Apology

If there have been visitors, of late... I sincerely apologize and have no excuse except that I have not been up to much writing. It isn't that there is nothing to write about, much has happened since last I was here. And while I continue to make the effort to be regular with jotting down at least something on a weekly basis, the effort seems at times wasted.

Well since my last entry, we have had a new President elected, and while in some ways, it seems to be business as usual. a health reform bill has gone through the motions, but we are still sending troops and keeping a military presence in both Afghanistan and Iraq. There has been a long standing promise to reduce troop presence and occupation of Okinawa, and that is still unresolved. Poverty and homelessness remains America's number one unresolved issue. But there is still hope for finally realizing that we cannot continue spending such mega budgets on Military follies. Democracy can still be the shining beacon for peace and social justice.

Here at the home front, violence has accentuated the inner commitment to live and practice non-violence. As I have shared before, the household in Oakland is made up of formerly homeless people, and most have been chronically homeless because of either disability, substance abuse or just plain rotten luck. But as each day goes by, we are gratified by the fact that we are still here. There have been problems and it is difficult to break old habits. The most challenging is to learn how to resolve differences without resorting to violence. What people have to realize is that when you have to survive on the street, year after year, there is so much tension and stress, it is difficult to maintain 'normal' life styles. You are in permanent mode to survive and constantly have to watch your back, especially in these last few years when violent attacks have occurred more frequently than in the past. So we have to relearn how to live 'civilly' amongst ourselves.

Well it is 5:30 am, haven't been to sleep yet, so going to close this for now.