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THE DAY AFTER ELECTION IN KENTUCKY

George Ella Lyon Kentucky Poet Laureate (2015-2016)
Monday December 21, 2015 - 07:17:00 PM

We should cut services to the poor because

big government is bad

we have to shrink the budget

the poor have shelters

food banks

those barrels we fill at the grocery



We have to get rid of Affordable Care

for the reasons given above

We can’t afford to take care of everybody.

It’s not our job.

They should go to the public health department

take responsibility

figure something out.



We should not raise the minimum wage because

those are starter jobs

and what would motivate folks to do better

if they had a living wage right away?

Yes, I see mature folks working at Mickey D’s

but that’s not my fault.

They should have got themselves an education

a foothold, should have applied themselves

Also there are churches to help these people



We should defund Planned Parenthood because

abortion is a sin against God

you conceived it, you bear it

give it away if you can’t take care of it

should have thought about that before

you opened your legs

we believe in the sacredness of life

just not yours

or those of people of color

or gays

or poor people

like those scraping by in the drive-thru



We are done with handouts

except to corporations

who are people

and who contribute a lot more to this society

than you homeless

illegals

minimum wagers



Get a life, why don’t you?

We got ours.


© 2015 George Ella Lyon. All Rights Reserved -more-


Press Release: Update Regarding 2908 Channing Way; Victim Identified

BPD Officer Jennifer Coats
Monday December 21, 2015 - 06:50:00 PM

The Berkeley Police Department continues to investigate the death of a 22 year old male in the 2900 block of Channing Way. On Saturday, December 19, 2015 just before 7:30 a.m., the Berkeley Fire Department and Berkeley Police Department responded to a report of an unresponsive male at Pi Kappa Phi, 2908 Channing Way. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. -more-



Public Comment

Why is There a Housing Crisis, in Berkeley and Elsewhere?

Thomas Lord
Friday December 18, 2015 - 08:36:00 AM

In a friendly on-line conversation, someone recently said:

"Ah well K., that sort of small thinking is why we are here with this housing crisis. Every city battens down the hatches instead of building the housing needed."
Pardon me but that is poppycock.

There is a housing crisis mainly because incomes have diverged so wildly, not because of a supply shortage. I can say it another way:

There is not a housing crisis because there is a supply shortage. That's the wrong way round. There is a localized supply shortage because there is an income crisis.

That is why the crisis manifests as increased housing insecurity and increased economic segregation. There is plenty of housing in the greater region. What is really going on is a very stepped up tendency to segregate the rich from the not-so-rich and the poor. This is why in some cities, economic sectors reliant on labor from lower-income households are struggling to find enough employees. -more-


5th Republican Debate

Jagjit Singh
Friday December 18, 2015 - 08:25:00 AM

The prospect of any of the Republicans front runners becoming president is truly frightening. Have we learned nothing from the G.W. Bush/Cheney cabal who plunged the Middle East into utter chaos? Rand Paul was the stealth winner in last night’s shouting extravaganza. He reminded his macho protagonists that much of what they were advocating (carpet bombing ISIS) was in complete violation of the Geneva Convention (killing large numbers of innocent men, women and children is a war crime). He also admonished calls for building up the military which he said was already bloated. Dr. Ben Carson defended his call for massive bombing implying that a speedy death was better than death by ‘a thousand cuts’ and claimed that the deceased would be eternally grateful for their hasty demise much like his patients waking up after a brain operation. I fear the good doctor is rapidly descending into insanity. -more-


The Difference Between Sexism and Misogyny: A Helpful Guide

C. Denney
Friday December 18, 2015 - 08:27:00 AM

When people only listen to suggestions when a man makes them that is sexism. When people only listen to suggestions when a man makes them and personally disparage the woman who made them originally, that’s misogyny. -more-


Editorial

The Sun Will Shine on Berkeley--Tomorrow

Becky O'Malley
Monday December 21, 2015 - 06:52:00 PM

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

That’s (ten points on the quiz if you can identify it) Franklin Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, a beautiful statement which popped into my mind the last time I watched the pathetic Berkeley City Council in action, or more precisely their inaction. No insult to rabbits, but the six-vote majority which answers to Mayor Bates looks more and more like bunnies caught in the headlights. -more-


Columns

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Employment and Self-Worth

Jack Bragen
Saturday December 19, 2015 - 08:39:00 AM

Society's "work ethic" can be a source of self-punishment, usually in the form of self-critical thoughts. The terminology people use, "working" and "not working," are non-coincidentally the same terms we use when a vacuum cleaner or television are either operating properly or broken and in need of repair. -more-


THE PUBLIC EYE:It’s the Strategy, Stupid! The Secret of Trump’s Success

Bob Burnett
Friday December 18, 2015 - 08:32:00 AM

In June, when Donald Trump announced his presidential candidacy, many pundits dismissed him as not a serious contender. Six months have proven that wrong. Trump is a wily political operator with, so far, a winning strategy. -more-


ECLECTIC RANT: In wake of Mario Woods’ Killing, should SFPD be authorized to use Tasers?

Ralph E. Stone
Friday December 18, 2015 - 07:58:00 AM

In the aftermath of the killing of Mario Woods by five San Francisco police officers, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr has again asked lawmakers to authorize police officers to use Tasers. I believe San Francisco police officers should have Tasers as long as the department adopts the latest California electronic control weapon guidelines and individual police officers are thoroughly trained in their use. -more-


Arts & Events

San Francisco Performances Presents Mezzo-Soprano Jamie Barton

Reviewed by James Roy MacBean
Friday December 18, 2015 - 08:30:00 AM

On Wednesday evening, December 16, Jamie Barton was featured in a concert at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Coming off her recent success as Adalgisa in Bellini’s Norma last year at San Francisco Opera, a role she also sang recently in her debut at the Met, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton was accompanied by pianist Robert Mollicone and, in a new work by Jake Heggie, was joined by cellist Emil Miland. Barton opened the program with Homenaje a Lope de Vega by Spanish composer Joaquin Turina. These are three brief songs set to poems by Lope de Vega, all three dealing with the intensity of love and sexual desire. Singing in excellent Spanish, Jamie Barton imbued these songs with ardor and longing, especially in the third and final song, Al val de Fuente Ovejuna/To the Fuente Ovejuna Valley, which ends with the oft-repeated bold refrain, “My desire can find a way through walls.” Barton’s lush tone and impressive vocal power were perfectly matched with the pianistic power and sensitivity of her accompanist Robert Mollicone. -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

The Sun Will Shine on Berkeley--Tomorrow 12-21-2015

Public Comment

Why is There a Housing Crisis, in Berkeley and Elsewhere? Thomas Lord 12-18-2015

5th Republican Debate Jagjit Singh 12-18-2015

The Difference Between Sexism and Misogyny: A Helpful Guide C. Denney 12-18-2015

News

THE DAY AFTER ELECTION IN KENTUCKY George Ella Lyon Kentucky Poet Laureate (2015-2016) 12-21-2015

Press Release: Update Regarding 2908 Channing Way; Victim Identified BPD Officer Jennifer Coats 12-21-2015

Columns

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Employment and Self-Worth Jack Bragen 12-19-2015

THE PUBLIC EYE:It’s the Strategy, Stupid! The Secret of Trump’s Success Bob Burnett 12-18-2015

ECLECTIC RANT: In wake of Mario Woods’ Killing, should SFPD be authorized to use Tasers? Ralph E. Stone 12-18-2015

Arts & Events

San Francisco Performances Presents Mezzo-Soprano Jamie Barton Reviewed by James Roy MacBean 12-18-2015