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marym625

marym625's Journal
marym625's Journal
October 29, 2015

"She's a child!"



Cher tweet

Right there!

People defending the cop's actions, or even questioning it, are just despicable people.

From David Champion Media


October 28, 2015

Picked up my Bernie banner today!



#FeelTheBern

#Bernie2016

October 24, 2015

Logan High School - Three hour lock down - kids just released

Logan High School is about two block from where I live. While raking up pine needles from the redwoods in the backyard, a helicopter started flying overhead. It was a Channel 2 - Fox News chopper and it was flying much lower than the law allows (1000 feet.) When it wouldn't leave, we decided to check out what was going on in the area.

We first drove just a block before we were stopped by a neighbor. The woman had noticed us taking pictures of the low flying helicopter. She told us her son attends Logan but was home sick. He was receiving updates from his girlfriend, who had gone to school, about the situation inside. They were on lock down. Someone had threatened to "shoot up the school."

The cops had blocked off the streets going to the school, so we turned around and went home. We were trying to get pictures of the Fox News chopper flying lower than the 1000 feet, when we saw the drone. My first drone sighting, at least one like this. It was flying lower than the helicopter and almost silent. Freaky. Hopefully, the person I was with got a picture, as we're reporting both to the FAA.

We decided to walk to the school parking lot. As we walked, we first came upon cops, a couple of firetrucks and an ambulance surrounding an SUV. We still don't know if this vehicle or its owner were somehow involved, or if it was an undercover vehicle, that just happened to have the back door up.

We continued to go closer to the school and found parents hanging with each other, all very worried about their children. The kids were locked in whatever room they had been in when the threat came in, with lights out, no sounds allowed. They could text their parents with updates but they were not allowed to call.

One young mother told us she was in Oakland when her freshman son sent a text, "we're on lock down, there's a shooter." The mom told us, "He's my only child. I've been crying, I'm scared. I sent him here to get him away from the gangs. This is supposed to be a good school." Another mother told us she was receiving texts from her two children, both freshman. One of her children had sent a text, "we're okay." This mother said, "Well I'M NOT!" She told us she can't believe she didn't get in an accident, racing there from San Francisco, where she had been when she first found out."

A cop walked over to give us an update, stopping a student who was trying to cross the street, off school property. The cop told the kid, "You're not allowed to leave the property. Stay on this side of the street." The update was, "They're not letting the kids out yet. They're searching every room to make sure it's safe." One of the parents, a dad, said, "My daughter has a doctor's appointment. It's hard to get in to see this doctor" obviously, a plea to see his daughter and remove her from the situation inside the school. The Officer simply replied, "I'm sorry, you'll have to reschedule."

In an attempt to get more information, I asked the Officer if there had actually been a shooter, seen in the school, with a gun, or if a threat had been called in?" He stated, "It was a call."
The parents, my friend and I, all had a short conversation about “the fucking NRA.” Complete agreement that the, “NRA is the worst thing that has ever happened to this country.”

Wandering over closer to the school, telling freaked out parents as we passed them "It was a phone threat, no one was seen with a gun" and receiving a "Thank you" response from each one, we came upon a group of students just hanging out in front of one of the buildings. Turns out, this threat happened during lunch. Many kids leave for lunch, making a short trek to the nearby fast food restaurants. When they returned, however, they were not allowed back inside. But they also were not allowed to leave the property. They talked to us for a while, telling us what little they knew about was going on, which wasn’t much. Just what the texts, facebook updates and tweets they received stated. Turned out, we knew more than they did.

We told these kids about the dad trying to get his daughter out of the school by using the doctor's appointment. One young man then told us, "I had a dentist appointment. My mom came to pick me up and got in the school. Now SHE can't come out and I can't go in!" While we all laughed, it was noted that this is only funny because we know everyone is okay.
As we walked away, all these young kids told us, "be safe." That will never be forgotten by me.

Finally, the warning bells that had been going off for nearly three hours, stopped. The kids were allowed out. Grateful, happy, parents, that were by this time, surrounding the school, were noticeably relieved.

I cannot fathom what it would be like, especially in this day and age, to get a call from the school, "The school is on lock down. Everyone is safe but the situation is being investigated. Your child won’t be able to leave until the police are finished checking the school." All the while, receiving texts from your child or children, "I can't call. We're not allowed to make a sound. The rooms are dark. There's a shooter." (Evidently, the fact it was a phone threat, didn't reach all the kids.)

It is a sick society we live in, when children are subjected to this, across the country, nearly daily. Luckily, this was a threat. Still, a threat that caused so much fright, so many tears, so much anxiety, loss of work, loss of study, missed appointments, resources used up that could have been used elsewhere. What it must be like to grow up with a very real fear, "I could be shot dead today because I went to school." What must this do to the psyche? How can we possibly expect kids to care about life? No wonder narcissism is running rampant. Why should a child of today give a shit about anything? How difficult it must be for parents to make their kids understand that, life is precious.

All because GUNS! All because NRA! All because Second Amendment! All because of complete and total idiocy that has swept the nation, especially state and federal officials, because of the fucking NRA.



October 20, 2015

just curious who thinks we should take more Syrian refugees

I posted a link to Senator Durbin's impassioned plea for a Democratic initiative to take in 100,000 refugees from Syria.

Speech
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027271991

Press release

“The situation in Syria is the humanitarian crisis of our time,” said Durbin. “The magnitude of the crisis is clear in the numbers of Syrian men, women, and children fleeing the violence, but the human stories behind the statistics give heartbreaking urgency for us to act. I saw firsthand how Greece is accepting refugees and helping to resettle them as best they can. The United States continues to lead the way in financial assistance, but we have a moral obligation to do all we can to help these people in need. My colleagues and I will continue to push for the United States to resettle more refugees as the crisis grows.”


Durbin traveled with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)


I'm surprised at how few views the post has. I'm curious now if people don't think we should take in refugees from Syria.
October 20, 2015

"We must do more" Senator Durbin re Syrian refugees

Senator Durbin's impassioned plea to help Syrian refugees. "10,000 isn't enough.




I don't know that our history with helping refugees is as wonderful as Senator Durbin states, considering Rwanda and European countries during WWII, but his plea for the current state of affairs is righteous and emotional
October 17, 2015

$11 billion in funds for health clinics, Bernie gets things done

A little Intercept article to remind people what Bernie Sanders has done to improve the lives of millions who still are without healthcare.

GOP Officials Publicly Denounce Bernie Sanders' Obamacare Expansion, Quietly Request Funding

Over the years, Sanders has tucked away funding for health centers in appropriation bills signed by George W. Bush, into Barack Obama’s stimulus program, and through the earmarking process. But his biggest achievement came in 2010 through the Affordable Care Act. In a series of high-stakes legislative maneuvers, Sanders struck a deal to include $11 billion for health clinics in the law.

The result has made an indelible mark on American health care, extending the number of people served by clinics from 18 million before the ACA to an expected 28 million next year.

As one would expect, the program was largely met with plaudits from patients and public health experts, but it has also won praise from even the biggest Obamacare critics on Capitol Hill. In letters I obtained through multiple record requests, dozens of Republican lawmakers, including members of the House and Senate leadership, have privately praised the ACA clinic funding, calling health centers a vital provider in both rural and urban communities.


In rural North Carolina, ACA-backed health centers now provide dental and nutrition services, while in San Francisco, the clinics provide translation services and outreach for immigrant families. In other areas, they provide mental health counseling, low-cost prescription drugs, and serve as the primary care doctors for entire counties. They have also served as a platform for innovation, introducing electronic medical record systems and paving the way with new methods for tracking those most susceptible for heart disease and diabetes.


Daniel Hawkins, vice president of the National Association of Community Health Centers, recalls that in the end Sanders was able to negotiate with Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., to increase health clinic funding through a special technical amendment that could modify the reconciliation Senate bill through a simple majority vote. The technical amendment passed, with $9.5 billion targeted for health center operations and $1.5 billion for construction and renovation projects. The House passed the final Senate bill, and President Obama signed the legislation with $11 billion in health clinic funding into law on March 23, 2010.

“There was no one who played a more important role than Senator Sanders,” Hawkins says, remembering Sanders’s constant lobbying of other lawmakers to support the funding.


For the article with a video click here

This is a man that cares deeply for our country, for its citizens and the people of the world. He's worked tirelessly to improve our lives and he has succeeded.

He has proven he can work with republicans and accomplish wonderful things. He doesn't pander to the media and he doesn't pat himself on the back.

He backs up his principles with action. He doesn't back away from a fight.

Senator Bernie Sanders is the kind of politician that we wish every politician was like.

#FeelTheBern
#Bernie2016



By the way, if you are so inclined search, you'll find all kinds of wonderful things said about Sanders in posts prior to this primary by interesting people here. Just saying



October 14, 2015

Politico. No links, no names but "Clinton won" HAHA

This is so sad it's funny. Not one person on record but they don't want Biden to run. And people are actually using this to "prove" Clinton won.

#FeelTheBern

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/the-politico-caucus-democratic-debate-winner-loser-insider-214771

Profile Information

Name: Mary Mathieu
Gender: Female
Hometown: Chicago
Member since: Wed Sep 12, 2012, 09:25 PM
Number of posts: 17,997

About marym625

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