Public Comment

At the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Indianapolis, NRA Top Gun Wayne LaPierre fired off the following threat: “Gun-hating politicians should never go to bed unafraid of what this association and all of our millions of members can do to their political careers.” Ironically, this pro-Second Amendment threat to leave targeted individuals trembling in their beds would appear to violate the spirit of the Constitution's Fourth Amendment guarantee that "The right of the people to be secure in their persons [and] houses… shall not be violated."

But, with the increasing toll of mass shootings in the US, the NRA's annual pro-gun ceremonies are coming under fire from a growing number of Americans. Gunfire is now the leading cause of infant deaths in the US. ("We're Number One!") One in five Americans has experienced some form of trauma owing to gun violence. And the NRA's conventions themselves have been preceded by major acts of mass-slaughter—Parkland, Florida (2018), Uvalde, Texas (2022), Nashville and Louisville, Kentucky (2023).

Former VP Mike Pence told the convention's multitudes that it was time to “Stop trampling on the God-given rights of the American people every time tragedy happens.” Apparently, what Jehovah meant to inscribe on the stone tablets from Mt. Sinai was "Thou shalt not kill … unless thou art using bullets."

While the NRA allows conference-goers to carry weapons during their annual NRA gatherings, that option is not iron-clad. Attendees wishing to attend the NRA's main opening night event were ordered to hand over their pistols because "guns will not be permitted inside the forum on Friday, citing security concerns."

The order came from the "gun-hating" members of the US Secret Service who were sworn to keep Friday's NRA meeting "gun-free" in order to protect Second Amendment Absolutist and twice-impeached former president Donald Trump who was scheduled to speak. 

Trump told his disarmed audience: “The only way to stop these wicked acts is to ensure that any sicko who would shoot up a school knows that within seconds, not minutes, they will face certain death.” 

So let's pass a law requiring that, henceforth, all weapons be designed with sensors to detect whenever a "bad guy" trespasses on a school yard or points his weapon at a child. At that point, the weapon would be designed to blow up in the face of the would-be attacker—killing the villain "within seconds, not minutes." 

Speaking of Trump 

On the topic of Trump speaking, Jill Lawrence recently compiled a chilling Trump Tirade of slurs, insults, disparagements, and threats directed against Democrats, reporters, former aides-turned-informers and other critics of the Ocher Ogre. Writing in The Bulwark, Lawrence noted Trump's habit of referring to his detractors as "racists" and "animals." She goes on to write:
Trump’s brand is spewing abuse, and he certainly has not spared Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel handling the investigations into the Mar-a-Lago documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including the January 6th Capitol attack. Trump has called Smith, who is white, “a terrorist,” a “THUG,” a “fully weaponized monster,” a “Mad Dog Psycho,” and a “hit man” for Democrats “who may very well turn out to be a criminal.”
But the way Trump goes after black and Hispanic prosecutors and judges poses a special menace because of the example he sets—the permission structure he creates—for white nationalism, white supremacy, racism, anti-semitism, and immigrant-bashing. There’s no forgetting any of it, from “very fine people on both sides,” to “shithole countries” like Haiti and African nations. 

People's Park 54th Anniversary
The annual commemoration of the birth of Peoples' Park—to be held on Sunday, April 23, 11am-7pm—will also honor the memory of park founder/activist Michael Delacour. For a full list of speakers, artists, and performers, click here. 

Park defender Harvey Smith notes that this year's event will be followed by a Community Meeting to Save the Park on Saturday, April 29 from 1-4pm at the meeting room in Berkeley's Central Library. 

"We hope to see people from many organizations as we work toward long-term stewardship and maintenance of the park in perpetuity," Harvey writes: "This is to build an inclusive community-wide planning and working group to revitalize our park and to create a commons for all." 

The Internet Medicine Cabinet
The Internet is rife with pop-up ads for gizmos, glam, health-boosters, and cure-alls. Here are a few of the intrusions that recently arrived unbidden on the nether regions of my laptop screen: 

"Do this immediately if you have gum disease or tooth decay." "Use this household item to fill in wrinkles." "Do this immediately if you have moles or skin tags." "Ice water trick melts lbs of wobbly flab." "What your doctor won't tell you about tinnitus and how to treat it." "Suffering from yellow teeth? This Good Bacteria will whiten your teeth." And the all-time favorite: "If you have toenail fungus try this tonight (It's genius!)" 

HealthinessNews.com, one of the purveyors of on-line self-medication, offers the following disclaimer: "Please understand that any advice or guidelines revealed here are not even remotely substitutes for sound medical or financial advice from a licensed healthcare provider or certified financial advisor." 

Bumper Snickers
"Keep Honking! I'm Listening to Alice Coltrane's 1971 Meteoric Sensation 'Universal Consciousness'"
"My Other Car Is the TRUTH"
"The More People I Meet the More I Love My Dog"
"If You Collect Social Security, Thank a Democrat"
"The Price of Apathy Is to Be Ruled by Evil Men—Plato" 

Who Blew Up the Nord Stream Piplines?
On October 23, 2022, Matt Taibi wrote: "We’ve all seen the video of Joe Biden promising “There will no longer be a Nord Stream 2” and “We will bring an end to it.” The history of America’s bellicose threats with regard to Nord Stream were far more expansive than just a clip or two. Stopping Nord Stream was a central goal of American foreign policy for nearly a decade, with politicians from both parties pounding the table to stop it, and all that history was disappeared the moment the blasts took place…. Matt Orfalea’s video captures [below] … troubling things we already know about the Nord Stream blasts." 

Taxes Don't Need to Be So Taxing
More Perfect Union and Americans for Tax Fairness are concerned that millions of US taxpayers spent, on average, 13 hours and $250 to file their 2022 taxes. And why? Because "for the last 20 years, lobbying from corporate-owned, for-profit tax-prep companies like TurboTax and H&R Block have blocked the federal government from implementing a free, easy way for taxpayers to file their taxes online." 

But change (and significant cash savings) could be on the horizon thanks to last year's Democrat-backed legislation calling for an $80 billion investment to help the IRS track down well-to-do tax cheats. The bill also called for $15 million to explore the option of "a free, direct tax-filing system." (A report on this option is expected in May). 

A free, simplified system would assure that working families don't overlook programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit. More than 20 percent of working-class filers failed to claim their EITC. Struggling families shouldn't have to pay private for-profit firms to find the tax relief they are legally entitled to! 

For more information, click on the following link: "Let’s stop TurboTax and H&R Block from cornering the tax-prep market and finally make filing your taxes free and easy!" 

A Taxing Decision on War: To Pay or Not to Pay? 

David and Janet Hartsough are SF residents and Quakers. David is a co-founder or the Nonviolent Peaceforce and author of Waging Peace: Global Adventures of a Lifelong Activist. With tax filings due this month, they are sharing the following letter to the government:
Dear Friends at the IRS,
We are Quakers and cannot in good conscience pay for the killing of other human beings, or pay for war and preparations for war. Human life is too precious to drop bombs on people because we do not like their governments. Developing a new generation of nuclear weapons that could put an end to life on our beautiful planet is immoral and insane. Giving the Pentagon hundreds of billions of dollars does not increase the security of our people. Real security requires increasing funds for education, health and human well-being, and demanding a shift from militarism to diplomacy. 

People around the world see the climate crisis as the biggest threat to our future, and it cannot be solved by the military. In fact, the US military is the world’s biggest polluter. The massive militaries of the US and NATO did not prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine. Our tax dollars are being used to prepare for wars with many countries, including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. We are fueling a new nuclear arms race and a climate catastrophe.… 

Fifty-three percent of US tax dollars go for wars and preparation for wars. So, together with our IRS 1040-SR Form, we are sending a check for 47% of what we owe made out to the Dept. of Health and Human Services…. The other 53% that goes for war and killing, we are contributing to organizations working for peace and justice, and for programs meeting human and environmental needs in the US and around the world. 

Earth Day Cometh 

Here's an Earth Day Quiz from the Climate Reality Project 

On the very first Earth Day, approximately ___ people took to the streets to fight for our environment.
• 2 million
• 10 million
• 20 million (20 million is correct) 

What percentage of climate scientists agree that human activity is changing our climate?
• 50%
• 60%
• 90%
• 97% or more (97% is correct) 

And here are some of the Earth Day Events set to happen about the Bay: 

• April 21: Youth Vs. Apocalypse Earth Day Climate Strike, 10am-2pm, Embarcadero Plaza, San Francisco 

• April 22: "Earth Day, End War!" San Francisco Earth Day Festival, 11am-6pm, 1199 Ninth Avenue, San Francisco 

• April 23: Oakland People's Earth Day for Water Justice Rally, 1-3pm, Lake Merritt Amphitheater. 

Wild Life | Official Trailer | National Geographic 

"Wild Life" is a sweeping portrait of former Bay Area residents and history-making conservationists Kris and Doug Tompkins. The film, produced by by climber/filmmaker Jimmy "Free Solo" Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi, chronicles their successful fight to preserve some of the last truly wild places on Earth — including vast stretches of wildlands in Chile and Argentina. The film opened in select theaters on April 14th and will be available to stream on National Geographic Channel May 25th and Disney+ on May 26th, 2023. 

Here's a trailer for the epic film: