By: Vince Yanez

In the 1480’s, Leonardo da Vinci conceptualized how a helicopter would work, it took 300 years before someone was able to actually build one. Jules Verne, in 1865, put humans in a rocket and sent them to the moon; it took us 100 years to catch up. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. talked about a day when black and white could see each other as equals. 47 years later, well, just turn on our television and see how far we haven’t come.

When I was a young lad, if you had asked me what the world would look like in 2010, I would have said we would all be flying around in cars, using jet-packs, our meals would be pills and we would be able to read each other’s thoughts.  I would have said, by 2010, we would have figured out time travel and movie theaters would have smell-o-vision. Buck Rogers and the 21^st Century showed us we’d be hanging out with robots, wearing silver clothes, shooting lasers and flirting with aliens from other worlds. 2010 was a long ways away.

I wonder, in 1963, if you had asked those people on the steps of the Lincoln memorial if we’d ever have an African-American president, would they have laughed at you or would they have said, ‘Maybe?’ If you asked a Vietnam Veteran in the late 70’s, ‘would the American people ever allow the government to put our men and women in harm’s way without a plan or exit strategy?’ Would they have laughed at you or would they have said, ‘Maybe?’

If you were told, back in 1983, 1995 or even in 2001, that we would still be hearing racist remarks shouted from the pulpit, a news organization, a political movement, the mayor of a New York town or the legislature of a Southwestern state, would you have thought ‘No, not our America, not that far into the future’, or would you have thought, ‘Maybe?’

I am naïve. I live in a country that put a man on the moon, builds nuclear submarines, invented the internet and eradicated polio. I assumed we would be using flying cars and jetpacks by now. I would have thought, in the 21^st Century, an African-American president would be no big deal (or a woman or a homosexual). I would have figured that by 2010 we would have realized the strength of our Republic lies not in its military might, but in educating its citizens, and in my optimistic-youth, I would have imagined that we would have gotten past the ignorance, fear and hate known as our Racism Problem in America.

It appears I was wrong on all counts.

By: Linda Gross

(This op ed piece launches a new series looking at local and national politics. We invite guest columnists and ask readers to weigh in on their thoughts as we head into the Fall. )

The rhetoric of politics will soon take center stage in our lives as we head into mid-term elections. And the question we ask readers this week is when does rhetoric become reactionary?

Remember the Gangsta rap of the 1990′s which was accused of inciting violence against a host of evils including policemen and women? And planting seeds in young people which lead to bad things for society?

Communities of God-fearing folk and the FCC stepped in and censored some of the most onerous speech. Maybe it’s time we look at the consequences of political rhetoric.

Last week a lone gunman in LA was stopped by a CHP offer before he was able to carry out his mission to kill folks at the Tides Foundation; an organization whose mission “is to partner with philanthropists, foundations, activists, and organizations across the country and across the globe to promote economic justice, robust democratic processes, and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected.”

It is one of those progressive organizations which some on the Right love to hate. Especially Glen Beck, the Fox News talk show host who included Tides in his flow chart of conspiracy theories about the Obama administration. He says they are “pulling the strings of the Obama organization.”

While gansta rap is an expression of anger and frustration over white America, personal injustices, wide scale discrimination and dealin’ with “the man,”  the political rhetoric of  Beck and others find their audience by creating demons out of  “the gov’mt”, an America of Color, and godless folks.

Both make BIG money off their ability to whip up an audience without much thought given to consequences.

However, it is the consequences, which prompt God-Fearing folks to lobby the FCC to put a lid on rap music, citing it “… uses language that actively incites crime, for example encouraging weapons use, spousal abuse or homophobic attacks. Secondly, it glorifies a lifestyle that is rich with imagery of criminality (e.g. gun use and drug dealing) and this sends out a subconscious but consistent message affirming criminality…

This last week, police arrested a man on an LA freeway who admitted he was on his way to kill people at the local ACLU and Tides offices. He repeated many of the “talking points” of the Glen Beck show in which Beck includes these two organizations in his Good-n-Evil flow Chart. Beck, who makes hay whipping up his audience with his conspiracy theories and self-serving vision of truth would make any gansta rapper proud.

That white boy is on steroids when it comes to rappin’ fever.

Consequences of our speech? Nonsense.

We want to hear from you this week. Let us know if you think political speech can cross the line to gangsta rap.

by Darin Lowery

Darin Lowery: Local writer and resident shares his views on Livin' Local

My high school English teacher was a pleasant man by the name of Mr. Beatty. He was slim and wore tweeds and had an amiable, professorial air. He put up with a lot from me, as most of my papers dealt with hookers, cheap drunks and nightclub singers- unusual material for a sixteen year old boy.

I’ll never forget his puzzling words after reading my first essay. “Darin,” he said, “almost every one of your sentences begins with an ‘I’. ‘I saw’, ‘I did’, ‘I went’- it just goes on and on. Perhaps you can use a different perspective.” Seeing as how ‘me saw’ sounds very much like a Vietnamese curry dish, I promptly forgot his suggestion. It just didn’t work for me. Besides- his class was the only one I excelled in. I flunked every other subject except Art.

And I loved the demimonde.

Welcome to DarinLand- the first in a series in weekly columns by yours truly. While I tend to be egocentric and self involved (but I really am trying to work through this, Oprah) there are times that my eyes do rise above my navel. On those days, moments in Life (mine, yours and ours), suspended like bits of reality in amber, seem so vivid they must be addressed.

DarinLand, if you will, is a collage, a mosaic, an amalgam of ideas and images and sometimes, a play of Dark against Light. It’s more a state of mind than a place; more a place than a fantasy. Sometimes it’s a prison; other times a church. It can be ‘sophisticated’ in its true sense, meaning ‘artificial’ (look it up) but it can also be as down and dirty as a bar brawl.

DarinLand is my life and all those who enter it. Welcome to my perfect world. Welcome to my nightmare.Living in the Globe-Miami area for five years now has definitely made me a sunnier, more affable guy. Perhaps it’s the light- that clear, swirling watercolor wash we call our sunsets. It reads a salmon pink and blood orange, and the trace of lemon yellow in the sky means that when a GlobeMiamiTimes article calls for a photo shoot, my editor Linda and I always opt for an after-seven snap session during the summer.

The photographer Annie Leibovitz, who shoots for Vanity Fair magazine, adores this type of light but I’ve never seen her or her camera on Broad Street.

The wind, too, has had an effect. Oh, you’ve seen movies where some wizened old duffer crawls off a porch, hair on fire, screeching, ‘The wind is a demon, the wind is ALIVE! I’ve gone mad in the last hour from this howling devil’.

Um, yeah.

The night air which rolls over my hill is actually a strong breeze, and with it comes coolness and the scent of pines and sweet four o’clocks. At times it also amplifies my neighbor’s musical choices, but we have similar tastes. When my pal Molly lived here, she always said she loved the way the loose shade on the old light post in back would rattle at night. For me, however, it only means the Earth is still spinning, and we each have a new opportunity to rise in the morning and begin again, fresh and clean and hopeful.

We have seen the enemy, and he is us.

Before the Senate went home for their Independence Day Holiday Weekend, they refused to pass the extension of benefits for jobless Americans. Normally, unemployment benefits last 26 weeks, a little over six months is seen as a good amount of time to find a new job…in normal times.

However, these are not normal times. This country has been in a recession since the last President went back home to clear brush and learns how to eat pretzels. We have the highest unemployment since the Great Depression, with the average unemployment lasting from 9 months to a year. A recession, I remind you, that came to play with a Republican President and a Republican Senate. So technically, they bring us to the brink of collapse, we are narrowly avoiding a Depression and yet they cannot find it in their hearts/brains to help those Americans who are nothing more than victims to their idiocy.

Oh, one more fact. The unemployed are pretty equal as far as party lines, half of them are Democrat, half are Republicans. So the interesting question I have, are those Republicans who are now on the verge of losing their benefits, losing their homes and losing their livelihood still going to vote for their Republican candidates when the time comes? The Republican Senators don’t seem too worried.

Well, keep in mind that the Republican Party also fought against healthcare reform, every last one of them. Providing healthcare to all Americans was called ‘socialism’ and socialism is bad. Of course, these same Americans who shouted ‘Down with Socialism’ are the same ones that say Support our Troops, call our Firefighters and Police Officers heroes and like to pick up their mail each and every day. They also enjoy things like Social Security and Medicare, ALL which are socialist programs. So, they either really don’t like the military, fire department and hate their mail, or, they just didn’t understand what they were mad about.

And when the elections came, those Republican candidates who wanted to win talked about how they FOUGHT AGAINST the Obama Socialism of Healthcare. Funny thing is, of the 36 to 50 million Americans who are in need of healthcare, it is pretty evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. So once again, a group of people were shouting against something that they themselves needed as well.

Republicans also love to shout that they want lower taxes, they want less government involvement and that Americans need to stop expecting handouts and ‘pull themselves up’ by their own bootstraps.

We laughed at you when you said government intervention wouldn’t work and then pointed to the government run Medicare to make your point.  We chuckled when you said socialized healthcare wouldn’t work then refused to acknowledge that our military, which has one of the greatest healthcare systems in America, is actually a socialized healthcare system. We shake our heads when you fight for your gun rights so vehemently, that you give criminals access to things that not only endanger our law enforcement, but your family as well.

What we don’t laugh at is this.

‘…of the 32 states receiving more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes — 76% are Red States that voted for George Bush in 2000. Indeed, 17 of the 20 (85%) states receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Red States.’ ~ Taxprof.com

Yup, that’s right, those people who love to shout that people who want healthcare reform are ‘lazy Americans looking for a handout’, who vote for a party who refuses to help its own citizens who are trying to survive a recession that THAT PARTY is actually responsible for…are the ones who are sucking on the government teat more than anyone.

So here are my questions for Republicans. Why are you shouting against things you obviously need in order to live a better life? Why are you calling the rest of America lazy and socialists when you are taking more than anyone else? Why are you allowing your leaders to make decisions that are hurting you and your kids and in the case of guns, actually endangering your family? What’s the win?

Is it merely to keep President Obama from succeeding during his time in office? Are you so willing to give up the American dream because you don’t agree with a leader who was democratically elected? Are you so afraid of SOCIALISM that you aren’t willing to educate yourself on what it really is and how we are already using it in many ways? Is the constitution really that important to you when it comes to guns and taxes, but not so much when it comes to racial profiling and ‘anchor babies’?

You vote in people who represent your ‘views’, and by allowing them to stay, you become responsible for their actions. So I ask you, when did your political party become more important than your health, your job, your home, your family and your way of life? When did allowing your fellow Americans to lose their jobs, lose their unemployment and possibly lose their lives due to lack of healthcare, become patriotic?

Oops, that’s a lot of questions. Let’s just boil it down to one.

Why are you so willing to vote for someone that is willing to screw you so readily? We’re all curious.

And I shall name him, Pinocchio.

Brewer

Non-elect Governor Brewer has recently stated that most illegal immigrants entering Arizona are being used to transport drugs across the border. The Associated Press has demanded hard facts to substantiate such a claim, others are demanding she apologize for lying to the public, yet again (news.yahoo.com).

You and I both know her apology will be coming soon, and will most likely contain the words ‘I was misunderstood’.

Kyl

Senator Kyl recently stated that Obama said “the problem” with border enforcement measures is that “if we secure the border then [Republicans] won’t have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform.”  The White House denied any such thing was said. Kyl didn’t budge, at first, but is now saying that his words were taken out of context (dailykos.com).

Sad how often he is misquoted with his exact words.

McCain

Senator McCain is running a Spanish-language ad that says then-Senator Obama tried to kill immigration reform. Just a few years ago, McCain actually thanked then-Senator Obama for his support of comprehensive immigration reform. He states that “Obama…is ready to block immigration reform, but not ready to lead.” Strange that McCain is acting as if he WANTS immigration reform in these Spanish-language ads, but in his English-language ads he’s talking about ‘Securing Our Borders.’ (alternet.org).

Sounds like someone can’t figure out who to pander to.

Arpaio

Sheriff Arpaio’s ‘immigration sweeps’ claim to be taking care of the ‘illegal problem’, but there is no actual data that these sweeps have done anything in combating major crimes and may actually be taking resources away from ‘actually’ combating major crimes.

Arpaio and others claim this new law is not going to ‘racially profile’ Hispanics, yet, dozens of officers are stationed in ‘Hispanic neighborhoods,’ ready to enforce the law and hopefully catch some illegal immigrants in the process. In April, 29 people were detained on ‘suspicion of being illegal’, but were actually legal residents of the U.S. One man, who showed officers his AZ I.D. card, proof of insurance, a passport and a visa, was still booked on ‘suspicion’ and held for 13 days because he could not pay bond. He was a legal resident of the U.S. (azcentral.com).

I wonder how many illegal Norwegians his officers have detained.

Crime

Supporters of 1070 have been screaming about the horrible crime due to these illegal immigrants in Arizona. Non-elect Gov. Brewer said, on Fox, “We’ve been inundated with criminal activity. It’s just – it’s been outrageous.” Unfortunately, the only thing that has been outrageous is the lies she is willing to tell to make a misguided point. FBI and border-town reports have shown that violent crime has actually DECLINED in the last two years. The rancher that was (supposedly) killed by an illegal immigrant has been touted as some sort of proof of this horrible crime wave. If it is proven that he was killed by an illegal immigrant, it will be the first murder by an illegal immigrant in the Tucson sector in at least a decade. Research and FBI statistics also show that those cities with the LARGEST illegal immigrant population have the least amounts of crime.

Seems the more illegal’s in your town, the safer your town (newsweek.com).

Money

Illegals are draining our economy! We’re paying for their healthcare, schools, etc! More screams from the 1070 supporters. According to a Fox Business article, even with the cost of health, education and safety, cities actually PROFIT from the tax revenues of said population (foxbusiness.com).

The New York Times shows that illegal immigrants are putting an estimated $7 BILLION dollars toward Social Security. (Nytimes.com).

Money that they will never see, but you will happily accept.

But the PEOPLE want…

When 1070 first reared its ugly head, supporters claimed that 70% of Arizonan’s wanted this bill. On April 27th, that number had dropped to 55% once people started finding out the truth, not only about the bill, but about the questionable people behind it. On April 28^th polls showed that 57% of Arizonan’s favored an immigration policy that welcomes all immigrants (morrisoninstitute.asu.edu).  Oddly, these ‘facts’ are never brought up by the supporters of 1070; they only cling to the old data that better supports their cause.

Here are some other interesting ‘facts’ both from public records and from the Morrison Institute at ASU (morrisoninstitute.asu.edu). http://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/publications-reports/2010-illegal-immigration-perceptions-and-realities-1

Most violent crime is committed by undocumented illegals. In fact…between 1999 and 2006, states like Arizona with high numbers of immigrants, witnessed a greater percentage drop in all types of crime than the national average.

Arizona’s prisons are bursting with undocumented immigrants. The Dept. of Corrections states that about 15% of their inmates are ‘criminal aliens.’ National Correction records from a few years ago, show that illegal immigrants make up 4% to 8% of our inmates in America. Of that percentage, 47% are African-American and 36% are Caucasians.

Those ‘lazy’ illegal immigrants are feeding off of good, hard working Americans, taking our jobs and bringing down our way of life. Keep in mind, these are the same people that shouted that healthcare reform was ‘Socialism’ and they didn’t want to have to ‘pay for those who milk the government.’ Studies show the states that receive the MOST federal dollars for the LEAST taxes paid (essentially not doing their part, yet expecting the rest of us to carry their ‘lazy asses’), are Red States. 17 of the top 20 states taking more than they’re giving are Red States. 76% of federal dollars go to states that voted George Bush for president. Seems those who scream the loudest about government handouts, lazy Americans and socializing out country, are the most likely to go home after their tea-party rallies to pick up their unemployment, disability or other type of government-provided assistance (taxprof.typepad.com).

So what’s my point? Lying, that’s my point.

Dr. Spock says that children will lie when they wish something is so. Dr. Quek, a psychotherapist and counselor in Toronto, states that there are four reasons for lying: fear, habit, modeling and over-prediction (Dr. Quek).

So when it comes to Illegal Immigration and all the lies that are floating around in Arizona in order to create a sense of fear, hate or panic, you must wonder why? Why, if your cause is just and your reasons valid, must you lie in order to win?

Is it fear? Are you afraid to lose an election? Are you afraid of those people who don’t look like you or are afraid that people that DO look like you are becoming the minority in this country?

Is it habit? Technically, Brewer, Pearce, McCain, Kyl and Arpaio are politicians, and thus, lying is nothing new (though, I’m sure they call it ‘looking at things a different way’), which is funny that it usually happens around election time.

Is it modeling? Were your mom and dad liars and you just continued this way of living?

Or, is it over-prediction? That is when a child ‘assumes’ an adult will say “NO”, so they lie to change the outcome. Is this what is happening? If any of these politicians (the child) were to just, plain and simply state, ‘We realize undocumented immigrants don’t cause more crime, they don’t cost more money and they aren’t taking jobs from Americans …but we just want them gone anyway.’ Are you afraid that the voting public (the adult) will say “NO”, so instead you lie, in hopes the public won’t educate themselves on what is really happening?

I think it’s the last one, and Kudos to them for doing whatever they feel is necessary to get a win. I mean come on, they ARE politicians after all, duh! The real shame is on those of us that don’t educate ourselves enough to find the facts, to ask the questions and who will, lock-and-step, choose party rhetoric, fear or hate over true morality, values and honesty.

Dishonesty, regardless of outcome, lowers us all as a society. Ignorance keeps us there.

Russell Pearce, the force behind SB1070 (which allows racial profiling in Arizona), and also SB1108 (which would end educational programs that he deemed were ‘indoctrinating’ kids with progressive ideologies, like Mexican-American studies and African-American Business Groups), is spreading his love once again.

No, I don’t mean he is planning on tampering with state driving records, which is why he was discharged as the Director of the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (Arizona Republic/via wiki). And, no, I don’t mean he has gone back to spousal abuse, which is why his wife filed a dissolution of marriage which states she was ‘grabbed by the throat…and thrown down’ due to his ‘violent temper’ (New Times/via wiki).  Nor do I mean he is back to forwarding emails from the leader of the White Separatist group (Arizona Central/via wiki), later claiming he hadn’t actually read the entire email before forwarding it.

What I’m talking about is his new piece of legislation that will not allow the children of illegal immigrants, who are BORN ON AMERICAN SOIL, to be automatic citizens. Pearce says they have ‘hijacked’ the 14 Amendment. The argument is over the line ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’. They are stating that, since an illegal immigrant is not ‘subject to our jurisdiction’, their children do not have to be accepted as a legal citizen.

This amendment was the final say in dealing with the children of American slaves. Pearce and his supporters rail that it was written for a certain time in American history and cannot be hijacked by the illegal immigrants as a means to stay in our country with their ‘anchor babies’.

Fair enough. A Constitutional Amendment that was written for a VERY SPECIFIC TIME in history should not be HIJACKED decades later to allow others to GET THEIR WAY. Awesome!

The 2^nd Amendment was adopted in 1791. At that time in history we did not have a significant federal force or a national guard and America was still expanding into the unknown West. It recognized that the states, townships and cities all needed a regulated militia in order to defend it from unknown foes. It states ‘a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.’

Now, we have the U.S. Military and each state has their own National Guard. We also have state troopers, sheriff departments, city police and rent-a-cops. We are no longer people who are part of a ‘regulated militia’ needing to worry about our ‘security’. We are in a different time then we were back in 1791, just as we are in a different time then when we had slaves in America.

So, wouldn’t you say that the 2^nd Amendment is an Amendment that was written at a certain time in American history, specifically to deal with a specific issue and is now being HIJACKED by those who want to GET THEIR WAY? Sure, it isn’t an illegal couple with their ‘anchor baby’, but instead, it’s someone that only feels safe in Wal-Mart with a pistol shoved down their pants.

What’s good for the goose, right? Or is this where you start talking about prying stuff from cold, dead hands?

The Constitution GUARANTEES the right to bear arms, right? The Constitution also GUARANTEES that ANYONE BORN ON AMERICAN SOIL is a citizen. It isn’t a pick-and-choose sort of thing. This isn’t like the bible, where you get to shop for the quotes that fit your ideals and ignore the ones that don’t. This is the Constitution of the United States. This is the law of the land. This is something that EVERYONE in this country abides by, honors and dies to defend if called upon, right? Or is it ‘different’ this time around?

Do you really want someone with a past as questionable, dishonest and (frankly) embarrassing as Russell Pearce making decisions that are not even pretending to be about ‘enforcing laws’, but are instead, sad power-trips by a modern-day racist?

I heard them argue that the children of Ambassadors aren’t automatic citizens (that is because there is a specific clause, being that they are a ‘satellite’ of their nation state), and some have stated as a ‘fact’ that tourists babies aren’t automatic citizens (actually, they are, until they renounce their baby’s citizenship for their home country). Actually, babies born within 12 nautical miles OR over American airspace are also considered citizens, nice try.

I have one more question. Where are those (since Obama took office) who have screamed, held up misspelled signs and cried that their ‘Constitution is being trampled on’? Here you go, an actual Amendment being trampled on, and not one peep from the Tea Party. It makes one wonder, when the ‘real’ Americans scream, ‘I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK’…what do they mean by ‘BACK’? How far back? When you didn’t allow blacks to be educated? When you didn’t allow women to vote? When you blacklisted thousands because you were afraid they were ‘secret communist’? How far back is far enough? When will you feel safe again? Once the landscape appears ‘lighter’? Are you mad I implied you may have racist tendencies? Good, show me I’m wrong, stand against racists laws and start defending your Constitution. ALL OF IT.

By: Jim Moss

God Bless British Petroleum.

Cheerleaders for the oil industry, for deep off-shore oil exploration, and for unregulated capitalism adopted the slogan, ‘Drill, Baby, Drill!’ at the 2008 Republican Convention.  This cool-sounding slogan is macho & sexy.  When partisans chant ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’, they are proudly giving a kosher finger to environmentalists, climatologists, and, of course, ‘socialists’.

Do you suppose the BP Gulf Gusher has quelled their voracious appetite for deep water off-shore exploration?  Hardly.  These folks are true-believers in unfettered fossil fuel capitalism.  ‘Spill, Baby, Spill’ just hardens their shell.  Like  Governor Rick Perry of Texas, they double-down on their diatribe.   Governor Perry declared during a press conference a few weeks back — that the BP Spill is basically ‘An Act of God’.  That’s right, this horrific environmental nightmare is just like a volcano, a tsunami, a hurricane, a blizzard, a tornado, a flood — a powerful, mysterious Act of God.

Perry’s assertion does illustrate one important thing  — greed mixed with religious paranoia enables God’s children to concoct the biggest, baddest rationalization imaginable!  Just think about some of the terrible ‘Acts of God’ from times past…. The Plague.  The Titanic.  Pompeii.  Gettysburg.  The Dust Bowl.  Cherynobl.  Mt. St. Helens.  Hiroshima.  Katrina.  Space Shuttle Challenger.  Haiti.  9/11.   The BP Gulf Gusher.  Just mix together a string of horrific historic events — some natural disasters, others man-made.  That’s right, just mix ‘em up real good — because lots of folks will swallow the concoction.

In order to validate their allegiance to ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’, devotees will cling to the irrational belief that a human caused accident is just another ‘Act of God’.  Truly a testament to the power of blind faith!

But, can Governor Perry and his Drill, Baby, Drill disciples answer this simple question —  How can one claim to believe in the bedrock ‘conservative’ principle of Personal Responsibility, while also claiming that natural disaster = man-made disaster?

Personal Responsibility.  Taking responsibility for one’s own actions — remember, this popular ‘family value’ espoused by ‘conservative’ Republicans.  Oh yes, so-called ‘conservatives’ say they are real big on the idea of Personal Responsibility….EXCEPT when powerful, greedy, business interests are at stake.   Does Personal Responsibility to these folks mean that one of the biggest  human-caused environmental disasters in World History should be blamed on God?

To the ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ crowd — Personal Responsibility has more to do with sex & welfare.  It means that citizens suffering from economic hardship should feel guilty for accepting government-provided assistance.  And, of course, Personal Responsibility means rejecting birth control, and avoiding STDs.  That’s RIGHT.  ‘Spill, Baby, Spill’ has ZERO to do with Personal Responsibility.  This BP mishap is simply a an unfortunate and unintentional corporate incident that occurred in the line of patriotic, capitalistic, divine duty.

OK.  I am beginning to see the light.  The BP Gulf Gusher does not violate conservative principles of Personal Responsibility.  How could it?  This planetary disaster was not man-made.  No, this Big Corporate BP Gusher is actually an Act of God  — another ‘Sign of the Times’ revealed in the Book of Revelation.  Look hard, drill deep, drop some acid — you will find a Biblical explanation for BP’s benign, noble role as God’s Agent in the grand scheme of apocalyptic theology.  Perhaps this Gusher in the Gulf represents nothing more than a divine exclamation point put upon the sinful culture of New Orleans.  After all, these folks have the audacity to try and rebuild after Katrina!  God must be trying to show the Gulf who is Boss.

So, rest easy.  As long as one upholds & defends ‘conservative Christian’ values by steadfastly working to kill government-sponsored assistance programs, and keeps his/her sexual urges in check— nothing to fear.  Anyhow, we Americans will need every dime saved from public assistance waste to subsidize the clean-up of the Almighty’s retribution.

Finally,  we have moved Beyond Petroleum.

Enter the Age of Benevolent Preordination.

BP’s Big Gusher in the Gulf has nothing whatsoever to do with Personal Responsibility or Corporate Accountability.  BP is merely playing it’s pre-destined role as a submissive instrument in the ‘Hands of an Angry God’.

God Damn Bless bp.

LA Times photographers have provided these hi-res images of BPs Oil Spill

I just had a birthday- um, YAY- and I’ve now hit fifty-five. Double Nickels. That’s me: mid-life, middle-aged, teetering towards my twilight years. Because I came into this world in 1955, they tell me it’s my ‘Golden Birthday’. It’s just a number. Go figure.

It is not just a number. It is a culmination of all of the numbers which have brought me to this point, which is, like, kinda old. I don’t feel old, and a few of my nicer friends and co-workers have said I still look okay and don’t smell like an old guy.

That’s a relief, I guess.

One gentleman I vaguely know asked, ‘what’re ya bitchin’ ‘bout?’ because he assumed I was complaining, when in fact the opposite is true. This birthday has me in awe. I’m rejoicing. I never expected to live this long.

As Mark Twain so famously said, ‘If I knew this, I probably would’ve taken better care of myself’.

Thirty-five years of smoking, ten years of hardcore drinking, and enough Big Macs in my teens to assure at least five heart attacks before I hit fifty-six. Silly, stupid behavior which I could share but won’t. My good drinking buddies- strangers, mostly, rotated between prison and welfare. There were run-ins with the Law myself, though nothing as interesting as insider trading or heroin smuggling. My infractions were primarily D&D (drunk and disorderly) and once, ‘running an illegal house’ (for a brief moment in Chicago history, off-track betting was legal and I had the misfortune to work the back of a betting parlor as a bartender).

On top of that, half the guys I knew in the Seventies & Eighties died due to HIV/AIDS. We went to so many funerals, sometimes I’d forget who I was mourning.

I’m still here, as someone said, and the way I figure, as long as I’m taking up space on the planet it only makes sense to use it wisely. This finally happened in 2000 when I moved to Globe.

I finally slowed down and began to take a look at what’s important.

And I found the answers somewhat quickly: hard work, and other people.

In the grand scheme of things- the flood of oil onto our Gulf beaches, the fact that Rush Limbaugh even has a job let alone an audience, and the fact that NOT A SINGLE PERSON in Globe uses a turn signal- well, my birthday isn’t news.

What I try to remember is how many people are not here anymore, despite the fact that most of them weren’t ready to die. Lung cancer took my Mom at 61- my Dad died of cirrhosis at 53, and my first partner, a great guy named John, died from HIV/AIDS at the age of 34. It satisfies me to not only carry on, but to do so with gusto and aplomb and a very deep feeling of gratitude. And maybe a belief that we really are here for a reason, and those reasons are spelled out in the minutiae of daily work, relationships and quiet time.

‘Double Nickels’ is a great age so far, and I hope the next fifty-five years finds me learning and sharing and listening more. I also hope to find myself in a really nice retirement community, because at 110 years old I’ll need all the care I can get.

Chevy Impala

by Darin Lowery

1963 Chevy Impala

I was in the third grade, a skinny little boy with glasses, when I first saw it parked down the street. The chrome was blinding and the red paint was luscious, absolutely livid. I would have done anything, anything, for a ride in that car, including selling my kid brother to pirates. Or bankers. Same thing.

Unfortunately, I could not have seen over the steering wheel, let alone get a driver’s license. I was eight years old and filled with yearning. My Dad tried to console me with Sunday afternoon trips- and driving lessons- in a bulky salmon-pink ’54 Plymouth, but it just wasn’t the same. I craved speed, I needed the wind in my hair, and I wanted to get a swingin’ apartment somewhere in Manhattan and drink martinis all day.

As is usually the case, it never worked out that way.

1967 Pontiac Catalina

This was my first car, in the fall of 1978 (I was twenty-three years old, a virgin in ‘first car’ years) and it was a hulking behemoth in light green. Or rust. It really depended on what angle it was viewed from. The hood just lay over the engine- it wasn’t bolted down- and my friend Judi was very worried she’d pull a Jayne Mansfield if we ever hit anything fast and hard enough.

Justice was finally served, however, in 1986 when I leased a brand new red Chrysler LeBaron convertible, with a white interior and a turbo-charged engine. Talk about thrust.

Which brings me to the…

1993 Porsche Penetrator

Never a concept car- never even a prototype- this model was created only in my imagination. While the name evokes a subtle sexuality, in reality it would’ve been a practical and powerful car. I lived in a lousy neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, and there were car thefts and break-ins constantly. I wanted a vehicle that nobody could ever take, or at least take seriously. The Porsche Penetrator would have a Rolls Royce engine, but I envisioned the body as a pitted, banged up mess- say, a Rambler in relapse. A Malibu after the tsunami. A Cutlass awaiting the crusher. You get my point.

I figured I could park it anywhere- in front of a crackhouse, or in a back alley- Hell, I could leave it in the middle of the street- and everybody would go out of their way to avoid it. Only when I jumped in and gunned the engine, preparing for thrust would the car come alive in my steady hands and claim its rightful place in the Pantheon of Legendary Automobiles.

2000 Ford DUV

Again, not a real car, although it should be. I drive a Ford Taurus station wagon, but in order to feel somewhat more New Millennium, I refer to it as a ‘Darin Utility Vehicle’.

This of course impresses no one, but it makes me feel less like somebody’s grandfather on the way to meet the 4:05 from Bowie.

The DUV is sporty yet sophisticated; urbane without the arrogance. Plus I can load a boatful of groceries in it, or pack up my two salivating, snapping hounds and cruise around town without them feeling claustrophobic. Sometimes I wear a light blue fishing hat, which makes me feel kinda jazzy, but when I do, people have a tendency to honk a lot. Maybe they think I’m on my way to the train station.

2011 Berline Golf Cart

We all need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. At least I do, because the pump prices are killing me. What better way (besides- God forbid- walking everywhere) than to drive a mini-mini mobile? Some of the new models are awfully sweet- they look like tiny shiny sports cars. Let’s face it- Globe’s a small town. It’s not like I have to pack a lunch to drive to the Post Office. Zipping around in a snazzy little golf cart might just be the answer.

I just don’t want to lose my hat.

By: Jim Moss

Musician and Mexican American, Little Joe, apparently evaded an Arizona law enforcement round-up of suspected illegal aliens after Globe’s big Cinco de Mayo celebration last Sunday night.  While on stage with his band, Little Joe y la Familia, Joe publicly acknowledged that he was born in Texas to parents who were illegal immigrants.  After admitting this, Little Joe peered out into the darkness, above the audience, perhaps expecting legal repercussions — in this latest era of Arizona disgraceful politics.
Remember Arizona’s recent past disgraces?  Martin Luther King Holiday rejection, Governors Evan Mecham & Fife Symington?  Well, the recently hatched immigration law takes the cake!  This law represents a new low for right-wing ideology in Arizona politics.  What an embarrassment for our great state!   This law actually requires law enforcement officers to confront any person who is suspected of being an illegal alien — and demand proof of citizenship.  What is the criteria used to determine if a ‘suspected illegal alien’ should be confronted?  Rest assured, this blonde-haired, blue-eyed white boy(me) is not a suspect.

How about we call sin by its right name — racial profiling IS the criteria. Brown skin, Latin language, Hispanic appearance…  Why can’t Republicans and racists (I am not asserting that ALL Repubs are racist) just state plainly and publicly that racial profiling is a legitimate law enforcement tool.  They believe it.  So-called ‘conservatives’ like to scoff at the notion of ‘political correctness’ — so, why are they cowardly about their belief in racial profiling?  Shame on our Arizona Republican Legislators and Governor!  What hypocrites and cowards!  How dare they try to mask racial profiling as a benign, legitimate tool to stop illegal immigration!

Little Joe interjected a bit of American History during Saturday night’s musical fiesta when he playfully suggested that the wall being erected on the Mexico/U.S. border should have been built 400 years ago by Native Americans…to keep out the illegal European immigrants who brought violence, disease, & devastation to a continent.

This new Arizona law is an overreaction to a problem that has been festering for decades, but has come to a boil during extremely tough economic times in the USA.  Inevitably there are scapegoats.

The solution is NOT racial profiling.  The solution is NOT to violate our constitutionally protected civil liberties.

As one listens to the music and life story of Little Joe, it reminds of the contribution of immigrants to American life — and, it deepens the  realization that each of us descended from folks that were once-upon-a-time called ‘immigrants’ — perhaps illegal to boot.  If Governor Brewer could trace her family tree back to the Mayflower immigrants,  she would be a descendant of boat people willing to risk everything in search for a better life.  Colonists during the 17th Century — some of America’s earliest illegal immigrants — are also our history book heroes!

Instead of resorting to the unconstitutional act of racial profiling to fix illegal immigration, we, as a society who claim superiority in upholding human/civil rights, should be looking for solutions that respect individual dignity and protects civil liberties.

Such a comprehensive immigration plan was crafted a couple years back by U.S. Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy.  Yes, this was back when McCain was sort of the ‘Maverick’ he claimed to be.  Today, McMaverick has flip-flopped in trying to prove that his ‘conservative’ credentials are superior to primary election opponent, J.D. Hayworth.  A show of true statesmanship by McCain might have moderated Arizona’s Republican Legislature and Governor.  Not to be.  McCain sold his soul to the Right.  Arizona legalized racial profiling.

In an attempt to find a silver lining, some citizens say that just maybe this radical immigration law will force Uncle Sam to finally address the ‘border problem’.  To that, I say — we must never sacrifice civil liberties for political expediency.  Rational solutions to deal with illegal immigration exist.  The question is — do we have the decency and political will to enact constitutional, comprehensive immigration reform?

Just like Little Joe y la Familia — hispanic citizens all across Arizona who continue to serve their country during war or peace — have been put on notice to be ready to show proof of American citizenship.  Racial profiling leads to second-class citizenship.  So, stand tall Arizonans — brown, black, red & white — be like Little Joe!  Fight discrimination by educating & inspiring fellow citizens to join you in VOTING OUT OF OFFICE every single politician who supported the legalization of racial profiling in Arizona.

Viva Little Joe y la Familia!