Posts

Stay Woke, San Leandro

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American fascism is getting worse and San Leandro still ain't ready . I'm here to help explain why that is and what you can do to change it. I'll cover basic media literacy, local news sources, and a few pro-tips. Let's start with how we got here: people just can't read good . To the point that over half of Americans can't read beyond a 6th grade level . Their attention spans are fried . They can't focus long enough to read past a misleading news headline, let alone long enough read a book. If they can read a book. And most people have become so polarized that they've positively calcified in their petty little bigotries. People have tempers shorter than the shoestrings holding this country together. Now, none of this should be surprising. We're seeing it everywhere, from our neighborhoods to our capital buildings. It was the entire reason that certain "politicians"  dismantled public education  over the past 40 years going back to the ...

Time for a San Leandro Stand

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American fascism is here and San Leandro ain't ready . Last month, I laid out the case and point of the case in point. Some people were not happy to hear it. Most of the complaints were some variation of "too long, didn't read," and "womp womp, cry harder." Others were hit dogs hollering in the comments. A few were confused and wanted to know more. A handful agreed about the dangers we're facing and asked what they can do to help. Well, if reading is too hard, then it's time to get good. If you think being sad about the corruption and destruction of American democracy is funny, then we're not on the same side. If you're angrier at me for calling out the failures in our leaders and institutions, than the failures themselves, then you don't actually care about building a better San Leandro. But if you want to learn more so you can help, well, then let's go. *** First things first, you need to know the basics about what San Leandro is : ...

San Leandro Ain't Ready

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San Leandro isn't ready to resist the arrival of American fascism. We're now over 8 months into the Trump Regime 2.0, and our democracy is crumbling faster than a sandcastle in the sea. ICE is snatching innocent people off the streets like the Gestapo in 1930s Germany, sending them to concentration camps in Florida or foreign gulags in El Salvador. The White House is openly defying court orders, from ending birthright citizenship to firing federal workers en masse. Trump himself has monetized the presidency with billion-dollar jets from Qatar and literal gold statues from Apple's CEO. The tariffs are spiking inflation, and the job market is tanking as ordinary folks and working families struggle to survive. But the richest people continue to rake in profits. Now the military is being deployed against American cities, with soldiers on the streets and threats to send more across the country. It's so bad I don't even have the space to type it all out. *** So what's...

Here's My Political Roadmap: Part I

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Now that we are fully immersed in the horrors of the Trump Regime, I might as well wax aspirational about what the political roadmap for rebuilding the country should be (in my humble opinion). My plan is based on over a decade as an advocate and community organizer, working with marginalized groups across the country and sitting in rooms with the powerful where it happens; as well as another decade as a public servant, doing the people's business from the inside out and the bottom up to repair broken systems amongst crumbling institutions. It's not a perfect plan or a final plan. It's just a roadmap, but I think it's a pretty good one, all things considered. Here we go! *** Organizing motto: Building a better world for everyone Organizing strategy: Do everything everywhere all at once and all the time Organizing principles: Fundamental fairness through social and economic justice Civil rights and responsibilities for all Growth and abundance for shared prosperity Organ...

I'm a Jew So I'm (Not) White Enough

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I'm a Jew, so I'm White enough to get into the room but not White enough for the people actually in the room. I'm a Jew, so I'm White enough that I won't get pulled over by the cops while driving for no reason, but not White enough that the cops won't watch my synagogue burn down. I'm a Jew, so I'm White enough that no one follows me around a store to see if I'm stealing, but not White enough that the store owner won't call me a cheap money-grubbing cheater when I try to pay. I'm a Jew, so I'm White enough to go to law school, but not White enough to be anything other than one of those shylock shyster lawyers. I'm a Jew, so I'm White enough to go to medical school, but not White enough to be anything except a blood-sucking organ snatcher. I'm a Jew, so I'm White enough to help corporations get away with financial fraud, but not White enough to get away with it myself. I'm a Jew, so I'm White enough to be blamed fo...

Help Support Local Refugee Family

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(Image from JRS USA ) After fleeing Afghanistan, the Qureshi family came here to San Leandro for a better life. Unfortunately, the parents have fallen ill, and the family cannot afford rent, bills, or even basic needs like food. Their teenage daughters are students at the local high school. They're trying to stay in school and take care of their family, but currently they have no income or support. Here's their plea in their own words: "My name is Sapna, and I’m sharing this with deep sadness. My twin sister Hosna and I are students at San Leandro High School. Both of our parents are very sick and unable to work. Because of their health, our home has no income right now. We cannot afford rent, bills, or even basic needs like food. Every day is a struggle. We try to stay strong for our parents, but it’s hard. Watching them suffer while we feel helpless is the most painful part. My sister and I are doing our best we want to stay in school and take care of our family, but we’...

Reflections of a Survivor

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(Zdzislaw Beksinski, 1973, Untitled) There were so many times in my life that I should've died. So many times when I should've been lost. So many times when I shouldn't have made it. Maybe it's the fact that I'm nearly 40 when I never thought I would've lived to see 30. Maybe it's just the precarious state of the world and I'm feeling like I've never stopped fighting against all the terrible things destroying it. Maybe it's nothing but cobwebs in my ear and something even more ephemeral in my chest. But here I am at my desk typing away past 2 AM. Memories coursing through me like haunting ghosts and flashbacks faster than bolts of lightning surging across tormented skies. *** I was 1 year old in 1987, laying at the foot of the stairs I'd been knocked down, arm and leg broken, crying for help, but none came until my parents found me hours later almost unconscious while the babysitter was watching Saved By The Bell. I was 2 years old and my mot...