𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓟𝓸𝓭𝓬𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓴𝓲𝓮 — Street Fightin' Men, ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Poet, playright, and Reveal podcast host Al Letson, roughed up by the Antifa
at the Bay Area vs. alt-right collision on 8/27/17 in Berekley

Dear Diary,

    Al Letson will talk with anyone who will talk to him, or so it seems. After the election, he interviewed alt-right celebrity Richard Spencer, and asked how Trump would promote his vision of a White ethno-state. He interviewed Spencer again after Charlottesville, in a futile attempt to clarify the distinction between alt-right and neo-Nazi — and why Spencer exchanged Nazi-style salutes when addressing a giddy Trump victory party.  Both times, Letson made it clear he wanted a conversation, not a shouting match, and almost seemed to be offering friendship — since he doubted how much contact Spencer had with black people in his daily life, he said Spencer could always feel free to call him, and he would also be happy to put him on the line with his adopted white son. (Who would become a citizen of a different country than his dad in Spencer's White America utopia).

    Last Sunday put Letson's commitment to civility to the test.  (Please listen to the Reveal podcast story, The Rise of a Movement — the movement in question is Antifa, short for anti-fascist, whose goal is to win "the battle of the streets" against the the alt-right.)  At first the Bay Area/alt-right collision in downtown Berkeley was peaceful, seniors and some children were present, and Letson's mic captured something approaching a dialog:

Bay Area woman: I just want to look in your eyes, could you look in my eyes. I'm wondering, when you look in my eyes, do you see someone who's different than you?

   

Alt-right guy:  Hmmm

Bay Area woman: Can you make a connection with other people you see, when you look around, people marching for peace and freedom?

Alt-right guy: Can I make a connection with them?

Bay Area woman:  Yes.

Alt-right guy: Sure, everybody wants peace and freedom.

    Then at noon the Antifa contingent marched onto the scene in tight formation, at first looking like riot police to Letson.  The real police kept them away from Civic Center, where the violent confrontations would happen if they happened, and then let them enter after the alt-right protesters dissipated.  Enter Joey Gibson, the right-wing radio host with Patriot Prayer out of Portland, accompanied by his massive friend "Tiny."  According to Letson he looked like "the bait at the end of the hook."  Antifa took the bait and chased Gibson and Tiny toward police lines.  Letson ran with them, trying, as always to get more of the story, and saw a man on the ground who who was being kicked by Antifas and beaten with a heavy flag pole.

   Letson's 1st reaction: they're going to kill him; 2nd reaction, protecting the victim with his body; 3rd reaction, he might die too.

    Al Letson survived, as did the man he protected, Keith Campbell, an alt-right video blogger with a YouTube channel called Patriot Warrior Media. Campbell used social media to thank Letson from his hospital bed. And Letson being Letson, his Reveal podcast downplayed the extent of his injuries: the Antifas landed a few blows, but seemed to pull their punches after realizing who he was.  Nor did he equate Antifa with the Neo-Nazis.  Moreover, there was a big plus in his explanation of why Antifa is on the rise after Charlottesville: many in the mainstream left now welcome their presence, glad to see people going all out to protect their communities.

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     After Charlottesville.  Diary, that "Unite the Right" event shook my little NPR-centric piece of the podcast world. Mignon Fogarty, rarely if ever political, used her August 17 Grammar Girl show to urge grammar sticklers to stop calling themselves "Grammar Nazis" — not funny, now that we have real Nazis marching in the street. Those marching Nazis figured prominently in Doug Henwood's August 24 Behind the News show, and the tone felt like someone shocked into sudden sobriety.  Do the facts — 1,000 neo-Nazis held a torch light "blood and soil" parade, possibly their biggest event in America ever; they were

Dr. Cornel West,
philosopher and social critic

indeed into blood, murdering Heather Heyer; they appear to be merging with our completely native neo-Confederates, joining forces to protect monuments to slavery; they were protected by "third force" right-wing militia, in camouflage, carrying semi-automatic rifles in "open carry" Virginia; the outgunned police were disinclined to intervene. Cornel West credits Antifa with preventing clergy at the counter-protest from being "crushed like cockroaches."

    Who were these allegedly "3rd force" right-wing militia? Fresh Air explained much in an August 23 show about the ongoing militia/Antifa "face off."  3rd force means they bill themselves as distinct from the neo-Nazis and the counter-protesters, just there to protect free speech — although they never show up to protect left events.  They include the Patriot Movement, who believe we need to exercise our right to bear arms, or America will succumb to an international "new world order" conspiracy that already controls much of the federal government. There are people of color in their ranks, but they're vehemently anti-Muslim.  They've been on a growth spurt since 2008, impelled by the rise of social media, the great recession, and the election of that Muslim Barak Obama.

    Trump's election posed a dilemma for them. How can you sustain anti-government paranoia, with someone you love in the White House? New enemy needed, and with Antifa it was "hate at first sight." One reason they show up at Nazi/alt-right events is to confront Antifa, who they say are funded by George Soros, and trained in Syrian terror camps on techniques for tormenting patriots.  Our alt-right, so lacking in common sense, yet so richly endowed with self-pity.

    

    And they're fueled by an atmosphere of tacit encouragement by Trump, that political genius at dog whistles to his fringe base.  Trump equivocated on blaming the neo-Nazis for Charlottesville, which the alt-right could read as an endorsement.  His confidant, Roger Stone, was more explicit on 8/24, predicting insurrection of Congress moved to impeach his friend.  America's like a black driver pulled over by the cops, not necessarily innocent, but terribly, tragically vulnerable.  As the Rolling Stones sang in Gimme Shelter, "It's just a shot away."

   ---    ---    ---    ---    ---

     Diary, should we be supporting Antifa against the sinister crazies?  People do have the right to protect themselves from lynch mobs, and my stripe of pacifism acknowledges that on rare occasions, soldiers are good. But soldiering is a complicated business. Some obvious requirements: having firearms and knowing how to use them; to know when to hold your fire; to be controlled by a political intelligence agile enough to know the difference between an enemy who is trying to intimidate, and one who is trying to provoke to score propaganda points.  Antifa fails on all counts.

    A good thing.  The militias and Antifa facing off with automatic weapons in Charlottesville — let's not go there.  Without guns, Antifa could play a positive role, as they did for Cornel West. And provide a way for young men to express their idealism.  (Mostly guys in Antifa, as in the militias).  Some may scoff, but I see nothing wrong with a male masculine ideals, masculinity, as it is certainly OK for a female to aim toward being a strong woman. But standards do vary.

    My own fave is that a man doesn't allow the people around him to feel degraded. OK, it's actually gender neutral, and it's impossible for anybody, male or female to do completely.  It's a line from the movie Kiss of the Spider Woman, the response of the political prisoner when his transvestite cell mate asks him what the guy thing is all about.  It is useful to consider the people around you in degrading circumstances, and wonder how you could help.  Protect clergy in Charlottesville, yes.  Prevent the undocumented from being scapegoated, yes. Try to protect a defenseless person who is being brutalized — yes to that one too.

Saturday Night with the Alameda Progressives

Illustration by Gillain Dreher for the Alameda Magazine Article about our progressive island

    There are times when you learn so much by keeping your smartphone in your pocket!  Happened to me two weeks ago, at the vet, waiting my turn to pick up Clark's thyroid medication.  Rifling through the stack of mags intended to placate antsy pet owners, the cover of Alameda Magazine caught my eye with the teaser "No longer a political island."  Inside was an article by Steve Tavares about the new political complexion of my hometown. Our city council was the first in the Bay Area to call for Trump's impeachment, beating Berkeley to the punch.  Trump received only 13% of the 2016 vote, vs. 78% for Clinton.  And there has been a 4-1 majority on the council for progressive issues, including declaring Alameda a sanctuary city for the undocumented.

    Bernie Sanders' campaign was a catalyst for the island's leftward momentum, and the article mentions a group of "Berniecrats" called Alameda Progressives.  This led to a Google query, and in short order I had an invitation to party with the APs, on the evening of Saturday August 19, in a backyard on the west side.  Wouldn't miss it.

    The article had said an influx of young people was part of the reason for Alameda's move left, but many of the people at the party seemed to be '60s veterans like me.  A guy named me that he goes to Camp Winnarainbow every year, run by the iconic Wavy Gravy.  The hostess, an age-mate named Ruth, told me that the group has been holding a vigil at Park and Santa Clara, every Saturday between noon and 1 since inauguration day.  There was a large people earlier that day, seventy-five came to express their solidarity with Charlottesville.  Ruth said the best part was the opportunity to have unscripted interactions with onlookers.

    She's often heard people say "All lives matter," responding to the Black Lives Matter theme, and the comeback of one of the AP stalwarts is "If that were true I would not need to be here."  Would "especially yours and mine" work too? Marginalized whites were are the bedrock of Trump's support, and in my opinion progressives need to empathize.

Pamela Price, candidate for Alameda County DA
Ruth is the woman with the dog

    The gathering was addressed by Pamela Price, candidate for Alameda DA in the June 2018 election.  She is opposed to the death penalty and mass incarceration, and is trying to raise the 500K required to run a credible campaign.  She has my qualified support, and when we chatted about the devastating drug epidemic, she said that the alternatives to incarceration she promotes would be more effective than jail in helping addicts get clean.  Hope that's true — for many parents, Santa Rita is the rescue of last resort when their children are on a hard-drug death spiral.  In any event, I hope future flyers will emphasize both safer and drug-free communities.

Sharon Golden, Alameda Cannabis Community

   Sharon Golden (sharongolden3@gmail.com) of the AICC (Alameda Island Cannabis Community) was another noteworthy presence at the party.  One of the youth contingent, she wants to bring the cannabis industry to Alameda, the right way.  She explained why the industry belongs on the island — we're losing out on tax revenue, and creating bridge and tunnel traffic by forcing residents to drive to Oakland?  But she also wants including provisions in the licensing agreement that mandate local hires, and a $17 per hour minimum wage.

    As for me, my progressive dream is that low-lying Alameda, one of the communities that will be impacted first by sea-level rise, set an example in determined and creative responses to climate change.  An interactive map released just this month by the UCS (Union of Concerned Scientist) shows the island can expect by 2060/2080/2100 under moderate and severe sea-level rise projections. Choose the Chronic Inundation Area or Communities at Risk tab, drag and click on the right panel until you get a search box (can be at bit frustrating), and then enter Alameda CA as the place to look for.  Under the moderate projections, 10 to 25% of Alameda will be chronically inundated by 2080; by 2100, 25 to 50%.  (See also the San Jose Mercury article about the map.)  

    What is to be done?  As a cyclist, I would dearly love to see Alameda become bike friendlier.  Our big problem on that score is that there is only one bike path through the tunnel, and it's dirty and narrow; and the bike route across the Fruitvale Bridge to BART is dangerous and hard on times.  In the long run, the solution is to bring BART to the island. But that will take decades, and surely interim measures are possible.

Life is sweet

Charlie (BofA), Marv (BofA, and now CCSF),
and Lisa (met her and her husband Tristan folk dancing)

µ, Ted (BofA), and Oded (BofA)

    Saturday, August 12 witnessed the first party at Wood Street in nearly 4 years.  It was a total improvisation.  Original concept: need help with the orchard, so invite a couple of friends over to pick as much fruit as they wanted.  And then came "scope creep," as we called it at BofA wire transfer.  Of course I needed to include the Friday lunch gang, my dear old friends and colleagues from BofA.  And so of course I needed to offer comestibles besides apples and pears.  And of course other old friends should come too, and so on … until I had to stop because, of course, I was in over my head.

Charlie, Lisa, Ted, Nick (friend from '70s),
and Carol (new friend)

    If I invited them, would they come?  And if so would the guests enjoy themselves?  A dozen of us sat on the deck for hours, eating and drinking lustily, while conversation flowed richly.  My elder son Gabe gets much credit for the food, by coming early and rescuing my attempt at home fries.  Charlie, that pillar of the Friday lunch gang, brought a copy of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and we took turns reading the part where Willy and Linda Loman brainstorm Willy's end-of-career options.  May not sound like fun, considering the option Willy eventually picks, but we had a great time with it.

Nick and Charlie.  There weren't enough hats to go around,
so we had to get creative

    At first I'd thought Charlie brought the play as a bow to nostalgia.  In the old days, we had a little club at BofA called Radio Theater.  We would take weekly breaks from developing software for wholesale banking (massive $$ transfers) to read plays that often took a jaundiced view of ambition and riches — this is really true.  But Charlie was clearly interested in a revival, and some of the partygoers agreed to reconvene in September to read a Sam Shepard play.  Shepard, who passed at age 73 on July 31, was such a favorite of Radio Theater that we read three of his works: True West, Tooth of Crime, and Curse of the Starving Class.  It only seems right that we begin a new season with another.

    The occasion was shadowed by a sinister rumor — summer ends in August.  That rumor is true: the F'17 semester at CCSF starts the 21st, same day as the

More hat creativity

solar eclipse — the first act of the prof/TA routine Marv and I have been honing is scheduled to debut at an Introduction to Java class at 3:10 pm. But at Wood Street that Saturday, summer was still going strong.  At one point the conversation threatened to drift toward the T-word, but for just this once we changed course.

    We picked bags of fruit instead, I showed off the glorious Wood st. Rain Garden, and the conversation wandered from literature to the plight of hearing impaired profs. (Unanimous, if unsolicited, advice to the host: tell the kids on 8/21 that

Tristan and Lisa's sons Theo and Milo,
picking apples in the orchard

you have this little problem).  And from there to gender politics in the classroom. The typical classroom speaking voice of a female CCSF students is so soft, even when providing the correct answer, that a prof with normal hearing could be forgiven for overlooking them.  Why would that be, in 2017, in enlightened San Francisco?  In Carol's opinion, it's because girls still lack suitable role models.  She spoke from her experience growing up in Port Arthur, Texas (like Janis Joplin), when girls had no prospects for refinery jobs, let alone college.  Her two brother did get refinery job, and worked their way into R ? D without college degrees, while Carol somehow found her way to a Master's in zoology from UT Austin.

    And of course we also talked about our kids and ourselves.  Turns out that Nick, like Carol, was the first person in his family to get a college degree, and

The lads with their dad Tristan

was actually the valedictorian at his working class Italian Chicago high school. Tristan plans to complete his zoology dissertation in December, on wild life corridors in East Africa.  Ted's son Noah is looking at colleges, and Charlie's daughter Guille is starting med school. (Time does fly: knew them both from before they they had children).  Gabe is engaged in important writing projects.  And I was delighted to have them in my life and let the summer moments expand.  Sometimes you've just got break down and admit it, life can be so sweet.
   

The Rain Garden, drought tolerants on the rim, bog lovers in the basin

"What Thou Lovest Well, Remains American" — 4th of July 2017 parade in Alameda

Patriotic Couple with baby in stroller

      Yes, my title was lifted from the somber Richard Hugo poem, but the 4th of July parade in Alameda yesterday was decidedly upbeat.  The 3 mile route was lined with Alamedans holding flags, waving to the local notables passing by in review. The mayor, and city councilpersons.  Miss California, and a figure skating champion.  Vets, cowboys, community gardeners, special olympians, boy and girl scouts, gay pride manifesters.  Many local businesses and non-profits. Some eccentric causes.  Several varieties of Trump protesters.  We islanders enjoying the beautiful weather, enjoying each others, happy to be living in a city that in some elusive yet

Blue Star Moms have kids in the service
Some carried signs saying "Call your mother"

important sense, actually worked for us.  And in a functional California, so different than failed states like New Jersey, which celebrated Independence Day by closing it's public beaches.

This float palyed lively music, and was followed in the parade by
the First Congregational Church, "All Welcome" 

Special Olympians

                              
      Who could have a problem with that?  My good friend C. perhaps, who
traced the outline of a mushroom cloud with his hands when asked what he

"Cannabis Community,"
a local dispensary

anticipated from Trump in the White House. Overstatement does not come naturally to C., well-appreciated in his circle for his keen insights and level-headed kindness.  So were we playing ostrich, pretending we can't foresee the disaster that wait for us?  Maybe, but at least for one day, it's good to focus elsewhere.  To feel part of the heart of a place, to feel the embrace of a warm, multi-faceted community. To feel patriotic.

    

𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓟𝓸𝓭𝓬𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓴𝓲𝓮 — Fresh Air dissects Trumpcare, ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️☆

Dear Diary,

    How would Trumpcare affect citizens like my good friend Anonyma, homeowner, early 60s, getting by on $1,200 per month social security and occasional tech contract work, paying for treatments for metastatic breast cancer with insurance she purchases through the ACA?  Is there anybody who would actually benefit from Trumpcare?  And what was on their minds, those thirteen Republican Senators, toiling away in secret to draft a bill intended to transform the American health care system?

    In an interview on NPR's Fresh Air, Sarah Kliff from Vox.com provides preternaturally calm and informative answers to all these questions [transcript, audio].  Under the ACA, 64-year-olds earning 26K per year pay about $1,700 in annual premiums, which buys them health insurance covering 70% of the average enrollee's cost for essential benefits.  Under Trumpcare, their premiums would rise to $6,500, for insurance convering only 58% of the cost of whatever package of benefits their state covers with its federal block grant; for example, a state could exclude mental health coverage, mandatory under the ACA.  Kliff estimates these sexagenarians would also pay 4K per year out-of-pocket for deductibles/co-payments, bringing their health expenses to 40% of their pre-tax income.  For my friend Anonyma, that could mean deciding between selling her house and paying for cancer treatment.

    64-years-olds earning $56K per year fare little better; they would need to pay 42% of their pre-tax income on health care, because their premiums would rise from 7K to 20K yearly.  In contrast, 40-year-olds earning 26K would see their premiums rise from 1.7K to 3K — under Trumpcare premiums increase with the age, and expected costs, of the enrollee.  It is true, as the Republicans claim, that average overall premiums in the individual market (private purchase) would decrease by about 30%, as policies cover fewer benefits, and sick people drop out of the market.  But even that would be at least partially offset by the increase in out-of-pocket expenses.

    The Republican are unapologetic about the 22 million who would lose their insurance within a decade due to Trumpcare, according to an analysis done by the Congressional Budget Office after the veil of secrecy on the bill was lifted. But the Republicans were thinking about high deductibles, the biggest complaint ACA enrollees have about their insurance.  Republican spokespersons stress these hated deductibles when they attack the ACA on TV — but Trumpcare is designed to increase deductibles even further, under the cherished conservative theory that it would encourage consumers to be smart shoppers.

    There is a method in this madness.  When the ACA was drafted in 2008/2009, Democrats told Kliff their goals were to increase coverage (worked) and reduce costs (failed).  Now, Republicans tell her their lofty goal is — to get the 51 votes need to pass a bill in the Senate. Here is an issue that will mean the difference between life and death, solvency and financial ruin, to millions of their constituents.  And the Republicans are not fussing about trifles like the contents of their bill contradicting the arguments they make to support it.  Diary, seldom in life does one encounter such dedication to an ideal as the Republicans expend on the principle of maintaining the appearance of authority.  As well as the principle that more is better, when it comes from taking from the poor and sick, and giving to the 1%.  Deep in the heart of planet Republican, score that one as a win-win.  The 22 million who will lose coverage under Trumpcare are simply exercising an option cruelly denied to them under the ACA; while the super rich shoulder the burden of finding more investment opportunities for a flood of additional cash.