Story Archives 2003

by SAPPHIRE/PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

SAN FRANCISCO--Millionaire Supervisor Gavin Newsom is trying to win the race for mayor of San Francisco at the expense
of elderly, disabled and homeless county assistance recipients. City officials across the nation who are truly seeking
solutions to the homeless crisis won't learn a useful thing from him.

Obsessed with what poor San Franciscans like me do with their trifling $320 to $394 per month cash grant, Newsom is
still trying to ramrod Proposition N, his "Care Not Cash" legislation, through the city's Board of Supervisors.

T

he slick language of Prop. N convinced voters that medical care, housing, meals and shelter would be provided to the
2,400 or so individuals and families, in place of the county assistance they now use to survive.

The reality, however, is that there is no infrastructure in place to support such a broad and monolithic county
expenditure, as City Budget Analyst Harvey Rose concluded in his June 9 report to the Board. Rose's office, which
oversees all budget expenditures considered by the Board, issued a scathing 28-page indictment of Newsom's political
shell game.

Rose estimated the city could wind up spending more money on providing services to those cut off welfare than the $13.9
million it currently spends on cash assistance. He also found little evidence of widespread welfare fraud by
out-of-town homeless people; catching those cheats was supposed to fund the "care" part of Newsom's program. Already,
some $1.5 million have been squandered on biometric laser fingerprinting and photo technology designed to catch an
imaginary army of double-dippers.

Judge Ronald Quidachay's recently struck down Care Not Cash on grounds that only the state, not the voters, can
regulate welfare recipients. Unfortunately, his ruling applies only to 1,000 of the 2,400 homeless County Adult
Assistance Program (CAAP) recipients. The other 1,400, including disabled people, the elderly, working mothers and
mentally ill residents were still slated to have their checks cut to $59 by July 1. (the cut-off date is now in limbo;
the supervisors will meet again to consider Prop. N). If implemented as currently crafted, Prop N will expel at least
610 current shelter residents.

No more than .025% of the families, workers and disabled people in San Francisco are homeless and currently receiving
General Assistance in the form of cash grants. Yet, Board members (including Newsom) just voted themselves a 66 percent
pay raise. So even though there will be no care, we do know where the cash will go.

Those of us who have personally experienced how San Francisco treats its poor have no illusions that anything less than
stepped-up police violence, alienation and the curtailment of our human and civil rights is on the way.

I've never heard Newsom talk about freedom of choice. For example, as a cash grant recipient under the CAAP programs, I
may want to attend a trade school or rent a space on a friend's sofa with my monthly stipend. I may want to put an
outfit together and look for work as a bar back or waiter. I may even choose to (God forbid!) join a young lady for
dinner or a movie. Under Ordinance N, my personal choice in these matters is completely stripped from me. This is about
human dignity.

As a young homeless man in San Francisco, I have a few pragmatic suggestions for helping homeless men and women meet
the challenges they face:

--Close all shelters, thereby removing from the equation fat cats and parasites who, entrusted with the well-being of
tens of thousands of human beings, often have little or nothing to show in return for the astronomical amounts of
money, resources and commodities they receive.

-

-Utilize existing housing and urban development funds as matching funds to assist private, non-government groups such
as Homes Not Jails in opening up empty building and units to squatters, students and low-wage workers.

--Create a liaison between the city and squatters to enhance squatters' rights at a time when housing will be most
crucial.

--Streamline funding to prevent extensive bureaucratic expenditures and cronyism.

--Be pragmatic and real about freedom of personal choice; it's often the only real way poor people can improve their
lot. For example, two, three or more individuals or families should be able to pool their resources to make ends meet
or pay rent for a living space.

--Waive San Francisco City College tuitions for homeless students so that those willing to try to improve their lot can
do so.

--Phase out traditional institutional entitlements with Habitat for Humanity-type models encouraging self-sustainable
and long-term success.

Homelessness, because it involves human lives, is far more complex than glib and simplistic "solutions" like "Care Not
Cash" make it out to be.

(06262003) **** END **** (C) COPYRIGHT PNS

by Joe B.

Hectic pre holiday almost got away from me.

A few days previous mama emails me about sister-in-law and brother visiting for a short time because of a test he must take before heading back Chicago Illinois.

Hoping to be there for a day or two as June 30th and July 1st came and went only delaying my trip out of the City.

Picked up check, saved some, then to check cashing for money order to pay rent, phone, buy soap, bathing, and cleansing items getting for late night light meal across the bay getting out of the City for a few hours.

Then fouled up a meeting at least though I had before finding out later that the person in Berkeley went to L.A. unexpectedly so quickly they hadn’t time to leave a note, or email me about.

I blamed myself I'm really late and know what its like to wait and wait for someone.

Luckily all the trains, busses, are late giving me time to catch each one in turn arriving 11:35 or so.

Bed for me is a self-inflated mat with sleeping bag atop it, won’t matter I have entered z-land.

Early dawn loud bangs wake me sounding like gunfire.

My brother say’s "Stay down."

I’m not going anywhere to experience a raining bullets.

He called the police, explained what is happening but remembers it’s the 4th of July and called the police saying he realized what all the noise was about.

He later told all of us he was just one of 30 callers on the same night they had patrolled the area making sure no guns were being fired.

With friends, families, and a private Bar-B-Que and James Bond/Planet Of The Apes Marathon on a wide screen TV its all good.

All too soon on Saturday I had to return to San Francisco.

Leaving Fairfield early or midday would get me back to the City in time.

On the road by 12:26 noon bright midday I slept most of the time until I at my apartment by 2 am.

After watching them drive away I go home, dial mama to wake me up at 4:30 p.m., tell the Front Desk to wake me by 5 p.m."
"Son, 4:30."

"Thank you, Love you."

"Love you too." A long leisurely cleansing of body, floss, brush teeth, underarm deodorant.

Its convenient having a bus pass even if it costs 35 dollars and is about to go up.

By 6:28 I’m clean and ready with a few dollars to offer $5 to 10 or whatever I can pay.

Skipping the walking, looking and again the sinking feeling of being inappropriately late to a live theater happening.

Ms. Jazmine, one of the performer’s of Colored Ink And Brava! Present


WOMEN.

ALL PRAISE GIVEN WE’RE THE REASON WHY YOUR LIVIN.


A NIGHT OF SELF-LOVE AND EXPRESSION THROUGH SPOKENWORD AND OPEN INSIGHT.

I cannot judge art though one below to my right shows a woman of green I interpret as Gaia, a heart of gold for pure love another ahead of me is a black woman who’s full breasts invite she, nurturer, feeder of nations, and yes entices to feast if she chooses.

They first honor ancestors gone, living, and contemporaries they portray themselves and other
women as lesbian, straight.

Whatever orientation are shown as fierce, brave, strong, brittle, hurt, yet rising above all and despite cruelties, selfishness, deadly, cowardice, of both white, black and rainbow men.

Amazingly, love is still there though it is now tempered and men have to prove it in every action and deed.

If men let go of their on inner fears, false masculine machismo.

I cannot single out singers from poets, poets from dancers, and story tellers of heart churning tales of death, love, hate, survival, happiness, and yearning.

There is too much for me to absorb I pray these women were recorded for posterity as they did their live shimmering magic.

Ms. Dvorah Major, Poet Laureate (2002), Novelist, Essayist as featured guest speaker shatters the audience by sheer force of her wordsmith voice.

In the end there are questions/answers and Lisa who had come near the middle of first acts end is way more eloquent in her capacity as audience/journalist.

I thanked Ms. Jazmine and all the players on stage in my studious, stuttering, quiet, deference of their talents in slight fear and total awe.

Drinking tea, eating cookies I am ready to depart feeling weary ready for sleep literally rung out emotionally and slightly shaking from the deep performance what keeps standing isn’t stalwart male strength but the deep feminine in me that has from time to time scolded, laughed, cajoled, and kept me balanced when the male in me runs retreating from strong emotions it couldn’t handle so my female half holds me steady until
I safely arrived home.

Someday maybe balance can be between fem and male
but it must start from within each of everyone of us before becoming a normalized process just because one’s orientation differs from others does not negate our dual selves.

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1448 Pine Street #205

San Francisco, CA 94103

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

I decided checking out San Francisco’s Nearest Close Optional or Baker’s Nudist Beach area.

I packed extra clothes, nose clips, ears plugs, rocks used to weigh down a sheet and sleeping bag to ward off both heat and cold and, a towel and kit bag with wet towel in plastic.

4:23 am my new alarm clock rung me groggy but awake.

When telling the 38 Geary bus driver where I’m going she informs other bus drivers.

"Get off at 25th Avenue, cross the street and wait for the 29 bus-it’ll take you to Baker Beach."
"Thank You."

I was a long ride up the avenue, I don’t think I was ever out that far and still be in-city.

While riding I had the shock of "Where are all the houses, apartments, motels, hotels?

I was more green and browns than cement and wood setting I am used to its very calming riding into nature’s arms by way of a bus.

Getting off walking, reading the signs for being careful of swimming because riptides have drowned people here.

I see solitary people both sexes all wearing clothes either fishing or walking along the shoreline with sandpipers, seagulls, and pigeons flying on and off small ways of the water.

From up the shoreline then down where homes over look the beach then I had the bright idea of walking across from Baker to China Beach time the tides.

It sound great until the sea double crossed me just as I was nearly over the last leg of the journey a huge wave is heading my way.

Remembering riptide deaths I searched for hand and finger holds grabbing on hard as that huge wage came upon me.

It seemed larger but only reached my ankles but still it hit with enough force that if I wasn’t holding tight I’d be in the water forced out to see along with my old army back duffle-bag.

My watch that my mother had bought me two or three years ago is gone! It must’ve been taken by the waves and either dumped in the sea buried in the sand.

I went back to look but found nothing.

That settles it this trip is over maybe for me the best place is at close optional resorts, camps, residential area, or apartments then try for the beach.

The $4 dollar shoes are ruined, my watch is gone, no nude people in sight and I didn’t get to really experience any of the lightly humorous, to gross aspects of being nude or seeing nude folks in all our birthday suits.

Can anyone out there tell me where apartments, residential area’s, camps, or other place to go.

I’d read some of my poetry for the price of admission and I would hold my works up to my face and if there is rising during the course well erections happen so maybe it should be for young and mature adults.

In fact I know it would happen because of the situation I’m placed in.

I have to leave to work on something else now.

I may try this nude adventure again but next time I hope its with a friend or two mainly female’s with experience in nudism who can guide this hapless male through the world of the unclothed.

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1448 Pine Street #205

San Francisco, CA 94103

Email:
askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Alex Cuff, Newsbrief Editor

From the San Francisco Youth Commission

The San Francisco Youth Commission is in opposition to the war on Iraq . We believe that peaceful solutions are always the best way to
solve a conflict, whether it be in a fight between friends, a domestic violence situation or in conflict with another country. Innocent people will
die in this war for which there was seemingly no provocation. By ignoring the largest peace movement in the history of the world, our
government has decided to use our young people to play police of the world, a job that they neither signed up for nor are prepared to play.

We as the Youth Commission are in a better position than any other governmental body to relate to and feel compassion for the troops
fighting in Iraq . They are our contemporaries, our peers, and our friends. The Youth Commission fully supports our troops by demanding
that they be taken from harms way immediately. There is no reason that Iraqi and US youth should be killing each other; not for oil, not for
pride, and not for revenge.

We are proud to see the millions of youth around the world participate and lead the anti-war movement. As youth, we must create the vision
for what we want to see happen in our society. With our combined hope, vision, and other talents, we are unstoppable. We know that
throughout history youth have always been at the frontlines of making social change happen. In the late 1960s, young people organized when
they saw their friends, their brothers, their husbands and their boyfriends being sent overseas to fight in the Vietnam War, a conflict that many
of them did not understand or support. Today our young people carry on that tradition by volunteering in higher numbers than in any
previous generation.
We are out protesting more than our parents, the baby-boomer generation, did. We are crafting a vision of a world where resources are spent
on education, healthcare and housing, not on military action that results in death and destruction. Students have organized demonstrations
against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq , including students at Hampshire College who passed a resolution condemning the civilian death toll
in the war on terrorism. More than ever before, we as young people are demanding that our voice be heard. We refuse to stay silent while our
contemporaries are being ordered to attack a country in which 50% (9 million people) of the population is under 17 years of age.

As Ghandi said "Strength does not come from physical capacity." Our greatest leaders, the people who have helped our society takes leaps in
moral sobriety have been peaceful. People such as Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, and Henry Thoreau have strengthened our social
consciousness and made the world better without relying on physical force, by instead letting their strength manifest itself in the power of
conviction and an unwillingness to stoop to the level of violence. Our strength and courage as a nation does not come from killing, it comes
from our kindness, love, and our compassion.

The Youth Commission hopes that our congressional leaders and the president will reconsider the implications of this war and stop the
invasion of Iraq before more blood is needlessly shed. We pray for the lives of all the participants in this war, whether they be combatant,
civilian, American or Iraqi.

by Alex Cuff, Newsbrief Editor

Oakland - March 5 marked the day for the National Student Strike against the
war. High school and college students from San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley
and around the Bay Area walked out of classes today in support of peace.

Instead of protecting this peaceful protest, however, Oakland Police marred
the day by brutally attacking the youth and several elderly people
accompanying them.

Gathering in downtown Oakland's Frank Ogawa Plaza, the
protest began peacefully with police looking on. As 300 to 400 students,
most from local high schools, marched peacefully down Broadway toward Jack
London Square, carrying a banner, singing and chanting in the tradition of
nonviolent protest, members of the Oakland Police Department began following
the protesters, and the number of officers steadily increased.

Once the students reached Jack London Square, police began attacking them,
running into the demonstrators with their motorcycles. Ra'shida Askey,
managing editor and staff writer for the San Francisco Bay View newspaper,
asked officers why they were running over the young marchers. In response, a
black female police officer grabbed Ra'shida by the neck and placed her in a
chokehold. The Bay View's associate editor, JR Valrey, who was also covering
the march, came to his colleague's aid. At this point, several officers
swarmed both JR and Ra'shida, knocking them to the ground and beating them
both. Ra'shida sustained the most injuries.
JR and Ra'shida were placed in a paddy wagon. When another arrested
demonstrator, Kelly Duncan, joined them, the Black woman police officer
holding her remarked, "It was three of them! I should have been able to use
my gun."

The two Bay View journalists are currently being detained at the Oakland
City Jail and have been refused release on their own recognizance. They are
being charged with obstructing and battering a police officer and resisting
arrest. The extent of their injuries is unknown.

These unprovoked attacks are yet another example of the out of control
conduct of the Oakland Police Department and police departments across the
nation. The ferocity and severity of the attack on these two Black
journalists, representing a Black newspaper, and on young demonstrators -
predominantly Black high school students - looks suspiciously like a case of
racial profiling. In the Bay Area, known for racial diversity, political
activism and overwhelming opposition to U.S. plans for war, such attacks on
freedom of speech and of the press are intolerable.

In a show of support, please share this information widely and make your
opinions known to the Oakland Mayor's Office at (510) 238-3141 and the
Oakland Chief of Police at (510) 238-3365.

by Joe B.

Exsiltensialism, long word, many great philosopher’s have studied on the problem racking brilliant minds or it.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s meaning of Existentialism: A philosophy centered on individual existence and personal responsibility for acts of free will in the absence of certain knowledge of what is right and wrong.

As in Nineteenth century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) Gave the so called civilized world shocking news when he pronounced in 1892 "God is dead, we killed him."
[I must thank Ask Jeeves. com for providing the answer for me].

All the high sounding blather above is another problem people being revived after the cryonics freezing process will become slightly more complex.

Its not researcher’s, scientist’s, or now new undead people’s fault but will cause all sorts of mental spins from Bio Ethics and Existentialism folks will have really bad days as more and more people return whether they’re elder returned to youth, handicapped given new limbs, or diseases cured.

The whole Existence business will be full more questions than ever and some of the undead might be around to answer those age old questions of existence and not being.

A minor aspect is jobs, what one did before dying may not translate in the new life they’d lead now.

PC Programmer’s, business folk, or engineer’s may have to be retrained or try various jobs, careers, or niche that pays them enough to live on for the time being.

Me, I make up stories, write, do columns, and have written copy and spoke on radio and may have difficulties it technologies have drastically changed so much I can hardly recognize them.

Like others I may need retraining in other fields the good thing if youth is returned along with a flexible brain skills might be easier to pick up from Micro Electrician, Assistant Cryonics Lab Technician watching gauges making sure "sleepers" aren’t in danger of being defrosted before their time, or in space as pilot/mission specialist on
true milk run routine shuttle-tug spaceships.

I could chose jobs, careers that I couldn’t before in my past life like architect, physicist, chemist, pharmacist, surgeon, or artist in metals, glass, ceramics, painting in multiple mediums besides oil, even obscure fields as photographer in film, home repair, or video show host.

There are many ways to go wrong when returning from a dead cold corpse to warm living person.

People will come back, struggle, find, friends, marry, have children, raise families, and hopefully not die for a long time if ever.

I’m ready to become re-addicted to life after a short or long dead freeze. Are you really ready to face that future?

Next time my delayed muddled thoughts on last Sunday’s Live Music Venue in "The Make Out Room" Folks, That’s the name of the place I’m not being funny. Bye.


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1448 Pine Street #205

San Francisco, CA 94103

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

A long time ago I griped about the perfect man or woman syndrome.

Well, these hypothetical perfect people have to have parent’s, grand parent’s or friends that at critical moments tell these perfect people to be when their being foolish, too stubborn, to fight, or when to give in.

Think the Mickey Rooney "Andy Hardy" films of the past where his father, a gentle, soul of a father who happens to be a judge in a small town helps his son out over the rough patches of adolescence, his mental anguish dealing with girls and later young women.

It seems to me perfect men or women are flexible in the give and take of relationships between the sexes.

Yes, both sexes have survived all types of terrible traumas.

Others may not know of and when closeness or intimacy begins some may react inappropriately from screaming, total catatonia, or violence while the person not knowingly triggered whatever outburst that has occurred.

These days so many of us have inner demons hidden from others trying "to be-stay strong handling it."

Myself I am leery of women because not only are the so called normal in semi angry moods but those suffering from family abuse, childhood to date rapes and may be "handling it" until a poor slob like me accidentally triggers mental/physical memories long hidden.

I personally know of two or three woman who suffers survived through these brutalities.

What has always struck me is why tell me and bind me to secrecy?

I cannot tell anyone, I dare not embrace them because of what too close a man’s touch means to them unless they’ve had months or years of therapy I understand the rage father’s, son’s, brother’s, and boyfriends have to kill another man who has hurt women in their lives.

Some of the rage is from "she’s mine" or "I must avenge her/myself." But its also that we as men couldn’t protect them from this terror.

Now matter if we did find, torture, kill, or put them behind bars the crime and damage is done.

I don’t know if I or anyone man can ever be perfect all men can do is be the very best male for the women we love or who love us.

As for the women telling me their deepest fears, hurts, dreams, and nightmares… I keep their council sometimes it takes women a long time to trust anyone let alone males when their person has been so violated.

Maybe that’s part of being a perfect man to be keep secrets and only reveal them when it no longer helps them.

I’m no perfect guy, my one room apartment is always a mess, I like skin flicks even though I don’t watch them alone I’ve found out it hurts to not hug, embrace someone in pain as for them to except it.

To me perfect men are already here, its up to their mates to make that choice that way we all can be perfect for the men or women who loves us and not try living up to some hypothetical man or woman not existing at this time.

I must as women who’ve gone through that lonely hell and have been helped later or their males in their lives.

How can I help my sister’s without causing them anymore stress than they’ve already suffered?


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1448 Pine Street #205

San Francisco, CA 94103

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Staff Writer

By Paul Krugman

By and large, recent pro-war rallies haven't drawn nearly as many people as antiwar rallies, but they have
certainly
been vehement. One of the most striking took place
after
Natalie Maines, lead singer for the Dixie Chicks,
criticized President Bush: a crowd gathered in
Louisiana to
watch a 33,000-pound tractor smash a collection of
Dixie
Chicks CD's, tapes and other paraphernalia. To those
familiar with 20th-century European history it
seemed
eerily reminiscent of. . . . But as Sinclair Lewis
said, it
can't happen here.

Who has been organizing those pro-war rallies? The
answer,
it turns out, is that they are being promoted by key
players in the radio industry - with close links to
the
Bush administration.

The CD-smashing rally was organized by KRMD, part of
Cumulus Media, a radio chain that has banned the
Dixie
Chicks from its playlists. Most of the pro-war
demonstrations around the country have, however,
been
organized by stations owned by Clear Channel
Communications, a behemoth based in San Antonio that
controls more than 1,200 stations and increasingly
dominates the airwaves.

The company claims that the demonstrations, which go
under
the name Rally for America, reflect the initiative
of
individual stations. But this is unlikely: according
to
Eric Boehlert, who has written revelatory articles
about
Clear Channel in Salon, the company is notorious -
and
widely hated - for its iron-fisted centralized
control.

Until now, complaints about Clear Channel have
focused on
its business practices. Critics say it uses its
power to
squeeze recording companies and artists and
contributes to
the growing blandness of broadcast music. But now
the
company appears to be using its clout to help one
side in a
political dispute that deeply divides the nation.

Why would a media company insert itself into
politics this
way? It could, of course, simply be a matter of
personal
conviction on the part of management. But there are
also
good reasons for Clear Channel - which became a
giant only
in the last few years, after the Telecommunications
Act of
1996 removed many restrictions on media ownership -
to
curry favor with the ruling party. On one side,
Clear
Channel is feeling some heat: it is being sued over
allegations that it threatens to curtail the airplay
of
artists who don't tour with its concert division,
and there
are even some politicians who want to roll back the
deregulation that made the company's growth
possible. On
the other side, the Federal Communications
Commission is
considering further deregulation that would allow
Clear
Channel to expand even further, particularly into
television.

Or perhaps the quid pro quo is more narrowly
focused.
Experienced Bushologists let out a collective "Aha!"
when
Clear Channel was revealed to be behind the pro-war
rallies, because the company's top management has a
history
with George W. Bush. The vice chairman of Clear
Channel is
Tom Hicks, whose name may be familiar to readers of
this
column. When Mr. Bush was governor of Texas, Mr.
Hicks was
chairman of the University of Texas Investment
Management
Company, called Utimco, and Clear Channel's
chairman, Lowry
Mays, was on its board. Under Mr. Hicks, Utimco
placed much
of the university's endowment under the management
of
companies with strong Republican Party or Bush
family ties.
In 1998 Mr. Hicks purchased the Texas Rangers in a
deal
that made Mr. Bush a multimillionaire.

There's something happening here. What it is ain't
exactly
clear, but a good guess is that we're now seeing the
next
stage in the evolution of a new American oligarchy.
As
Jonathan Chait has written in The New Republic, in
the Bush
administration "government and business have melded
into
one big `us.' " On almost every aspect of domestic
policy,
business interests rule: "Scores of midlevel
appointees . .
.. now oversee industries for which they once
worked." We
should have realized that this is a two-way street:
if
politicians are busy doing favors for businesses
that
support them, why shouldn't we expect businesses to
reciprocate by doing favors for those politicians -
by, for
example, organizing "grass roots" rallies on their
behalf?

What makes it all possible, of course, is the
absence of
effective watchdogs. In the Clinton years the merest
hint
of impropriety quickly blew up into a huge scandal;
these
days, the scandalmongers are more likely to go after
journalists who raise questions. Anyway, don't you
know
there's a war on?