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sapphires-and-gold-fics · 5 years ago

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Fictober Day 25: “I could really eat something.”

Fandom: Game of Thrones / ASOIAF / Jane Austen

Characters: Jaime Lannister / Brienne of Tarth

Note: When October ends, this will transition to an actual chapter fic but, until then, parts -

Read Part 1 Read Part 2 Read Part 3

Pt 4 on AO3

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He was the only person in the world who could at that moment be forgiven for not being Ramsay Snow; for though Sansa bemoaned Brienne’s propriety, the importance of her sister’s happiness far outweighed that in Sansa’s estimation, and so she sought to show Jaime the utmost cordiality, greeting him with even more warmth of regard than Brienne herself.

But in Jaime there was a deficiency of all that a lover ought to look and say - Brienne was cognizant of it, and had no doubt that Sansa was as well, and so Brienne carried on as if naught was the matter. Yet her sister saw and listened with increasing surprise. She almost began to feel a dislike of Jaime when she called to mind Ramsay’s attentions and how his manners were so striking in contrast to those of this brother elect.

Sansa tried even involving Arya in pushing Jaime and Brienne to walk together back towards the cottage, but Brienne and Arya both would always lead the discussion back onto group subjects saying “Mr. Lannister when were you last at Winterfell, you know we all loved it there at this time of year” (“I have not yet been there since the leaves have begun to turn but I am sure it is beautiful.”), and “Jaime, how long have you been traveling, are you hungry? (“Miss Arya I have not dined since yesterday - I could really eat something.”), and “Sansa we must show Mr. Lannister the godswood at Riverrun Park and let him tell whether it is not unlike that of Winterfell.” But on the latter, Jaime begged off - “I’m afraid,” said he, “that my father and Ser Brynden have some history which I do not wish to dredge up for the man on whose land I shall be visiting. I am glad to be seeing the Miss Starks, but I would not wish to impose my presence on any of the Tullys.”

Catelyn was surprised only for a moment at seeing Jaime, for his coming to Riverrun was, in her opinion, of all things the most natural. He received the kindest welcome from her; and his shy, if cold, reserve could not stand against such reception. His affections seemed to reanimate towards them all then, and his interest in their welfare became perceptible. But he was still out of spirits, which Catelyn attributed to some want of liberality in his father.

“What are Lord Lannister’s views for you at the present, Jaime,” said she when dinner was over and they had gathered close to the fire, “are you still to pursue a life in law or politics despite yourself?”

“No, thank the gods, I think I’ve now impressed on my father that his vision for me does not suit. Not that I’m any closer to the living I want, but still.”

“What of the living you’re owed by birth?”

“It’s not mine, Mrs. Stark - I have an elder brother who was meant to inherit - unfortunately he and my father have never gotten along; they had a falling out many years ago when I was rather young and my father disowned him. As much as I would appreciate a living, until my father makes peace with my brother, I shall not accept it. My brother thinks me a fool, but who are we if not our morals? And so you see, it is my own fault that I must rely on my sister and my generous friends - please do not pity me for that.”

“It is an honorable choice, Mr. Lannister.” Brienne thought she saw him return the sentiment to her with the quietest spark in his eyes, but then he turned back toward the fire. “Not all choices can be so, Miss Stark. But in this one I have confidence.”

“Honorable!” cried Sansa, “You should take it and then it will be yours to distribute. You will have an opportunity to help your brother then!”

Brienne glared at her sister, and Sansa returned it twofold.

“Nay,” said Jaime, “I do not want the privilege of it. There is too much notoriety in it. I have only ever wanted a quiet life. Being warden of the West holds no interest for me. I’ve made mistakes in my life, most of which I would hope will never be familiar to those whom I call friends, but please believe that I am not suited to the responsibility. It comes at too high a cost to my sensibilities.”

“I wish that someone would give me a large fortune,” said Arya from her forgotten corner.

Jaime seemed to lighten up at this, “And what would you do with it, Miss Arya?”

“Sail!” she replied, without a second thought, “I want to see what is beyond the horizon.”

Jaime finally smiled at that. “Indeed, I think you would. Truly, I think I know what each of you might do if fortune so favored you.”

This was the liveliest Sansa had seen Jaime and she encouraged him - “Very well, tell mother’s first.”

“Oh, Sansa. I would be puzzled on how to spend a large fortune if my girls were already rich without my help.”

“You must begin improvements on the house,” nudged Brienne.

“Miss Stark is right,” came Jaime’s reply, quiet but gaining confidence, “I’m reminded of your notions over dinner. The changes you wished to make to the front parlor and the addition of a veranda at the back overlooking the valley - that would make for a very pretty prospect, I think, and I’m sure the masons and carpenters would charge you prettily for it. But ah, you’re such a generous spirit you might rejoice in letting them cheat you!”

“Oh Jaime,” cried Catelyn, giddy, “you have the right of it.” How nice, Catelyn thought, that where Ramsay had been firm in his vision of the cottage, Jaime thought was kind enough to embrace hers.

“Me next, Jaime.”

“Ah, Miss Sansa - I know your greatness of soul - what a happy day for booksellers and music-sellers it would be. You would purchase all of your favorites over and over to prevent them falling into unworthy hands, and you would have every book that told you how to admire a weirwood - should you not?” He was smiling now, “You see? I’ve not forgotten our old disputes over poetry.”

Sansa smiled back, “I love to be reminded of the past, Jaime. You will never offend me by talking of former times, particularly when I see how warm you are to those memories.” She said this last with a pointed look at Brienne, who looked at her hands. Sansa then entreated Jaime to predict her elder sister’s use of their fantastical fortune.

Jaime turned to look at Brienne but then found himself looking into the fire. “Miss Stark would give a general commission to the printmakers, for every new print of merit be sent her, and when she should find one she dislikes, I think she would send to town for the finest brushes and pigments, and cover it until it was to her liking. And if any should question her preferences, she would challenge her critics and strike them down with her sword.”

Brienne felt herself coloring and could hear the smile in Jaime’s voice, though she avoided his glance, but Mrs. Stark laughed, “Do you call Brienne a perfectionist, Jaime! Or just proud?”

“Neither,” Jaime said, with a glance at Brienne’s hands, and finally shifting to meet her glance, “I would never do either. Miss Stark is discerning. And her tastes should guide the rest of the county. It would be only right for her to make better the inferior works. I would trust the decoration of my own home to no one else!”

Brienne felt a blush creep down her neck to her chest, and Jaime, seeing it, noticed his misstep immediately, and rose to fill his sherry glass. Thankfully, Arya was well on her way to distracting the others from his comment.

“What care I for finery and fashion and painting, I shall be a pirate queen!”

Jaime chuckled while Mrs. Stark glared at her youngest. “Captain Arya,” he said from the sideboard, “I do believe of all the Miss Starks, you could not be dissuaded from your goal, regardless of your future fortunes.”

Brienne could see, with great uneasiness, the low spirits of her friend and the way that he avoided discussion of that which touched him most, and it kept her from a sound sleep. She attributed his strangeness to the demands of his family - specifically his father who, being wholly unknown to her, was a convenient door at which to lay blame. Though knowing Cersei did not make that action any less convenient. Had she been in her own room Brienne might have eventually slept well after assigning her friend’s behavior to a cause, but she had given her room up for their guest, and now Sansa’s eternally cold feet were pressed against her legs, mocking her while her sister snored.

***

The following morning, Jaime joined the elder Miss Starks in the breakfast-room before the others were down; Sansa, eager to promote their happiness, soon left he and her sister to themselves. But no sooner had Brienne become aware of the door closing than Jaime was standing apologetically and exiting the room himself, claiming a need to check on his horse, and promising to return when Mrs. Stark was ready to dine. Brienne was left alone and no less concerned than the day before.

When they did all sit to break their fast together Sansa, sitting beside Jaime, observed on his hand a ring with a plait of hair at its center.

“Is that Cersei’s hair?” she enquired, knowing one to have been promised by their former hostess to her brother, “I would have thought the hair would be more golden in color, but that looks far paler.”

Jaime colored deeply and, giving a momentary glance at Brienne across the table, replied “Yes, it is my sister’s hair. The setting,” he muttered, “always casts a different shade on it you know.”

Brienne had met his eye, and looked conscious likewise. That the hair was her own she instantaneously felt as well satisfied as Sansa; the only difference in their conclusions was that what Sansa considered a free gift from her sister as she had done for Ramsay, Brienne was conscious must have been procured by some theft or contrivance unknown to herself. Brienne instantly began talking of something else, internally resolving henceforward to catch every opportunity of eyeing the hair and satisfying herself, beyond all doubt, that it was exactly the shade of her own.

***

Jaime remained at the cottage a week. He walked with the sisters to the village every day, toured the river with Brienne and Sansa while Arya kept her mother company on the now-familiar hill with the fine prospect, and sparred with both Arya and Brienne, remarking on the former’s improved skill, and giving credit to the latter’s tutelage.

Sparring was the only time that Brienne felt alone with Jaime - the only time she felt that she could be close to him without shying away. Even though they were in full view of everyone else, they moved around each other in a familiar dance and their foils sang to one another. Here they could tease each other in a way that, had they no swords in hand, would certainly have been called flirtation by an outside party. Here they were protected. It was the only place where one did not hesitate when their body brushed the other’s. And it was the only time that one touched the other purposely.

After several days of walking the unfamiliar picturesque landscapes and being among friends, Jaime’s spirits during the last two days of his visit were greatly improved, though still unequal to what a friend might call usual. He grew more and more partial to the house and its surroundings, and never spoke of going away without a sigh.

On one occasion, Lord Edmure and his uncle came to call unexpectedly, and even then, despite the anticipated cold greeting from the Blackfish, Jaime seemed rather at ease. The old battle axe dismissed him out of hand for being his father’s son, but on his leave-taking he embraced Jaime’s arm as one might an old comrade. Jaime and Lord Edmure were on more stable ground. Edmure enquired after Jaime’s brother, and accepted the reply (he had seen him of late, and hoped he would be in better spirits soon). Edmure invited him to come and stay at the Park the next time his brother was of a mind to travel, and Jaime gave an assurance that he would, by the leave of his friends the Starks.

What followed was a persistent state of half-cheerfulness which Jaime sustained through his own departure. When asked to whence he would travel, he indicated his decision to go to the North, saying that while neither King’s Landing nor Winterfell held much affection for him, his happier memories were in the North and so we would go to his sister; though he declared, with a nod to Catelyn, that his greatest happiness was with the Starks.

***

“I think,” said Catelyn at their breakfast that final morning, “that you would be happier if you had some employment to occupy your time, Jaime. I do not agree with your father, but you must allow that this idleness does not bring happiness.”

“That is true, Mrs. Stark. Yet I am not at liberty to choose my employment while my father quarrels with me. Perhaps one day he will allow me my independence but, until then, I must either hope for some windfall from a mystery benefactor,” he said this last with a wink to Arya, “or keep moving about the country until he gives up on landing me.”

“And should you one day have sons,” continued Catelyn, “they will be brought up to choose their own lives and occupations, and idleness would be discouraged?”

Jaime grew serious and quiet. “My dear Mrs. Stark, any of my children would be brought up to be as unlike my wretched self as possible. In feeling, in action, in condition, in every thing save perhaps my sense of justice.”

“You are a good man, Mr. Lannister,” Brienne insisted quietly, “pray do not abuse yourself so.”

Jaime’s mouth moved into a smile but it did not reach his eyes, and he did not look up. “You have always thought the best of me, Miss Stark, and set me to rights like one of your drawings. Would that you and your family were still in Winterfell, you might all comfort me through my sister’s intemperateness.”

This desponding turn of mind gave additional pain to them all in parting, which shortly took place, and left an uncomfortable impression on Brienne’s feelings especially, which required some trouble and time to subdue.

Jaime took his departure with as much ease as he could manage. Mrs. Stark embraced him and wished him a safe journey, securing his promise to visit again before the spring with a kerchief to her eyes as if he were going off to war and not to his sister’s manor. Arya bounded up to him from across the yard and he embraced the girl with affection. Sansa, determined to show what Brienne would not, stayed close and spoke up to him as he settled on his horse.

Brienne, for her part, was determined not to repeat Sansa’s mortifying show of distress of a fortnight past, and to prevent herself from appearing to suffer more than any of the other women.

Jaime waved his goodbyes, sparing the slightest hesitation when his eyes met Brienne's, and then rode away. Catelyn and Sansa went inside right away with some occupation or another, but Arya begged Brienne to stay awhile and watch until Jaime met the road. He did turn around once, as if looking back on a prospect that he regretted losing sight of, but he did not wave again, and he did not turn his horse and return, and Brienne did not weep.

Afterward, she busied herself, neither seeking nor avoiding mention of his name, appearing to interest herself almost as much as ever in the general concerns of the family, and if, by this conduct, she did not lessen her own grief, it was at least prevented from unnecessary increase. She did not push for solitude, nor did she, on regaining her room from their guest, lie awake the whole night to indulge in meditation, even if an aspect of him seemed to linger still in the air there. In the morning, in a state of half-sleep, Brienne would put her hand to the side table knowing that he had placed his hand there as well, but she found that once awake if she pushed those concerns away, she could instead be afforded leisure enough to think of Jaime and of his behavior in between her doings.

And if, in the days that followed, she undertook a task which enforced her solitude, it was not looked on strangely when she dedicated herself to it. Then, her mind was invariably at liberty and could not be chained in conversation or elsewhere; instead, she had leave to meditate on the past and future, on a subject so interesting before her, which engrossed her memory, her reflection, and her fancy.

#fictober #fictober 2019 #braime #brienne x jaime #jaime x brienne #jane austen #sense and sensibility #austen au #braime au #got au #put me back together #ao3 #ao3 link #mine #a ton of this is straight out of austen #reminder: it's an adaptation

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viewwrangler · 6 years ago

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Chicago elections 2019

So it appears that as a result of last night’s effectively-a-primary election, Chicago will have

1) its second black mayor ever

2) its second woman mayor ever

3) its first black woman mayor ever, and

4) there’s a very strong possibility that it will have its first LGBT mayor ever

Not too shabby for one night’s elections, really.

Chicago poised to elect first African-American female mayor after Lori Lightfoot, Toni Preckwinkle advance (chicagotribune.com)

Chicago will elect its first African-American female mayor after former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle won enough votes Tuesday amid a record field of 14 candidates to move on to an April runoff election.

It’s only the second time Chicago has had a runoff campaign for mayor, which occurs when no candidate collects more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round.

Unofficial results showed Lightfoot with 17.5 percent of the vote, Preckwinkle with 16 percent and Bill Daley with 14.7 percent, with 96 percent of precincts counted. [...] One of them will become Chicago’s second female mayor, following Jane Byrne, who served one term from 1979 to 1983. And if Lightfoot is elected, she would become the city’s first openly gay mayor. Both would become the second African-American elected Chicago mayor after Harold Washington, who served from 1983 until he died in 1987....

Historic Chicago election draws national spotlight, praise from black, LGBTQ communities: 'I think Chicago is potentially ready to turn the corner' (chicagotribune.com)

[...] after Tuesday’s election winnowed down 14 mayoral candidates to two African-American women, one of them openly gay, both Chicago voters and national political groups are focusing instead on how the city’s politics are set to change. [...] Longtime Chicagoan and former presidential candidate the Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a Facebook post that he “could not be prouder” of Chicago. “For the first time in history, the next mayor of Chicago will be a black woman,” Jackson said. “Two progressive African-American women will square off in the April 2 mayoral runoff. I could not be prouder of my beloved city. We made herstory tonight.”

Live Chicago election results (chi.vote)

It will be interesting to see how the votes redistribute in the April final election. Turnout will be sharply lower, one suspects -- it generally is in what feel like special elections -- which may favor Preckwinkle. Assuming that she can shed being attached somewhat indirectly to a big, spreading corruption investigation in City Hall, that is. (There was a big hand-wringing Tuesday morning and afternoon about turnout being sharply lower in this election -- they were predicting it could be the lowest and oldest and whitest turnout this century -- but there was a late surge that was bigger, younger, and browner. ‘Cause millennials -- and damn near everyone else -- gotta work, y’all. It may be a rule/union requirement that some people get time off for voting, but hell if there’s a single business going to let ‘em, you hear me?)

I am kind of impressed that the whole thing about Lightfoot being a lesbian -- and married with children, even -- is more or less relegated to a sort of, “Oh? Yeah? Interesting. But how’s she going to handle the unfunded pension mandates without raising taxes?” issue. As it should be. (Also, pretty sure the pension issue can’t be handled without more tax increases, unfortunately.)

Elsewhere in our elections, we seem to have a theme:

Chicago’s Election Signals Break from the Past — in Wards and at City Hall (propublica.org)

... That evening, as totals streamed in, it became clear that voters demanded a change. Hadden overwhelmed Joe Moore, a 28-year incumbent, with 64 percent of the vote. She became the first openly queer black woman elected to the City Council, and one of the first black aldermen ever to come from the North Side....

[...] Months ago, Moore sensed that his re-election bid in the city’s far northeast corner could be tough. He watched from afar as 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez toppled another Joe, longtime U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley, in a diverse, liberal New York City district not unlike the 49th Ward. In the age of President Donald Trump, Democrats seen as compromising or shopworn are sometimes viewed as part of the problem....

[...] By Tuesday afternoon, Hadden thought she had a chance. “But if nothing else, we’ve got new people voting, new people involved in the campaign, and we’re going to keep organizing,” she said. “In some ways, we’ve already won by putting the community’s vision first.”Within a few hours, she had won the election, too....

Teary Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney claims victory in fight versus Ricketts family (chicagotribune.com)

A teary Ald. Tom Tunney claimed victory in his Wrigleyville battle against Cubs owners the Ricketts family [...] Fighting back tears, Tunney told supporters that he has sought to make sure the neighborhood is “successful with Wrigley Field in it.”

At his side was Mayor Emanuel, who said it’s important to support people who work hard, build schools, and invest in public safety and neighborhoods. “Tom's done that, and the people obviously reflected that,” Emanuel said."I think when you have somebody come in and say they're going to try to bigfoot the voice of the constituents, it's very important to see results like this," Emanuel told the Tribune. Asked if that was referring to the Ricketts family, which funded a group that sent out mailers against Tunney, the mayor brushed the question aside....

I should think the mayor would “brush the question aside”, yes.

Ald. Tom Tunney Holds On To His Seat In 44th Ward (blockclubchicago.org)

Incumbent Ald. Tom Tunney is poised to hold on to his seat in the 44th Ward.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday night, Tunney had 63 percent of the vote, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. Challenger Austin Baidas was at 26 percent and Elizabeth Shydlowski was at 11 percent.

Tunney addressed supporters at a campaign party at El Jardin in Lakeview with outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel by his side.

“I’m grateful to the neighborhood for their support and will continue to work with the Cubs to make sure Lakeview remains one of the best neighborhoods in the city,” Tunney said. “I always have and always will believe in being a collaborative leader for the city.”

In the lead up to the election, the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, were linked both openly and behind the scenes to efforts to unseat Tunney... [...] Tunney, owner of Ann Sather restaurants, became the first openly gay alderman when he was first elected in 2003.

Apparently the Ricketts believe that the proper position for an Alderman in a ward in which they have major interests is supine, preferably beneath their feet. (Full disclosure: I know and like Tom Tunney, and it’s not as if the Ricketts have never gotten anything they want regarding the Cubs, as long as the requests are reasonable and can be balanced with the interests of the people who live there and whom Tom actually, you know, represents. He’s not particularly obstructionist. They just don’t get everything they want, they frequently don’t get it the way they want, and they don’t get it anything like as fast as they want. They get something, the people who live there get some concessions as well. Isn’t that the way this is all supposed to work? But I digress.)

We may even wind up with a few outright Socialists (well, US style socialists) on the city council (chicago.suntimes.com) after the April runoffs.

And apparently we have a vote buying scandal in the 25th ward? Really? Huh.(It looks like the ward was having all sorts of issues, in fact, since poll watchers had been sent to observe for an entirely separate problem.) It seems to have been at least somewhat successful, since the person buying the votes made it to the runoffs -- to replace an alderman who is leaving office because he was wired for sound in a corruption investigation, and now appears to have gone to ground. Seriously, you’d think that maybe someone would realize that people would actually be paying attention to the ward under these circumstances. (Irrelevant side note: the political conspiracy in the film “Widows” assumes a lot more competence than is sometimes in evidence in this city.)

That said, being indicted for federal crimes is apparently no bar to a campaign; Alderman Burke was re-elected without even having to go to a runoff. (”He may be a crook, but he’s OUR crook!” kind of sentiment, I guess. And allegedly, he was competent in his corruption. At least, he knew better than to buy votes on the day of the election in the polling place, anyway.)

#chicago #politics #chicago politics #chicago mayoral election #chicago elections

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livinginlandmarketing · 4 years ago

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Why should suspects with money be able to leave jail while the gears of justice grind, while those without money are stuck behind bars?

Should skin color, sex and ethnicity be factors in public college admissions, and who gets public jobs and contracts?

Why should criminals who’ve been given probation instead of jail time be allowed to vote, while parolees – who did prison time and are finishing their sentences on the outside – are forbidden from voting?

California voters wrestled with ballots chock full of complicated social justice issues on Nov. 3, amid unprecedented racial reckoning and heightened awareness of historical wrongs. While election results are not yet final, voters appear to have delivered a very mixed bag of decisions:

No on considering skin color in public decision-making. No on eliminating cash bail. No on tougher criminal sentencing. Yes on allowing parolees to vote. Yes on redirecting money to social services. Yes to the Los Angeles County District Attorney candidate who promises major reform.

“The criminal justice measures that passed in California, along with George Gascon’s projected win (in the L.A. D.A.’s race), are incredibly good news and aligned with the general trend in California over the past years to support criminal justice reform,” said Alicia Virani, associate director of the Criminal Justice Program at the UCLA School of Law, who was once a deputy in the Orange County Public Defender’s Office.

This Oct. 23, 1996, file photo shows UCLA students surrounded by Los Angeles Police officers as they sit on Wilshire Blvd. during a Proposition 209 protest in Westwood. Prop. 209 passed, banning state government from considering race, sex or ethnicity in public employment, contracting and education. (AP Photo/Frank Wiese)

Brian Levin, professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Cal State San Bernardino, would agree.

“Voters were particularly concerned with redirecting the focus of the criminal justice system towards a less punitive approach, as increasing concern about institutional racial disparities are an overlay to any such any debate,” he said.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of public policy and political science at UC Riverside and founding director of the Center for Social Innovation, said there might not have been a clear verdict, “but I think what you see is that Californians are supportive of advancing social justice. They see racism as a significant problem. But when it comes to particular solutions, if they have a problem with some component of an initiative, they just vote it down,” he said.

But there’s always a but.

“Some of the outcomes or projected outcomes on other ballot measures … are unfortunately a dismal reflection on where the state is at when it comes to social justice,” said UCLA’s Virani. “While criminal justice reform and transformation is needed, we also need a state that will think comprehensively about the structural issues that allow for the criminal justice system to target poor communities and communities of color throughout the state.”

Money, of course, played a tremendous role in this year’s proposition battles, with a record-breaking $785 million pouring in to support and oppose statewide ballot races. “One consistent message,” said Ramakrishnan, “is that money can make a big difference.”

Here’s a rundown.

Affirmative action

Proposition 16 would have overturned California’s present ban on considering race, ethnicity, sex and national origin in public decision-making. That official “color-blindness” began in 1996 with the passage of Prop. 209. Data from the Secretary of State had it losing by more than 10 percentage points on Wednesday.

Money: $19.9 million in support; $1.2 million in opposition.

This one left many observers a bit perplexed. “Exit polls say racism in America is one of the most important, or the most important, problem,” said UCR’s Ramakrishnan. “So then, why didn’t they support Prop. 16?”

There are actually many different reasons, including splits in the Latino and Asian communities and general voter confusion about what it would do. “There just wasn’t enough time for there to be more voter education on this issue,” and it was competing for attention on a very full ballot, Ramakrishnan said. But he expects the issue to be resurrected, and soon.

“It has been nearly 25 years since affirmative action was available in California, and so I see this as an important first step in restarting the conversation about racial equity beyond criminal justice reform. We haven’t yet had deep conversations in California about the inequities around wealth-building, employment opportunity, educational opportunity – I’d expect proponents of racial justice issues to continue pushing for greater awareness and education on the importance of thinking beyond the criminal justice system.”

Criminal crackdown

Prop. 20 flew firmly in the face of the zeitgeist of the times, toughening criminal sentencing options. It would have allowed offenses now classified as misdemeanors – specific types of theft and fraud, such as unlawful use of a credit card and vehicle theft – to be bumped up to felonies. It also would have added serial crime and organized retail crime to the books, allowing them to be charged as felonies; and would have required that some convicts submit DNA to state and federal databases. It was losing with less than 38 percent of the vote.

Money: $4.8 million in support; $20.5 million in opposition

Cash bail

Prop. 25 would have affirmed California’s place as the first state to end the use of cash bail for all detained suspects awaiting trials. The original legislation was described as a “transformational shift away from valuing private wealth and toward protecting public safety.”

Instead of cash bail – meant to give people an incentive to show up in court after they’re released from jail – risk assessments would determine whether people should get pre-trial release and under what conditions. They’d be categorized as low, medium or high risk, and those with a low risk of skipping out could be released; those with a high risk would stay in jail; and those with medium risk could go either way, depending on the court’s rules. It was losing with less than 45 percent of the vote.

Money: $13.4 million in support; $10.2 million in opposition.

“I think what you’re seeing in cash bail is an exception to a more general trend that favors reform that reduces racial inequality,” said Ramakrishnan.

Levin agreed. “The outlier may have been Prop. 25 which confused voters about bail assessments, as well as the split among some progressives,” he said.

Source: YesOnJ

Funding for services, not policing

The harbinger of things to come may be Los Angeles County’s Measure J, which harnessed public outrage over police brutality and the conviction that there must be a better way. It would require that no less than 10% of the massive county’s general fund – hundreds of millions of dollars – be spent on prevention, community programs and alternatives to incarceration. It was passing with 57 percent of the vote.

“Measure J is the only ballot measure of its kind across the nation, and we’re really happy that voters were in agreement that we need to make sure the priorities of our communities of color are brought to the forefront,” said Yes on J spokesman Scott Mann.

In a statement on Wednesday, Isaac Bryan, co-chair of Yes on Measure J, called it “the tipping point for justice not only in L.A. County but across the country.”

“For decades we have fought to change hearts, minds, and policy. Finally, our communities will have the resources to bring our freedom dreams to life. Finally, our communities will have the foundational investments in care and healing that they have long deserved. Finally, we will begin to question how much money we spend on incarceration and punishment when we could be funding opportunity. Today is historic. Today is beautiful. This is what we marched for this year. This is the type of transformative policy-making we have been calling for,” he said.

UCLA’s Virani said Measure J attempts to redress inequities by shifting budget, and thus policy, priorities towards prevention and redistribution of resources. “It is unfortunate that the state did not follow suit in this regard,” she said.

Others suspect it won’t be long until it does.

Money: $3.3 million in support; $3.5 million in opposition.

Parolee voting rights

Prop. 17, would restore parolees’ right to vote. California was one of only three states that required people to finish both prison and parole sentences before regaining the right to cast a ballot. It didn’t attract a lot of money or incite a lot of passion, and is winning by some 18 points.

Money: $1.4 million, total.

White reformer v. Black prosecutor

The race for Los Angeles County District Attorney was a head-turner: Former San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, a White man, taking on incumbent L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey, a Black woman, for the chief prosecutor’s job. Gascón blasted Lacey for going too easy on police officers who shot and killed people, and promised a raft of reforms. He’s currently leading with more than 53 percent of the vote.

Money: More than $19 million

“Overall, the results of the state ballot initiatives and L.A. district attorney race demonstrate that those who so effectively organized protests had the perseverance to follow through at the polls – showing once and for all the historic transformational political reverberations of the Black Lives Matter movement,” said Levin of CSU San Bernardino.

How many ballots are left to be counted in San Bernardino, Riverside counties?

Trump team says it’s suing to stop Pennsylvania vote count

Election 2020: These maps show how Californians voted on all the ballot measures

Here’s what Election Day looked like in the Inland Empire

Election: Vote counts make for late night, early morning for local readers

-on November 04, 2020 at 09:56AM by Teri Sforza

#riversidenews

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losbella · 4 years ago

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jasoncromey · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on DUI, Appeals & Criminal Lawyer, Jason Cromey, Esq.

New Post has been published on https://gulfcoastcriminaldefense.com/pensacolacriminallawyerblog/will-florida-create-a-reckless-driving-program-for-1st-time-dui-offenders

Will Florida Create a “Reckless Driving Program” For 1st Time DUI Offenders?

Being charged with DUI is a life-changing moment for many of those people that find themselves in court facing the charge. The “oh no, what have I done” thoughts start the minute you see the officer’s lights on behind your car. You think about where you have been, how many drinks did you actually have, what did you eat, how long had it been since you had your last drink? Next thing you know, the officer is at your window. With every fiber of your being you are thinking “maybe he’s just going to give me a speeding ticket.” Unfortunately, he smells the odor of alcohol and thinks that your eyes are bloodshot. He asks, “have you been drinking this evening?” Oh no, here we go. Do I do the field sobriety exercises? Do I have to do them? Will I lose my license if I don’t? I don’t think I’m that bad off, I think I can pass these. Well, like the vast majority of people who to the field sobriety exercises, you don’t pass them and you find yourself in the back of a police car. Time to head to the jail. Now what – do I do a breath test, or not? Can I say no? How much is .08, really? You blow into the machine and the results are .12. You spend another six hours in the drunk tank at the jail and finally, the nightmare is over…for the time being.

So, what’s going to happen to you?

You’ve never been in trouble before, and you wonder if you’re going to get cut a break. Well, that all depends on where in Florida you live. Currently, there are no statewide diversion programs for first time DUI offenders that get the charges reduced. In certain counties, like Palm Beach for example, the elected State Attorney has created a first-offender reckless driving program. However, if you live in the First Judicial Circuit (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton), your elected State Attorney takes a firm stance on DUI charges, even for first-time offenders, and offers no such programs. Many of my clients understand that they may have done something wrong, that they made a mistake, and are not looking to get out of the situation without any consequences. Instead, all many of them hope for are a reduction in the charge from DUI to Reckless Driving. There are many reasons why this change can make a big difference. First, you will not get a DUI permanently on your records, which is important for several reasons: if you get a second DUI you may be looking at mandatory jail time, with a DUI conviction you may well not be eligible to travel into countries like Canada, and you may not loose a job that requires you to drive a company car. Secondly, your license will not be revoked, your car will not need to be impounded, and you fines and court costs will be reduced. A third benefit to a reduction in the charge is that you will not be required to buy SR-22 insurance, which will save you tons of money. Oftentimes an experienced DUI lawyer will be able to get your DUI charge in the First Circuit reduced but be sure that it is not without a fight!

Currently, if convicted of a first-time DUI, the best you will be looking at is what is called “minimum firsts.” The Florida legislature has created a set of mandatory conditions of a DUI sentence which include an adjudication of guilt (which means it can never be sealed or expunged), probation, DUI school, a substance abuse evaluation and recommended treatment, 10 day impound of your vehicle, a 6 to 12 month driver’s license revocation, 50 hours of community service work, plus hefty fines and court costs. BUT – things may be changing. This year, HB 1145, sponsored by Rep. Thad Altman from Indialantic, FL, has been approved by a house panel for vote. HB 1145 (and its companion bill SB 1396) would create a statewide diversion program for first time DUI offenders. The idea behind the bill is that each judicial circuit would institute a uniform statewide diversionary program where DUI offenders would get a reduced charge of reckless driving if they complete a series of requirements, such as a substance abuse evaluation, completion of recommended treatment, community service work, and possibly the use of an ignition interlock device in their car for a few months. If you complete the requirements then you get to enter a plea to reckless driving instead of DUI and, importantly, you would also receive a withhold of adjudication so that you would be eligible to have your arrest expunged from your record in due time.

What’s next?

There are some attorneys and law makers in Florida that do not agree that a uniform statewide program needs to be created because there are already programs like this working well in their parts of Florida. However, as a resident and attorney in the First Judicial Circuit, I do not expect that our elected officials will, without a mandate from the legislature, ever create a diversionary program for first time DUI offenders. Whether the diversion program is created or not, it is still incredibly important to contact a veteran DUI lawyer to review your case and guide you through the process.

Call us for a free DUI consultation at (850) 378-3001

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quakerjoe · 7 years ago

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Florida Business Owners Have A Message For Donald Trump: GO AWAY!

Residents and business owners near Mar-A-Lago in South Florida have a message for Donald Trump: Get Lost! His frequent trips to the area are costing small business owners thousands of dollars every day in lost economic revenue, and the problem only seems to be getting worse.

With Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach County, Florida, recently reopening for the winter months, business owners in the area have a clear message for Donald Trump. Please go away and leave us alone. Now, the reason these residents are so angry that Donald Trump likes to spend every waking hour that he can, away from the White House and at Mar-a-Lago, is because when he comes to visit, that means their small businesses that they run, lose money.

Recently, ABC News spoke with a man who runs a small business giving helicopter tours in the Palm Beach area, and unfortunately because the airport where he operates out of, is located so close to Mar-a-Lago, anytime the president's in town, that falls within the no-fly zone, so this particular man who runs the helicopter business loses upwards of $1,000 per day, because he cannot operate his business. Elsewhere in the area, roads have to be closed off any time the president is traveling, which is hurting local small shops and restaurants along the paths that the president takes, because nobody is able to travel on those roads and get to those businesses, they are also losing hundreds of dollars a day.

Now, if you've been paying attention, you understand that this issue actually popped up earlier in 2017, when Donald Trump first got his security details and all of these things started happening, some of these same people were interviewed by ABC last year, talking about how much money they were losing as a result of Donald Trump's constant visits to South Florida. The funny thing is, especially the helicopter sightseeing tour operator, he actually voted for Donald Trump, and he is still, according to him, a very big Donald Trump supporter, so for him, this has nothing to do with who the president is, or any kind of political disagreements, this is strictly business.

He understands that sometimes you can make a decision and through really, not much fault of your own I guess, it can still negatively impact your business, and that's what happening to a lot of these people who do live in a Republican area of the State of Florida, and yet they're the ones feeling the squeeze harder than most other residents, in terms of the president's travel. Donald Trump's non-stop vacations are killing small businesses in the State of Florida, and he doesn't even care.

The guy who came into the White House, elected as a businessman, because everybody thought he was going to take care of small businesses, is actually destroying small businesses, because he doesn't want to work. Think about that. Every time Donald Trump goes down to Mar-a-Lago, even if maybe he's got a meeting or two scheduled while he's down there, it's because he doesn't want to work, because he doesn't want to be at the White House. He wants to be at his own property, running things that he shouldn't be running while being President of the United States, and playing golf.

Just today, Donald Trump celebrated his 88th day playing golf as President of the United States, and his 112th day on a Trump-owned property while President of the United States. One third, more than one third, at this point, of his presidency, spent at one of his own properties at the expense of US taxpayers, and now at the expense of local businesses, who are just trying to run their day-to-day operations, but find it sometimes nearly impossible to literally even get to work, because everything has been shut down, because Donald Trump wanted to take a break, because he spent one day actually doing presidential stuff.

That's not how this works. That local economy is dependent upon those small businesses, and whether or not they voted for Trump is irrelevant. They had a dream, they pursued it, they started their small business, and then a jackass like Trump comes in, shuts everything down for days at a time, goes back to DC for a few days, and then comes back and shuts it all down again. These people are losing their livelihoods, and even if they voted for Donald Trump, they don't deserve that.

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marymosley · 5 years ago

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Tax Avoidance: A Moral Duty

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

While it is a truism that in many respects some form of taxation is needed to provide necessities to a society, in practice many government and social detriments arise as either a consequence to or are derivative of tax policy. I’ve found for myself that fostering a personal goal of avoiding specific taxation or in many cases excessive taxation generally comports with a greater advocacy of morality in several beneficial forms.

First I must emphasize the difference between Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion.

Tax Evasion is the criminal and / or civil refusal to make payment of taxes a taxpayer is legally compelled to provide as a consequence of earnings or purchases.

Tax Avoidance is the lawful participation in a practice where a taxpayer is not legally required to pay taxes or he or she chooses to abstain from or to minimize activities that generate lawful tax liability.

I am by no means advocating tax evasion and I strongly discourage others to engage in such. While we have an obligation to pay the tax we are required, we are also equally obligated to make use of any deduction or credit of tax we are due.

I believe this topic can be discussed in lengthy detail but for the purpose of brevity a primer should suffice.

In tax avoidance as a moral duty one has to probably accept the notion that not all goals sought by government or especially politicians are benevolent. For nearly the past two decades the U.S. Federal Government’s political leadership has actively engaged in what I consider to be highly immoral behavior. At it’s worst it has willingly engaged in instigating completely elective foreign expeditions and wars that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of foreign civilians, and thousands of American military personal and citizens. In fact it could realistically be argued that the resolve “to get” individuals who our politicians did not like, such as Saddam Hussein , Assad, and Quadaffi, was so prevalent that Congress and the then presidents convinced themselves that close to a million lives were worth taking out these three men. Men I might add posed no true threat to the people of the United States. So over a trillion dollars of tax payer supplied money and treasury securities went toward those debacles.

I do not take issue with the idea of needing a military to protect ourselves in the ordinary sense, but lately in my life politicians have shown on the federal level that they believe a tool for personal political gain is to cause the death of civilians and our soldiers here to “get the bad guy”. And that looking tough works to get hired in an elected position. I am not willing to reward that behavior.

Often in the past wars have ended simply because a nation depleted itself of money and materiel and could no longer prosecute the battle. It could also be argued that a government being awash in the financial means to fight an elective war would be more tempted to use such means than if it was constrained by a limited budget. For me I do not agree with providing that means so easily.

The first example of “getting the bad guy” I came to realize in my life was President George H.W. Bush’s need to get Bad Guy Manuel Noriega. back in the 1980s. Most of you readers know of this affair so I won’t repeat it. For those who do not feel free to search for “Operation Just Cause”, the almost complete joke of a name our government gave that endeavor.

I remember having a training class with two officers who formerly served in U.S. Special Forces during the invasion of Panama to oust Bad Guy Noriega on drug trafficking charges (or so that was the excuse)–A police action as it was called then. One of the officers said they were sent there to get Noriega and when in country found themselves pinned down by sniper fire. So, they called in an airstrike which leveled a building. Of course they had to defend themselves but I had to wonder what kind of police action this was. I knew that generally when we went to take down a drug dealer in the county it generally did not involve airstrikes and blowing shit up all over town. But it seems that when it involves bad guys our federal government doesn’t like, well what’s a few hundred or thousand civilian lives anyway? I must have missed something when I went through the academy. I thought we had to preserve the peace not destroy it.

Controlling the size and over-reach of government

The old maxim goes, “a government that is big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have” and the more money we supply government the greater it grows in terms of control and want of increasing revenue. Such is the way of empire building.

I’ve seen many examples over the years where politicians here at the state level only curtailed spending when faced with either a crisis of revenue shortfalls or when the voters finally had enough and revoked their ability to tax excessively via the Citizen’s Initiative process or by removal at the ballot box. If we continue to allow government to be provided with limitless amounts of tax revenue it only encourages excessive spending and decreases any need for efficiency. And once again the pols will demand increasing tax rates exacted against citizens just to keep the juggernaut rolling. And the bigger it is, the more it wants to encroach upon others.

The Practice of Tax Avoidance results in stronger, more independent living.

Consider the notion of Conspicuous Consumption, that is the never-ending goal of spending money on “things” to elevate one’s self-image. It is the antithesis of Simple Living.

Living beyond one’s means results in many greater tax liabilities, whether it be in the form of higher amounts of sales tax or engaging in activities that generate tax itself. The simplest form of this involves eating in expensive restaurants in high-sales-tax cities as opposed to buying ordinary food at a grocery store (tax free) and eating at home for fifteen-percent of the cost. The food is also healthier I might add.

The stupidest example I personally saw was a Seattle based restaurant that charged more for pop than beer (due to Seattle’s sugared beverage tax) and because of the higher costs restaurants must pay due to over-regulation , the restaurant added an extra labor cost surcharge which was also subject to sales tax. In the end it cost more than five day’s worth of groceries just so that I could pay more tax and reward a city that is governed by some of the biggest fools in the state.

Yet, if instead we buy ordinary groceries, and don’t support a government that is incompetent, if enough restaurants fail maybe businesses might actually begin to exert some action against bad legislation. Surely this is a bit harsh, but who really motivates politicians, the voter or corporations?

Also ,if we looked carefully as a measure of what type of house or car to buy by the amount of tax we must pay resulting from such a purchase we might soon begin to realize that perhaps we don’t need the biggest, most expensive, most energy intensive, and most arrogant example of a dwelling or vehicle. An eight thousand square foot house that we can barely afford is not only more costly on the environment but can we morally justify our actions when a two thousand square foot house is just as livable? How much more hubris do we need when so much of the world would be greatly pleased just to have clean water and electricity. If instead we took some of that cost savings or superfluous property tax (which would probably be wasted otherwise) and gave it directly to a legitimate charity that actually bettered the lives of others less fortunate than we. Or we could at least be somewhat selfish and keep the money ourselves and not be as strapped for cash.

Beneficial Tax Law Can Elicit Morally Sound Behavior

While it can be debatable as to whether or not subsidies and tax credits result in a net benefit to the intended recipient generally speaking there are times where it does much good.

When deductions to charity are permitted there is a direct link between the amounts individuals give and what tax breaks they receive, and in the absence of such charity is curtailed. The per-capita generosity for Americans is one of the highest in the world and we have a tradition of tax deductions for charitable giving. (Though unfortunately this has lessened recently due to tax law changes). We have also benefited from tax credit schemes that encouraged the purchase of greener vehicles and the willingness of investors to engage in the construction of Tax Credit low-income housing projects to house the under-served. In the latter, the desire for tax avoidance actually put roofs over people’s heads.

I believe it is incumbent upon people to strongly consider how government will use what is given to it. The more power it is given, the less benevolent it will inevitably become. We only need a cursory understanding of history to recognize how usual this is the case. And money is as inseparable from power as it is from greed. The more money you give to politicians, the less freedom you will have.

By Darren Smith

The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.

Tax Avoidance: A Moral Duty published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.tumblr.com/

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aspaceblogyssey · 8 years ago

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Best and Worst Things of 2016

Whew, what a lovely five month hiatus. I'm finally posting my best and worst list for the year 2016. After this post I will probably cocoon again...popping up occasionally. Mind you I am still lurking on everyone's blogs. You may see me pop in every now and then. Although I may not update it often, this blog will continue as long as I watch films and have breath! So hopefully this blog will continue to run for a very long time...albeit intermittently. Admittedly I have seen a good number of films this past year, but I have not have an opportunity to write about them all. The reasons why are abundant. I am in my late 30s, in grad school, have a 3 year old, a husband, and a full time job. So unfortunately this year, my blog went by the wayside. I hope you enjoy my best and worst list for 2016. Please share with me yours, agree, or disagree with me in the comments. I look forward to reconnecting with everyone. I preface my film list by saying that I don't necessarily qualify this list as the best films of the year. They are simply the best films I HAVE seen thus far this past year. I think 2015 was a much better year at the movies. Have I mentioned that 2016 was a bad movie year?

10. The Shallows.

IT'S OKAY...NO SHARKS COME HERE.

Surfer [to Nancy]

Similar to 'Don't Breathe,' this little horror movie snuck up on me. I didn't have high expectations so I was pleasantly surprised that a movie with a plot of "Blake Lively versus a shark" was good, but it really was. That was it. That's the plot. 'Jaws' has been done before so there's no need to go there. That said, for this film--simplicity works. Some of the best horror films have very simple plots. Lively does a surprising good job as a medical student on vacation, attempting to follow in her mother's footsteps (who recently passed away). As long as you don't take this film seriously you will enjoy it. 9. Free State of Jones.

'CAUSE YOU CANNOT OWN A CHILD OF GOD.

Moses [to Newton]

Similar to above, I enjoyed this film, but I don't necessarily qualify it as one of the best films of the year. I had such high hopes for this film because of the fascinating material, but the film's lack of focus is it's greatest hindrance. A good biopic does not have to tell the subject's whole life story or that of their descendants. The film is ultimately a biopic about Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), who was clearly a man ahead of his time and who led a very interesting life. His story and the story of Jones County, Mississippi is a story that has been lost to history and it's a story that should be told. In the hands of a better writer and director--this film could have been epic. For example, the biopic 'Lincoln' focuses exclusively on a few months in the life of President Lincoln, during a very interesting time during his life (the passage of the 13th Amendment/Abolition of Slavery). Had the 'Free State of Jones' focused on one time period of Newton Knight's life, a mildly good film could have been a great one. Overall a good, yet flawed film. See my full review here. 8. Ghostbusters.

WHY AM I OPERATING THE UNTESTED NUCLEAR LASER?

Erin [to Jillian]

'Ghostbusters' 2016 is by no means one of the best films of the year. Wow, I'm saying that a lot this year. It's not a film without flaws--one of the biggest flaws was the removal of the key master/gate keeper storyline. That storyline made the original 'Ghostbusters' film genuinely scary. But I laughed so hard at this film. This film got so much heat and everyone talked so much crap about it, but it's a popcorn movie. It's not meant to be taken seriously or win awards. It's a summertime feel good flick. We don't need to read anything else into it. Yes, the original 1984 'Ghostbusters' is a beloved film and a classic, but 'Ghostbusters' 2016 is not really a remake. It's an entirely new film with fresh characters who happen to be Ghostbusters. I had a great time watching this film with my friends! So yeah, it's one of my favorite films of 2016. I'll own the hate I get for this choice! See my full review here. 7. Allied.

I'M VERY GOOD AT PRETENDING, MAX.

Marianne [to Max]

This movie received mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. It was entertaining and it kept me engaged. Brad Pitt (Max Vatan) and Marion Cotilard (Marianne Beausejour) star as two spies who fall in love in Casablanca during a deadly mission. How much more romantic can that be? Canadian spy Max Vatan. Vatan infiltrates German-held Casablanca in order to assassinate the German ambassador. He enlists the help of a French spy, Marianne Beausejour. Once they finish their mission they subsequently fall in love and return to England to continue to fight the war. From the film's trailer you can ascertain that Marianne is later accused of being a double agent. Vatan has to get to the bottom of it. If it's determined that his wife is a double agent he will have to kill her. The film wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be, so that was a big plus. It's not necessarily a film I would see again, but it's a good date night film. My dad enjoyed the film if that gives you any indication how the film appeals to a broad audience. My only complaint is that Hollywood needs to stop pretending that Brad Pitt is 35 years old. Heck, I'm not even 35 years old anymore and I was a young teen when Brad Pitt was a heartthrob in the 90s. Putting enough makeup on 53 year old Brad Pitt to make him look 35 is a little disconcerting every time I see it. I wish Pitt (as well as a few other A-list male actors in Hollywood--like Will Smith and Tom Cruise) would stop trying to look 25 to 30 years younger in their films. It just doesn't work. A little salt and pepper in the hair and not so much makeup would go a long way. There is nothing wrong with a good looking 50+ year old man who looks like a 50+ year old man.

Side Note: My dad is my movie partner and he's typically very naughty. He talks during the film, passes gas, and litters. He's terrible. This time was no exception. On this occasion we finally came across someone who was worse than he was. My father is hard of hearing so he asks me what happened or what someone said or he makes a comment about something happening in the film. My father views the movies as an interactive experience. Every time my father made a peep, the old man behind me would kick the seat a few seats down from me. And I mean he was kicking this seat hard. He kicked that seat during the entire film, which rattled the other seats next to it. I'm surprised I don't have whiplash. So if there was a reason to not like this film that would be it...so clearly this was a decent movie.

6. 10 Cloverfield Lane.

I'M ALWAYS WATCHING.

Howard [to Emmett]

Again, had this been a year other than 2016 (and perhaps if I had seen more films) this movie may not have been on my best list. Geez, 2015's list had so many wonderful little films on it...like 'Bone Tomahawk' and 'It Follows.' Neither '10 Cloverfield Lane,' 'The Shallows,' or 'Purge: Election Year' are of the same caliber, but this is where we are. However, '10 Cloverfield Lane' is an effective thriller. As a sequel/prequel to the original 2008 'Cloverfield' film, one would expect '10 Cloverfield Lane' to "go big," but instead "it goes home." LITERALLY. It delves into the psychology of claustrophobia and paranoia. What I liked most about the film is that it unfolds as a psychological horror film, rather than a creature feature. This film is a fun, tightly woven little thriller deserving of a must see list. See my full review here. 5. Purge: Election Year.

THIS IS THE AMERICAN WAY.

Uncle Sam

I actually think this film would have landed on my best list no matter what. I loved this frightening insane film. The Purge films are my guilty pleasure. The 'Purge' films get a lot of flack. After all, these are not highbrow films, nor do they stimulate intellectual conservation. And yes these films are violent, but thankfully, writer and director James DeMonaco never crosses the line into "torture porn" territory. The horror of the film is primarily in the minds of the participants. The tension is created in the idea of "what could happen" and less on what is actually happening. But what these films lack in critical acclaim, they more than make up for in their entertainment value. Lastly, these films are highly allegorical. The symbolism and social satire in these films only add to its charm. A must see for any horror fan who loves metaphorical films like 'Equilibrium,' THX-1138' or 'Fahrenheit 451.' See my full review here. 4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

THERE'S A PROBLEM ON THE HORIZON.

THERE IS NO HORIZON.

K-2SO

The ending of this film saved it for me. 'Rogue One' is the 'Star Wars' prequel we've been waiting for. 'Rogue One' follows Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as the daughter of a disgraced empire scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen). Jyn's story is about the creation of the death star and how the resistance learned of the death star's major flaws and who put it there. The film follows Jyn as she searchers for her father with the help of a merry band of outlaws. Her mission turns into a mission to save the republic. In one fail swoop, this film shatters the need for any of the craptastic prequels of the 90s and early 2000s. It's a typical 'Star Wars' film in many ways, with regard to the action sequences, the camaraderie, and moral quandaries. Where this film breaks the mold is in its ending, which I will not spoil for you here. If I had one complaint about the film it would be the gross under use of Donnie Yen. You don't put a Hong Kong action star like Donnie Yen in the film and not properly use him. 3. Don't Breathe.

IT'S KIND OF MESSED UP TO ROB

A BLIND GUY, ISN'T IT?

Alex

This film would have landed on my best list regardless. Although I don't know if it would have been rated as high. 'Don't Breathe' was the last film I fully reviewed on this blog because it took me by surprise. I didn't know anything about it before I went to the theater, but 'Don't Breathe' is a slick little horror film, with a great cast, and a thrilling (yet unbelievable) plot. Admittedly, the film has enough plot holes to drive a truck through it, but it kept me on the edge of my seat--which is hard to do. What I liked about the film is that none of the characters are particularly likable. This is one of the few horror films in which there are no heroes. It was such an entertaining nail bitter. The casting of the magnificent Stephen Lang cinched things for me. The film's premise is simple-- a home invasion gone wrong...and oh boy do things go wrong. See my full review here. 2. Captain America: Civil War.

THAT SHIELD DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU.

YOU DON'T DESERVE IT.

Tony Stark [to Captain America]

It's kind of sad (for other films) when a comic book film is one of the best films of the year. Seriously Hollywood step it up. The film ran a little long, but kudos to directors Anthony and Joe Russo for creating another wonderful comic book film. DC Comics and Warner Brothers can learn a lot from this duo. The first step to ending DC Comic's madness would be to stop giving money to Zack Synder or David Ayers. Back to 'Civil War'-- this film is a little gem among comic book films. The great thing about 'Civil War' is that it truly felt like an 'Avengers' film. 'Civil War' was the Avengers film that 'Age of Ultron' should have been. When I reviewed 'Age of Ultron' in 2015 I thought the problem was that there were too many characters to feature. Yet 'Civil War' has even more characters. The difference between 'Civil War' and 'Age of Ultron' is that 'Civil War' features Captain America at its heart and rightfully so. Whereas 'Age of Ultron' was all over the place, 'Civil War' is focused. More credit should be given to Chris Evans and his portrayal of Captain America. It's not easy play a genuine "good guy." Evans continues to do it well. He's perhaps the best embodiment of a comic book hero since Christopher Reeve's Superman. See my full review here. 1. Arrival.

IF YOU COULD SEE YOUR WHOLE LIFE FROM

START TO FINISH, WOULD YOU CHANGE THINGS?

Dr. Louise Banks.

This film was so lovely, magical, and well-written. Most scifi films about aliens have major action stars attached with huge explosions and gun fights. So it's rare to see a non-shoot 'em up science fiction films these days, but that's just not how director Denis Villeneuve's (Sicario) rolls. With 'Sicario,' and now with 'Arrival,' Villeneuve may be my new favorite director. Villeneuve's slow, tense, methodical style carries over to his latest film 'Arrival.' Villeneuve also seems adept at directing smart scripts with female protagonists-- a rare quality in Hollywood. 'Arrival' is a muted scifi film that still manages to be exciting. It's also not linear, so things happen out of order, which add to the film's tension. I haven't seen a scifi film quite like this one. The closest example I can give is the 'The Day the Earth Stood Still.' Not the crappy Kenau Reeves version, but the original 1954 film. Another film I would compare it to would be one of my favorite films, 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' 'Arrival' begins where it ends with a grieving mother. We aren't quite sure who is grieving or why, but it's a sad start to a beautiful film. Oblivious to world events, linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is lecturing her class when 12 alien ships land on earth. She is soon asked to join the alien taskforce by U.S. Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker), along with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). The film unwinds as Banks and Donnelly unravel the mystery of the aliens language, which is based on circular symbols and is non-alphabetical. It's a fascinating film about language and the commonality that binds us. 'Arrival' would have definitely been on my best of the year list, but I'm not certain if it would have been the best movie of the year if 2016 had been a better film year? That does not take away the beauty and mystery of this film. It's not a perfect film, but it hits a lot of high marks, which is more than I can say for most films in 2016.

Had I been able to see some of the films listed below, I firmly believe one of these films would have replaced 'Arrival' as my best film of the year and would have been pushed off many of the films currently on my list. Unfortunately, I haven't seen these films yet. Jackie. Loving. Nocturnal Animals. Fences. Miss Sloane. Hidden Figures. Silence. Conjuring 2.

These are the films that were halfway decent. They didn't make the cut on any list. Some of these films I enjoyed more than others. Money Monster. - TWO-1/2 STARS Lights Out. - THREE STARS Bad Moms. - THREE STARS Hail Ceasar. - TWO-1/2 STARS Hush. - TWO-1/2 STARS Star Trek Beyond. - THREE STARS. I don't even remember what happened. Jane Got a Gun. - TWO STARS Nice Guys. - THREE STARS

Pete's Dragon. - THREE STARS

Thandie Newton. West World.

Thandie Newton's performance was not necessarily the best performance on 'West World.' No, that prize would go to Anthony Hopkins. Jeffrey Wright would be a close second. But Newton's character was my favorite. Her confident, cocky, call girl was wistful and fun to watch. She's the only character to break through to both worlds in such a fascinating way. She's smart, vulnerable, powerful, charismatic, and oh so cheeky. Like other actors, her performance was nuanced, particularly when she reveals her curiosity and her heartbreak. I'm excited to see her character continue on the series. Newton was nothing short of sensational to watch. Ben Affleck aka "Batfleck." Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

I want to preface that the film was not good. In fact it's on my worst list, but say what you want about Ben Affleck he was a darn good Batman. Despite the haters I knew this would be the case early on for several reasons: 1.) Affleck is a decent actor, writer, and director; 2.) Batman is the ultimate American male. There is something quintessentially American about Batman. No offense to Christian Bale, but there are some slight cultural differences that do not necessarily translate across the pond. Similar to the British James Bond or Doctor Who. 3.) Perhaps most importantly, Affleck is the first actor to bring the appropriate level of rage, anger, and madness to Batman. I love Michael Keaton's Batman, but somehow even in a subpar film, Affleck was able to capture this character in full form. Kudos to Affleck. Now if only we can get him in a better film, with a better director. I have no idea why Warner Brothers and DC Comics keep handing the director of 'Sucker Punch' hundreds of millions of dollars?

West World.

West World was the best show I saw in 2016. Hands down. Anthony Hopkins is a prince among men. I don't know if a finer actor exists in this lifetime. The rest of the cast was wonderful too. Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, and the remarkable Ed Harris are all wonderful. This show. Geez, this show. This is what television should be about. Television should be an incredible experience every week. It should not be about "shipping" or wondering which of your favorite characters is going to die each week a la 'The Walking Dead.' Hopkins plays the enigmatic West World creator Robert Ford. For those who haven't seen the 70's pulp film, West World is a theme park populated by robotic "people" (called hosts) who are used as entertainment for the rich and infamous (guests). The guests routinely rape, murder, and exploit these sentient robotic beings for their own pleasures. It's a brutal world with a hidden mystery that only deepens as we descend further down the rabbit hole and watch the hosts and guests find their ways through this muddled existence. The People Versus OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.

TOUGHEN UP COCHRANE.

THIS IS THE SMOKER'S LOUNGE.

DAYCARE IS ON THE FIRST FLOOR.

Marcia Clark [to Johnny Cochrane]

Riveting, fascinating, incredible. These are a few of the adjectives I would use to describe this show. Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark was transcendent. I don't think there was a finer performance in 2016, besides Hopkins in West World...and that's Anthony Hopkins. Likewise, Courtney B. Vance as Johnny Cochrane is crazy good. Similar to 'West World,' nearly everyone in this series if fantastic. High marks to creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski and producer Ryan Murphy for delivering a stellar sister show to 'American Horror Story.' This is what happens when the writing, the direction, and the actors all come together in a perfect symphony. There were very few weak links here. Sterling Brown as Christopher Darden, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey, Connie Nielson as Faye Resnick, were all close seconds behind Paulson and Vance. Surprisingly John Travolta as Robert Shapiro was very very good. I didn't find Cuba Gooding Jr. as convincing but he does good work here too. I remember being a young High School student when OJ Simpson took his infamous ride after the horrifying murders. It was a terrible terrible time. After watching this mini-series, clearly I only knew the half of it. This series is just mind boggling good. So even if you remember the mid-90s and think you know what happened--you really don't. The series also re-emphasizes the humanity lost that night--the lives of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. Somehow the murders of these two people were lost in the media madness. The series brings the tragedy of their murders to the forefront, along with a behind the scenes look into the trail of the century and the people behind it. If you haven't seen this series you simply must.

The Exorcist.

Wow, just wow. I have only seen the original 1973 'The Exorcist' all the way through one time in my life. I assume I saw it on VHS in the late 80s or early 90s. Once was enough. The film terrified me so badly I vowed to never watch it again. IMO it's the scariest movie film I've ever seen and I have seen a lot of films. Needless to say, I was very hesitant to watch this show, but the casting of Geena Davis changed my mind. I was not disappointed. 'The Exorcist' television series is completely unpredictable and fresh. The fourth episode felt like a season finale. Unlike the overtly predictable 'The Walking Dead,' 'The Exorcist' writers know how to write good television without stupid cliffhangers or killing off characters for ratings. 'The Walking Dead' is so predictable that even the hardcore fans have stopped watching the show, excluding the premieres, the mid-season finale, and the season finale. The ratings have fallen to season 3 levels, which doesn't surprise me. Similar to 'Westworld,' 'The Exorcist' threw the television play book out the window and decided to write each episode like it could be its last. So strap in and get ready for a wild ride . You haven't seen television like this in a loooong while. And what a relief that there are actually good writers left in the world. But my favorite thing about this show is that in the end--good always conquers evil. American Horror Story: My Roanoke Nightmare.

This season got a lot of flack, but I really enjoyed Season 6. It was insane, hilarious, and scary. All of these three things add up to one heck of a season. The series actually made both my mother and sister think it was one of those fake "haunted house" shows. No matter what I told them they literally believed it was a "haunted house" show on the Discovery Channel. It was pretty funny. I had to explain to them on multiple occasions that these are actors, playing actors, playing actors. They still didn't get it. So hats off to Ryan Murphy this year. My Roanoke Nightmare follows the macabre tale of Shelby Miller (Lily Rabe), played by Audrey (played by Sarah Paulson) and her husband Matt Miller (Andre Holland), played by Dominic Banks (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who move to a haunted house near Roanoke, North Carolina. The casting of Paulson and Gooding is clearly a nod to their roles in 'The People v's OJ Simpson,' where they played Marcia Clark and OJ Simpson. I found Cuba's performance to be much better in 'Roanoke' than in 'The People v's OJ Simpson.' Miller's troubled sister Lee played by Adina Porter (who is subsequently played by Angela Basset) soon joins them. The house has normal bouts of spookiness throughout the year, but when the blood moon comes out it's on y'all. That's when the ghostly murderous pilgrims arrive. Thomasin White played by Agnes Winstead (Kathy Bates) and her son Ambrose White played by Dylan (Wes Bentley) come out to terrorize their new neighbors and create a reality television phenomenon. Now that I read all this "played by" stuff I realize how confusing this must be for someone who doesn't regularly watch the show and who isn't familiar with the anthology series regulars. Ok no wonder my mom and sister couldn't understand this. Stranger Things.

I was but a wee tadpole in 1983, but I do remember the 1980s. I can attest to the nostalgia of 'Stranger Things.' My husband is a few years older than me, so his middle school picture looks like he was plucked out of 'Stranger Things.' When watching 'Stranger Things' he relived much of his childhood. Afternoons spent in a dank basement playing Dungeons and Dragons, Huffy bicycles with banana seats, baseball caps (he still wears the baseball caps), mullets (he lost the mullet thankfully). According to him, the writers nailed it. Why anyone finds the 1980s to be nostaglic I will never know? Besides 'The Goonies' I don't remember why the 80s is considered such a great time? It certainly wasn't a great time for me. The 1990s was way more fun IMO. I digress. Surprisingly, Matt and Ross Duffer, the brother writing and directing duo (Millennials who were barely born in the 80s) hit the nail on the head. This show hit all the right marks. My only complaint is that I'm a little tired of seeing 80s adventures for pre-teen boys. Thankfully there was at least one pre-pubescent girl along for this ride this time. 'Stranger Things' follows the adventures of three teen boys who go in search of one of their missing friends, but instead happen upon a mysterious young girl who has super powers. You can see my previous review of the series here. The OA.

Wow, what a weird little show. I still don't know what happened. Was it a beautifully woven fairy tale or a dimensional rift? I don't know. What I do know is that the 'OA' kept my eyes glued to the screen for the full eight episodes...all the way to the end. The first episode is a little slow and difficult to get through but once Prairie Johnson (Britt Marling) weaves her bizarre tale as to why and how she disappeared for eight years, she draws you in. Johnson has been rendered blind by a childhood accident. She disappears for eight years, but returns suddenly with her sight restored. The mystery behind her identity and her disappearance unravels before you in a remarkably beautiful story. Black Mirror. Season 3.

Season 3 of 'Black Mirror' started with a bang, starring Dallas Bryce Howard and Alice Eve. Like other wonderful long lost shows, the British anthology has transitioned to Netflix. 'The Twilight Zone'-like series frequently discusses the perils of social media and technology. The first episode 'Nosedive' has a 'Pleasantville' on drugs vibe. Everyone has a social media rating on a scale from 0 to 5 in which people rank their interactions with you. Howard's character is a classic overachiever, but can't seem to break past her score of 4.2. When her childhood best friend and social media darling asks her to be her maid of honor she jumps at the chance but things don't go as planned. Howard's character proceeds to have an epic meltdown. It's a wonderful metaphor for our overly obsessed social media culture. But my favorite episode thus far has been 'San Junipero' with Gugu Mbatha-Raw and MacKenzie Davis. It begins with a heavy dose of 80's nostaglia. Two women played by Mbatha-Raw and Davis meet in a 1980's club in San Junipero. Their unfolding relationship is both beautiful and tragic. The episode touches on big themes like aging, infirmity, and immortality. These two episodes of the third season are an absolute must-see. This episode reminded me just how good of an actress Gugu is. She's brilliant and should get more work immediately! Flash. Season 3.

Flash is a sweet little feel-good television series. It's so much fun to watch, relax, and unwind with. It's not meant to be taken seriously or have deep thoughts. It's just one of those light and airy shows that you don't have to think about it. The writers are actually quite good. 'Gotham' is a close second. 'Gotham' reminds me a lot of Tim Burton's 'Batman' films--it's kitschy, dark, humorous, and colorful. It should be noted that there is a such thing as a bad superhero television show--if 'Legends of Tomorrow' and 'Supergirl' Season 2 are any indication. The Fall. Season 3.

There aren't that many slow moving, procedural dramas that peak my interest. Perhaps it's the casting of Gillian Anderson as Master Detective Stella Gibson. It certainly isn't the casting of emotionless robot Jamie Dornan who plays serial killer Paul Spector. I've frequently said that acting wise Dornan is near comatose automaton. He seems like a genuinely nice person, but I don't find him to be an engaging actor. I assume his popularity has risen exclusively because of his casting in 'The Fifty Shades of Grey' franchise, which is frankly sad. Thankfully the show has Anderson, John Lynch as ACC Burns, and Colin Morgan as DS Tom Anderson. Season 3 picks up after Gibson finally nabs serial killer Paul Spector after two seasons of cat and mouse. Season 3 follows Spector's recovery from being shot and Gibson's efforts to build a court case against him. The third season is muted but powerful.

I've been on a self-help kick this year. So of course my favorite books have been non-fiction. Rising Strong by Brene Brown Tidying Up by Marie Kondo Love Warrior by Glennon Melton Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown On my list to read: Ready Player One.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I tried to like this book, but ultimately Rubin came across as entitled and elitist. I couldn't get past some of the things she actually considers to be problems.

The Walking Dead. Season 7.

Clearly you saw this coming from my rants above. Kill it before it dies. Please someone cancel this show. If the season 6 "mid-season finale Glen death fakeout" didn't convince you that the writers enjoyed trolling you-- the season finale did. The Walking Dead Season 6 finale was probably one of the worst finales I've ever seen on television. The writers brazenly created the dumbest cliffhanger ever...just to mess with the very people who made the show successful. Simply put--they got greedy and sloppy. They naively thought that their tried and true formula of screwing over the fans to generate huge ratings for the season premiere would work again. Not so fast. Now people are on to you. Everyone knows that nothing happens until the mid-season premiere, mid-season finale, and season finale. So guess what happened. After the season premiere, TWD had a huge rating drop. The ratings dropped to Season 3 levels. If I'm honest, the ratings drop was well deserved and I hope it continues. TWD needs to go away. NOW. Yes, I am a hardcore fan and comic book reader. The Return of the 'X-Files.' Season 10.

Ok if you know anything about me you know that I LOVE THE 'X-FILES!' I love this show. I remember watching the first episode in 1993. In the late 90s, I remember watching an episode of the 'X-Files' while waiting for my friends to pick me up for my prom. When my husband and I were newly together, we watched the series finale of the 'X-Files' together and cried. It was one of the things we bonded over! I have literally seen every episode of this show. So I am hardcore fan. Imagine my disappointment that the new 'X-Files' of 2016 was terrible. It was just awful...besides the third episode, which was classic monster of the week 'X-Files.' Every other episode in the 10th season left much to be desired. I don't know what happened? I hope the 'X-Files' comes back again with better scripts. David Duchovny said it best--when a show has been off the air for 14 years things are a little rusty. So perhaps the next season will be wonderful. I'm hopeful there will be a limited season 11 and that it will improve.

My worst list has been seriously culled this year. I made myself a promise that I would not watch as many crappy films this year. I have also chopped films with known diversity issues. Thankfully I have kept that promise. So I honestly haven't seen that many films this year. I know...what's wrong with a movie blogger who doesn't see that many movies? Well, I just couldn't grin and bear watching so much crap anymore. I just couldn't do it. Although I did try to watch some of the bad movies on Netflix or Amazon. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

I made it through about 20 to 30 minutes of the film and then had to turn it off. I couldn't do it. I can't even give you a proper review because I didn't see the full film. Batman versus Superman - Dawn of Justice.

I actually ended up seeing this film a couple of times...accidentally. After all who in their right mind would see this film more than once? The first scene with Batman's parents being killed was actually visually quite stunning. It was tragically sad, but well filmed. Unfortunately the film went downhill from there. The only two good things that came out of that film were Batfleck and the introduction of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Gal seemed to be the only one having any fun in this dismal film. Gods of Egypt.

It just happened to be on cable television at my dad's house, so I was forced to watch the first 10 minutes. Alas I could only get through 10 minutes of this sludge. It was that bad. My time is far too precious to watch bad movies. I would rather watch paint dry than finish this film. There were no redeeming qualities. The first 10 minutes of the film were basically about Bek (Brenton Thwaites) a thief stealing a beautiful dress for Zaya (Courtney Eaton) his hot girlfriend who he shares a hut with. Then we see some of the Egyptian gods in the form of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau recovering from a hangover by taking a bath 'Coming to America'-style. i.e. being bathed by scantily clothed women. Yep, no thank you. Over and out. This film was on my "no" list from the very beginning. The diversity issues in this film are plentiful, so there was no way I was going to pay to watch this film. Blair Witch.

It started out fine, but this genre is so dead. Literally. There were some genuinely creeptastic parts in this film that freaked me out, but overall this movie was boring. My dad almost walked out. No joke. My dad and I have only almost walked out on three films, 'Batman and Robin' and 'Alien v. Predator: Requiem.' So 'Blair Witch' is in bad company. The ending was relatively decent, but the plot never truly came together. I can't even. Neon Demon.

I so wanted to like this moody film. It reminded me a little bit of 'Cat People' (1982) and 'The Hunger' (1983), both of which I adore. I also loved Nicolas Winding Refn's iconic film 'Drive.' Alas, magic in a bottle may only come once in a lifetime. I'm not sure what happened to this film, but it was a little weird even for me. The plot is basically--the models are literally witches who want to eat the angelic newcomer Jesse (Elle Fanning). Interesting concept for sure, but the film was in desperate need of more susbtance. Some of the characters were fun and strange, but it never found its footing. I wish there had been more Christina Hendricks. More Christina Hendricks may have saved this film for me. 13 Hours. The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.

One of things my dad and I do together is see movies--his genre of choice is action and war movies, so despite the reviews of course we saw '13 Hours.' But when a war film gets the Michael Bay treatment be warned. Bay is known for his sensationalism and this film suffers because of it. Unfortunately, '13 Hours' doesn't receive the treatment it deserved. Given that this film is based on true events, I would have liked to have seen a more respectful treatment of the material. Had Ridley Scott or Kathryn Bigelow directed this film, I would have enjoyed the film much more. London Has Fallen.

Gerard Butler needs to stop making movies. Now. This was a follow-up from 'Olympus Has Fallen.' It's an over-exploitative shoot-em up film about terrorists infiltrating London. Somehow only Secret Service Agent Mike Banning can stop them. Jack Bauer he is not. Girl on the Train.

It started out fine, but it soon descends into utter idiocy. Emily Blunt is a solid actress and the other actors are good too. The main problem is the material. The film was marketed as another 'Gone Girl,' but compared to the brilliance of Gillian Flynn's 'Gone Girl,' Erin Wilson's 'The Girl on a Train' doesn't hold up. Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) is an alcoholic who spends her days and her nights on a commuter train longing for the life and the house she once shared with her husband David (Justin Theroux). Through the window of the train she watches her husband's new life with his new wife Anna (Rebecca Furguson) and their new baby. In the process she develops a fascination with her ex-husband's neighbors, Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott Hipwell (Luke Evans). As she spies on them she imagines this perfect couple have equally perfect lives, but looks can be deceiving. Megan goes missing and her husband stands accused. Could the girl on the train have the answers to her disappearance? Deepwater Horizon.

It's not a bad movie, but it's not a particularly good one. Deepwater Horizon had such a tragic and sad topic that I wish it would have been handled in a more serious manner. No offense to Peter Berg, who is the star of one of my favorite B-movie films of all time ('Shocker'), but the director of 'Battleship' and 'Hancock' simply cannot do justice to a film about the 'Deepwater Horizon.' Like '13 Hours,' it was an over simplification of the events. I would have much preferred to see 'Deepwater Horizon' done in the tradition of 'Spotlight,' 'Zodiac,' or the 'China Syndrome.' I wanted to see a film that took it's time unraveling the tragedy that took 11 lives, polluted an ocean, and destroyed the local economy of the gulf coast-- instead of an action film. Note to self, if Mark Walberg is starring... The Forest.

Natalie Dormer stars as a woman searching for her missing twin sister. Her sister disappeared into a forest in Japan known to be a place where people frequently commit suicide. It's a little far fetched, but go with it. It only gets worse from here. January release was the first clue.

I'm not going to waste two hours of my life to watch a crappy movie anymore. My time is valuable. So I significantly culled my movie review list in 2016. Had the reviews been better I would have likely seen the films below. The Huntsman: Winter's War. The Boss. X-Men: Apocalypse. Alice Through the Looking Glass. Independence Day: Resurgence. The Legend of Tarzan. Jason Bourne. Mechanic Resurrection . Sully. Magnificent Seven. The Accountant. Assassin's Creed. Passengers. Suicide Squad.

I am a huge DC fan, so it saddens me to say that I had to skip this film. I may eventually watch this movie on Netflix if I drink enough wine to make it worth it. I could literally cry at how DC and Warner Brothers are mismanaging their film catalog with talentless directors and bad writers. I do not like Marvel nearly as much, but even I have to admit Marvel (Disney) knows how to use their catalog properly. Most importantly--they hire good people. Seriously, it can't be this hard. I am perplexed how/why the WB and DC keep handing hundreds of millions of dollars to the likes of David Ayers and Zack Synder. It just boggles the mind. Even after Ayer's disastrous take on 'Suicide Squad,' someone at WB thinks it's a great idea to hand over the reins to this near-do-well again for the Harley Quinn film. What fresh hell is this?

Manchester by Sea. Not my type of film. It looks boring. I also do not want to support raging sexual harasser Casey Affleck. La La Land. I seriously have no interest in seeing this film. Someone will have to convince me this is actually a good movie and not just propped up by the Academy because Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone "do" jazz.

Doctor Strange

As I've said in previous posts, I'm not going to pay to see films like 'Doctor Strange,' 'Ghost in the Shell,' 'Pan,' or 'Gods of Egypt' or other films with known diversity issues. I adore Tilda Swinton. She and Scarlett Johansson are probably my favorite actresses of all time. No joke. Admittedly, I admire the emails Tilda sent to Margaret Cho in response to the casting issues. Tilda's emails made me love her even more. The problem is not Tilda, but Hollywood at large. If you recall a post I did last year explaining my new policy of "putting my money where my mouth is." I'm not going to get angry or stomp my feet or create twitter hashtags. If a film isn't representative of people of color or women I just won't see it. When I say representative I mean representative of the culture and the time the film is set in. If it's set amongst the wealthy houses of Victorian England-- I wouldn't necessarily expect to see much diversity. However, if it's set in 2017 New York City in an urban neighborhood then yes, more diversity should be included. If a character is a Tibetan monk, then perhaps the character should be played by someone of Asian descent? There are very few roles for people of color in Hollywood, so to change one of those few roles only worsens the diversity issue in Hollywood. I also understand the concern people have about changing white characters to people of color. I have said before that if a character is iconic then it's understandable to maintain that character's ethnicity. But there are very few characters that would fit that iconic classification. The Bechdel Test In the same vein, I am trying to see films that pass the Bechdel Test. Meaning: At least two female characters are named and talk to each other. That's it. Just two. Amazingly most films cannot pass this test. Again a disclaimer, if I'm watching a film like 'Saving Private Ryan,' I do not expect a film to pass the Bechdel test. Also films like 'Sicario' or 'Gravity' are an exception. These films may only have one female cast member, but she's the lead character. But there's no reason that the entire 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, or 'The Avengers,' does not pass the Bechdel test. Women are 50% of the population for goodness sake.

Birth of a Nation.

I may get some flack for not seeing this, but I refuse to see a film that Nate Parker and writing partner Jean Celestin make. Making matters worse Parker turned this film into a vanity project by starring in it. And yes, I hold Woody Allen and Roman Polanski to the same standard. I haven't seen an Allen film since 'Midnight in Paris' and I don't plan on seeing any of his films either. There are several directors and actors who are on my "nope" list, Parker is one of them. Casey Affleck is also one of them.

#best films of 2016 #worst films of 2016 #best television shows of 2016 #worst television shows of 2016

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thoughtfulcupcakesublime · 5 years ago

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Healthcare, transportation and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour were the main topics discussed at a Woodbridge event.

Local representatives spoke about the 2020 Legislative Session at the Prince William Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Kick-Off Breakfast.

The annual program was hosted at Old Hickory Golf Club, 11921 Chanceford Drive in Woodbridge, on Thursday morning.

Delegate-Elect Dan Helmer, and Delegates Elizabeth Guzman, Danica Roem, and Luke Torian were the panelists.

Here is a video of the event:

This is the transcription of the video, which was done with 80 percent accuracy:

Guzman: [inaudible]

Roem: your preferred option. So let’s talk about funding for this. Number one, the one really wants introduced HB 2085 that we will get done this time around. [inaudible] store the loss in NBTA money. Don’t shift their way because tan Homer’s predecessors trued up over and say that will never happen again. You won’t never ever, ever allow something like that. Something that’s so poorly mismanaged. It can happen again into this Commonwealth where we’ve lost our ability to do hybrid over in Centerville because of this and this. And I’m going to make sure that we pass one of the largest [inaudible] secondary and by learning not interstate highway improvements specifically around intersection designs to make them safer for everyone no matter where.

Speaker 3: Absolutely. So I would start first,

Guzman: I would read it with me. See if I recognize your new [inaudible] Adam [inaudible] very own class though. So congratulations. I haven’t had that living to tell you that and I’m so proud. I’m sure. Lose it. Break on snow and I didn’t cross her face faces. So I was go back to playing 17 after I won my first election and I actually met with the IPC and I am a cosponsor of the [inaudible]. So you that first year, the money that we are using now for all of the expunction that director was talking about Aaron and Eric, some of their horrible comms. I’m glad to hear that there is no email city and if that Eastern side of the County, if they think that we could do that funding as well. We talked to the chairman right here so I’m sure he’ll be a more than that so probably not.

Guzman: That was something she saw because I have these things happen in my DC and I represent our football kit, Prince William County and I dealt, I know that our sample is working veto where we actually get rid of that Hans. So promptly unite, going nuts on her mind. Kids by [inaudible] area there we are working to get up because by back then there was some elementary school, we have a load of accidents and that happened so we mentally beat up [inaudible] and it’s so science and it speaks to being in science. Why are we getting up? We have a study that was last many years ago on the route one corridor or hit slash about every soul of that is sadly what a CPA, a box is robbing from formation system and I’m going to want to cover unfortunately that is Sadie edit and wounds. So we want to do Rick date. That conversation. I’d be able to look at more different types of transportation. They eat a fast rapid transit that will go know something but actually go to [inaudible] and with that you know that that’s a whole nother topic. Number nine number goal, but we are all on board to bring more [inaudible].

Guzman: We shouldn’t be proud, obedient, worst bottleneck in this country. I think that we [inaudible] to take that out. For instance,

Torian: good morning. I take a different perspective. I’ve seen legislation to forward and uh, [inaudible] obviously work [inaudible] what we’re going to see enrich enrichment this year we’re going to say and we’ll take those meals and we will for our daughters the number one issue in order to address transportation issues and restructured and other issues will be the levels of funding legislation, [inaudible] transportation and prioritize and assign dollars to the various cities. Obviously we’re going to be looking very closely at North Virginia and the challenges that we have. We’ll have a big, big task before us because we don’t have 100 members in a corporation and we will do our best that we can. Hopefully we will get on Metro as well for 10 years. We have the numbers now that we can at least get a study now.

Helmer: I’m so excited to be here with you guys. I’m Dan the delegate elect and uh, excited to be here. [inaudible] we also one of the few folks who runs a small business fire that getting involved in elected politics. I advise fortune companies and go South Boston consulting group in these days. I have three partners. We run a 35 person firm that works in five States right now advising a small and medium size businesses in the U S so when I come to and say I’m very interested in working with businesses in Prince William County, I come from that, from a position of a person who is deeply interested in both a large couple of us, somebody who does it every day. Um, you know, when I think about transportation here, uh, you know, I do think it’s time that we stop thinking small and starting to thinking big. Uh, the reality is that our lack of great infrastructure in multimodal transportation and gets us more quickly or places of business is, uh, the attacks on us as businesses. It drives up the cost and the difficulty in attracting great talent to our businesses. It also keeps us away from our families. And so, uh, it is going to take a new era of thinking. We made a first step revive electing a pro transportation majority is going to prioritize funding multimodal transportation. Uh, our next step is to think regional, uh, to make sure that we’re thinking about all of the impacts to provide you with creative thinking that new things like Artize teleworking, incentivize, uh, working, uh, incentivize, uh, transportation other than with your car. Uh, that doesn’t make that every single time you expand a road, you’re going to get less traffic because there’s a lot of data that shows that’s not the case. And so it’s time for us to look at the water [inaudible] solutions to look across the region and to be aggressive about how we think about funding and how that reduces our carbon footprint and increase new businesses that help us take both about transportation and energy diversification and create that kind of thing.

Speaker 3: Well, as the house appropriations committee, and congratulations

Torian: [inaudible]

Speaker 3: we understand that Senator Sasse was already in the new Senate bill seven, a piece of legislation now incrementally increase the minimum way to review from sentence 25 to $15 over the course of five years. What is your position on increasing the minimum wage? Is this a bill you have support? Should it crossover? And if so, how would you address the financial burden these doing? So may place on the back of small businesses, which are the life blood work,

Torian: [inaudible] progressive, not all at one time because they could not afford, we cannot afford the hurt our small business. But when you have a minimum wage has been at seven 25 for a number of years, for a long time. There has to be something that has to be done. And I think that, uh, I’ll take a look at the [inaudible]. It makes sense to me and I’ll support it. We need to know that you have a problem with minimal waste needs to be addressed, but not on the backs of hurting small businesses. We have been very strategic and we’re going to do this thing. We have to be very

Guzman: great. All the stakeholders, the room. So I would start, uh, like looking in the goal of Regina. What is that? If you can shut off a small business, I want to put a goal number. Diaz small business is still kind of under 50 employees. So I would like to start changing that because I think that all of these benefits and advantages that are out there for small businesses, I never been thinking of dynasty. He goes, we caught the cheap stuff. Now everybody [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] myself. It was probably three jobs to make ends meet. I definitely have to change because that was the soul of this is a children are suffering [inaudible] at home. I don’t have many of those in my district. It breaks my heart when I knock on books on the weekend and I see these children by themselves and I asked him to leave mom and dad are they?

Guzman: I won’t work so that tells me that we to change. Now we, I’m sure many of you, because I have spoken with many of you, I know why you use no faith, but you said a lot of somebody by says, we know it’s only past we’ll find a way to make a rice and I had a record, a Senator, sexist fields. Oh we definitely did. I will set kind of work dedicated. Gloria said, Oh, we will definitely have some checked it and cost compliant. I bought wait, who continues a nights of routines? We are going to say from wealthiest to safety that country. So we have to take care of our workforce as well. And I am saying that that Google [inaudible] we what you are talking about John Burbidge. So because if my employee is treated well, they wouldn’t say we drove out of station. So the time we’ll take a look at things nor how things are going to be earth. Uh, but actually [inaudible] thank you

Roem: just by a show of hands console here. It’s only if they go with the minimum wages in West Virginia.

Guzman: Okay.

Roem: Dollars and 35 cents an hour. We are at seven 25 the federal minimum in Virginia. Can someone here in this room completes? Tell me what part was by God. Virginia has a higher cost of living than anywhere in new Orleans opinion. How was that Constable that we’ve allowed this to happen? It’s not. The fact of the matter is we have to get this done and here’s a reality check as well. When I had my first job working right down the street or with your nursing for the total cans. At the time I was making $5 and 15 cents an hour for a 15 year old working in the year 2000 when I transitioned and I found myself one for 35 of my job search and like the thirties I took a side job for $5 an hour plus tip and this isn’t 2016 $5 an hour plus to delineate the bobs or three in Orleans and every person I worked with was an adult and the thing is a lot of those folks had an, it’s like Elizabeth.

Roem: It is why you will leave important that we are truly going to take care of our minority majority community here in Prince William County and throughout Northern Virginia that we give our current constituents the full benefits of society here. Why do I have the same time? We recognize that the fallacy because the minimum wage only somehow pay to teenagers coming up is wall. It’s not based on any bed exact whatsoever and instantly not based on the living experience I’ve had at age 32 and I’ve had that job right before I decided to run for office. Let’s just make sure that as we’re doing this, yes, you can do this incremental, you know, we don’t have immediate shock through the system overnight. At the same time, let’s make sure that when we’re posting about how Virginia is the best state for business, that we stopped being the third of the 51st state slash city Z for workers. We should also be the best state for workers as well and frankly if they’re going to be the best. Safety for business has to be the best day for your workers you want to speak to in the first place.

Helmer: Exactly. I agree with my colleagues. Look, we majority say the predicted devastating consequences of a $15 minimum wage that we through fear, mom ran out. I’m going again, I have not worn fruit in the places that have instituted $50 at a $15 minimum wage is $30,000 a year in salary. I would argue that that still put somebody in significant risk of [inaudible] red state. We operate in order Virginia. Um, and so if who are we talking about earning $50 minimum wage. You were talking about a woman I spoke to on the doors as I was running for office who was working in a preschool and had to take on multiple jobs as to someone who was taking care of our children who justice and our home had to take on multiple jobs because she was getting paid $9 an hour. We’re talking about a huge majority of our veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan after they leave the military.

Helmer: So by saying no, by being in transit, in transit, I guess raising the minimum wage, you’re condemning those who served in our country to live in poverty after they return from their service to our country. So it is incredibly important that we get to a $50 in wage should we index a current version. And we are responsible in our approach to ensure that we don’t impact businesses both small and large in ways that devastated our economy. But I am excited to work with a chamber of commerce that takes a new approach to thinking about the upsides of getting to a $15 minimum wage, the economic growth that we can spur a 50 element in wage and not just about potential downsides of having foreign fruit in places where we can Institute, et cetera.

Guzman: [inaudible] has some questions for you all. Basically we’ll go into the next question. You’re going to sell much advocate for [inaudible] and addressing the rising costs of healthcare. Many have called for the creation of multiple employer welfare racists or consortium health fans to see an access and healthcare benefits for small businesses similar to the larger counterparts. Banks and private universities are examples of these consortions. What’s your opinion on sexual dysfunction? I can find ways though. It’s anybody. Some people providing or a benefits. There’s a couple of things on the stuff you know about Gail care. We actually want to recognize entirely organize them. A third Nuffield care uncle. I thought that once I joins and brains that says what it was an excellent experience for us. Jesse learner. What does it experience like when they, I mean, um, ran? Uh, there are some numbers that may be shocking for many of us [inaudible] and we see that actually women of color are the ones who are dying while they are. So we definitely do want to work together to address those needs. I have multiple views that are on finally stage yet. It’s not a volume of my method of care, but I’m definitely seeing some more or finding those resources to help easy [inaudible] of the benefits that are out there. Okay.

Roem: So the number one both get Murray that I have right now, 13 is making sure that all 3,800 my constituents who are eligible for Medicaid expansion are enrolled. And I can tell you right now that the latest data that’s come in as of November 15th shows that we have now enrolled more than 343,000 Virginians who are uninsured or under insured last year who now have quality affordable healthcare this year. And we’ve got it done in less than a year since the moment you can when January 1st in. The reality that goes along with that is that this is going to be open for 400,000 Virginians. That means that we’ve still got more, some more, we still have thousands people in the greater Prince. William area is still eligible. We’ve now enrolled just under 13,000 people in Prince William County and when I’m looking at a little sane city like Vanessa’s, Mark 491 people, that is a really, really big deal by Austin.

Roem: No, we’ve got another 800 salon folks who live in Manassas park. We’re still eligible and so that’s going to be my top healthcare priorities. Making sure that my chief of staff or is also myself, the robust constituent service that we’ve had to make sure that we’re going to roll into our eligibility positions in the first place. While at the same time I’ll make sure that you know, the folks who are coming in dollars and the appropriations committee or who are setting the, you know, [inaudible] wants this case, are going to be the ones who basically have the potential to either help with small businesses in terms of, you know, expanding their ability to fully insure their employees. Or at the same time figuring out what sort of pools and small businesses salt into that at the same time don’t undermine the affordable care act because that’s one of the big things that happened in [inaudible] is we’ve seen a lot of legislation about healthcare that seems designed to be nice. And then what we really find out about it is it’s meant to pull lady [inaudible] all the way people to keep premiums down within our exchange. So it’s wildly, wildly important that we have a good balance between making sure that you can take care of your employees in the same time that would keep the ACA [inaudible].

Roem: So this is one of my partners [inaudible] I believe strongly that every single Virginian should have access to quality, affordable healthcare and pay 90% of the gradings, which is the maximum wall every single one of our employees as any of you who run businesses here, overhead business meetings after too many cases right now reaching 50% of our operators, 50% of of the salary increase time, so I am very much concerned about the cost of healthcare now when it comes to healthcare plans, we allowing multiple businesses to group together in order to purchase insurance on its face. It makes sense. Traditionally the way we’ve approached drive out costs is by allowing insurers to removing the things that we come to cover elsewhere from these plans and drive down costs. If we can make sure that the coverage within these plans is as robust as covered with the plans. I think there’s a lot that can be down there. And I think collectively we do need to take a approach as a business community that demands that we look at the cost side of healthcare, how healthcare being marketed,

Torian: what joins companies are doing to drive premiums, the amount of profit that you can know, what did you do with non healthcare expenses? We should have a room. Any instead of that health insurance companies had to control costs. The way they maintain the profits today is by expanding the cost of healthcare safe and healthy profit margin stays the same. The amount of profit they’re making is larger. There’s lots of players in the healthcare marketplace that are elected. We work together to drive up costs, each of which is active rationally within that marketplace. Uh, but we need to fundamentally change our approach to that market place. And I’m looking forward to working with the business community, whether it’s group health plans, whether it’s banding together and other approaches. So long as we may take robust coverage for workers and employees, we can work together to drive down costs. You found gains on looking forward.

Torian: So the elephant in the room comes to health care is the recognize that I have no system in this four o’clock and you tell the truth and since healthcare is a for profit entity, we’re going to always have this long or eight years, eight years in the house we tried to pass a Medicaid expansion. 400,000 Virginians could have access to health care. The balloon side of it changed and the bills passed. Let me tell you why I was packs because of the politics. When our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the numbers we want to change, they came back with intent passed Medicaid expense. That was the only reason they didn’t come back. We didn’t come back and drive down costs because when you drive down cost, it’s take benefits away. Look at your own healthcare, how much you paid. We are privileged stuff because we are on the state plan. We were not on the state plan. It would be costing us several hundred dollars a month.

Torian: You didn’t say for profit entity and until we change that, we’re not going to do it. Any of us any good favors at all and I just, I am so disturbed by them because they’re equal who cannot afford healthcare and they will not go to the hospital because they cannot afford and if we really want to be bold, we really must have breast and be very truthful about it. Someone made a $25,000 a year can not afford health and as long as this is a full rock if we’re going to have a serious problem. Thank you. The

Speaker 3: affordable care act, the research that we have right from the business community is that the plans are not in direct competition into the marketplace.

Torian: The ACA, what is disturbance with these candidates on the national level, they want to come up with all these new plans and so many years since to get the plan in place, don’t try to reinvent something improval what we had. That’s all we need to do. Look at what we have improve on that and do not threaten to take away people’s shorts because whatever they come on with health care fall, they don’t take away somebody’s chores and all they need to do is work on improving what we have in place in her ears. If ACA, let’s just work with a group.

Speaker 3: Thank you. Delegate OLED Telmar. First I’d like to thank you for [inaudible]. Access to a seal workforce continues to be a tremendous heat for our local employers. We are severely lacking technicians. We can as welders electricians, two additional traits to fill the onset of jobs being created by companies like Amazon. What programs and initiatives we support like these guys have career technical education partnerships or the reintegration of certification of veterans to ensure we are creating sustainable talent pipeline.

Helmer: It’s a great question and one that we should all be concerned about. As folks are talking about the national stage, we should be talking about what we as automation has changes in the workforce take place. Increasingly your ability to operate them work as businesses. We’re going to require a technically, technically educated workforce and in order to have sustainable levels of employment here, we’re going to have to have folks who have access to that education. Now I would offer by probably an unpopular sentiment here is that one of the reasons that we are lacking technical education in the trades is that we as a EMT union Commonwealth of undermine one of the most effective training pipelines for those who are able to act in the trade apprenticeship programs by the carpenters, by the electricians or the other word of other trade unions. I have been very effective elsewhere in the country at providing a technically effectively educated workforce that can do things like build clean rooms, right by sight. My mind that I can work on very specific specifications that help us operate and continue with the workforce shortages in areas like construction where we’re struggling right now to keep up with demand. Why do you have the cost for all of us? So there are two sides of the cost equation on labor when we fly now the cost of labor so much

Helmer: that you can’t attract your brave. We were going to pay for it somewhere. So encouraging uh, unions to get engaged in workforce training area as well as looking at how we do technical certification with military veterans leaving the military, making sure that if you drove a noose and a half or two and a half on truck in the military, we give you a commercial driver’s license here in Virginia. Looking at how we make sure that military spouses aren’t impacted by different certification requirements or all the phones that is certainly making significant and major investments in technical education. Some of the wonderful state schools like George Mason university,

Roem: so, um, I higher than 80% of my LA and I can tell you that when you talk to military families especially, you will hear that transfer transferability of skill sets is such a huge deal when we’re talking exactly about what [inaudible] was talking about. There is currently sub licensing for example, that if you are a teacher in Washington state that you are a teacher in another city, that you should be able to be able to teach in Virginia with as little pain as possible. Especially because your spouse or your parent or whoever it is is serving abroad and that requires you be transferring seats. It’s safe. At the same time, we also see that we can come to Kampala, which owns the educational credit transfers for military families as well. And this being said, if you’re going to college in another state or you’re going to a higher learning Institute, wherever it is in another safe, or even if you’re just doing your K-12 and you’re in high school, then when you are then transferred here somewhere in Virginia, not all of those credits come along with you every single time.

Roem: If you want to support our military, support, our military families, it is wildly important. At the same time, and we’re talking about career technical education, one of the prompts that we had in the NAS as part shirts and both as I’ve talked to the CC a teacher actually on the men’s part, it’s a lack of physical spaces in the building at the high school to adequately, um, train a number of people who are going to go through what lead into the workforce. Because even though we will still have a lot of students from [inaudible] high school who will go into, you know, who will go to Nova or we’ll go just to apologize, all a lot of students with us or in high school must be labor ready by kind of dig it out. And so if I’ve got folks over at IDW willful 26 in the 13th district golf ball sport road telling me that Hey, we keep, not only can we keep these young adults out of debt, but at the same time that we will either $20 an hour to learn the trade and then we’ll even $25 an hour starting salary and they’re actually out of the, that’s

Guzman: being if you passed it. And the more I can urge the more. So I would start by sharing you through the legislation that was able to last this year. That will help [inaudible] if you had a nurses every Sunday vacation process is like Jake’s not in the past [inaudible] you would think that boy year. So now any maybe dice falls with a nurse and local Virginia. The recent litigation roses will take only 30 days because they need to. Joanie, that report CDN, that’s not a veterans. I think I have that. I just hope relation with veterans in my district. If I have [inaudible] on the area, maybe child long pair and I’m passionate about it has been a deal. So I have health, how they’re accountable. [inaudible] delegation and we [inaudible] will address the needs that were mentioned earlier. We all know it’s a reality that we need to also support systems.

Guzman: We provide resources, lower veterans [inaudible] world. It is necessary. We’re trying to find resources right now. For example, one of the things they’ll have dreads, looting these some holes was that map of assessments with better knots. Are these charts on early? Only on dishonor only, so we don’t know what that exhaust is that they need, but that was a fit. At least installation. We’ve have Olsen my notes here. Then I also, we have also address the need of or children, you know, what gym or moving for places with Lexus. We must go by the support system for them so they could you know, accommodate these new environments when they are Jakey from maybe from the state was saved and they never had to study at UT. So we that we have provided for our school counselors, we need more money and I would ask the chairman

Speaker 6: [inaudible]

Torian: awesome

Speaker 6: [inaudible]

Torian: so is the unemployment rate is 2.6% 2.6% and we CA have jobs so we are unable. That’s an amazing problem that we are moving from our traditional work force design where our kids go off to college and they graduate and come out with a skill set and they are now fence but more specialized where we’re going to be moving away from the traditional sense of how we educate and train and be a lot more specific. That’s where we need to have, that’s where I need Julia, you give me the suggestions. I mean Ivy as a cute thing will work. We can’t come up with all this. You got about business owners, you have to tell us what you need. And then if there’s legislation that is needed to appropriate to meet the need, then we submitted that legislation so that we can support your efforts and what your concerns are. I often tell my constituents, uh, I’m meeting with them. You can give me your concerns. Tell me what your concerns are. And then that is how I feel that I’m not the brightest guy in the room. Don’t pretend to be, but I think I have a little bit of wisdom. Part of my wisdom is say, come share with me what your challenges are and the ways that you think we can fix those sounds, but to have a 2.6% unemployment rate, I’m going have jobs that you still cannot deal. What a great problem to have

Speaker 3: there. Four questions. I’ve heard choice. So this next question [inaudible] view is related to your [inaudible]. There’s been much speculation that majorities in both houses [inaudible] Virginia was just recently awarded the number one state can do business by CMEC due in part to right status. You support, maintain and ensure employer choice. If not, why?

Roem: Well in 2016 I joined the majority of the 13th district debt residents and voting against the constitutional amendment. That would have been shrined work into the state constitution and if you want to call it by this other term, which is a feeler term. Then finally to do that as well. At the same time, I also know that this is going to be a chief policy position for art and so if you want to talk to the person who’s going to be meeting on that issue and then please by all means talk to our colleagues in the city of NASA’s. In the meantime I’m going to be making sure that I’m continuing to expand Amit rights and I’m going to make sure that I’m continuing to find the cost effective way to expand the, you know, very out of Gainesville for example. I’m going to do a lot of things that people in this room are going to be really, you know, we’re going to be able to work collaboratively when it comes to transportation, when it comes to education, when it comes to making sure that you know the person who was hearing you actually have healthcare.

Roem: Then at the same time that don’t on the house floor, I know how to be following the will of the people. The 13th district voted for it and wasn’t dealing with that. With the choice part of this,

Helmer: when we were doing our chamber, I already discussed this with bras and the other people you are on that call where we talked about what existing precedent duty under the siege, where this free follow, right, and if we’re talking about that number one rating, well let’s talk about the [inaudible] and because of the right people ranked dead last in the country, how’s that possible? We felt behind West Virginia. Again, how is that possible? [inaudible] [inaudible] so with that I’ll just turn it over to the delegate. Tim, Audrey, Charlestown [inaudible]. I think Bridget has spoke louder this crime for us to reject old notions that say the best for business means being more, uh, I think we didn’t just have an election in which a chamber endorsed candidate who was endorsed in part because of a position position on so-called right work lost decisively. But we had an opportunity to get right.

Helmer: Like so I ran against somebody or the chamber. Dorsey said it was because he was in support, right to work, brought us here. The reality is is that we talked through Virginia as I talked to my district and you can see a two track comedy in which women, minorities and many of our veterans that have been left behind in which witnesses which wages are not living wages. And we need to fix that. And what we need is the cooperation of the business community and that’s awfulness of the business community and how we get there. And so rather than perceiving rather than perceiving a desire to make sure we lift people out of poverty and recognize that they can be a work as a threat. I think we, all of us here as hardworking people, many of us who run businesses I need to talk together about how is it that we create an economy that works for all of us now this that that I’m going to be fighting for in the general assembly so that every Virginia who works in this common level has the opportunity to live in dignity and getting rid of laws that inhibit the ability of people to collectively bargain for their wages is one of the ways in which we’re going to ensure that our wheat, we no longer have to track of wages and benefits keep up with the growth, the economy and that is 2.2% unemployment rate means that people are able to live.

Guzman: Note that of the data or the statement that you made about being the number one business, another one your business is because we have way to ride for the state. I think that that other is conveyed the amount of work that businesses have. Bully blades, they’ll retain their employees. So I don’t know, I’ve never seen that data. I would like to see if you will, that you shared with all of us or that you would like to see it. I think that we’ve talked rate basis, this business of emerging. I would say that all that needs to go so fast and I wouldn’t have to recognize that we believe in a safe where we are and that is not right. You know, it’s like we have to revise those uh, those spaces. Often they do say no, I’m not going to use it. The right for the safe and I’ve really never, I do work via if that’s for, I mean it’s closer but I don’t do league. Guzman: I’m a union member and this is also information that is publicly available. And my union, Rutgers says the safe that please, I want to, I enjoyed and junior needs because it’s important for me when I have, what we have for them is Jane DOE, what salaries [inaudible] that were benefits, what we’d have to know. How the trainings that we need as an employee [inaudible] class, we’ll have a seat at the table and thought when these decisions are made, now wouldn’t that be wonderful when you are writing in our conversation that is running our inclusiveness. We’ll have one person from your workforce sit at the table. They got half a voice on the styling, what is best for them and for, and that’s what,

Torian: why didn’t work is a real big political issue. Really big into a great deal of politics. If you want transparency, that’s the deal, not see what you have here, you would like us to maintain why you work other opposed to I can see that change. I will tell you that the current administration, uh, has issues with uh, overturning over billing. Like at work. Um, members of the Senate has some issues with it. Members of the house we’ll also have issues with, uh, someone get rid of it. Some do not. The government has grave concern going away. And so what I would share with the folks is that we believe get in the room, maybe you’d have a discussion. Now there are concerns to be voice and move away from always had an absence of those things up fixable, equal ability to get the room and have a conversation and really find out what all the real issues. Once the real issues come in identified, then there are solutions to them. But oftentimes we want to deal with absolutes and absolutes are not always the answer. But I will tell you going into the 2020 session in his normal meeting, a very hot political issue,

Guzman: we have repeatedly reached out to him and ESPN system. He declined to participate in the business unit. So I’d now like to open it up. Appreciate you mentioning the unemployment rate 2.6 and I can tell you that there’s a solution to that problem, which is the one third of people with disabilities are currently participating in the workforce with the two first were not for geez, 39 and funding for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And there’s a long way that we have to go and uh, over 10,000, 14,000 people are on waitlists right now waiting to work. It’s a phenomenal workforce. It’s an untapped talent that we’re not utilizing. And I think it’s a big issue for us in a state where some of the solutions, what we propose to increase the [inaudible]. So at [inaudible] last year, [inaudible] was not harder than the Republican majority. I lost all of that. I already passed [inaudible] but I’m coming back and I’m bringing my day to station with Lily blues kind of preferences where people with disabilities at the same level. It’s not a program that it’s already been a bummer and it will grow by of references when people kind of lose the job, you know, intellectually the death study, civility things not done a waste their farm, that job. And they will provide at least some points during that interview when they’re [inaudible].

Torian: The only thing I want to share that you and I’ll probably sit down, that’s all I, you know, you have an insight and expertise that I do not have. That helped me tremendously because I really wouldn’t win. When we talk about the workforce, that’s the population of our citizens and our community that we very rarely think about. And so you have us, Guzman: what I just want to point out that oftentimes people consider people who are born with a disability and not acquired disability, disability,

Helmer: a stroke, heart attack, as well as all of that very, very excited to carry on a conversation. I’ve talked like this as part of loss. He’s like in Afghanistan, choir, choir, stability, right? So this issue of personally passionate about it runs a huge spectrum. It is, it is a, a cross disciplinary issue. Things like a low minimum wage, actually discouraged people with disabilities at times from being able to enter the workforce riders. The trade off is, uh, you know, there are all sorts of things we need to look at structurally to encourage people and recognize the incredible benefit that we get from, uh, providing opportunities for those specific cities to enter the workforce. And the unique perspective you to all my evidence. Like, Hey, I love to find people with disabilities, but biking, I gotta accommodate. And actually the reality is, is that by bringing in folks with diverse perspective, you empower and create a better workforce that is more able to serve more diverse customer base that represents more of what Virginia is. So I think there’s real power in making sure that we give them opportunities at those with disabilities. And it’s not just a disadvantage that each way me [inaudible] need to change that. [inaudible]

Helmer: so I’m listening to a few things here. Number one, um, my immediate family actually went through the independence arts center by the way, and taking care of them, taking care of the folks that are in the art. Prince William art, Northern Virginia was a passion project and said, if you want to follow up offline in this, talk about it, because as the always talking about is this is part of meeting entity. I put in a bill the last two years that would require insurers to have to cover the costs for mechanical prosthetic devices. For me these, for example, because it’s one of my constituents, you know, she’s missing her [inaudible] elbow and you know, she’s actually the first person in Paris state to get more money. [inaudible] and so I want to make sure that all the constituents where you teach, for example, have the ability to have all four Linden, sorry.

Helmer: Because it’s not just a physical health issue. This is a mental health issue. And at the same time it also is what allows her to be doing a lot of our games to drive a car. You know, she fell back to work. She has a lot of different jobs and she wants to do, she wants to work in crunch for example, and she can’t do right now. So being insured that are, have insurers actually provide for people with ongoing disabilities especially is why we imported it. And I was one of the delegates in 2018 who introduced the legislation to, uh, to eliminate the cap, the autism healthcare in this year. You know, we all got past [inaudible] stable. Um, we got passed the bill that eliminated all these restrictions on. [inaudible]

Helmer: didn’t make any sense about why we’d actually have an each family. And so I’ll say look offline and be very, very happy. I’m pretty loud. [inaudible] so I, uh, some, gosh, 10, 12 years ago, um, when, uh, Senator Colgan became Senate finance committee chair, I had the opportunity to ask this question and now I get dumped in the lab of delegatory and um, uh, but, but the question was everybody, uh, any, any, uh, early comments you wanna make about budget amendments that we might see coming forward, uh, that, uh, that will, uh, impact a business community here in Prince William County in the city of masses. [inaudible]

Torian: martyr. We have not, uh,

Torian: we have not begun to develop the legislative, uh, corporations then, or let me just take a moment to share with you where we are with the democratic majority, obviously about changes that take place and where we are right now. Certain growth rates, uh, make some decisions relative to staffing. Uh, getting organized is a huge job that’s new that, uh, right now I am well, to be honest with you, just the transition itself, uh, taking on a new role, learning that new role. Uh, I will tell you that it’s great to be in a position where we can help put a slip. It’s good to be in that position and learning what that means and how we will be able to do, uh, financially, uh, counted to benefit you all. Tell me what recommendations you all are in the lease, in your community from an economic development stand for things that you may see that financially we can take the Richmond as budget amendments and they perhaps have some favorable results.

Torian: I’ve always said that inclusiveness for me is important. I don’t have all the answers, you know, but if you’re in a position [inaudible] position, you allow that vision to work for others. And, and so, you know, I will tell you, I, it’s, it’s, it’s humbling to be in that position, but it’s also overwhelming, right? To seek the transition. But I’ve always weighed it out, developed with dysplasia. And the way that operative budget amendments is that when we have these legislative meetings, lunches, Rutgers, whatever, what have you either from you all helps me when I go back to Richmond, that that’s been my approach and that judicious nature. It’s exactly why I think you’re the man from job

Guzman: so why didn’t it happen? So I thought it was spoken with a general number of patients yet that’s something that is very important. Not that it’s a need right now. It brings me to felonies or seven eco BTC. The amount of Navy waivers, there’s a huge amount of waiting. They, so they’re hopeful that we can get more money or any waivers. Uh, another appropriation piece is going to be the transportation part. I strongly believe that D bulls, a lot of the transportation system, we don’t have no businesses establishing. It brings me a county’s officer as well as he was mentioning something about the other care. It wasn’t dress, the niece and nephew moments. A few names that go about the number of people that have not accessed either eligible but they have not taken advantage of either Medicaid or the marketplace. Other conversations right now be definitely be to, well maybe that question when you are finding your estate that’s if you resent the form where you are going insure or you are thinking the fines on those values insurance, we can not fit. I think that that’s wrong. We’ll ask that question. I’ll provide you have all in and we can provide the information and send your information to the same people that marketplace or you’ve got to get access [inaudible] for that and that’s what I can think of right now as far as money.

Roem: Oh, so surprised to know you. What I’ll just [inaudible] here is for everyone in the room here is my top funding priority is going to make sure that we are taking care of the PTA because I recognize the boy that we have without us having the chairman of the MBTA being from [inaudible] and I’m going to be making sure that we have a constant constant voice in the majority caucus for fully funding the MBTA and taking care of our regional transportation needs. [inaudible] out all nine jurisdictions that make up names as you’re eating. This is the time where as before we have you borrowed transportation. Jordan is time for us to fully fund transportation, especially in the economic engine that drives Virginia, which is this is not an option for us. It is mandatory for us meat pass to get this done and all the remind folks here that we’ve lost out.

Roem: Let me FBI relocate my headquarters relocation in the first round where they all feel important point the whole thing we lost out in the first round. We did not have Metro rail, how to innovation department with one word change in the federal level from Metro rail to commuter rail. If we add theory to innovation Mark, we could have made a hell of a competitive case for that and we can also, by taking care of Walbridge in particular, I will tell you the most important rail, uh, that we can possibly win the state is both fix the existing problems. We have the long version as well as dealing with the widen for the, for the basics that you have one freight by lion if we take care of that with meals up for your research here considerably. Because when we were looking at $616 million price static, Sabrina would be area 11 miles out to a market.

Roem: I don’t believe that we’re the County supervisors. That point for instead is opting to expand a blog one station at the same time. I’ll just tell you from doing the door to door, door to door to door, anyone in Gainesville, why constituents want to hear the data that came back to the County. This is not complied with the reality that I have from talking to [inaudible] or asking me, when are we going to get this? We have to get this. And that means fully plunging your PTT and the same time to be here to body never voted our roof.

Helmer: So [inaudible] UTA mass transit, uh, is, uh, I agree that we need to identify, uh, creative revenue sources. We need to look at the cost side of the equation as long to make sure that you’re investing in transportation architecture that allows us to spend more time with our families and employees. We’re closer to the political, closer to where they were and encouraged folks to basically make sure that our infrastructure has anything on it. We talk a lot about the concerns of the chamber. I’m, I, I’m very concerned about the growth of the small businesses and innovation and the workforce here in Virginia and Virginia. And so I want to look at budgetary options to increase the availability of capital and funding for small ways, innovative technology solutions for issues of major importance from IOT to AI to um, clean energy. And we need to become the clean energy and technology, just the region of the country by creating access to capital. What makes sense for small businesses to grow here. And so that’s where I’d like,

Torian: so we just completed preparations [inaudible] two days.

Torian: One of the things, one of the forecasts and the loads being all of you who were in business problem seekers right now when moving along, pretty decent pace, but potentially the growth as well as stall down maybe next year, maybe a couple of years from now, two or three years from now. But at the level where we are now forecast is, is that our economy is about to slow down. So what do we do from an a corporation stand for, we put money in the reserve so that when the economy shifts we are not adversely impacted. That was rainy day fund. And then we created a new reserve fund where we’re seeking to increase that budget to about $3 billion so that when the economy changes, Virginia is not adversely impacted. You know, until you said in those seats where you see these things, we can talk about spending, spending, spending funding [inaudible] but my top and our job is to help protect your quality of life. That’s what we’re there for. That’s what I’m there for. And so when you see these trends, that is our job as leaders to be prepared for those threads when they come out away.

Speaker 3: Awesome. I appreciate it. I’m [inaudible] supervisor [inaudible] district and I think that, um, just briefly, this is such a wonderful opportunity for us as uh, our chairman. I only went to chairman for the appropriations committee has said and that we are transitioning it to change and no one likes to change, but I look at the supervisor’s position as a rigid filter if you will, and supporting the business community, supporting the constituents, but being a raise bill through to the nugget, the dominance for the general assembly. And so my question with all of that said, because this is such a great opportunity, is what can we do as a new mind coming into our roles because it is overwhelming but it’s an opportunity and it’s based upon building the trust and the respect within the community. What can we do to support a better Virginia being in the seat coming into the seat first I just want to mention the year so excited

Roem: to work with our new kind of supervisors

Speaker 6: [inaudible]

Roem: as the acrimonious relationship that we’ve seen before. We’re not happy antagonistic relationship at least before I have complete confidence in dealers and they’re going to up in front of the generalist [inaudible] paper with the confidence that we’re going to have adults sitting in the tables and actually talking in good faith with each other to make sure that we are taking care of Prince William County and that are not jeopardizing Prince William status within the general assembly by insulting members of the majority party. While we’re doing [inaudible], we’re going to have to be functional working relationship and to supervise the Bailey. Even if you are on the Eastern and among the Western head, you are welcomed in the opposite of the 13th dessert anytime. Have you ever talked to mr office as well? Because as far as I’m concerned, taking care of Dumfries, taking care of robbing order, that is a principle accounting issue, whether or not it’s on the Western or the East.

Roem: We have four together and we have to work together in good faith so that our constituents trust us to get the job done and that because Prince William now has the incredible clout with LV orient beach or the appropriations committee, we’re not going to be treated as a laughingstock of Virginians. It’s not gonna matter. We’ve seen it on the house floor. We have seen Prince William County called out with council for bad behavior that nothing happened. Now we’re going to be in a really good place where we’re being inclusive of our minority majority community. We’re going to love you because of who you are, not despited. And that goes for no matter what you look like, where do you come from, how you worship you do or that you weren’t Prince William County or you were in Virginia? Well, the budget here

Helmer: I am very excited or where does all the members of the board of supervisors and I echo more than I’ve ever said, although I’m looking forward and to the moment

Speaker 6: [inaudible]

Helmer: to, to uh, to the broader point. I think, look, I think we have in a unexplained County we have real opportunities to invest smartly create a regulatory legal framework that incorporates Prince William not as a stepchild. I hope that this associated port of Virginia that as a full member of the family, uh, that is welcomed into the economic growth and benefits of our adjacent counties. And I think in some cases we have missed out on those opportunities. Uh, sitting down with supervisor Catlin next week. I don’t think these are partisan issues. I think they are issues in which we all need to work together to even where we need your help. Which was would you ask is to articulate the vision of what that looks like for all of our constituents here to support the needs of a broad and diverse, uh, group of people. Our business community, our, uh, our working families hopes of every single race and religion and the incredible diversity that makes this County a great one. And so where I look forward to working with all of you is to, uh, hearing what you’re hearing, understanding what the needs of our community are, and to begin that process of truly integrating principal even County into an engine, uh, that joins the rest of the, the pistons that are pumping in Northern Virginia and really grows alongside of it in a way that works for every single day.

Guzman: Well, if I did, I could start for a [inaudible] service or kind of supervisor marquee knowing my constituent. Thank you for your time.

Speaker 6: [inaudible]

Guzman: I was asked to acknowledge that [inaudible] nice. Had that great to relationship and excited about the future as well. You know, I definitely think having conversations for the new amount of work supervisors on Francois station [inaudible] something that is so important right now for our communities. Reading at justice reform, being able to defend our office [inaudible] and [inaudible] say [inaudible] myself, there are so many and I’ve chosen the soundings in raising income and is my hole that you started with divisiveness and Hey, the mom communities run through the body. This is the December 31st and we started running generally the first being proud of who we are, what we represent, and three, every single wonderful woman Steve Jones with dignity and respect.

Speaker 6: Thank you. My advice, you [inaudible] the board

Torian: of County supervisors have lost years of institutional knowledge and institutional knowledge matters when you’re trying to cover is so extremely important that not only do you learn the processes, but you learn, you learn how to vote and people may take that. That’s those just words. But it is truly the process to learn how to govern. You learn how to lead and to receive the constructive criticism and you vote to be faced with, uh, you cannot shut out. People like mighty annoyed. You should welcome him into your life.

Speaker 6: [inaudible]

Torian: there was enough of institutional knowledge that he has that he in partly you that’s still there to help you make no mistake about it. You all have targets on your back. You were responsible for leading on camera and you must leave. Well, you must leave.

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dwdelaney-blog · 6 years ago

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5/1

was right ashcroft - was right to be worried - it was about usattys and killing my case. the fbi is obligated to defend the doj when it has obtained a judgement - if the matter is pending the doj will argue to uphold the judgement - in the regular appeal process - this is not complicated - it is the way its supposed to be - but everything seems upside down in my case - gop args wits are treasonous - natsec risks - a counterintel inv takes place - lasting many years - they get nothing - which brings us today - the ashcroft bedside - the firing of comey sends shockwaves through fbi - and doj - thats why - agag and card want to blow up my case and need ashcrofts signature - hes drugged up and in a hosp bed - ashcroft tells agag & card to get the sig from comey - hes designated comey as interim ag - the context is - ashcroft is not in the hosp for the flu - i think he may require surgery - its pancreatitus - i think hes under a lot of medication and they need to take the thing out or something - note esp the rel b/t card and rove - and goodling - sampson etc. - agag is not a great legal mind right - and rove is pulling strings at doj - and its obvious in the names of the replacements - you dont need to be a sleuth or a legal scholar - note the rel between the fitz inv - and kjell - and cellini - springfieldconsulting - think about the timing - all this stuff is happening at the same time - it has all passed now - the truth of the situation has been concealed and those that might say anything have met with lots of bad luck - unfortunate things of a mysterious nature - kind of like me -

5/3/19

We have wisc - badgers - the nra speech - in his speech a couple days ago - quoted on this page - it was mentioned - the dems - the opposition - the people that are not us - have - this or that - cant remember what the first part is - but trump at some point says - we have wisconsin - in the context of the speech it is implied to mean a reference to winning the state of wi - in the 2016 election - hes saying - scoreboard - im winning wi - what hes really saying is - we - you and me - the people in this room - are going to prevail in the conflict regarding my case - the rico trial scrp - the counterintel inv - doubling down on the rico case - what hes saying is we are going to win - we are going to defeat dennis delaney and anyone that would want to help him - because we have wi - badgers - mi - thats what hes saying - thats what i took from it and i dont think im wrong - thats exactly how the people in that room took it - what that means is that hes saying im willing to use mi in a judicial conflict - in a purely partisan effort to derail the case - and to put pressure on delaney - to concede and claim that all the chem and wasted time has been all one big misunderstanding - not going to happen - im not going to concede - hes saying he will use mi to prevail in a legal conflict he already lost - a trial based on the notion that mi was being misused for political reasons -

Joliet jake - scc - criminal record - chad jacobs - dont know that guy - never met this guy - claimed link to consent - jacob engels - jake as consent - ie how is everything - i found out when people run a background check for employment reasons - my name came back as a felon - have talked about this - its possible this is just a typo or something - bad luck - worth noting though - the jake thing is a strawberry link - winston - from what i understand - winston attys may sometimes be referred to as strawberrys - dont know anything about this - regardless - the thing about the criminal record - the county bldg - the jail - scrp - winston - thompson - chigop - thompson alums - greco baise vala - possible that defs claim at trial chad jacobs is link to consent - if so - ive never met that guy - never even seen him - they knew theyd lose -

Take article from todays globe - police ot and judge says - why not charge as rico - this sounds like rico - the judge is saying - i hear cases charging rico that dont sound this good - if shes saying this out loud - in public - after hearing the facts of the case - and shes questioning why the case isnt plead as rico - literally questioning the prosecutor - and he stumbles - and can only say the facts dont support it - he must be implying facts not offered into evidence that are exculpatory - which should have been mentioned - either way - defs claim I shouldnt arg rico - doj shouldnt charge rico - defs arg doj should not pursue the rico from my complaint. First response - theyre biased - second - its in my complaint - third - they win - fourth - they dont try to argue - they knew theyd lose - all this arg is after the fact - defs say lets solve this thing in court - until they lose - now wh says - lets do this thing in public - what hes saying is - no here on delaney - fudd - no hurry - indefinite detention - the dems should stage an intervention -

And note the art re insys - exec charged criminally for opioid case - bribes docs to rx known addictive substance - xa cocaine on garbage bags - doj - someone said i couldnt buy my food - and see cocaine on the floors and walls in jail - thats why i couldnt feel my hands and feet - and then they want to claim im an addict - balzekas - lots to talk about here - chant - angels - just trying to help people - vala - ni - see remarks re wi - chants of trumpence - rinkman - dennispmoore - wpp - that dude is in the power business - being able to fuck up my life - makes him look good - note links to thompson alums - chigop - greco baise vala - chamber - the chants of trumpence is a reference to clockwork orange - angels - good samaritans - xa sembler seed - addiction frame - cheney comment re spkr -

Unite the right - no here - needletrades - cellini busted - xa - cellini vala - rivkcs - karl kemme - cletus - clute - hecla - galv ports cleat - longies - ierc - ororke - obscene phone calls - gwb admin - perry homicidal threats frame - agriculture - ecole - agricolae - ffa - farm bro - fibro - farm chem - glyphosate - xa op - cunningham - heffe ron - cifa - usattys - mcds - ronde santis - swimmers - sharktopus - lincoln era gop - roddavis lincoln historian - ala - chamber ic - sd mitrovich - cits club - rudy davenport - no hurry - dennis consents - no one is making us stop - he will have to live like this until he gives up his case - until he gives us what we want - wes barr - tr sembler - bully -

5/4/19

Txgop - cornyn - cruz - tx22 - perry as agdir - agricolae - kid rock - duane johnson - i was put in jail on a charge of burglary - specifically breaking and entering - b & e - xa bennis elaine - b&e - benny and the jetts - pope benedict - ace lebrity we can get behind - dutton bonilla - sylvester lanning - thompson - edgar - reineke - thompson alums links to edgar - greco baise vala - richardhart - cellini - celletti - 404th chem - karl kemme - tx is usarec - tx22 - deps - galv - vester - rocky - sere guy - laffers - houpd - complaint sent to homicide - they knew i wasnt a terrorist - nix alums and political opponents of lbj - txgop - my moms family is related to lbj johnsons - i think - note also my dads family is somehow linked to wp - not by blood - my dads mom remarries a guy that has a son that worked at wp - dont know anything about my dads dad - for that matter dont know anything about grandmothers husband in chi - when i visited - all i understand is what other people seem to imply - indirectly - i think some of that talk is overstated - be that as it may - i believe that is the basis of the shark smear stuff - what thats hiding is the attack on me linked to opposition to txdems and the wp - nix fans dont like wp - txgop dont like fans of lbj - they can fuck with me and its like retaliation for the impeachment of nix - and txgop hates txdems - i honestly dont know why the people doing this to me are doing it - it doesnt matter - they are not being honest about how it started - I have been as honest as i can possibly be - it is the defendants that have continued to be completely dishonest about what has put us in this situation - the fact is they are simply unwilling to admit that what they have been doing to me is wrong - this thing has been going on a long time - longer than it should - longer than it needs to - i am committed to speaking out against the untruth of the defendants - I dont consent to addiction frame thing - its an excuse to browbeat me into giving up my case - whos extorting who - that fig leaf is getting smaller - i honestly dont know how thing ends - the people doing this to me will be exposed for what they are - understand that - lanning and rock - vest - galv - 123 oclock - sleep deprivation - haley - barber - schaive and a herr cut - ronde santis - hefferon - james elmer mitchell - sere guy - spk - spkattys - clute - cletus - herschell krustovsky - krusteil - steil - scso - sideshow bob - night mgr - 3d shift - they put me in jail - cleat galv ports - tx might muffler - cand was usmc - nabors - xa ed smith is tx - regional - and note link from delay to shim - shim factory work in tx - actually sent on job at shim factory - xa charlotte job in cape - halliburton in galv - cheney - scooter - razor scooter - schaive and a herr cutt - crazy pete hoekstra - zito link to ovp - cellnet - meters - bunn - sangamo meters - the nix link - targeting me is seen as payback for impeachment of nix - nix alums - cheney - rummy - copeland - fox ailes - simpsons - team mack - lemon tree - san clemente - while at loft - link to san clemente - loft girl - loft was radicalization frame - terr frame - xa bunn in oc - bunn at nursing home mulvaney - the 2franks - mcds poison is real - note mcds links - and execs - go away - legoland - judgement against mcds carlyle held in esgrow - remititur - schaive and a herr cutt - leggo my eggo - whos extorting who - the stuff on sere guy - rach - 123 oclock - happy days - political campaigns - advertising - wpp - pr - elections - burson - altria - winston - thompson - note esp what happened with judgement re tobacco - politics and doj - see how that works - same thing has happened to me - note slugger in the ussen - and rauner kingmaker - mel sembler - seed - addiction frame - chants of trumpence - kurtz is new guy at usccb - wojcicki is at sherriffs - cle wife picks austin as adj gen - hes ierc - ierc - airc onditioning - rett - atl - airborne - sjh - spfldconsulting - shg - shgcoaches - shgfootball - chi mckenna - big shoulders - gregory goes to dc - from atl - alton dio - stl - alton belle - saved by the bell - shs - centaurs - ackermann senterfitt - duane gibson - terry nelson - swift and blessing - kjell bc04 - ilgop - chi chamber - huizenga - servicemaster - franchises - chem - lon - wolfman - cheney - lonewolf frame - mace paolino - garbage - burson - cheney - joliet morning star - rpg gods - stl mi - 10th mi - roth dragoo - ilfopngaoi - gnuteck is right - dirt - mrt - roger stone is nix - jacob engels - bullhorn - ftl - berc - breck girl - perc - security guards - vala - perc - ierc - rice - arroz - war - sleep deprivation - night owls - hair falling out in ftl - urinary tract infection - reineke - wpp - ilgop - h/k - spflconsulting - scb - scso - rico - 1983 - equal protection - due process - 42 usc 241/242 - i was right - there are wrong - they cant admit what they did - what they are doing - they cant stop - the po is upside down on this thing - that fig leaf is going to get smaller - im making it samller - the maga hat means this - make the ag - into ga - reverse the the course of the ag - flip the ag - blow up my case from the inside - like tobacco -

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dallasareaopinion · 7 years ago

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Part 2 of story and some comments to get started

Things are getting hot and heavy in Trump land. I sure hope Mueller and company are right. Raiding an attorney’s office is a big deal. There is client attorney privilege in this country and I know it needs to be protected. Just because it is Trump’s attorney, doesn’t mean we can break the rules. And this may make Trump step out and fire Mueller because he may be close. What happens next actually scares me. I am just hoping this Trump Presidency just fades away into history and we avoid the conundrum developing amongst Trump’s diehard followers, potential alt right militias, some members of the government versus a large group of random liberals thinking they can fight this madness. Will the majority of the government stand by the rule of law? Like I said I would prefer he fade away, however with each passing day his attempts at policy to appease his base are doing more damage to this county. We are fast approaching a true rock and hard place disaster.

I hope everyone remembers that the rule of law and our Constitution are our government, not any one individual.

And even though Putin’s friends took a beating in certain markets today, it does not mean Putin is losing. Stock market loses only count when you sell. Putin can keep them afloat till things get better. And if Putin and Trump are working together, then they will get better. Everyone in their 401k is told to ride out the bumps, so it goes for billionaires also. Don’t be fooled.

I, first, was going to comment about a news blurb I saw before the news broke on the raid on Cohen where Trump admitted that the tariffs may be causing some farmers some grief. And then he goes on to state that it will be much better I promise. He promised. He has promised much without much to show for it except favors to the rich and corporate greed. I just don’t understand how people can listen to him promise something repeatedly and believe him the next time after so many promises to his base have not come to fruition. The press beats those promises to death every day and so do the commenters, so I do not need to list them, however, at some point people would like to see results. The tariff is going to produce results, but how long till his base realizes this is not the promise of results he made to them? I am flabbergasted.

And who cares about the story when so much is going on? Well I do since I started the darn thing. Part 2:

John and Mary continued to thrive. John worked hard, traveled much and counted on Mary to manage the house and household budget. She promised John she would be a good stay at home woman and she met her part of the bargain. He continually earned more money and more prestige at work, so he met his part of the bargain. Yet, as always something is missing when there is no communication.

After they lived in their first house for a few years, John wanted a larger house. He wanted to be able to entertain he said. Mary wondered when since he was always gone. They got a bigger house soon after their second child was born. They lived there for three years, then after once the third child was a year old they got a bigger house. And John did entertain. He was becoming a central figure in their Church now. The Pastor love to talk about John’s success. The Pastor reinforced his beliefs through John’s success. So, John started having Church meetings in their house when he was in town. These meetings were a burden on Mary since she had to prepare for them. John didn’t believe they should spend more money than necessary on anything. Mary would cook all day. She loved doing it which helped.

Mary really enjoyed the aspects of home and family. She did thrive in this environment. Unfortunately, her main release was to spend some time with her parents when John was away. Otherwise she was constantly busy. She cleaned, cooked for the kids, ran errands for the kids’ school, was in the PTO, did well with fund raising, everything she thought she wanted, she had.

Over time she realized John did not pay that much attention to her. She knew why. Eventually it became so common that even the Pastor realized what was going on and addressed it in a marriage counseling session. He asked Mary to forgive John his transgressions. He spent time explaining how important it was for Mary to forgive as a Christian. John never asked her, the Pastor did.

The affairs were not really affairs. John would be with women when he traveled. He never really paid attention to them. He used them to cater to his needs and actually mainly his business needs when he was out of town. Many of the people he did business with thought he brought various secretaries with him when he traveled, he had them doing some much for him. He went through women pretty regularly since he never offered them anything but handouts. Many thought they could control him and take him for their own. They were always disappointed.

Mary had always suspected. The Pastor needed John to be successful in wealth, but also a healthy family dynamic. John was always fit, took care of himself, ate well when the company paid for it, worked out, went to the doctor regularly so he looked great. One reason it was easy for so many women to be tempted by him. So Mary had to look good also. It worried the Pastor that Mary was always so busy. Too busy to smile at church when called upon to witness to the success of being a good Christian. He called on them both at the meetings of the Church Board of Directors. The whole Board was full of successful people. The Pastor and the Church founders made sure of that. John and Mary were an integral part of the visual the Church wanted to project. There were many other couples, yet John was so driven he was a shining example of God’s blessing on those who believed the correct way.

Mary let the Pastor know she forgave John. This made the Pastor happy. He knew he had this in his information in case someone questioned what was going on between John and Mary. Another example of a strong Christian family. Mary resented that John never asked her, yet as a good Christian she did forgive him. The Pastor asked John to be a better Christian. John toned down his activities and made sure he was more discreet. He didn’t tell the Pastor. He felt if he was blessed there was no reason to change. Everything he believed about God now was based on his success. God blessed him because God favored him. That was what the Pastor taught and that was all he needed to know.

Her forgiveness though was more because of the teachings of a different Pastor. She relished going to Church with her Mom and Dad. It was a smaller Church and there weren’t the large activities for the children John and her Church had, yet it felt more comfortable. The kids enjoyed it the same as the larger Church, well as much as any child likes going to church. She was pleasantly surprised that her parents had gone back to church. They had gone for years when she was younger, but over time had quit. Something about her getting married had re-inspired them and she was happy for them. Also, the Pastor there taught more of what she remembered when she was young. God was forgiving and kind, yet he expected you to do more for others. It involved more than just saying you believed, you had to show God you loved by your actions for others. John and she gave to their church. John made sure Mary gave every week so when she didn’t go to the larger church, she would drop a check by the church office. John saw the amount each year for their taxes and was quite pleased Mary was giving. It was always ten percent, no more, no less. John was pleased Mary knew math. Mary was also good at budgeting so there was also more to give to her parent’s church. John didn’t know, which was okay. Mary had been budgeting well for years so she always had something to give when there was a need.

When John went to Church he heard: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) and believed if God loves him then he wants him to have more. Mary understood that Jesus knows everyone, and that the thief are false prophets who will take you away from Jesus. That having it to the full is the fullness of life with him.

For Easter John saw the Easter egg hunt the Church put on, everyone in new dresses, kids playing, and much food. The next week, while John was out of town Mary went to her parents’ church and prayed for souls to reach heaven. Her parents prayed for their parents’ soul. Mary remembered someone from her youth and heard he had cancer and died recently. Even though he was a trouble maker and had gone to jail, she prayed for his soul during the prays after the service. She felt the cancer was punishment enough.

When it was election season, John heard the Pastor talk about what issues were important, which candidates supported those issues, and to get involved. John had Mary give a bit extra to the Church and called the Pastor to support the candidates that supported the correct issues. Mary heard from her parents’ church the importance of leadership and what values does a leader hold close to their heart.

In Church John heard: “You do not have because you do not ask, said James. Even though there is no limit to God’s goodness, if you didn’t ask him for a blessing yesterday, you didn’t get all that you were supposed to have.” Mary understood that “You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (all from James 4 various versus) Praying with selfish motives can contradict God’s will so if you ask and it is not God’s will you will not receive. You can work hard and achieve success, yet in our hour of need it is God that provides and that is not always material possessions.

John asks why aren’t all Christians rich if they believe and ask? The Pastor says maybe it is not their time yet and reminds John about Job. Job had to wait, yet it paid off. Mary understands that Jesus was never rich, and he was without sin. That what Jesus offers is more than what we ask for.

To be continued.

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sarahburness · 7 years ago

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What If We Listened and Opened Our Minds Instead of Shouting and Judging?

“If you can laugh with somebody and relate to somebody, it becomes harder to dehumanize them. I think that most of what we are constantly bombarded with in terms of media leads you to a creation of ‘the Other’ and a dehumanization of ‘the Other,’ and it’s very much an us-versus-them conversation.” ~Jehane Noujaim

People are really hard to hate up close.

In today’s acrimonious political climate, whole groups of people seem to be pitted against one another based on various political, ideological, class, geographic and racial classifications. And yet, spend a day with “the other” and it’s difficult to resist the gravitational forces of our shared humanity that make those walls come a’ tumbling down.

New York State, like many others, has a wonderful tradition of civilian run elections. Each polling precinct is manned by four election inspectors—two Democrats and two Republicans.

From 5:30am to 9:00pm—other than the two thirty-minute breaks to which each inspector is entitled—these four individuals spend every moment together sharing responsibility over the most minute of tasks, from opening packets of ballots to recording the serial number of the dozen or so seals on various documents and pieces of equipment.

Once the polls are closed, vote tallies recorded and everything securely stowed, usually round 9:30pm, everyone goes home. It’s a long day.

For these sixteen hours of work, all inspectors are earn $225, or around $14 per hour—not bad, but well below the earning potential of most of the inspectors. Many of the inspectors are “old-timers” who have been doing this three or four times a year (in addition to the big November elections, there are primary elections and other local referendums) for many years.

Last year, sort of in between jobs and living in the United States for the first time in many years, I decided to become an election inspector.

Far removed from America’s increasingly bitter political divide, I was a little bit apprehensive about what to expect or how this was all going to work so harmoniously. After all, the America I left after graduating from college was one in which people from all segments of our political spectrum—which compared to other countries’ is surprisingly narrow—could have a discussion without being branded white supremacists, snowflakes, fascists or traitors.

Once upon a time in the quaint old days less than twenty years ago, political talk was sometimes pleasant and not always so insufferable and divisive.

Like all others, my polling station had three other inspectors. One of the other inspectors turned out to be the father of a girl I’d grown up with from our Hebrew school days but had not seen in nearly twenty years, once a close family friend.

Another was a retired school administrator, an Irish guy who had grown up in the Bronx and slowly migrated ten miles or so north to Westchester County over the course of his life.

Finally, there was an African American lady who had been born, raised, and was still living in Mount Vernon, a nearby city perhaps most notable as the sometime home of Malcolm X.

As the hours passed and different members of the team shared the various responsibilities and each took his or her break time, everyone found themselves getting to know the others one-by-one.

With the one guy whose daughter I used to know, reconnecting was fun, and nothing seemed to have changed other than that we were all older.

The Irish guy shared my love and knowledge of the local waterways (I’m a sailor and he’s a diver). He was a Republican who didn’t vote for and viscerally disliked President Trump – he was more of a John McCain or Nelson Rockefeller kind of guy who felt Trump was an abomination to his lifelong political affiliation.

The African-American lady was a Democrat who, judging by her apparent age, may very well have remembered or even met Malcolm X during the tumultuous Civil Rights Era, didn’t like Trump either but also didn’t understand the current white supremacy scare. She remembered a lot worse racial tension and fear in her lifetime and thought that all the recent talk was based in reality but overblown.

During the slow portions of those sixteen hours, even when politics came up, nobody raised their voices nor found anything to get angry about. Politics was sprinkled around more immediately pressing topics like family, local community developments, and lunch.

And, where there were disagreements, after talking it all out with the copious amount of time that we had on our hands, it became clear that there was a strong foundation of shared values—respect for individual freedoms, belief in racial equality, etc.—on top of which the (relatively minor) disagreements were built. There was much more in common than there was different.

You would never know it from reading the headlines, but this observation is actually reflective of society at large, as political science studies and public opinion polls over the years have consistently shown a clustering of public sentiment on most major issues toward the center.

And yet, the loudest and most extreme voices seem to be the one that dominate the debate. Controversies erupt over smaller and smaller issues, such as symbols of past oppression as actual oppression becomes less prevalent.

It’s not that today’s issues are trivial—you would certainly be concerned if you were a gender non-conforming person being forced into using a bathroom based on your biological sex or an African American who had to pass by a statue of Jefferson Davis every day on your way to work—but that the final 10 percent of every issue, namely the public policy prescription for how to “solve” it, is nowadays typically built on top of an agreement over 90 percent of the multiple facets and relevant fundamental questions involved.

Only the most extreme fringe elements of society support institutionalized discrimination, secession from the nation, limitation of basic rights, etc. In most instances, the disagreement is over the “how to get there” as opposed to the “where we are going” or “who we are.”

More importantly, whatever people’s political beliefs, it is exceedingly rare to find people today who are consciously bigoted. He might think men are men and women are women like in the good old days, but faced with an actual person—maybe his son or nephew—undergoing a struggle with gender, those fixed opinions usually soften.

She might not get her sister-in-law’s “churchiness” but nevertheless appreciate the values it seems to instill.

These prejudices are borne from ignorance and isolation, not hate.

Moreover, even among people affiliated with bigoted or extreme views or organizations, it is my firm belief that what is at work is more an unfortunate facet of group psychology: it is easy to hate a distant group, a faceless enemy, or a caricature of a supposed threat.

It is even easier when riled up by a group of like-minded people, an all-too-common phenomenon as America self-segregates by class, culture, and geography.

And, to pour gasoline on top of this whole incendiary situation, it is still easier when these types of conflicts sell papers and generate clicks, especially within marginalized communities suffering economic or cultural dislocation.

Not surprisingly, the most extreme and bigoted views are typically found in relatively homogenous and often economically distressed communities far away from many of the problems or “bad guys” they fear. When people get together, hate becomes difficult to maintain, and it is difficult not to relate with one another on some level.

I wonder how fixed all of these angry opinions would be if we all at least once spent sixteen hours at a polling station or had to live and work in ideologically integrated communities or even share a meal with “the other.”

I wonder how long it would take the narrative of this hopelessly divided nation to unravel before the truth that we all share so much more than what divides us.

Perhaps there is a small duty we should take on each and every day from now on.

If you’re reading this, you probably already accept the most basic spiritual truism that we are all part of something greater, and the goal of nirvana or heaven or whatever you choose to call it is the oneness without separation from all life.

Why not endeavor to keep that in mind the next time you are in a heated political argument or shouting at the television? After all, the concept of oneness isn’t meant to be merely a comforting idea but a way to live, a view of a better earth.

Even better, why not go out of your way to break down the daunting barriers that divide us? Reach out and engage or listen to someone outside of the type of person who would normally be inclined to agree with your point of view.

And, your engagement need not be about politics. Maybe it would be even better to focus on something that’s shared. You’ll probably find the “daunting barrier” is more like a “thin veneer.”

There is also gratitude, an indispensable daily practice in a spiritually oriented life. Once again, the issues involved in politics today are not trivial—injustice is alive and well in this world, and so much needs fixing. However, can we not each day take a moment and realize how far we have come?

For example, white supremacists were able to muster a few hundred people to march on Charlottesville, VA in the largest such rally in decades. Have we forgotten that less than a century ago the majority of America—not a fringe group—shared most of their uglier points of view?

Likewise, while poverty in America remains a stubborn problem, can we not be thankful that we are indisputably living in an age of unprecedented prosperity among humankind?

The point of this gratitude is not to engender complacency. There is simply too much at stake. However, if we can find space for gratitude, perhaps even the most strident voice of the most passionate advocate of whatever policy could be softened. The angry activist could become the happy warrior.

And that’s one of the major ironies of today’s politics, that with such an air of negativity, even the most just cause will repel fair-minded people. Gratitude can help us to stop shouting and start listening and speaking with one another with respect and love.

This is how spirituality and consciousness, which are as a genre of writing or literary interest so often completely divorced from current affairs, can help heal our poisonous political atmosphere.

After all, spirituality isn’t about escaping the world and self-soothing by occupying a peaceful place in the clouds; it’s about gaining the strength to thrive in a challenging world and even doing the hard work to make it better.

As I found, after sitting in an overtly political setting for sixteen hours with three other apparently very different people who disagreed on a lot of topics, the work isn’t always so hard. It can even be fun.

About Joshua Kauffman

Joshua Kauffman is a recovering over-achiever and workaholic. Leaving behind a high-powered life in business, he has become a world traveler, aspiring coach, and entrepreneur of pretty things. Amateur author of a recent memoir Footprints Through The Desert, he is trying to find ways to share his awakening experience, particularly to those lost in the rat race like he was.

Get in the conversation! Click here to leave a comment on the site.

The post What If We Listened and Opened Our Minds Instead of Shouting and Judging? appeared first on Tiny Buddha.

from Tiny Buddha https://tinybuddha.com/blog/listened-opened-our-minds-instead-shouting-judging/

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declassroomedteach-blog · 7 years ago

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Jailhouse Salvation 101

(word count approx 1570)

By Gina Fournier

The Merchant-Ivory movie adaptation of E. M. Forster’s A Room with a View features a poignant scene following a street fight that ends in murder. Lucy (Helen Bonham Carter) comments that you witness something memorable and think you’ll never be the same, but then you forget and return to your old self. I hope to do a better job holding onto my jailhouse conversion, from skeptical to convinced about the existence of God.

Disclaimer: My conviction has wavered intensely even before I finished editing this essay.

Thanks to my former employer and its bad actors, an institution I’ll call Land of Motown Community College, where I served as an English teacher, I’ve seen the best and the worst of pure Michigan humanity. If God created humans, God sure must have a sense of humor.

Even a smattering of details from my story sound like a rollercoaster Lifetime movie no one wants to watch. Since 2012, I’ve been sexist witch-hunted through an ongoing living nightmare that has included hack shrinks, illegal and involuntary lock up in a Catholic mental health ward and now incarceration for thirty-four days in a mid-Michigan county jail for a crime I did not commit. College administrators, union teachers, dirty cops, dirty doctors, dirty nuns and dirty priests, plus the state’s top most government officials, have participated in the protection of white collar criminals and encouraged my simultaneous downfall. All this for me, so one man can prove his power over unions near union ground zero.

The U.S. Constitution’s first amendment makes clear that government is not to establish any official religion, not protect any particular religion from existing laws. Perhaps the founding fathers could foresee the distant future. Nearly two hundred fifty years later, a female citizen has found cause to invert the phrase “God bless you” with blasphemy, attempting to redress grievances.

I’ve never met the emergency room doctor who signed me into a Catholic looney bin for a week. To my horror, I was held in a Catholic Siberia, it turns out, on campus with my all girl Catholic high school. I was raised and violated by the same church, which now pretends it’s never met me. Thirty five years ago, for Halloween, classmates mimicked the Robert Redford movie Brubaker to stage a failed, backboneless prison break. These classmates, who have also turned away from my plight, dressed not in hospital gowns or orange as the new black, but plaid skirts and knee socks adorned temporarily with stripes. (Good girls, we stopped mock rioting when the nuns glared.)

Unfortunately, there is no law or principle governing the intersection of religion and families. In my time of need, even my immediate and extended family has turned away, exponentially multiplying my distress. My extended Catholic family has not advocated for me, though it would cost nothing except some skin. The anger caused by this and so many betrayals envelops like nuclear explosion.

However, I realized something on day thirty-three of my lock up in the big house. Because the ties between families and religion tend to act like strangleholds, my estranged Catholic mother is incapable of doing the one thing I want and need her most to do: to demand that Livonia Catholics honestly investigate me claims. Because of my new found belief, I forgive my aging mother. She’s only human and doing the best she can. (Unfortunately, the damage done feels irreparable. Forgiveness does not mean I can tolerate her presence.)

Through five solid years of loss, I have been cornered mentally and financially into a nearly impossible position. But the kindest of strangers have helped me to survive. Downstate, nice generous neighbors responded to my cries for help by giving. Up north, the same. People have given money, food, house wares, helpful supplies such as wood, shoes, warm clothes, plus their time and honest well wishes. I wish I would have kept better track of the names and faces of the many regular people who have been so kind, forming a lifeline, keeping me alive.

My fighting spirit has kept better track of my transgressors, including Fox News Detroit, which ran a sexist hack piece in 2015 cutting together footage I asked them not to shoot in order to make me look looser than loopy. In search of more positive and helpful press, my creative and liberal mind encouraged me to tag my own, downstate old-ring suburban home with a metaphoric phrase that offended and confused. “A religious figure criminally violated me!” Only my version was Twitter-short. Basic sentence: subject, verb, object.

Passersby assumed I was nutz. I’m not. Unfortunately, the human resources’ labor attorney and architect of my nightmare is smart enough to know that once a crone-aged female is labeled crazy dangerous, most people won’t bother to parse the facts. Just ask Hillary. Voters elected a man without ethics, unwilling to practice stability, a sexual harasser, eager to “lock her up!”

I recreated my civil rights protest up north at a lake named after the largest city in New Brunswick. Maybe I watched too many episodes of Little House on the Prairie, after numerous rereadings of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. In middle age, without an income, I’ve been forced to gather wood and water for two years, for two winters, with a third approaching, in order to survive in my dead husband’s summer cabin, which is facing tax forfeiture, and soon. In both iterations, I repainted my eye-catching sacrilegious phrase with “Act Peace.” I’m not a bad person, or dangerous, or interested in spreading evil. But Fox News Detroit has been not interested in my actual story.

While I was incarcerated, nasty locals ran down my mailbox to which my sign “Act Peace” was nailed, and then took the sign. Two paintings espousing the Statue of Liberty have been stolen. My sign about the connection between the dirty cop who put me in jail and Land of Motown Community College was stolen, I’d guess by the dirty cop. My cries for “help!” with needed justice have been ignored. Instead, community officials at this private lake community have bent the law with the help of dirty local county officials, who may try to re-arrest me over the care of my feces. Yes, you read correctly. My troubles continue. Danger surrounds. This is not a pretty story.

(FYI. Please believe me. I’m still be getting my proverbial shit together, but I’ve always I properly and responsibly discarded my poop.)

Something wicked this way came, and stayed, but I pray to harness goodness and finally slay the beast on my back. I’ve been falsely accused of being suicidal and a danger to society within a country that has grown accustomed to men mass murdering and sexual harassing. I know the pain of mental illness in the form of mental torture, so I feel very sympathetic to those, especially military veterans, who suffer from PTSD. Mental pain is real. And can be excruciating. I realize no matter my idiosyncratic tendencies, finally winning a measure of justice will require the help of other people, and, well, by any name, I guess God. I know that God may not intercede with my legal and financial problems but belief in a higher power does help with gratefulness and tranquility.

In jail, every day is a good day to die. However, the smallest graces save a tattered soul and help a person carry on to the next long minute. I want to thank the two women who ran Bible study every Tuesday. Yes, you read correctly. Unbeknownst to them, they gave me gold for a writer without means: a composition notebook, on my 54th birthday, which was an otherwise desolate milestone. Moreover, these women of God showed me a respectable and inspirational version of Christianity.

On cable tv, my cellmates preferred back-to-back episodes of Cops, shows about zombies, the shallow high jinks of Jerry Springer, endless sci-fi. (I prefer comedy and drama.) The day I was eventually sprung from the slammer, my legal troubles abated but not erased, Unsolved Mysteries ran a segment on St. Pio, an Italian priest who was said to develop stigmata and miraculously heal. Angered, under stress, I admit I acted out loudly like an ass (even by jail standards): “I hope they roast his nuts!”

Many jail birds claim to accept Jesus as their savior, though none gave up their bottom bunk for the pregnant woman in our ranks. Critically, I recognized around me the kind of souls who would have rejected Mary and Joseph. But I was forced to realize this was not a television segment that was going to uncover more Catholic dirt. Although St. Pio may have self-inflicted his wounds, trapped in a county cell block, I dropped my bad attitude and truly felt in my body an undeniable wave of love.

No surprise, in the short time since my release on PR bond, my nascent jailhouse conversion has been tested and wavered, fallen apart, and needing rebuilding. Im not a saint. My days are terrifying and unresolved. But. If I breathe calmly and deeply, and repeat my affirmations, what some call prayers, I recognize a connection between hope and light.

House of Hope in Hersey, Michigan, offered me a composition notebook. Any additional help readers may offer with legal defense, plumbing, back taxes, transportation, work or grace are appreciated. Thank you.

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