Public Comment

Tough-Guy Biden Dials It Back

On Tuesday, April 25, I found a text message from the White House on my aphone. It read:

"Gar, It's Joe Biden.
I want you to hear it from me:
NOW."

I know that Joe can be gruff and likes to play the tough-guy, but the tone of this note left me feeling miffed. I live in America, where we are told that our country enshrines "freedom and democracy." So I don't like being ordered around — even if the autocrat of the moment happens to be our 80-year-old POTUS.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one to bristle at Biden's brusque demand. A second notification arrived within minutes. It was the same message but with one exception. The command, "NOW," had been replaced by the time-stamp: "12:27 PM."

Biden's Social Security Take-away

According to Retirely, Joe and Jill Biden listed a whopping $54,665 in Social Security income on their joint 2021 income tax statements—that's about $4,555 per month. As Retirely noted, the Biden's monthly SSI check was "well above what the average retired worker brings home each month." (The Bidens, of course, are not retired nor are they in need of extra grocery-shopping cash.) 

With US inflation on course to hit a four-decade high of 9.1% in June, the 2023 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security could be the largest in decades. Following a 5.9% COLA increase passed along to beneficiaries in 2022, it's possible the Biden's 2023 Social Security pay-out could exceed $60,000 a year. 

According to archived tax returns, the Bidens' combined adjusted gross incomes hit $11,031,309 in 2017 and $4,580,437 in 2018. To calculate a retired worker's monthly check at full retirement age, the Social Security Administration considers an individual's 35 highest-earning, inflation-adjusted years. Because the Bidens have earned so much over multiple decades, they've likely neared or achieved Social Security's maximum monthly payout. 

Renovation in Progress 

It's always an inconvenience when a neighborhood convenience store goes dark. The popular Annaher mini-grocery/liquor store at the corner of San Pablo and Dwight Way is now closed for renovation "until further notice." Or, as a hand-written sign on the front door of the darkened store announces: "We will open again with more pretty self!" 

Fashion Plates 

Various personalized license plates spotted around town. 

Black BMS: G MOCKBA ("Zdrastvuy, tovarisch!" The driver has an affinity for Moscow and the Cyrillic alphabet)) 

Gray BMW: FOZBOOT (A local chap with a nickname and a Flickr account) 

White Saturn Vue: ECO GEM (A hybrid getting 28 mpg) 

Blue Toyota: DRUNK (Now that's just asking for trouble) 

Black Ford C-Max: ALMST EV (Earlier suspicion confirmed. A C-Max is a hybrid) 

Bumper Snickers 

Stop Making Stupid People Famous 

EARTH Without ART Is Just "EH" 

If the World Were Flat, Cats Would Have Pushed Everything Off by Now 

It's Not Critical Race Theory. It's United States History 

All I Want Is the Same Health Care Plan as Congress 

Gardening Is Cheaper than Therapy — And You Get Tomatoes 

Haikus Confuse Me: Too Often They Make No Sense: Hand Me the Pliers 

Why Was Tucker Sacked? 

Tube-casters Jimmy Dore and Arron Mate claim former-fellow-media-commentator Tucker Carlson was fired ("out FOXed"?) for telling a few too many embarrassing truths. Carlrson was too outspoken about the corruption of Big Pharma. He invited antiwar/anti-vaxxer RFK, Jr. on air. Dore and Mate note that Carlson told the truth about Julian Assange, about Syria, and about US destabilizing plots targeting Cuba and Venezuela. Carlson criticized the DOJ for prosecuting members of the African People's Socialist Party for criticizing US foreign policy regarding Russia and Ukraine. (Nobody on liberal media spoke up to defend the free-speech rights of these fellow Americans. Not even progressive members of the Squad raised a Congressional ruckus about the threat to imprison fellow citizens for disagreeing with White House policy." 

Carlson has confessed that he regrets that, when he was younger, he publicly supported George W. Bush's illegal, based-on-a-lie war on Iraq. Carlson has also opined that the media are "mostly propaganda" and he is now ashamed of his role in spreading Op-Prop. 

When Governments Capture Kids 

When Russian leader Vladimir Putin removed thousands of orphans and other children from war zones in Ukraine to shelters in Russia, The West shouted "war crime!" and Putin was ruled guilty of criminal acts by the International Criminal Court. But it seemed like an odd call, given that many observers saw the removal as a mission to save young lives—some even called the relocation a humanitarian act. 

Now let's pause to compare Putin's kisnappings to Washington's record of separating migrant children from their families at the US/Mexico border. 

As Win Without War recently wrote: "Under Trump, a cruel immigration system tore thousands of families apart, leaving children to face the unknown alone. Years later, and despite promises of change, President Biden is failing migrant kids." 

A series of cringe-worthy reports in The New York Times have revealed how the Biden administration repeatedly ignored reports that thousands of migrant children were torn from their families only to be exploited as a source of cheap labor—consigned to work long hours in dangerous settings, "working overnight in slaughterhouses, replacing roofs, operating dangerous machinery in factories, and more." A lot of concerned Americans have been raising a ruckus about this horrific situation that continues to fester right here in the US Homeland. Meanwhile, the judges at the ICC remain mum. 

Charmin's Unbearable Bare Bear Bottoms 

Care2 Actions is alarmed that some of the largest US paper companies have been deforesting Canada's boreal forests to turn pristine woodlands into… toilet paper. The Natural Resources Defense Council recently revealed how US paper mills were responsible for destroying "about six NHL-sized hockey rinks' worth of forest every minute." Procter & Gamble alone scored more than $80 billion in revenue last year by turning rolling hills of trees into plastic-wrapped rolls of paper. Care2 Actions is calling out US paper mills for mauling Canada's pines for profit. "There is no excuse for a company worth hundreds of billions of dollars to continue contributing to deforestation." 

There are options. Some companies use 100% recycled content to make their bathroom tissue while others use bamboo. "Both options are better than chopping down millions of trees," Care2 Actions notes: "We shouldn't be chopping down entire forests just to wipe our dirty bottoms. There are more sustainable options." Meanwhile, we can send a message to America's Corporate Deforesters and—bonus—you won't need to scribble your name on a piece of forest-logged paper. Just sign this paperless, electronic petition.  

Could a Strange Hole the Bottom of the Pacific Trigger a Monster Quake? 

Scientists at the University of Washington have discovered an enormous, enigmatic "hole" in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean off the US coast. Researchers report that the unexpected fissure is actively spewing "tectonic fluid," which scientists say increases the possibility of triggering a major quake. 

A magnitude 9.0 or higher "megathrust quake," is possible, and concerns are rising that this newly discovered "hole" in the seabed is leaking—a probable sign that could presage an historically powerful earthquake accompanied by a potentially catastrophic tsunami. A sane response to such a threat might require the federal government to order and orchestrate a mass evacuation of coastal cities—from Santa Barbara to Vancouver. But where would "quake refugees" relocate when the rest of the country—from the Rockies to the Midwest to the Southern States and the East Coast—is beset by historic episodes of flooding, hurricanes, snowfall, tornadoes, and wildfires? 

Public Citizen Takes Stock of Political Turpitude 

"It feels like members of Congress just do better in the stock market than you or me," says a recent mailing from Public Citizen, "But some members of Congress don’t even seem to care that their stock trades look suspicious and contribute to Americans’ distrust of their public officials." A few choice samples: 

• In 2020, a pack of senators fortuitously jettisoned their stocks just weeks before the market crashed, owing to the declaration of a global pandemic threat. (Insider trading, anyone?) 

• In 2021, Business Insider revealed “49 members of Congress have violated a law designed to stop insider trading and prevent conflicts-of-interest.” 

• And in earlier April, The Wall Street Journal identified two members of Congress had instigated trades of their bank stocks at the same time they were engaged in efforts to address recent bank failures. 

According to Public Citizen: "Congress is proving it can’t be trusted to follow existing laws and avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest while trading stocks, so it’s time to ban members of Congress from stock trading altogether." 

Here's the good news: 

• Recently, Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a bill to ban stock trading by politicians and their spouses. The bill was cleverly labeled the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (aka ETHICS). 

• The ETHICS Act was introduced with the backing of 21 co-sponsors. 

Most senators have not yet announced their position on this legislation so it is critical that they hear a public outcry to support—and pass—this bill in the Senate. 

ACTION: Click here to encourage our senators to co-sponsor the ETHICS Act. 

Our Political Reps and Their Courage Scores 

The Courage Campaign has just blown the trumpets to announce its 8th annual Courage Scorecard. That means it's time to check-the-stats and see if your state legislators are working for you or shilling for wealthy corporations. 

CourageScore.org is a "one-of-a-kind, multi-issue legislative scorecard that puts the power of accountability back in the people’s hands." The scorecard charts how politicians voted on major progressive bills. The website also makes it one-click-easy to contact representatives directly to exclaim—or complain—about their voting record. 

While California is renowned for its pioneering progressive legislation, the Courage Campaign notes that "too many of our representatives are under the overwhelming influence of wealthy interests, like Big Oil and police unions." 

Courage Scores not only reveal legislators' votes but they also trace the money trails. 

"We believe that elected officials should be held accountable to the needs of our communities, not corporate lobbyists," says the Courage Campaign. "When legislators represent their districts well, we’ll celebrate them as All-Stars. And when they fail to represent their districts, we’ll call them out on it in our Hall of Shame." 

Berkeley can take pride in the not-surprising news that Assembly Member Buffy Wicks and Senator Nancy Skinner both rank 100% A+ on the Courage Scoreboard. 

Meanwhile, the Hall of Shame, calls attention to lawmakers who "consistently fail their constituents by aligning with corporations and lobbyists instead of everyday Californians." The Hall of Shame link reveals the history of California's top-five feckless legislators. (You want names? We got names! Bill Dodds, Steve Glazer, Tim Grayson, Susan Rubio, and Carlos Villapudua. You want more names? Check out the Dreary Dozen, a list of 12 current and former pols who made the Dishonorable Mentions list.) 

Message from Another Era 

Herewith, an email from an elder activist offers a generational kvetch about the confounding nature of modern life. 

"[Exhibit #3,713 in the difficulty someone from another era encounters now in daily life. 

"I used the phone and English to make an appt. for dog grooming/haircut for one dog, nail job for other. All was normal. I'd dealt with this (corporate) outfit for years.. Then I got this text, telling me one dog's appt. had been canceled because I had not done some verb to some noun, neither of which I had ever heard of. This secret code ring stuff had not come up in our phone call. How is one supposed to deal with s— like this? 

"The online exchange:" 

Appointment has been cancelled for Koda w/ Xavier at the PetSmart located at … Pinole, CA 

"How come Koda was canceled?" 

The keyword you specified was not recognized. 

"I have no idea what is this keyword, nor could I have specified something I never heard of, nor do I understand this "recognizing" you speak of. I am from a different time, speak a different language. Is there an interpreter around?" 

"Trago Coco E Um Xaxado": Meet Negah Santos 

If you watch Stephen Colbert's The Late Show, you may have wondered why the studio audience is clapping so madly when the show returns following its first commercial break. Colbert offers a nightly clue by waving in the direction of the studio musicians and inviting the audience to "Give it up for The Late Show band." 

It's now possible for the at-home audience to experience some of these off-broadcast performances thanks to a shared archive of what's been labeled The Late Show's "Commercial Breakdown." 

The following video with Louis Cato and The Late Show Band features the exceptionally talented Nêgah Santos. So take a break from the world's woes and give your ears a treat with this foot-stomping, hand-clapping musical interlude—a hot splash of music that just might get you dancing. 

n>