California passes new controversial ghetto law

Think this could never happen in our country? Read the news; it's getting worse and worse for certain aspects of our society. I'm sure there are plenty of errors in this piece; I need to hire a copy editor and an AP style coach.


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California passes new controversial ghetto law

By James Starling

Associated Press Writer

June 6, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Gov. John Chen of California signed the nation’s first “Sanctuary Law” Friday that will require the homeless to live in cordoned off sections of the state’s major cities.

The Sanctuary Law Act will require tens of thousands of California’s homeless residents to live in government housing inside Sanctuary Districts in Anaheim, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.

The bill also allows authorities to round up the mentally ill and have them sent to the districts where they are supposed to receive treatment and housing.

California has become the first state in the country to sign such a law, and has ignited protests across the United States.

President Santorum scrutinized the law but said that the federal government would not interfere with any states’ decision to create specialized housing districts for the homeless and mentally ill.

“I don’t agree with it, but if California feels it’s the best way to deal with the social issues that plague this country than they should be allowed to do it,” said Santorum.

San Francisco plans to create two districts in the city, with the first to be opened in September and the second by next summer. The first district, officially known as “Sanctuary District A of San Francisco” will be created out of sections of the Mission District. It plans to hold 7,500 individuals.

Former state assembly member Tom Ammiano called the law “fascist” and “rotten at the core.”

“The United States is shifting towards a fascist state. This is something that Nazi Germany did, and this country, specifically California, should be ashamed of itself. I’m truly speechless,” he said.

Starting with a number of sit-and-lie laws being passed in California during the past 10 years, the homeless population has been rounded up into a number of specific areas, but hadn’t been forced to live in a sanctioned off part of the state until now.

“We’re doing this to help thousands of residents who need food and shelter,” said Mark White, Sanctuary District Director of Human Services . “People say this is a prison, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We have job placement services for the citizens in the district, and once they are employed and have the opportunity to live outside the district they can leave.”

Sanctuary District A will have nearly 200 security personnel and another 300 workers will run the processing center and make sure the district is in an acceptable condition.

Under the new law each person will have their own bedroom and living space inside one of the dozens of apartment complexes in the Mission District. Food and water will be rationed out three times a day.

Activist groups, including the ACLU, have already filed motions in state court to overturn the law.

“We won’t stand for such a hateful law,” said ACLU regional director Sarah Teagen. “Governor Chen and the state government are in the wrong and they know it. They’re trying to banish the homeless and transients and get them out of the public eye. These are prisons.”

Riots in many major American cities over the law have caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage and nearly 5,000 casualties, including 104 deaths. National Guard units have been deployed in many areas of the country, with nearly 2,500 soldiers in San Francisco alone.

The economic and social woes that have affected the United States over the last decade have caused a situation where the country still cares about its people, but doesn’t know how to fix its problems, said former President Barack Obama.

“We’re still in a downturn,” he said. “The United States is wounded. We face mounting problems that affect every aspect of our society. Homelessness is just one of them. This isn’t the right way to go about it, but I understand that the government is running out of ideas to solve it. What’s sad is that as bad as it is here it’s even worse in Europe.”

“I don’t know what we can do.”

(Based on "Past Tense", Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).

Mother's Day

Every year I'm convinced this day will get easier, but it doesn't. It tends to remind me of what I'm missing, and what I'll never get back. Yes, it does remind me of good memories with my mom, but it brings back a lot of sadness. I prefer to think about her when I choose, and when a holiday brings it up I just feel like I'm being forced to remember, even if I'm not ready. The hardest part of her death is over, and there are a number of wonderful memories I have of her, but there will always be pain that will never leave me. Mother's Day is just like squeezing an open wound. However, I hope everyone respects their mother and has a wonderful day Sunday. Be thankful for what you do have (I'm trying to take that advice, as well) and show how much you appreciate and love your mother.

You rule, Molly Young

Three reasons why Molly Young is awesome:

1. She's very cute.

2. She's a great writer.

3. I found out about $1 frozen pizza's that don't taste like crap thanks to her.

2010 San Francisco Giants free agent targets

By my estimation, the Giants need one more positional starter with power (either in the infield or outfield), another starter in their rotation, and a backup catcher (who could also start half the games if need be) to fill out their roster if they hope to be playoff bound this year. Here’s a list of available candidates that the Giants could pursue via free agency. I’m by no means an expert, but this still a fun exercise.

Outfield:

Johnny Damon, LF
2009 team: New York Yankees
Opening Day age: 36
Projected contract: 2 years, $12-16 million
Odds: Good

2009 line: .282/.365/.489, 24 HRs, 82 RBI
Career line: .288/.355/.439

Damon would not only give San Francisco a decent bat for their lineup, but he could also leadoff because of his OBP potential. His defense is below-average, which could become a problem in the spacious AT&T Park, but it’s worth the risk. His batting line would probably mirror his career totals more than his numbers in New York last year, but that should be expected when a player goes from a hitters park to a pitchers one. He’s not the best available choice, but he wouldn’t be a bad one.

Jonny Gomes, LF, RF
2009 team: Cincinnati Reds
Opening Day age: 29
Projected contract: 1 year, $2-4 million
Odds: Poor

2009 line: .267/.338/.541, 20 HRs, 51 RBI
Career line: .241/.330/.471


Jonny Gomes probably won’t be a Giant this year, but he’s still worth mentioning. He can play both corner outfield spots (albeit poorly), and has enough power to hit 30+ homers if he started the entire season. That, however, is the problem. Gomes is a platoon player at best who won’t see more than 100 games or so. He’s poor against right-handers, but that may not be a problem if he were to platoon with someone who could handle lefties. Not a likely candidate for the Giants, but someone they shouldn’t rule out.

Rick Ankiel, CF, RF, LF
2009 team: St. Louis Cardinals
Opening Day age: 30
Projected contract: 1 year, $3-5 million
Odds: Decent

2009 line: .231/.285/.387, 11 HRs, 38 RBI
Career line: .251/.311/.452

The converted pitcher had an off year in ’09, but he has the potential to match his ’08 totals (.264/.337/.506, 25 HRs) if he stays healthy. According to UZR/150, he’s a decent corner outfielder and a mediocre center fielder. He could take over in left which would let San Francisco keep Aaron Rowand in center, or act as an uber-4th outfielder playing at all three spots. He’s injury prone, however, so he’s not one of my favorites.

Jermaine Dye, RF
2009 team: Chicago White Sox
Opening Day age: 36
Projected contract: 1 year, $4-6 million
Odds: Decent

2009 line: .250/.340/.453, 27 HRs, 81 RBI
Career line: .274/.338/.488

.302/.375/.567 and .179/.293/.297. Those are the Bay Area native’s splits for the first and second halves of last season. Dye has been criticized heavily for the second number, but it should be noted he still owns a .826 career OPS, and that’s something the Giants desperately need. He’s a horrible defender in right field, but his bat is worth well worth the risk. He’s stayed fairly healthy since 2003 when he missed 97 games with Oakland, averaging 144 games a season. San Francisco tried trading for Dye last year, but the Giants and White Sox couldn’t make the money part of the deal work. Hideki Matsui set the standard this off-season for DH-types, signing a one year, $6.5 million deal with the Angels in December. Dye can be had for cheap this season, and the Giants should take the opportunity to sign him.

Xavier Nady, RF, LF, 1B
2009 team: New York Yankees
Opening day age: 31
Projected contract: 1 year, $2-4 million
Odds: Poor

2009 line: .286/.310/.429, 0 HRs, 2 RBI
Career line: .280/.335/.458

Think of Nady as the younger, more injury-prone, slightly less powerful, and better fielder version of Jermaine Dye. Nady had a good 2008, hitting .305 with 25 HRs and 37 doubles. He was limited to only seven games last season, however, after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery on his right-elbow. There’s too much risk with Nady, and paying Damon or Dye seems like a better choice because they’re much more likely to play 145 games and hit for more power.

Infield:

Russell Branyan, 1B
2009 team: Seattle Mariners
Opening Day age: 34
Projected contract: 1 year, $4-6 million
Odds: Poor

2009 line: .251/.347/.520, 31 HRs, 76 RBI
Career line: .234/.331/.491

Branyan has only played 113 games or more in a season three times in his career. He does has considerable power, however; he hit 31 homers in only 116 games last year for the Mariners. 16 of those home runs came in Seattle, a well-known pitchers park. He’d fit right in at AT&T Park assuming he stays healthy. That, however, is a big assumption that the Giants can’t take and shouldn’t risk.


Adam LaRoche, 1B
2009 team: Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves
Opening Day age: 30
Projected contract: 2 years, $14-18 million
Odds: Good

2009 line: .277/.355/.488, 25 HRs, 83 RBI
Career line: .274/.343/.491

LaRoche supposedly already turned down a 2-year, $17 million offer from the Giants already this off-season. It’s hard to believe he could get a better deal then that considering only the Giants and Orioles are in great need for a corner infielder and have money to spend. I think there’s still a good chance he reconsiders and joins San Francisco. He’s in the prime of his career and would give the Giants exactly what they need: a power hitter at a decent rate and at a good age. It would also keep Pablo Sandoval at third base and push Mark DeRosa into the outfield (which I think is a good thing). LaRoche is a notoriously slow starter, but he’s extremely hot after the All Star game. Well worth it.

Others (highly unlikely)

Hank Blalock, 1B/3B
Mike Jacobs, 1B
Miguel Tejada, SS/3B

Blalock and Jacobs are better suited as DHs, and Tejada might be too pricey for the Giants considering his age. Johnny Damon seems like the most likely outfield option and ditto that for Adam LaRoche for the infield. Jermaine Dye wouldn’t be a surprise either, especially if he can be had for under $6 million for a single season.

Catchers:

Rod Barajas and Yorvit Torrealba, C

2009 team: Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies
Opening Day age: 34 and 31
Projected contract: 1 year, $3 million and 2 years, $4-5 million
Odds: Poor

Barajas has similar power to the now departed Bengie Molina, but with a worse batting average and OBP. He’d be a lot cheaper, however, and might even be had for just one year. Torrealba is a former Giant who was traded to Seattle in the Randy Winn deal back in 2005. He offers less power than Barajas, but actually has a higher OPS. They’re both average catchers, but San Francisco could use one of them. It seems unlikely that they will spend a lot on a catcher this year, however, and they might just go with a Buster Posey/Catcher B from the minors (Eli Whiteside, Jackson Williams, other?) platoon. I think they should sign a free agent backstop, but I’m not the GM so I’ll wait and see what Brian Sabean does.

Others: Brad Ausmus and Jose Molina as backups to Buster Posey.

Pitchers:

There a ton of available borderline 5th starters out there, such as Livan Hernandez, Rich Hill, Brett Myers, Vicente Padilla and injury-prone starters who have a higher upside but a much greater risk, including Erik Bedard and Ben Sheets. The last two names are also more expensive, and as with the catcher situation, San Francisco is unlikely to spend a lot on a 5th starter. Pitchers like Jon Garland or Joel Pineiro would be great inning-eaters, but they’d probably command at least $15-20 million over two years minimum.

They might start Madison Bumgarner in the majors opening day, behind a very strong rotation consisting of Tim Lincecum/Matt Cain/Barry Zito/Jonathan Sanchez. They also have some other internal options if they feel Bumgarner isn’t ready. If they add another bat and find a platoon mate at catcher the Giants could probably get away with a borderline 5th starter for the first couple of months until Bumgarner takes over.

Obviously this is all speculation and I’m not an insider like Buster Olney or Ken Rosenthal, but it’s fun to look a list of names nonetheless.

End of therapy

I'll try not to make this sound too silly or phony, but let me tell you how I currently feel about experience with therapy.

I finished my 13 week tour of psychotherapy earlier this week and I can say without a doubt that I feel much better. I have a greater control over emotions and I'm able to manage my future more easily. My therapist helped me identify the main things that were bothering me and now I have the tools to live a happier life.

It's not that easy, obviously, but the future doesn't freak me out as much anymore and for the first time in many months (years?) I feel confident about myself. Everything in life takes a lot of hard work, but I think I'm ready to meet a lot of my big challenges in life this year. 2010 should be a special year.

Here are some things I've already tackled:

* One of the main reasons I entered therapy was because I had a driving phobia. I would only drive when necessary, like going to school, and well that's about it. I'm still not totally comfortable driving, but I'd say I'm 80-90% normal now. I can drive on the freeway and pick people up and do whatever the hell I want. I've gone as far as San Jose and I feel like I can go even farther soon. This new found independence is truly amazing.

* My other big phobia was social-related. I have self-esteem issues and some other problems, but my therapist was able to help me get passed some of these problems. I'm much more comfortable with people and talking and having conversations (especially with women) is much easier. It's not 100%, but I'm improved. And happier.

* I have a ways to go with everything in my life that bugs me, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's no longer a black hole, and knowing I can find long-term happiness has lifted me up. I have to work towards it, but I'm certain now that it's worth it.

Let me say again that thirteen 55 minute sessions hasn't fixed everything in my life. Far from it. What it has done, however, is given me the tools and knowledge of what I need to do to get better. I've already seen improvement and I will continue with my progress.

Things still hurt me, both internally and externally, and they always will to a certain degree. I think most people are like that. I tend to think that I'm to blame for other people's unhappiness, and wonder what I can to do be better. I'm realizing, however, that I should start looking at my positive attributes and see how they've helped myself and others. I'm not a saint, but I'm not a harbinger of war, either. I may never get the type of love or respect that I want from some people, but I'll try not to let it keep me down.

Therapy taught me that most things in life start internally, and that goes for everyone. Most problems I think are from yourself. It's better to start by looking inward to see if there's a problem. Loving yourself in a healthy way seems to fix a lot of problems. I know who I like and love and I will continue to do so, regardless of the return.

Life is a struggle, but I have the courage to face it.

Let me leave you with how I felt before therapy and how I felt after, both thanks to my favorite human being of all time, Abraham Lincoln.

Before:

I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better I can not tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better, it appears to me.

After:

With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.

I'm not religious, but it still works well. I've got a long way to go, but I finally accept that.

Forced to grow up too early

Stuck in limbo.

Top Secret

I am commencing OPLAN 199 as of today, December 22, 2009.