Snyder Did It Again, Y'all

He did it again.

Rick Snyder – I don’t use his title because I like to pretend that he’s not my governor – flipped the bird to the citizens of our Great Lake State by appointing an oil and gas industry lobbyist to head the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

This is the same state department that remains under fire for contributing to the poisoning of the water in Flint, an hour northeast of my home, and sickening its 100,000 residents who are largely African-American and economically disadvantaged.

Deepwater Horizon

Heidi Grether, who starts her new job in a few weeks, was a registered lobbyist for none other than BP America, the conglomerate responsible for the calamitous Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. (You know, the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, the one that killed 11 crewmembers and spewed more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.) In fact, she worked on external communications as part of BP’s accident response team. Before that she was a lobbyist for Amoco, the global oil and chemical company that merged with BP in 1988.

And now she’ll be heading up the state agency charged with “promoting wise management of Michigan’s air, land and water resources to support a sustainable environment, healthy communities and a vibrant economy.”

Heidi Grether

I’m sure she’s a nice, talented woman – well, I’m not sure of that at all but I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt – but appointing her to this important position is akin to asking a racist to donate to the NAACP. It just doesn’t make sense.

I’ve written about the Flint crisis before – see F*ck You, Flint, Slimy Snyder and the Water Crisis, Part Two and Pure Michigan My Ass - and I’d like to not write about it again. But as long as Snyder keeps slapping his constituents in the face, I’ll keep slapping back. I never liked arrogant assholes and I sure don’t like it when they pick on people who can’t defend themselves.

By the way, did you know that according to a group called Progress Michigan, Snyder has received roughly $90,000 from the oil and gas industry since running for and becoming governor? I’m sure that wagonload of cash had absolutely no bearing on the appointment process in the Executive Office.

As I discussed with a Facebook friend, it’s easy to bemoan and criticize; the hard part is knowing what to do about the problem and doing it. In this case, it’s simple, we agreed. V-O-T-E. Rick Snyder never should have been elected with 58 percent of the vote in 2010 and re-elected by 51 percent of those who voted in 2014. (If I believed in god, I’d thank her for the fact that he’s term-limited and will only be able to screw shit up for two more years.) If more people would get off their asses and spend five minutes of Election Day helping to select their leaders, we just might save the state – or at least loosen the GOP’s grip on Michigan’s State Capital.

My friend Lisa Wozniak, who heads up the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, responded to Snyder’s insulting move thusly:

“While we are committed to working with Ms. Grether in this new role, we do question the Governor’s priorities in appointing someone with deep ties to the oil industry to the task of rebuilding Michiganders’ trust in our state environmental protection agency. After the Flint water crisis clearly demonstrated there were cultural problems within the DEQ, this appointment is a concerning development."

And Progress Michigan’s Lonnie Scott said, ““Tapping a former executive of the fossil fuel industry, which has been the chief engine of climate change denial and the degradation of air and water quality in our country and around the world, is not what Michigan needs at the head of the MDEQ. This is another example of Snyder choosing his corporate donors over the well-being of Michiganders and the communities where they stake their livelihoods and futures.”

That about sums it up.

Note: Readers might notice that I’ve started using uncensored versions of bad words in my writing. I was told that because we’re all grownups and it’s pretty obvious what words I’m choosing, I might as well stop being a pussy and spell the damn things out. So that’s what I’m doing. If you’re offended by the new me, don’t just bemoan and criticize. V-O-T-E.


Sources: Detroit Free Press, U.S. Census Bureau, Progress Michigan.

Flowers

Courtesy Genia Myers Collins
and Eric Bernhardt

Wild Night - Van Morrison

Blacks, Cops & Guns

This is another one of those times when I doubt I’ll be able to share anything that hasn’t already been said or written but I feel compelled nonetheless to post about the recent gun deaths that have fueled the fires of distrust and distress in this country.

Two black men, 37-year-old Alton Sterling and 32-year-old Philando Castile, were murdered by police within a day of each other (Sterling was shot last Tuesday; Castile was killed the next day.) Then last Thursday night at a peaceful protest of police brutality against people of color, at least one sniper shot 14 people – 12 police officers and two civilians – and killed five of the cops. The few hundred people who were in Belo Garden Park in downtown Dallas had a night they won’t soon forget.

Sterling and Castile

I, like millions of others, have seen the videos. They are jarring and alarming. They’re like movies – R-rated action flicks with more gunfire than plot – only Bruce Willis or Jason Statham never appear and the end credits are missing. They’re like episodes of Law and Order only there’s no order. I now know exactly how gunfire sounds. And I know that I probably lack the courage to film these events as they’re happening.

It’s downright risky to live here. Even if Trump steals the election and builds his wall, it’ll do nothing to prevent what's in these clips. I could almost feel how scared people in Dallas were. I could feel Sterling’s fear and surprise and the shock and disbelief that Diamond Reynolds, Castile’s girlfriend, felt as she filmed the chaotic aftermath of his shooting. I could feel four-year-old Dae'Anna Reynold’s terror and confusion as she tried to console her distraught mother. (Is it standard police procedure to fire your Glock 22 into an automobile when a four-year-old kid is sitting in the back seat?)

If the officers who did this to these people aren’t prosecuted and don’t pay, it won’t surprise me at all if a CVS gets burned or trash cans get tossed. Cops who kill and get off without even a slap on the wrist have been avoiding the consequences of their actions – the punishment that they obviously deserve – for too damn long. No wonder our respect for cops, lawyers and judges has dropped dramatically. No wonder so many people are convinced that they have only themselves on which to rely for help and protection.

When I shared my concerns with Anita, she told me I was being too dramatic and I should stay away from Facebook lest my view of reality be skewed. I told her I’d take her input into consideration but that it’s a fact that Sterling was shot to death in the parking lot of a convenience store by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for selling CDs. It’s a fact that a cop shot Castile after pulling him over for a broken taillight in Falcon Heights, just northwest of St. Paul, Minnesota, and he died of his injuries. It’s a fact that African-Americans are dying at the hands of police at an alarming and devastating rate. And it’s a fact that my view of reality is probably already skewed and I’m very afraid.

I’m afraid that gun violence will break out at other public gatherings, other populated businesses and locations, other schools and malls and streets and homes. I’m afraid that more black people will be killed for no reason and race relations will further erode. I’m afraid that my kids will be in the wrong place at the wrong time and won’t come home. And I’m afraid that the police will be unable to stop themselves and others from killing innocent human beings and our politicians will continue to think and pray and turn their heads away.

I’m not going to write another post exclusively about guns (see “Shoot! So Far Nothing’s Changed!” or “So Shoot Me” or “Pistol Packin’ Yahoo in Aisle 4” or any of my other “What’s the Diehl?” posts about this issue). Given that there are more than 300 million guns in private ownership in this country – more guns than people – the horse has left the barn. Instead I just want to acknowledge how much harder it seems to be to find the beauty in life, the positive aspects, the love and kindness and compassion and tolerance that I thought we were known for and told my kids is all around us.

I want to acknowledge that people of color have had to live with fear, doubt, loss and violence – and the sense of being victims, hated and ignored by those in power – for too long. Based on data compiled by The Guardian, black males between the ages of 15 and 34 were nine times more likely to be killed by police officers than any other demographic. This group also accounted for 15 percent of all 2015 deaths from law enforcement encounters, despite making up just two percent of the U.S. population. Last year alone, The Guardian estimates, at least 306 black people were killed by police. (Sadly and unbelievably, a Google search of Africa-Americans who were killed by cops resulted in more names and stories than I can count. Literally.)

I want to pay tribute to just some of the men, women and children who’ve lost their lives because of bad cops and bad gun policies: Allison Wyatt, Benjamin Wheeler, Victoria Soto, Mary Sherlach, Lauren Russeau, Jesse Lewis, Sandra Bland, James Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, AnneMarie Murphy, Eric Harris, Emilie Parker, Jack Pinto, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi , John Crawford III, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, Michael Brown Jr., Chase Kowalski, Catherine Hubbard, Madeleine Hsu, Dawn Hocksprung, Walter Scott, Dylan Hockley, Ana Marquez-Greene, Josephine Gay, Rachel Davino, Olivia Engel, Daniel Barden, Charlotte Bacon, Trayvon Martin, Andy Lopez, Jonathan Ferrell, Aiyana Jones, Oscar Grant, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Clementa C. Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson. (There are multitudinous others; these are the individuals who received media coverage.)

And I want to honor Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, just the latest – but regrettably, probably not the last – victims of unjustified violence at the hands of our Boys in Blue.

Including the names of all the victims of gun violence in Chicago, Detroit, Orlando, San Bernardino, and other cities would make for too long a list.

A Facebook friend from an Asian country wanted to know why we don’t do something about gun violence in America. This was my reply:

Because our lawmakers work for the gun manufacturers, not the voters. We have a part of our Constitution that says "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed." Some people interpret this - which was written in the 1770s when single-shot muskets were the weapons of the day - to mean that anybody can have as many guns as he wants and any effort to control guns or stop gun violence (or even to study the issue) is a violation of the Second Amendment. So with gun makers giving money to politicians, the police being able to do whatever they want and a hatred of black people on the part of some, things aren't getting better. They're just getting worse.

Am I wrong? Are they really getting worse? I'm really not sure.

You’ll notice I don’t suggest remedies, provide names and numbers of organizations and politicians, or offer next steps to my readers in this blog post. I’ve done this before and nothing’s changed.

I know all cops aren't rotten. I know not all white people are racist and not all black people hate white people. But the ugliness, the negativity and resentment and unfairness are so loud and dark and big. They're so debilitating and disgusting. It's hard for most people to move on from the horror of what we do to each other. Needless death, murder, violence and betrayal are hard to ignore, especially when they occur more regularly than the ebb and flow of the tides. It's not easy to spot flowers in a field of old tires, used diapers, fast food wrappers and condoms. We need more flowers.

At the risk of skewing your reality, I’ll share just a few of the many relevant memes and images that have appeared on my Facebook wall in the last day or two:

For more information, read “Here’s a Timeline of Unarmed Black People Killed By Police Over Past Year,” “Guns in America: By the Numbers,” “15 Statistics That Tell the Story of Gun Violence This Year (2015),” “There are Now More Guns than People in the United States,” “Why Alton Sterling and Philando Castile Are Dead,” “Philando Castile shooting stirs anguish from Shonda Rhimes, President Obama and others still reeling from Alton Sterling's death,” “Why It’s Impossible to Indict a Cop” and “Why Most Police Shootings Don't End With Prosecutions.”


Sources: National Public Radio, CNN.com, TheDailyBeast.com, Heavy.com, New York Daily News, The Guardian, Washington Post, The Nation, BusinessInsider.com, Buzzfeed.com, Gawker.com.

Different but the Same

Devil's Pie - D'Angelo

Read This Clinton/Sanders Post Or Else

Did anyone else receive an e-mail from Hillary Clinton asking for money, thanking us for being part of "the team" and dangling the possibility of winning a trip the Democrats' national convention later this month? She says she'll be happy knowing that we’ll be in the room when she accepts her party's nomination. The woman raised $29.9 million for her campaign in the third quarter alone and she wants me to donate $3 so I can take a selfie with her in Philly.

I realize politicians need to raise money but I thought they paid people to clean up their lists so they didn’t solicit folks who’ve repeatedly, publicly renounced their Democratic Party memberships and declared their allegiance to true progressives. I’m as likely to donate to the Clinton campaign as I am to single-handedly lift our 4,652-pound Chrysler Towne and Country minivan and throw it on the roof of our garage.

On June 8, with wins in California, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota, Clinton supposedly locked up the nomination. (The media insist that her insurmountable lead in pledged delegates is the ribbon on her present from the Democratic National Committee although she needs superdelegates to put her over the top and they don’t vote until their convention.) Shortly thereafter, I ran across the following anguished, well-written response in Facebook:

Y'all, I haven't been this absolutely devastated since I woke up to the sound of Kerry conceding the 2004 election.

I take no pride in seeing a woman clinch the nomination. I have no hope for our future, whether or not we see a democrat or a republican in office. In fact, I see no hope.

You see, I live in a severely impoverished neighborhood. I see the vast array of presentations that poverty has. I feel the crush of desperation, desolation, and soul-killing fatigue. And I know in an unshakeable way that without immediate and intense change, we are fucked.

For every GoFundMe started by someone fighting cancer, there are droves more people who can't afford the initial visits to get diagnosed, let alone treated. Health insurance isn't any more affordable when your rent is half of your income and rising.

For every person desperate because their car needs repairs they can't afford, there are people who can't scrape together enough for a bus pass.

I am one voice among hundreds of thousands of people experiencing poverty saying "we can no longer endure this system." And I am privileged among them because I have food, shelter, a job, access to the Internet, and the protection of my skin color.

For every voice like mine, how many people have no voice?

You can tell me all you want about the incremental changes Mrs. Clinton will bring. You can explain to me all you want that we have to keep Trump out of office and therefore my vote is needed. For the very first time in my life, I don't believe it. And I won't be sold that bill of goods.

Until the voiceless and hopeless are accounted for and helped above the interests of the rich and powerful...until the lady talking about inequality is wearing more practical clothing than a $12k jacket, I'll be over here sobbing for the fatigue and hopelessness I feel, knowing it's a fraction of the fatigue and hopelessness felt by people who have endured more and longer than anyone like me.
‪
I’m thinking the writer is not the only one feeling this way.

FBI Director James Comey’s announcement yesterday that Clinton will not be charged with any crimes relating to her “extremely careless” handling of sensitive e-mail messages while she was U.S. Secretary of State has been met with mixed reactions. Sanders and Trump supporters are devastated that Clinton isn’t being forced out of the race; Clinton supporters are as joyful as my 11-year-old on Christmas morning because their candidate will live to see another disappointing poll.

I’ve already explained why I’m not voting for Clinton and why I support Bernie Sanders. I’ve already denounced Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC chair who some say blatantly rigged the process to favor Clinton and bury Sanders’ candidacy, and bemoaned the fact that our corrupted, unyielding two-party system will only allow us to choose the lesser of two evils.

I’ve already whined about alleged fraud, disappearing ballots, misleading polls and inaccurate vote tallies – those who say “Hillary got more votes than Bernie and won fair and square” obviously don’t know what “fair and square” means – and denied being a closet Republican or GOP troll intent on helping to send The Donald to the White House.

What I haven't helped point out is that if Trump makes it to the White House, it won’t be the fault of Sanders supporters. The DNC and the media will have to take the blame for choosing one of the most disliked, disingenuous, entrenched politicians in the world to represent voters who wanted change.

The essay writer lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner and their four children. Originally hailing from a small impoverished mining town in the Iron Belt, she is more than a little familiar with the damage done by poverty. Her words are reprinted with permission.

Sources: Democracy Now, CNN Politics, NBCNews.com.