Life

I occasionally sit and wonder if I am on the right path in life and how I came to be the person I am. I imagine that many people struggle with this same question.

Truly, there are more questions than answers but I sometimes feel compelled to dig for some sort of answer.

There are some people who believe that ‘things happen for a reason'. I strongly believe that things do happen for a reason but not because it is some sort pre-conceived destiny. Things happen because of choices we make.

A friend once told me, “You are simply floating through life”. This statement has had a profound affect on my psyche. I can truly admit that in my early twenties, I was floating through life. All my decision during that time in my life were decisions made on a whim. I never took future aspiration or consequences into account. I simply lived day-to-day.

Things have dramatically changed since those days of hasty decision making. I now have a growing family and goals. It is often the case that I ask myself, “What changed me”. Truthfully, I do not know.

What I realized is that in life, there are drivers and passengers.

During a late evening in which I tried to motivate my son to complete his homework, the topic of drivers and passengers surfaced. I tried to explain the importance of school and striving for success in life. In trying to explain this “theory” to my son, I explained that in life there are people that “float through life” as my friend once stated and people that make things happen.

I asked him, “Do you want to live life as a passenger, letting life and others lead you wherever they want or do you want to be a driver”. He looked at me with a smile and said “I want to drive”.

Jumping from the back-seat to the driver seat in life is an important step everyone must take if they hope to live a fulfilling life; a life that is truly gratifying. Unfortunately, most people do not make that jump and live the rest of their life struggling, being unhappy.

I feel that I made the life saving jump several years back. Making this jump took courage and risk. As an example, I shifted from full-time to part-time work in order to go back to school. This was a great risk for my family but it seems to be working out for the better. Simply being able to write this entry is a testament of the intellectual progress I have made in my life.

It is my hope that all the people in my life; especially my kids learn that they are the driving force behind their own lives. They are the ones that need to make things happen. As I tell my kids, you can become anything you want in life!

It is time to move forward!

Governing California

The event I attended was a talk by the 2006-2007 Leader-in-Residence, the Hon. Fred- Keeley. The focus of his talk was a fictional State of the State Address. Mr. Keeley used this fictional address to put forth ideas that he would seek to advance if he was Governor.

He premised his talk on the idea that the Governor and Legislature need to take the current goodwill the constituents have granted them and the need to work collaboratively to get things done. All of Mr. Keeley’s talk focused on state issues but some of the topics did seem to address similar local concerns.

An issue that he touched on which has a tremendous affect on local communities is increasing the average per pupil spending. He proposed raising the amount of per-pupil spending to raise California in the U.S. rankings. His goal is a modest one which would bring California from 45th -25th place in the national rankings. Although this issue is the state’s responsibility, the ramifications of increasing per-pupil spending would surely be felt at the local level. Poor schools would benefit tremendously from such proposals.

Mr. Keeley also referred to “broken” parts of the government. These pieces were:
Term Limits; Re-districting; and Campaign Finance Reforms. Even though these reforms would take place at the state level, all of these reform topics affect local politics. After all, the elected representatives from local districts represent the local governments.

He stated that term limits create representatives that are always running for something. Thus, they never fully lay roots and become dedicated public servants. Instead, they revert back to campaign mode. This lack of permanency prevents the representative from effectively representing the constituents in their district.

Civic participation was also cited as a problem. The present state of citizen involvement is low due to citizen’s pessimistic view of politics. He said that we currently equate citizenship with consumerism. As in state elections, this view holds true in local politics and is evident from the turn-out during the most recent mayoral election. There is a need to get citizens disenthralled and active. Plainly, they need to have a reason to become involved. Thus far, politicians have been unable to attract the reluctant voter.

The most intriguing and insightful comment that I heard from Mr. Keeley was when he described our state’s correctional system. He stated that politicians needed to be brave in opposing their historically supportive base. He was referring to the state politician’s reluctance in dealing with a broken part of our system—the Department of Corrections.

This statement resonated quite profoundly for me because politicians should represent their constituents fully. If there is a part of the government structure that is in disarray, you must be able to take an objective look and make a call as to whether it is working properly. If it is not working properly as in the example Mr. Keeley provide with the Department of Corrections, you must be willing to say so, even if doing so cost you crucial votes.

I enjoyed listening to Mr. Keeley and hope to take his course in the near future. His excitement and dedication for Politics was evident. He seems to truly enjoy his work.

Finals

During the school year, students poor in and out of the King Library, checking out books and of course studying. I have come to the library on many occasions and have always been able to find a seat—today is different.

As I sit here on the 8th floor of the beautiful King Library, I am a bit irritated. As I look out the window staring at the beautiful city lights, I ponder why the library is filled to capacity.

I reach for a conclusion to my question and find that there are a couple of possibilities:

1. Many people from the community happen to be out on this stormy night in the hopes of finding a good book to cuddle up with. (not likely)

2. The people from the community came to the library to find some shelter from the rain. (maybe)

3. Students who have not otherwise studied during the semester are trying to crunch in as much studying as possible in the hopes of securing a decent grade. (most likely)

I vote for the 3rd option!

The rational of coming to the library towards the end of the semester to “finally” hit the books does not make sense to me. Why would you wait to the last minute to cram everything in if you had the whole semester to pick up your class material and review?

And for those readers that are wondering if I am doing the same as the students I am complaining about, I am not. I am at the library because my kids do not allow me to study at home.

Thus, I will carry this frustration as I walk around the various floors of the library seeking a clean well lighted place.

United Nations

It appears that John Bolton, the divisive Bush appointment will be stepping down as the United States Representative to the United Nations. His appointment to a post of such stature has being as controversial as any presidential sex scandal.

He was originally appointed by President Bush during a congressional recess—without debate or consensus.

Mr. Bolton is what some would call a “war hawk” in that he is willing and seems at times anxious to go to war. His most recent stance that made clear his irrefutable disregard for global consensus is that topic of unilaterally attacking Iran.

Mr. Bolton was/is hell-bent on unilaterally attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities in the hopes that the attacks would cripple their progress towards becoming another nuclear power. The stench of hypocrisy is unbearable to me.

He in no way represents the opinion of the world community but with the veto power the US has within the UN Security Council, it is certain that global consensus has long been thrown out the window. Lucky, other members of the Security Council are willing to put the brakes on passage of such an irresponsible resolution.

I welcome the Democrats certain rejection of Mr. Bolton nomination. Mr. Bush’s audacity in re-submitting Mr. Bolton as the nominee is unbelievable. He should have more sense. A man that has been quoted as saying the UN is “irrelevant” should not be allowed to lead this country in the world community. He should sit on the sidelines and watch a peace loving American represent the US.

Paternalistic Approach

It is interesting to me that as a society, we are able to withstand the idea that the educational system is inherently unequal and choose to do nothing about it. Those that received the short end of the stick are the people of color.

In contrast, when the issue at hand affects the majority’s interests, especially those that negatively affect the majorities perceived notion of fairness in college admissions, all hell breaks loose. People then begin to cite “reverse discrimination”.

It goes without saying that this accusation carries more weight than if used by people of color.

People that are against affirmative action usually state that one of the reasons they are against it is because it “stigmatizes” the minorities that are being granted such an opportunity.

The reasoning goes: Apart from “reverse discrimination” affirmative action is not a good solution because it “stigmatizes” minorities as not having the ability to achieve such levels of success. Everyone at the school will think that they are not there for their “smarts”, but are there because of their color. We do not want them to suffer from stigmatization so affirmative action is not the best solution.

I strongly feel that as a person of color, I am already “negatively stigmatized” as being a thief, rapist, stupid and unable to perform in higher education. Even with these ever-present pre-conceived notions about me and people of color as a whole, I feel that if given the opportunity, and the resources, I and every other person of color could perform just as well or better than all of the people that make up the majority.

With this reasoning in hand, I would suggest that the majority STOP using a paternalistic approach to de-legitimizing affirmative action and begin to acknowledge that until the proverbial playing field is equal, racial minorities need some help. If this help comes in the form of affirmative action, I will take it!

The Balance

It goes without saying that striking a balance in life as important as it is difficult. My struggle is especially complicated.

I play many roles and struggle to keep everything balanced on a daily basis.

It is usually the case that I must decide between reading my school material and reading my son & daughter bedtime stories. This decision is difficult but I sometimes choose the former.

In deciding to stay at the library reading my school materials, I am in a roundabout way choosing what is best for my kids. I surely miss reading them bedtime stories but also take heart in the fact that what I’m doing in the library is in the end seeking to improve their life.

It is my hope that my present decisions help build my kid’s character in that they see how one must strive for what is important.

I hope to give my kids a greater opportunity in life and hope that I make the best choices in pursuing a balance that is sometimes not in their favor.

City Council

After recently attending a San Jose City Council meeting, I've come to the conclusion that for the most part, the council meeting seems to be a ceremonial show that is put on for the sake of perceived transparency.

The truth is most decisions are made before the item comes before the council for a formal vote. This is merely a formality to the decision.

As the Mercury News stated in an editorial, council member Dave Cortese expressed [his] “outrage over how city council members use so-called ‘recommendation’ memos to establish the council’s position before public hearings take place”. I strongly agree with Cortese and believe that these memos dilute the democratic processes that are in place during the ceremonial council meetings.

The Blame Game

I am currently taking a course titled US Law & Society in which we analyze societal ills such as poverty and discrimination.

I have become extremely irritated with white students when they say something silly like “if you live in a poor neighborhood, you should move” or “if you work hard, you will escape poverty”.

Comments such as these are made from their comfortable position in society. They assume that people of color are in their current precarious position simply because of bad choices. They refuse to accept the possibility that past bigotry has an affect on the present state of society.

When trying to explain such an emotional issue such as poverty, people of color usually cite bigotry or discrimination as ‘one’ source of their misery. This day and age, bigotry is more covert. The golden age of bigotry has long since passed.

In response to such comments from people of color, younger white people usually make such comments as “you are poor because you want to be”. What they are trying to say is do not place blame for your situation on other groups, specifically ‘us’. I ask this otherwise controversial question—who else is their to blame?!

To put my situation in perspective, imagine us sitting in class, surrounded by students of different races. For the sake of discussion, we will assume that in order to get into San Jose State University and more specifically in US Law & Society, each student must jump 20 ft. high. Students of color and white students alike need to jump to the same level of 20 ft. This seems fair enough.

Now imagine that the students of color are jumping from within a 10ft hole and are expected to jump the same height and if they don’t, they are seen as lazy. This hole represents bigotry, poor schools, poor libraries and a host of other issues.

Does this seem fair? Now as you sit in class and look over to the student of color, imagine what it took for this student to get where he/she is to be sitting in the chair next to you.

It is time that in classes such as these and in society in general, we begin to recognize that a large part of the reason people of color find themselves struggling is because of White people’s past actions, their covert bigotry and a system of government and economy that is geared to benefit them and only them—usually at the expense of people of color and less fortunate white people.

Hope

It is my hope that the Republicans lose hold of their power in Congress. I think that a divided government is necessary during this crucial time in our history in which we are at a crossroad—will we choose the same uncoordinated path we’ve been on or our we ready to reclaim this countries ideals of truly helping the world.

The Politics of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

In case you live in a box, we have a new nuclear power in the world. The hypocrisy seems to be oozing from our government as we condemn North Korea for testing a nuclear weapon.

I think it is important to think about why the North Koreans tested such a weapon. Could it be seen as deterrence to our trigger-happy administration?

In deciding to invade Iraq, the United States defied the world community which is represented within the United Nations! After such a cavalier attitude, many counties including Iran and North Korea have been wary of our countries intentions. To blame such countries for wanting to defend their people is counter intuitive. In their minds, the imperialist United States is trying to expand its grip on the world through war.

If the United States is concerned about a new nuclear power that refuses to sign on to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, why is it that we have a double standard for other countries such as Israel, Pakistan and India? Why is it that we are not imposing sanctions on these countries for developing such weapons?

Pakistan for example is one of the most unstable regimes in the world. The have suffered several coups over the last decade. Their current President, Musharaff came to power through a coup. If we should be sanctioning anyone, it would make logical sense to place sanctions on this country.

Moreover, if we are concerned about the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the country we should really be riding is Pakistan! After all, it is their famed scientist A.Q. Kahn that was instrumental in spreading the nuclear know-how throughout the Middle East.

In the end, it is evident that we ourselves have not bought into the principles of the NPT as evidenced by newly developed strategic nuclear weapons.

Will our country ever learn the politics of hypocrisy?

Local Politics

Today I attended a San Jose City Council meeting. This was my second time attending such a meeting. I have found that many of the issues that they cover or vote on are issues relating to land use/zoning issues.

During tonight’s meeting, I was able to witness a conflict of two powerful forces, labor and city government.

Typically, the attendance at a City Council meeting is sparsely attended but tonight was special. As I walked into the chamber, I noticed many individuals in orange shirts. While I sat their listening to the dull discussion of re-zoning and annexation, I wondered who they represented.

As the meeting dwindled to a close, the last item on the agenda was the open forum.

The open forum is used by individuals to spew hate, make allegations, evangelize and of course to express concerns. The opportunity to speak in front of the city leaders draws the strangest people. On this night, I was treated to concerns of city employees that are in the midst of negotiations. To be more exact, the gripes of Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 (OE3).

As the people lined up to speak during the open forum, there was a long line of individuals from this union shop.

The member that caused this night to be special walked down the stairs in a biker jacket holding his helmet, a rather unassuming man. As he stood in front of the council, he mentioned that he was not good at speaking in front of crowds.

He began reading the union’s concerns but then took a hard left and began listing off the many things that the City Council had voted on such as the New City Hall, subsidies to Starbucks and other various controversial expenditures.

One council member stated after the meeting that she was a little irritated with the union member’s comments because his numbers were off.

After the member listed off all the gripes, the chamber erupted into a frenzy. People cheered and clapped. The Mayor had to request that the audience refrain from participating. I found myself clapping, fully supporting this union that I new nothing about. I was caught up in the moment.

After the meeting, I sat there in the empty chambers thinking, I realized that I had witnessed the democratic process in its purest form.

The ability to address city officials directly through an open forum is a powerful concept. It makes one feel extremely engaged. I hope to one day have the courage to address this same council.

Latin America and the Devil

On Wednesday September 20, 2006, Hugo Chavez addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. In his address, he verbally attacked the United States and lashed out at George Bush. At one point in the speech he said, “the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the devil came here. Right here. [crosses himself] And it smells of sulfur still today.” He was of course referring to George W. Bush.
Chavez also criticized Bush’s statement referring to extremism. He said, “The president of the United States, yesterday, said to us, right here, in this room, and I'm quoting, ‘Anywhere you look, you hear extremists telling you can escape from poverty and recover your dignity through violence, terror and martyrdom.’ Wherever he looks, he sees extremists. And you, my brother - he looks at your color, and he says, oh, there's an extremist. Evo Morales, the worthy president of Bolivia, looks like an extremist to him. The imperialists see extremists everywhere. It's not that we are extremists. It's that the world is waking up. It's waking up all over. And people are standing up.”
Chavez went on to criticize the “undemocratic” structure at the UN, stating that the United States and their partners had tremendous amount of disproportionate power in the Security Council that created an atmosphere of illegitimacy.

Soon after Chavez’s heated speech, none other than Democratic House Members, Charles Rangel and Nancy Pelosi criticized Chavez for this comments. Rangel stated, “You don't come into my country; you don't come into my congressional district and you don't condemn my president.” Nancy Pelosi stated, “He is an everyday thug”.

This comments in particular Rangel’s comments, drive me crazy. How can he make that statement with a straight face? I contend that any person/country that has been a victim of U.S. imperialistic ambitions should be able to speak and criticize the policies that keep his region of the world in a vicious downward spiral. On the contrary, I applaud Mr. Chavez for having the courage take to make such comments. One would only hope that other Latin American Leaders were bold as is Mr. Chavez.

I personally see him as carrying the torch of all Latin American Countries that seek self determinism without having their overgrown, powerful neighbor always looking down on them.

With the U.S.’s past involvement in trying to destabilize Latin America, be it the coup against the Allende Government in Chile or the illegal funding of the Contras in Nicaragua, I think that Rangel like Pelosi, should not be criticizing in ignorance or dare I say arrogance.


http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092106P.shtml