Letter #115... Dear Mr. President... An Invitation to Dinner.

Letter #115

Dear Mr. President:

Recently, Stuart Leavenworth, the Editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee, wrote an editorial inviting you to visit Sacramento and why that would be good idea. Leavenworth’s editorial began with… “Dear President Obama, Thank you for visiting our Golden State the past week.” Then he went on to tell you about the levee upgrades that are so desperately needed to protect the Natomas area, an area that houses over 100,000 people.

While the Army Corp of Engineers is ready to begin phase II of the $1.1 billion dollar project, the Republican controlled house has once again blocked this and nine other infrastructure projects in spite of the fact that the projects have been rated as “Chief’s Reports” status… the Corps’ highest level status.

I’m going to take it a step further Mr. President… I’m inviting you and Mrs. Obama to be our guests for dinner in our home, (any date and time that would be convenient for you and your busy schedule) in the beautiful community of Rancho Murieta…

Rancho Murieta is a community started in 1969 and built by local Operating Engineers. R.M. is often referred to as one of the best-kept secrets in Northern California, and to us it is a little slice of heaven.

R.M. is just minutes away from Mather Air Force Base and we have a small airport is just across highway 16, with easy access by helicopter. Security is not a problem, as our community has only one way in and one way out with 24-hour gated security.

While Mr. Leavenworth is correct about the levees, and you really should take a look… he makes another point, fixing those levees would create jobs and protect Sacramento residents from a “Katrina” like event. And, while the Republicans insist these levee projects are earmarks, clearly they are not, they will not only protect the people, but vast areas of agricultural acres that produce crops that feed America.

While we don’t offer the glitz of San Francisco or Los Angeles, we are worth taking a look at… and while Mr. Leavenworth would like you to try one of Sacramento’s fine Zagat approved restaurants… I would like you to enjoy a home-cooked meal, and a chance to relax and enjoy the quiet beauty of Rancho Murieta, nestled in the foothills where the white-tailed deer and wild turkeys roam freely through the mostly unfenced neighborhood. A chance for you to unwind, put your feet up and relax.

So the next time you are planning a trip to California, please think about including a visit to the Sacramento area, and a quiet dinner in the modest home of loyal constituent… Me!

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers,

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter #114... Dear Mr. President...The Whole World is Watching... Oakland

Letter #114

Dear Mr. President:

The other day I wrote you about the Occupy Oakland movement and suggested that you might need to take a position on all the “Occupy” movements that have not only spread all across our country, but all around the world.

The Occupy Oakland fiasco may have faded in the minds of the people viewing, and reading about it from afar… but when one of the protesters that was shot with some type of projectile turned out to be Scott Olsen, an Iraq Veteran, it was the game changer. Someone is Washington referred to it as possible “a Kent State Moment.”

Indeed, people from around the world have rallied in support of Olsen, because he truly represents the movement. Olsen has served his country honorably, has a job that he works at during the day before joining the movement at night. He’s not some “lazy hippy” just there for the fun of it… he’s there because he cares about his country and wants to see some change… just like the rest of the 99%’ers.

Occupy Oakland's Riot started at 4:30am ~ while 'protesters' were sleeping

There are some serious questions about what happened that night that need to be asked… Look at the way the "police" are dressed, they are in full riot gear because "they" created the riot. They knew they were going to be using tear gas and they knew it would create the panic they desired to justify their outrageous tactics. Now think about the time they "chose" to roust the protesters... 4:30 in the morning. Now ask yourself why they "chose" that particular time to "warn" protesters to leave the plaza... because they knew the people were sleeping and would be dazed and confused, giving them the advantage of surprise. In addition, 4:30 am gave them the cover of darkness making it almost impossible to tell what was going on... most video phones don't work all that good in the dark... ask yourself, was all this just a coincidence, or was it specifically designed to give the appearance of complete chaos from an uncooperative group of protesters. And don't forget when the light of day came and people began photographing the "mess"... they made it appear that it was what the protesters left behind, when in fact, it was the mess left by the police completely trashing the protesters belongings. The supposed complaints of rats, filth, sexual assaults, people urinating in public, were completely overblown and exaggerated in order to "try" to give the police action, and Quan’s decision, some credibility and the interim police chief defended the police, saying they believed they used the least amount of force possible to protect themselves.

Really… since when do the police arrive in full riot gear, gas masks, rubber bullets, batons, tear gas canisters, and flash bombs just to wake up sleeping protesters? 

But now that the whole world is watching, Mayor Quan has allowed the campers to return... she says she's not exactly "letting" them camp again... she is asking them not to camp, but that the people will not be "moved out" again because "closing the camp would cause more violence." Isn't it just a little late for that? Isn't she responsible for protecting the citizens 'all' of the time... not just when all eyes are focused of the fiasco she created with her 'police action against the people' and the critical injury of an Iraq Veteran?

Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Scott Olsen deserved better than this… he put his life on the line to protect our right to protest… yes, he deserved better than this… and now the whole world knows it.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers, 

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 113... Dear Mr. President...Republicans are Hilarious!

Letter #113

Dear Mr. President:

With all that’s going on in the world today there are plenty of topics to write about, but every now and then it’s good to write about something that I believe to be amusing, so today’s letter should give you quite a chuckle.

As you probably know, California passed a voter created initiative two years ago calling for a Citizens Redistricting Commission (which I applied for but was not selected) to redraw political boundaries and put an end to political gerrymandering.

It was passed with an overwhelming majority of votes, with rules and timelines clearly defined. According to Chairman Stanley Forbes, the commission was very careful in meeting the requirements for creating the districts, and everything had to be vetted by Voting Rights Act attorneys.

The Republicans were not big proponents of this initiative, fearing that it would favor Democrats and they might lose additional Senate seats. Once the maps were complete and everyone had the opportunity to see the new districts, the grumbling started, with calls for referendums opposing the newly drawn lines.

A separate referendum drive against the maps called Fairness and Accountability in Redistricting was filed with the U.S. Department of Justice challenging the legality of the new boundaries. The Republicans have repeatedly complained that the new boundaries favor Democrats that could give the Democrats a two-thirds majority in the upper house, just the margin needed for the Democrats to raise taxes. After all of their efforts the Republicans failed to convince the California Supreme Court to disallow the State’s new maps.

You may be wondering what’s so funny about all of this?

Here’s the downright hilarious part… the Republicans are asking the Federal Government to reject the new maps claiming it’s a “dilution of Latino voting power.“  I don’t know about you Mr. President, but the last thing I ever expected to hear coming from a Republican, is their concern for Latino’s. Isn’t it Republican Governors who are passing laws in state after state restricting voter rights that affect mostly poor and minority voters? Isn’t it Republican Governors who are targeting mostly Latino workers in Alabama and Arizona? Isn’t it the Republican Party that says the Federal Government is too big and too intrusive? And yet… they want the Feds to reject a citizen led initiative passed by a vast majority of Californian’s. Now that's what I call a real knee slapper.

It’s a good thing I wasn’t eating when I read about this because I’m sure I would have choked on my Cheerios… it’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time… the hypocrisy is positively mind boggling… Republicans worried about Latino voters… HA… what a pathetic joke!

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers, 

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 112... Dear Mr. President... Police Thuggery cannot be Tolerated.

Letter 112

Dear Mr. President:

I’m not sure that you’re getting up to date reports on the OWS movement in other parts of the country, but the Occupy Oakland Movement turned violent and ugly overnight, and I’m not talking about the protesters turning violent and ugly… it was the police.

Photo by Patrick Nichols... Oakland CA. on 10.25.11
"This is what the First Amendment really looks like in America. Take a long hard look, because it is coming to a city near you."

Just a few days ago the Occupy Oakland movement was the poster child for how a peaceful demonstration is supposed to be run, and why it’s important to do it right if we really want people to believe that we want to protect our first amendment right to free speech. It’s important because it sets the movement apart from an ordinary mob that destroys public and private property while running rampant through the streets… like we witnessed in Rome recently.

Our protests are peaceful, respectful, and absolutely non-violent. The only violence by protesters occurred after they were tear-gassed, shot with beanbags and rubber bullets, blasted by sound cannons that made it sound like a war zone, and shoved around like piles of trash. I’ve watched countless videos and listened to protesters and reporters, and by all accounts the protesters were, for the most part non-violent. There were witnesses that saw one man throw a rock and someone else threw green paint on a police officer, but otherwise they did not resist arrest. 

The Occupy Oakland setup had a kitchen set up for feeding the people, a first aid tent to take care of basic health and safety needs, and port-a-potties for sanitation needs. The people had been allowed to “camp” there since the beginning… so what happened on Tuesday at 4:30 am when hundreds of police were deployed in full riot gear to roust the occupiers? It’s been reported that there were rats around and that people were urinating in public, but I have to ask if that’s really true, or just an excuse to stop a group of protesters from becoming a “model” of the movement… a model that other cities don’t want to have duplicated in there town squares and cities. Did someone ‘get’ to Mayor Jean Quan and force her to use near lethal force on a ‘peaceful’ group of sleeping protesters?

Photo by: Patrick Nichols, Oakland, CA on 10.25.11

You may not want to get involved with the “Occupy Movements” Mr. President, but I assure you, they are not going away… When you have single mothers with children, teachers, educators, nurses, union members, and Veterans protesting, you know there is something wrong in America, and it’s not going away any time soon. I strongly suggest you ‘tune in’ and watch some of the Occupy Oakland videos and then contact Mayor Quan and ask her what the heck she was thinking when she ordered the assault on people exercising their right to peacefully assemble.

At some point in time you will need to address the complaints of the 99% because these people are “mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore.”

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers, Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 111... Dear Mr. President... Corporations don't dig through rubble.

Letter 111

Dear Mr. President:

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big believer in miracles… I’m more of a pragmatist and realist when it comes to most things. But today’s rescue of a two week old baby girl from the rubble of an apartment building 48 hours after the devastating earthquake in Turkey, certainly qualifies as a miracle… even more miraculous was the subsequent rescue of her mother and grandmother.

Three generations rescued by dedicated and determined people working together for a common cause… saving lives. One can only imagine the joy felt by the mother and grandmother after they were rescued, to find out that their precious tiny, vulnerable infant had also survived the devastation.

That’s why it’s so difficult to understand the decision of the Supreme Court when it sided with Citizens United and declared corporations to be people with first amendment rights of free speech. I guess that’s when the expression “money talks”… speaks volumes as to what’s really wrong in Politics.

Was it a corporation digging through the rubble to save lives? Would a corporation continue to claw through tons of cement and steel hour after hour when there is only a slight chance of finding anyone alive? No… corporations are not people… they do not have a heart, they do not care, and they cannot fathom the despair, or the joy that can only be felt by the ‘human’ heart.

The only species capable of speech are people, so it’s only people that need their free speech protected. Yes, corporations are ‘run’ by people, but why should those people collectively have a larger and more powerful voice than just one person? I believe the answer is… they shouldn’t. Each person in that corporation has a right to express their own personal views, but should a corporation have the right to speak for all of them, and if it does then shouldn’t each person have exactly the same position on any given issue in order to be the ‘one’ voice of all the people?

Demanding transparency through the DISCLOSE Act is not enough we must demand a constitutional amendment to repeal the decision entirely. The torrent of corporate spending in the 2010 election was heavily tilted towards Republicans and most of it was anonymous. Regardless of who benefits the most, C.U. is a terrible law.

H.J. Res. 78, by Rep. Donna Edwards would become the 28^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution if enacted, and would overturn Citizens United and clarify the authority of Congress to regulate and restrict the political activity of corporations of any sort…

Miracles happen to real ‘people’ and through real ‘people’… so until we find a corporation with a ‘beating heart’ capable of digging through rubble to save an infant… we should all work to rid this country of Citizens United.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers, 

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 110... Dear Mr. President... The American people are an impatient bunch.

Letter 110

Dear Mr. President:

One down and one to go… the war in Iraq is ending and the troops will be home for the Christmas holidays… What a fantastic gift for them and their families!

I know it’s taken longer than you wanted and longer than we imagined, because as a society we’ve come to expect instant results and instant gratification. We want what we want, when we want it, and become irritable when we don’t get it. But lets face it, that’s completely impossible when it comes to difficult situations that require more than just a snap of our fingers.

I know as a nation we’ve become cynical because things don’t happen in the time frame we expect, but we, as a nation, need to learn patience… I’ve heard that patience is supposed to be a virtue, and it’s one I confess to being short on, but I believe you are absolutely correct in taking your time, in order to do it right.

You have shown infinite patience, you’ve proven it over and over in the three years since elected. Patience with hunting down and eliminating Osama bin Laden, patience in Libya while pursuing Qaddafi, patience in dealing with the North Koreans in getting the remains of our soldiers home from that long ago war, patience in bringing the war in Iraq to an end, and of course, infinite patience in dealing with the party of ‘HELL NO’.

It’s like I said in day 66’s letter… you like to take the slow Route 66 to get to the same destination we’re all bound for… while the rest of us want to take the interstate at the highest speed possible. I have to confess… while it’s absolutely maddening trying to figure out where you are on that Route, the fact that you arrive at the final destination is what’s really important.

We’ve all witnessed what happens when we have a ‘shoot from the hip’ President… that’s what got us into this horrible mess in the first place. The only mission your predecessor accomplished was to dig an impossibly deep hole for you to climb out of, and in digging that hole he’s responsible for the loss of hundreds and thousands of lives, and ten times that many injured. While many lives have certainly been lost on ‘your watch’ and at times you’ve ordered even more troops deployed… which I did not agree with at all, I have to believe that you knew what you were doing.

So Mr. President, congratulations and thank you for fulfilling one of your campaign promises to end the war in Iraq… now it’s time to end the war in Afghanistan. The learning curve when you became President was huge, you were left with one hell of

a mess to clean up, but it’s your mess now and I believe you will deal with this one much faster because the American people are still an impatient bunch… including me.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 109... Dear Mr. President... I guess you can't trust anyone these days.

Letter 109

Dear Mr. President:

A couple of days ago I journeyed from my home outside of Sacramento to the Bay Area to watch two of my grand children while their parents went to a concert in Oakland. Because it takes at least two and a half hours to get there, it requires that I stop at least once for a comfort break.

I used to be able to make the trip without a stop, but since recovering from colon cancer four years ago, I need to chart my course via the various “comfort stops” along the way. The one that is halfway in between consists of a gas station and a Jack in the Box… since I don’t generally order anything at J in the B, I stop at the gas station and perhaps buy a little something to munch on for the remainder of the trip, and then I don’t feel so guilty using their facilities.

On this occasion I stopped, used the facilities, bought a pack of gum and a ticket for that nights Lottery. Upon exiting the store I was approached by a gentleman asking for some gas money. He looked spotless, took out his wallet to show me his drivers license, and explained that he had just been to San Quinton Prison to pick up his son who was supposed to be released, but had been given additional time for bad behavior. He was out of gas and just needed enough money to get to Oroville.

The gentleman asked me what was wrong with people today… he said, “I’m not a bum, I’m clean and honest, I have my wife in the car over there, but people treat me like I’m nobody.” I tried to explain that people were afraid now, afraid that someone was going to rip them off, afraid and suspicious of everyone, afraid that they are being scammed, and that prevented them from connecting with people. It prevented them from even listening to their fellow man… and that their fear was paralyzing. I told him that it had nothing to do with him personally, it was the fear of their own situation that led to the disconnect them and people in need of help.

I gave him what money I had left in my purse (only $16 or $17 dollars), wished him well while we exchanged several hugs… and I went on my way. As I continued down the freeway I realized that I had just given away the fare I still needed for the Bay Bridge. But no worries, I always travel with an “Emergency $100 bill” and I figured that this qualified as an emergency.

When I handed the toll taker the $100, she looked at it this way and that, holding it up to the best light available. I explained that I had given my other money away, but she never said a word… she just kept on chewing her gum, writing down the serial numbers on the bill, then, moving to the front of the car, she jotted down my license plate number. I guess you just can’t trust anyone anymore, not even a grandma.

So stereotypical myths were broken that day… not all men of color need to be feared, and not all grandma’s can be trusted… and so goes just another typical day in our ‘new’ but not better American experience. But just maybe... one man's faith in humanity was restored, even if it was just for that moment in time...

Most Respectfully, 

Marcia Reimers… 

Your Gadfly Granny