California Free Press

Off the Top of My Head

In Defense of Gov. Cuomo

by John Lawrence

One of the principles of American democracy is that people accused of wrongdoing will get their day in court during which they can present their case and their defense against said accusations. Cuomo was accused, tried, judged and found guilty in the media without ever having his day in court or an opportunity to adequately defend himself. The media is only too happy to cooperate with the #MeToo movement because, frankly, their ratings go up any time they report something salacious and titillating. This goes against every principle of jurisprudence and common sense. In a day when everyone has to sign away their rights in order to do business with Google, Facebook, Microsoft and any large corporation (those long legal agreements which no one ever reads but you have to tick the box after scrolling to the bottom), and agree to going to arbitration rather than suing, why don't large business and political entities have a clause in their employee contracts that any grievance should first be taken up with a designated person in human resources? Why doesn't their employee agreement prohibit them from going immediately to the media? Grievances should be settled if possible in house especially the kinds of grievances expressed by several women against Gov. Cuomo for which he would have been found innocent in a court of law if a judge even agreed to take them up.

What if the women who accused Cuomo had gone first to human resources and complained. There should have been a procedure in place for doing that. Then the complainant and complainee could have been brought together in an attempt to work out their differences and come to an understanding or resolution. If no understanding and resolution could take place, then they could be brought before an arbitration or mediation board either in house or before an independent body for resolution and finally, there should be a provision for someone in authority to have the prerogative of meting out punishment. For these kind of grievances, which can't be properly adjudicated in a court of law, there should be a shadow system for resolving them.

The definition of a peccadilloe is a small, relatively unimportant offense or sin, perhaps more appropriately taken up with one's priest in the confession booth rather than tried before the whole world in the media. IMHO this would have been the appropriate place for Gov. Cuomo to deal with his sins, not trying to defend himself in the media. Most of the accusations against him were not worth a hill of beans IMHO. Inappropriate touching is not touching someone's back or stomach or face. Kissing is not inappropriate touching IMHO. Inappropriate touching is touching genitialia or breasts. Whatever Gov. Cuomo has been accused of, in the past, women would have dealt with it by means of a slap across the face or a "Back off buddy" or "My boyfriend wouldn't like that." So why didn't they do that or complain to human resources instead of proceeding to try Cuomo in the media which is only too happy to oblige? We are all human, sinful and fallible. Part of the criminal justice system, and the religious system for that matter, is that we can all be rehabilitated and forgiven. I don't think Cuomo was given that chance. If 100 people accuse someone of a crime, criminal justice demands that he be given a chance to defend himself without being prejudiced in court by the number of accusers. It's not the number of accusers that is relevant; it's the crime in and of itself. However, one of the tenets of the #MeToo movement is that the more women who "come forward," the more likely it is that the accused will be judged guilty in the media and the court of public opinion.

Men will always be making sexual or romantic advances towards women. That's basically what human nature demands. The question is whether these advances are wanted or unwanted on the part of the women. The man making those advances doesn't know this initially. If the advances are unwanted, the woman should make that clear, and then, if the man persists, then that is a problem that needs to be dealt with by the woman. To my knowledge Cuomo didn't persist in any advances for which it was made clear to him by the woman involved that they were unwanted. Cuomo was right in that the line about appropriateness of touching has been redrawn. The line between peccadilloes and casual touching also needs to be redrawn. What were considered harmless peccadilloes in the past are considered by some egregious offenses today and men ignore this line, or the character of whom they are dealing with, at their peril.

Off the Top of My Head

There is No Such Thing as a National Solution to a Global Crisis

by John Lawrence, October 9, 2020

The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation announced its 2020 Goalkeepers report with the above words. COVID-19 has killed more than 850,000 people worldwide. Every year until this one the world has made progress towards reducing poverty and disease. Notice the Gates foundation emphasis on the world as one coherent unified organism rather than just on US national boundaries. The pandemic knows no national boundaries. Until it's stamped out worldwide, the US is vulnerable. The foolishness of spending a trillion dollars a year on the US military which was powerless to do anything about the pandemic has been demonstrated. International cooperation is crucial to ending this pandemic, as well as others which are likely to follow, and reducing the conditions of poverty and disease in the world which breed war and terrorism. When will the US get its priorities straight?

The Goalkeepers report tracked 18 indicators included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In recent years, the world has improved on every single one. This year, on the vast majority, we’ve regressed.There is also a worldwide recession that the military and military-industrial complex is powerless to do anything about. The US is not an island. Pandemics, global warming - these are problems affecting the whole world not just the US. Nations that have the resources need to assist other nations that don't have the resources. That means that the developed world has to help the developing world to combat these problems: disease, poverty, weaponization, global warming.

In 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to a series of 17 ambitious goals to end poverty, fight inequality, and stop climate change by 2030. The Global Goals are within our reach, but we must remain committed—embracing what works and addressing what doesn’t, while holding ourselves and others accountable. In 2016 President Trump dropped out of global cooperation with his America First policy. That has gotten the US nowhere. Whichever countries handle the pandemic intelligently are going to come out of the recession as world leaders. That won't be the US unless Joe Biden gets elected and is able to turn the shambles of Trump's response to the pandemic around.

The first and most important goal is ending poverty. Eradicating poverty is not a task of charity, it's an act of justice and the key to unlocking an enormous human potential. Still, nearly half of the world’s population lives in poverty, and lack of food and clean water is killing thousands every single day of the year. Together, we can feed the hungry, wipe out disease and give everyone in the world a chance to prosper and live a productive and rich life. The second goal is zero hunger. Hunger is the leading cause of death in the world. Our planet has provided us with tremendous resources, but unequal access and inefficient handling leaves millions of people malnourished. If we promote sustainable agriculture with modern technologies and fair distribution systems, we can sustain the whole world’s population and make sure that nobody will ever suffer from hunger again.

The third goal is good health and well-being. Over the last 15 years, the number of childhood deaths has been cut in half. This proves that it is possible to win the fight against almost every disease. Still, we are spending an astonishing amount of money and resources on treating illnesses that are surprisingly easy to prevent. The new goal for worldwide Good Health promotes healthy lifestyles, preventive measures and modern, efficient healthcare for everyone. The fourth goal is quality education. Education liberates the intellect, unlocks the imagination and is fundamental for self-respect. It is the key to prosperity and opens a world of opportunities, making it possible for each of us to contribute to a progressive, healthy society. Learning benefits every human being and should be available to all.

The fifth goal is gender equality. Gender bias is undermining our social fabric and devalues all of us. It is not just a human rights issue; it is a tremendous waste of the world’s human potential. By denying women equal rights, we deny half the population a chance to live life at its fullest. Political, economic and social equality for women will benefit all the world’s citizens. Together we can eradicate prejudice and work for equal rights and respect for all. The sixth goal is clean water and sanitation. This will require major infrastructure development. It's not rocket science. The techniques involved are well known in the developed world. One in three people live without sanitation. This is causing unnecessary disease and death. Although huge strides have been made with access to clean drinking water, lack of sanitation is undermining these advances. If we provide affordable equipment and education in hygiene practices, we can stop this senseless suffering and loss of life.

Actually I would put clean water and sanitation right up there with ending poverty. It would put an end to many of the diseases that occur in the underdeveloped world. The emphasis on healthy living and basic creature comforts needs to spearhead the use of resources worldwide. That means that developed nations have to give back to the underdeveloped ones instead of putting their further enjoyment and well being first which is the gist of America First. Global cooperation to combat global problems needs to take precedence over preparations for war and bullying other nations by the most powerful ones. The negligence and incompetence with which Trump has treated the COVID pandemic, the withdrawal of the US from universal institutions, almost assures that the US will assume a secondary status in the world unless the next administration can make up for the damage Trump has done and set us on a new and more constructive course.

Millions Expected to Join Global Women's March to 'Act as a Catalyst for Political and Social Change'

Published on Friday, January 17, 2020

by Common Dreams

"Together, we will inspire change and launch women and their allies into a new decade of activism."

by Jessica Corbett, staff writer

 

7 Comments

Demonstrators take part in the Women's March Jan. 20, 2018 in New York City. (Photo: Joana Toro/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images)

Millions of advocates for women's human rights are expected to take to the streets in dozens of cities worldwide on Saturday, Jan. 18 for the fourth annual Global Women's March.

"The subversion of women's human rights is extremely detrimental to the significant progress women have made over hundreds of years in their quest for social justice and equality."
—Uma Mishra-Newbery, Women's March Global

 

Women's March Global executive director Uma Mishra-Newbery declared Friday that "tomorrow's marches will demonstrate that by harnessing our collective power, women's human rights advocates can act as a catalyst for political and social change."

The broad aim of this year's global action, officially called the "March for Our Human Rights," is to protest against "women's struggles in exercising bodily autonomy, the right to self-governance over one's own body without coercion or external pressures," according to organizers.

As Women's March Global explained last week:

In the last year alone, there has been a significant rollback in women's reproductive, sexual, and human rights. At a recent United Nations General Assembly meeting, the United States joined 19 nations including Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen in declaring that women have no international right to abortion. The member states who denied women access to safe and legal abortion represent 1.3 billion people.

This year's March For Our Human Rights will call attention to the dangerous and alarming repeal of women's rights to bodily autonomy, bringing international attention to these pressing issues. By harnessing the power of the women's human rights movement through action-oriented solutions, the march will be instrumental in inspiring a new decade of progress in the push for civil and social equality.

"The subversion of women's human rights is extremely detrimental to the significant progress women have made over hundreds of years in their quest for social justice and equality," Mishra-Newbery said in an earlier statement. "Collective action is needed to overcome this systemic discrimination and advance human rights."

Dozens of marches are planned in at least 23 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kenya, the federated states of Micronesia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Given the ongoing bushfire crisis in Australia, Women's March Sydney announced earlier this month that its march has been postponed. The group added that "climate justice affects us all, but we also recognize that climate issues disproportionately impact vulnerable communities, including First Nations people and women," and urged supporters to consider donating to a GoFundMe fundraiser for providing fire relief to First Nations communities.

Everyone - who is ready for #WomensMarch2020 tomorrow?

We are in 23+ countries with 50 events on our map around the world.

We are marching for our human rights and bodily autonomy. @ippf @ppglobe @SheDecidesGFI @MinorityVets @amnesty @WOWisGlobal @MarieStopes @equalitynow pic.twitter.com/162kzF8HmI

— Women's March Global (@womensmarchgbal) January 17, 2020

Women's March Global partnered with Amnesty International, Equality Now, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Marie Stopes U.K., Minority Veterans of America, Planned Parenthood Global, SheDecides, and the WOW Foundation to organize this year's action.

"Women's March Global is honored to be working alongside such impact-driven organizations that have been such a force for change for women worldwide," said Mishra-Newbery. "Together, we will inspire change and launch women and their allies into a new decade of activism."

National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the United States, announced in a statement Friday that its members planned to join marches nationwide—from Chicago, El Paso, Kansas City, and Washington, D.C., to multiple cities in California and Florida.

"As proud union nurses, we are marching because we know unionism and feminism go hand in hand," explained NNU executive director Bonnie Castillo, RN. "The collective voice and protection of our union is what enables our women-dominated workforce to advocate for our patients, for each other, and for healthier, safer communities."

We know unionism and feminism go hand in hand!

Thrilled to march this weekend and build collective power with our fellow women workers and with all working people across the country. ✊🏽❤️#WomensMarch2020 #1u

More ➡️ https://t.co/uGHrDxs4nO pic.twitter.com/MRWvmFcref

— Bonnie Castillo (@NNUBonnie) January 17, 2020

NNU vice president Sandy Reding, RN, said that "we know with a union contract, we can combat wage discrimination, workplace violence, and gender discrimination. But really, we take part in this march to speak up for our communities. We want to make sure we have clean air and water and that people can get the medical care they need when they need it."

Union member Terrie Weeks, RN, who will be attending an event in Gulfport, Florida, has been involved in the Women's March since it began.

"I'm marching because I want my country back," Weeks said. "I really want to stand up for the rights of myself and my sisters. Nurses are advocates for our patients; we are advancing the right for everyone to have high-quality healthcare, a high-quality environment, and a high-quality social safety net."

The first Women's March was held in the two days that followed U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017. What started as a series of U.S. actions to protest the new president grew into a global affair that drew millions of people to the streets.

As Common Dreams reported at the time, march organizers in Kenya said that "the recent elections in the United States have shown how real the threat is to our collective rights and liberties. We march together for the protection of our rights, our safety, our families, our health, and the health of our planet—recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our society."

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Trump and Weinstein

by Robert Reich

Monday, October 9, 2017

Donald Trump weighed in on the scandal engulfing movie mogul and Democratic funder Harvey Weinstein, accused by multiple women of sexual harassment (Weinstein has been fired from his company). “I’ve know Harvey Weinstein a long time. I’m not at all surprised to see it,” Trump said.

Trump was subsequently asked by CNN’s Elizabeth’s Landers how Weinstein’s conduct differed from the conduct Trump bragged about on the “Access Hollywood” tape, where he said “when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” Trump responded that the tape was just “locker-room talk.” 

Rubbish. It wasn’t just “locker-room talk.” At least 15 women have publicly accused Trump of sexual harassment and assault, and People Magazine Natasha Stoynoff has six independent witnesses to back up her allegation that Trump “pushed her against a wall, shoved his tongue in her mouth, and told her they were going to have an affair.”

Trump is actively assaulting women in other ways. The Trump administration’s Education Department has moved to make it harder for women at universities to prove sexual harassment. Trump’s Health and Human Services Department has made it harder for women to get contraceptives. Trump has nominated 32 men and just one woman to become U.S. Attorneys. Trump’s 2018 budget calls for a 93 percent cut in funding for federal programs that aid survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Trump and Weinstein are both sexual harassers and predators. But Trump is also president of the United States. That makes him even more dangerous to women.

Inside the Mind of the Isla Vista Killer

by John Lawrence from the San Diego Free Press

Elliot Rodger left a 140 page document which is a truly revealing window into his soul. After reading this "manifesto", which is really more of a life history, his twisted life which led up in painful stages to his "Day of Retribution" becomes, if not excusable, at least more understandable. And understanding why people feel impelled to do these horrific acts is important if we are to come to any conclusions which just might prevent more of these situations in the future. Understanding is more important than condemning. It's not about Rodger, at this point, or his victims. Nothing can be done to bring them back. But lessons can be learned about what went wrong in this young man's life and what could have been done to deflect him from his ultimate course. After all, right up until the end he expressed some tiny bit of hope that his life would take a more positive turn, and he wouldn't be driven to commit the crimes that he did.

One of the misconceptions that the media has hastily come up with is that Rodger hated only women. For sure he was a misogynist, but he hated men equally as much, especially the cool jock type men that he fantasized women were exclusively attracted to instead of being attracted to an "intelligent gentleman" like himself. He couldn't stand the sight of a young couple holding hands on the street or (horrors) making out! It enraged him since he fantasized about all the sex they were having while he was getting none.

His jealousy, envy and rage didn't happen overnight. They built up to the breaking point over a number of years starting after he went through puberty. It got to the point where he hated both men and women whom he fantasized were having more sexual pleasure than he was. In fact his only sexual pleasure was masturbation; he never had sex with a woman. And he wasn't willing to go on living that way. In his sick mind, if he couldn't have the pleasure of making love to a beautiful blonde woman, then nobody else would have that pleasure either if he could do anything about it.

One of the major malfunctions of his sick mind was that he expected that it was girls' (collective) responsibility to provide him with sex and love. And it just wasn't any girl he wanted. He wanted a sexy, beautiful blonde. His problem was that he never put any meaningful effort into meeting, dating or establishing a relationship with any girl. He gives detailed accounts of all his playdates in childhood going back to age zero, including all the names of every kid he was ever friends with, yet he never mentions one girl whom he actually dated or who actually rejected him. He fantasized that girls rejected him because they didn't come to him and offer to have sex with him. In fact the rejections he experienced at the hands of girls were probably all fantasies.

One of the things about this manifesto is that Rodger is brutally honest about his own feelings and psychological predicaments, no matter how twisted they are. His negative feelings festered for many years until they built up to a boiling point in his own mind. He planned his "Day of Retribution" at least a year in advance. It was all about revenge for a world that didn't satisfy his needs and caused him excruciating pain although he was willing to call it off at the last minute if only a beautiful girl would have sex with him.

Rodger grew up shorter than average and not physically strong. He was always trying to fit in and regretted his lack of cool friends although he had many others. He took refuge in video games, in particular, World of Warcraft. He was so badly bullied in high school that he begged his parents to take him out of it. They did and he finished high school at continuation school, the school for dropouts that enabled them to get a high school equivalency certificate. One would have thought that he would have made some friends there since he experienced no bullying at all. Unfortunately, Rodger was a snob and considered those at continuation school to be low class losers.

Although he was the product of a broken home (his parents divorced when he was seven), he had a lot of perks due to his parents' connections to the film industry and evidently quite a lot of money in the family despite his father's financial debacle in the movie "Oh my God" that he produced. Peter Rodger was also an assistant director of The Hunger Games, a movie in which teenagers go around trying to kill each other. Elliot Rodger got to walk down the red carpet at a number of Hollywood premieres. He had an admitted taste for luxury and opulence. He became convinced that the only way out of his predicament was to become wealthy, really wealthy. He tried to convince his mother on several occasions that she should marry a rich man. He fantasized about moving into a mansion like some of his parents' rich friends owned.

As he became more and more desperate, he became convinced that he would be able to get a beautiful girlfriend if only he himself could become wealthy and the only feasible way of doing this was for him to win the lottery. He thought it was his destiny to win in order to make up for all the unfairness that he had experienced since attaining puberty. He considered that he had had a happy childhood up until that time, and he was owed this destiny. He made numerous trips to Arizona to buy Megamillion Lottery tickets at a time when they weren't offered in California. Later when it became legal in California he bought more. After each incident, his not winning left him even deeper in despair.

Finally, after giving up hope of ever having a beautiful girl by his side and having a happy life, he started making plans for a "Day of Retribution." He even planned to kill his little brother, Jazz, whom he liked, because he could see he was the outgoing type that girls would be attracted to. His stepmother, whom he hated, would have to go as well. He made his elaborate plans over the period of a year, and they were a lot more elaborate that what tragically actually happened, fortunately.

What can be learned from Rodger's life history? That he was obsessed with having something that he couldn't obtain? That he didn't have the social skills to go about getting the thing he most wanted in life? That nothing else was more important to him than losing his virginity and having sex with a beautiful blonde girl? That he fantsized about how ideal the lives were of all the beautiful people who effortlessly were able to have what he desired? That he considered the world to be unfair because women were attracted to obnoxious, alpha male, jock types instead of to intelligent gentlemen? That girls' lack of attraction to him constituted rejection? That negative feelings can build and build to the boiling point at which they explode splattering other peoples' innocent lives in their wake?

This episode also speaks to a hollow, crass culture, the props of which are guns, violent video games, material goods and sex devoid of meaningful relationships, a culture that places pleasure and entertainment above any and all ethical values.

Although Rodger had a variety of psychologists, psychiatrists and life coaches, they all failed miserably to apprehend the depth and nature of his problems or to be in a position to do anything about them. Actually, he had only one problem: how to have sex with a girl. If it could have been arranged, the tragedy in Isla Vista might never have happpened. Rodger himself was powerless to make it happen, and he, narcissistically, thought the world owed it to him without any effort on his part. Actually, his efforts, which consisted of walking around Santa Barbara waiting for a girl to approach him, were totally misguided. Being at a party school was just the wrong milieu for him. He didn't have the personality to be a casual pick-up artist. He might have tried online dating. But he was a snob that was put out that he couldn't be in the upper echelon of snobs and have everything that they had in the same way they had it. He wouldn't have lowered himself.

If any verification for the theories of Wilhelm Reich were needed, the story of this individual's life is it. Wilhelm Reich authored "The Mass Psychology of Fascism," a book which was banned in this country in the 1960s. The San Diego Free Press, to its credit, published and distributed bootleg copies of the book. Reich's main thesis was that what led to the Nazi era was sexual repression among Germans, Hitler in particular. Comparing Mein Kampf, Hitler's autobiography, to Rodger's manifesto, one can see that they had very similar dysfunctional personalities. Resentment fueled both their violent fantasies. Hitler resented the fact that he had been denied admisssion to Munich's prestigious art school twice. The Germans seethed with resentment at the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War.

Reich wrote that sexual repression led to feelings being bottled up which eventually turned into rage and hatred. Rodger was a proto fascist. He fantasized about being dictator of the world and putting women into concentration camps watching them from a tower as they slowly died of hunger (Hunger Games redux?). He thought there was something wrong with them that they were not attracted to him but to the jock types. He would have outlawed all sexual pleasure on the grounds that, if he couldn't have it, nobody else would have it either. Finally, both Hitler and Rodger fantasized and carried out a Gotterdammerung of total destruction of themselves and the world around them. Fortunately, in both cases the havoc they wreaked was considerably less than the havoc they envisioned.

Rush Limbaugh Maligns and Defames Sandra Fluke With 70 Sexist Smears