Benson's Blog

Excellent commentary by Lawrence O'Donnell.

I'm participating with the Great Strides Walk in San Jose, raising
money to cure Cystic Fibrosis (CF). My 8 year old niece, Claire, has
CF, and while she is able to do remarkably well on medications, a
strict diet, and daily treatments, the prognosis as she grows older is
not good. The hope is that one of the gene therapy treatments
currently in medical trials will soon provide a cure.

Here is a great video that the CF Foundation made featuring my niece
and her family (my sister):

And here is the link if you would like to contribute to this cause:
http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/BensonFlores6382

Thank you!
Benson

(contains some blue language and guns)

Brian and Patrick Burke's campaign to end homophobia in hockey in memory of their openly gay son and brother, Brendan.

This is completely brilliant! Please watch the whole thing.

A young soldier makes one of the hardest calls a gay person has to make, hours after the historic end of Don't Ask Don't Tell.

(via Towleroad)

Young man supports Orlando police who are arresting people trying to feed the hungry in Lake Eola Park.

First let me say, I think the American public is right to be outraged at the new 'gate rape' TSA policy. Naked scans and Fourth Amendment violating pat-downs of Grandma and children are a sham. Is this really making us safer? No. It's for show. It's so that that the powers that be can claim they did 'everything they possibly could' to cover their asses after the fact of a real terrorist event. The American people are beginning to get fed up with it. The scary fact remains - it's not making us safer.

Is there a real threat? You bet. Let's not kid ourselves. Real people wanting to cause real damage are out there. From suicidal idiots to religious zealots to the-end-of-the-world-starts-with-me lunatics, they are real. What can we do? We still need to get on that plane, train, or subway and go where we need to go.

Let's start with - safety is our responsibility. In every terrorist event our nation has ever encountered on a plane (at least in the cabin)- passengers were the first ones who reported it and/or attempted to stop it. But don't wait until you get on the plane. Be on the lookout for suspicious people, activity, and packages. Please don't get me wrong - I'm not talking about being paranoid. I'm talking about simply being aware of the people around you. Talk to the nervous person in line with you. A person's reaction to a simple, 'Are you okay?' could make someone's day or could alert you if something is really off with that person. Trust your instincts!

Don't let the TSA show at the security station distract you from being present and aware of everything that is going on around you. If you see something suspicious - report it immediately. The life you save could be your own. Safe travels, everyone!