Peter's Place

Photo of Ben Carson by Gage Skidmore On Saturday, December 5, 2015, Ben Carson, M.D. , who currently is most well-known for his bid to become the GOP's nomination in the 2016 presidential election , published a statement on Facebook espousing the very worst of this nation: calling for Syrian refugees to be rejected by these greatest and most United States of America. In support of his call to abandon the plight of Syrian refugees , who are facing what perhaps are some of the worst atrocities we have seen in this 21st century, Dr. Carson summons fear to the forefront of his argument. In addition to using fear, he uses the tragedy of the December 2nd  terror attack in San Bernardino to bolster support: Today we learned that the female shooting suspect in California was apparently approved for a Visa from the Department of Homeland Security -- using a fake address on her application. If this does not cause an immediate stop to the President's Syrian Refugee Program, I...

Lords a-leaping is the U.S. economy slow to recover! Reflecting a steep decline in energy costs, lower inflation and slow-but-steady economic growth, the  2015 PNC Christmas Price Index® (PNC CPI)  experienced its lowest growth rate in six years at 0.6 percent in the whimsical economic analysis by PNC Wealth Management. Except for years in which the PNC CPI fell, this is the lowest rate by which it has risen in its history . According to the 32nd annual report, which measures the cost of the gifts in the holiday classic  The Twelve Days of Christmas , the price tag for the PNC CPI is $34,130.99 in 2015, a mere $198 more than last year’s cost and in-line with the U.S. government’s Consumer Price Index, which has increased 0.2 percent over the past 12 months. The cost of 10 lords a-leaping increased 3 percent over last year, but the price of nine of the other 12 gifts listed in one of the most well-known Christmas carols,  The Twelve Days of Christmas ...

Ohio State Senator Nina Turner​ feels the Bern as she introduces US Senator Bernie Sanders at his Cleveland, OH campaign rally on Monday, November 16, 2015 at the Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center in Cleveland Ohio. Senator Nina Turner​ fires up the crowd, chanting, "When I say FEEL, you say BERN! FEEL! (BERN!) FEEL! (BERN!)" and telling the audience what they all know: that "enough is Enough is ENOUGH!!!" Watch Nina Turner's electrifying speech as she introduces America's next president, US Senator Bernie Sanders: https://youtu.be/vyIr_p9dgCc

If you're doing everything right but find it harder and harder to get by, you're not alone. While our people work longer hours for lower wages, almost all new income goes to the top one percent. Bernie Sanders's plan is to make Wall Street banks and the ultra-rich pay their fair share of taxes, provide living wages for working people, and ensure equal pay for women. Because together, we can make a political revolution and create and economy and democracy that works for all and not just a powerful few. #feelthebern #bernie2016

I just stumbled across by far one of the best renditions of JS Bach's BWV 565 ever, and performed brilliantly on perhaps the most impressive sculpture organ of our time, the Organ St. Bavo Haarlem. Diane Bish's performance of J.S. Bach's BWV 565 on the Christian Müller organ at St. Bavo in Haarlem, The Netherlands is, perhaps, one of the most beautifully and historically accurate interpretations of Bach's masterpiece that my ears have encountered -- despite the annoying background hum contained in the video. The stunning beauty of the organ and Bish's command of such a magnificent instrument, as well as Bach's onerous musical talents, was an unexpected moment of pure bliss in an otherwise hectic week (and life)! The candles burning while she played was the perfect finishing touch on a visually delightful masterpiece — simply #amazeballs #awesomesauce #goodness! Bravissima, Bravissima, Bravissima Ms. Bish -- both on her performance and choice of i...

In honor of National Coming Out Day , I'm going to re-tell my own, personal coming out story. But before I do so, there are a few things we must address. First, coming out is not an event. Rather, it is a process. It is something that anyone who is part of the LGBTQQIAA2S ( please don't ask me what that means ) spectrum goes through every moment of our lives, once the process has started. For some, the process never goes very far; they live their entire lives in the closet. But that's another issue for another day. It is a process that must be repeated every time an LGBTQQIAA2S (oh screw it, I'll just use the universal "gay" to refer to this spectrum—that acronym is just too damned difficult to type) person meets someone. It is repeated every time we approach a new situation, a new person, a new location, a new job, a new...well, you get the idea. For some, the process may get easier over time. For others, it may become more difficult. For still othe...

+MSNBC 's  +Morning Joe  show on October 5, 2015 discusses the latest historic and record-breaking rally that US Presidential candidate hopeful Bernie Sanders held: Over 20,000 people packed the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on Saturday, October 3, 2015 with another 5,000 or so outside the center in an overflow area watching his nearly two-hour-long speech, reports  Morning Joe  co-host Mika Brzezinski . She says that Sanders's rally broke all records for political events in recent history, doubling the turnout of Barack Obama's 10,000 supporters in 2008. Brzezinski ponders, "and I, I don't, I mean I -- is he a celebrity and I just missed it?" As she continues to watch the footage, she says, "Look at their faces, watching on screens in an overflow area. You would think that this was a Taylor Swift concert." Finally, she asks, "What the heck is going on? But why are they there, what's drawing them?" Co-host Joe Scar...

Senator Bernie Sanders, a 2016 US Presidential Candidate, speaks with a reporter about the historic visit by Pope Francis to the USA in September 2015.

Bernie Sanders Interviewed by The Des Moines Register Editorial Board It should come as little surprise to people who know me that I am throwing my support behind United States Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is running on the Democratic ticket for President of the United States of America in 2016. As a Progressive Republican (f/k/a Lincoln / Hayes / Roosevelt / Eisenhower /  Rockefeller Republican ), I agree with Bernie on most of his views. More than that, Bernie is as sincere, authentic, and honest an elected official (aka politician) there ever was. In fact, not only is Sanders sincere, authentic, and honest but he has a decades-long track record that we can examine that goes back over four decades. He has been fighting for the same issues for over forty years. He has been advocating for the middle class for nearly half a century. And he has been fighting for civil and human rights for over half a century -- since he was a young student at university. ...

In 1985, +Bernie Sanders , then mayor of the City of Burlington , Vermont, granted protections to its citizens, including LGBTQ persons . This bold move was deemed to be political suicide and the end of his career in politics. But it wasn't the first time Sanders has supported LGBTQ rights. His 1970 letter advocating the repeal of laws against "deviant behavior" implies support for marriage equality Sanders's support for civil rights and of LGBTQ communities extends to the beginning of his career . Unlike others, he never had to "evolve" on his positions to support basic human and civil rights; it has been a part of his basic code of morals and philosophies from the moment his work in activism , civil rights , social justice , and ultimately, his career in politics , began. There are few individuals even in our own community who were fighting for LGBTQ equality in 1970 -- the risk for prosecution of homosexuality and imprisonment was far ...

Yaaaaaaaaasssssssssss!!!!!!!! Down with gender-based stereotypes; there's no reason to have labels such as "Girls' Toys" and "Boys' Toys" There's long been a reason I've much preferred Target over Walmart as the "big box discount store." Descriptive labels such as "Dolls" or "Toy Cars" and "Stuffed Aminiminals" not only alleviate some of the anxiety and pressure kids face to fit into antiquated gender roles but are so much more helpful to the shopper! Adults often force certain toys on kids based on perceived gender stereotypes. I played with dolls as a child, as well as trucks and cars, as did my sister. We played with each other's toys and we never thought anything wrong with or bad about that. Thankfully, our grandparents understood we were playing together as brother and sister, and there wasn't anything wrong with my playing house just as there wasn't anything wrong with my sister p...

Oh, the trials and tribulations of living on Social Security Disability Income with Medicare health insurance! The Rising Cost of Healthcare in the USA The problem of rising healthcare costs in the USA could not be more insane than what I'm currently being subjected to. I received a notice (so they say) from my Medicare Part D insurance provider (that's the insurance coverage that pays for all of my medications) that my premium was being reduced this year. One might think, this is a good thing, right? Well, as it turns out, it is exactly the opposite! I went to CVS today to refill five of my prescriptions that I must take in order to maintain my current health. These prescriptions are all required for me to function at close to a level of normalcy. The cost of the coinsurance for these five prescriptions is going to be $193.52! Last year, I paid all of approximately $40 for these very same prescriptions! This is complete insanity. I may be saving $40 on my...

I don't care what your religion is, or what your view of Pope Francis is. I implore you to watch this -- it's less than 10 minutes long. The wisdom in his words is simply amazing. This is someone who is speaking #truth about our world, our communities, and he needs -- and deserves -- to be heard. Listen to the #truth this man is speaking about, and bring some #HOPE into your lives./ Pope Francis with T-Shirt, "Water worth more than gold" This isn't about other things this man has said or what he's done elsewhere. Tell me that, after spending 10 minutes watching this, you don't feel better, or believe everything he's said. We must restore faith in our youth by building communities, by implanting in them the wisdom from our elders, and give them purpose so that they go out into the world and work to make it a better place. And we have the power to do this, right here, right now, however we wish to go about doing so. But we need to start doing thi...