Peter's Place

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...

There's probably more things to do for free in New York City than anywhere else in the world. NYC's own tourism web site compiles a "best of free" list that is regularly updated: http://www.nycgo.com/free/ This list of 40 Free Things To Do In NYC leaves out the fact that admission to the *Metropolitan Museum of Art* is a suggestion donation, or "pay what you want," as are many of the City's arts museums: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/travel-tips-and-articles/76493 Everyone from the National Geographic, which has this list of some of the best free things to do in NYC: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/free-new-york-city-traveler/ -- to the Disney-owned site Babble, has a list of free things to do in the world's greatest city: http://www.babble.com/travel/25-free-things-to-do-in-new-york-city/#25-museums-attractions-in-new-york-that-wont-cost-a-dime And those who have the pleasure of visiting this great global treasur...

Just sit back and watch this awesome video from National Geographic !

It should come as no surprise to those who know or follow me online that I suffer from dysthymia compounded with episodes of major depressive disorder as well as some anxiety disorders (general, social, performance). I can cope and carry myself in certain circumstances. For instance, I spent the last few months putting together a LGBTQ pride event in The Bronx. I thought this year would be different insofar as I wouldn't be doing the majority of the word, as certain people had volunteered to take on some pretty hefty tasks that are a large part of putting together any event, especially one outdoors in a NYC-owned park. But many of those people dragged their feet and misled me about what they had been doing (i.e., nothing) and wound up reneging on their promises, leaving me to pick up their tasks and start from scratch (as they'd literally not done a damned thing), forcing me to quintuple my expected workload. Thankfully, I was able to pull it off and we had a very successfu...

Hon. Mark Amodei United States Congress 5310 Kietzke Lane, Suite 103 Reno, NV 89511 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420 Dear Congressman Amodei and the US Dept. of Veterans Affairs: My father is a veteran of the United States Air Force from the Vietnam War. I last contacted you at the beginning of this year to file a complaint on his behalf regarding the lack of health care he was receiving from the Veterans Administration. My father is one of your constituents. The response from your office to me was that you cannot accept a complaint from me on behalf of my father because I, myself, am not a constituent. I write to you once again because my father is no longer in a position to advocate for himself, due to his deteriorating health. The situation is so grave that the VA had him to fill out a living will and send it to me, via express mail. My father's health has continued to deteriorate because he is not ...

April 1, 2014 Santiago, Chile In an absolutely astounding announcement today, Janet Yellen made a stern and heartfelt apology for 100 years of asset bubbles, depressions, recessions, panics, banking crises, and all-around inflation caused by the Federal Reserve. Flanked on both sides by former Fed Chairmen Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan, and Paul Volker, Ms. Yellen stated emotionally, "As grand wizards of the financial system, we must accept full responsibility for the consequences that our decisions have had on the lives of ordinary people around the world..." "Frankly," Ms. Yellen continued, "I can't believe in this day and age that total control of the money supply is awarded to a tiny handful of unelected central bankers. It is a most undemocratic system and should be abolished immediately." Well... a man can certainly dream. Happy April Fool's Day. (credit: Simon Black )