An Open Letter To Michael Bloomberg

Good Morning, Mr. Mayor.

I know you have a lot on your plate, that the world is an absolute mess right now, but I want to focus your attention somewhere that desperately needs your attention, one that normally takes almost no thought from the mayor of a city as large as New York City.

The running of the New York City Marathon.

Now Mr. Mayor,  I know you don’t normally read any of my articles, being a busy man and all, so you probably don’t know that I am runner and a regular one.  An all weather runner.  I run in every type of weather.  I also know that you don’t know that I am a  lifelong resident of Staten Island.

For most of my life I lived on the north shore, but I moved out of there after 35 years in 2002 and moved to Dongan Hills, where I lived for a few years before re-settling in Castleton corners, where I have been since 2005.

Enough of the background, let’s move to the foreground.

On October 29th one of the largest storms to ever strike land in the northeast, and certainly the biggest in my 45 years, struck us.  All of us.  New Jersey was crushed, as was the city. It dropped several feet of snow in the Appalachian mountains in West Virginia.  Hell it caused 20 foot surges in the great lakes.  Needless to say you also know about the billions of dollars in damage it did, and the number of dead.

And yet you want to have this marathon run through New York City, our city, now.

Yesterday, Mr. Mayor, yesterday the bodies of two small children who were pulled by the storm out of their mothers arms were found. Half of the city’s dead from this storm come from my island. Do I have to make the point that I have family members who live in that area still?  They’re OK thankfully, but plenty of other people aren’t, and there are tens of thousands without power, both on Staten Island and the rest of the city.

Generators are in Central park for the marathon that could be used to help people who are in dire need, who have lost everything, that could be used to power neighborhoods that need that help.  And yes there is a massive effort to help everyone, but can you say you are doing everything you can when generators that could help people in need are used for recreation?  Need I remind you that running is recreation, and that recreation comes third at best in times of need like these?

You say the race wont pull resources away from recovery efforts yet we know and we see with our own eyes that this is simply untrue.  I know that there are many people working on trying to fix things, I have eyes, I see them.  But when I see the people of Breezy Point and Midland Beach and South Beach who have been so harshly put upon by pitiless nature suffer so and efforts that could be made are quite simply not being made, I get angry.  And I am not alone.  There are hundreds of thousands of us, millions of us who don’t want to see this race happen, because it is simply not appropriate.  There is talk around the neighborhood and on facebook of simply walking en masse up to the start line and blocking the start line.

I’m sure your security people have already appraised you about that situation by now.

Idle threat?  Perhaps, but if you have angered these people, these working class Americans who voted for you that much where they are talking like that, it means that it is time you paid attention to us.  It is time to listen to the people and not dictate your will to them, Mr. Mayor. You are not our ruler, you are a temporary administrator. nothing more.  Don’t forget that.

Mr. Mayor I cannot find a single instance of any one city ever deciding to hold a race of any type 6 days after a hurricane made landfall and devastated the area.  We should continue this trend.  Want to run the marathon in December? If those who do the job of search and recovery are finished looking for the bodies of residents of this great city I am all for it.   Wanna make it a big running party on New Years eve?  That sounds like fun!  Might even do that myself!

But now?

No.

Mr. Mayor, please postpone the New York City Marathon. It’s the right thing to do.

Signed,

Michael Walsh

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That’s it from here, America.  Talk to you later.

Thoughts For A Saturday Night

Pic of the day: The Vision After the Sermon (Jacob wrestling with the Angel) by Paul Gauguin

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There is no me. I do not exist … There used to be a me, but I had it surgically removed.

Peter Sellers

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Thoughts for a Saturday night:

Some people right now are prepping for a big Sunday, but not me. It’s the first football Sunday of the season. It is a big deal, but not so much for me personally. Not because I’m not a football fan, I am. My New York Giants have already played and in fact lost. Dammit. Not gonna miss the start of the season, the real start of the season, the first football Sunday of the year, but having my team not play on it makes it seem less important.

Never understood why they play games during the middle of the week. Thursday? Wednesday? Doesn’t make sense to me. Sunday (and thursdays on Thanksgiving ONLY) is the way it should be. But that’s just an old man who remembers the game being like that when I was a kid talking out loud. Why would you WANT to play games during the middle of the week, when the bulk of your fans have just finished a long day of work? Most people don’t work on Sunday. Makes Sunday a day that makes sense for ALL the games to be played.

Just saying…

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At this point I am looking at stories about Greece and Spain. About the economically troubled nation of Greece leaving the Eurozone. Fun fun fun. The Swedish finance minister is the one predicting this, and he is saying that Greece may not stay in the Eurozone, may in fact leave within a year, possibly 6 months. He says Spain is also still in trouble, and may need more help in the form of a bailout.

The conditions for such a bailout would likely be so bad that the medicine that is a bailout would likely be more painful than the fiscal problems they are suffering from. The rollbacks of government services that Spain will be asked to swallow, the strength of the austerity measures that will occur in Spain should they get that bailout will be such as to actually do more damage long term to the Spanish economy than no bailout.

Because the bailout will come from the IMF, who are freidmanites at their core, are more concerned with making the rich richer and the poor… well, fuck’em. The unemployment rate in Spain, should they accept a bailout will in all likelihood increase both short and long term. That despite the fact that the unemployment rate there is insanely high.

Spain’s unemployment rate sits at 24.7% right now.

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I believe that the abortion debate is framed improperly. It isn’t about rape or incest or the health of the mother or when it is right and when it isn’t right. It is about choice. It isn’t my choice. It isn’t yours, unless you are the one contemplating the procedure. Those who are trying to stop women from having that choice, are trying to take freedom directly from women for religious/moral grounds. Beware that type of thought. It is immoral in that it makes choice, which god gave us to test us (to use the religious argument.) seemingly irrelevant.

If the Almighty did not believe in choice, Adam never would have had one, and there would have been no apple, and no Eve.

If the Almighty did not believe in choice, Christ would never have had to die on the cross.

The Almighty is firm in his belief of choice. Are you?

For better or worse we have choice in most every way most every day in most every thing. Allow others the right to make their own decisions, or you negate their right to act like adults in an adult society, to make life altering decisions and living with the consequences of them.

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That’s it from here, America. G’night.

Vox Populi

There comes not seldom a crisis in the life of men, of nations, and of worlds, when the old forms seem ready to decay, and the old rules of action have lost their binding force. The evils of existing systems obscure the blessings that attend them; and, where reform is needed, the cry is raised for subversion.

Benjamin N. Cardoza

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The focus is a little sharper, the look a little more tense, the feel a little more on edge.

Life is better when it’s like that.

That’s how it feels today, that’s how it feels lately.

Things are picking up, and that is a beautiful thing.

Not personally mind you.  I’m still broke, still don’t have enough money to buy an extra bag of cheezy poofs, but I don’t mind that, really.  Been there so long, been broke so long I forgot what it feels like to have.

So, when I see thousands come out to decry the conditions of the poor, of the vast majority of the populace of the earth, at the very doorstep of the rich who flaunt their excesses in our faces, I am moved.

My mind sings with joy at the prospect.  My heart leaps when it sees people say  “We have had enough”  because they are saying what I have been saying here in my own inimitable way for the better part of 4 years.

You, wall street, you moneyed interests, have acted with impunity for too long.

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Viddy of the day:  “Something has started”  Michael Moore on Occupy Wall St. protests that could spark movement.

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You have paid us less than we deserve.

You have asked us to be happy with less, as you took more.

Our 401k’s have dwindled to nothing in the light of your excess.

Our health has diminished because we work so hard for less and less every year, and on top of it, you make us feel as if you are doing us a favor by paying us what you do.

Your wild unbalanced actions with derivatives and such nearly destroyed our economy.  And who has had to pay for it?

Us.  Food costs more.  Gas costs more. Medicine costs more.  Everything costs more. All of it thanks to your lavish stupidity, or evil, one is as good as the other, the end result being what it is.

You have taken our democratic processes from us, with lobbyists and with money we could not hope to match in our wildest dreams, and bought representatives, Senators, Governors, and Presidents.

With all that said, What do we want?

Freedom from the evils of a market unrestrained, the wrongs of unregulated greed and wanton gluttony that has poisoned the entire nation.

The right to work for a wage that can enable us to live a life that is better than those who came before us, like every generation that came before, and that was to be ours as well, until you ripped it from our hands.

Protection from the predations of millionaires and billionaires who buy government officials the way we buy food, and peddle influence with money that flows like an avalanche coming down a mountain, irresistible, crushing us where we live.

You have taken too much.  We want it back.  We want our nation and our future back.

And we want it now.

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That’s it from here, America. G’night.

Saturday Night Idle Talk

It seems that the mainstream media has decided to start reporting on Occupy Wall Street.  And what happens?  80 people get arrested. And what were they charged with? Obstructing governmental administration.  Which is a load of crap.  These young men and women were walking down the street, and apparently following orders, staying within the orange nets meant to keep them from going where the cops didn’t want them to go.

The protesters are staying in Zuccotti park, in sleeping bags and tents.  Guess what? Camping gear and sleeping bags have now been banned as of today.

I tell you, it’s abuse by local government of the locals.  Just friggin wonderful.  Sounds like bullshit to me.  Mayor Bloomberg (who I didn’t vote for, BTW) needs to back the hell up with this and get his trained dogs off of the people’s back.

So much for government of the people, by the people and for the people.  These protesters are “the people” just as much as anyone else in that area.  Creating rules of conduct after the fact, like the no sleeping bag rule in Zuccotti park, is an improper use of government  power.

But this is what happens when civil disobedience is aimed at the powers that be.  That they react this way is not unexpected.  Can’t wait to see how stupidly the police react when these fine upstanding patriots keep standing their ground and keep the protests going despite cracking down on them.

And if you don’t think arresting 80 people for no good reason is cracking down, you have a very skewed view of reality.

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Viddy of the day:  Occupy Wall Street Police Abuse.  The viddy ends at the 2:16 mark, the last 16 seconds are just frozen image with no sound.  And no I have no idea who the Luke Richardson mentioned by the girl at the end of the viddy is, but I presume it is not the former NHL player who is a coach with the Ottawa Senators.

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I am sitting here, at 11:30 at night, with a happily full stomach, with my feet up, resting and relaxing, enjoying having a place to rest my head for the night.   I live in a small apartment on a quiet street with a great view of asphalt and other peoples apartments and cars, and I’m happy for the view.  It isn’t much but it’s mine, and my wife’s, and I’m happy just to have a place to rest my head and call home.

I have headphones on, listening to Frank Sinatra, after a very easy day.  Woke up to the alarm clock, at 8:00 am, so I could be ready to get moving early.  I went to my parents house and helped them do some work around their house, move furniture, help with moving stuff after painting last week. I did my laundry there as well.  Shouldn’t but I’m broke and if I had the money to spend, the $7 or so to do the laundry elsewhere I would.  I don’t so I didn’t.  That took a few hours.

If I had a job, I would have been able to get my stuff done for myself, but might not have been able to get down and help my parents with stuff around the house for them.  One hand washes the other is the correct term methinks, though I think I need them more than they need me, but I’m happy to help, and they seem happy to help me, so it’s all good.

So when I begin working (hopefully) next week, will that mean I won’t be there to help them?  Of course not.  My life is service, and these people gave me life, the least I could do is help them with the little stuff.

And plus, the laundromat sucks. They don’t have free coffee. 

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Nasa’s UARS satellite went sploosh today, and disappeared.  So did  Rick Perry’s chances of becoming President, after losing the Florida straw poll to Herman Cain, the only black man in America who doesn’t give a shit about poor people.

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Moshe Dayan

Still unsure about the whole Palestinian statehood thing.  On it’s face it sounds like the right thing to do.  Give the Palestinians a homeland, which shuts a whole lot of anti-Israeli and anti-western Muslims up about one of the largest rifts that exist in Arab-western relations.  In the best case scenario this ends all conflict in the area.

On the other hand, since best case rarely happens, you can see this leading to one helluva war in the region happening, can’t you?  The Israelis will say the Palestinians launched missiles at them,which they do, out of sheer barbarism or hate of israel, one being as good as the other, and will invade the fledgling Palestinian state, which will lead to Syria, Jordan and Egypt invading Israel.  Which leads to everyone finding out just how effective the military in Israel is.

They won the last few times things got hairy, but as they say in the investing world, past performance is no indicator of potential future success.   The Israelis no longer have Moshe Dayan guiding the military.  One wonders how much that mans military genius protected Israel during the ’67 and ’73 wars.

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That’s it from here, America.  G’night.

July 2011 Random Thoughts

Once a month or so, I clear out some of the content on my Running Commentary, Random Thoughts, and 12 Notes pages and place them here on the main page to make room for fresh content on those pages.  This is the content from July’s 2011 Random Thoughts.  Enjoy!

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Watching the hockey news, with the beginning of the free agent signing period.  Rangers for some reason signed Mike Rupp, former crap devils center, for $1.5 million a year.  So the suck-ass for the Rangers continues.  Varlamov, the kid from the Caps, signed with the ‘Lanche.  He wanted to be guaranteed the #1 goalie spot.  Ownership likes Neuwirth.  Guess he really just wanted to get out, why else would the #2 say sign me and guarantee me the #1 spot?

Panthers signed everyone else.  Or so it seems.

Hope they sign Brad Richards as well. With the money this guy wants, I’m not sure he’ll work here with the Rangers.  He’ll fit the mold of failure in New York, insofar as you sign the big money guy, who then goes on to be mediocre, or less than is expected, and then leaves and take all our money with him.

The Rangers need to go after Alex Tanguay, screw Richards.  (7/1)

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Dammit, no Tanguay, no Kostitsyn.  Got Richards.  This guy better score 50 goals and lead us to the Stanley Cup Finals.  (7/2)

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Got soaked running today.  Rained hard from the minute I started running until the moment I stopped.  20 minutes after I finished running, the rain had stopped.  Dammit, thought it was gonna be a light rain.  Go fig, hope the running shoes dry out for tomorrow (7/3)

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Happy Independence day!  I’ve sent in 6 resumes today before heading out to run.  Gonna look to see if I can send more before I begin to get ready to go out with my wife and eat some sammiches in the park under the shade of oak trees near the brook, or some such. (7/4)

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Anagram: Independence day/ Penny Needed Acid/ Needy Ended Panic/ I Can Deny Deep End/  Eddy Need Nap? Nice./ I Deny Dependence/ Candy In Deep Need/ Pic Ended Any Need/I’d Deny Ed Penance  (7/4)

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The Casey Anthony jury came back with a judgment a lot of people disagree with.  Don’t know that I care, offhand.  The child is dead, and a guilty verdict would not have brought that child back to life.  The prosecution didn’t do their job, the defense did.  So be it.  (7/5)

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Bachmann vs. Obama,  November 2012.  Count on It.  Take Obama and the over.  (7/6)

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Walked outside during the light rain late this evening after taking out the garbage.  It was beautiful out, said as much to my wife, she was busy working, and could not come out.  T’was sad.  She’s always stuck inside.  I get out every day.  Seems unfair, I have to get her out of the house.  All she ever does is work.   (7/8)

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Busted my ass running.  Busted my ass exercising.  Is it any wonder now that my ass is sore? OK, not my Ass per se, My hamstrings feel like I just ran them through the ringer though.  (7/10)

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My first day of meaningful work in two months was no different than I expected it would be.  Did paperwork, busted my butt, wrapped stuff up, boxed up fabric, hauled stuff all over the place.  I was reminded of Sotheby’s bt several things though.  I, walking through the place early, noticed several pieces of art that look suspiciously like I had moved and worked with them at Sotheby’s.  Upon closer inspection I was right, from chandeliers to chinese vases to large pieces of marble.  The stuff they bought from there was marked up a bit from the bid prices as I recall them.  lulz.  Small world.  (7/11)

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I am going to try to run every day when I am working.  No reason why I shouldn’t be able to. It’s not like I am running long during the week.   5.8 and 6.3 miles so far.  Should be easy. (7/12)

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Got a new A/C unit today.  Thing works nice.  Keeps the apartment nice and cool.  Kept me from running though.  Between pick up and installation, it took a couple hours.  So much for running every day I’m working.  (7/13)

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It would have been nice had the people at my temp job told me beforehand that I am only getting 30 hours of work a week.  I didn’t find that little nugget o’ joy out until nearly noon today.  Bastards.  you should tell people when they start what their days they are going to work if the week is going to be altered from the accepted norm.

I managed to get a ride to sears on Wednesday to pick up the AC that day, only because I wasn’t sure I would be able to get it before Saturday, and I didn’t know if they would hold it in storage that long for me.  I could have let the ride go and picked it up myself had I known.  Goddamn bastards. (7/14)

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I will actually work 3 days this week.  Today I sat around and babysat 300 boxes, and tomorrow I’ll basically do the same thing and get paid for it.  I’m not complaining though.  The two hottest days of the year and I get to sit in air conditioning that was cold enough to keep a side a beef nice and chilled.  (7/21)

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Some nutbag in Norway lost his mind, blew up a  government building, then shot up a camp with kids in it.  No idea how many are dead.  Some idiot on Fox news has already blamed Islamic terrorists.  No one else has jumped on that.  Looks like some lone wolf McVeigh wannabe and a buddy or two did this crap.  (7/22)

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It’s too bleeding HOT! Someone needs to arrest mother nature for this crap!  (7/23)

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Paid Con Ed and National Grid on time and in full.  Wife paid them last month because I didn’t have the money.  Feels good to be able to pay for the bills on my own again.  (7/24)

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Just watched the President give his debt ceiling speech.  Watched John Boehner respond.  Got the feeling that Boehner was just plain full of shit.  President nailed it on all points.  Still doesn’t mean a damn thing as far as getting a deal worked out. That looks less and less likely.  (7/25)

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Anagram:  Employment/ Empty Lemon/ Me Only Temp?/My Pet Melon/ On My Temple/ My Lent Poem/ Yelp Moment/ My Omen Lept (7/26)

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I am beat.  Beat as all get out.  Between running, working out, and the work moving the archive that I am doing, I am just about spent.  I don’t mind though.  I’ll get to rest soon enough.  After August 3rd I’ll have plenty of time to sleep, because (unless I get a new job that quick, which would be nice) that day is the last one on the archive assignment.  I’ll get over it. (7/27)

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This debt ceiling thing is going to be a mess well past Monday, mark my words, this thing is far from finished.  (7/28)

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The debt ceiling bill passed the house.  2 hours later, the Senate shot it down, 59-41, meaning several Republicans joined in shooting it down.  Nice (7/29)

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