2015 - It's Almost Over. Thank Goodness!

2015 has been one hell of a year and I don’t know about you but I’m ready for it to come to a close. So much harm has been done throughout the world this year that it’s almost impossible to comprehend. Allow me to share with you why I’m so ready for this year to end.

From the murders of young Black men and women to the massacres at churches, schools and health facilities, White males seem to have gone on a murder spree. And make no mistake these seemingly random killings were perpetrated by White males. What’s even more disturbing is America’s silence about it all. We seem to accept these happenings with a nonchalance bordering on a collective blindness. We attempt to shush the voices calling for a change. We criminalize those who protest murder and we staunchly defend a Constitutional right that was not envisioned by its authors. I simply can’t take another report of wholesale death on the nightly news while our elected officials, the NRA and political candidates blather on about our thoughts and prayers while failing to move forward on finding solutions.

In my home town of Chicago, the jerk mayor, Rahm Emanuel, was re-elected. Karen Lewis, the dynamic head of the Chicago Teachers Union, was the popular favorite to oust Rahm. Health issues derailed her candidacy. Former alderman and former state senator Jesus “Chuy” Garcia was recruited by Lewis to run. A progressive movement was created by a number of coalitions including religious leaders, unions, teachers and countless Chicagoans in hopes of destroying machine politics in Chicago. Garcia’s numbers caused a run-off election that rocked the incumbent and made him campaign for mayor, something his predecessors almost never had to do. April’s run-off election gave us an opportunity to oust this bum but we blew it.

Planned Parenthood has always had its detractors but this year, the health organization has been under siege. Yes, it is a health organization. The vocal, uninformed group that has been attempting to destroy Planned Parenthood forgets that performing abortions is only one of the many health services provided. The group provides contraception, STD screenings, pap smears and breast and cervical cancer screenings. Planned Parenthood is funded under Title X, a federal grant program, the purpose of which is to help low-income and the uninsured get access to contraception and sexual health care. This is not an upstart organization but a nearly 100 year old nonprofit founded by Margaret Sanger in 1921to provide contraception services women who previously had none. PPFA is an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and as such is the largest provider of reproductive services. If the ill-informed Congress has a clue, they’d be trying to increase funding for Planned Parenthood. Instead they spend countless hours and money attempting to do what they’ve been doing since the formation of this country: trying to rule the womb.

The terrorist attack in Paris that killed as many as 130 people was just one of many acts of violence around the world. From January through October of this year, more than 100 people were killed in attacks in Cameroon, Egypt, Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen. International tourism has taken a serious economic hit and people are in fear going to seemingly peaceful locales like London or Brussels or Munich. Most of these terrorist attacks were committed by extremist Muslim groups but America has more than its share of home grown extremist Christian terrorists. Instead of pointing fingers at Muslims throughout the world, maybe we should begin rethinking what it means to be a card carrying, Bible spouting Christian right here at home. Extremism in any form hurts us all.

With all the intelligent, well-spoken and competent individuals in this country, we’ve been left with scum residue for presidential political candidates. If this were an SNL skit, it would be funny. Given this is real, it’s a damn shame. The Republican candidates amount to a group of isms masquerading as viable candidates for the most powerful position in the world. The Democratic candidates are not much better. I know many of you have high hopes for Bernie Sanders but so far, I’m not impressed. Hilary scares me as I believe she is as much a warmonger as any of the Republicans. Unfortunately I fear I have to choose between the lesser of two evils instead of the better of two candidates come November 2016. That scares the living piss out of me.

There have been some good things this year. Refugees have been taken in around the world. People have given money to help hurricane victims. A professor babysat with a single mom’s two kids so she could take her exams. McDonald’s customers are paying it forward. The price of gas is down to a reasonable price. Although climate change is bad for the environment over all, the warm weather in Chicago this December is great. Although eating bacon is bad (according to the latest report from the WHO), I discovered a new way to indulge my love for it (the maple bacon long john at Mariano’s). It’s so good that just writing about it makes me weak.

Normally years ending in “5” are great for me but 2015 was an exception. Besides those very public topics listed above, there were a number of personal issues that beset me this year. Maybe it’s been a better year for you than for me. All I know is I’m really looking forward to 2016. Although I fear there will be more of the same idiocy, more of the same destructiveness, more murderous rampages and more young Black people killed for no reason, I have to believe that next year will be better if for no other reason that it is a new year. We have an opportunity to make it better. Let’s not waste it making grandiose resolutions that never come to fruition. We can begin by following one simple rule. Let’s just be nice to each other. Make it a habit like brushing your teeth. Make the effort and change can happen. You can do it. I can do it. We can do it. Gandhi said you must be the change you wish to see in the world. Let’s be nice.