I need your help. As a frequent user of the city’s bus system, I have seen far too many abuses and violations of law. I have sent several letters to Mayor Berry, Councilor Garduño and ABQ Ride without success. My most recent letters were sent on Aug. 26. My concern is with safety and with risk. The failure of customers to move and provide seating as required by law when disabled and elderly riders board the bus is deplorable. I observed a man board the Route 66 bus with a cane (blind) and not one person among the many young people sitting at the front of the bus offered this man a seat. He had to stand. The driver said nothing. Yesterday, in a standing-room-only bus, a woman refused to move to allow a passenger access to a seat—a man who may well have been 20 years her senior. I have seen riders standing at the very entrance to a bus—in front of the yellow line and blocking the entrance, but never have I heard a driver ask any of them to move so customers could more easily board or exit from the bus.I do not expect ABQ Ride to teach manners. I do not expect drivers who I am certain have sufficient challenges in their work to teach consideration. I have in my letters suggested a way that I believe would be fairly nonintrusive and would follow procedures that I have noticed in other parts of our country. Specifically, I have suggested that ABQ Ride use the announcement system to remind riders to move to the back, to allow others to sit when buses are full, to please allow the elderly and disabled access to the front seats as required by law and finally to not block the entrance. It seems a fairly simple solution and perhaps a good start in making the use of our transit system safe and more pleasant for all customers. Unfortunately, the city has been unresponsive. Councilor Garduño has not responded to any of my three letters. ABQ Ride has never contacted me regarding my concerns or possible solution. The Mayor’s Office—Tito—referred the matter to Joyce, who referred the matter to someone whose name eludes me, but that person then referred the matter to Danny. This was well over a year ago. I am at a loss. I have copies of several of my letters should anyone care, and most recently I have used the city’s 311 system to no avail.
Letters: Pro-Choice Pro-Choice
Critics of choice argue that having options increases a flamboyant sense of irresponsibility in youth. To this I say that by choosing to use birth control, a woman (or a man—those methods are available) is acting in a responsible manner.Having a choice increases the ability to exercise an inborn, solemn sense of responsibility that every woman has when creating a life. A woman is the last in a long line of people that can affect the choice of whether or not to create another person. If we don’t give her options, we are cutting out one of the most vital, informed decision-makers in this process.Centuries ago, there were fewer people on this earth. Having as many children as possible was one of the least violent ways to propagate your religion or society. The world is no longer like that—overpopulation is a real and deadly problem. The children already born are calling us.
Letters: Dems Do It Better Dems Do It Better
Wednesday night, I watched Bill Clinton’s 45-minute tour-de-force. Later that night, Marianne answered my quick rundown of Clinton’s speech with, "Now I know why Monica Lewinsky crawled under the desk and gave Bill Clinton a blow job." I wrote back and said, "Without hesitation I would crawl under the desk for Elizabeth Warren, if that is what she desired." After three days of disingenuous, snide Republican vapidity, and three days of pie-in-the-sky, electrified Democratic enthusiasm, I have come to the conclusion that my politics is founded in the personal. As people go, as individuals, I prefer Democrats. After three nights of viewing left-wing cheerleading, my insight is this: Lefties are more fun; we have a sense of humor; we appreciate the sensual and we appreciate the sexual. I much prefer our all-inclusive sense of community. Ninety-five percent of my family, friends and acquaintances are liberals and progressives. We party, we dance, we play cards, we skinny-dip; we read serious fiction and nonfiction; we enjoy many great movies; and we have total respect for our national treasures, like documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren. Eight years of Bush/Cheney produced enough looting and lies to gag a thousand whales. A Romney/Ryan victory guarantees that more whales will choke to death on Republican trickle-down greed, corruption and bullshit. Save the whales! Vote for Democrats! Vote for Obama!
Letters: Awakenings Awakenings
A big thanks to President Clinton for waking me up last week from the deep sleep the GOP Convention put me in.
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