These are principles of flight and fright of people who suffer with mental illness.

• Trust is useless. One feels a certain apprehension in getting close to anyone verily, one always feels as if the other shoe is about to be dropped and you simply will be asked to leave.
• Procrastinating is a common solution to adverse circumstances that make you feel insecure. The trouble with this strategy is that it always catches up to you in the long run and you ruin everything that you have or lose it.
• Most of whatever I have cherished and horded has been tossed in the trash innumerable times.
• You always feel insure and there is no way to avoid the dilemma of not knowing what to save and what to give away.
• You spend innumerable time looking for what has been lost in the sand dunes of your possessions. This leads to you feeling more alone and afraid.
• Many times there is no where to go to turn to when you are suffering because you feel shunned and at loose ends.
• You have a hard time with intimacy because you are sure that the partner will reject you inevitably or that the place where you work will have to decide that it is time for you to go. This makes you always anxious and yearning for a safe place where you can fit in and there is never a place.
• People realize that you are struggling but they do not know how to help and they think it is your affair; that you will work this out.
• There is never a time when you feel you took care of anything or anyone. Many times you fear that you will fail and when someone calls attention to a problem you over compensate and are defensive. The situation is magnified and no matter what, you are to blame.
• As it is said in the book, "The People's History of Poverty in America," you realize that there is never enough, and there is no way to convey that heavily weighted spirit.
• Some leaders advocate taking responsibility and that it is your fault that circumstances are the way they are, and you remember a time when you were able to function, when people regarded you with esteem and pride.
• You are always working harder to assert your place and circumstances and when something goes awry there is a heaviness that has nothing to do with responsibility and your choice. The determining factor is dread and letting go of the gnawing feeling that it is your fault.
• You are ashamed when things do not work out since you are super sensitive you feel a pang that pervades everything, and makes you feel alone, terrified and wanting for there to be anything that will end this torment.
• You feel as though you failed your family and your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, your children and anyone who depends on you.
• They may see you as completely functioning but you are narcissistic and see only the narrow escapes you have had and how embarrassed and tentative it is to be here.
• People around you do not see the hurt, do not feel the anguish, and do not know the "trembling, fear and sickness unto death."
• You know that everyday you are alive is a great achievement. You never expected to make it to kindergarten let alone to be a parent or an adult.
• It is formidable to be a citizen when the landscape is barren or in tumult. It is a feat of tremendous consequence to be functioning and not be able to survive without help.
• Without support these people who live in the shadows would never make the contributions that they do in the world. They would be forgotten or robbed of a chance to come forth like a child that is abandoned or a victim of war, pestilence and famine who has no ambition but to die.
• What we are called upon to accomplish is to witness the inter-connection of others and our role as stewards of the most vulnerable people without question, because this gift enhances our understanding and always leaves us with the feeling that we walk among sacred members of our community with graciousness. As one of my mentors stated, “I will have no regrets.”

There is no America. Nationalism is a farce. Troops spilling their blood world wide for democracy are pawns. On this Memorial Day weekend there is little doubt that the losers are involved on either side of the war and the rings of fire that are consuming the earth..

The losers are not Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, The Bush twins, the Clintons or yes, even Obama, it is mothers everywhere and those people who are abroad who have lost everything and have nothing but a false sense of glory and security knowing that their loved ones were sacrificed for power and greed and nothing else..

If you want to stir the seeds of vengeance than corrupt a nation like Palestine and Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Perpetrate prevarications like we, "have any justifiable reason to be anywhere else but here?" America is claiming that it can fight on fronts in several places throughout the world at the same time. I know a beautiful young man, a hero of mine, who is dedicating his life to being a recruitment agent for the men and women who are mercenaries for the industrial giants that Dick Cheney represents.

Imagine arguing whether torture is justified and that Guantanamo Bay is a bastion of freedom and homeland security? As we knock the teeth out of our people and devastate the rest of the world there are not enough gulags, Guantanamos, Abu Ghrab and Supermaxes to house the people who have not been murdered by drones. What do we think we are doing and what are you doing reading this without feeling outrage enough to hold every elected official accountable?

Harry S. Truman perpetrated this outrageous policy with the Truman Doctrine that gave the right of the government to support peace with armaments in 1947, two years after he ordered the dropping of two atomic bombs. We are the only nation on earth to use such tactics. We are still the only nation on earth able to incinerate the planet 100,s of times. How many of us choose to ignore the direct ramifications of war on our quality of life and that of every other being on earth?

California is in need of a bail out, what a surprise. Colorado will need a bail out specifically because the forces of the legislature will not work together. Many people state that this was a successful session of the state legislature. How were we successful when we cut the Tobacco Tax Settlement and the primary care funding in half, with the prospect of cutting more revenue after the announcement of the economic projections for 2010?

What is the next major crisis in the lives of marginalized people? Numbers of emergency services have escalated in proportions that have not been seen in this nation's history and still we are spending money on transportation modes that are out of date, such as roads and rails. We live on the edge of reality in a fairy tale castle, which is teetering on the edge and threatening to take out everything in its demonic path. We are living in a wasteland, as T.S. Elliot noted of the “Great Gatsby,” and the memorial poem of the title, "The Wasteland." It was written in the 1920's during a time of despair and gloom for people who are minorities, and yet for those white people of power and privilege it was a time for the Charleston and living like there was no tomorrow. Thornton Wilder pointed out that we survived, "by the skin of our teeth," in "Our Town." What does it take for America to notice that you cannot take care of the domestic issues that beset the people and the world wide chaos, while beating the crap out of everyone and not expecting to have repercussions that outlast our terrible twos tantrums and small world domination?

If we were astute, people like my friend and my children, we would throw the bums out of office and usher in a new generation of leadership based on trust and concern for the decency of all souls. We would fight no more and destroy all nuclear arsenals, all drones, all homeland security instruments of torture, restore Palestine to the Palestinians and tell the Israelis to muzzle their lust for the same things that caused their persecutors to destroy them.

Throughout the world there is only one solution, it is the final solution, and it begins with peace, with lasting and ever present justice for all.

Polaris Project Colorado

As I write this letter, people in Colorado and across the United States are being bought and sold, as evidenced by 15 indictments involving 11 brothels in Colorado last week as reported by the Denver Post. Your support has gone a long way in enabling us to take large strides in combating trafficking. Polaris Project was founded in 2002 as one of the first organizations in the United States specifically working to combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Now under the leadership of Ambassador Mark P. Lagon, Polaris Project has grown to become one of the top organizations providing comprehensive services to victims and strengthening the anti-trafficking movement in the United States and around the world.
Polaris Project is engaged in various local and national programmatic efforts to generate significant impact on our communities, such as our critical work here in Colorado. Some of our accomplishments from 2008 and goals for 2009 include:
• Conducted three one-day institutes on human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children; guided various workshops and presentations; and led awareness events to over 6,539 community members, academics and professionals, including a demand-reduction campaign during the Democratic National Convention
• Assisted six survivors of human trafficking to return to higher education with our academic partner, the Institute for Women's Studies and Services at Metropolitan State College of Denver
• Launched Community Needs Assessments in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins to better understand knowledge of human trafficking and services available to survivors. A Denver CNA is planned for 2009 to 2010 with the generous support of Zonta International-Denver Club.
• Provided Internships to 25 students since June 2005
• Currently preparing health care train-the-trainer institute for October 2009 targeting Colorado medical providers, clinics, and administrators; we are hosting this event in collaboration with local anti-trafficking organizations with funding support from the Office of Refugee Resettlement

Polaris Project's Spring Fundraising Campaign aims to ensure that we can serve every victim in need, whether through outreach and direct services in Washington, DC, New Jersey, and Tokyo, or through trainings to first responders and research in Colorado.

You can help our local training and research efforts by giving through our website; you can note in the comment section if you would like your donation to be designated to our work here in Colorado.

we must continue to work together to create a world without slavery.

Though our President and First Lady have served our country for only some 100+ days, I felt it was good to take a look back at something that I wrote early in the campaign. There's a song, "What A Difference A Day Makes." Nothing comes closer to describing America's new view and new opinion of our First Lady Michelle Obama. She now has a 80% approval rating and even some of her most outspoken critics have come to realize what an exceptional and brilliant representative she is on both the country's and the world's stage. She has even caused one popular journalist to declare that he has a crush on Michelle Obama.

The moral of this reintroduction is, don't be too quick to pass judgment.
What critics initially felt was merely a superficial assessment of someone
who did not fit their image of a First Lady. Once they got to know her, her color no longer bothered them the way their first impression did, when they only saw her as a woman of color. This may be a very valuable lesson
for us all, to heed the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ' not to judge a person by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.'

To The Editor:

As a 78 year old American of African descent, I feel compelled to respond to all this “much ado about nothing” when it comes to the statement that Michelle Obama made about the fact that this is the first time in her adult life that she has been proud to be an American.

The country needs to hear this from the Black perspective.

Long before I was born, my grandfather Joseph Burleson, owned a considerable amount of land in oil rich Texas. Because during that era, Blacks could not vote, nor could they contest anything in the courts of the United States, my grandfather’s land was STOLEN by his White neighbor. My grandfather, who was literate and better educated than my grandmother, drove to town. Seeing my grandfather leave, the covetous neighbor asked my grandmother to show him the deed to the property. He snatched it. She could not insist that he give it back, nor could she have reported this THEFT to the sheriff because of the fact that Blacks had no rights in the 1800’s. The prevailing law at that time was he who held the deed owned the land. Do you think that is something that I am PROUD OF?

In 1934 when my dad drove us to Texas to meet his family, when he stopped to purchase gasoline, his daughters and wife were not allowed to use the washroom. As a man it was easier for his to relieve himself in the bushes, but not for the females. We were, however, reduced to having to go in the bushes, also. Do you think I am PROUD OF THAT?

In 1938 when my oldest sister went to enroll in Hyde Park High School, she was told by the counselor that she did not want to take college preparatory courses, she wanted to study domestic science. Do you think I’m PROUD OF THAT? Of course, when Beatrice Lillian Hurley-Burleson went to school the next day, that was the last time anyone thought that the Burleson girls wanted to study domestic science.

When in 1943 my parents attempted to buy the 2 flat at 5338 South Kenwood, where we had lived since 1933, in Hyde Park, Chicago, IL we were told that we could not buy it because there was a restrictive covenant that said that the property was never to be sold to “Negroes.” Do you think I am PROUD OF THAT?

In 1950 when I graduated from college, I was unable to get a job because I was considered “overqualified.” the code word for they would not hire me because of my race. All of the want ads called for Japanese Americans or Neisis ( the word given to Japanese Americans at that time). Do you think that was something that I should have been PROUD OF? I understood that America was trying to make up for the interring of innocent and patriotic Americans who were our enemy by association.

My cousin’s barbershop was bombed in Mississippi in the 50’s because he was encouraging Black people to register to vote. His wife who had earned a Masters Degree from Northwestern University lost her position as the principal of the local school because of the voter registration activities. Is that something I should be PROUD OF?

Now we get to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the pastor of the Obama family. Rev. Wright like so many religious zealots overstates many things, that many of his members do not agree with. To suggest that Senator Obama should leave the church of his choice is not only a double standard, but it is absurd. Would any of the talking heads who are so alarmed by Rev. Wright’s thoughts and speeches suggest that Catholics should abandon their faith or denounce and reject the Pope because so many priests have molested children. To me the situations are parallel, except for the fact that the priests' behavior is a physical violation of the innocence of children who are marred for life; and the priests' behavior is a crime. Should Governor Romney denounce and reject the Mormon Church because some of their members practice polygamy?

As Senator Obama has previously stated, we have entered the silly season/

Barack Obama is an adult, and most importantly, he is an exceptionally intelligent adult. Like most of us adults, fortunately, we do not accept all we hear or see. If we did, the world would be more amoral, debased and perverted than we are.

I see all these “so called” ponderings an attempt to marginalize the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama. I cannot truly call this racism because some ignorant Blacks have also spoken disparagingly about him.

I accept this as the darker side of mankind who because of their own inadequacies, they project their deficiencies on others. Barack Obama is a very rare individual, the likes of whom the world seldom sees. Like most geniuses, they are often misunderstood. They are objects of envy and jealousy. They are suspect because they soar above the average man who does not have the intellectual ability to understand the greatness of special people. They are also targets to be pulled down to the level of the mediocre who cannot stand to see an individual with deep convictions and high standards.

We have not seen a phenomena like Barack Obama in many years and many generations. Like Ghanda, like Jesus, like Einstein, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., like Mother Theresa, genetically, intellectually and spiritually, these people offer the world so much, but they are often maligned and misunderstood.

Barack Obama is a Christian in the true sense of the word. A true Christian loves his fellow man unconditionally. A true Christian wants the best and tries to bring out the best in his fellow man. A true Christian wants to unite and bring the world together in peace and harmony. This is what Senator Obama stands for; but, unfortunately, he has had to get off point to answer these false charges, innuendoes, and just plain lies.

We are in the presence of an angel unaware in Senator Barack Obama; and this country needs him, more than he needs us. He is the only person at this time in history who can restore respect for America with the worlds’ people. Because of his family background, the influence of his beloved mother who instilled great values in him, the influence of his absent father who vicariously inspired a son to go to Harvard as the father had done, the influence of a minister who brought him to an understanding of the value and meaning of Christianity, the influence of a brilliant Harvard educated wife who inspires him and keeps him grounded; he is the epitome of a citizen of the world. He is of the world because the world is in him; and this is what America needs to bring us out of the abyss to which we have sunk in the eyes of the world.

Like, Michelle Obama, after living in this country all of my 78 years, loving my country and not understanding why my country has not loved me, I now for the first time in my adult life feel PROUD OF MY COUNTRY because I sense a maturing, a recognition of talent and character, and not color, and a field of candidates aspiring to lead this nation coming from very diverse backgrounds of gender, religious beliefs, national origin, ethnicity, age and experiences. This to me is the HOPE that America is coming into her own and will begin to CHANGE and will embrace the philosophy upon which this country was founded, where all men are created equal and are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Now I truly believe, YES WE CAN!

The Black Perspective of Views of America By Helen Burleson
Helen L. Burleson has a doctorate degree in public administration. She lives in Olympia Fields, Ill. She is an avid commentator on political happenings across America, especially those affecting the Black community, and is paying close attention to this historic presidential race.

In the spirit of making peace with oneself, I offer the following
prose poem:

SELF-ACCEPTANCE

Self-acceptance is the ultimate act of courage and compassion. After
all, none of us really likes himself, and we all pretend to be someone
we’re not. The road to self-acceptance is bumpy, and there is much
denial and pretense along the way. How can we expedite or ensure self-
acceptance? We should regard self-acceptance as a lifelong goal that
needs constant self-examination plus nurturing from family, friends,
and professionals. The world would be a better place, if we could all
learn to accept ourselves and others.

Hugh Mann
http://organicMD.org

Why a Personal Trainer may be right for you

If you want to lose weight, inches, get healthy and/or build muscle, hiring a personal trainer can be a step in the right direction. A good personal trainer can help you set up a program that meets your goals and teach you the best way to exercise. Here's what you should know before you hand over the cash.

What is a Personal Trainer?

A personal trainer should be, at the least, educated and certified through a reputable fitness organization. This person's job is to assess your fitness level, set up a program for you and keep you motivated. He or she will push you past your comfort level--something difficult to do on your own. A trainer also provides:
guidance on reaching your goals
education about strength training, cardio and basic nutrition
motivate you to want to improve your self image
accountability
ways to help track your progress.

What is a Session Like?

Each session lasts about 50 minutes to an hour. The first meeting is devoted to assessing fitness level, body measurements, exercise and health history and goals. Be prepared to step on the scale, have your body fat tested and answer specific questions about your goals. After that, you'll spend most of your time on strength training, flexibility and cardio.

What to Look for In a Personal Trainer

Education: A personal trainer should be certified through a reputable personal training organization. An exercise science or other related college degree isn't necessary, but the more education your trainer has, the better your workouts will be.

CPR: your trainer should have an updated certification in CPR and/or first aid.
Insured: Very important for liability purposes
Experience: Make sure your trainer has several years of experience, especially in relation to your goals. For example, if you have want to lose inches, you want someone knowledgeable in that area.

Specifics: If you have a specific medical problem, injury or condition (such as joint replacement, heart problems, diabetes, etc.) make sure your trainer has education in these areas and will work with your doctor.
A good listener: A good trainer will listen closely to what you say and make sure he understands your goals.

Attention: A good trainer will be focused only on you during your sessions.

Tracking progress: A good trainer will regularly assess your progress and change things if necessary.

Personality is very important too since you'll be working very closely with this person. Make sure you get along with your trainer and feel comfortable asking questions.

Rudy McClinon Jr. (B.S.,CFT, PT) earned a bachelor of science degree in Physical Education, Health and Science from Xavier in Ohio. He is a former professional football player in the NFL –CFL. He has more than 35 years of experience as a Certified Fitness Trainer, and is a personal trainer for the Denver Rocky Mountain News Fitness Challenge, a motivational speaker, and president of Sankofa Wholistic Health Care.

Check out this blog for advice on how to maintain your strength, improve your posture, balance, hygiene ,sex life and work through your limitations so you will start to focus on the things you can do verses the things you can't. I will motivate and be very encouraging to everyone.

www.ruaprofitness.com
www.areyouaprofitmess.com
rmc_ruaprofitness@yahoo.com

Here is the truth of the situation in American public education, a truth that is little known by many people. Those who do know are those who are responsible for this inequity.

This is a personal story based on my personal experience. As a child I grew up in an upper middle class 99.6% Caucasian neighborhood, Hyde Park in the City of Chicago, Illinois. My childhood education began in 1935 when I was enrolled in Kenwood Elementary School at 49th and Blackstone. (This school has had a name change and few people knew that the original school named Kenwood was an elementary school. Today on the corner of 51st and Blackstone there is a high school named Kenwood Career Academy.)

I was always the only American child of African descent in my classes K – 5.
Because I was a good student, I was always what was known as a “teacher’s pet.” As a teacher’s pet, I was always asked to be a teacher’s helper.

Kenwood School was extremely well equipped. We had new texts every year with the latest copyright date, as well as workbooks, dictionaries and any other supplemental equipment that was needed. There was a sticker in each book where each child wrote his/her name because we took our books home to study. The only thing we paid for was a publication called, “My Weekly Reader.” This was truly FREE education. As a teacher helper it was my responsibility to ready the classroom at the end of the year for the new school year. The most important responsibility that I had was to take all the text books to the boiler room because as I stated before, we got new books at the beginning of each school year.

The school boundary lines were drawn in such a way as to make certain that children from the inner city were not eligible to attend the superior schools in the Hyde Park neighborhood. When it was discovered by the Superintendent of Schools, Benjamin Willis, that there was a crack in the wall, he gerrymandered the boundary to guarantee that this unspoken LAW would not be broken. To contain the children in the inner city neighborhoods, portable units were installed, which we jokingly referred to as “Willis Wagons”

Due to this gerrymandering, in the sixth grade I was transferred to Ray Elementary School, at 56 and Kimbark, which had a close proximity to the University of Chicago. This was important because Ray was a pilot school and we were paired with the University of Chicago Education Department to be a control group (guinea pigs) for any new innovation in education. In 7th grade we were the control group for a new non-oral approach to reading developed by Professor William S. Gray. Prior to that children were called upon in turn to read aloud. A teacher knew instantly whether a child was reading with understanding or had adequate word attack skills using the oral reading concept.

After graduating from Ray Elementary School in 1943, I enrolled in Hyde Park High School at 62nd and Stony Island. Hyde Park was one of the most outstanding high schools in Chicago and we were in competition with a north side high Senn, based on honors classes and the percentage of college bound students. At the time that I graduated in 1946, Hyde Park’s percentage of students going to college was in the 90’s.

Fast forward, I graduate from college in 1950; and in 1952 I go to teach in a school where all the children were of African heritage. I was appalled to learn that for a class of 40 or 45, I was lucky to have 20 worn out, out dated, text books. Two and three students had to share a book and of course, they could not take books home for additional study. Because the school was overcrowded, we had to conduct classes in the auditorium, which meant that an English class might be next to a math class or a history class or whatever. There were the supplemental “Willis Wagons” which held heat to the extent that any time the temperature reached 90 degrees, we had to dismiss classes early.

Property taxes help fund the public schools and the formula is uniform, but the resources for inner city schools are inequitably distributed.

Informed and effective parents demand quality education for their children. Unfortunately, too many Americans of African descent, not having been provided with a quality education do not know what to expect from quality education and thus they are too reticent to advocate for their children.

This is the situation prevalent throughout the United States. Gains of the Civil Rights era have been lost and desegregated schools have once again become segregated because of housing patterns

Now, let’s do a little recapitulation: inequitable distribution of tax dollars to inner city schools, inadequate number of texts, overcrowded classrooms, outdated texts with no opportunity to get current information, poor physical plants, inability to meet the maximum school hours on days when the temperature reached 90, demoralized staff who had to labor under these undesirable conditions, parents deprived of quality education, and students deprived of the stimuli of resources and supplemental materials – IDEAL SITUATION FOR LEARNING?

No, it is not that children of African descent can’t learn, it’s because too many of them are being given an inferior education in a system designed to undereducate them –STILL SEPARATE AND STILL UNEQUAL!

The Black Perspective of Views of America By Helen Burleson
Helen L. Burleson has a doctorate degree in public administration. She lives in Olympia Fields, Ill. She is an avid commentator on political happenings across America, especially those affecting the Black community.

Iraq Veternas Against the War

IVAW members lobby against more military funding for Afghanistan and Iraq
Between today and tomorrow, members of Congress will be voting on supplemental war funding to continue military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. IVAW member and Marine Cpl. Rick Reyes testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April about why it is a grave mistake to escalate in Afghanistan. This week, he and other IVAW members who have served in both conflicts are in Washington, D.C. talking to their representatives about why both occupations must end - now. Working in a special collaboration with Brave New Foundation's Rethink Afghanistan campaign, IVAW members are calling on Congress to vote NO on a $94.2 billion supplemental war spending bill that will continue military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
IVAW members voted in January on a resolution condemning the occupation of Afghanistan. Consistent with our position, we cannot allow Congress to continue funding these wars.
Why this additional war funding is a huge mistake...
More war funding means continued multiple deployments for an exhausted military, which means more combat stress and PTSD harming our veterans and their families.
Escalating in Afghanistan means more civilian deaths at a time when Afghan President Karzai has demanded an end to U.S. air strikes that kill and maim Afghan families.
President Obama promised no more war funding through supplementals that are not part of the federal budget and hide the real cost of these wars.
We should be funding job creation for veterans and others suffering in a poor economy at home rather than more taxpayer money for wasteful conflicts abroad.
You can take action today
Urge your representatives in Congress to vote "NO" on a $94.2 billion supplemental wartime spending bill by emailing or calling. Tell them no more blank checks for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
When you do contact your member of Congress, will you let us know? Shoot us an email to admin@ivaw.org and let us know that you've taken action.

Iraq Veterans Against the War. Support the troops and bring them home to their families.