Monthly Archives: October 2024

Statehood for Puerto Rico!

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Let’s make Puerto Rico a State in our Union. It’s long overdue.

Fellow Americans! This includes the people of Puerto Rico including those currently living on the island, and, sadly, unlike Puerto Ricans who live in a US state, cannot vote for their President and Vice-President. We are long overdue to make Puerto Rico a new state in our old Union, or grant it full  independence. The island’s status cannot continue to exist in the colonial twilight of legal purgatory. Yesterday in New York City, a comedian at Republican Donald Trump’s big Manhattan campaign rally made a nasty, ugly, and racist joke at Puerto Rico’s expense. The joke immediately antagonized Puerto Ricans everywhere. It angered numerous other Hispanics and Latinos including those who support Trump for President. Democratic candidate for Vice-President Tim Waltz called out the comedian, who in turn derided the Governor of Minnesota for being unable to take a joke. The vile comedian was defensive and concluded his remarks with an immature, stupid, and sexist joke about women’s periods.

An enormous backlash against the Trump-Vance campaign exploded. Many Republicans were embarrassed, disturbed, and criticized the pro-Trump jokester. Campaign insiders were incensed rally organizers did not properly vet the comedian. Furthermore, Trump’s Manhattan rally was noteworthy for the violence and hatred in Republican campaign rhetoric. Indeed, many considered it as having the most violent rhetoric of any major campaign rally. Another consequence is the hostile, hateful jokes shined a spotlight on the festering identity issues of Puerto Rico. Continue reading →

Stevens Pass and Lake Wenatchee in Autumn

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Scenes from a foggy road trip thru Washington’s Cascade Mountains in late October of 2009

Gazing across Lake Wenatchee from the state park there. Curious what drives or pulls the clouds as if towards a central point, tho the big volcano Glacier Peak is over the horizon there just out of view. It’s Tuesday the 20th of October 2009, and one can feel Winter’s on the way. Winter comes early up here in the mountains.

Me in an old-fashioned selfie taken with my handheld Nikon D40 DSLR. Somewhere on the side of a dirt USNFS road north of Stevens Pass in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. From Wednesday 21 October 2009.

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Lost Gem of a Dayhike in the North Cascades with Kurt

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Rambling off into the woods and off the map with a close friend and the solo road trip back home with reflections on friendships, nature, and spirituality in mid-October of 2009

Looking up and away with my buddy Kurt at the North Cascades, America’s majestic and yet oft-forgotten gem of a national park.

The jolly giant laughs after falling on his ass…

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On the 7th of October one year after the Massacres

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The Middle East is the Hub of the World where wars constantly start and peace seems impossible. The only solution is a united planet with a global democracy, and can anyone seriously imagine our species being intelligent, mature, and evolved enough to come together to make it so? 

Had my own moment of silence. Today. So many emotions. One year after Palestinian terrorists from Iran’s proxy militia Hamas broke out of Gaza into southern Israel and murdered about 1,200 people. Most were Israelis, Jews, but others were citizens from more than 30 different nation-states and from other religions. A large number of those were Thais working in Israel. Most of the Thais were likely Buddhist. The killed and wounded ranged from babies to the elderly and from across all genders. Hamas engaged in mass carnage. The Israeli counterattacks have killed and maimed many, many more in Gaza, tens of thousands more, mostly Palestinians but also others from different countries and religions including Christians. 

Since then the war has spread across Gaza and Israel to the West Bank, Yemen, Lebanon, and has drawn in Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and several European allies including France, Italy, and the UK. Waves of anti-Semitism and sometimes violent pro-Palestinian protests have erupted in numerous countries including here in the USA. There have been vigorous pro-Israeli and pro-Jewish pushback. There are also mass demonstrations within Israel against their Prime Minister Netanyahu and to negotiate a ceasefire to return the remaining hostages home alive. Mass protests by Israelis against Netanyahu had been going on well before the Hamas butchery as Israelis rose up in the streets against their increasingly Far Right, authoritarian, and heavy handed regime. Continue reading →