JUST ONE MORE thought on the elections....I promise!

This cartoon was posted on Daily KOS yesterday (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/13/1344665/-Cartoon-The-people-have-spoken?detail=email#) ... a picture does indeed speak a thousand words. I agreed with many of the comments that accompanied this cartoon on KOS, one in particular stands out...see it alongside the cartoon.

"Politics is like driving. To go backward put it in R. To go forward put it in D."

I see in the news the Republican party is bent on, and no doubt WILL, repeal the ACA, leaving the 8 million who signed on for insurance drowning in their wake. Who will pick up the slack from all the soon to be 'uninsured' when they are forced to the emergency room for their care, at those highly escalated costs? If you were upset your premiums had risen because of the ACA, just wait till its repealed. Get ready to once again be denied coverage for 'pre-existing conditions', and higher than ever premiums in an industry whose unprecedented greed has made our healthcare a :privilege" for those who can pay, not a basic human 'right'.

I have to admit to being critical of the dems in how they campaigned in the last election, seemingly running FROM the President and all his accomplishments, rather than embracing and reminding the citizenry of all he saved us FROM. Clearly it needed to shouted from the rooftops as too many will not or have forgotten the state of the country back in 2008. Well, time to just sit and see where the party of No takes us in the next 4 years.

AG Eric Holder: No More Super Mandatory Minimums to Punish Defendants Who Want a Trial

I am pleased to see reforms to this particularly horrendous practice routinely used by Federal Prosecutors (read below). When my son was being prosecuted back in 2004 the Prosecutor offered him one Plea deal, and believe me, it was no DEAL. Corey had to plead guilty to things he was not guilty of, as well as agree to longterm punishments in addition to his prison sentence (a monitary judgement that would affect his entire life post release). The ‘deal’ he signed was a ten year sentence (the manditory minimum sentence for the charges the prosecution leveled against him), which, at sentencing, the prosecutor upped to 12 1/2 years (!!), tacking on extra time for a few driving infractions he termed "past criminal history". Why, you might ask, would my son ever have signed such a plea ‘deal’ ? Because if he didn’t, IF he took the Govt to trial, as was his right under the constitution, the prosecutor promised he would see he got 25 yrs to life in prison if found guilty, and to ‘trust him’, he WOULD be found guilty.

With the minimum and mandatory sentencing structure all the power is in the prosecutors hands, he decides what charges to press, he decides the punishment, he is judge and jury. A first time, non violent marijuana offense and my son could still be wasting his life in prison had he turned down that plea, exercised his right to a trial. This has been Justice in America.

Thankfully we are FINALLY seeing the first slow beginnings toward reform and change, after decades and more of harsh, draconian sentencing policies that have created a bloated prison industrial complex and wasted the lives of millions. Heres the article from FAMM, dated October 1st:

Attorney General Eric Holder has issued a memo prohibiting prosecutors from using the threat of enhanced mandatory minimum sentences solely to force criminal defendants to plead guilty in drug trafficking cases. These super-sized mandatory minimums, called “section 851 enhancements,” allow prosecutors to ensure a defendant’s mandatory minimum sentence is doubled or even increased to life in prison.

“FAMM applauds the Attorney General’s repudiation of this heavy-handed practice,” said FAMM General Counsel Mary Price in a statement. “The trial penalty is intolerable. This guidance to prosecutors makes it quite clear that massively enhanced drug mandatory minimums may not be invoked absent cause. While the practice of threatening defendants with the trial penalty to induce them to plead guilty should be abandoned altogether, this is a good start.”
How the 851 enhancement works: If the prosecutor advises the court of its intention to “notice” a drug defendant’s prior convictions, the court must double the underlying mandatory minimum facing a defendant with one prior drug trafficking conviction. In some cases, if the defendant has two priors, the section 851 enhancement requires the court to impose a sentence of life in prison.

In short, the section 851 enhancement provides federal prosecutors complete discretion to seek, and requires judges to impose, life sentences for even non-violent drug offenders.
Prosecutors routinely used the section 851 threat to pressure defendants to plead guilty. If the defendant agrees to plead guilty, the government would not “notice” the priors and the defendant would serve the unenhanced mandatory minimum of five or ten years. If instead the defendant rejects the offer, goes to trial and is convicted, she suffers the “trial penalty,” and the section 851 enhancement transforms a sentence of five years into 10, a sentence of 10 years into 20, or even life without parole.

Northwest Autumn

How I love FALL in the NW! The cool and crisp clean air, the succulent colors! Yes, I have to say “succulent” because they are SO yummy! (a word my NRG teacher likes to use and is so appropriate!). I took a walk through Brownes Addition a few days ago with a friend and what a joy that was! We spent a few hours kicking our way through inches of brilliant, red, yellow and orange carpets of leaves, as we took in the historical setting and homes/mansions of earlier Spokane. We finished off our visit settled deeply into the comfy couch in front of the fireplace at the neighborhood Café Capri, with steaming hot mugs of drip, discussing Hopes recent trip to the Hamptons and NYC. Speaking of Fall Splendor, I’ve been back east in the fall a few times and even what I’m enjoying here can’t rival THOSE colors.

Work in my garden has come to an end, I have to report my experiment with straw bale gardening didn’t do well this first year. I believe it was due to the late start this spring, I needed to ‘prep’ the bales weeks earlier than I did, even using plastic hoods to help warm them up and allow earlier plantings. I DID see several successful straw bale gardens around town this summer and talked with a few gardeners who were generous in their advice and experiences with this mode of planting. I basically just grew my garden as ‘usual’, in the ground this summer but hope to try straw bales again next year as well as put in some raised beds. Btw, the picture here is NOT my garden, I just wanted to include a picture of a successful straw bale garden lol.

I spent yesterday yanking out the far too many tomato plants I grew this year…they virtually took over the space! While many never had a chance to fully ripen, the season started late this year, I collected a few dozen of the green tomatos from off the vines about two weeks ago, wrapped in newspaper, set in a box with a few apples and put in my broom closet. I have been delighted to see them redden up, we’ve been enjoying such yummy fare as grilled tomato and cheese sandwiches, and cream of tomato soup the past week. The last few I collected yesterday are now securely blanketed in newsprint as we speak. I also dug up and repotted some of my chili pepper plants and herbs to winter over in front of my large downstairs windows. I have a hard time ‘letting go’ as you can see! Tending to these plants will brighten my long winter days as I await springs return and a new planting season.

POST MIDTERM ELECTIONS 2014 The Winter of Our discontent?

Thank goodness its over, the 2014 midterm elections! It seemed the tv/internet/radio/magazine and newspaper campaign ads filled with propaganda would never come to an end. But one WOULD think with that constant barrage (most expensive election in HISTORY) we’d have seen higher voter turnout. Perhaps folks were just TOO fed up, figure whats the point, my vote counts for nothing, its all rigged anyways? Which it is! Think Citizens United, Dark Money, super pacs! Its certainly no longer our grandfathers (or parents!) election process. AND add to that Republicans (highly successful) efforts to suppress the vote, their gerrymandering and redistricting. With all that I suppose it should come as no surprise the Party responsible for the worst financial crises since the crash of Wall Street in 1929, the biggest HEIST ever of the American taxpayer (the Bailout), 9/11/01 and the attack on the Twin Towers (yes they knew it was coming), which opportuned the lead in to an endless war in the Mideast (yes it was/IS all about the Oil)is now back in power. Because my friend it IS all about the money. And when one has buying power enough to purchase the highest court in the land, well its game over.

I COULD go on but whats the point, the results are in, it is what it is. And if you’re politically aware, even remotely, and know how our Legislative and Executive Branches work, how and why the Republicans were able to stall or block any and all progressive Bills that could have moved the country forward in areas of employment, equal pay for women, minimum wage, infrastructure, the environment, you would NOT have voted Republican (even IF you were a registered Republican which even we were until 2008). You would be as stupefied as I am at how short the memory of most americans seems to be, and how gullible or ill informed they HAVE to be. What is it they say, “people get the government they deserve”

ANYways, I am of course disappointed and concerned, but basically I guess we shall see what the GOP plan is to move the country forward. NOT that Obama has not HAD great successes in doing JUST THAT that since the Republicans nearly destroyed the country entirely in 2006/7. In short we have a president who’s:
• Created over 10 million jobs.
• Authorized the successful killing of Osama bin Ladin.
• Saved the American auto industry.
• Presided over record stock levels.
• Reduced the deficit by $1 trillion.
• Set a record for consecutive months of job growth in our nation’s history.
• Passed landmark health care reform that’s provided millions of Americans with health care.

- See more at: http://www.forwardprogressives.com/dear-democratic-party-make-mistake-republicans-didnt-win-lost/#sthash.ZGdatOIK.9CqDbNjC.dpuf

All THAT said, I must admit I have been disappointed in this Presidents actions, or should I say, 'non-actions, in one particular, and personal, arena, that of sentencing and prison reform, his ”unpardonable” lack of using his executive power to Pardon, to grant clemency. President Obama has pardoned, granted clemency to, the fewest prisoners/ex felons, in Presidencial history. Yet his platform included sentencing and justice reform. We voted for Obama in 2008 partly because of that platform, as well as because of the desperate need for a change in the status quo … the country was imploding after 8 years of the Bush Administration! Recent efforts by AG Eric Holder, fueled by activist groups nationwide, are promising (USSC sentencing reforms only just went into effect this week) but unfortunately just as he has ‘stepped up’, he is stepping down (he has announced he’ll be vacating his post).

For now the country can just ‘settle in’ for a long winter, possibly to become known as 'the winter of our discontent'??? Actually two more winters, knowing full well with a lame duck president there will not be much happening in the halls of Congress. And lord only knows what awaits us when the GOP takes the reins fully. Sadly I believe it won’t benefit we the former middle class, that medicare and social security and the ACA will be high on the 'hit list', and lord help those with lesser status, the poor and disenfranchised in this country, but I’m sure the very wealthy and powerful 1% are partying like its 1999!