Get Up! (by By Geshalem Perez aka g*)

I often wonder what some of us Train of Thought-goers do outside of the weekly gathering. I wonder if anyone else is politically active at all. I know a lot of us are conscious people living the day-to-day; some scraping by, others a bit more well off but what I realized is that when we take a step back and look at the bigger picture, we are all in this together.

It doesn't matter what our socio-economic status is, or where we went to school, or what we do for a living. What does matter is that we are all a vital piece of the puzzle to create a more progressive San Diego. That's right, you and me, and her and him, and that other person, too. The most important thing to consider is this: in order to create and land ourselves in better jobs and living situations (because, let's face it, who doesn't want a better job or living situation?) we must all participate and focus our energy in...politics.

No matter what your view on our local, state, or federal governments are, we are a vital force to be reckoned with when it comes to helping elect working-class friendly candidates or propositions which help working families. And no, it doesn't really matter what party anyone belongs to, because as long as we educate ourselves and move to action in some way, shape, or form, we can help make those positive changes we want to see in this city, state, nation, and world happen.

I believe that it is our duty as human beings to get involved in the political process as much as possible so that we actually get a say in what goes on around us. In turn, if we fail to participate and instead focus our efforts on playing video games, watching the latest novela, e-stalking your friends friends on Facebook, or simply doing nothing we will never break free from the strong chains of the machine that control those distractions.

So, why is it important to get involved in politics? Well, if we don't, we can't complain about the decisions other people make for us.

Getting the word out on a candidate, proposition, or issue that may affect our lives is key even if we are or are not U.S. Citizens. To those who think otherwise, think about this: think about how many people you interact with on a day-to-day basis, those that you have casual or serious conversations with. U.S. Citizen or not, chances are you may be able to influence at least one other person, if not a handful. All it takes is a simple conversation, a little confidence, and knowledge on what proposition or which candidate you're speaking of to engage those around you.

For those qualified to do so:
Voting matters because every vote counts (check out the Juan Vargas vs. Mary Salas June Primary race; Vargas won by a whopping 22 votes!!).
Voting matters because it helps us stay involved/informed with current issues.
Voting matters because it truly gives each of us the opportunity to voice our concerns (and if a good number of us are concerned about the same thing, we might actually be able to make a difference in addressing those concerns!).
Voting matters because it can wake up a group of people (for good or bad it can wake them up!).
Voting matters because we can sway politics and policies to our favor.
Voting matters because it helps level the playing field between large (evil) corporations and hard working class people, like us.
Voting matters because it's frustrating not being able to (trust me, I know because I just became a U.S. Citizen two years ago, at 25 years young!).


But, no need to start the debate once elections are over because...they'll be over and done with and unless you have the time, energy, and resources to petition against that new law or elected official-which, chances are you may only have 1/3 of that equation-your arguments will be null and void and too late to combat the votes cast. Your arguments will fall on def ears, shrugged shoulders, and that nagging voice inside saying "you should have voted because now you can't complain about the decisions other people made for you."

HOW TO GET INVOLVED THIS ELECTION SEASON:

1. Remember, you can't vote unless you're registered; you must re-register if you've moved or changed your name.
   a.    Register today by clicking the link: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/voters/Eng/Ereg.shtml
2. Learn more about whom our local labor movement has endorsed:
   a.    http://www.udwa.org/political/state-elections-impacting-ihss/#state
   b.    http://unionyes.org/endorsements-upcoming-elections
   c.    SPREAD THE WORD!
3. Volunteer with the UDW Homecare Providers Union by contacting Geshalem Perez at gperez@udwa.org

Gill SOTU speaks...

Sometimes, you just have to step out on faith.


Thought I would start with the moral of my story to get it out of the way. I know some of you hate spoilers, but I say, why wait till the end? Most stories end on the "you gotta have faith" note anyway so there is no surprise here.   
So this is all about a man and his play. No, a man, his play, my girlfriend and me. Wait, it's actually about all of the above, Spiderman, and someone asking to watch me pee and me getting kinda choked up about it. Sound interesting? Read on...


After HBO Def Poet and hip-hop theater artist Ise Lyfe came to Train of Thought and performed his performance lecture "Is Everybody Stupid", I knew I was going to learn a great deal from this brother. It was the start of something for sure. I chased that feeling, made plans to drive cross state to Oakland from San Diego to watch Ise's full production theatre piece "Pistol's and Prayers". This turned out to be no easy task for several reasons (ill just give you the main two). One, I was balling on a budget with my infamous blue Saturn threating to be in one of her moods. Two, in order to get my girlfriend to go I had to promise to stay with her college buddy and her two kids in a tiny studio near San Francisco.


Won't bore you with all the details, but the boys were all sorts of cute and energized at six the next morning.  Not just laughing energized, but kung-fu, spider-man, jump on and off the bed energized. We shared a common love of comic heroes and being fatherless boys in a house full of women. Got through the punches, kicks and fake action sound effects like a champ. Got to admit, Gill loves the kids.


The play itself was amazing. When you hear hip-hop theatre, you might think it would be just about the culture.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how far reaching the piece goes. Along with rap, spoken word, videos, modern dance, African American spirituals, Ise also uses all the characters trapped inside him to speak to and about American culture as a whole. I was blown away.


Waking up the next day, duty called. One of the kids knocked on the door. "What are you doing?" "I'm going pee." I replied. "Can I watch?" he asked through the door. The question took me back a little. Then I asked myself would I have or had I ever asked the same thing. He just wanted to see how it all works. Knowing what it was like not having a man around I admit I got choked up at the same time I was making my business, weird sensation. To answer the question you may be thinking I told him NO, but it got me to thinking of Ise's play and how much fathers or the lack there of affects our lives. Maybe this little inquisitive one will grow up and be a poet like Ise or myself, using the power of written/spoken language to figure it all out, or at least ask the question in a fancy way. Maybe he'll perform it in a one-man play and call it "Spider-Man Pees Alone." Sounds like a winner.


See you for Pistol's and Prayers coming to the Queen Bee's Oct, 8th, 9th, and 10th. Go to www.iselyfe.com or www.trainofthoughtsd.com for more info and save money on pre-sale tickets.