maybe it's just been our over-inflated egos that have taken a leak. You know, those voices that told us that we could do whatever we wanted...not for the advancement of the human condition, but for our personal gain. Call it hubris. It's on the decline...we hope.

But worry won't fix anything, not now, not ever. What WILL make a difference is if we pay attention to what some might call a real "come to Jesus" moment.

The great cost of -isms

I was walking across campus yesterday at Cal State Dominguez Hills (Carson, California). Just being there is a learning experience for me as I observe my surroundings and my feelings.

I grew up in the country. It was mostly white...our idea of multi-cultural was expressed in terms of variations on European descent. I think there was one African-American in my high school.

Things have changed there, to be sure...but that didn't start to happen until after I'd left. My multi-ethnic/cultural experience is largely tied to my time here in Southern California. And what an experience it's been!

So being on campus at CSU-DH, where the student body majority is African-American, I like to drink in the difference, watch my reactions, and listen carefully to my feelings.

Yesterday a young man crossed my path. There was no exchange. He was dressed in student-like garb with a backpack slung across his shoulder, presumably headed for class. I thought about that young man as he hurried by me: the world has changed for him and for me. And I wondered, what loss we have incurred as a civilization because of unrealized human potential.

Every act of oppression, every slanted loook, every prejudicial thought is an inhibition of vast human capacity--a story that will never be told. Every time we, as a society, keep someone back or erect blockades to their full flourishing, we shoot ourselves in the foot--or worse.

Think about it! What would this world be like if every person were given freecourse to contribute equally? We often couch civil rights in terms of privilege...what would the conversation look like if it were framed in terms of equal access to all that society has to offer for the benefit of all, rather than the liberation of some?

That's not to say that some don't need to be liberated, or that we as a society are not guilty of gross misconduct. But in the end, would it not benefit all if all were free?

The choice is clear

Once again, the stale argument that those of us (uh, most of the world) who are not part of the insider's "club" of Roman Catholicism can't really understand the internal workings of this ancient and holy institution is pealing from the steeple of Rome.

Who cares? We see what we see. And what we see, this time, is a Pope willing to lend an air of legitimacy (by lifting an excommunication) to antisemitism. It's really as simple as that. Canon law, schmannon law......

For an institution to be able to say that there is a distinction between someone's opinions about non-canonical issues and those that are canonical is like saying "it's OK if he's a liar, as long as he keeps the rules about church doctrine." This, I'm fairly certain, flies in the face of "The truth will set you free."

And there you have it. There is no freedom in this ancient and venerable institution, only captivity--something many of us have known for some time.

Tsk tsk, your Holiness, you've (once again) missed an opportunity to tell the truth.

On worry

So what IS the point?

These days it's hard to avoid the negativity. Open the paper and there's news of more layoffs. Read the blogs and you might be convinced the end is near. Listen to the pundits and we'll all be dead within the year from something: lousy healthcare, melting icecaps, selfish capitalists...

That's not to say there isn't truth to it all...we DO have a crappy healthcare system (that needs work!) and the polar icecaps ARE melting (which is a grave concern) and capitalists ARE selfish (do we need to argue on that?). But none of these things is actually new. What is new, or rather en vogue is the focus on negativity.

"The tone makes the music," my grandmother used to say. What kind of a song are we singing? With so much collective harping on the negative, are we planting seeds for positive change? Or are we bogging ourselves down with so much worry (which amounts to ZERO progress) that we are frozen in terror, afraid to ask for whipped cream on our venti latte for fear we can't afford it?

These times are ripe for positive thinking, and for positive ACTION. What are you doing to make the world a better place? Now that we've had our collective eyes opened to the plight of the unfortunate, and to the results of unbridled marketplace greed, what are we doing to make a difference and ensure a positive future for ALL people?

Sign of the Times

75 cents?

My blank stare must have given me away this morning. I just didn't comprehend. But the guy behind the counter at the 7-Eleven wasn't lying. They raised the price as of Monday.

Funny, he must have told me when I bought the paper on Monday, but I paid him the old price anyway. Today I went back and made up the difference for both days.

I was kind of deflated...what else is going to change? Is the paper WORTH 75 cents? Do I want to pay that, or is this the tipping point where I say I'm getting my news online? I love to do the crossword puzzle, but maybe I can just print out the crossword puzzle and not pay for the whole paper.

Cramps my style, of course...I don't like changes. But maybe in the end I'll consume less paper, more trees will survive, and the world will be a better place.

Maybe.

As for them....

If no one listens, those who are in the business of shocking us (mostly for the purposes of self-promotion and personal enrichment) will fail.

Don't listen. Don't buy. Simple as that.

Butts in the streets

OK, so forgive the rant...but the other day I was driving in LA and a woman two cars ahead of me threw her cigarette package wrapping out the window of her moving car, and then as she smoked she flicked the ashes out too.

I was beside myself, though that didn't help anyone. So I decided I should state something here for anyone who may be reading: PLEASE DON'T LITTER! Your cigarette ashes and butts are LITTER, they are disgusting, and when they are improperly disposed of (like when you throw them out your car window) they are polluting the world in which we ALL live.

So cut it out! If you MUST smoke, put ashes and butts in an ashtray, and stop using OUR city for your personal waste dump.

Thanks!