Word of caution to everyone who feels that they are doing some good in the world by being generous tippers: according to Politico, tipping has a “racist history”:
You might not think of tipping as a legacy of slavery, but it has a far more racialized history than most Americans realize. Tipping originated in feudal Europe and was imported back to the United States by American travelers eager to seem sophisticated. The practice spread throughout the country after the Civil War as U.S. employers, largely in the hospitality sector, looked for ways to avoid paying formerly enslaved workers.
The Rev. Dr. Barber II’s article is one long, desperate pitch for a horrible idea: raising the mandatory minimum wage to $15 an hour. The Rev. Dr. Barber II’s justification for doing so is that it will “end a pernicious legacy of slavery.”
Because of the allegedly “racialized history” of gratuities, the Rev. Dr. Barber II takes umbrage with the entire notion of having to hustle for a buck:
Tipping further entrenched a unique and often racialized class structure in service jobs, in which workers must please both customer and employer to earn anything at all.
Somebody should tell the good Rev. Dr. about all of the people who aren’t in the service industry and work on commission alone. I sold real estate to pay for college back in the day and my guaranteed minimum wage was $0.
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Firenze Sage  jaj48@ao.com   Racism” has no more meaning than Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky.
Symbols of American freedom matter. Don’t sell shoes with a Betsy Ross flag?  Why? Because African-American Kaepernick  finds the Ross flag symbol offensive and associated with slavery. Get real.
Does Kaepernick know anything about Betsy Ross? Anything about early American history?
Betsy Ross is a woman to admire not spurn.
Let’s compare 2019 ex- football player Colin Kaepernick with 1776 seamstress Betsy Ross:
Personal commitments to family?  Kaepernick has a girl friend [Nessa Diag] since 2015. He’s not married and no children. Betsy Ross was soon widowed after marrying at age 21 outside her Quaker faith which caused her to be ‘read out of the Quaker church’ for doing so.  She later married again and had children.
Professional skills?  Colin  Kaepernick was a second string quarter back who turned down a contract with the San Francico 49ers. He is a rich, civil rights agitator.
Betsy Ross was child number 8 of 17 children. Betsy  attended a Quaker school 8 hours a day to learn sewing, reading and writing. She became a skilled seamstress. Fairly soon after marriage to John Ross at age 21, Betsy’s husband died while he was guarding ammunition.
A few months after her husband’s death, Betsy met with the Committee of Three which included George Washington. This meeting lead to Betsy Ross’ sewing of the first American flag.
The  way current  Council meetings are currently conducted is an abomination .
I suggest that each member of the council be required under penalty of forfeiture of  to submit 24 hours in advance of any meeting a statement in writing which sets forth the member’s views on issues to be voted upon and contentious issues which are not to be voted upon.
The views are not binding but are for the purpose of alerting the assembled crowd to the position of the particular   council member which would allow a member of the audience to focus his question on the issue at hand. And, furthermore, it would require the councilmember to answer a specific question with respect to his view and why he holds it.
Fax Sen. Heidi Heitkamp re YES Kavanaugh!  Vote on Saturday Oct 6, 2018. See FAX numbers for North Dakota below: FAX does get to her. Her email boxes are full. So — FAX !!
Dr. Ford is not a CA Psychologist as she claims. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology. There’s the difference of several thousand hours of supervised training and various exams one takes in California in order to become a Psychologist. She recently scrubbed literature describing herself as a Psychologist. My! My!
Dr. Ford claims she could not fly to Washington D.C. She actually flies world wide for vacation, see family on the east coast and work related. She has traveled to Costa Rica, Hawaii and other places for water sports. She visits her parents yearly. This summer Dr. Ford spent one month on the east coast and attended the funeral of her grandmother the day of or before she took a lie detector test. Mmmmm. Attend a family funeral and them take a exam that measures ones’s emotional state?
Victims? Are both Dr. Ford  and  Judge Kavanaugh   victims  of  Democratic strategies to  delay and destroy ? Yes!
In her actions,  was Dr. Ford complicit with the Democrats  delay and destroy  tactics? Possibly.  See below why.
Both witnesses  9/27/18 are compelling. Which testimony has more credibility?
Largely  it appears that Dr. Ford was  used by the Democrats for their purpose to destroy Kavanaugh any way possible.
Democrats sought to destroy Kavanaugh’s  public and private life based  largely on a  page from his high school yearbook which concerned remarks about  drinking. Committee Democrats  repeated called  for another FBI investigation.  Six  FBI investigations have been done of Kavanaugh. The Committee has investigated all allegations brought to them and they are the determiner of  fact. Not the FBI which makes no recommendations or conclusions
What we know  now from the hearing about   a) the   leak of Dr. Ford’s Letter; and b) the delay and obstruct tactics by Democrats including Ford’s attorneys; c) inconsistencies in  Dr. Ford’s statements. d) what the public now knows
leak of Dr. Ford’s letter:    Ford  testifies that she sought complete confidentiality & expected  it. Dr. Ford first contacted   her Rep. Ossho and  later spoke with Feinstein by phone. Dr. Ford requested confidentiality of her letter. Under oath, she states that she never released confidentiality.
If we believe her, then Dr. Ford’s letter was leaked to the press. By whom? Only four  sources  had Dr. Ford’s letter which  detailed alleged sexual abuse by Judge Kavanaugh:   Dr. Ford & her attorney  and CA Anna  Ossho  and  CA Senator Diane  Feinstein.
Either  representative, their   staff or someone they gave it to leaked Dr. Ford’s letter to the press.  Best guess for leak:  Ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Senator Diane  Feinstein.
Why  probably Feinstein?  Because of Feinstein’s misleading actions of delay and cover up of information during the Committee’s hearing. She sat on information and asked no questions.
Feinstein denies leaking the letter. However, her actions show a strategy of deny and obstruct.  She sat on the letter for 45 days and asked no questions of Kavanaugh concerning abuse during the judiciary hearing which went on for days.
There is substantial support that there was a  coordinated effort by Democrats in conjunction with Dr. Ford’s attorneys  to use delay tactics to put off the vote until after the mid-term elections, and keep the seat open   until the 2020 elections.
Abuse by Democrats of Dr. Ford: Dr.  Ford testifies that she only went public via an interview with the Washington Post  after reporters appeared at her house  peering in her window talking to her dogs and showing up posing as a student in class.  Thus, she  went public due to the leak of her letter by the Democrats. This is how the Democrats abused Dr. Ford.
Curiously, asked   under oath whether she contacted   President Trump she testified that she did not know how to contact the President. That’s odd because this is a woman with four degrees including a Ph.D. Dr. Ford  uses a computer for work and can readily  Google the President’s contact information .
Feinstein had the letter alleging sexual assault for  45 days yet asked no questions of Kavanaugh during the entire Judiciary Hearing.  Feinstein stalled and delayed.
Delay and obstruct tactics of Democrats  CA Sen. Diane Feinstein & Democrats
Over 150 nominations by the Trump administration have been delayed by the Democrats. So delay and obstruct is the pattern the Democrats use.
Dr. Ford testified that she did know know/ understand that the Judicial Committee would come to her in CA or anywhere.  Did Dr. Ford really not know or did she Dr. Ford  prevaricate  saying that she did not understand what the committee’s offer meant? Perhaps her lawyers did not inform Dr. Ford.
Take Away:Â Both witnesses make powerful, compelling statements.
Dr. Ford ‘s three fact witnesses deny her story and do not corroborate any facts she alleges.  One key witness,  Leland, is the only other female teenager at the small party and a longtime friend of Dr. Ford. She two denies it via her lawyers and sent an email.
Concerning her basic Who,  What, When, Where  facts — No new information came out when Dr. Ford testified under oath.
Judge Kavanaugh: Under oath, he walked through using his 1982 calendar  stating how he was out of town and what  his activities d were during the summer of 1982. He has contemporaneous evidence that supports his position. His evidence  is strong and consistent. In contrast, Dr. Ford’s evidence is not corroborated and her story is denied by all  three key witnesses.
Inconsistency / not believable testimony by  Ford
Flying: Dr. Ford said her fear of flying prevented her from readily going to Washington D.C. She testified that she travels widely by plane  for vacation and work. This summer she spent a month back east, attended her grandmother’s funeral. She vacations in various parts of the world (Costa Rica, visits each year to her parents, Hawaii)
Alcohol: Only 1  beer drunk  by Ford and others  at the party except Judge and Kavanaugh. How did Ford  know? Was she counting the beers? Could someone downstairs have consume a beer   during the alleged ab use going on upstairs in the bedroom?  Teenagers typically don’t count the beers which  others drink.
Date of event:  Ford first  said it was the mid-80s, then early 80s and then summer of ’82. She testified that her recollection of when she got her driving permit made the date more fixed.  Question: how did Ford  on a daily basis in the summer of ’82  get to her Country Club  by car which was 20 minutes away from her home?  More than likely, someone drove her.  Was that someone who also drove her to the party and home? She testifies she did not drive in ’82.
Contact with abusers: Encounter with Judge at Safeway six weeks later: Most people avoid persons and situations that have caused them high anxiety. Ford went up to Judge in Safeway and said ‘Hi.† Dr. Ford testified that she had numerous periphery contacts both before and after the event with Kavanaugh. Nothing sexual or of note happened. One would think she would avoid all contact afterwards.
What to conclude:Â Â
The Democrats violated Dr. Ford’s  privacy and confidentiality by leaking her letter to the press.
Dr. Ford clearly did not tell the truth about not being able to fly to Washington D.C.  She actually flies everywhere for vacation and work purposes.
Perhaps Dr. Ford’s attorneys  did not inform Dr. Ford  that the Senate  Judiciary Committee would go anywhere including CA. She testifies that — had she understood — she would have welcomed them. Perhaps she simply went with the flow and agreed to “delay and destroy” tactics.
Dr. Ford comes across as vulnerable, and much younger than her age of fifty-one. Her speech patterns are those of a much younger person. Tentative.
She testified that she did not know how to contact President Trump. Wow!
She testifies that she did not make any attempts to contact any member of Congress except two Democrats.  Why only two Democrats?   She testified that she did not know what “exculpatory†means. She  testifies that did not know who pays for her lie detector test, She testified she was unsure whether the lie detector test was both audo and visual.  Anyone looking around the conference room or asking basic questions would know.
Further, she testifies that she does not know “best practices†for interviewing victims of abuse. That is not believable.
Dr. Ford is a published  research psychologist having published in the area of abuse,  When asked under oath,, Dr. Ford did not know “best practices†for how to interview victims of sexual abuse.  Best practices include  a forensic interview using verified interview techniques. Such an interview was  possible had the Judiciary Committee flown to CA or Dr. Ford   consented.
Yes, both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh are victims.  Yes, the Democrats “search and destroy†tactics towards  Kavanaugh are far worse than the McCarthy era of the 1950’s. Yes, Kavanaugh’ has credibility.
Dr. Ford does not have corroboration from any of her three key witness. All three deny her story. Unlike Kavanaugh (who has detailed calendars) she has no contemporary evidence.  Her presentation is believable — that she experienced sexual abuse by someone. But by whom? When? Where?
 What to do?  Vote! Contact your representatives!  Talk to Democrats about these terribly harmful tactics. Stop the abuse by Democrats in our public arena.
written by Aptos Psychologist Cameron Jackson  jaj48@aol.com
G for Guilty for Kavanaugh believes Sen. Gillibrand.
An editorial comments this week on Ford v. Kavanaugh  in the Wall Street Journal 9/20/18. The following quotes from the WSJ editorial:
“Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another 2020 presidential aspirant, said, “I believe it is disqualifying, given what we know.†In other words, what Gillebrand believes is based on next to nothing. Written in the Wall Street Journal  9/22/18. Â
“It is still true: What begins as tragedy can end as farce. So it is with the case of Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of assaulting her when she was 15 and he was 17.
“As of the most recent available moment in this episode, Ms. Ford’s lawyer said her client would not appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee until there is a “full investigation by law-enforcement officials.†Like the Mueller excavations, that could run to the horizon, unable to find anything but unwilling to stop until it finds something.
“Let us posit that the one thing not at issue here is the truth. As a matter of law and fact, Ms. Ford’s accusation can be neither proved nor disproved. This is as obvious now as it must have been when Dianne Feinstein and the other Democrats came into possession of this incident.
“Surely someone pointed out that based on what was disclosed, this accusation could not be substantiated. To which the Democrats responded: So what? Its political value is that it cannot be disproved. They saw that six weeks before a crucial midterm election, the unresolvable case of Christine Blasey Ford would sit like a stalled hurricane over the entire Republican Party, drowning its candidates in a force they could not stop.
“In #MeToo, which began in the predations of Harvey Weinstein, Democrats and progressives finally have found a weapon against which there seems to be no defense. It can be used to exterminate political enemies. If one unprovable accusation doesn’t suffice, why not produce a second, or third? It’s a limitless standard.
“The Democrats’ broader strategy is: Delay the vote past the election; win the Senate by convincing suburban women that Republicans are implacably hostile to them; seize power; and—the point of it all—take down the Trump government.
“This is the “resistance.†This is what Democrats have become. Resistance is a word and strategy normally found in a revolutionary context, which is precisely the argument made by the left to justify its actions against this presidency since the evening of Nov. 8, 2016. Anything goes. Whatever it takes. Brett Kavanaugh is not much more than a casualty of war.
“Rather than try to argue or win public issues on substance, the Democrats have become a party that seems to think it can win with muscle alone. Environmentalism emerged in the 1970s as a worthwhile idea that attracted the interest and support of both parties. From Al Gore onward, it became a bludgeon to beat up the other party. Now sexual abuse, an issue originating in utmost seriousness, has been quickly captured and fashioned into a political weapon by the Democratic left.
“Politics as trench warfare has relieved the Democrats of the burden of thought. Extending the Pelosi Rule—we have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it—we now have the Gillibrand Standard.
“Commenting this week on Ford v. Kavanaugh, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another 2020 presidential aspirant, said, “I believe it is disqualifying, given what we know.†In other words, what she believes is based on next to nothing.
“Put on defense by these accusations, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley unsurprisingly agreed to a hearing in which Ms. Ford would tell her story and Judge Kavanaugh would speak. Then the senators would vote.
“Consider the spectacle: Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court, the embodiment of a modern rule of law, is being decided in the Senate by the medieval practice of trial by ordeal, such as surviving immersion in fire or ice. Trial by ordeal was outlawed by the Lateran Council in 1215.
Or worse, the standards of the mob in the Roman Colosseum, turning thumbs up or down on the combatants. Though unlike the Senate Democrats, the Roman mob at least had an open mind.
Incidentally, the standard trope that Donald Trump has degraded our politics? We don’t need to hear that anymore. Or about the moral certitudes of the religious right.
“Is there a sadder figure in the modern Democratic Party than Sen. Dianne Feinstein? Elected to the Senate in 1992, Mrs. Feinstein has produced a creditable career. Her above-it-all reputation was never quite deserved, but she has at least performed with dignity.
“Now, seeking re-election at 85, she is getting heat from the progressive-dominated Democratic Party in California, the world capital of identity-only politics. By withholding from the committee the accusatory Ford letter that came into her possession nearly two months ago, Sen. Feinstein ensured the nomination’s descent into such a hapless, cynical moment. This will be the most remembered event in Sen. Feinstein’s career.
“The Kavanaugh nomination, “given what we know,†has come down to an undiscoverable accusation. The defeat of a Supreme Court nominee on this basis would be a victory for a level of conscious political nullification not seen in the U.S. for a long time. Republicans in the Senate shouldn’t allow it, and voters in November should not affirm it.
Is this Gillibrand’s brand? G for Guilty.  Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh supposedly guilty based on something that Dr. Ford says occurred 36 years ago (she has not yet testified under oath) and New York Senator / Presidential aspirant Gillibrand believes it?
What about the legal standards of presumption of innocence and preponderance of evidence?  A research Ph.D. psychologist knows how to add up the overall picture of “facts” of her case. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s facts — best we know — are weak.
For many professionals what they do – whether  doctor, lawyer, psychologist  becomes interweaved with the essence of who they are as a person  and  how they interact  in general  with people.
Read in their entirety, APA ethical guidelines and standards expect psychologists to show care towards all persons equally  and to provide options and ways for persons to respond back. The thinking that underlines guidelines for psychologists and doctors:   do no harm
Concerning  the APA ethical guidelines:
Psychologist Ford failed to treat persons equally by a)  failing to notify  all parties e., President Trump, Republicans, the Judiciary Committee.  Dr. Ford is a registered Democrat who only notified other Democrats.
Psychologist Ford failed to provide the entirety of her Therapist Notes for general inspection by neutral parties. Her therapist notes state 4 boys  and Dr. Ford opines fewer.  No names are included in the therapist notes.
No highly specific identifiable information is provided  i.e., what the boys looked like, their clothing, the color of room, how Dr. Ford  got there or got home (as she did not drive)
Self-care by Psychologists is  is part and parcel to providing care towards others:
Dr. Ford states in her publications that mentoring future psychologists is her primary goal. Dr. Ford presumably has professional / clinical interactions with her students.  For trauma Dr. Ford states that she incurred sometime in 1983-85, Dr. Ford first sought professional help roughly six years ago.
What were the Therapist Treatment Goals related to the trauma Dr. Ford says she experienced 36 years ago?  Diagnosis is the flip side of treatment.    If you go to a MD and he/she determines that you have a torn ligament and not a broken leg then there’s one treatment and not another.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may have been the diagnosis?  If that was the diagnosis, what were the treatment goals and are they in the clinical notes of the therapist Dr. Ford and husband saw in 2012 or so for couple’s therapy?  Those clinical notes could and should be released by Dr.Ford.
Aptos Psychologist opines:
Dr. Ford fails to meet basic decency standards as well as general APA guidelines for psychologists.  Do no harm, take care in all your interactions with people and provide multiple means for feedback are part and parcel of APA guidelines and standards.
Dr. Ford is a research/ clinical psychologist. Psychologists measure — carefully –small differences using standardized tests in conjunction with behavioral observations and other information.  Finding commonality in all of the information (standardized test data,  reports from different sources and behavioral observations)  is the hallmark of what clinical / research psychologists do best.  It’s what psychologist are particularly trained to do.
What psychologists are trained to do best — fit together the “big picture” from all available information — Dr. Ford fails to do.   I give Ford an F.
written by Cameron Jackson, Ph.D.  Monterey Bay ForumÂ
Research psychologist Christine Blasey Ford,  Ph.D. flunks  basic  professional standards  for psychologists –standards  related to fabricating data, deceptive statements and sharing research data for verification? Take a look.
American Psychological Standards (APA)  standards for psychologists  are not put on  akin to a business suit for   the 8 to 5 day.
For many professionals what they do – whether  doctor, lawyer, psychologist  becomes interweaved with the essence of who they are as a person  and  how they interact  in general  with people.
Read in their entirety, professional standards: expect professionals to show care towards all persons equally  and to provide options and ways for persons to respond back.  That thinking  underlies  the  professional standards for all psychologists, and all medical doctors.   Summed up – do no harm
Concerning  the APA standard for sharing research data for verification:
Psychologist Christine Blasey. Ford failed to treat persons equally by a)  failing to notify  all parties e., President Trump, Republicans, the Judiciary Committee. She, a Democrat, who only notified other Democrats.
Psychologist Blasey Ford failed to provide her Therapist Notes for general inspection by neutral parties.   Some stories floating around the Internet  say 4 boys  were involved and others refer to 2 boys. Most sources say no names are included in the therapist notes.
No highly specific identifiable information is provided i.e., what they looked like, clothing, color of room, how this 15 – 18 year old woman got there or got home (as she did not drive).
What was the Therapist Treatment Goals related to the trauma Blasey-Ford says she  supposed experienced 30+ years ago. Diagnosis is the flip side of treatment.    If you go to a MD and he/she determines that you have a torn ligament and not a broken leg then there’s one treatment and not another. So what was the diagnosis and  treatment goals – if any —  as stated in the therapist notes?
Aptos Psychologist opines:
This woman, research psychologist Christine Blasey Ford, fails to meet basic professional standards. The standards that all Ph.D. research psychologists are expected to meet. What standards?  Read the American Psychological Association standards. Do no harm, take care in all your interactions with people and provide multiple means for feedback are part and parcel of the thinking that underlies the  APA standards. Read the specific APA professional standards — and consider in general what they mean.
Research psychologist measure — carefully –small differences using standardized tests in conjunction with careful, thorough behavioral observations and other information.  Noticing small differences and recording them and finding commonality in all of the information, i.e., how all the data (standardized test data,  various reports from various people, behavioral \observations) fits together. That’s what clinical/ research psychologists excell at doing. That’s what psychologists do best.
Research/ clinical psychologist Christine Blasley Ford, Ph.D. fails to meet basic professional standards.
written by Cameron Jackson, Ph.D.  Monterey Bay Forum
Community organizer Tim McManus of COPA / Central Coast Interfaith Sponsors Inc., a non-profit organization located in Watsonville, CA,  spoke 9/16/2018 to 15- 20 parishioners at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Aptos, Calif.
How about lots of cheap housing,  free health care/ free specialist MD referrals for illegal alien immigrants, & expanded free mental health? Those are COPA’s 2018 goals for Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties in California.
So what methods really work to effect “social justice” according to COPA?
Just show up when told to – says  McManus of COPA / Central Coast Interfaith Sponsors Inc. The power politics of sheer body count with government officials effects COPA specified change according to Mr. McManus.
Here’s what COPA Tim McManus says:
________
Aptos Psychologist: COPA is not my cup of tea. What was the original tea party that lead to the American revolution all about? Not about “body count” muscling local government officials to achieve socialist progressive goals. About COPA — be wary. Give a fishing pole not free fish.