Rants of a Zealous Social Worker

what I have been up to since graduation

2006-10-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all of you who have been holding your breath for my new blog post. So much has happened to me since graduation that I wanted take enough time to organize all of my thoughts into what could quite possibly be considered the Greatest Blog Post of All Time.

What can I say about life after graduation? First of all, it’s much harder than being in school. I remember sitting in a small, crowded classroom on my first day of grad school and thinking to myself, “This is the real thing. I’m here with the top dogs. I must focus all of my energy into being successful in grad school because this is going to be a struggle.” I thought grad school was going to be difficult because everyone in my undergraduate college was making me believe that grad school would be the hardest thing I would ever do in my life. But it wasn’t. In fact, it was easier than being an undergraduate. The real world is the hard thing.

I keep having this recurring dream where I helpelessly witness the moon rapidly crash into the Earth, immediately destroying the planet and eradicating all of existence. That is how I have been feeling lately – like my world has been quickly changing in ways that I didn’t expect. And the unexpected can be scary. I have unexpectedly been strapped with more responsibilities than I had imagined.

In grad school, the professors and field supervisors are serving you – to cater to your needs as a learner. In the real world, you serve The Man. For example, I knew that a portion of my paycheck would go to the government, but imagine my surprise when I realized that more than $400 of each paycheck completely disappeared into the bottomless pit of taxes. That means that I actually make about $10,000 a year less than the salary that was originally offered to me. It was disenchanting because it makes living on my own much harder than I had previously anticipated. I realized that I am not really living to support myself, but also to support The Man.

In the real world, you also serve your clients, and that is a TREMENDOUS responsibility. You have to constantly remind yourself to remain accountable for everything you do – or fail to do – for them because you may hold futures of each of your clients in your hands. For example, if you fail to file a child abuse report or fail to call the Emergency Response Team when you should, someone could potentially die. Your inaction or action can dramatically change the course of the lives of your clients in enduring ways.

Another negative aspect of the real world is that you just can’t take a day off on a whim like you did in school. There are so many people depending on you at work that you just can’t leave work as you please. There are people who are so desperate for help that their last shred of hope left is to see you for assistance. As a result, you have an ethical obligation to be at work EVERY DAY. And that often restricts you – not to mention burns you out.

In the real world, people don’t constantly praise you like they did while you were a student. In the real world, it doesn’t work like that. Some clients will curse at you, call you horrible names, and yell at you to your face. Some will not say anything at all. Oftentimes you may be left wondering whether you even made a positive difference in anyone’s life.

However, it only takes one person who expresses their gratitude to you to show that perhaps you are making a difference – even though you or the client may not be aware of it. There are not many jobs that enable you to impact the lives of people on a daily basis. I can help alleviate someone’s poverty, save someone from suicide, assuage someone’s depression, and advocate for political change all in one day. I am confident in saying that I leave work everyday knowing that I did make a difference, regardless of how minute it may have been. That’s why being in the real world isn’t entirely horrible for me.

Responsibility is an inherent component of freedom and growth. Sure, the real world is tough, but it has granted me greater independence, enabling me to grow in more ways than I ever could have merely going to school. The lessons I learn in my work have allowed me to become a better person all around.

Although being in the real world is tough, being in MY real world is much easier than being in the real world of many of my clients. A large majority of my paycheck goes to taxes, but I am not wondering whether or not I will have enough money to eat tomorrow like many of my clients do. It is hard for me to take a day off, but taking a day off isn’t going to make me homeless like it may for many of my clients. People may not always praise me for my work, but the work I do is satisfying and not grueling and thankless as the jobs that many my clients do. Consequently, I feel privileged that I can help my clients in every way I possibly can because they deserve somebody to serve them...for at least once in their lives.

As things keep changing in my life, I am thankful for those who have been my supporters along the way (you know who you are). I love you all. Thank you for taking the time to remain updated on my life.

my divisive two cents about the abortion issue

2006-02-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

Say no to wire coat hangers! That is, unless you have no other option. As you may or may not know, South Dakota is very close to placing a ban on abortions, without leaving an exception for even cases of rape or incest. This may just one of the first of a series of events that will result in the end of Roe v. Wade as we know it. In other words, start collecting wire coat hangers, for they may be in high demand in the near future.

People who are against abortion tend to say they take this position because they believe in "the sanctity of life." I find this to be total B.S. because people who often support abortion are often the people who support the death penalty, the war in Iraq, and other issues that obviously show no regard for human life. And many of these people try to shock others into submitting to their views with images of dead fetuses to illustrate how we are killing human life. Here is an image showing those anti-abortionists how the sanctity of life will still not be preserved with a ban on abortion (WARNING: this is a very graphic image of a back alley abortion that resulted in the death of the mother). If these opponents of abortion really cared about human life, they would not leave a woman with very little options but to illegally perform an abortion because a law is dictating what she should do with her own body.

Opponents might read my argument and say, "Well, it's your fault for having sex and not using birth control." People like that tend to blame individuals for everything unfortunate that occurs to them. Here is what I have to say to that:
1.) People make mistakes. Yes, even "holier-than-thou" anti-abortionists can have accidental pregnancies.
2.) Birth control is not 100% effective, so one can have an accidental pregnancy while taking the utmost precautions. This may be rare, but it happens.
3.) Not everyone can afford or has access to contraception.
4.) People are going to have sex, whether you like it or not. Telling people that they should remain abstinent is unrealistic and doesn't solve anything.
5.) Laws that ban all abortions will not be flexible enough for exceptional cases, such as when a woman gets raped.

Anti-abortion laws place an undue burden on the woman. Isn't it ironic that the people who are the strongest supporters of abortion are men? Men do not know what it's like to be pregnant. They ejaculate into a woman, and their responsibility to the child they create often ends there. Women, on the other hand, are forced to carry around a child for 9 months, go through the painful process of labor, and usually have the primary responsibility of raising the child. What about the man who made the child? He no longer has to worry about it, but anti-abortion laws force the woman to live with THEIR sex act for the rest of her life. Talk about "undue burden" being placed on a woman. And when a woman has a child who is the product of rape, that places an even greater burden on her. That's why it sickens me when anti-abortionists claim that these laws are a not matter of women's rights. As I have just illustrated, anti-abortion laws greatly influence with women's rights.

Guess who these laws are going to affect the most? The poor. For those of you anti-abortionists who haven't had sex yet, contraception costs a pretty penny. Reliable condoms are not cheap, and neither are birth control pills. People who hardly have enough money to eat do not spend the little money they have on birth control. If they hardly have anough money to feed themselves, they will most definitely not possess the financial resources to raise a child. Yet, anti-abortionists want to force the poor to bring children into a life of poverty. Anti-abortionists probably don't even think how they are going to have to pay for the increase in poor children entering the world through taxes that fund social programs, such as TANF (a.k.a. welfare). It doesn't make sense to institute anti-abortion laws, without increasing the funding for social programs that will be necessary to compensate for the increase of poor children that will be forced to be brought into this world.

The saddest thing about this whole controversy is that we can't really protect Roe v. Wade. We don't get to vote on it. And the Supreme Court Justices are conservative, with lifetime appointments. FYI: Former Supreme Court Justice O'Conner was usually the deciding vote protecting Roe v. Wade. It appears that the only thing we can do is collect wire coat hangers and hope that someday anti-abortionists will realize the dire implications of placing a ban on abortions.

who you should idolize

2006-02-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

In my line of work, I have encountered almost every "worse-case-scenario" individual you can think of. I have to admit that, with some of these individuals, sometimes I even question whether or not there is any hope left for them. But they prove me wrong almost every time.

Let me provide you with some examples of these individuals*. I once knew this woman whose diabetes was so bad that she had to keep amputating her limbs, until there was nothing left but a torso. I met a woman who was probably the fittest female around and was suddenly afflicted by a disease that permanently incapacitated her whole body. I knew someone else who had not just one -- but four -- terminal illnesses that were slowly and painfully killing her. I met a man who witnessed and survived the brutal homicide of his family. I knew a woman who was almost beaten to death by her spouse and was thrown into the street with her children.

Most people who haven't experienced what they have experienced probably think that living was an extremely burdensome and difficult thing for them to do. However, these are the people who are probably living life to the fullest. In working with these people, I have noticed some common themes with them from which we could all learn.

The most evident thing I have noticed is that they don't let the insignificant things worry them, like the rest of us tend to do. They usually take things with a grain of slat. After being around them, I feel ridiculous for complaining about my own life when they are not even flinching from the tremendous and emotional pain they are feeling on a continuous basis.

These people also appreciate life more. Even though living is painful, they are extremely thankful for each day they are alive, for it means they get to spend another day enjoying the things in life that most of us tend to overlook -- such as spending another day with the people you love.

They have the most hope. Most people would think that someone who is dying would have the least hope, but even they are optimistic about their futures. Don't get me wrong -- they're not in denial about their illnesses, but they are hopeful about achiveing small successes, such as being able to stand up on their own again or enjoy five minutes without pain.

Because they are hopeful, appreciate life, and take everything with a grain of salt, they seem to be the happiest people I know. I have encountered many people who have EVERYTHING (money, power, good health, etc.), but they are the unhappiest people alive. I guess it's hard for the people who have everything to notice when something is good when everything else in their lives is good. Perhaps when one is destitute or dying, any small success is seen as a large accomplishment in comparison to everything else.

After being around these worse-case individuals day in and day out, I have found myself wanting to emulate their personality traits. In my opinion, it would make more sense to idolize people like these than to want to emulate, for example, a spoiled celebrity. After observing their enduring strength in the face of such adversity, being around them makes me feel confident that I can do anything. I feel very humbled around them because I realize that I still have a lot to learn from them.

*Note: These stories have been altered in order to protect the identities of the individuals described.

the secret to sanity

2006-02-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

The other day, I watched a news story about a party that was being thrown for the oldest people alive in SoCal. This party was created to celebrate their long lives. The journalist who covered this story interviewed several of these older adults and asked them to reveal the secret to their longevity. Three themes arose from these
interviews; these older adults tended to say that their secret to living a long life was having patience, retatining a sense of humor, and avoiding holding grudges.

I can understand why a lot of people don't live to a very old age. It can be tough to be patient in a society that encourages us to "go, go, go!" It can also be difficult to laugh at our own misfortunes. Or to let go of thinking of someone who pisses you off. It's rare to find someone in our society who holds at least one of these qualities -- much less all of them.

Even though I am not concerned about living longer, I do think it is very important to live by these standards for your sanity. Personally, I have tried living by these rules long before I saw this news story. I am accustomed to seeing people around me freaking out over the most irrelevant things, while I just sit back, relax, and watch. For example, I was driving behind this guy on the freeway who thought I was tailgating him. He proceeded to flip me off, yell, and shake his fist at me for several miles. I let go of my anger at that guy a few minutes after that incident, but that guy was probably still fuming about that incident weeks afterwards. People just need to calm down, appreciate their mistakes, and get over things.

Like most of the people I have counseled, you're probably thinking to yourself, "Easier said that done." I know it's hard to live by these principles, but you can't start doing something new until you do exactly that -- start. The more you do practice doing it, the more natural it feels to you. The main thing to do is to catch yourself when you are starting to feel impatient, angry, and all those other unpleasant feelings. Then you can decide from there whether you want to surrender to it or not. Only you can decide to free yourself from your own mental slavery.

Interestingly, throughout my career as an aspiring social worker, I have noticed that the people who have the easiest time living by these principles are the people with the most problems. The people who are destitute or dying are the people who seem to have the most hope. I think we have a lot to learn from the people we marginalize. More about that in my next post...

You've got to be shitting me

2006-02-17T23:32:00.000-08:00

So I decided that I wanted to buy some new panties over the Internet, so I typed in "panties" in the search bar on my browser. My browser subsequently took me to a site that sells panties with -- get this -- built-in GPS technology! Here is a memorable quote from that site:

"forget-me-not panties will help protect the women in your life!
These panties will monitor the location of your daughter, wife or girlfriend 24 hours a day, and can even monitor their heart rate and body temperature.
Based on pioneering research developed by the U.S. military at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), we have brought this revolutionary technology, previously only available to the military, to you!"

Well, I'm glad my tax dollars have contributed to something useful. Hooray for defense spending.

P.S. Guys, don't start getting any ideas from this site. If you are suspicious enough to shell out at least 100 bucks to buy these panties for the woman in your life, you probably should just save your money and dump her.

"It's the difference between slowing your car down to go the speed limit or putting your car in reverse."

2006-02-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

Attention children, older adults, and the poor: President Bush hates you. You know why? He decided that the programs which help you (e.g., Medicare and Medicaid/MediCal) should be "slowed." He is refusing to call this "slowed growth" a cut to mask the fact that it is a dramatic blow to entitlement programs that are supposed to help you survive.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) summed this up Bush's new budget policies beautifully: "If you're already wealthy, then this budget will make you wealthier. But if you're a widow, orphan, or are disabled, you'll see a cut in benefits." How come this doesn't surprise me?

The "4 things" meme

2006-02-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

I'm doing this meme because I was tagged (thank you, acpatriot). Most of my friends know these things about me already, but read on if you think there's something that might absolutely shock you into reconsidering our friendship. Enjoy!

Four jobs I've had:

1. Recreation leader at a park (a.k.a. glorified janitor and underpaid babysitter)
2. Guitar teacher at an elementary school (through a nonprofit organization)
3. Social worker assistant at an adult day health care center
4. Sales advisor for a knife company

Four movies I can watch over & over:

1. Frida
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Rushmore
4. Ghost World

Four places I've lived:

1. Wilmington, CA (the g-hetto)
2. Alhambra, CA
3. Downtown Las Vegas, NV
4. Downey, CA

Four TV shows I love:

1. Family Guy
2. American Dad
3. Chappelle Show
4. Reno 9-1-1!

Note: I don't have cable, so I had to base my selections on the poor array of shows available on free TV and on the DVD collections I have.

Four places I've vacationed:

1. Ixtapa and Acapulco, Mexico
2. Madrid, Toledo, & Segovia in Spain
3. Paris, France
4. Lisbon, Portugal

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Tuna melts (and pretty much any type of sandwich)
2. Sushi, especially the salmon and shrimp kind
3. Enchilidas y tamales con arroz y frijoles
4. chicken fettucini alfredo

Four sites I visit daily:

1. Google News
2. BlogSpot
3. LiveJournal
4. NASW.org

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. England
2. Italy
3. Ireland
4. famous cities in the U.S. like NYC, Boston, Chicago, etc.

(In other words, I'd like to be anywhere I haven't visited.)

Four bloggers I am tagging:

1,2,3, and 4: anyone who is interested in doing this.

Four books I love:

1. The Bell Jar
2. Nickel and Dimed
3. Fast Food Nation
4. Stupid White Men

And I added a few more categories:

Four activities I enjoy doing:

1. sex
2. skateboarding
3. learning new things
4. traveling

Four radio stations I love:

1. NPR
2. Indie 103.1
3. KPFK
4. KJZZ 88.1

Four bands I cannot live without:

1. Tool
2. The Arcade Fire
3. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4. Dashboard Confessional

hooray for Intelligent Design!

2006-02-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Satan,
It is with great regret that I inform you that I will no longer be worshipping you. I recently read a very convincing argument about one theory of Intelligent Design, which persuaded me that I should focus my energy on worshipping a clearly superior being: the Flying Spaghetti Monster. To be honest with you, I was initially pretty skeptical when reading this argument, but I became a believer when it underscored the association between the dwindling number of pirates in existence and the increasing number of natural disasters; this totally made sense to me, since I have always wanted to be a pirate.
Anywho, Satan, thanks for being there to support me in all of my evil endeavors. However, this whole worshipping Satan thing has become very boring and cliched. My eyes have been opened to a whole new way of understanding my existence, which will soon gain credibility in schools across the nation -- once it is taught along with other credible theories of Intelligent Design.
In sum, Satan: I once was lost, but His noodly appendage found me.
Love,
Linda, new FSM follower

About the farmworker trip

2006-02-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, I delivered food, clothing, and blankets to the homeless Carlsbad farmworkers mentioned in my previous post. I greatly appreciate everyone who made donations to this cause. The farmworkers seemed very thankful for all of the donations.

Below are some observations from this trip:
1.) Ever since 1992 (!) farmworker advocates have been pressuring the city of Carlsbad to permit the development of low-income housing in the city. Each time, the city said has denied the request.
2.) Although the city refuses to provide low-income housing, it continues to ask homeless farmworkers to relocate when they are visible to the citizens of that town.
3.) Most of the farmworkers currently live under a bridge, hiding amongst the trees and bushes there. Nobody should have to live this way, especially farmworkers who are contributing to our nation's economy by providing cheap labor and paying taxes.
4.) Farmworker advocates have asked the United Farmworkers (UFW) for help, and they have done nothing to ameliorate the situation.

The following are some possible solutions for this problem:
1.) A boycott on strawberries would be only be effective for people who buy strawberries specifically from that town. Boycotting strwberries obtained from other growers, however, would not be a very effective strategy.
2.) Carlsbad residents should pressure the city of Carlsbad to change its mind about low-income housing. However, the city would care less about the opinions of people who do not reside there.
3.) This leaves us with one last feasible solution: pressure the UFW to help the farmworkers by writing letters to them and organizing protests.

If you visit the UFW website, you will notice that the UFW discusses the LA Times story that shed light to this issue. They say everything said in the article is "wrong." I went to visit the farmworkers myself saw, with my own two eyes, that the LA Time article was accurate. So who are you going to believe? An organization that is reaping benefits from its sponsors? Or someone who actually witnessed the injustices that were occurring? Although their tenuous argument angers me, I am happy that people wrote to them and demanded an explanation.

Let me know if you are interested in joining me in further efforts to help the farmworkers. Any ideas would also be appreciated!

Please help the farmworkers

2006-01-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

Seasonal, full-time farmworkers working in the strawberry fields in Carlsbad are being screwed over by the United Farmworkers. Basically, Carlsbad has no inexpensive housing available for these farmworkers (it's a very affluent town), so most of the farmworkers are forced to camp out in houses fashioned out of cardboard and plastic on the side of Cannon Road in Carlsbad. Camping out in shanties is no fun, especially during this cold winter season and without enough money to afford food, clothing, or blankets.

If you would like to help, please let me know. I am going to go to Carlsbad this Sunday to deliver supplies to them. You can accompany me or donate some supplies. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for reading this.

hey, racists!

2006-01-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

I just got back from doing work on my study about telemarketing fraud in the older population. Every time I go into my "lab" (a.k.a. the real world) to collect data, I always end up encountering some interesting characters.

For example, one potential participant was recounting a time in which some "Tijuana nigger bastard monkey" stole stuff from his home. He kept repeating that phrase, loudly, while telling me the story. It's not the first time that an older adult has made blatantly racist comments around me when I am collecting data. However, this guy was different because he was blind (ah, the irony). I was lucky he was blind because if he could see, he would have realized that most of the people in the senior center where he was at -- including myself -- were the "Tijuana monkeys" to whom he was referring. Hooray for racists becoming blind.

I understand that this man grew up during an era in which it was acceptable to hold such views, so I took everything he said with a grain of salt. It just made me wonder how it's going to be when my generation gets older. Will we all be foul-mouthed liberal elderly people? Or will we be uptight conservative fogeys like him?

hey, Christians!

2006-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

Christian groups have their chastity belts in a twist because movies like Brokeback Mountain received Golden Globe Awards.

Stephen Bennett of Straight Talk Radio said: "Hollywood (has) exposed its own corrupt agenda. (It) is no doubt out on a mission to homosexualise America."

Yes, Christians. You have undoubtedly exposed Hollywood's ulterior agenda. Hollywood makes movies with the sole intention of transforming Americans into homosexuals. Money just happens to be an added bonus.

P.S. I used to be straight until I watched actors portray homosexuals in movies.

just a thought

2006-01-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was assessing two daughters whose elderly mother was hospitalized. One of the daughters asked me, "Is this what you do all day?" When prompted to think about what I do in my line of work, I felt pretty good. "Yes, this is what I do all day," I responded. "I just go around and talk to people all day and see what I can do to help them." It feels great knowing that I get to spend my day in such a productive manner. It's rare to find a job that pays you for talking and helping out people. I am really lucky.

hope is a four-letter word

2006-01-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

The more I work in the field of social work, the more I encounter jaded human service workers.

Take a co-worker of mine from my previous internship. L.A. County just hired him in order to include a male social worker at the mental health clinic at which I was interning. My field supervisor was absent one day, so I asked him if he could provide me with supervision that particular day. Instead of helping me find solutions to my cases, he basically told me that we have no hope in affacteing the clients we serve and the best we can do for them is to just listen to them. What he said still affects me to this day. If the person in whom you are confiding does not believe in your potential for change, how are you going to believe in it yourself?

Yesterday, I was working with an client who was clearly dependent on alcohol. He stated that he was willing to check himself into an alcohol rehab program, so I informed the nurses and discharge planners working with him about his decision. The Head Nurse said, "he's not going to do it. I'm just going to order the taxi voucher so he can get out of here." I was left speechless as she scurried away to get rid of him. The hospital is like a revolving door that ceaselessly throws people out as quickly as they come. I was the only person who believed that this client wanted to participate in the alcohol rehab program, so I made the arrangements myself and told the nurses that the people from the program would be picking him up shortly.

I've had social workers tell me before that my possession of hope is due to my inexperience. They say that the longer I work in the field, the more I will realize that my hope is unfounded. I think this jaded manner of thinking is utterly depressing and extremely unhelpful to the clients with whom we are working. I do understand that I will work with people who will hardly make an effort to change or outright refuse to do so. But I will always enter a therapeutic relationship with at least a little sliver of hope that perhaps, one day, the client will make at least a small, positive change. Some may say that I am naive to have hope for those who have failed time and time again, but I have seen the worst of the worst succeed. I have worked with clients who have been rotating in and out of the mental health system make dramatic changes. I have witnessed changes in my loved ones and even in myself. All human beings are amenable to change.

One client I was counseling was a polysubstance abuser. He was really guarded when he first worked with me, but he opened up later in the relationship. He once told me, "You're the only person who has really listened to me without judging me." Where others have judged his capacity to change, I kept an open mind and a hopeful heart. I just hope that the social worker who treats my loved ones will do the same.

I need your help to graduate

2006-01-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

To graduate in the spring from Cal State Long Beach, I need to complete a thesis (i.e., a research study). My thesis involves finding older adults who have been victims of telemarketing fraud.
If you know of anyone who is AT LEAST 60 YEARS OLD, ask them if they have been a victim of telemarketing fraud. I will give them $2 just for completing a survey about their past telemarketing fraud experiences.
I greatly appreciate your help!

Choose your own blog-a-venture part 3

2005-12-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

RULES

1. Post a comment to the blog post where you found this meme so that that blog owner can link to your post. In the comment describe what choice your post takes, and provide a link to your post.

2. Repost these rules at the top of the post

3. Post a link at the top of your part of the story to the blog you got the meme from so people can read what has happened previously in the story.

4. Add your portion of the story. It can be open ended, and therefore a continuation, or it can be an ending. Feel free to write anything you want, and feel free to add pictures to spice it up, introduce a different protagonist, change the very setting of the story, etc.

5. If your portion of the story is open ended then add links within your portion or at the end to blogs that are continuing the story (ie link to people that comment on your post, see rule 1).

Previously...
The man's throat was sore, and his voice was hoarse after screaming for help to no avail. He could feel his naked skin being slowly enveloped by a warm, liquid blanket of his own blood. Even though he was confronted with his own death, the man knew that he could at least choose how he wanted to die. He could either put himself out of his misery by killing himself with the razorblade or he could simply allow himself to die. The pain from the wound coalesced with his fear of dying, making the former option very attractive to him. Nevertheless, the man decided to choose die naturally because he did not want to eliminate any hopes of someone rescuing him. Indeed, the man still had hope of surviving, even though the odds were greatly stacked against him.

The man tried to distract himself from the pain and his fear by concentrating on the details of his surroundings. He noticed the grime which turned the caulk in between the tiles of the walls from pure white to a disgusting greenish/brown color. He noticed the little colonies of mold practically dripping from the ceiling of the bathroom. He counted the cracks that created miniature chasms in the porcelain of the bathtub. He noticed the tiny, dismembered foot that peeked out from underneath the toilet seat --

A tiny dismembered foot??? The man was feeling very faint from the large quantity of blood he was loosing. His body was growing cold, and it appeared that the room was starting to sway back and forth in his mind. The man knew he was taking his last few breaths, but he felt compelled to investigate what was in that toilet. With the little energy he had left, he gruelingly extended his arm towards the foot. To his dismay, his fingertips barely scraped the foot. "I must do this one thing before I die," he thought to himself. He tried again. He stretched out his arm once again and finally grabbed hold of the foot. He began to tug at it when he heard a loud boom. Suddenly, everything turned different shades of black.

For what seemed like hours later, the man emerged from his unconscious state. He was too afraid to open his eyes. Instead, he immediately clutched his neck, anticipating to feel a pool of blood. To his surprise, his neck felt dry; he only felt some jagged stitches running along the side of his neck. Before he could explore the rest of his body, he noticed dull pains throbbing throughout his body. He suddenly felt a sharp pain ravaging his forehead. As if reflexively reacting to the pain, he opened his eyes.

This time, the man's surroundings were familiar to him. He found himself laying in the bed in the same room in which he previously awoke. The nightstand was still situated next to the bed. The dresser loomed ominously in the corner of the room. The people displayed in the strange posters that adorned the walls continued leering at him suspiciously. The man couldn't believe that he barely overcame death and found himself in this room once again. "Was this Hell?" he thought to himself. He grabbed his neck one more time, but this time, he did it to check if he had a pulse. Yes...his pulse throbbed slowly beneath his skin. At least he was sure of one thing: he was alive.

The man felt the urge to pee again. He began moving his feet off of the bed to stand up, but realized that his lower body hurt too much to move. He resigned himself to peeing while on the bed. He reached for his penis in order to direct the pee towards the side of his bed. But as he extended his hand towards his genitals, he didn't feel anything but folds of skin. His heart thudded uncontrollably in his chest as he forced himself to look at his genitals. He no longer had a penis! His genitals resembled a woman's vagina! He began to feel nauseous with the mere thought of someone multilating his gentials. He looked up at the ceiling in despair and noticed a new poster tacked to it. It had a naked picture of his freakishly tampered body laying unconscious on the bathroom floor. On the bottom of the poster read, "Touch yourself."

"Is this someone's idea of a sick joke?!" he yelled out. A memory suddenly crept into the crevices of his mind. As it became more vivid, his head began to ache. The memory transported the man back into a smoky, dimly-lit bar in which he was hanging out with a group of his friends. He was laughing at a lewd joke that one of his friends was making. Although he couldn't remember the joke at that particular moment, he recalled saying in response, "If I had a vagina, I wouldn't get anything done. I'd just touch myself all day!" He and his friends laughed at this comment and continued taking long swigs from their beers. As the man was about to imbibe his beer, he noticed a very attractive female walking by. She was a slender woman with fair skin, long blonde hair, and large breasts who subtly smiled at him as she passed. However, what maintained his attention were not these features, but her intense silver eyes. She transfixed him with her gaze and mouthed the words, "You're going to get what you deserve." The memory quickly dissolved, and the man thought, "I don't understand."

After contemplating his situation for a few mintutes, the man decided that he had two choices now. He could either scream again for help. Or do what the poster said.

a happy post!

2005-12-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

Judging from the heavy content of my previous posts, you might just be ready to shoot yourself in the face. But before you do, remember that those experiences have made me cherish -- even more than the average individual -- the things I do have. Borrowing from The Disgruntled Chemist's Thanksgiving Day post, I am going to post how thankful I am this holiday season for what I have:

Although they can be very overprotective at times, I am thankful for having a family who at least cares that I come home every night in one piece.
I am thankful for having the loving and fun friends that I've had for years, who have become my surrogate family and have stuck with me when the going got rough. Special thanks to Stephen for being one of the best people I have ever met.
I am thankful for being with my awesome, gorgeous, and fun boyfriend, who I care about a lot and who cares about me, as well.
I am thankful for having enough money to go to school and for almost graduating!
I am thankful for having good health, a bed to sleep in, food to eat, shoes on my feet, and my own means of transportation.
I am thankful for all of the people and things of whom and of which I am unaware but help make my life a bit easier.
I am thankful for the passion I have that drives me to improve myself and the society in which we live.
I am thankful that you are reading this!

Happy Holidays. I love all of you!

my trip to Tijuana

2005-12-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

I went to Tijuana this past Monday, and I can honestly say it has changed me.

I've been to T.J. before as a child, but I guess I was too young to realize how bad it was there. This time, I went with a fellow student to visit her uncle who had recently moved there. I decided to accompany her, just for the experience. I never knew that it would affect me as much as it did.

I noticed a few things after I crossed the border. I noticed that the turnstiles leading into T.J. were easier to cross than those leading into a theme park. Right after we crossed the border, there were people vying for our attention (i.e., our money). Adults and children tried to sell almost anything they could to us; they sold grains of rice, candy, hairbraiding services, etc. It was interesting to see how most T.J. citizens depended on tourism. I also noticed that beer is amazingly cheap there; a beer was as little as 99 cents over there and is sold almost everywhere. In a place where people have hardly anything to look forward to but work, alcohol seems to be an inexpensive escape from the tedium of life. Crossing the border gave me a glimpse into the culture of T.J., which can be summed up as "survival of the fittest."

However, it got worse on our way to see my friend's uncle. He lived in a part of T.J. called Pedegral. We piled ourselves into this rundown taxicab and took a bunch of dirt roads to his house. On the way up to his house, I noticed that most of the houses were just pieces of wood precariously held together with nails. The "fancier" houses were made of some cement, and the "upscale" ones could afford to be painted, but such houses were rare. The side of the road was adorned with trash and things you'd find in a junkyard. The air was thick with pollution. I didn't see a stitch of grass or hardly any trees when I went there. All I saw were shacks, dirt, and trash.

When we got to his house, I was not surprised to see that it was nothing more than planks of wood fashioned into 3 small rooms. The house was no larger than the size of the average American living room. The house had a restroom, which was nothing more than a toilet in the ground. To take a shower, the uncle told us that he has to go to the back of his house and hose himself down with water (because it's too cold to do that during this time of the year, he said that nowadays he goes weeks without showering). He had a kitchen with a gas stove. He had a bedroom with a mattress large enough to accomdate 5 people (which he often did). There was only one small window in the house. The walls were so thin that I could hear everything that was happening in other rooms in the house and everything that was going on outside of the house. I could see the dirt underneath the house through the floorboards. There was one hanging lightbulb that was supposed to provide light for the whole house. It was unbearably cold in that house, and I could see water stains in the wood planks where water must have leaked into the house during heavy rains. In fact, the uncle lived right in front of a mountain that has seen more than its fair share of landslides. But as usual, I tried to look on the bright side and was thankful that he at least has running water, gas, and electricity -- which may be more than other people have in that town.

I was in his house for a few hours, and I thought to myself, "What do people do to survive living in such impoverished and squalid conditions?" Have sex, which is probably why I saw many large families there. Get drunk, which may explain why there was a liquor store at practically every corner. Work. Get into trouble. Look at the view of the mountains, which are usually blanketed with trash. Plan to illegally cross the border to pursue a life that involves more than working and coming home to a shack full of starving children.

Before this trip, I partially understood why people like my mother illegally crossed the border. I knew that it was bad in Mexico, and that it was better than the United States. But I didn't realize how bad it really was until I took this trip. If I lived there, I would most likely sacrifice my life to escape to anything better. It seems like people who are born as Mexican citizens are stuck there unless they scrape their way to America. I am thankful that my mother sacrificed her life to come to this country because if she hadn't, I may have become just another Mexican with 15 children selling my own body just to survive. I may have simply been another statistic.

It frustrates me that we are trying to fix the governments of other countries (i.e., Iraq) when we are complaining about illegal immigrants from Mexico flooding America. If we really want to solve the "problem" of illegal immigration, perhaps we should try to fix the government of Mexico before we build higher and higher walls across the border. Because if you lived in such squalor, the highest walls would not keep you from trying to escape to a better life.

Needless to say, I came home very depressed. I still think about that trip every day. I feel like there is something I should do, but I am not sure what. I feel a bit helpless about the whole situation over there, and that is one of the worst feelings to have in the world -- especially for a social worker.

what it's like

2005-12-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

Because social work values and ethics are so intertwined with my personal value system, it is hard not to view everything from the perspective of my profession. In other words, I constantly see the world through the eyes of a social worker.

This could get pretty depressing because I am often (a) angry at the many injustices that I see and other people could care less about; or (b) guilty because I feel it's unfair that I have a lot more than most of my clients. For example, a holiday does not pass when I don't think about how many people had to be oppressed to create this holiday. Thanksgiving can be traced back to the oppression of the American Indians. I associate Christmas with the religious wars that are occurring in the place where Christ was purportedly born. Furthermore, I also feel guilty about the things I do have. When I sleep in my warm bed, I feel guilty that other people are sleeping on the streets in 40 degree weather. When I cannot finish all of my food, I feel guilty because other people would do anything to have a bite of food in their stomachs. The list goes on and on. Having a social worker perspective is akin to having the ability to see the 4th dimension; it's something special, but not everyone can do it.

Nevertheless, having the perspective of a social worker is also very rewarding because of the little change I can effect. Even though I know I can't change the world, I know that my job enables me to influence at least one person's life each day. The fact that I am present to listen to a client's problems is probably more than any other person in his/her life is willing to do. Raising awareness about social and political issues that affect my clients further helps them by subverting the ignorance that is prevasive in this society. Assuming other social work roles (e.g., enabler, educator, advocate, etc.) allows me to help my clients in more ways than can most other professionals.

Seeing the world through the eyes of a social worker also makes me more thankful for my life. When I see how little my clients have, I feel much more thankful about what I have. I complain less than a lot of people I know because I see, on a daily basis, how life could be much worse.

I do not regret choosing this profession because I think this dual perspective has made me a more mature individual. I am appreciative of the fact that I have the opportunity to change lives everyday. I am glad that I found a profession that allows me to do what I love most.

I know this is going to kill my buzz, but...

2005-12-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

...I am going to attempt to write a blog entry about how I hobnobbed with Latino celebs tonight.

My friend Claudia invited me to a Zocalo event featuring Culture Clash, a sociopolitical Latino comedy group that has been around since the 80s. I had no idea who they were until tonight, but I was glad that I did get a chance to discover them. They basically talked about how they formed the group, what their purpose was, and what direction the group is taking. These are the following lessons I took from the lecture:
1.) The Latino people on TV (::cough::George Lopez::cough::) are perpetuating Latino stereotypes. Culture Clash has tried to spread its message via TV, but I guess they were too honest and too edgy to be on TV. So we're stuck with whitewashed Latinos , such as Eva Langoria and the like.
2.) Theatre can be used to subvert these stereotypes. People don't commonly think of theatre in the traditional sense (i.e., plays) as being able to make any sociopolitical change, but it is an excellent media for spreading the word when other forms of media are rejecting the promotion of the message.
3.) It's perfectly fine to be an angry Mexican. If we're complacent, we're stagnant. For example, Culture Clash spent a lot of time and energy trying to get Antonio Villaraigosa to be mayor back a few years ago. They failed back then, but they recently succeeded. Anger begets motivation, which in turn, begets change.

After the the lecture, they had a reception (another reason why I love going to these things -- wherever free food is, I go). Whenever I hear "reception," I think of snack foods, but these Mexicans went all out. They had wine, beer, hard liquor, tamales, quesadillas, chips, salsa, cheeses, pan dulce, champurrado -- the whole nine yards. It was the best Mexican food I've had in a LONG time. Plus, I got a pretty good buzz off of their free white wine.

After Claudia and I stuffed our faces with food and wine, we decided to chat with the members of Culture Clash. For those of you who are non-brown, these people are BIG in the Latino community, so we had to force our way through the crowd to get to them. Here's some memorable quotes from our meeting from the most interesting member, Richard Montoya:
Richard: (to me) "Are you goth?"
Me: (laughs) "No, I'm Linda. Nice to meet you." (shaking his hand)
Richard: "Are you sure you're not goth? You're a rocker, huh?"
Me: (laughs) "No, I'm just cold. That's why I'm wearing this leather jacket."
Richard: "Haha. I see. So Claudia is into The Cure. Who are you into?"
Me: "Cafe Tacuba"
Richard: "Ahhhh Cafe Tacuba!" (he proceeds to do a really good imitation of the lead singer then recounts the time in which he and the rest of Culture Clash shared a plane with the band. Very funny story, if you're into Cafe Tacuba)
Claudia: "When are you guys performing again?"
Richard: "Up in Berkeley. You guys should come! (to me) Have you been to Berkeley before?"
Me: "Nope, but I want to go."
Richard: "Oh, you'd like it. You look like a Berkeley girl..."

Obviously, the conversation continued. Richard Montoya was really friendly and funny. He ended up giving his number to Claudia at the end of the night for "business" purposes, and she kissed him in return. We took many pictures, which I will post soon.

Man, I have a sudden urge to go to Berkeley now...

If you're part of PETA, don't click on the link below.

2005-12-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

Awww look at the purty reindeer. Seriously, what kind of person would do this?

"can you e-mail me the MP3 in a floppy disk?"

2005-12-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

You must check out these prank calls made to the Recording Industry Association of America. They show how ridiculous the RIAA is for trying to sue anyone who downloads MP3s illegally.

this is the last time I mention this

2005-11-30T00:37:00.000-08:00

My internship is making me a little unhappy. And this is the first time I have admitted it to myself.

The main reason it is making me unhappy is because it doesn't make me feel like I am helping anyone. I just conduct assessments all day. Assessments only scratch the surface of an individual's life, and their superficial nature upsets me because I am not used to social work being so impersonal. I go home, forgetting who I saw and what we talked about because they all end up sounding the same to me. Sadly enough, the highlight of my day has become attending the hospital's bureaucratic meetings. When I don't feel like I am being challenged or when I feel that I am not being productive, I become unhappy because I know I can effect a lot of change, given the right circumstances.

I know this isn't what social work is all about. In my last internship, I was challenged. I got to conduct actual therapy sessions and run support groups -- the whole nine yards. I wasn't a mere drone working under the thumb of a big HMO.

However, as usual, I try to look on the bright side of things. Even though this internship sucks, it has taught me to not settle for less when I look for a job. Although medical social work boasts the greatest salary in the field, I would rather wake up everyday poor if it meant that I would feel happier in my job. Sounds cheesy, but it's true.

the supreme court is literally falling apart

2005-11-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

I don't know whether to laugh my ass off or write a sequel to 1984 after reading this.

salmon, smoking, and stealing

2005-11-29T12:51:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that eating salmon could increase your risk for diabetes? In spite of this article, I am still not convinced that I should stop eating this delicious fish ::drooling at the thought of it::

In other news, getting cancer should persuade you to stop smoking! DUH. I can't believe this article even made the headlines.

Another pointless article announces that consumers are more likely to download free music from file-sharing programs than to pay for it online. In other words, consumers prefer free stuff. What a novel concept. ::sigh::

Do you have any pointless news stories?

AIDS, AIDS, AIDS

2005-11-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

World AIDS Day is this Thursday, December 1st, which may explain why there has been a lot of news coverage about AIDS lately.

First and foremost, I am very happy to announce that GlaxoSmithKline has developed an AIDS vaccine, which they are racing to bring to the market. This is good news, considering that AIDS epidemics are emerging in other parts of the world, especially in Asia.

Despite this good news, vaccines may not be the solution to preventing AIDS. A very interesting article posits a new theory about the cause and perpetuation of AIDS. It basically says that AIDS continues to be a problem, not because of a lack of medicine or lack of aid, but because of political and economic repression. I think this would be an important issue to raise at conferences that are taking place this Thursday.

On Thursday, I will be attending a conference about Latinas and HIV/AIDS at California State University, Long Beach. For those of you who are unaware, Latinas are the fastest growing population being infected with HIV and AIDS. Everyone is invited to this event, and it is free (click here for more information). If you have some time to spare on Thursday and are passionate about such issues, you definitely should attend.

I am glad that these diseases are receiving the attention they deserve. I thank those of you who have raised awareness about HIV and AIDS.

why you may feel fat when you are not

2005-11-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

I always believed that brain anatomy and physiology had something to do with body image problems. Now there is some evidence suggesting that this may be the case. If you are knowledgable in the area of eating disorders, you'll know that this type of research is groundbreaking and long in coming.

the only poem of mine that I will ever post

2005-11-28T21:21:00.000-08:00

the scars dotting his arms
sing a monologue of loss and desperation
it is acid stinging my eyes
because i know that
the point at which needle punctures skin
is where all troubles end
...another one falls through
the cracks...

cynophobia

2005-11-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

I am always afraid that something like this is going to happen to me.

breaking news: illegal immigrants have common sense

2005-11-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

Carrot-and-stick approach? CARROT-AND-STICK APPROACH???! Wow. I love how this article suggests that illegal immigrants are like rats that can be lured into some program like cheese in a trap. The government must think that illegal immigrants are extremely stupid to fall for something like this.
Am I the only one who is pissed off at this?

another reason to hate the United States

2005-11-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

How dare you ask the U.S. to cut down our emissions of gases? The economy is obviously more important than the stupid Earth.

it's a long post, but I guarantee good times

2005-11-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

I have said it before, and I will say it again: people with postgraduate education are often the most socially inept people around.

I was watching The People's Court on TV , which showed a case about two people with PhDs who fell in love with each other. The guy had a PhD in Chemistry, and the woman had a doctorate in Medicine. After finding each other through the website date-a-doc.com (which no longer exists -- go figure), they got into a relationship. A year into the relationship, the woman ends up finding out that the guy was lying to her about not being married. However, she still sticks with him because she "loves" him. A few months later, the guy ends up getting bored with her and dumps her. She gets mad. She sues.

The woman was taking the guy to court essentially for breaking her heart. She wanted him to compensate her for everything she bought during the course of the relationship because it was all given to her under fraudulent pretenses (i.e., under the impression that he was NOT married). And when I say she wanted compensation for "everything," I mean EVERYTHING, including the following: peanuts he ate/towels he used at her house, chocolates she bought him, massage oils he used on her, the DIAPHRAGM she got fitted for use with him, presents she bought for his daughter -- the list goes on and on. And this woman had proof of everything she did in the relationship; she kept receipts for ALL of the things she bought throughout the course of the relationship and even catalogued in her diary details of all her sexual encounters with the guy. Her obsessiveness seemed like it would make a strong case for her.

By this time, I'm guessing the audience in the courtroom was feeling a bit sorry for this woman because she put her heart on line, just to be lied to and dumped. However, we end up finding out that the woman lied to the guy about her age. So this relationship was basically built on lies. You thought people with PhDs would know that something like that wouldn't work, right?

It comes to no surprise that the judge becomes upset with the woman. She is mad because the woman is taking the guy to court for being fraudlent when the she is also guilty of the same offense. The judge is also upset because the woman is suing for experiencing something that we all have experienced but cannot receive compensation for: heartbreak. She said, "What makes YOU so special that you can sue for getting your heart broken? You have to suck it up like the rest of us, and learn from it." I guess the woman thought that her logic would prevent her from getting hurt or would at least help her get revenge if she did get hurt. Silly doctors.

But imagine a world where you could sue someone for breaking your heart? Imagine how many people would be suing you for that offense, if that was possible.

Lesson learned: leave relationships to people with lower levels of education.

The words "Bush" and "sexy" should never be used in the same sentence

2005-11-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

The person who made this PostSecret must be from Texas, for obvious reasons.

Beware of nymphos

2005-11-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

Watch out for women who stalk you for sex. They may have AIDS.

Who'd have thunk...

2005-11-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

...that a kiss could literally kill you? Read about it here.
So all of you guys take note: you now know how to kill your girlfriend without getting sanctioned for it. (I mean, c'mon now -- how could her boyfriend NOT know of her medical condition?)

stop bitching and start DOING

2005-11-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."
--Albert Einstein

Change starts with you.
Go to www.volunteermatch.org to find ways to help.

the truth, for the first time

2005-11-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

"But you're so young."
I may be young, but I know more than many people who are older than me.

My favorite quote is by an African American man called Daryl Davis. Unlike most African Americans, Daryl decided to become friends with members of the Ku Klux Klan. His attempt to understand these members, rather than to repudiate them (as most people would have), is a testament to his open-mindedness. He was was open-minded enough to view these members as people, rather than as "evil hate mongers." Because he was willing to understand them, some members even quit the Klan.

And sometimes that's all it takes to encourage you to change -- having someone try to understand where you're coming from. That's what I try to do. I see "society's rejects" in my profession constantly: homeless people, murderers, drug addicts, etc. People often blame these individuals for their problems, instead of trying to understand them. Like Daryl Davis, I try to keep an open mind when working with anyone and try to see the individual behind the label. And I have clients who thank me for not judging them and actually believing in their ability to change. Imagine if everyone was like this?

Daryl Davis once said, "By actively learning about others, you are passively learning about yourself." It's a simple quote, but I can greatly relate to it because my profession has provided me with a glimpse into the human condition. I have learned a great deal from hearing countless stories that clients have shared with me throughout the years.

In those very intimate moments in which someone is sharing personal information with me, I feel privileged. I feel fortunate because their stories not only enable me to help them, but they also enhance my understanding about life itself. I am very lucky to be in this profession, for it has allowed me to learn a lot more in 23 years than most people will learn in their lifetimes. It's just a shame that most people fail to recognize this and equate wisdom with a number.

Like I said, vote no on almost everything "Ah-nold" wants

2005-10-31T12:46:00.000-08:00

Social Workers Voter Guide to the Special Election

November 8, 2005

The following voter guide was created by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), which can be found on their website. These positions are based on the NASW Code of Ethics and official Delegate Assembly Positions in "Social Work Speaks." I am posting this guide to give you a social worker's perspective of the propositions. Hopefully, it will provide you with some new insight on these initiatives.

"Vote NO on Proposition 73
This initiative would amend the California constitution and require that physicians notify a minor’s parent prior to providing an abortion. While mandatory notification laws may sound good, in the real world they put teenagers in danger. If this measure passes – some teens may delay seeking abortion services thus increasing their risk for complications and/or may seek unsafe and/ or illegal abortions to avoid their parents finding out. Prop 73 puts the most vulnerable teens at risk. Parents rightfully want to be involved in their teenagers’ lives and all parents want what is best for their children. But government cannot mandate good family communication.

Vote NO on Proposition 74
This measure would do nothing to improve public education or deal with the real problems facing our schools. It unfairly attempts to blame teachers for the problems in our public schools, ignoring the realities of underfunding, overcrowding, and the lack of materials and resources needed for effective teaching and learning. If this measure passes, new teachers would serve a 5-year probationary period rather than the current two years, and would lose the right to even have a fair hearing on their dismissal for a full 5 years. Current law already allows for firing teachers who are not performing in the classroom, no matter how long they have been on the job.

Vote NO on Proposition 75
This initiative would prohibit public employee labor unions from using union dues or fees for political contributions unless their members provide written consent. The initiative is sponsored by corporate special interests that want to limit the political voice of teachers, nurses, police, firefighters, and social workers. If this measure passes – a restriction on political speech would apply only to public employees, and not to private sector employees or corporate contributions.

Vote NO on Proposition 76
This measure would give the Governor the power to ignore Prop. 98 – a voter approved minimum funding levels for schools, and cut health and human services, police, fire and other vital services, without legislative checks and balances. If passed – many of our social services programs will be in jeopardy because there are few mandatory spending levels in social services.

Vote NO on Proposition 77
Amends state Constitution's process for redistricting California's Senate, Assembly, Congressional and Board of Equalization districts. Requires three-member panel of retired judges selected by legislative leaders.

Vote NO on Proposition 78
Sponsored by the big drug companies, this initiative would allow drug companies to enter into a “voluntary” prescription drug discount program, but does nothing to mandate they participate. This measure is an attempt to fool voters and keep them from voting for the consumer friendly prescription drug relief plan contained in Prop. 79.

Vote YES on Proposition 79
This measure creates a drug discount program that requires participation by drug manufactures, or companies will lose the right to sell drugs through the state’s Medi-Cal program. It will mean steep discounts for seniors, families, small businesses, and the State. The initiative allows the State to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for millions of Californians."

Don't forget to vote next Tuesday, November 8th!

Americans make me angry

2005-10-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Bush and Cheney are still in office. These people are fucking CRIMINALS!!! How can you not see that???

Celebrate Bush's 1-year re-election anniversary the right way

2005-10-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

On November 2, the first anniversary of Bush's "re-election", a massive day of resistance will be organized all over this country. People throughout the nation will repudiate this criminal regime by walking out of school and work on this day. November 2 must be a massive and public proclamation that WE REFUSE TO BE RULED IN THIS WAY. November 2 will be the beginning — a giant first step in forcing Bush to step down, and a powerful announcement that we will not stop until he does and it will join with and give support and heart to people all over the globe who so urgently need and want this regime to be stopped.

These next days are crucial. What you are reading has to get out to millions right away — on the Internet, passed out as flyers in communities, published as ads in newspapers. DO NOT WAIT!! GET ORGANIZED!! Send this to friends, your church, your school, your union, your health club, your barber shop, concerts, libraries, family gatherings -- everywhere you go. Get people together, and make plans to be there on November 2.

The world can't wait! Drive out the Bush Regime! Mobilize for November 2!

Click here to find out the protest locations.

For information about this protest, click here.

Please help

2005-10-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am participating in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk THIS SATURDAY, October 22nd at Hollywood Park. After the AIDS Walk, I know most of you are probably not interested in sponsoring me for yet another charity event scheduled so soon to the last one. However, I am still committed to doing this, so if you really believe in funding research and treatments for people with Alzheimer's disease, feel free to make a contribution by clicking here. For those of you who did not sponsor me last time, here's your chance to do so.

Most of us can name someone who has had Alzheimer's disease. My grandfather had it, and it is a devastating disease. More than 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and this number is expected to grow to 11 to 16 million by the middle of this century. If we do not find a cure in the near future, you or your loved ones may be afflicted with this disease in the future.

Any contribution you can make will be greatly appreciated. I thank you for taking the time to read this.

the government owns my genitals

2005-10-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

NPR reported that Harriet Miers, nominee for Supreme Court Justice, indicated on a questionnaire that she was against abortion. Many opponents of this nomination believe that Miers' beliefs regarding abortion suggest that she may attempt to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, if she is elected as the new Supreme Court Justice (which I am almost certain will happen).

I am really getting sick of these conservatives trying to relinquish my right to do whatever I please with my own reproductive organs. According to many conservatives, life begins at conception, so any form of birth control is tantamount to killing a person. If abortions become prohibited, I forsee other methods of birth control becoming banned in order to "protect the sanctity of human life." In other words, I forsee the law further reinforcing Christian beliefs that sex is only intended for procreation. It's 1984 coming to life.

does this make sense to you?

2005-10-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

The media has recently brought to public awareness the surge in violence between Mexican and African American students in L.A. County high schools. This has been a problem ever since I attended high school and persists as my brother is attending my old high school. Mexican and African American students have been constantly threatening to hurt each other.

Believe it or not, Mexicans underwent a similar experience of segregation as the African Americans. During the early 1900s, 80-90% of school districts in the southwest segregeated Mexicans from Caucasians. Mexican children had to attend schools that were labled "Mexican schools," which were essentially substandard educational facilities that perpetuated the economic disadvantages of this population. During this era, Mexicans were treated as if they were living under Jim Crow laws. For example, Mexicans were not allowed to enter certain businesses or to use public pools until the day prior to their cleaning. Chief Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren -- the same person who desegregated schools nationally in Brown vs. The Board of Education -- initially desegregated all "Mexican schools" in California as Governor of this state. If Mexicans and African Americans share similar histories of segregation, why does a rivalry exist between these two populations?

"I'm a social worker. I earned a B.A. in 19th Century Art"

2005-10-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

Imagine a world in which it is perfectly legal to call yourself a doctor, a lawyer, or a physicist even if you have not earned a degree in these fields. Well, you can stop imagining this because this is a reality that social workers face every day. Unlike many other professions in which one must earn the title of "doctor," "lawyer," etc., social workers are not granted such title protection. In other words, anybody without any training in social work can call themselves social workers.

Recently, social workers tried to pass a bill that would grant them title protection. Unfortunately, the bill did not pass, primarily because of the costs involved. For instance, it would cost a lot of money to change titles of positions at agencies across the nation(e.g., people who erroneously call themselves social workers would have to call themseleves something else, which would lead to change in agency job manuals, etc.). Furthermore, title protection would lead to an increase in social work salaries because agencies would need to hire social workers with actual social work degrees.

I'm not only in support of title protection because of the increase it would guarantee for my future salary, but also because it would regulate the current practice of social work. With title protection, social workers would have to register with a board that would oversee the quality of the work that they provide. People who currently call themseleves social workers and fail to reflect social work values will no longer tarnish the reputation of true social workers who abide by a code of ethics.

Other countries, like the UK, have already granted title protection to its social workers. It seems like the US cares only about the money and is not really concerned with the population that social workers are serving (i.e., disadvantaged minorities). It is very disenchanting when one lives in a country where the dollar takes precedence over human lives.

So if you see anything on upcoming ballots about social worker title protection, please support it. The people who toiled through 6-10 years of school to earn an MSW will thank you for it.

People's rationale for not buying a Hybrid

2005-10-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

"Social work" intern: Well, if you think about it, in the long run, you're not going to be saving money on gas because a Hybrid costs much more than a regular car.

Me: But you are going to be saving the environment! That's more important than saving a few bucks on a car.

Wow. Even social workers can be pretty ignorant about the environment.

F.Y.I. This intern recently bought a BMW sportscar, and he spends $50 for a tank of gas. That is more money than I spend on a tank of gas for my mother's SUV.

in which century are we living?

2005-10-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was watching Blind Date today, and they set up this independent-minded woman with an arrogant jackass. During the first few minutes of the date, the man told his date that he was going to be "very successful" and retire by the time he is 40 with investments he is currently making in real estate. He further went on to say that he wants his woman to be a stay-at-home mom who does nothing but cook and shop all day. Because he will be making the money in the household, he said that he will be "the leader" and make all of the decisions for her. Basically, this guy wants to marry a mindless baby-making cooking machine. I mean, a career may be too much for a woman's pweetty little head to handle, right?

I admit that a lot of women I know would like nothing better but to marry a guy who will take care of them for the rest of their lives. More power to those women for using their vaginas to get what they want. But such a life is a joke for women like me, who want to do something more than rot in a house with annoying children. I thought most people could respect that, but guys like this one demonstrate that there are people who still -- in the year 2005 -- cannot handle this "alternative" lifestyle.

I just can't believe that men the same age as me still possess such archaic and unrealistic beliefs.

What do you think?

I would diagnose him with a dissociative disorder

2005-10-13T00:31:00.000-07:00

A psychiatrist with whom I work at my internship was wearing a shirt under his lab coat that said, "I'd Rather Be Hosting My Own Radio Show." It was classic. I need to get a shirt like that, so that I can wear it EVERYWHERE.

gratuitous self-admiration

2005-10-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

Being the only Spanish-speaking social worker in the hospital makes me feel omnipotent. Worship me.

"Danger" is my middle name

2005-10-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

People don't usually think of social work as a profession in which one can get killed. Let me give you two recent examples of how social work can be dangerous:

Two of my fellow grad students are now wearing bullet-proof vests to their internships. Apparently, they are the first two interns to work in the new Meth Unit at DCFS (Dept of Children & Family Services). As part of this unit, interns accompany cops on meth lab raids, in hopes of assuaging the traumatic effects that this could have on the children living in the houses with the meth labs. For the safety of everyone involved, I think it would be a better idea for the police to transport the children to social workers immediately after the raid, rather than having the workers come with them (but that's just a logical woman talking here).

Another fellow student of mine witnessed a domestic dispute between a man and his girlfriend, and he reported it to the police. My fellow student had to go pick up the girlfriend to take her to court because nobody else could do so. While waiting for her to get ready, he saw a tattooed gangster driving slowly by the girlfriend's house, glaring at him. Because it was the man's third and final strike, it would have been in his best interest to send one of his gangster buddies to his girlfriend's house in order to ensure that she didn't get to court. Of course, my fellow student was scared shitless, and immediately called for help.

When working in a profession that involves people, there is always a risk that one will get hurt. However, I do not understand why there are constantly propositions on ballots requesting more police officers when social workers are doing the jobs that cops should be doing. May you explain this to me?

racism and bigotry are fun

2005-10-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Being a MexiJapaguese (Mexican, Portuguese, and Japanese), I have heard my fair share of racist and bigoted comments. I have listed a few below, with my commentary, for your enjoyment:

"Who'd want to visit Mexico? It's WAY better here." [I mean, who REALLY wants to immerse themselves in another culture when it's much more comfortable to stay here and remain ethnocentric?]

"You speak Spanish? I wouldn't have thought you did, considering the fact that you're so smart." [Yeah, who could have imagined that Mexican people had brains AND used them?]

"The people who come to this country and don't make it deserve what they get. If they don't like it here, they should go back to where they came from." [Of course! Immigrants deserve to suffer because they are subhuman! And instead of voicing the sociopolitical injustices perpetrated against them, they should just escape these problems and go back to their countries of origin. I mean, they CHOSE to be born there anyway.]

Me: [jokingly] "What kind of chocolates are these? Are these chocolate-covered grasshoppers?"
Chocolate Shop Owner: "No, they only have chocolate-covered grasshoppers in Mexico." [Chocolate-covered grasshoppers are a staple of Mexican cuisine. We have them for dessert very holiday season.]

Have you experienced anything like this before?

Factors Perpetuating the Absence of a National Health Care Policy

2005-10-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that lacks a national health care policy. Even though the cost of health care in the US is greater than for any other industrialized nation, the US has higher infant mortality rates and lower life expectancy rates than many other countries. Therefore, the absence of a national health care policy does not appear to be conducive to the health of Americans. Despite these adverse consequences, the US continues to lack a national health care policy due to American beliefs about illness, American views about health care, and the privatization of health care in the US.

American views regarding the origin of illness undermine the need for a national health care policy because they tend to underscore individual, rather than collective, responsibility for health. Such beliefs originated during the antebellum period (1820-1860) in which it was popularly believed that diseases could be prevented through self-control (e.g., control over food intake, sleeping patterns, sexual urges, etc.). People who were ill were thus blamed for their poor health because health was viewed as accessible to anyone who chose to engage in illness prevention. Antebellum notions of health currently persist in the US, for illness is still viewed as preventable via self-control. For example, people who are diagnosed with obesity are often blamed for their illness because they did not control their eating and exercise patterns. Health is still deemed an individual choice, available to those who are willing to implement the self-control necessary to prevent illness. Due to the notion that health is one’s personal responsibility, most Americans are unwilling to pay for the treatment of the ill. A national health care policy, which connotes collective responsibility for illness, is thus highly unlikely if people continue to believe that health results from individual choice.

The belief that health is one’s personal responsibility reflects the predominant American idea that health care is a privilege, not a right, and therefore precludes the need for a national health care policy. Health care is viewed as a privilege in the US because access to it is mainly earned through participation in the labor force. For instance, most Americans acquire health care coverage through insurance plans that their employer provides. Elderly people usually obtain their health care coverage from Medicare, which they and their employer paid into when they participated in the workforce. Thus, consistent with the Protestant work ethic, access to health care is a benefit enjoyed by those who merit it through their contribution to the labor force. Most Americans are opposed to paying for national health care because it would provide health care to everyone, subverting the current notion that health care is a privilege that must be individually earned, rather than collectively sought.

The American perception of health care as a privilege has resulted in the privatization of the US health care system, rather than in the provision of national health care. US health care is regulated by market demand, which has led to increases in the cost of -- and the profits made from -- health care. For example, marketplace regulation of health care has enabled health insurance companies to earn annual increases in their profits. The commoditization of health care has also prompted pharmaceutical companies to spend billions of dollars advertising its products, causing the price of medication to be higher in the US than in any other country. Furthermore, health care privatization has resulted in increased competition in the development and use of updated medical technology, which is only available to people who can afford it. Because health care is a lucrative industry in the US, many people have opposed a national health care policy that may remove health care from the marketplace. For instance, former President Clinton attempted to pass the Health Security Act (HSA), which contained components of a national health care system. This bill was never passed because health insurers, small business lobbyists, and pharmaceutical companies expressed fierce opposition against it, fearing that it would eliminate marketplace regulation of health care and thereby endanger their profits. Therefore, proposals for a national health care policy often lack support due to the belief that such a policy may make health care a right – and thereby less profitable to the health care industry.

Three main reasons exist for the lack of a national health care policy in the US. People are unwilling to support such a collective health care policy due to archaic beliefs that health is one’s individual responsibility. Because of these individualistic notions regarding the origins of health, health care has been deemed a privilege that is awarded to those who have earned it through participation in the labor force. The belief that health care is a privilege is reinforced by the privatization of health care in the marketplace, making health care a commodity that is afforded by few. Until these factors are changed, there seems to be little hope for the development of a national health care policy in the US.

Some fun facts about The Patriot Act

2005-10-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

Target population at which The Patriot Act is aimed

The Patriot Act specifically targets terrorists, who tend to share common characteristics. Terrorists tend to be single males between the ages of 13 and 27. They are generally marginalized, isolated, and geographically immobile people from poor, dysfunctional families. As a result, many terrorists join terrorist groups as a means to develop a sense of belonging that their families failed to provide. Terrorists also tend to suffer from depression and one or more personality disorders, such antisocial personality disorder or oppositional defiant disorder (Schbley, 2003; Turco, 1987).

Terrorists can be classified into three typologies on the basis of their distinguishing qualities: political-social, criminal, and psychiatric. Political-social terrorists are usually affiliated with territorial, cultural, religious, or ideological groups. Criminal terrorists tend to commit terrorism though hostage situations. Psychiatric terrorists tend to be severely mentally ill. Regardless of a terrorist’s typology, his or her main goal for the terrorist act is usually to receive publicity from it (Turco, 1987).

Terrorist groups usually consist of a leader, an activist/operator, and an idealist. Leaders tend to be middle-class females who usually project their insecurities and anxieties onto others. They generally suffer from paranoid personality disorders, which cause them to be suspicious and obstinate. Unlike leaders, activists/operators are frequently lower-class males. They are usually former soldiers or are recruited from prisons. They also tend to have a short temper, blame others, and suffer from antisocial personality disorder. Idealists, on the other hand, usually join a terrorist group because they are guilty, dependent individuals who believe the group will endow their lives with meaning. Their naivety is exploited by the stronger members of the group. Nevertheless, they are usually the members most amenable to change in a terrorist group (Turco, 1987). Therefore, a terrorist group generally consists of a dynamic interaction between the different personality traits of its members.

The common characteristics of the terrorist population, however, obscure the fact that no uniform description of a terrorist exists. Indeed, terrorists differ across many characteristics, including socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnicity. Because a terrorist can be virtually anybody, the size of the terrorist people population is unknown.

Intended effects of The Patriot Act on the target population

In an attempt to discover and prevent terrorist activity, the Patriot Act modified the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA; Zeljak, 2004a). FISA, which was developed in 1978 to protect people’s Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures, mandates the regulation of government searches and surveillance (Zeljak, 2004b). However, Section 215 of the Patriot Act has expanded the government’s ability to monitor and search business, computer, library, educational, and medical records (McCarthy-Smith & Tanner, 2002; Zeljak, 2004b). Proponents of the Patriot Act claim that such authority will enable the government to have access to the transactions, records, and communications of terrorists as a preemptive measure against future terrorist attacks (Jaeger, McClure, Bertot, & Snead, 2004). After such information indicates that particular individuals are suspected of engaging in terrorist activity, they are detained in order to prevent them from committing any terrorist acts (Jaeger, McClure, Bertot, & Snead, 2004). Section 215 of the Patriot Act thereby intends to prevent threats to national security by facilitating the procuring and sharing of information pertaining to terrorist attacks.

Unintended effects of The Patriot Act on the target population

These intended effects of the Patriot Act mask the unintended effects of the policy on the target population of terrorists. For instance, the Act’s expansion of FISA has inadvertently resulted in an increased number of FISA investigations (Jaeger, Bertot, & McClure, 2003). The Patriot Act has also resulted in a distraction from the genuine causes of national security threats (Jaeger et al., 2004); for example, intense poverty may cause a person to resort to terrorism as a means to regain a sense of power in his or her life. Because Arab and Muslims tend to be suspected of terrorism more often than members of other ethnic groups (Cole, 2003), the Patriot Act may have resulted in a greater number of Arab and Muslim terrorists being detained. Hence, the major unintended effects of the Patriot Act on terrorists include increased FISA investigations, distraction from the true sources of terrorism, and increased detention of Arab and Muslim terrorists.
Intended effects of the policy on the non-target population

The Patriot Act is meant to protect non-target populations from terrorism. Similar to the target population of terrorists, the non-target population can consist of virtually anybody. Anybody can be included as part of the non-target population because the Patriot Act provides an unclear definition of the activities that constitute terrorism. This vague classification of terrorism results in a number of unintended effects on the non-target populations influenced by the Patriot Act.

Unintended effects of The Patriot Act on the non-target population

The unintended effects of the Patriot Act on non-target populations are primarily due to the fact that the Act defines terrorist activities so broadly that they can apply to non-criminal activities unrelated to terrorism. According to officials from the United States Justice Department, hundreds of cases unrelated to terrorism or other crimes have been pursued under the Act (Zeljak, 2004a). The non-target populations affected by this policy include peaceful political dissenters, people innocently associated with terrorists, non-terrorist criminals, immigrants, library patrons/staff, and people who use or work in businesses.

The Patriot Act’s description of terrorist activities, for instance, can unintentionally apply to all forms of peaceful dissent – even if the dissent is not in protest of the war on terrorism. Under the Patriot Act, for instance, terrorist charges have resulted in the imprisonment of AIDS activists who peacefully protested public health measures (Warren, 2004). By castigating people for expressing dissent, the Act results in the violation of people’s First Amendment right to freedom of expression (Jaeger et al., 2003). People who politically dissent, therefore, have become non-target populations of the Act.

The Patriot Act’s definition of terrorists also inadvertently extends to people who are merely associated with terrorists. Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows federal authorities to conduct criminal investigations without being required to follow the legal safeguards of the Fourth Amendment protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures (Zeljak, 2004a). Consequently, Section 215 has legalized the surveillance and search of many more people in a criminal investigation, even those who are tangentially related to the investigation (Zeljak, 2004b). This provision allows federal authorities to investigate any tangible thing pertaining to these tangentially-related individuals, including electronic or voice mail communications, without probable cause and in complete secrecy (Dority, 2004; Jaeger et al., 2003; Zeljak, 2004b). Because of Section 215, individuals who are found to be associated with terrorists will have their citizenship revoked, even if they are not terrorists themselves (Cole, 2003). The Patriot Act thereby enables government officials to subvert people’s Fourth Amendment right in order to criminalize non-criminals who possess innocent connections to terrorists.

Not only does the description of terrorist activities in the Patriot Act affect non-criminals, but it also unintentionally affects criminals who do not engage in any terrorist activities. The Patriot Act’s expansion of federal searches and surveillance has been abused in cases unrelated to terrorism. For example, federal authorities have exploited their expanded investigative capacity on criminals involved in drug trafficking and corporate fraud; many of these criminals have been convicted as terrorists, even though they were engaging in non-terrorist crimes. Indeed, 25% of cases labeled as “international terrorism” are actually common crimes unrelated to terrorist activity (Dority, 2004). Section 215 permits the sharing of information collected from these investigations with any government investigative agency, law enforcement agency, or attorney (Jaeger et al., 2003); such a provision increases the potential for the information to be shared inappropriately, which can damage criminal court cases unrelated to terrorism (Zeljak, 2004b). The Patriot Act thus results in the investigation and conviction of non-terrorist criminals as terrorists, while ensuing in harm to their court cases.

The Patriot Act also inadvertently affects the non-target population of immigrants, especially those who are Arab and Muslim. The Act has resulted in increased difficulty for foreign visitors, students, and workers to enter the United States. These individuals must wait for months to obtain visa approval, particularly those who are studying or working in fields that pose a national security threat (e.g., physical sciences or technology; Zeljak, 2004a). Furthermore, a provision of the Act precludes these individuals from entering the country if they express dissent against the war on terrorism. Once in the country, another stipulation of the Act authorizes the deportation of foreign nationals who are even unwittingly associated with organizations that government officials deem to be unfavorable (Cole, 2003). Such provisions in the Patriot Act result in the alienation of people with whom government officials should be fostering relationships in order to intercept terrorists. Many Arab and Muslim immigrants, for instance, have been deported for routine violations in their immigration status that are easily ameliorable. In fact, some Arabs and Muslims have felt so unwelcome in the United States that they have decided to return to their homelands (Dority, 2004). Moreover, the Act results in the repeating of history, for past legislation has also targeted immigrants. For example, the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 deported immigrants suspected of treason (Dority, 2004). The Japanese-American Internment during World War II detained thousands of Japanese immigrants (Cole, 2003). Similar to past legislation, the Patriot Act has resulted in the estrangement of immigrants – especially those of Arab and Muslim descent.

In addition to impacting immigrants, the Patriot Act unintentionally affects citizens, such as library patrons and staff. Section 215 of the Act indicates that the FBI no longer has to demonstrate probable cause of criminal activity in order to search any tangible item in the library, such as books, e-mails, and patron records. This provision results in the replication of history, for it mirrors the McCarthy era’s Library Awareness Program; comparable to the Patriot Act, this program monitored the materials that library patrons borrowed. The Act also grants federal authorities the right to remove certain items from the library, which has consequently fostered uncertainty among library staff as to which materials to limit or remove. Moreover, Section 215 of the Act contains a secrecy clause that prohibits library staff from disclosing the FBIs presence in the library, which keeps patrons unaware of the fact that they are being monitored. Once they are monitored, the Act allows federal officials to detain patrons for the types of books they borrow from the library, even if these people are not associated with any terrorist activities (Gelsey, 2002; Jaeger et al., 2004). In effect, the Act violates patrons’ First Amendment right to freedom of expression (Demmer, 2002) because the Act prevents people from seeking knowledge from the library without fear of becoming an FBI target. Also because of Section 215, library staff has been working in fear and confusion; some libraries voluntarily relinquish patron information to the FBI, whereas others protect or destroy records pertaining to library patrons (Gelsey, 2002; Jaeger et al., 2004). Hence, the Patriot Act unintentionally instills apprehension and uncertainty among employees and patrons of the library.

Additionally, the Patriot Act inadvertently affects the consumers, employees, and employers of businesses. The Patriot Act requires businesses to disclose information to the government in relation to terrorist investigations. Doing so, however, results in a breach of consumer confidentiality. As a result, litigation has increased against businesses for their failure to protect private consumer information. Financial institutions, in particular, must follow Title III of the Patriot Act, which contains stipulations designed to combat money laundering. Due to this provision, financial institutions must include policies, procedures, controls, and employee training programs created to prevent and detect money laundering (McCartney-Smith & Tanner, 2002). These new requirements entail a great deal of financial and human capital, which some businesses cannot afford to provide. By contrast, non-financial institutions are not required to follow Title III, so the government will more closely scrutinize these businesses. Increased government scrutiny translates into slower processing of business transactions (McCartney-Smith & Tanner, 2002), which may result in lower profit margins due to consumer dissatisfaction with the speed of service. Therefore, the Patriot Act has unintentionally and adversely impacted consumer privacy and business revenues.

Evidently, the short-term, unintended effects of the Patriot Act negatively influence the non-target populations. The Act violates people’s First Amendment right to freedom of expression and thought by suppressing peaceful dissent and the search for knowledge in libraries. The Act has led to abuses of Fourth Amendment rights by (a) criminalizing people unwittingly associated with terrorists; (b) penalizing non-terrorist criminals as terrorists; and (c) sacrificing the privacy of consumers and library patrons. The Act has also alienated immigrants and negatively altered the functioning of businesses. Unfortunately, the enduring consequences of the Act appear to be as bleak as its short-term effects.

For example, by requiring businesses to disclose consumer information, the Patriot Act changes the way they function. These changes may result in diminished consumer trust and reduced business revenues. Consequently, the provisions of Act pertaining to businesses may produce enduring damage to the economy.

In the long-term, the Patriot Act may also instill in American citizens and immigrants with a pervasive fear that they may become targets of federal investigation for engaging in activities that are unrelated to terrorism. Borrowing a book from the library or sending e-mail to another person, for instance, has become a risky endeavor because it may incriminate one under the stipulations of the Patriot Act. The fear of becoming targets of the Patriot Act may, in turn, lead to self-censorship.

The long-term consequences of the Patriot Act are even more deleterious for immigrants because their foreign status increases the chances that they will become suspected of being terrorists. The Patriot Act may therefore result in the legitimization of discrimination against immigrants in the interest of national security. In treating immigrants as suspects, the Act may also damage US international relations.

The Patriot Act may additionally result in a lasting change in the creation of future policies. The Patriot Act perhaps marks the beginning of a series of policies intended to protect national security at the expense of our constitutional rights. In fact, the Patriot Act may even provide the impetus for other policymakers to create other pieces of legislation -- unrelated to national security -- that further justify abuse to our constitutional rights.