Sad Story of an Oakland Do-Gooder

JUDY SALAMON - Sad Case of an Oakland Do-Gooder

I was captured by the story of
Judy Salamon of Oakland whose life was  tragically
Snuffed out by a bullet July 24, 2013

Judy was part of a unique, caring and tight mixed-race , small, idyllic community surrounded by the 'killing fields' of East Oakland. It's a community of middle age , liberal folks who care about Oakland and the middle class community they live in, and chose to settle in the old, tree lined and charming Maxwell Park district rather than running to the safer suburbs like so many others in their demographic.

Salamon's IS a story of a woman , who had done the corporate thing , been married and divorced , and decided to downscale her life and do the humanitarian things she loved, even if it involved risks.  That would be caring for animals, walking dogs, placing pets in new homes and , generally looking after these furry friends who don't have the voice of humans all amidst one of the highest crime areas in the nation. However, the tight knit community had been relatively crime free with its neighborhood association and neighborhood watch. The 'random' killing has shocked and re-awoken this sometimes idyllic neighborhood and shows that, perhaps , the floodgates of violence here can no longer be held back.

Sixty-six year old Maxwell Park resident Judy Salamon was driving through the nearby Fairfax District when she was fatal wounded by gunfire on Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Maxwell Park and the Fairfax District adjoined neighborhoods in Central East Oakland, situated on the opposite side of High Street from Fruitvale. Around 10:00pm, neighbors began gathering on Fern Street between Fairfax Avenue and Brookdale to hold an impromptu vigil in her memory where she died just outside of Home of Peace, a 115 year old Orthodox Jewish Cemetery. Neighbors gathered to light candles, leave flowers and other mementos, and share stories of the well-liked woman, who was best known as an animal lover.

Judy, ironically, was driving past the Home of Peace Cemetery, a 115-year old Jewish Cemetary, when she was killed.

Her gentle spirit was also evidenced in her communications with her neighbors.

Several remembrances spoke to Judy's real love and concern for the animals for which she cared. One man noted how she would even nap with his pets to comfort them while their owners were away on vacation.  as a pet lover , myself , I know how certain people may take to pets and their unconditional love they can't always get from even their own human friends.

“Six years ago, my husband &  I took our daughter trick or treating for her first time,” recalls neighbor Yvette Santiago. “We stopped at Judy's and she didn't realize it was Halloween, so she didn't have any treats. She would NOT let us leave and would not let our daughter walk away empty handed. She said she didn't want to disappoint her, went rummaging around her house and came back with cash! We insisted that wasn't necessary of course but she wouldn't have it any other way.”

Maxwell Park is a close-knit community which has a very active neighborhood watch and whose community members have actively worked to take back the local park for children, with a mosaic tile project each summer over the past five years.

Judy Salamon may have walked past the cemetery, nearby Courtland Creek Park, and the spot by the cemetery where she died numerous times in the course of her more than fifteen years as a pet sitter and dog walker. She was active in animal rescue, and trying to place pet rabbits when she died.

“I never got to meet Judy, but I feel like I knew Judy from her always thoughtful and kind postings, her love for animals, and her knowledgeable and sensible advice on dog training,” wrote Rachael Emilie, a member of the Melrose Park email list.

In the wake of her death, residents are looking for other ways to honor her memory. A second candlelight vigil is planned for tomorrow night, and there is renewed interest in hiring a security patrol, something Ms. Salamon favored which some residents believe might have saved her life.

Judy could have been my sister, Joan ( or myself for that matter), who passed 12 years ago of cancer. She was the same age as Judy.  Joan also loved pets and  was an extremely kind, innocent who had been taken advantage of by people and turned to her dogs for unconditional love, which she gave back to them.

I was honored to care for Pucky and Roscoe  for four bittersweet years after Joan passed -  in effect extending her life living through her dogs.  I could have also been Judy, having had similar disappointing life experiences, often   let down by humans.  I find myself turning to my pets, now, more and more. Currently, I am caring for my wonderful cat, Weepy, who, re cently,  has perhaps miraculously bounced back (for now) from a double whammy of kidney and heart failure . We savor everyday of life.

The Optimist -Lots To Be Optimistic and Positive About

Life is Short, OPTIMISM, Optimistic, Positive, Humor, Hope, Faith

The Optimist -Lots To Be Optimistic and Positive About

Obama Blames 'Phony Scandals' for bad economy, threatens unilateral action

Upload Image

Obama decries 'phony' scandals for 'distractions.'

http://www.examiner.com/video/ob...

View a video of ‘Obama decries 'phony' scandals for 'distrac

Obama's 'Blame' speech 7-24 took no blame for mistakes Obama's administration has made but instead turned it on others ,  writing  off 'phony scandals' and Republican intransigence as d for current problems with economy, etc. For an hour and six minutes Obama went on throwing blame around, this after saying in the past that those scandals were serious and must be investigated. So much for his investigations. How anyone , let alone a President can stoop so low as to totally disregard and take so calously his position and past 'promises' is simply unbelievable -well, maybe not as we now know Obama. 

“With an endless parade of distractions and political posturing and phony scandals, Washington’s taken its eye off the ball,” he said in a campaign-style speech. “And I’m here to say this needs to stop. This needs to stop. Short-term thinking and stale debates are not what this moment requires. Our focus has to be on the basic economic issues that the matter most to you – the people we represent.”

When President Clinton was in office he went through a similar first term as Obama, yet Clinton was willing to listen to the people and he cut government spending in welfare, etc and turned around the economy. Obama shows no interest whatsover in writing the ship, only putting across his Big Government/spending agenda

This latest Obama 'blame' speech was just another 'campaign speech' what with the threat of repeal of Obamacare, which fewer and fewer people want now. Now look for an $800 million ad campaign to resell Obamacare

LOOK FOR A SUMMARY OF THE REAL OBAMA SCANDALS - TOP 10 or more - TO COME SOON. If Obama can't recall their seriousness, to which he once spoke , we'll help him out. 

Obama's 'Race' Speech Inaccurate, Divisive - Obama Was More Like Zimmerman than Martin

 digg

Incredible how people like #David Brooks of the New York Times can call Obama's 'race' speech 'a symphony' and 'best speech' of his Presidency. Then there was commentator Tavis Smiley, who said #Obama didn't go far enough with his 'race baiting,'  as it were. So, perhaps, the spin doctors had Obama take a middle ground- for them- but still very left for the rest and good of the nation. 


OBAMA OF MIXED RACE LIKE ZIMMERMAN, NOT MARTIN

First off, the speech was filled with innacuracies, especially
with Obama trying - again - to compare members of his family
to Martin. Last time, as the trial began, he said that if he
had a son he could have been Martin. Now, he says that '35 years ago'
HE could have been Martin. We doubt this very much since 35 years
ago Obama was in a wealthy prep school in Hawaii, we are told.
Unlike Martin, who was black, Obama was of mixed race , like Zimmerman,
and brought up by two white people in a an environment where
violence and race was hardly an issue. Martin didn't have the luxury
of a stable upbringing; his Dad was three times divorced and
he only lived with his mother a short time.


50 YEARS AFTER CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION RACE RELATIONS APPEAR WORSE

Here we are nearly 50 years since President Johnson passed major
civil rights legislation. White on black violence is rare 
and much less than black on white crime. Minorities have been
given help, rightfully  so, by govenment 'equal opportunity'
programs now for 50 years. But, are things getting better?
Are race relations improving? We would say that perhaps they're
getting worse.


We would say that in the 1970s and 1980s race relations were
at their zenith, but it wasn't good enough for some. So, instead
of beginning to curtail some of the 'equality' programs, they
continued yet we began to see a decline in minority income as well as
test scores by minoritiy students.


BUSING DIDN'T WORK, NOR DOES WELFARE

After many failed years of school busing programs and other equal opportunity
programs, President Clinton saw the problem in the 1990s and curtailed welfare programs
to a degree and we started to see job performance improve. Qualified people
were doing improved work. Clinton was even praised by some. Yet, it
wasn't long before minority and liberal protests  brought back the old
programs where minorities are not challenged but are given jobs and
scores without really having to earn them.



OBAMA CAMPAIGNED AS 'UNITER' PRESIDENT

Obama came into office offering that minorities  should work hard and
go to college and do well, etc. Yet, he's come in and basically taken away
any incentive for them. One could say Obama and co. are the real racists,
keeping their people down by taking away the incentives with handouts such as
 food stamps (which have doubled since President Bush) and other welfare programs.
But, this process bought votes for Obama and two Presidential victories. It's the
whole approach by people like Sharpton and Jackson, to stir  up resentment
among their people. It gives them a podium and a 'job' for life and unlikely
chance for their 'folks' to ever really reach the American Dream - unless you
call it living off the dole.


  Obama was likely pushed to make the speech by his
black constituency and left leaning supporters. This, from
a president who ran as the 'uniter' of all races, rather than
the divider, which is what he's become.  


NEW GENERATION BRINGING ABOUT 'DOUBLE JEOPARDY' AGAIN IN RACE RELATIONS 

We now have a whole new young generation who  missed out on the race issue
last time around and is falling for the 'pre-sweetened koolaid,' to borrow
one of Smiley's jargons. This includes the young media, which follows lock step
behind Obama.  What happend to the journalism I studied that made a point
of giving equal time to both sides of a story? Could be another generation will be lost
to a President and administration that is driven purely by politics and its own
personal agenda


YOUNG MEDIA PART OF SAME PROBLEM Much of the liberal media headlined the Obama's speech  with '...No Teleprompter....'!
Of course, race is a subject Obama knows well and has spoken about many 
times in earlier years.


To compare the Martin death to that of Emmett Til is ludicrouse.  Yes, racial injustice
was rampant even 50 years ago, primarily in the South. The sad thing is that  if you
ask older blacks and whites who lived
in the 1950s many will tell you, outside of the South, races got along better then and productivity
was higher . Throwing money at problems doesn't always work, especially in  this case.


Fifty years sincde the civil rights legislation, The Race issue has been beaten to death
by now and Obama continues to  add  fuel to the flames, as do others like Al Sharpton 
Jessie Jackson   - and especially
the new media, which is really disheartening -and blowing the issue way out of proportion.
What is there left we can possibly do to help finally get people together?


RACE WILL ALWAYS BE AN ISSUE TO SOME EXGTENT, BUT SHOULDN'T BE SO ALL-CONSUMING AS IT'S BEEN IN THE NEWS AND PUBLIC DIALOGUE;
 E OTHER ISSUES SUCH AS THE ECONOMY ARE  GETTING LOST, FAILING

There will always be some differences between different peoples. That is and has always
been true, going back to biblical times from the Romans and the Jews and today , highlighted
in the middle eastby the  the Arabs and Jews. Let's accept that there will always be differences -
call it 'racial' if you must- but we can still get along if people really make an effort and
are not continually 'fed' the koolaid. Good, caring citizens and leaders need to stand up
to people like Sharpton, Jackson, Obama - and the media for once and for all.


SEE ALSO    http://www.typepad.com 
and http://Facebook.com/roadtosuccess1 related posts


Pick One:

Like this if you  agree:

 digg

Kudos and Brickbats: Jay Leno and Rolling Stone Magazine

KUDOS: JAY LENO remains perhaps the only major figure in entertainment to continually 'tell it like it is,' as they used to say.. when it comes to our government and any topic for that matter, no matter the political persuasion. . Last night , was typical where he commented on Edward Snowdon's possible new 'instructions' for our Government:






BRICKBATS: Rolling Stone Magazine, which once again has gone out of its way to put not only controversial but Anti-American story and  image on its cover, this time a 'celebrity' pose of the Boston Bomber from his own cell phone /twitter account, and a largely sympathetic story  of how he came
to do the evil deed - as if it wasn't his fault.

Add only slightly lesser brickbats, while we're at it to
KIM KARDASHIAN  for her extreme tweet  against the
Zimmerman-Martin jury verdict, as well as to
STEVIE WONDER, who has promised not to perform
in Florida and other states where the 'stand your ground' law is in effect, believing it compromised the  Zimmerman-Martin trial. He took time from a concert to make the announcement.
If he doesn't like the law why not try to get it changed.
And , about Kardashian the most famous person for no good reason along with Paris Hilton - would she even be famous if not for her famous late father/lawyer/friend to OJ Simpson during the Simpson trial?



While we're at it, what happened to the time when entertainment and politics were kept separate much like politics and religion. Today, we see more and more celebrities enter the political arena, often without really a scintilla of knowledge of what they're talking about. And, Magazines like Rolling Stone spend more time on politics than the subject on which the magazine was founded, MUSIC.  (Don't you just love going to a concert to hear some good music only to be harangued about the artist's personal agenda?)

Media Made Martin-Zimmerman Case a National Issue, Now Government Piling On

Attorney General Eric Holder Shares his Concerns
- What happened to court system justice?

Media Scrutiny is important, but sometimes it goes too far - and jeopardizes civil liberties.

It appears that the media doesn't like the verdict, after already forcing the case before a national audience.
Last week when there was a terrible air crash in San Francisco, much of the media was still fixated on the Martin-Zimmerman case instead of covering a big  story that day. The media and government collusion has become so pronounced,  one wonders, at this rate,  if justice will have a chance in   this and other cases, anymore.

First, the Florida legal system's findings were overturned, with the help of President Obama's statement that if he had a son he would look like Travon Martin - and then the media ran with this. 

Second, trial ensues before a national audience and after what seems to have been a carefully developed trial, with a jury chosen by both sides, the media and government are still not satisfied.  President Obama made a point of saying that it's not his place to comment (which he already had earlier) - and he didn't have to say a word,  but he's basically commenting now through: 

Third, Eric Holder, Attorney General, who's threatening a new, civil trial. 

It  reminds me of the bully in school who had to always have his way, regardless of the rules. The problem is that these are adults who  run our country!

And, we're seeing this same process now throughout society, one example that especially rankles me were the findings of city administrators  in Atlanta and other big cities, who weren't happy with (mostly minority) student test scores so they just went and upgraded the scores on their own.

Jean Quan Does It Again - Thousands More in Oakland Trashing, No Arrests

I love Jean Quan, the mayor of my former city, Oakland, CA, coming out with her usual tired and cliche, hollow promises regarding yet the latest violence in Oakland, this time it's the Martin-Zimmerman verdict: 'Unacceptable and won't be tolerated.' Well, she sure tolerated this one, with zero arrests and the downtown trashed, again, much like during 'Occupy Oakland' or whatever they called it, where she was actually marching with the demonstrators, at first, until THEY even treated HER badly. Now it looks like she doesn't know where to go or who to befriend - OR WHAT SHE'S DOING.

 She only won the mayorship due to a new form of voting in Oakland which allows runners up to win based on total number of 1st place, second place and third place votes. Great city Oakland with a   sad , sick infested government. (Quan is not the only one, with Desley Brooks the other latest purpetrator with her apparent illegal actions regarding the construction of a swanky teen center in her East Oakland district. ) Jerry Brown was a rare gem  as previous mayor, compared to what's in there now - and before. He rebuilt the town, which is being torn down again. We wonder how much longer those , poor, new businesses can and will put up with this nonsense. Not just the trashing, but losing business on top of it.

Jean Quan Does It Again -  Thousands More in Oakland Trashing, No Arrests

PETITION TO DEFUND OBAMACARE by Michael Reagan, League of Voters

PETITION TO DEFUND

OBAMACARE -

Michael Reagan is chairman of the League of Voters and should have a good inroads into defunding Obamacare. READ ON an d SIGN PETITION if you will @ http://leagueofamericanvoters.com/DefundObamaCare.aspx?key=730602&s=al&promo_code=14022-1

Urgent Message From Michael Reagan

Dear Fellow American,

 Please help me and the League of American Voters in stopping ObamaCare once and for all! We can do so by getting Congress to use its sole power to appropriate funds and simply stop funding this radical takeover of America's healthcare system. I urgently need you to sign the Petition below. I will personally make sure that every member of Congress, including House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, will receive your Petition. Your influence counts, please use it! A Petition to Congress Defund ObamaCare! I, the undersigned, am demanding that the House of Representatives and the United States Senate stop all funding of ObamaCare. I petition Congress to stop funding any and all federal and state mandates required by ObamaCare, including all enforcement activity as conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Internal Revenue Service. Additionally, I am demanding that Congress not cut Medicare for existing recipients and continue all funding of the program. I urge Congress to use their sole power over all appropriations and spending, as described in Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution, and discontinue and defund all parts of ObamaCare. I affirm my assent to the above Petition.

  SIGN HERE: