Panhandler

Do not be deceived!

2020-04-07T17:50:00.001-07:00

https://youtu.be/R5Cx-CyN-f0

Democrats Hollywood SATANISTS Epstein Island

2020-04-07T17:40:00.001-07:00

https://youtu.be/zk6MoRJM2cI

The truth about the Hollywood elite and demoncrats!

2020-04-07T17:27:00.001-07:00

https://youtu.be/g-eJOpIrQVY

More of the cabal who must pay!

2020-04-07T17:24:00.001-07:00

https://youtu.be/Li9qsr40tGI

Hillary Clinton Democrats beasts!

2020-04-07T17:23:00.002-07:00

https://youtu.be/3zULlfV7_eY

2020-04-07T17:21:00.001-07:00

This is a description of the lies being blasted to you! See this link on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/k6bMr9JLKl0

Vote for Enrique portrait

2016-10-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

My wife has been selected to be a part of a campaign, but alas needs votes. Its free to vote, add as many emails as you can to the vote box. She did a portrait of my son Enrique. She, we win a print campaign. Its very exciting and we still need 30 votes to beat this monster painting that we are voting against! PLEASE HELP I know this is not exactly life or death but it kind of is!! PLEASE PASS IT ALONG TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW SO THAT WE CAN GET MORE VOTES. message follows and link: Four artists have been selected to be a part of the new Artstarter prospect competition. The one with most votes will get her/his own Arstarter campaign :) You can share this link on your social platform to get votes: https://artstarter.io/#prospects I have attached a photo you can use when sharing :)

The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same

2015-01-12T20:31:00.001-08:00

History tells us that some of the ancient people of our day used human sacrifice as a way of worshiping Gods. We often times think of the Aztecs and other Mezzo American cultures when we think of human sacrifice. No one did it better than they in the history books. Never mind the Romans and all the killing they did in the coliseum. That was for entertainment history will argue which is different than sacrifice. Naturally Catholics remember Jesus being executed. This execution was so brilliant that people never want to forget how Jesus died. We as people in this day and age may not know or understand a whole lot about Jesus Christ but we certainly remember the execution, if nothing else. If Jesus Christ didn't get executed, I really doubt anyone would give a crap about all the other things he was said to have done. Not even turning water into wine would have remained in our memories like a good execution. It's not the miracles or the message of peace and hope that we remember, its the way he was able to suffer on the cross. After experiencing this torture, even Jesus had to leave the building so to speak. God must have known that in order to get the attention of the human a human sacrifice had to be made. However, we don't see Jesus as a human sacrifice by the Gods. Even if we did, we would find a way to make this act seem civilized. Thus dulling our minds to the fact that human sacrifice is a part of our daily understanding of religion. Now of course Christianity and the like are not the only religions. However, there is a lot of blood being spilt in the most famous religions. Human sacrifice is an essential part of life. Killing a human before natural death has always been a way of appeasing a God. Though I am sure there are some who would argue that there are cultures of people who did not believe in this human sacrifice, I argue that in life, an early death is necessary to sustain life. We kill plants and animals to sustain ourselves. We for example do not wait for a head of lettus to die of natural causes before we eat the lettus. We certainly don't wait for a cow to die of natural causes before we eat the cow. Indeed all existence depends on the early death of another species. I believe though that this concept is therefore extended to how species live amongst each other. Too many mouths to feed creates an over use of resources. Nature designed species to have certain life spans. Most life spans in the animal kingdom don't last for more than a hundred years. Those animals that do last a couple centuries like certain Whales and torus are for the most part vegan ore eat small plankton. Animals who kill and eat flesh have to live short life spans. Additonally, animals that are in great abundance have short life spans. Most animals on this planet have incredibly short life spans. Therefore, it is natural for a primitive society to feel as though killing by sacrifice its own species is appeasing their God. When you think about this in this way, they may be right. The less people there are, the more abundance there is as a result of less mouths to feed. Though this concept may be considered primitive, I think we still have killing of humans by humans for the same underlying reason. Wars, excecutions are usually avoidable and done to benefit a portion of society. In war, we have to accept that killing the other person or people allows for less competition for resources. It's a sacrifice to God saying "we are willing to die so that others may live. Please give us our bounty." War and fighting of any kind, especially when it involves death, is thus a sacrifice in much the same way as any human sacrifice in ancient history. I'm not trying to judge whether it's right or wrong. Maybe it's right. Maybe not. The one thing that is certain though is that we as a people have a built in desire to kill each other in the name of what is good and right and I don't believe that this is a coincidence. Furthermore, I don't think such sacrifices will end since by the looks of our human growth, we have multiplied ten fold over the centuries. I guess God has been answering our prayers. One minute we are running from lions and the next minute we are driving them into extinction. Dying on a pyramid in Central America thousands of years ago by human sacrifice or on a battle field in 2015, takes honor. Notice the term sacrifice is used when talking about what happened in Mezzo America. This is because those people who were killed were dying for someone else to live. It was an honorable thing to have done. That's why it was not called a murder I imagine. In just the same way, we refer to the people who are dying on the battle field as soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice. In short, the more things change the more they stay the same.

You Owe!

2015-01-11T14:23:00.002-08:00

Being the public isn't easy. We the public get screwed and then blamed for everything. The most common blame we the public get issued on us is voting. The people didn't get out to vote so now we have a republican house and senate. This is confusing since regardless of who votes, the republicans are going to win no matter what. They have made it so that although they have a 5% approval rating, because only their district votes are counted, they stay in power. How is that the publics fault? It's not our fault our votes don't count. Not to mention the voter suppression laws requiring people to have state ID as well as the ending of early voting and voter laws to compliment the legal cheating of voters. Now there is the voting purge accusing people who have the same name of voting twice regardless of the fact that the social security numbers don't match. Yeah but with all this it's still the public's fault. This is a common strategy of blame the victim. Progressives are good for this. It becomes confusing. We are told by progressives to get out and vote then in the same sentence we are informed that our votes don't count. The public is not stupid. We know we're being screwed. We know that elections are for the most part rigged. This crap I just mentioned is completely legal. It's just the tip of the iceberg. This is just the slop that spills out of the pan. The stuff they can't hide. I really don't think that this country is held together by a lousy vote by the people. Since when have what the people wanted ever mattered? None of the decisions that are made are made due to humanitarian reasons. Gas prices didn't fall because there was too much of a burden put on we the public. No one came forward saying that we lowered prices at the pump to help you people. In fact, the news is trying to make us feel guilty about falling gas prices by explaining how these poor oil companies are loosing money. Boo hoo! Where was the oil company's feelings for the last decade and a half? I don't see them feeling sorry for us. From mortgages to credit to student loans, the underlying reason for anything the public gains has to do with the corporation. The public is nothing more than a resource to be exploited for the benefit of powerful. Indeed we are taught to believe this is good. Indeed we are brainwashed to serve the corporate good putting ourselves last. We live a life of guilt. We constantly have to owe money to this company and that company. Phone bills, rent, mortgage, electric bills, education bills and the list goes on. We live our lives feeling like we owe and when you owe, it implies guilt. The words YOU OWE A DEBT usually precede something that indicates you're being ungrateful. Let's face reality, if there were solutions that gave us free unlimited energy and a huge decrease need for money, how likely would we be to have this luxury since we the people owe so much as it is? We are indebted to pay since we owe. Since this is so, it makes sense that we the people are getting screwed in the ballot box. After all, what right do we have to pick our public leaders when we are in fact the ones who OWE. Our leadership doesn't feel like it owes us, with the exception of a few. Yes we are the victims being blamed. We don't vote because we haven't earned the right since our votes dont count because we didn't pay our bills so therefore we OWE and we don't count. Instead we are being counted. We are indentured servants with no rights until we pay off our debt. Unless and until we pay back what you owe, we will never have democracy since in the minds of our political corporate economy, we are the ones screwing them. They who gave us electric, education, cars, homes and everything else. We are ingrates who should be punished and we are punished by a lifetime of guilt, rigged elections and ownership of our lives through debt, malnutrition, greed, need and unrest. But hey things could be worse.

TV Is Good

2015-01-10T14:46:00.003-08:00

Some people believe that watching TV is bad. I can understand this belief. However let us not forget what people did for entertainment before there was TV. Before television we people used other forms of entertainment. One popular form of entertainment was public execution. In the United States invitations would be sent out for families to watch hangings. Death was very popular to watch before TV. Sure there were plays but nothing could draw a crowd like a good hanging. Mark Twain wrote about how people behaved during public executions saying it made the crowd vicious. Let us remember Rome. The Romans built the world's biggest monument for killing attracting thousands of people. These people watched other people die for entertainment. In contrast to watching television, I think that this entertainment was far more deadly. I further believe that the mind was impacted far more negatively than the mind that watches TV. So while we might not like the way TV influences us, I think it's safe to argue that we people have come a long way. Indeed violence is human nature and there must be a way to satisfy our blood lust. In prison, TV calms the housing areas. Without TV in prison, there would be riots everyday. People should be aware that TV has saved us in many ways. We people need entertainment and the bloodier the better. I'm just thankful it's done these days with actors pretending to die rather than with real people who really die.

Make Hacking Relevant!

2015-01-08T20:08:00.002-08:00

Why do hackers always hack things that no one cares about? For example, we already know that the government does bad things like torcher other people. Let us not forget that America has the largest incarceration population on the planet. If not you, then someone you know has been in the hands of our government for a crime of some sort. Thus, we are well aware of how abusive our Militiristic policing can be. Since Vietnam, we have been aware of war crimes seeing the true horrors of war. This is callous of me, however, if anyone in this country does not know by now that we have created horrible atrocities through illegal wars killing tens of millions of people, then that person is an idiot. This country was born of blood. The indigenous were slaughtered. Slaves from Africa were brought over through a ruthless invasion brought on by Eurpoean desperation. This is not new information so why do hackers waste our time bringing us this trivia? Why hack Sony? What does anyone gain from Sony being hacked? Hackers need to hack things that are useful to the public. I have always thought of hackers, for the most part, as people who stand up for the little guy against powerful elitists. These people who hack are so mysterious that we can neither vilify them nor commend them. Some people love them and some people hate them. In any event, they are always taken seriously. They are taken seriously because these hackers bring home a sense of reality. Through their hacking, we are able to be set free from the bondage of corporate control. These hackers let everyone know who is really in control. Even Sony had to bow to the all mighty hackers. I never saw a major company so scared. Even our President Obama had to tell Sony to pull their skirts down and man up. I wish hackers would take their hacking were it really needs to go; all the way to the student loan office! Hackers need to wipe everyone's student loan debt clean! Now that would be useful! A hacker needs to clean everyone's credit! I'm not asking a lot. I mean it's not like I'm asking for money. Of course money would be nice. Perhaps a hacker with a sense of humor could take money from the 1 percent and put it in the bank account of the 99 percent. Now that would make hacking relevent.

Student Loan Debt Scam

2014-12-30T10:33:00.002-08:00

I am a victim of the student loan debt scam. I went to college and earned a Bachelors Degree in Legal Studies and went to graduate school to earn a Masters in Social Work. I have worked as a Mental Health Clinician in Rikers Island since graduation in 2007. My student loans keep collecting interest because I can’t afford to pay and therefore I have them constantly in Forbearance. Last year my student loan debt was 80,000 dollars. This year my Federal Student Loan debt rose to 212,000 dollars at 5% interest. I have never seen 5% interest equal to more than double. Ever!!! There is clearly a scam to burden college graduates with so much student loan debt that it becomes impossible to recover. I have my loans consolidated with the Federal Student Loan Services. Even if I were to not pay any taxes on my income and give every cent I earn to this student loan it would take several years to pay off. My student loan debt without interest is high enough. When I graduated college I was supposed to make payments of 400 dollars a month for 20 years. This is outrages! Now I am expected to make $695 monthly payments for 20 years! I am constantly overdrawn in my bank account because I have to support my family. It is hard for me to understand the logic behind this student loan scam. The only logic I can fathom is to deter people from getting a college education. I have paid back every penny given to me for this education as I am a tax payer and a worker in this economy. I spend every last cent I make in this economy thereby giving every penny I make to the Federal, State and Local governments. However, this is still not sufficient as I am required to live a life of perpetual indentured servitude as a result of my student loan debt. I brought myself off the streets through education. I went to college from homeless shelters and park benches while surviving on food stamps, soup kitchens and welfare. Should I have remained homeless on welfare since obviously there is no way that I could afford education? Would this have been the responsible thing to have done? Would I have better served my country by being destitute and ignorant since being so would have saved the government money sending me to school? Is this the logic we are supposed to live by in America? I ask that my student loan debt be expunged. Every college graduate pays their student loan debt through employment wages. My social security number is 54########. You can see what I earned before I went to college and what I have earned after I went to college. I have more than paid for my education. To have us who went to college unable to earn a living due to student loan debt is un-American. A degree in legal studies and a Masters in Social Work should not cost $212,000. PLEASE EXPUNGE MY STUDENT LOAN DEBT! PLEASE EXPUNGE ALL STUDENT LOAN DEBT!

Students Don't Fail Schools Do!

2014-12-30T08:34:00.002-08:00

Recently I spoke with some of my colleagues about the previous correspondence I had sent to you regarding the education system that is failing the majority of our children. After speaking with the mental health staff during the evening here in Rikers Island RNDC jail about the issues related to high school education, a number of concerns have come to light. My colleagues during the evening tour consist of three LMSWs, one LCSW and two psychiatrists. I felt presenting these strategies for an improved educational system to my co-workers was important. This is so because they, like me, are charged with caring for the resulting incarceration of adolescents. This epidemic known as incarceration is no doubt the product of a failed education system. One of my co-workers who joined in the evening’s debate is a social worker in one of these failing New York City schools. During the discussion a number of concerns were presented after I had introduced the idea of GED training and test taking upon entrance into high school. I will list each concern individually then address the concerns stated. My efforts in doing this are to address some of the concerns you may have as my colleagues’ concerns may in fact mirror yours. These efforts are also advanced in the hopes that we find some way to implement these worthwhile, needed and necessary changes. GED programs already exist as well as college classes for students who fail in high school yet these students don’t want to go to school. Here in lies the fundamental problem within our education system. It does not make sense to offer students in high school the opportunity to go to college to earn an associates degree and a high school diploma only when we fail them in high school. In this case, it is important to understand how such an implementation can affect the mental health of the individual. By availing this opportunity only when students are failing is tantamount to saying to the student, “You’re a failure so why don’t you go to “X” junior college to get a degree and a high school diploma?” Why are we to assume that a student who fails out of high school is more capable of earning a two year college degree and a high school diploma? By what logic are we employing a policy that says only when you are totally humiliated by the failure of not passing your regents exam and thus high school are you capable of opportunity. When we think about the effects a failing high school education has on a person’s self esteem, we can realize that a person is no more likely to achieve after they’ve ultimately quit high school. In fact, I challenge that a student is more likely to succeed when they first begin high school in such a program. Bronx community college offers high school drop outs the chance to earn a college degree and a high school diploma within a four semester period. Again, why are we waiting to use this incredible program only when we see the student has failed high school or dropped out? Why are we sending the message that taking this route is the “failures’ route” when in fact it is not. This program should be touted as a fast track to college not as an alternative to a failed education in an educational system that has a dismal success rate when it comes to educating its students. GED programs as well should be seen in these schools as opportunities to advance to college training, vocational training in tech schools etc, not as routes that failures take when they are run out of our failing high school system. By allowing children the opportunity to take these routes of education that can advance students into an early and productive career in every field via college or other training, we can avoid the breeding grounds for crime that these high school campuses have become. We should be using the GED opportunity as a fast track to college instead of demonizing its benefits. Likewise we should be using the program in community college that allows students to gain their education in high school while earning a college degree as a fast track to college. In fact we should name these programs what they are; fast tracks to college. Most importantly, these opportunities should be provided upon entering high school not upon failing high school. High school education is meant to foster a work ethic therefore not completing the four year high school program takes away an important aspect of the student’s development When we think about what work ethic this high school system is offering, we have to admit that we can find more things unethical than ethical. In the 1950s there was a Supreme Court decision titled Brown vs Board of Education. In this decision it was determined that racially segregated school systems were inherently inferior. In 1965 we attempted to bus people of color into the White school system. However, since 1965 our school system has become more racially segregated than when Brown vs. Board was decided in the Supreme Court. It is clear that we have no intention of integrating our public school system. Therefore we can never have a school system that is meeting the needs of these “Black” students or students otherwise ensnared in social inequality. The school system was failing these students in 1956 the same as it is failing these students today. Before we rally around the conventions of new ideas, let’s stick to the fundamentals of the problem that have existed since Jim Crow. The fact has been clarified that we cannot have separate schools where one school is all poor and all “Black” and the other school is all upper income and all “White”. We under this current scenario cannot then begin to talk about creating important student development and a work ethic while we foster this inherently inferior racist system. Since we have no intention of integrating our society or our school system, we are compelling students to participate in an oppressive and exploitative school system. However, if we allow these students to test out of high school and begin a college education or other training on the onset of high school, we can create an advantage for these students. These students realize that they are treated unfairly. Students realize that based on their treatment, no one cares. A student knows when they are being set up to fail. Perhaps this explains why students in these racially segregated high schools drop out. This may explain why so many of these students feel as though they will have a better chance surviving on the streets than in a classroom. It is important to not minimize the extreme effect our failure as educators has on our society. Consequently, upon entering high school, we should allow these students in this high school system an opportunity to advance by graduating with a GED or attending colleges where they can earn their associates degree and high school diploma in 16 months. In this way we can provide these students an advantage that will allow them to compete in our society. When we allow these opportunities, for the first time, these students will have an advantage as a result of where they live like so many of their counterparts. Families are responsible since it takes a strong mother and or father to make sure that the children earn their education. We have to be aware that although most families in the inner city are poor, this in and of itself does not make them stupid. Like these students, these parents are not blind to the reality that they have to send their children to an inferior school system. These parents realize that if anyone has a choice, the choice would not be to send their child to the same school system they send their child. Parents know when they are being humiliated by a racialist school system that is apartheid in nature and Jim Crow in foundation. They realize that “White” parents aren’t sending their children to go to school with their children. This being the fact, how do you tell a parent to advocate for the perpetuation of such a system? How insane are we to not understand why a parent would not advocate for their child to be a part of this abomination? These parents are not naïve. They went to these schools also. They know what is going on in this system. They are aware that this is a system that poorly prepared them to overcome its oppression well enough to not have to send their children through the same shameful experience. Perhaps this explains why parents do not become involved in their child’s high school education. People who want to attend this current school system should have the opportunity to do so. However, students who do not wish to attend this current school system should be allowed opportunities to advance via two year degree and diploma programs or GED testing. This way the schools will have to create more productive methods in order to retain students and parents for the standard high school path. Thank you for your time and please feel free to contact me regarding these issues. My contact information is listed below. Evan Baker, LMSW

This has already happened

2014-12-28T16:20:00.002-08:00

Everything we experience has already happened. That's because there is a delay for our brain to process what our nerves tell us. There are two different parts to our brain. The cerebellum and cerebral cortex. The cerebellum is the oldest part of our brain and works with the brain stem to control action, movement, balance and fight or flight. Our cerebral cortex then takes the information from the cerebellum and makes sense out of the experience. Our nerves get their information from the "environment" and respond to it by creating action as described. Now we all shrug our shoulders saying " yeah but this takes a split second"! Let's think about that split second. Regardless of weather it's a split second or an hour, the point is that we are not in control of our actions. Our cerebral cortex makes sense of this action by telling us that we conciously made this decision. That is lie number one. In fact what is really happening is that these actions have already taken place. We walk before we know we are walking. We eat, drink, talk, sleep and everything else including see before we are aware. It takes a milisecond for our eyes to see an object and send the image to our cerebral cortex. Therefore everything we experience is actually a past event. Here's a question. What is the environment we are reacting to? What in the environment tells us to sit, stand, move our head etc.? Our movement through our nervous system is crated by electrical signals. This electrical occurance takes place in cells called neurons. Every action we take, including thought, is the result of an electrical signal. This must mean that electrical signals are being sent from our "environment". After all electricity is the means by which our body communicates with itself. It would be hard to believe that electrical signals respond to non electrical forces to send electrical information. By now your mind has still brushed this off by saying " well a millisecond is not that long. However, we have to understand that in reality there is no such thing as a second. For there to be a second there would have to be a second beforehand. When did the first second begin? It never did. Time is infinite. So take a millisecond off of one day; then one year; then one million years; then infinity and you'll find that not only are we living in the past but we are living in a time that always has been and never was. By now your cerebral cortex is pretty pissed and trying to tell you that this is unimaginable. However not only is it imaginable, it is the only thing that makes sense and it's true. What's not true about time is 12:00am and a second and an hour. Time is not the beating of a heart or a planet's movement around a star. The environment our body is reacting to is our infinite universe or multiverse. We are controlled by our universe. Our actions are being dictated by an ancient dimension. We don't call the shots more than our earth, sun and space do. But our cerebral cortex would have us believe that we control everything and that we are all intelligent. Even more so than our universe! Now that's arrogant! We are simply an appendage to our environment and our dimension controls us not the other way around. Even in religion we are taught that there is a God more powerful than us and that this God controls us. So now your cerebral cortex is saying if we are living in the past, how do we explain our physical being? Our physics being is in no more controlled by us than are the stars controlled by us. Our body is the property of this dimension. Jesus taught us about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is who we are. I feel this way because since everything has already happened then what we see as physical is simply an interpretation. Our lives have already been lived and our conciousness only allows us to experience what we know today. What else can explain a time lapse between environment, the bodies reaction to the environment, and the cerebral cortex interpretations. There is a huge delay that clearly tells us that we are not in control of our actions. And against the back drop of infinity this could mean anything.

Rikers Island Theories of Racism

2014-12-28T10:06:00.001-08:00

I just want to updated everyone on my book Rikers Island Theories of Racism. I have been getting 4+ star ratings in the European market and I am still selling copies online at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and Xlibris as well as many other sites. If you like my writings, you'll love this book! Order a copy!

Rikers Island and NYPD

2014-12-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

In these progressive times with the police department being focused on for unnecessary killing and Rikers Island being accused of human rights violations for solitary confinement of adolescence, I think that some clarity is in order. To begin with, the police department has to be mature enough to take responsibility for their actions. They argue that the arrest of the cigarette vendor who sold loose cigarettes was legal. It's argued that he resisted arrest. In the mind of law enforcement this means that his death was justified. I argued with some of my correction officer friends that being right or wrong doesn't matter. The point is that people don't like being bullied. If the NYPD wants to be heavy handed they can be. However it comes with a price. Nothing the Mayor says or didn't say would change the outcome of protests. The NYPD needs to grow up and stop acting like babies. The blood of the officers who got shot are on the hands of the NYPD. They don't care about what people think and the consequences are protests and the death of two officers. But hey, at lest they got a loose cigarette vendor off the street. I hope it was worth it. As for the Rikers Island situation, many jails keep people locked in Solitary confinement oftentimes without the person violating correction policy. For example, many jails lock people up in 23 hour lockdown for protective custody. Recently, my brother called me from Ventura County Jail while in solitary confinement. He had not violated any jail policy yet he was in 23 hour lockdown. Yet in Rikers Island the DOJ and Federal courts step in to end his box days? No! Maybe because the correction officers in Rikers Island are mostly Black/Brown, the New York Times and like media are quick to blame "Rikers Island" for 23 hour lockdown. However, the Policy of 23 hour lockdown was made decades ago by commissioners, Mayors, courts and other like higher ups. Where was the DOJ 70 years ago when there were White correction officers locking down 23 hours a day their inmates? It's not Rikers Islan correction officers doing a shift that are locking people down 23 hours a day. It's the DOJ and federal courts who set this policy in the first place. It's all the previous commissioners and mayors who are to blame. But like hypocrites, they admonish the lowliest they can find. As if some CO with a high school diploma is making policy. In closing responsibility needs to be taken.

Romney the PUNK!

2012-10-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm tired of people in awe of Mitt Romney. Let's keep it real! Mitt Romney is a punk! Nothing more! He's a spoiled little rich kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Who is Mitt Romney to tell anyone anything? He's where he is because his daddy gave him money. He inherited his wealth. Please don't give me that song and dance of how this bum made millions on his own. This worthless bum wouldn't have been able to screw people out of their jobs had it not been for the fact that he came from privilege. Why are you people worshiping a spoiled little punk brat who never had to want for anything? What is America's fascination with spoiled little punks? This little bitch never had to have a hard days work in his life! But you all want him to be president. Why? Because you people are little minions who idolize spoiled little punks.Remember what happened the last time we had a spoiled little punk as president? You think its going to be different with this punk? He goes around the world and insults our allies. Why? Because he's never had to think about anything. He's a disrespectful little punk who thinks that the world revolves around him. But you all want to vote for him; a punk! I keep saying the word "punk" because that's what he is. This is who you want representing you as an American? An entitled brat? Mitt Romney, like W. Bush, thinks that the economy is his own private piggy bank. Romney doesn't know the word "no". The republicans love running unqualified candidates. These days, the way you become a presidential nominee for the republican party is if you're an inheritance baby who is a spoiled little brat punk who needs his ass kicked. Think about it. Dick Cheney, though evil, not able to be president as a republican because he didn't come from money. This other scumbag, Ryan, can't run for president as a republican because he didn't come from money. It appears that the main qualification these days to be a republican president is to be, you guessed it, a spoiled punk with a silver spoon in his mouth. Pathetic! Also, what's with the debates? All of a sudden people who would have voted for our current president have changed their vote to Mitt "Punk" Romney after just one debate. Really? Lets forget the tax returns that spoiled little punk doesn't want to show. Let's forget the jobs the Punk sent to China. Lets forget the businesses the "Punk" ran to the ground to make a profit. Let's forget the punk's statement " I don't care about the poor". Let's forget the Punk's statement about the 47 percent who, unlike him, were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Let's forget about the Punk's arrogance and insulting our allies. Let's forget about the Punk's off shore bank accounts. Let's forget about the Punk's belief that he should only pay 14 percent in taxes. After all, for an entitled spoiled punk, any tax is unfair. I could go on. But because of one debate where he lied 27 times in 38 minutes, all of a sudden, you all want to vote for him. A Punk! One debate sold you! It's all good now! Now it doesn't matter that he's a bum. Abe Lincoln born in a log Cabin. Our first president, Washington, put his life on the line fighting the British. You think the Mitt Punk Romney would ever put his faggot punk ass on the line? Bill Clinton, came from poverty! Obama wasn't even raised by his parents! He was raised by his grandparents! He met his father when he graduated college! Oh but you all want to support a spoiled little punk! THe job numbers are all wrong! Why? Because you want a spoiled brat punk to be your leader? You want a spoiled little Punk with his spoiled little punk children to lead you? That's what you want? A punk!

Rikers Island Graduation 5

2012-09-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE SOCIETY. REHABILITATION IN JAIL IS NEEDED! THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR ANOTHER GRADUATE OF THE DBT PROGRAM! When we first started working in the groups, I saw a stern individual who did not seem to want to change or develop their thinking. One not changing their thinking is not always the worst thing, however, in our case; we had to figure out a way of thinking that did not validate punching someone in the mouth. This was a challenge for us all, I have to admit. Unlike some individuals who felt like pursuing a train of thought that would not allow and justify an assault, you gave this new concept a chance. Instead of trying to humiliate the process or the proctors of this program, you gave us a chance. I must admit that I did not expect that you would be one of the people to work with the program. I will admit my ignorance by realizing that I felt that you would be one of the individuals who would not lock out for group or splash or flood. I love being wrong. It is my belief that you are yet another example of why DBT works. Not only were you not a person that could not or would not involve themselves with the program, you became a virtual scholar of the program and the program’s logic. I have to say that I am impressed with your knowledge of the material. This knowledge demonstrated to me during rounds as you would explain situations that enabled you to utilize your DBT skills. I knew that you were genuine in your discussions of the DBT skills that you had learned, as you would explain the situations that these skills were applied. Not once have you yelled obscenities at me or any other staff member. You could have been easily persuaded to as other people housed next to you have behaved in such a manner. This for me is an example of your ability to think independently. For me, your behavior exemplifies leadership. Instead of following a path of self destruction by behaving in an intolerable manner, you chose to compose yourself with dignity and respect. As the weeks and the months dragged on and our conversations about the usefulness of the DBT program progressed, it became clear that you were not interested in repeating the same behavior that created your circumstances. I began to understand that you realized that it is important not to follow people down the wrong path in life. For me, it seemed that you could understand how problems developed as a result of who you identified with in life. Our conversations focused on how anti-social behavior was a menace as well as embarrassing. It is my belief that you have the potential to develop your thinking. It seems as though you have chosen the pro-social DBT skills over the anti-social behavior of some of your peers. It appears further that through the study of these skills, you have been able to open your mind to a completely new and more intricate understanding of opportunities that exist for you. Stay the course of success by choosing skills over anti-social behavior. Only you can create your ambitions. Only you know what you can do. It is not enough for me or us to believe in you, you must believe in yourself. Let DBT be the key to your uninhibited brilliance and unlock the door to your success. Congratulations on completing the DBT program and Good Luck

Rikers Island Graduation 4

2012-09-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

THE WORK CONTINUES! THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR ONE OF OUR GRADUATES! When we first met, you spoke to me about your life in a way that exhibited the despair that you felt about the circumstances that you confronted. There was nothing positive that you had to say about your future. You were disgruntled. However, I felt then, as I feel now, that there is great possibility for your success. Being incarcerated is a debilitating experience as it sets us back in our lives. It was my fear that you would succumb to the feelings of despair which accompany incarceration. I Know I speak on behalf of the leaders of this DBT program when I say that we don’t want or need your business. That is to say, we do not hope to see you back in jail. We do hope to gain your business through your freedom. You are worth more to us as a functioning member of society than as an inmate in an orange jumpsuit chained to a wall. I would much rather work with you on DBT skills while in the community than in prison. I would much rather focus on helping you gain a higher level of function while you study acting in Julliard. Though I don’t mind and I have worked hard to have the ability to work with people who are in this situation, facing criminal conviction, it is my belief that you can achieve more. It is my belief that your ability to advance far beyond what incarceration has to offer us is in inherent in our human DNA. If I didn’t believe this, I would have chosen a different profession. I can’t speculate on what it is about this skills program that has changed your conversation from one of a young man who is hopeless to a young man that is hopeful with dreams of studying acting. Could it be DEAR MAN? Could it be skills in interpersonal effectiveness? Or could it be finding the middle path and validation techniques? Perhaps we will never know? Or perhaps it was all of these skills working to bring about a higher more conscious pro-social level of future oriented thinking. There is one thing that I am confident in however and that is that before coming to this program, you never entertained life beyond prison in a way that led to your happiness. How we process what we experience in life is the most important mechanism gifted to us. How do we process incarceration? How do we process the behavior that brought us to jail? A normal person may become embittered and hopeless feeling over whelmed. The constant court appearances, the constant probation requirements that never seem to end and the years that they linger can create a dysfunction in thinking that can break anyone rich, poor, educated or uneducated. The criminal justice system is perhaps one of the most mentally challenging systems any one will ever experience. To be taken from the community, forbidden to work or be educated or be with your friends and family is the most mentally debilitating experience for any creature on earth to survive. It is not a system or experience that is meant to create growth, yet that is exactly what you have done. I can’t say that you would have made this growth only through the dialogue and discussions that you and I have shared. I don’t know that these discussions alone would have been enough to break the deep depression you have felt. However, since our discussions have focused on the skills that the DBT program has offered, I have seen your depression and despair lift. I have seen future oriented thinking develop. I believe we are on the right track. Congratulations and Good Luck!

RIKERS ISLAND GRADUATION 3

2012-09-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

This was written for one of our graduates from the DBT program! DBT is designed to help people control actions that result from feelings that are oftentimes overwhelming. It is my hope that your ambitions will surpass any distractions that have inhibited you thus far. Finding the middle path and other DBT skills extend beyond the scope of basic relationships. Though this is true, I am firm in my belief that when you use these DBT skills as we have discussed them in our groups, you will be able to nurture your ambitions and thus bear the fruits of success. Frustration often leads to hopelessness. However, it is our hope that when confronted by the feelings of hopelessness or frustration, the skills you’ve learned with us will reassure you that your purpose in life is greater than the conflicts and struggles you face. Congratulations and good luck!

Rikers Island Graduation 2

2012-09-30T21:25:00.001-07:00

This was written for one of the graduations from our Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program. PROGRESS IS BEING MADE IN RIKERS ISLAND! It is safe to say that you have faced the consequences of your actions with dignity. You have not complained or acted out. You have not held the slot or splashed or used profanity. The irony of course is that though you behave well, you have not had to compromise your character. That is to say that you are not being ridiculed for being a composed individual. I know that for many people in this program, there is a fear that by learning the DBT skills a loss of strength will follow. I believe that it is safe to say that you put this myth to rest. The behavior you demonstrate proves that being dialectical does not at all make a person weak or naïve. In fact, using your wise mind has made you stronger. This fact is represented not only in your ability to complete this program but also in your ability to have others respect your resolve for self discipline and control. Congratulations and good luck!

Vx=Vcos0; That's fast!

2012-09-02T17:57:00.001-07:00

Vx=Vcos0 This equation is used to define a specific speed of an object traveling at a specific angle. So,for example, if you wanted to know the speed of a ball traveling in the "X" direction, you would be able to by accounting for the velocity (speed) multiplied by the cosine (degree of the angle). This information is useful for many reasons. I can understand how this speed would be important when trying to figure the speed needed for a rocket ship to leave earth's atmosphere. This simple equation could help identify how fast a ship would need to go in order to leave earth's atmosphere. Also, this equation could help to understand the quickest route to a destination. I tried to understand this physics problem from a unique perspective. I have to try to imagine what new angle could be used to help me utilize this equation. The result that I have concluded based on the calculation is applicable to travel as well. When we think about the quickest route to space, we think of a rocket ship shooting straight up to the sky. The velocity is assumed from the "Y" axis. The Y axis is a linear north/south direction the rocket ship travels. Since we are on planet earth, I have to understand that due to the curvature of the earth, our perception of travel to space, or air, is something that can be understood differently. Were it possible to take a linear path accross the surface of the earth, at say five feet off the ground, eventually we would head straight out to space. This being the case, if we were to try and understand how to get to a specific point in space from earth, understanding Vx=Vcos0 could become useful. Trying to find the speed of the rocket ship traveling along the "X" axis, we may be able to find that the quickest way to space is following a path along the X axis. For example, if you were to travel at 89 meters per second (198 mph) at an angle of 90 degrees, your speed would not change. However, as the angle changes to say fifty degrees, the speed slows. The angle slows. In fact, the speed of the rocket ship would be less until you reached a cosine of 2 degrees, at this point the speed would be equal to the 90 degree angle. Therefore, traveling straight accross the x axis is just as quick to get into outer space than if you were to take a 90 degree ascent into the heavens. Does this mean that regardless of how high off the ground you traveled, knowing the earth is round,would you be able to reach space as quickly if you traveled across the X axis? This of course is a questionable theory as the 90 degree angle to space is only 62 miles while taking the route on the X axis would take many more miles to reach space as the horizon is more than 62 miles. Though the 90 degree angle still seems like the quickest route, what if you were trying to reach a specific area in space? What if the area in space was more easily accesable taking a linear direction. Is it possible that an area in space is accessible more quickly following the X axis? Of course it is possible. Simply because you are traveling along the X axis, doesn't mean that you can't be, say, 1000 feet in the air. For that matter, it is not to say that you can not be 2 inches in the air from the surface of the earth. However, since the destination in space from earth, the curvature of the earth and your proximity is important. If you were 20 miles from the horizon or curvature of the earth, would you get to space quicker traveling on the X axis, rather than at any other angle, including a 90 degre angle? Not necessarily because this equation accounts for speed and not the time it would take to arrive at your destination. What this means is that your speed would be the same at the 90 degree angle as it would be at the 2 degree angle when determing how fast the object travels on the X axis. In other words, flat and verticle are the same in terms of speed. Although this is true, lets just say that the space ship leaving from the north pole wanted to get to a destination in space that is 90 degrees away on the X axis. It may be quicker to leave earth to that destination traveling along the X axis if the X axis is on that 90 degree angle that the space ship needs to reach. Though we would have to account for speed of the craft in outer space possibly being able to reach that place quicker, the fact is that spacially, this would be a quicker and more direct route on the X axis rather than the Y axis. That is to say, traveling at say a couple miles from the horizon to outer space on the X axis is closer in this case. In this scenario, it would take 64 miles to reach space rather than 62 miles. However, since the destination in space is closer, in this case on the X axis, would be faster. You would still be closer to space were you to take a 90 degree ascent into the sky say at three miles further up the path from the equater. This is because in this case, again, the rocket ship is traveling straight and would be at a 90 degree angle from the point in space to be arrived. However, once in space a control for this 90 degree angle would have to be taken. In essence, the only consideration that would be needed is to ascertain whether the 90 degree angle added up to more than the distance to the horizon plus 62 miles.

KKK

2012-08-28T23:49:00.001-07:00

Why is everyone so worried about hurting the feelings of the KKK? Further, why are they even allowed to exist? They're so 1960s. I'm sorry, why do we care about them anymore? Oh yeah, because we're a bunch of cowards. I heard that we could not prevent the KKK from marching or speaking in public. The ACLU saw the wolf in sheep's clothing. Apparently if we didn't protect our beloved KKK and their free speech, then we couldn't protect anyone else's. What? The KKK has rights? All the murders, terrorism and evil, they still have rights? Their rights are apparently so important that somehow taking away their rights infringes on ours. I wonder if the mayors of these cities that had the KKK march would allow the Gambino crime family to march. How about the blood or crips to march? Of Course not! They're criminals! The KKK however, they are upstanding citizens whose rights need to be respected! Wow! Shouldn't they all be arrested? I saw Missippi Burning and I'm pretty sure that they made it against the law for the KKK to exist. Gene Hackman was pissed so I know that something must have been done. The truth is the KKK as cowardly and pathetic as they are, are nonetheless as American as apple pie. The truth however is that the KKK and other White Supremist groups should all be killed and or sent to Guantanamo Bay. I could see some of your expressions already. How dare I say such awfull things about our beloved KKK. I know there are a considerable amount of Afro Americans who feel this way. You'll argue how they don't matter. One Afro American told me it would be good to know where the KKK is so we can avoid them. Avoid them? It would be a good idea to know where the KKK is so we could KILL them. You Black folks who think like this will say tougher laws for this Black and that Black. You'll argue that Black people don't this or that; and just look at these Black people. However, let's just avoid the KKK. What have they ever done to us besides kill, torcher,oppress and make you live in squalor poverty. Yes, the KKK did that. In fact, it's still their mission to this day. But you all keep on like a bunch of cowards. Even in Germany it's against the law to rave about being a Nazi. Remember Germany? This is where the Nazi party began. They don't tolerate that crap. Not America though. I have to admit we are cowards when we let a bunch of played out loosers like the KKK dictate how we interpret the constitution.

Teach them! Rikers Island

2012-08-20T23:43:00.001-07:00

For the White children who find themselves afflicted by the failures of this education system, I will consider them to be Black and Hispanic children as well. There is always so much confusion about education. We look at the statistics of the failing public education system in our country with immense curiosity. We say to each other how did this circumstance arrive? Usually, the answer is followed by a wide range of opinions that attempt to provide a reason for the dismembered education system. The answers are always brought with anger and disdain. Such a sentiment is clearly understood as the situation of our failing education system is quite deplorable. In most cases, our answer to the question of how we arrived here at this level of failure is equally as deplorable as our answers are racist as well as classist. In looking for the answer that explains the education failure, we expose our disdain and hatred for the Black and Brown student. Black and White people alike, who feel themselves separate and apart from the journey of misfortune created by poor education, are quick to admonish the Black/Brown student. We explain to each other that these children are failing because their parents are not involved in their education. In furtherance, we shout that these students don’t value education. Then we are quick to examine mass incarceration statistics of Black and Brown children to support these claims. In the end, we console ourselves resting easy with the notion that Black and Brown students are hopeless. We comfort ourselves believing that apathy is appropriate since their parents aren’t attending PTA meetings or helping them with their homework. I n the end, we justify the failure of the educational system while disconnecting ourselves from a problem that our racism and classism perpetuates. These answers are the backbone of the education issue. Through these answers, we allow our community leadership to shovel us useless solutions. This is indeed the case. Who can argue that our teachers aren’t trying to educate these people? Who can argue that our leadership is not concerned about the issue? With all this care and concern about the issues, that the students are still failing says that Black/Brown students are the problem. They just don’t care about their education. This is the pitiful, pathetic, arrogant, ignorant mindset of the American public, White and Black. I have an argument to make. Do schools have a right to not educate children when their parents are not “involved”? Do parents need to be in the PTA for schools to decide to do their job? For a child to obtain a decent education, do their parents have to be college educated themselves? I don’t think so. This bit of logic that is so pervasive is by far one of the weakest. A parent should not have to have a degree from Yale in order for their child to achieve in an environment whose sole purpose it is to provide education. This would be analogues to buying a car. However, before buying the car, you yourself must know how to build a car. Just like the car manufacturer having the responsibility to deliver its service to the customer, the schools have a responsibility to deliver its service to its customer. Like the car manufacturer not making an excuse that the purchaser should first learn how to build an automobile, the educational system should not make an excuse that the parents must be educated or attend PTA meetings. Though I think this is a compelling analogy, I sense that there are still some non-believers, so to speak. We will still argue that without proper parent involvement, the schools will be unable to educate the children properly. However, I stick to my rationale that a failing organization must observe its deficits then compensate for them. In other words, if we see that parents are not “involved” the way we would like them to be, we need to create bridges to mend this supposed gap. No, a parent not belonging to the PTA is not a valid excuse. Then there is the almighty issue of Black and Brown children not caring about their education. “They’d rather sell drugs and run the street instead of get an education, “we argue. I happen to know otherwise, however. Working with the adolescents here at Rikers Island, I realize now more than ever that no one likes being illiterate. People don’t like having to have to say, “I don’t like reading because I can’t read that well.” People don’t like not being able to write a complete sentence. Nobody enjoys being illiterate. I had an adolescent patient of mine tell me that although he is eighteen years old, he only has two credits in high school. People don’t enjoy being uneducated! He stated further, “This is not something I’m proud of.” Well now, this whole argument that our Black and Brown students enjoy being illiterate is falling apart! I’ve recently started to work with the kids in Rikers Island on their writing. I’m having them write about why they feel so many kids are dropping out of school. I feel that allowing them to discuss their challenges is helpful to finding a solution to the problem. Their answers though differ greatly than our answers. These Black/Brown students are saying that the teachers don’t care. Imagine that. What would make the dozen or so students that are not aware what each other is writing, write the same exact thing about education? Could it be a conspiracy? Could it be an organized attempt by Black/Brown students to overthrow the education system by dropping out and going to prison? Perhaps this is all part of their evil little plot overthrow Mayor Bloomberg’s reign over New York City. Or maybe it’s true. I think that their statements make sense. I also feel that it’s high time we stop blaming the victim which in this case is the Black/Brown student. These people are not dumb; believe it or not. They know we don’t give a crap about them. They know that we hate them. They know what we are saying about them behind their back. They know we don’t care. It’s not a big secret! The answer as to why they are dropping out of school is simple. Why would they go to school when they aren’t learning anything? What is the point of going to school when they are not teaching you how to read and write? I don’t think that these kids have received a decent education since third grade. The reason I say third grade is because their writing level is for the most part at a third graders level. If by the time you attend high school you have only received a third grade education, I don’t think there is any point to continue with that failed education system. This truly explains why they are dropping out of school to attend high school in prison. In fact, prison is where most of these Black/Brown students end up receiving their education. This outcome is due to our racist hatred and disdain for the Black/Brown student. Those of us who have forgotten where we come from and those of us who just don’t care what this country is supposed to be about have failed these students. We are responsible for their failure. We are the failures. We are making rationales and justifications for our own failures! We are sad and pitiful! We are pathetic! We are an embarrassment! We are a shame! We are not proud and we shouldn’t be since we produce crap work. The solution you ask? I’ll give a solution. Let’s have ten students per class so the teachers can reach each student. Let’s hire more teachers and pay them six figures when they begin their teaching careers. Let’s build more classrooms so we can accommodate the demand for education. Instead, we’re laying off more teachers, building more prisons, hiring more police and correction officers. The reason? Because we don’t care and we hate Black/Brown students. Waiting for this to happen would be tantamount to waiting for hell to freeze over. I’m referring to the growth in education not law enforcement. We always have money to lock up Black/ Brown kids. So here’s another solution. Each of you who read this blog, find a school in your state who is struggling. Call them up. Tell them who you are and what you do for a living. Then ask them what you can do to help. If you decide to actually give a damn and do this, would you please be so kind as to leave the response on a comment under this blog? I will do this very thing next week. I will then write a blog to inform you of how things have gone. If enough of us do this, we can start to make a difference and commence a grass roots campaign to overcome this deficit that we perpetuate. In short, I find that the answer as to how to educate students is simple. Teach them!

Graduation in Rikers Island Jail

2012-08-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

I wrote this speech for the graduation ceremony in Rikers Island Jail. This particular incarcerated person graduated from the dialectical behavioral therapy program for adolescents housed in solitary confinement. The person I am writing about has a history of violent behavior complimented with violent charges. However, he has found a new way of looking at life thanks to this DBT program. I felt it appropriate therefore to write him this salutation as his road to success has now begun! M.S. The situation that led us to meet here once again since we first met in one central contrasts significantly the person you have the potential to become as well as present yourself as being. The actions that brought you to this program underlie a struggle for self determination that I would like to see develop in a pro-social capacity. It is my sincere belief that what you have learned from the DBT program will allow you to develop this struggle for positive self growth. The extreme black and white thinking that seemed to control your thoughts when we first met do not seem to exist at this time. It is my belief and hope that you are able to understand circumstances from a multidimensional perspective. I am confident that what you learned from this DBT program has improved your thinking. You have not behaved inappropriately, as you have done in the past; and you seem to carry yourself with more calm and confidence. I have to ask myself, is his calm and confident manners the result of knowing that there is a middle path to take? Is his calm and confidence in character and demeanor a result of a self awareness that allows him to validate himself? Has his lack of self destruction been a result of knowing how to validate others who he may disagree with? I believe that the only answer can be yes. I don’t think that it is possible for anyone to have self respect without having self validation. I further believe that I don’t think it is possible to have respect for others without having the ability to look beyond the circumstances. Moreover, I don’t think that it is possible to have self respect and respect for others without carrying yourself with the appropriate level of calm and confidence that you have displayed since becoming part of this program. Now since these characteristics were not so present when we first met, I am forced to believe that you have learned these traits about yourself as a result of what we have been able to offer you within the DBT program. I hope that you share the same vision of yourself as we here who facilitate this program. We believe in your ability to grow from your own self awareness. This program exists because you are capable of achieving success in your life under any circumstance. However, it is not enough for us to believe in your ability, you must believe in your ability as well. What are the potentials you have? One can only imagine. However, it is my hope that the DBT program will remove the road blocks that inhibit the creativity necessary to achieve and give you the ability to think beyond what crisis that confronts you. It is my hope that when a situation arises like the situation that brought us here, you will be able to find the middle path. I am confident that once you are able to utilize these DBT skills, you will be amazed at the strength you have to not only overcome problems but solve problems. As you see this ability develop, your automatic thinking will create all sorts of opportunities that you never realized existed. These opportunities and ambitions will not be made from mine or anyone else’s thinking but your own; because neither I nor anyone else can create your ambitions. Your ambitions are something you must create yourself. Now, with what you are learning, these ambitions can soar higher and in a positive meaningful direction than they ever have. Good and Congratulations on the completion of the DBT program.