News update:  Check out this story on the Muslim Prayer Room that was in the World Trade Center.

New York Times Article about Muslim Prayer Room in World Trade Center

For any of you who claim to be “Christian”, then you know that Jesus said we would be judged on our ability to forgive and love the people who have hurt us the most deeply.   He also said, it’s easy to be nice to the people who are nice to you, even the Gentiles do that.

So,  I hope you’ll read this letter, from a fellow Christian, about why neither of us want to live in a country that reacts to the most intolerant and hateful instincts in human nature, an America where our basic values of “fairness” and “equality under the law” can be erased by political whim and a group of so called “patriots” who use fear and loathing to further their Fascist political agenda.

And that’s what it is, a Fascist Political Agenda.

If you’re not sure about this, read the definition of “Fascism” here, then decide for yourself if it fits the current “Patriot” and “Tea Party” agenda:  “Fascism”

Ed Garren

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If That ‘Mosque’ ISN’T Built, This Is No Longer America

OpenMike 9/11/10Michael Moore’s daily blog

I am opposed to the building of the “mosque” two blocks from Ground Zero.

I want it built on Ground Zero.

Why? Because I believe in an America that protects those who are the victims of hate and prejudice. I believe in an America that says you have the right to worship whatever God you have, wherever you want to worship. And I believe in an America that says to the world that we are a loving and generous people and if a bunch of murderers steal your religion from you and use it as their excuse to kill 3,000 souls, then I want to help you get your religion back. And I want to put it at the spot where it was stolen from you.

There’s been so much that’s been said about this manufactured controversy, I really don’t want to waste any time on this day of remembrance talking about it. But I hate bigotry and I hate liars, and so in case you missed any of the truth that’s been lost in this, let me point out a few facts:

1. I love the Burlington Coat Factory. I’ve gotten some great winter coats there at a very reasonable price. Muslims have been holding their daily prayers there since 2009. No one ever complained about that. This is not going to be a “mosque,” it’s going to be a community center. It will have the same prayer room in it that’s already there. But to even have to assure people that “it’s not going to be mosque” is so offensive, I now wish they would just build a 111-story mosque there. That would be better than the lame and disgusting way the developer has left Ground Zero an empty hole until recently. The remains of over 1,100 people still haven’t been found. That site is a sacred graveyard, and to be building another monument to commerce on it is a sacrilege. Why wasn’t the entire site turned into a memorial peace park? People died there, and many of their remains are still strewn about, all these years later.

2. Guess who has helped the Muslims organize their plans for this community center? The JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER of Manhattan! Their rabbi has been advising them since the beginning. It’s been a picture-perfect example of the kind of world we all want to live in. Peter Stuyvessant, New York’s “founder,” tried to expel the first Jews who arrived in Manhattan. Then the Dutch said, no, that’s a bit much. So then Stuyvessant said ok, you can stay, but you cannot build a synagogue anywhere in Manhattan. Do your stupid Friday night thing at home. The first Jewish temple was not allowed to be built until 1730. Then there was a revolution, and the founding fathers said this country has to be secular — no religious nuts or state religions. George Washington (inaugurated around the corner from Ground Zero) wanted to make a statement about this his very first year in office, and wrote this to American Jews:

“The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy — a policy worthy of imitation. …

“It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens …

“May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants — while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”

3. The Imam in charge of this project is the nicest guy you’d ever want to meet. Read about his past here.

4. Around five dozen Muslims died at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Hundreds of members of their families still grieve and suffer. The 19 killers did not care what religion anyone belonged to when they took those lives.

5. I’ve never read a sadder headline in the New York Times than the one on the front page this past Monday: “American Muslims Ask, Will We Ever Belong?” That should make all of us so ashamed that even a single one of our fellow citizens should ever have to worry about if they “belong” here.

6. There is a McDonald’s two blocks from Ground Zero. Trust me, McDonald’s has killed far more people than the terrorists.

7. During an economic depression or a time of war, fascists are extremely skilled at whipping up fear and hate and getting the working class to blame “the other” for their troubles. Lincoln’s enemies told poor Southern whites that he was “a Catholic.” FDR’s opponents said he was Jewish and called him “Jewsevelt.” One in five Americans now believe Obama is a Muslim and 41% of Republicans don’t believe he was born here.

8. Blaming a whole group for the actions of just one of that group is anti-American. Timothy McVeigh was Catholic. Should Oklahoma City prohibit the building of a Catholic Church near the site of the former federal building that McVeigh blew up?

9. Let’s face it, all religions have their whackos. Catholics have O’Reilly, Gingrich, Hannity and Clarence Thomas (in fact all five conservatives who dominate the Supreme Court are Catholic). Protestants have Pat Robertson and too many to list here. The Mormons have Glenn Beck. Jews have Crazy Eddie. But we don’t judge whole religions on just the actions of their whackos. Unless they’re Methodists.

10. If I should ever, God forbid, perish in a terrorist incident, and you or some nutty group uses my death as your justification to attack or discriminate against anyone in my name, I will come back and haunt you worse than Linda Blair marrying Freddy Krueger and moving into your bedroom to spawn Chucky. John Lennon was right when he asked us to imagine a world with “nothing to kill or die for and no religion, too.” I heard Deepak Chopra this week say that “God gave humans the truth, and the devil came and he said, ‘Let’s give it a name and call it religion.’ ” But John Adams said it best when he wrote a sort of letter to the future (which he called “Posterity”): “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.” I’m guessing ol’ John Adams is up there repenting nonstop right now.

Friends, we all have a responsibility NOW to make sure that Muslim community center gets built. Once again, 70% of the country (the same number that initially supported the Iraq War) is on the wrong side and want the “mosque” moved. Enormous pressure has been put on the Imam to stop his project. We have to turn this thing around. Are we going to let the bullies and thugs win another one? Aren’t you fed up by now? When would be a good time to take our country back from the haters?

I say right now. Let’s each of us make a statement by donating to the building of this community center! It’s a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization and you can donate a dollar or ten dollars (or more) right now through a secure pay pal account by clicking here. I will personally match the first $10,000 raised (forward your PayPal receipt to webguy@michaelmoore.com). If each one of you reading this blog/email donated just a couple of dollars, that would give the center over $6 million, more than what Donald Trump has offered to buy the Imam out. C’mon everyone, let’s pitch in and help those who are being debased for simply wanting to do something good. We could all make a huge statement of love on this solemn day.

I lost a co-worker on 9/11. I write this today in his memory.

“The man who speaks of the enemy / Is the enemy himself.”

                                                                        – Bertolt Brecht

A friend sent me an editorial, published in the Wall Street Journal (of all places, but remember it’s now owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owns Fox News) about so-called “reverse racism.”  The author, Democratic U.S. Senator Jim Webb of Virginia basically argues that anti-discriminatory laws should be abolished because white people also experience discrimination because of those laws.  He says that white people don’t have “privilege.”

 A link to the text is below, a well as my own thoughts about this issue, and the rise of overt racism and other divisive tactics by “conservative leadership.”I hope you enjoy them.

 Ed

  Senator Webb’s Editorial in the Wall Street Journal

First off, “privilege” isn’t about wealth per se, it’s about living without fear.  Most white people never experience that fear, unless they are in the minority (like if your car breaks down in a “non white” neighborhood, particularly after dark).  People of color live with that fear 24/7 in most of this country.

 On the plantation, and in the post civil war era that leads up to today, the game has been the same, pit one group/race against another, “Massah” always wins.  This goes all the way back to plantations having white overseers, who were usually Irish, also brought in as “indentured servants.”  Their descendants would swell the ranks of the KKK and other “White Supremacy” groups later on.

 I agree with many of the statistical comments made by senator Webb.  He misses a larger point, Scotch-Irish (Southern White) culture has always eschewed “book learning” and discouraged it’s children from seeking higher education.  In my own family, my mother, who was reared by a sharecropping single mother, was the only one of her six siblings to get more than a 3rd grade education.  My mother finished high school (on scholarship at a boarding school operated by the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs) and her mother disowned her for leaving home at 15 to do so.  I am the first and only to finish college of my siblings.

 My aunt Velma, her daughter’s father in law,   my maternal grandmother Nancy Garner, and my aunt Frances.

  In Southern culture, devotion to “family” and “staying close to home” conspire with the values which say that “bettering one’s self” equals “social climbing” and “putting on airs” that keeps most poor southern whites from completing college, or remaining “ignorant” even if one finishes college.

 I have cousins who completed higher degrees, one has a Master’s in philosophy from Harvard, who all still talk very “country” and who prefer their slow and narrow way of thinking and living.  I don’t begrudge them this, but I learned early in my life that I had to accept my father’s half-Jewish genetics and that included a highly inquisitive mind for which slow and narrow would assure boredom and depression.  In other words, I made peace with my inner “New Yorker.”

My father’s birth certificate.  He changed his name to his step father’s last name “Garren” when he was five because “Edward V. Garren” sounded more “American.” 

It is a fear of expanding, of anything new or from “outside.”  It is formed and nurtured by the Southern Baptist Church (and it’s evangelically related cousins).  It is a spiritual way of life that has a clear pecking order, that says that only “people like us” are safe, and the rest are not deserving of God’s grace, kindness, or generosity, and it is killing our country. 

To take this even further, senator Webb misses an even bigger point, we don’t really value education in this country.  If we did, our funding for education wouldn’t be at the lowest point in decades.  40 years ago, when I was in college, most of the cost was paid by the federal government.  I graduated with less than $4,000 in debt.

 Now, a student can spend twenty times that just completing a Bachelors degree, because the government doesn’t want our kids to complete college.  It’s easier to manipulate ignorant people.

 ALL of this recent chatter is part of the larger smoke screen that obscures the largest military industry and war spending in the history of the world.  Doesn’t anyone notice that this stuff always “drops” just when they need to distract the public away from something else?  The FACT that the Democrats passed an extension for unemployment was lost in the media with all of the drama about Ms. Sherrod, the tea party and the NAACP.  They ALWAYS do this folks !!!  Wake up and smell the coffee!!!  It’s the oldest game in the business.   Make a distraction at one end of the store, while someone else raids the cash register.

 The Republicans have been doing this since 9/11 and the “War on Terror.”  In case no one noticed, the Obama administration and congress announced that it did not intend to extend the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans either.  All of this hoopla over Ms. Sherrod has kept that story out of the news too.  You can bet that any opportunity for the Obama administration to get some GOOD press will be quickly distracted by their gigantic “spin” machine.

 Frank Rich put it best in a recent column: ”None of this legacy, much of it accessible to anyone who wanted to look (or ask), prevented the tarring of Shirley Sherrod last week. And it all unfolded while the country was ostentatiously marking the 50th anniversary of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

 If we are to learn anything from this travesty, it might help to retrace the racial soap opera that immediately preceded and provoked it. That story began on July 13, when the N.A.A.C.P. passed a resolution calling on the Tea Party to expel “racist elements” in its ranks. No sooner had Tea Party adherents and defenders angrily denied that such elements amounted to anything more than a few fringe nuts than Mark Williams, the spokesman and past chairman of the Tea Party Express, piped up. He slapped a “parody” on the Web — a letter from “colored people” to Abraham Lincoln berating him as “the greatest racist ever” and complaining about “that whole emancipation thing” because “freedom means having to work for real.”

 Williams had hurled similar slurs for months, but now that the N.A.A.C.P. had cast a spotlight on the Tea Party’s racist elements, he was belatedly excommunicated by the leader of another Tea Party organization. In truth, it’s not clear that any group in this scattered movement has authority over any other. But one thing was certain: the N.A.A.C.P. was wrong to demand that the Tea Party disown its racist fringe. It should have made that demand of the G.O.P. instead.

 The Tea Party Express fronted by Williams is an indisputable Republican subsidiary. It was created by prominent G.O.P. political consultants in California and raises money for G.O.P. candidates, including Sharron Angle, Harry Reid’s Senate opponent in Nevada. But Republican leaders, presiding over a Congressional delegation with no blacks and a party that nearly mirrors it, remain in hiding whenever racial controversies break out under their tent. “I am not interested in getting into that debate,” said Mitch McConnell last week.

 Once Williams was disowned by other Tea Partiers, Breitbart posted the bogus Sherrod video as revenge under the headline “Video Proof: The NAACP Awards Racism.” To portray whites as the victims of racist blacks has been a weapon of the right from the moment desegregation started to empower previously subjugated minorities in the 1960s. But its deployment has accelerated with the ascent of a black president. The pace is set by right-wing stars like Glenn Beck, who on Fox branded Barack Obama a racist with “a deep-seated hatred for white people,” and the ever-opportunistic Newt Gingrich, who on Twitter maligned Sonia Sotomayor as a “Latina woman racist.”

 The worst part of all this is that “we Democrats” confuse the ability to engage in academic “debate” with real wisdom, intelligence or action.  We think that because we are “on top of an issue” in terms of “talk forums” or other media chatter, that we are in the stronger position.  That’s not how life works.  The reality is that whoever wins, wins.  And while it’s important to “play the game”, it’s also important to win, particularly when you’re facing up to a bully, which is what the Republican leadership has become, lying bullies who stop at nothing until they win.  We have decades of this in our recent history (since 1980), yet we continue to hide behind academic debate, and hope the rest of the country is listening.

 Well, it isn’t listening.  The rest of the country has been systematically reduced to sound bytes, a fifth or sixth grade reading level, and a greater appreciation for the Super Bowl than the State of the Union.  The Republicans have figured that out, what’s our problem?  We need a lot more of our folks to take lessons from Congressman Alan Grayson (the guy from Florida who did the “Republican Health Care Plan, “Don’t get sick, and if you do, just die”). All this “Bi-partisanship” is the legislative equivalent of date rape.  We have the botched “health care reform” without a public option to demonstrate that.

 Instead of compromising on the Public Option, we should have kept it, let the Republicans in the senate filibuster, and show the public just who they really are, privileged WASP men and women who benefit from the old social order.  But as usual, instead of taking the courageous stand on behalf of the American people, we caved in.  And we wonder WHY the electorate has no respect for us (Democrats)?

 When we “compromise” on important things, we prove the Republicans right, that government doesn’t work, and that it doesn’t matter who you vote for.

 We should be talking about how the Republicans in the senate were willing to throw millions of people to the wolves by denying them unemployment benefits (extension), but never object to increased war spending.  We should be talking about how under Bush, the very wealthy in this country have not paid their “fair share” of taxes to support a war they are making money off of.

 We also need to educate people that politics is not about morality, it’s about power.  My 97 year old mother said it best decades ago, “Politics is a dirty business, and most politicians are crooks.  But at least the Democrats are OUR crooks.”

My mother, Lois Edna Verner Ramsay-Garren, at 95.

She lived through the 20s, the Great Depression, WWII and like most of her generation, valued the “New Deal” politics that re-aligned wealth in this country by making sure that “working people” got a fair wage, decent benefits, Social Security, their children got a GOOD public education, and that the money they put into savings wasn’t squandered away by some stock deal gone mad.  Her other favorite quote, “I’m not wealthy enough to vote Republican.”

 The Reagan/Bush/Gingrich/Bush decades have systematically dismantled the “New Deal” which is why the economics in this country recently looked a lot like 1928 until it all came crashing down, and now the economy looks too much like 1931.

 For the sake of the future of not just the country, but the planet, we Democrats need to get our act together or we are going to remain part of the problem, not the solution.

 Edward “Ed” Garren, MA, LMFT

Psychotherapist 

I took a detour into celebrity this weekend.  It was quite unexpected, After two weeks in Fayetteville, I wanted to venture out and see some countryside.  I had met someone online, who lives about 122 miles away, so I decided to take him up on his invitation.

“Just come down 95 to exit #119.  There’s a Shoney’s restaurant, I’ll meet you there.”  For those who don’t spend time in the Carolina’s, Shoney’s is legendary.  For $6.99, you can get a very decent lunch, or help yourself to their extensive all you can eat buffet.  The surroundings are modern, clean, the staff is very perky and attentive, everyone eats at Shoney’s.  I got there first, and was ushered into the only booth available in the non-smoking section, a seven foot long “family” booth.  The separators between the booths are about two feet above shoulder level, Southerner’s are boisterous story tellers, and the cadences and laughter are deep and rich.  The place felt like the Overlook Cafe on Sunday after church, except louder.

Carl Jackson is a native of Manning South Carolina.  He has traveled a lot, worked in many different cities around the east coast and returned to Manning a few years ago.  He works for the Manning Times, a weekly paper that has served Clarendon County since 1882.

Carl and “Rock”

Carl was recently quoted in the New York Times article about Manning’s current famous resident, Alvin Greene.  Mr. Greene is the previously unknown gentleman who won the South Carolina Democratic Primary for the U.S. Senate.  “It is another embarrassment for South Carolina, said Carl F. Jackson Jr, a graphic designer at a local newspaper, The Clarendon Citizen. “Anybody who got beyond eighth grade is a little astounded by this,” Mr. Jackson said, adding his own theory of how Mr. Greene had won. “Maybe voters thought it was the singer, Al Green.”

New York Times Online article

 I was not aware of the celebrity status of Manning or Carl when I accepted his invitation to come for the weekend, but the entire experience turned out to be one of the most delightful travel experiences I have ever had.

Of course, the weather this time of year is hot in the day, and warm at night.  South Carolina is the Palmetto state, and the little (or not so little) “palmetto bugs” are omnipresent.  The sandy soil has an ant hill every two feet in the yards and open fields.  But the pine trees are also lush with wildlife.  In five minutes we saw cardinals, robins, stunning red crested woodpeckers (including some percussive moments as they worked on a couple of the local trees), squirrels, and at night the chorus of bull frogs, owls, cicadas, and other local fauna filled the liquid thick night air.   And the hum of the AC compressors, as well as the rattle of ceiling fans in all rooms except the bathrooms, provides a sort of electronica/nature chorus that is unique to the low country south.

The front yard which faces the lake

Carl’s home, which has been the family “lake cottage” for decades, sits on the banks of the Lake Marion, which is part of a group of lakes which were formed by the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide water to run hydroelectric power about 60 years ago.  The lakes offer recreation for the region, and the shores are dotted with homes, mostly modest dwellings, owned by working class folks.

Carl’s pontoon boat, dock and the lake

I decided I wanted a good steak for dinner, so Carl took me to a very local place, about three miles away, also on the lake bank.  I don’t remember the name of the  place, but it was pure country white folks, jeans, t-shirts, Harley’s parked outside, and karaoke for entertainment.  The tables were lined up road house style, dark lighting, smoke as thick as you could cut it, red faces, kind hearts.  The moment Carl walked in, everyone stopped to talk to him.

The conversations consisted of exchanging health information about relatives and friends, lots of “God Bless you”s, spiced with introductions of me and “Glad you’re here”s.  Lots of folks came up to put their arm around Carl and tell me what a great guy he is, “like a brother.”  Southerners are open and easy to engage.  It is ubiquitous, applies to both black and white, it is the single thing I most miss about “Dixie”, there are no strangers, just friends that have not yet met.

I ordered a 14 oz. Rib Eye steak and it was one of the best steaks I’ve eaten in a long time, $14.99 with all the fixins, including slaw and hush puppies.

Carl comes from a long time Democratic family.  His mother has been an elected official numerous times in the region, politics are as thick as humidity here.  The county is solidly Democratic, owing largely to it’s being 75% African American.  Like most smaller communities, everyone knows everyone, or at least it feels that way.

Carl was very clear that he will vote for Alvin Greene.  “He won fair and square, and the party should support him.”  Today on CNN, I heard that the Democratic Party of South Carolina has decided not to contest Mr. Greene’s candidacy.  I suspect within a month or so, once the shock has worn off, the party will actively support Mr. Greene.  In a state of “Yellow Dog Democrats”, the thought of “payback” to the Republican party for decades of Strom Thurmond may prove too irresistible.

Certainly the south is now the most racially “open” region in the country, a place where African Americans have been a significant part of the landscape since the first colonists landed.  In terms of the November election, my money is on Alvin Greene.  I think there are so many people in this country who are disgusted with the political status quo in DC, the idea of electing someone who is truly “one of us” may trump all the usual political expectations and predictions.  Mr. Greene could very well become the Jesse Ventura of South Carolina.

I genuinely enjoyed my time with Carl, and the lifestyle in Manning and around the lake.  After the steak, I got up and sang “Cowboys are Frequently Secretly in Love with Each Other” by Willie Nelson on the karaoke machine.   I was reminded by my surroundings and my host that “working people” everywhere are kind, open, accepting and generous.  It’s only when you add some money and pretense that things start getting difficult.

I stopped at “Lanes Quick Stop” about a mile up the road on my way out.  The gas station/convenience store proudly states, “No Ethanol, Better Mileage” on it’s signs.  More importantly, ethanol free gasoline is essential to marine engines, that tend to “gunk up” their fuel systems on ethanol blended fuels.  (Oregon had to modify it’s ethanol mandate to exclude marine gasoline about a year after it started, for the same reason).  The customers in the store were a lively mix of black and white, swapping fishing stories, fish cooking recipes, dripping in “Thank You”s and “Ya’ll come back now”s.

As I sit here, back in Fayetteville, watching the sun set through the thick air, safe in my air conditioned hotel suite, Portland feels like another world.  And, of course, it is, and I miss our lovely Rose City, even if it seems that “Juneary” weather will last an eternity.  I offer this epistle in my absence for your enjoyment.  Tomorrow is another day with the kids, who are getting accustomed to the big old man in their midst, and I am learning lessons in how to be a kid that I never learned when I was one.

From the sand hills of Cumberland County North Carolina,  Edward “Ed” Garren

Dear Mayor Adams and Commissioners:

I want to thank all of you for your tenacious and consistent commitment to improving the very broken relationship between Law Enforcement and our community.

I lived in Miami during the 1980 riots over the beating death of Arthur McDuffie and subsequent attempt by the police to cover up their actions.  The rioting lasted three days, and left millions in property damage and about 10 people died. I lived in Los Angeles during the riots that erupted over the beating of Rodney King.   That one cost billions and dozens of people were killed. In both situations, it was NOT the specific actions of police that prompted the rioting, but two acquittals of law enforcement personnel by all white juries.  It was the breakdown of the judicial system, that protected officers, not members of long abused communities, that prompted the civil unrest.

My fear is that we are be sitting on top of a similar powder keg here in Portland, which is why we must continue with this work of reforming a police department that appears to be out of control.  I echo the statement that was made that the rank and file in the department must embrace change in order for it to be effective.

There is significant anger in this community among members of many communities who have articulated that anger very clearly at the two hearings related to this ordinance.   I know from experience that if the anger is not addressed, it will emerge in very ugly ways that will significantly damage our city’s reputation.

Lastly, I want to clarify one other point.  At the February 18 meeting of the African American Alliance at the Red Cross, I was the person who publicly asked Commissioner Saltzman if he would commit to calling in the FBI to investigate the shooting of Aaron Campbell.  I reminded all present that if this shooting had occurred in any “southern” state, FBI participation would be mandatory as required by civil rights legislation that was passed in the 1960s and 1970s.  My specific request to Dan was that he not only call in the FBI on this incident, but that he draft policy requiring FBI inclusion in any similar incident in the future. At the time, he said he thought it was an interesting idea and would consider it.

I am pleased that he decided to follow through with the FBI inclusion on this one incident, and hope that policy will be drafted to set parameters for any future events (as a part of departmental oversight).  I would suggest that the language in the civil rights legislation would offer appropriate guidelines.

It is my belief that given the history of this region with regard to race, we must adopt many of the attitudes and civil rights policies and procedures that have been in place in the “south” for almost 4o years.  Clearly they have worked in that region, and I think an honest look at our history, our current issues, and the adoption of existing policies which have worked in other parts of the country is a better solution than offering one patch job at a time, each driven by the most recent crisis.

If this was any issue related to our material infrastructure, that is what we would do.

Regards,  Edward “Ed” Garren, MA, LMFT

Psychotherapy/Consulting

A Killing on Fourth & Washington

Spoticus, the big purple octopus at 4th & Washington (downtown) is dead.  His carcass may sit on the building for a while, but the Greek Cusina closed on December 31, a victim of a series of failures and the depression.

Timing is everything, and few could have fully assessed the extent of the current economic downturn.  But Ted Papas is a survivor, and it’s not the recession that killed his restaurant, at least not the downtown one.

Two things, conspired to put a stake through the restaurant’s heart.  Mr. Papas started some renovations in his building without getting some permits, and that fell into the cross hairs of Randy Leonard’s HIT squad.

I need to be very clear that I like both men.  Randy and Ted are in many ways, very similar men.  They both are strong willed, stubborn, survivors, and “hands on”, “what you see is what you get” kind of men.  One could sit back and look at their squabbles and almost find it amusing, except for one fact that seems to have been lost in the lack of due process that prevailed in this affair.  The closing of the Greek Cusina puts about 50 people out of work.  One of them is a dear friend of mine, who was one of the first casualties.  Her job as events manager, was scheduling wedding receptions, birthday and graduation parties and such in the beautiful Minoan Room on the third floor.  Due to the renovations which had not been approved by the city, the HIT squad closed the building above the 2nd floor.  This included the Minoan Room, offices and residences.  While I understand the initial fire safety concerns that closed these facilities, what followed was premeditated suffocation.

The city decided to impose a 24 hour, 7 day a week “fire watch” on the building, ostensibly until an additional high tech smoke/fire detection system could be installed.  There was a working “sprinkler” system in the building, but apparently that  was not sufficient.  The city demanded the additional system, which was not cheap, that had an automatic alarm at the closest fire station, so that it would automatically signal either smoke or fire and send the fire department coming instantly.  In the meantime, Ted had to pay for the cost of the security guard service that patrolled his building 24/7.  Of course it was a city approved contractor, and that was not cheap, $500 a day.  But, the smoke/fire alarm system got installed, so the fire watch should have ended, right?  Well, not exactly.  For whatever reason, it remained, for over a year, it has been in place, to the tune of five hundred dollars a day.

So the price tag for the fire watch started adding up, and since Ted’s ability to earn money was significantly compromised with the closure of his biggest income source  (the Minoan Room), he couldn’t pay the bill, so the city put a lien on his property.   With the lien in place, Ted could not get the necessary financing to complete the renovations to his building to bring it under code.

Then, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (O.L.C.C.) somehow got involved, due to alleged violations.  Suddenly, every alcohol sale had to be within the letter of the law.  One example, normally when a customer in the dining room would purchase a bottle of wine to have with their dinner, the wine would be brought to the table.   The OLCC ruled that could not happen since technically the dining room was not in the bar area, so after the server poured the glasses of wine, the bottle had to be returned to the bar.  Imagine how that went over with customers?  The OLCC was “encouraged” to place the restaurant under heightened scrutiny by the City.  That scrutiny chased away even more customers.

During all this time, I was at a couple of City sponsored meetings, and the question of a restaurant to host a meal for the group(s), I suggested the Greek Cusina.  Both times, city staff said “Aren’t they closed?”  The first time this happened was about a year ago.

So clearly, the word was out about closing the Greek Cusina around City departments.  Someone’s mind was already made up.

Because my friend was the first casualty in this war, I had a vested interest in trying to resolve it.  I talked at length with Ted, and in one of those conversations talked with a couple of City inspectors (one of whom was a police officer), and had a brief conversation with Randy Leonard.

There was a lot of passion over these issues.  In a sense, it was like dealing with two siblings who were fighting, both proud, both having a deep sense of being “right”, and both determined to prevail.  What was also clear was the City’s determination to close the Greek Cusina.  Randy had the power of his office, and his HIT Squad, Ted was just one person, trying to keep his business open.

I also need to add that I got to know a lot of people who worked for Ted over the last few years, and all of them shared about what a generous employer he was.  My friend was dealing with the declining health of her elderly mother, and Ted was always flexible, allowing her time off to deal with her mothers doctor and hospital visits.  If she needed an advance on her salary, he was there for her.   That kind of generosity, and treating employees like “family” is rare in today’s world, and the loss of it is one more aspect of this that is difficult.  If one looked at the demographic of Ted’s staff, he employed many more minority staff and people over 45 than most employers.  Being an immigrant, he understands prejudice and hunger in a much more personal way than most.  The loss of his generosity will be missed as well.

I don’t like bullies.  Part of my feelings about this relates personally to being “big enough to go bear hunting with a stick” (6′1″ and 260#), part of it is a genuine distaste for any abuse of power.  Power is a very interesting thing, the more you have of it, the less it should be used.  Sometimes people confuse passion with power, but ultimately, the person who has a lot of power shouldn’t use it to hurt others.   This urination contest between Randy and Ted has cost 50 people their livelihood, and that’s what has made me so disgusted by the situation, and specifically irritated by city leadership that used it’s power to punish rather than assist.

In the rush to “punish the evildoer”, 50 people are now out of work, and one of the landmark hospitality establishments in the city is now closed, and gone forever.

As much as one might want to place the blame at the feet of one commissioner, there are three others and the mayor.  In the midst of a depression, it is inexcusable for the city to encourage or allow the destruction of a business that employs 50 people downtown.   Moreover, if this could happen to one business, what might stop it from happening to others?

Some “back story” for those of you who may not have heard about the attempt of CRC to exclude as much public testimony as possible.

I arrived at the Port Building around 8:35 AM with Pam Naugle, a neighbor.  The sign in sheets and table were already in place, we both signed in.  Marcela Alcantar was also signing in.

The young man who was staffing the table asked us if we were going to testify, and we all said “Yes” and took the small testimony slips to fill out.  While doing so, we mentioned that we had come early to make sure that we would be first on the list to testify because we knew time would be limited.

The staffer, Dennis Sandstrom explained that there would be no order for testifying, “We’re going to put them all in this box, shuffle them around and then pick folks at random” was the explanation we were offered.  He went on to explain that the reason this method had been chosen was “It’s more democratic.”

I explained that I had a leadership position with the project (Co-Chair of the Hayden Island Plan Steering Committee, member of the Community & Environmental Justice Group) and he said that wouldn’t matter, that a decision had been made.   Several other persons were told this as well, all the way up to just before the meeting.

I called Mayor Adams and left a message for him, informing him of this issue, and also made a statement to the Channel 6.

When  the room opened up, the I heard CRC staff try to tell Channel 6 that they were not allowed to bring their cameras into the room.  I confirmed this with the cameraman on our way in, the news teams just ignored this “request” by CRC staff and went in to film anyway.

In addition, Sharon Nasset made an announcement in the room just before the meeting started, that our public testimony was being picked at random by the project

Because of the pressure exerted by all of us, and the presence of the media, the process was changed, and everyone got one minute to testify.  A staff person came to me and asked me to fill out a second slip, apparently the first one I filled out could not be found.

My name was called a second time at the very end of the testimony, but I had already spoken.  Ms. Nagle and Alcantar, the first two people to arrive, were among the last five to speak.

I share all of this because of the blatant attempt to manipulate public comment, circumvent democratic processes, and exclude the press from the meeting.  This is one more example of how CRC continues to circumvent democratic public processes in order to push through their agenda.

In the face of this, they wonder why increasing numbers of people have lost trust in the project, and are so angry about the process.

I hope that an investigation can be done to find out who at CRC ordered this protocol for the meeting, and that person can be censured in an appropriate manner, including prosecution of any laws that were broken. I am not a lawyer, but this could be considered “Conspiracy to obstruct Justice” or some other violation of public meeting laws.  Whoever ordered staff to do this needs to be held accountable, even if is just some time off without pay.

I am calling on our elected leaders to not just let this sweep under the rug, and let it go.  No matter what one’s position on the CRC, the decisions should not be made in an illegal manner, or one that specifically attempts to exclude public concern and testimony.

Regards,  Ed Garren, MA, LMFT

Candidate for Portland City Commission, seat #3

www.EdForPDX.com

503-922-0338

If only we could pass on wisdom as effectively as we pass on pathology.

The biggest challenge for a person or a society is to move from where we are,

to where we have never been.

ed@edgarren.us

www.edgarren.us

If only we could pass on wisdom as effectively as we pass on pathology.

The biggest challenge for a person or a society is to move from where we are,

to w

ed@edgarren.us

www.edgarren.us

If only we could pass on wisdom as effectively as we pass on pathology.

The biggest challenge for a person or a society is to move from where we are,

to where we have never been.

ed@edgarren.us

www.edgarren.us

If only we could pass on wisdom as effectively as we pass on pathology.

The biggest challenge for a person or a society is to move from where we are,

to where we have never been.

ed@edgarren.us

www.edgarren.us

Posted in the Oregonian on 12/02/2009 by edgarren

December 02, 2009, 9:18AM in response to the article:

“Portland police commissioner explains turnabout on cop who fired beanbag round”

Link Below:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/12/portland_police_commissioner_e.html 

I worked with Law Enforcement agencies and have family members and friends who work in Law Enforcement, so while I am empathetic to how difficult and stressful the job is, how this all played out is unacceptable.

Turn the situation around, imagine a “suspect” who was acquitted of manslaughter, now involved in an assault case. “Where there is smoke, there is fire” is the usual comment. The police union is embarrassing itself, protecting someone who has been involved in two excessive force incidents.

Does anyone in the union realize that when the plaintiffs familes file lawsuits against the city and win that all of us pay for it, including them? Do they also realize that by strong arming the situation, they just further alienate citizens who feel “no confidence” with their ability to self regulate one of their own who has twice been involved in situations perceived to be excessive force, one of which related to someone’s death?

The initial decision to remove badge and firearm was reasonable and appropriate. This is the second questionable situation for the officer. That reality seems to be lost to the police union, and to Mr. Saltzman.

I also think the negotiations should have occurred BEFORE the initial decision was made. The public hates to see this sort of “flip/flop” and it does not bode well for the person doing it.

As for “de-escalation”, if a “no confidence” vote had been made, nothing would have happened afterward. There was no runaway train, the police department would not have evaporated. A disagreement would have been declared (which both sides are entitled to do) and life would have gone on the same for everyone, except that members of communities traditionally at odds with law enforcement would have felt some vindication, that finally someone was listening to them.

Our obsession with “let’s all just get along” and avoiding conflict at all costs is not serving us well with regard to law enforcement issues in the city. Sooner or later the buck stops somewhere, and I thought that is what we elect management to do, take the heat that goes along with doing the right thing, not the expedient thing.

Regards, Ed Garren
Candidate for PDX City Commission, seat #3

www.EdForPDX.com

Read the full story here:

 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/health/policy/30health.html?emc=eta1

I’m REALLY angry about this one.  

I used the links below to go to their web pages for “letters.”  Then I filled out and wrote a scathing comment about “bought” legislators, etc. into the “comment” section for the first one, then copied and pasted it in for the comments to the rest of them (including Bill Nelson of Florida, the “sold out” Democrat).  

 Those comments are below.Anyway, I eMailed all of the listed in the article senators from their sites.  

I’d suggest if you’re as mad as I am, do the same thing.  Take pointers from my comments below.Here are links to some of the senators who voted “no.”

http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue

http://carper.senate.gov/contact/webformIQV2.cfm

http://conrad.senate.gov/contact/webformIQV2.cfm

http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

http://grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm

You can also check out:  http://www.sickforprofit.com

Regards, Ed

*************************My “form” letter is below:

As one of the 48 million Americans who cannot (and never will be able to) afford “private” health insurance (male, over 50, monthly premiums exceed $700 a month) even though I’m “healthy as a horse”, I am mad as hell that you sold out to your buddies in the Health Care industry and rejected the Public Option.

The cost issue is simple. I’ve worked in health care much of my career. The non profit hospitals, where nuns drive Chevrolet’s, have no problem with what Medicare pays.

The private hospitals, where the administrator drives a $70,000 car and gets a huge bonus “can’t afford it”.

What’s wrong with this picture? Making a profit off of sick people, that’s what’s wrong.

In the meantime, millions of us don’t have and will never get health insurance, and you, in your wealth and comfort, don’t give a damn.

I hope they vote your sorry posterior out of office next time. It’s “bought” politicians like you that have ruined this country. You’re supposed to be working for US, not the health care industry.

Regards, Ed Garren, MA, LMFT Psychotherapist