her body politik

 As I stepped out of class tonight at 10pm with a 45 minute drive ahead of me, I sighed in relief-- not because class was finally over, but because it felt so good to spend 4 hours with people who were engaged in learning something.  I know.  I'm a total geek.  But I love school. I can tell that I am more interested than everyone else there, but it doesn't matter.  I ask lots of questions to the professor, to the other students; I want to know everything  Pretty soon it spreads.  Everyone is asking questions- clarifying and inquiring. It feels electric, addictive.   I have to restrain myself so the other students don't start to hate me when we don't get out early because I am asking too many questions.  Someday I am going to be involved somewhere where everyone loves to acquire new information, where everyone wants to investigate how and why, where everyone wants to learn as much as I do.

They say 99% of protesting is just showing up.  The other 1% is voting.   If you want to have greater power over what happens in your democracy, you have to participate.  Vote.

If you feel that you're employees and/or business are being adversely effected by the Occupy Oakland movement send a representative to their nightly general assembly on Broadway and 14th Street in downtown Oakland.  Voice your concerns and take notes.  Be part of the process and help find solutions.   One suggestion is ask Occupy Oakland to publish the names of businesses who are supporting protests with signs and donations in their Twitter feed and Facebook pages.  My guess is that businesses who are willing to publicly support the movement with signage in their windows and announcements on their websites will find more customers than they know what to do with.  Go down to the encampment, bring donations and you will find allies, supporters, and lifelong customers.    http://sanfrancisco.grubstreet.com/2011/11/camino_closed_today_in_support.html

The Oakland Police Officers' Association just posted "An Open Letter to the Citizens of Oakland"  http://www.opoa.org/uncategorized/an-open-letter-to-the-citizens-of-oakland-from-the-oakland-police-officers%E2%80%99-association/  regarding the general strike tomorrow and inconsistency in the Mayor's message.  The letter notes the extreme cost of providing a police presence for protests and asks that the citizens of Oakland support the police in asking for the Mayor to give clear instructions that are consistent with her publicly stated positions on these issues. I support Oakland police officers and, like all employees, they deserve to have clear expectations laid out by their leadership that are in line with the values espoused by the city government.  That is that only way that any employee can be truly effective.  What is frustrating to me is that the motives of the Occupy movement have been convoluted by the Mayor and the actions of the OPD at the direction

I just purchased an 'Elizabeth Warren for President 2016' bumper sticker.  While I am impressed by Obama's recent decision to sack up and file some executive orders for student loans and underwater homeowners I just can't get excited about this election.   I love Obama, but I love progress more.  If Barack is going to remain so obstructed that Obama can't be the Obama I worked to elect then better to put someone in office who doesn't offend peoples' sensibilities so much.  Although I don't know that middle of the road Mormons are any less scary than  middle of the road black men for the American public at large. I don't know what the world will look like in 2015, but it look like either a Mormon or and African-American is going to be president between now and then.  Maybe a white woman will just what the economy ordered by then.

Since I decided to go as Medusa this year for Halloween, I thought I should brush up on my Greek myths and not just rely on my memories of the 1981, stop-motion-tastic film  Clash of the Titans .  In Ovid's rendition, this symbol of female power was once a beautiful, virginal priestess,  "the jealous aspiration of many suitors,"  in the temple of Athena.  When Poseidon decides he will have her, he "ravishes" (i.e. rapes) her as she prays in temple in front of the altar of Athena.  The goddess Athena punishes Medusa's transgression by causing snakes to grow out of her head, tearing their way through her scalp to take the place of her much admired hair.  Athena gives Medusa boar's tusks and turns her skin to scales.  (The myth doesn't mention how Athena takes vengeance on Poseidon.)  After this torturous transformation Medusa is banished to the island of Cristhene, off the coast of Ethiopia in the Red Sea.  In exile she is pursued as she was in the te

One of the many joys of having a dog is making them look ridiculous.  Since I am going as Medusa for Halloween this year it is only fitting that Oliver should go as Cerberus, especially because he is the least viscous animal I have ever met.  While Oliver's costume will be hilarious, don't expect anything nearly this cool when you see us Saturday night...                                                     

This isn't rocket science...

What I think is interesting about what's going on here in Oakland is that the reaction stems from the OPD's historically poor relationship with the citizens of Oakland. ( http://www.insidebayarea.com/t op-stories/ci_18947724 ) The OPD was threatened with federal takeover last year because it has failed to reform its behavior and practices. It shouldn't be lost on anyone that Ogawa Park is been dubb ed 'Oscar Grant Park' by protesters. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B ART_Police_shooting_of_Oscar_G rant ) the unarmed man shot by BART police in Oakland the on NYE. Community ties and culturally competency matter in every business, public or private. If OPD had done its due diligence-- training and educating its officers about cultural differences and historical oppression, hiring for diversity of life experience, not just diversity of race and gender-- to change it's relationship with the working class in Oakland violent unrest would be no more of an issue here t

Just taking a fiscally conservative approach- what costs more: port-a-potties & extra garbage cans or 200 police officers & a police helicopter being paid overtime, miles of barricades,flash & bang grenades, tear gas, and a publicity nightmare? I don't think one  needs to make a moral or constitutional argument when a cost-benefit analysis will do.