29 April, 2008

Trucker Jammin'!

Hey! Did you see the mass protest of truckers in the DC Capitol yesterday giving Congress what for on the gas prices? Naw, me neither. Upon my reading the article two pictures came into my head. One: Some crazy trucker slammed his rig through the wall of some federal building! Two: Truckers made a giant convoy and choked off traffic in the capital all day!

Bummer. Neither picture materialized.

The AP stated yesterday,"Traffic was not significantly affected by the convoy of vehicles, though a few truckers drove through red lights as they honked their horns." Honked their horns? A symbol of their discontent perhaps? I was not impressed. I was actually depressed. C’mon! I thought you guys and gals were truckers! Take it Over the Top! I was hoping for a traffic cluster bomb and people having to deal with it.

Personally, I don't mind traffic too much but what I really hate about it is the individuality it creates as a mass of people with the same problem believes that they should be able to get through the mess faster and easier and with a slight privilege. Why? Because you’re the only one being affected here? I'm here too. But it’s a bit of a calming affect knowing that everyone else will be handling this stress for me so I can just sit back and enjoy my trashy radio.

Traffic is also one of those man-made situations that allow you to do some of the best people watching, provided you are sitting still and not rubbernecking. If you are rubbernecking MOVE ALONG!!

26 April, 2008

Baltimore Green Week



I was at the resovoir in Druid Hill Park today for the kickoff of BGW. I have not been there before but was able to wear my BGW '07 shirt that I found at the Goodwill in Essex. Fashion score and timely. So I looked like I knew. Man, it was a nice day out. 80F and sunny. Lotsa people out and having fun. There were a lot of grassroots org's there and it looked like a decent eco-summitt on one of the nicest 1/4 miles walks in Baltimore on one of the nicest days of the year. Oh but don't ask me who any of those org's were. I haven't the slightest idea of Baltimore Green. But it looks like a good idea and will work with time. We need to get past the sales pitch phase.
But that's a discussion for a theorist.
Who else was there today? Was it not a damn ass nice day?!


Cheers.

24 April, 2008

Put Cutty on the Bus!

This article is in response to the Baltimore City Schools and student violence on MTA busses. man! Violence has been in the news lately and not just violance but teen violence. We got kids swinging chairs at teachers, kids beating down other kids in school, kids beating adults on MTA busses.
Now the schools are asking for 1000 volunteers from the community to help with this wave of violence. What if they do get the number of volunteers that they want? What are they going to do with them?
I have an idea for some of them. Put them on the bus. But don't just put some unsuspecting volunteer on the bus like a school aid or anything. Put a thug on the bus. A big thug. Someone who will take charge of a few little knuckleheads if they think they can step out of line and intimidate anyone.
This idea makes me think of Cutty from the Wire. Cutty served 14 yrs in jail and wanted to go straight when he got out. It was hard for him because all he saw was the life that got him in the joint in the first place. With a few good leads from the church deacon he had a few good breaks and opened up a youth boxing gym for kids to train in and get off the street.
We need a few Cutty's on the busses or even in the schools. We need guys who know the youth and where the come from and, more importantly, where they're going to end up. We need grown-ass men who want to do right in their community. we need men who are fed up with the senseless violence and want to be part of a solution. Put Cutty on the bus.
OK, maybe not Cutty exactly. I can't see putting a convicted violent offender in charge or kids, but someone similar who can pass a school background check.
This is my idea in its infant stage. I can already think of a dozen reasons why this plan would NOT work but it seems like one that might be tested if the situations gets bad enough to go for broke.