California

 How can anyone know Peace living in California as it is? Yet Peace is the only way to bring our state to a place of Wholesome Sustainability. If Wholesome Sustainability sounds unattainable, as if some unrealistic dreamer is merely playing with words to create false hope where no hope exists. I recognize your skepticism. I know it well as it very frequently is my perspective too.

 We must at least attempt through our Democracy as people of real concern for our welfare and the health of future generations, to alter the direction that we have been heading. Here is a list

of points I hope someone will be representing in California's upcoming general election.

    1.) An immediate moratorium on all new water hookups residential or commercial.

    2.) An end to the Public Proposition. Billions have been spent on projects that may not be essential. The passage of no laws in the Assembly or House is preferable to bad laws.

    3.) A thorough review of the California Correction Authority. Inmates in most cases of victimless crimes should be released. Elected Representatives of the people need to refuse

financial donations from the Correction Union. A corruption of the spirit of justice occurs when

expansion of our Prison System seems to be tied to Political Contributions.

     4.) A tax on landlord's holding 30 or more units of property to be modified by Tenant rent reductions.

     5.) Legalization of Marijuana

     6.) Joint local and state tax relief for new California Manufacturing

     7.) The protection of Teacher's Jobs is a necessity, particularly in our poorest communities.

     8.) A statewide initiative lead by communities and property owners to create Green Belts and Strips and in every location as possible. To create where currently none exists: A rich Carbon Sink (the action of green plants soaking up the CO2 from autos and industry) that can help lead the way towards a Zero Waste society.

     9.) California leads the way for the Planet in creating a sustainable civilization not based on

state decree but on the initiatives of local communities and individuals.

    Here's a starting 9. The ideas can be fleshed out a bit more, there is much more I could write about, but early this Sunday AM I hope getting something out in the public, even if it is to 5 people, will be at least a step. Maybe it will help me get some sleep knowing I've said something. Yes we can.

    

Vision is a Good Thing - No Nuclear

  The nuclear option is a bitter pill. Driven by fear and some rosy glow of 'Hope' - if those mean old Republicans are for it - then it can't hurt to be for it too, throw in offshore oil drilling as well.' How can our President get just about everything so wrong?

  Slapped hard in Massachusetts and lacking in any strength of vision for a necessary American Transition towards a sustainable and independent future - The President seeks to strengthen his hold on the center by adopting Republican strategies.

  American Powered USA. We could be (I believe we will be - eventually) a model for the Planet. The reality is full speed ahead with the Corporate, Federal partnership as if our life depended on it. Get that GDP growth line pointed up at our reassuring 45 degree arc onward into the future. Life depends on it. That's the way it is and has always been - some believe.

    Many people think we are trapped in a system, that we have no choice, we must stay the course. It was (freshly) pointed out to me just a day ago by a friend that Slowing Down is not an option for Wall Street. If we slow down then stock values fall, falling stock values is a disaster for those who have attained their great wealth which is quite a few. As a matter of fact the American Dream quite obviously morphed over the last 40 years in America. McMansions have sprouted up along with millions of poor quality (crap) sub divisions. It's a divided America with the few, controlling the wealth and pretty much controlling the type of People who become our elected representatives. With the rest of us scuffling scraping by. The Democrats make their way as the party of the People by way of what seems an institutionalizing of compassion. As if our victimhood is only relieved by the beneficence of a Non-Profit world backed by all our wonderful non-profit organizations mostly backed by Corporate largesse. 

  A vastly different vision is needed and I think is and will emerge. I believe the Tea Party movement contains many of the positive seeds that offer hope for America in a Transition out of Foreign dependence, Federal Dependence, Corporate Dependence. Of course Life is Interdependent, no man or woman is an Island. We are social creatures and we need social co-operation to survive. Every home in America can be energy generators. Every home in America can be generating a small trickle of wealth to it's inhabitants and sending back energy to the grid. A four day work week is completely attainable and is needed some people can get by on a 3 day week. We need an immediate moratorium on Immigration into America. We have a serious transition ahead and we no longer accept an infinitely expanding population as a good thing. The goal is leaving our children the world and country in better shape than where it is now. Space is survival - the congestion of population in the USA and the world diminishes our Freedom. The world of gambling on Wall Street is..  what it is -  but it needs to be seen as the abstract game playing it is. It has nothing to do with real wealth. The American People need to experience real wealth, a solid home of our own in safe and friendly communities, good work and a healthy environment that allows nature to be as rich as we are. That's the good life. Life is a mystery and a most challenging endeavor. It could be seen as a game though not to be taken cynically I hope, and like the temporary players that we are, we all will relinquish our time on the field to the next generation. We can't be destroying the play ground on our time on Earth. The children must have a great future. On the coins of America note the words 'Liberty' and 'In God We Trust' as frequently appearing as a friend of mine said back around Christmas, there are lots for words for God, it doesn't matter what you use.. Life, Love, Allah, Krishna. There is one uniting uplifting spiritual power on Earth. If we have Faith in that Power then we can experience Liberty. If we have Faith then we don't need to be running around in a Security State. We have the freedom to choose, we can slow down our lives and make them richer. Yes there are hard times unavoidably ahead, because of our ignorance, 'the momentum of blindness'

but we have to, make that I have to, stay positive.. Yes We Can Can.

Valentine

  It's all about the Heart.

  Stumbling, mumbling through life. Me.

  Love, Marriage, Soul, Passion, Company ... the daily desire.

  Ready to raise the Flag. Faith.

  'The demons have been defeated. The Gods win.'  a Tibetan quote a unique, fellow cab driver's Valentine card exclaims.

   Life is ...

   

  As one of the magical healers who brought me through some pretty tough straits over this past winter signs off on her correspondence.

    In Love,

A Quick One.. Two.

 Just to let you know I am still here. It's late.

 Now the American people need to stop this last ditch attempt by our esteemed President to get his Health Care Bill past the Republicans. 

  The problem is not just that this is a bad Bill that confuses everyone (2,700 pages !?), and will even make it a crime (of sorts) not to have insurance and not to get your lives entangled in this mess. The problem is as a dear lady of what seemed obvious liberal background, (don't make assumptions Guy) said to me at the Community Media Center of Marin earlier on what was Tuesday night... 'it's about the economy' that's what focus and energy and the mental power of congress and the President needs to be dealing with. 

  We can't afford to cover every one as President Obama seems set on doing. As good as that seems I don't think it would be good. I think it's pure BS. Just smoke, mirrors & dreams. 

About 6 months ago a woman said to me in the cab that her Health INsurance provider dropped her under this pre-existing condition, she suffers from Psoriasis and was paying a hefty (to my point of view) $700 a month premium - however her medicine cost about $2,500 per month. I don't know anything about psoriasis, no doubt the suffering and pain is difficult to bare. However she must understand, (I think she did) the American People can't cover that. We are not that wealthy at the moment. We have problems, major problems -  we must not saddle future generations with a debt based on our needs now. We have to be accountable the people of 2010 have to be stand up and deal with our problems in the present not leave it to the next generation to clean up our mess.

  I heard a few minutes of a local hero on the radio a couple of nights ago in the taxi. Stewart Brand who, I believe, was the founder and editor publisher of the Whole Earth Catalog. A man many of us hold in the highest regard for his work passing on knowledge about The Earth and the Environment. Maybe if we acted responsibly back in the 1970's when the work of Stewart Brand and others warned us of Ecological disaster, maybe we wouldn't be approaching it now. 

Maybe it's not too late to act responsibly. Stewart has gotten himself some notoriety lately as being an advocate of Nuclear Power. He joins President Obama and a host of engineers and scientists who have faith in Man's ability to handle the most toxic substances ever created by mankind. It takes 50,000 years to become safe, it will be stored in concrete canisters deep beneath the US somewhere. We don't have to worry about the process, the shipping, the packing, the burying, Science has got that figured out. Stewart you sounded a little glib, when you talked with Michael Krazny on the radio. I found it interesting that he thought we would be better off not making warning signs pointing to our Dumping grounds, he said to the effect  that maybe that would just invite curiosity and we could have some future civilization rooting around causing more damage then if we just not mention it to whoever inherits the Earth. 

   Just one more thing that humans,  what a proud species are, we leave for future generations to deal with or not. Alter our ways of gross consumption? Become honest accountable people?Who would get hurt if we slowed down the engine of growth and development? 'Slow it down some' as Odell from Virginia said, if you're on the bottom you don't have far too fall. Those who control the wealth, they are afraid. Life is going to get real tough no matter what in the years ahead, those in Power will do anything to keep the people from realizing that we can live free and independent without the Corporate Civilization and it's Siamese twin a strong Federal Government committed to doing everything for the Poor and Unfortunate. 

  Great changes are afoot. Great stuff across America. This Tea Party has legs. 'The Peaceful Revolution isn't over yet,' I told two cute teenage girls I took home last weekend after playing the Moody Blues 'Tuesday Afternoon' loud in the cab just for them... that's what we listened to 40 years ago on the way to hang out in the Park.