Columnists

As we head for the November 6th midterm elections, it's worth remembering that Donald Trump was elected President because he promised to "drain the swamp." Instead of doing that, Trump has unleashed a tidal wave of corruption. Over the next two months, Republican corruption is the key topic Democrats must talk about. A 2016 Washington Post/ABC News poll (http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/politics/post-abc-tracking-poll-oct-30-nov-2/2124/ ), released a few days before the presidential election, found that Hillary Clinton had a narrow lead over Trump on all issues except corruption -- where voters trusted Donald to address "corruption in government." In the presidential election exit polls (https://www.cnn.com/election/2016/results/exit-polls ), 39 percent of respondents said the candidate quality that mattered the most was the ability to "bring change;" 82 percent believed Trump was more likely to do this. It can be argued that ending corruption was Trump's key issue. -more-

“Boxing the compass” is an old nautical term for locating the points on a magnetic compass in order to set a course. With the erratic winds blowing out of Washington these days, countries all over Asia and the Middle East are boxing the compass and re-evaluating traditional foes and old alliances.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars in the past half-century, and both have nuclear weapons on a hair trigger. But the two countries are now part of a security and trade organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), along with China, Russia and most of the countries of Central Asia. Following the recent elections in Pakistan, Islamabad’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, has called for an “uninterrupted continued dialogue” with New Delhi to resolve conflicts and establish “peace and stability” in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s new Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is a critic of the U.S. war in Afghanistan and particularly opposed to the use of U.S. drones to kill insurgents in Pakistan. -more-

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Labor Day became an official federal holiday in 1894. This year, Labor Day will be celebrated on Monday, September 3.

Corporations did not all of a sudden give workers two days off each week, which we now call weekends, or paid vacations and sick leave, or rights at the workplace, or pensions, or overtime pay. Virtually all the benefits we have at work, whether in the public or private sector, are because unions fought hard and long against big business who did everything they could to prevent giving us these rights. -more-

When mental health consumers are paranoid about everything, this can become an obstacle to accepting treatment.

Treatment practitioners generally intend to help us. This makes sense for a number of reasons. If we can get our symptoms under control, it is less likely that we will be a nuisance or a threat to society. In addition, it is cost-effective to treat severe symptoms. Services given to people in crisis are usually much more expensive compared to preventative maintenance.

Thus, it is in society's interest and it is in our own interest to accept treatment. If we accept treatment, it becomes possible to create good lives for ourselves. Without treatment, we are shortchanging ourselves of the possibility of good things. -more-

Roll Out the Barrels

Alarmed that pot-puffing might lead to a decline in suds-sucking, beer-brewer Heinekin has announced plans to purchase Petaluma's Lagunitas Brewery Company, a firm that produces non-alcoholic sparkling water infused with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. (The brewery's "Hop Water" gives new meaning to the phrase "potable water." Remember, kids: It's important to remain HIGH-drated. Presumably these pot-water bottles will be labeled and thirsty customers will need to be carded before making a purchase.)

We're happy to report that the cafe at the Berkeley Bowl in West Berkeley is already a jump ahead of Heinekin. There were four specialty brews on tap at the coffee counter this week including Lavender Lemonade and "Cannabliss." -more-

As the United States approaches the critical November 6th midterm elections, Democratic candidates convey three themes: costs, wages, and corruption. While aspects of the corruption theme are readily apparent -- almost every week some Republican big wig is indicted for corruption, what has been lacking is a "big picture" proposal to address inequity. Now, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has proposed a sweeping reform of capitalism. -more-

There are numerous things that society, people, and the mental health treatment systems expect from mentally ill people, and these expectations are often unreasonable.

When a person with a psychiatric disability is facing expectations from others that such person could not possibly fulfill, sometimes he or she experiences an overload, or a "does not compute" which can result in breaking down. Society is set up intentionally to make mentally ill people fail. That is the only conclusion I can draw, when I look at my entire history, which is riddled with me being sabotaged and attacked. Also, if I look at the outcome of so many other people with my problem, their lives almost always end in tragedy. This tragedy could be an early death, or it could mean being permanently incarcerated or institutionalized. Society and people are set up to prove that they were right about us. They then create circumstances that are unsolvable.

Many people may feel this way. What can you do in a situation that is clearly impossible to resolve? You must learn to accept the unacceptable. This idea did not come from me, it came from a spiritual teacher who was teaching a form of Buddhism. -more-

Empirical evidence shows that global warming is real and is largely caused by man. This is not a theory; it is a fact. If someone tells you that this is not true, then they are lying or stupid or stand to make lots of money by ignoring it. By denying global warming, you have an excuse to do little or nothing about it. Global warming is no longer about science; it is now a political, economic, social debate. In other words, what do we do about global warming? -more-

Roll Out the Barrels

Alarmed that pot-puffing might lead to a decline in suds-sucking, beer-brewer Heinekin has announced plans to purchase Petaluma's Lagunitas Brewery Company, a firm that produces non-alcoholic sparkling water infused with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. (The brewery's "Hop Water" gives new meaning to the phrase "potable water." Remember, kids: It's important to remain HIGH-drated. Presumably these pot-water bottles will be labeled and thirsty customers will need to be carded before making a purchase.)

We're happy to report that the cafe at the Berkeley Bowl in West Berkeley is already a jump ahead of Heinekin. There were four specialty brews on tap at the coffee counter this week including Lavender Lemonade and "Cannabliss."

Lest there be any mistake, a nearby card touted the benefits of toking CBD (Cannabidiol) via a tasty beverage. According to the signage, CBD is an antidote for fatigue, pain, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and nausea and it also "fights cancer, may treat seizures, lowers incidence of diabetes, and promotes cardiovascular health." -more-