un-god like

So once again, those who say they know God better than anyone else have decided to play God. Those who profess to recite scripture and verse as it must have been meant, who say only they know the true meaning of God’s word, who swear on a stack of Bibles that it is THEIR and only THEIR interpretation of God’s word are acting as if God has anointed them his cadre of soldiers on Earth.

And the same people who shout and scream about too much Government, who fear that the red, white and blue of this nations flag is being drained because Government is being turned into a socialist, immoral secular Big Brother dictatorship, that group of people have decided that only they have the true key to the Constitution and only they can interpret the true meaning the Founding Fathers meant when they wrote the Constitution based on the preaching of their God.

For that group of religious zealots there is no hypocrisy, just Gods word and their meaning of his word.

Killing a provider for abortions is okay. Even though this group of Born Again Evangelicals is drowning in depression for the loss of an unborn life, they feel empowered to murder anyone who at the request of a women who has been raped or is ill, who shouldn’t deliver the baby to term or does not want a baby from an horrendous act of violence, anyone assisting with the health or welfare of the mother should be put to death. God it seems will gladly turn his head forgo the life of some, and permit legions of angry men and women to dispose of human life all in his name, they say.

Most recently in the state of Louisiana and in many states with a majority of Republican/Bagger legislators, bans on all abortions are being made into law. Once again, this group of God fearing Born Again Evangelicals has decided to play God. In the state of Louisiana there is a law being proposed that even if the woman is raped by her father or brother she can not seek an abortion. Even if the mother’s life is at stake, knowing if she carries the baby to term she will die, even if she has children already living, she can not seek an abortion. Those who profess the love of life care less for the current living and profess that the future life is more important. Somehow the quality of life, somehow, the reason for life, somehow all of that makes no sense. And somehow it is okay to have a socialistic philosophy as long as it is a Christian based socialism.

From Bachman to Santorum to Pawlenty, the hopeful Republican/Bagger candidates for President boast about the first thing they will do is rid the US of Obama Care. They all shout and scream about their Conservative Christian Family Values, but somehow see no correlation between the need for all humans to have access to affordable health care and being Christ like. These three candidates and a whole slew of other Republican/Bagger potential presidential aspirants mention God at least five times in every speech they make, yet seem to have no idea that living a healthy life; making health care affordable and attainable to all humans is VERY God like. Somehow God can not be a socialist when it comes to saving life, but he certainly is a Socialist when it comes to invading your personal life and killing you.

I grow so weary of false prophets who pick and choose passages from a Bible who are hypocritical heretics, who preach Gods words but never ever listen to what he/she has said. I grow so tired of journalists permitting the lies to be told without pushing for the truth. And I get so damn angry when a human being plays God.

In 2010 we permitted this band of hooligans to run free. We were fooled by their fiction; we must stop this ungodly behavior before it is too late to turn back.

Dave Stone, ticket agent

This is an open letter to Dave Stone, ticket agent manager for United Airlines in Buffalo New York. This is an open letter to let Mr Dave Stone, ticket agent manager for United Airlines in Buffalo New York that you have no conscience, no concept, no care what so ever about the customers who fly United Airlines from Buffalo New York or any city anywhere that United Airlines flies planes. This is an open letter to Dave Stone, ticket agent manager for United Airlines in Buffalo, New York to let you know, you know nothing about the needs and concerns of the customers of United Airlines, and instead of trying to service the customers of United Airlines you would rather wallow in the belief that customer service is second and profits are first.

Here is the deal Dave Stone, my partner Joe, flew to Buffalo because his Dad had open heart surgery and needed to get home ASAP. He used my United Airlines frequent flyer miles because for the past 10 years I have owned a United Airlines frequent flyer credit card, earning those miles. Here is the deal Dave Stone, United Airlines doesn't like to have anyone use their miles and makes any kind of decent travel time to use those miles almost next to impossible. So for Joe's return trip, Dave Stone, United decided to change some schedules and allotted 40 minutes to make a connection from Washington DC to the next plane out to LA. And in the illogical machinations United went through, if that last connection to LA is missed then Joe will have to spend the night in DC hopping to get on the next plane out. And Dave Stone, ticket agent manager for United Airlines in Buffalo, all Joe requested was to get a seat on a flight which was to leave earlier and had at least 5 empty seats. And Dave Stone, ticket agent manager all you could do was say NO, say NO and two of the following things: Sorry, but you are on the wrong tier for seating, (meaning you used frequent flyer miles and they are useless), and that you couldn't do anything because United Airlines was in it to make a profit (meaning God forbid anyone using their frequent flyer miles for anything but the few flights allotted stands no chance in flying any other flight.

Now, Dave Stone, you were the man who Joe could speak with in person to try and make a decent connection with five empty seats available, you the second person he contacted. As you must know Dave Stone, ticket agent manager for United Airlines in Buffalo, Joe contacted customer service and got both Kyle and Michael working in India (Doncha just love how United Airlines gives their Indian employees American names) When they could not assist the change request, Joe asked to speak to their superiors and both times, surprise, surprise, the calls were dropped. It is so nice that United Airlines out sources its customer services to India. I wonder, Dave Stone, you think Kyle and Michael might be able to do your job via the phone. I mean how hard is it to say NO and I am sure they can master a Buffalo accent.

Shame on you Dave Stone, company man, shame on you for not demonstrating an inkling of reason but a whole flood of bull shit and hate. Shame on you Dave Stone, ticket agent manager for United Airlines in Buffalo you have all that power to actually help the customer and all you could think about was the fact that united Airlines makes a profit and one ticket already paid for on a plane with 5 empty seats would somehow cause United Airlines to go bust.

My oh my Dave Stone, United is merging with Continental Airlines and will become even more of a monopoly of an airline, and your denying an earlier flight home on a plane with 5 empty seats might make that merger sour. What a company man Dave Stone, a company man with little heart, soul and empathy.

Not much we as passengers can do with the airlines and not much we can do when they hire people like you Dave Stone who are just robots, just following orders. Remember the Nazi soldiers who were just following orders? Good job Dave Stone, I am sure you ended up saving about 5 cents of United's money and managed to fuck up one more travel plan.

I wonder how people like you sleep at night, or does that cost too much money for United if you do.

easy as pie

I remember in the late 50's when my grandmother would take my little sister and myself downtown to meet my aunt. We rode the streetcar from Forbes Avenue and Denniston, paid the fare and for the next half hour would ride the rails traveling from Squirrel Hill to Downtown Pittsburgh. My grandmother was not a fan of mass transit and more so not a fan of anyone looking at my sister, me or my grandmother as we made our way to town. Once we got past the boundaries of Squirrel Hill and entered another neighborhood, my grandmother would whisper to us that we are no longer among our 'luntzmen' (brothers and sisters, comrades), but with the Goyum and the Goyum don't like Jews, so be careful.

I was about 9 and my little sister about 7 and we had no idea what my grandmother meant, but we sort of knew that it was okay to be Jewish in Squirrel Hill, but not so cool anywhere else. We, many times had this idea that riding the street car would take us to a great place, but the passengers with whom we shared the ride did not like us, just because we were Jewish.

When I was very young I remember my parents not understanding why someone Jewish would want to move to suburbs of Pittsburgh called Upper Saint Claire and Mt Lebanon. I remember at the Saturday night family poker games the relatives would all pooh, pooh and complain about how those neighborhoods still had deed restrictions not permitting Jews, Colored and Catholics from living on certain streets. I remember how my relatives wondered why any Jew would even consider moving anywhere he/she was not welcome.

I remember being in college, my Freshman year, sitting in a large auditorium waiting to start my Psyche 101 course when two kids I had just met that semester were all angry and pissed off. They had just come from the used book shop and purchased their Psychology Book. One said can you believe that guy, Mr. Goldberg, what a schmuck, he knew that the book was not worth $25, but he continued to "Jew me down" anyway. I was puzzled, "Jew you down what is that, you mean he was a Jewish guy with his last name being Goldberg." "I mean Jew me down as a cheap Jew, like all Jews are!"

I remember never understanding why anyone would hate me just because I was Jewish. I remember wondering where all that vitriol and venom had erupted or formed. All the talk about hate, or dislike or lies about who I was supposed to be because I was Jewish resonated without any reason for me. I remember being pissed that people thought they could deny me any rights, in this country just because I was Jewish. I remember when some of that bias and bigotry did cause me some second guessing and some self doubting. And then I remember saying fuck you, you don't know me and if you think that way you never will get the chance to know the truth.

Today, Saturday, June 11, is the official kickoff of Gay Pride in Los Angeles. Today and tomorrow there will be many festivities in which the LGBT community, their families and friends can say I am who I am and I like it. Today and tomorrow are two days in which the rainbow flag will fly high, drag queens to leather men, athletes to actors, average to sexy and hot men and women can share the limelight and no ones follow spot will be greater than anyone else's.

But even as LA celebrates Pride, there are religious leaders who still preach gay men and women are an abomination of the Lord, politicians who still believe equal but separate is a fine way to interpret the Constitution, television and radio entertainers who think using Fag, Queer, Sissy is funny and not harmful at all, moms and dads who would rather kick their children out of their homes than embrace the beauty of their children, and people who don't want the Gays to live in their neighborhoods, attend their schools or churches, are carriers of disease, are nothing but pure evil.

I remember when I discovered I was Jewish and then learned how many people hated me for being something so simple as a Jew. I remember when I was finally brave enough to come out as a Gay man and learned how many people hated me for something as simple as being Gay. I remember how easy it was to love myself or whom I happen to be and how hard it seems for others to hate anyone who isn't them.

I just wonder when we no longer need to hold Gay Pride, Black History Month, Puerto Rican Parades, Jewish Day Parades and just realize how special we all can be because we all have so much in common and what we don't have in common the rest of us can learn from and experience.

For those of us who actually believe in God or a higher power or an energy bigger than us this should be as easy as pie.

from under a rock

I sit here and watch as the rock is lifted and crawling from beneath it, candidates are coming forward to proclaim their interest in running for President of the United States hoping to represent the Republican/Bagger Political Party. Some arise from the dark recesses of the earth to announce their noble intentions, some preach from the holy mount of some higher holier than thou moral values church their intentions, and some continue to tease the public hoping to hear a ground swell of please be our candidate.

And so it seems, the many men and women calling them selves potential presidential candidates of the Republican/Bagger Party, seem to not want to represent all Americans, and would prefer to govern some with more equality and some with fewer freedoms. It seems this slew of potential candidates of the Republican/Bagger ilk have decided that their Presidency need not be inclusive, rather selective and divisive.

Mitt Romney chatted with Peirs Morgan and proudly said he believes in equal rights for Gays. But somehow equal rights for Gays does not mean that the LGBT community should be permitted access to a legal marriage in the country Mitt Romney would become President. In Mr Romney's America equal has it stipulations, none of it he claims based on his Mormonism, but just based on what he deems right and wrong. In Mitt Romney's America, there has to be limits on the kind of equality the Gays receive. And those pesky Gays who want a government sanctioned marriage, not a religious approval just won't make the cut.

And speaking of cuts, Tim Pawlenty has decided that the rich in this country need even more tax cuts. The last 8 years of the Bush Tax cuts and now the Obama cuts which have produced no new jobs needs to be expanded in the eyes of Mr. Pawlenty.

Pawlenty proposed a reduction in the top corporate tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent, as well as just two tax rates for individuals. He has accused the President saying he “spent three years dividing our nation and fanning the flames of class envy and resentment." All this because the President has insisted that the deficit must be met with both the wealthy and the poor finding compromise.

Mr. Pawlenty's budget proposal would decrease revenue from the wealthy but insist that the poor, elderly, disabled and middle class do the right thing and give up any desire to live a healthy and full life. The America Mr Pawlenty wishes to preside over as 'Commander-In-Chief' is a place where the wealthy make little sacrifice, but everyone else should tighten their belts, live less large and stop asking for things like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Rick Santorum, the man who defined gay relationships as "man on dog" relationships, has decided to take on women and their rights. Rick Santorum has been expressing a truly extreme position on abortion rights. Discussing his role in bringing about the federal late-term abortion ban, Santorum dismissed exceptions meant to protect the health of the mother as “phony” and claimed that such exceptions would render the ban “ineffective". Santorum has slammed the Griswold decision, in which the Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right to privacy and overturned a state ban on contraception, as a "constitutional wrecking ball."

In Mr Santorums America, when he becomes President rape, incest will be just mere moaning of malcontent and unfulfilled women who only want to emasculate the dominate gender, men. During his tenure in office, a pregnant woman will be revered whether pregnant by choice, rape or incest. Privacy for women is not in the Constitution Mr Santorum abides by and women will be treated like any possession separate but equal.

The parade of potential Presidential Republican/Bagger candidates grows and grows. As each man or woman announce his/her intentions to lead this nation they also announce their intentions to limit the freedoms, choices and rights of some Americans. They are emboldened by the viewers at FOX, religious leaders, bigots, and some Americans who think, because I am not a woman, or a woman who will get raped or need reproductive services, not poor or elderly or disabled, certainly not a member of the LGBT community the denial of rights does not concern me.

The rock has been lifted and the creatures crawling from under are more concerned with appeasing the fringe and straying far from the middle. They are defining who a true American should be, and the kind of equality and freedom he/she should expect. And they are running for office trying to divide and conquer rather than unite.

Kind of a sad statement for a nation which prides itself on saying "...We the People..."

send in the clowns

“Send in the Clowns”

Don't you love farce?
My fault I fear.
I thought that you'd want what I want.
Sorry, my dear.
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don't bother, they're here. (Send in the Clowns, by Stephen Sondheim).

The ‘lame street press’ is attacked for a ‘gotcha’ question by Sarah Palin as she botched, butchered and bull shitted her way regarding American history. The ‘lame street press’ never asked her about Paul Reveres ride, but did ask what sights she saw while traveling the East Coast trying to save America from Americans. So Sarah answered that ‘gotcha question’ without ever being asked. One to never admit wrong, or I don’t know, or I made a mistake, ex half term Governor Palin insists that her version of Paul Reveres ride either made more sense than the facts or her facts make Paul Revere more of the kind of American Palin would like him to be. And then her clone of goons tried to rewrite the truth by editing Wikipedia as if Wikipedia is the scholarly account of anything. “Don’t you love farce”?

Rick Santorum is the latest of the far right candidates officially throwing his hat into the ring as he attempts a run for President via the Republican/Bagger Party. He is a champion of God and if he is elected as President, this nation has room for only those who want a closer relationship with his God. Tim Pawlenty, running for President believes that the wealthy are paying way too many taxes and wants to lower their burden of responsibility. He also has no tolerance for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, so one of his first acts will be to repeal that law. Newt Gingrich believes that above all else the Defense of Marriage Act is the cornerstone of the Constitution and if that law is repealed the crack in the Liberty Bell will break the bell and the minions of the Devils will take hold of his America. He is in love with his third wife and is saving the Institution of Marriage this time around. So Non-Christians, Poor, Gays it is your fault that this nation sucks. “My fault I fear”.

One by one the voters that threw out the bums in the 2010 election and voted in the newer bums and managed to elect a majority of Republican/Baggers into the both houses of their state are suddenly feeling buyer’s remorse. The outcry of the public for jobs and the insistence that jobs and the deficit were job one by the Republican/Baggers blended like a pure melody. Do what we ask for and we will reward you plentifully was the melody and we will do exactly that, but don’t read our fine print was the lyrics. But instead in such freedom loving states as Wisconsin, busting the unions, Indiana cutting funds for Planned Parenthood, Maine abolish child labor laws, Minnesota ban gay-marriage, the tune was more like less big government where it counts and more intrusive government where we believe it should count. The budget comes second restriction on equality, freedoms and rights is job one. “I thought that you’d want what I want”

We wanted a larger than life action figure to run a larger than life state, like California, so we elected Arnold. If he could stop cyborgs from wreaking ravage and mayhem to future generations, certainly he could move mountains destroy molehills and make any ‘girly politician’ run and hide and cow tow to his demands as Governor. He was the man to do the job that so many other mere mortals could not. There was even talk about changing the Constitution so this Austrian born of red white and Gold’s Gym bodybuilding, this phenomenal man could take his Conan like leadership skills and make this country lift some heavy weight and build our bodies so no one in the world would ever think about kicking sand in our faces again. He was all man but didn’t man up to his affair with his housekeeper. Nope, while doing the people’s business, he wanted to keep his personal business, well, personal. Somehow someone was not happy with a bribe so the truth came pouring out and Mrs. Schwarzenegger found out she was not the only one to get fucked. “Sorry, my dear”.

We now have one more Congressman (Anthony Weiner) assuming he has Krypton keeping his identity from being discovered as his pictures floated around the Internet. He thought that only Republicans were crazy enough and hypocritical enough to be caught with their pants, down, shirts off, penis’s hard, so by blatantly demonstrating his masculinity to any woman other than his wife or girlfriend/boyfriend, no one would notice. He figured it was not done on government equipment so by using his equipment to prove his sexual prowess all could and should be forgiven. “But where are the clowns”.

We have the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Pribus, demanding that Congressman Weiner resign his position for sending pictures depicting his Jewish anatomy, but somehow the same Chairperson doesn’t care that two Republican Senators, Vitter, and Ensign had been and is in office serving their Constituents, after one planned a few visits with a prostitute Vitter, one had an affair with his assistant’s wife, Ensign. No voices of resignation were heard from any Republicans about that behavior and only one of the Senators, Ensign resigned only after being caught breaking some real laws but not for breaking into the bedroom of his married assistant. “Quick, send in the clowns

American politics, in 2010/2011, how wondrous, onerous, ridiculous they have become. Do as I say, not as I do, facts are not necessary just my personal feeling. My wife didn’t know so I am okay being an adulterer. Big Government is too big, but not too big if it doesn’t set standards for your reproductive rights, sets your religious preferences, discriminates on who you can love and marry, cares less about your health, prefers you stay poor or in poverty. So amazing to me the amount of clowns we have elected into office who time after time act as if they were performing in a three ring circus under a big top. Send in the clowns, oops, “Don’t bother they’re here”.

grandma braff

When I was young, my Grandma Braff was alive and spent a whole lot of time at our home. She lived with my one unmarried aunt, but during the day and for dinner my Grandma would spend time with my mother and her family. When I was young, it seemed that my Grandma, unlike other Grandma’s did not have a first name and to even call her Grandma Eva somehow seemed rude and disrespectful. So to us we referred to her using her last name only. It is what we knew and thought was normal.

My Grandma was born in Breylia Romania, and came to this country as a teen age girl. And by the time I was old enough to interact with my Grandma, she, had become very much Americanized, but somehow remained very Romanian when certain circumstances prompted a Romanian reaction. Her grandchildren knew something was uncomfortable, something seeming disingenuous, something was plain wrong when my Grandma would either speak in Yiddish, revert to Romanian, or start reciting some proverbs or curses when addressing situations she did not like or people she did not trust.

My father, whose Dad came from the Ukraine, would say that most Romanians were a bunch of Gypsies and whenever his mother-in-law, my Grandma would start her verbal whirling dervish, would say beware she doesn’t land that curse on you. He of course was kidding; we of course thought my Grandma had some very supernatural powers.

My Grandma was not one who took her time in deciding who she thought was fair, kind, real or honest. She was immediate in her summation and many times it was scary how correct she was in describing the positives and negatives of people’s personalities. Many times we all would just ignore my Grandmas dire predictions of someone being flat or phony or a manipulator and often times we would have to recant our own words finding out that indeed Mr. or Mrs. X was not what they presented themselves to be.

My mother had a first cousin, my Grandma’s niece named Bernice. Bernice was the oldest child of the 12 kids my Grandma’s younger sister had born in this Earth. Bernice was brash, bold and many times bigger than life. She could walk into a room crack a joke, make a wise ass remark and even the men of this machismo male Romanian family would sometimes cower in the distance. She was a presence to reckon with and someone you would have rather been on her good side or just remain invisible.

Bernice would walk into the middle of someone else’s story try to take it over and provide an ending. She would start an argument, talking fast, repeating words over and over again as if saying them over and over again made her fact real, and she would always challenge anyone who challenged her fact as being fable by disarming them completely and accusing them of bias against her. She hated being called a bully and like most bullies, blamed everyone else for making her say and act as she did.

Bernice was a popular lady at the Saturday night Family Poker Games, and no one who cared an ounce about their happy lives would ever send regrets to a dinner or a party created by Bernice. Bernice seemed to be the person who was right, just based on bogus, bull shit and a bag full of excuses and insults.

My Grandma would speak of my cousin Bernice and then spout out sayings like… the devil loves to hold your tongue so he can permit his voice to be heard through a louder mouth… the more someone rattles on the less truth they tell…more than one excuse only means truth was never the intention…the more you describe the bad things other people do, the most likely you have done nothing better. And she would say the most empty of people are the first to try and fill up your life, it is you who keep them from just floating away, just let go! Eventually Bernice had a fall from grace. She collected the dues from the Family Club for the once a year party, and somehow said she lost every last dollar. The next day she was driving a brand new Cadillac.

My Grandma was a bright lady. She had some kind of sense to smell out dishonest, disruptive and debilitating behavior. I just wonder how my Grandma would describe the self-serving, greedy, careless word and deed that Sarah Palin as brought to this nation? I wonder what advice my Grandma would use to describe the lemmings that need nothing more than show and tell to appease their intellect, choosing Sarah as their ring master. I wonder what kind of a Romania curse would be necessary to stop the madness made by Sarah as she advances her life at the cost of those who think she even cares about their lives. I wonder if cousin Bernice was reincarnated as Sarah Palin?

My Grandma would always give a hearty pooh-pooh before ever mentioning the name of those who lie, steal and cheat. A pooh-pooh to those who always spoke a bigger game then ever played and a pooh-pooh to those who had little substance but whole lot of blow hard.

Here is a pooh-pooh to both cousin Bernice and her newly appointed clone Sarah!

ignorance and arrogance

"However, even on a state level and even a local level, mandates coming from a governing body, it's tough for a lot of us independent Americans to accept, because we have great faith in the private sectors and our own families ... and our own businessmen and women making decisions for ourselves. Not any level of government telling us what to do." (Sarah Palin, June 2, 2011), responding to the health care mandate put into law by then Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I know my rates for health insurance have increased and increased each and every year I have been lucky enough to be able to afford health insurance. When I was the Executive Director of Jewish Community Center’s one of the most burning issues for my budget was the increased cost of health care for my employees as well as the type of useful coverage those employees received as the rates rose.

Ms Palin, the private sector for Health care services has little regard for my health and a whole lot more concern for the health of the salaries of their CEO’s, share holders, and the black ink of their corporations. Ms Palin, some of us were not receiving socialist entitlements for health insurance as you did while Mayor and Governor, some of us are not reality stars making hundreds of thousands of dollars for doing stupid things, some of us are not given an open page to make up facts as a FOX entertainer receiving six figure salaries for lying, and some of us never had the opportunity to hire a ghost writer to embellish upon any mundane experiences, fabricate non existence circumstances or fictionalize a life and receive millions of dollars in this charade as you have all of which enabling you to afford the whims and wherefores of how much the free market thinks they should charge for health insurance.

Ms Palin the free market to date has taken little consideration of the welfare of most to many Americans, especially those in the middle class, poor, seniors or with chronic issues of physical and mental health. Ms Palin, the free market has opted out of making health insurance accessible, and instead has taken great care to weed out those who actually live another day because they need health insurance to do so. Ms Palin, the free market is not free to the average American, because the free market cares more about its profit then the loss of life it may cause if you just can’t afford the premiums.

Ms Palin, a Government which looks closely at the quality of life of its citizens, is a government that has a conscience. Politicians who care about the quality of life of his/her constituents rather than the amount of money they receive from lobbyists or wealthy donors is a real American. People who shout about free market and never look at just how expensive a free market can be for the average individual are just arrogant ignoramuses.

You have once again started your dog and pony show and many uneducated, fearful, unintelligent lemming like folk actually think when you speak, you speak for them. You are a great entertainer, a great deceiver, but from my perspective you lack a whole lot compassion, consideration and conscience.

The free market needs some help when those who benefit seem to be those making enough money to actually feel free as they live their lives.

You amaze me Ms Palin, pretending to be of the average American, trying to sound informed about the most common of issues, yet being so confused. The sad thing is some actually think you care about them, I believe it is you and the welfare of you that counts most. I wonder how you sleep at night!