Author: Alfredo Casuso

Week Seven: No Time For Weakness

—- David Eugene Perry

Lenin was right (at least on this): “There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.”

In seven weeks, our 47th president has undone seven decades of the world order: a world order that frankly has greatly benefited not only Democracy but also the U.S. economy. One would think that DJT would at least appreciate the latter. However, unlike Dolly Levi, Donny Lemme’ has not a talent for arranging things: his is a talent for breaking things. To quote one of his faves, Hannibal Lecter, “it’s in his nature.”

Make no mistake (although I certainly did), his is a natural talent, a charism, a gift. His entire life has been a vacuum hoovering up attention and then vomiting it back out on tabloids, TV and now through a new testament of daily TikTok tyrannies — large and small — designed to torture a so-far-tenuous and terrified opposition. He’s good at breaking things. He lives up to Winston Churchill’s adage about former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles: “the only bull who brings his own china shop with him.”

Eventually, the U.S. electorate will remember they still like unbroken china, and the ability to afford eggs that are the same.

I say “why are we tenuous and terrified?” We are at least half the country, in likelihood a good deal more than that.  40% of eligible Americans didn’t vote in last year’s election. The current administration’s fetishistic obsession with MAWA (Make America White Again) ignores present and future demographics. The U.S. is on track to become a “majority-minority” nation by around 2045, meaning no single racial or ethnic group will be the majority. Hispanic and Asian populations will see the fastest growth due to immigration and higher birth rates. The non-Hispanic White population is expected to decline in both percentage and absolute numbers over the coming decades.

Mean spirited and moronic gestures such as “The Gulf of America”, “Mount McKinley” and the Kennedy Center purge are designed to upset us and drive internal dissension. Don’t let it. No matter legitimate views about transgender athletes, Trump’s punching down on a tiny, terrified and disenfranchised micro-minority is not only mendacious; it’s meant to minimize the greater LGBTQ community’s hard fought struggle for equality. Focus. Take a cue from actress turned AIDS activist Liz Taylor: “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.” 

Above all, keep on keeping on and DO keep on keeping track of Trump’s continuing and continuous assault on our values, our Constitutional separation of powers, our allies (please forgive us Canada, Mexico, Europe and Ukraine) and our peace of mind. Use it as ammunition for the fight ahead — the fight that is here.

Now is not the time for surrender. There are 201 weeks left of this dis-administration. Use them all, and remember: a country’s government is not the same as its people. We the People, WILL overcome. Make that drink a double, and the lipstick jungle red.

David Eugene Perry is the best-selling author of the award-winning mystery thriller Upon This Rock, currently being developed as a screenplay, in addition to being a journalist with over 100 articles in print. He and his husband, Alfredo Casuso, run a PR/design firm. Frequently travelers, they have visited over 70 countries.

“Orwell Was Right”

In reference to the news story (link below), I feel the need to speak out. It’s as if they Googled the word “Gay” and hit “Delete”:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pete-hegseth-banned-images-enola-041104452.html

I am a San Francisco business man: openly gay, married, and a member of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce board of directors and executive committee. What is going on at the national level is bad for business; bad for San Francisco; bad for my family. I will not sit idly by and just “observe”. I challenge my fellow business people and Chamber members to do the same. Now is the time for San Francisco’s corporate community to stand up and show true “San Francisco values.”

This current outrage would be funny if it wasn’t so stupidly tragic and — yes, I’ll use the word – evil. For this administration “DEI” means “Deliberate Erasure of Individuals”. This intended Orwellian rewriting of history will not end well, and is already impacting international business connections.

As a philosopher once observed: “For evil to succeed, all that is needed is for good men to do nothing”.
— David Eugene Perry

SAN FRANCISCO, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The return of Spring and Summer in San Francisco’s Union Square will officially arrive on Saturday, March 22, when the Union Square Alliance hosts San Francisco Tulip Day 2025, an event that will transform Union Square into a tulip garden with 80,000 colorful American-produced flowers grown from Dutch bulbs.

“Union Square is the beating heart of downtown. Events like Tulip Day, that kicks off Union Square in Bloom, give people an opportunity to experience one of the unique annual community gatherings our city has to offer. I am pleased to have this beautiful event return for another year, so that we can continue to show the world what makes San Francisco so special,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie.

Held traditionally in honor of International Women’s Day, San Francisco Tulip Day kicks off San Francisco’s annual Union Square in Bloom initiative, in which businesses celebrate the arrival of Spring and Summer with floral displays, food, cocktails, and events, to celebrate Union Square’s rich floral tradition. A full list of Union Square in Bloom events can be found here.

“With the arrival of Tulip Day in Union Square, we are welcoming the changing seasons and celebrating San Francisco’s continued growth and revitalization at the heart of the city,” said Marisa Rodriguez, CEO of Union Square Alliance. “These flowers represent vitality and growth, and with Spring now here, we can look forward to the future with confidence and positivity. We are honored to host this event once again with our partners from the Netherlands, and we can’t wait to showcase another beautiful Tulip Day in Union Square.”

Tulips handed out in honor of International Women’s Day are grown in the United States but originate in the Netherlands. On Tulip Day, the public is invited to pick a free bouquet of tulips (eight tulips per person) for themselves or as a gift to a woman who inspires them. 

San Francisco Tulip Day 2025 is presented by the Union Square Foundation, Union Square Alliance, the Office of Mayor Daniel Lurie, the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Amazon, JPMorganChase, United Airlines, van Hoekelen Greenhouses, Inc., and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in San Francisco.

Spark SF Public Schools and SFUSD Release 2023-24 Annual Report: Showcasing the Transformative Power of Public-Private Partnerships

Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc / (415) 676-7007 /news@davidperry.com 

6 March 2025 — San Francisco, CA: The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and Spark SF Public Schools, SFUSD’s official nonprofit partner, today announced the release of the 2023-24 Annual Report for Spark SF Public Schools, highlighting the impactful role of philanthropy and community partnerships in advancing student success. Since its founding in 2015, Spark SF Public Schools has mobilized over $138 million to support the district’s highest-priority initiatives—investing $14.7 million in Fiscal Year 2024 alone.

Entering its 10th anniversary year, Spark SF Public Schools continues to work in close collaboration with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Maria Su to ensure every student has access to an excellent education. The report showcases how Spark’s strategic public-private partnerships have helped drive measurable student success and improve SFUSD’s public school system.

FY24 Highlights of Impact:

Advancing Excellence in Teaching and Learning:

• Provided access to digital math tutoring platform to 6,211 students. 
• 1,262 students participated in paid internships or career exploration programs.
• 3x increase in student enrollment at the Mission Bay Hub, expanding STEM access.

Uplifting Equity:

• 64% increase in reading scores for students in the Mastering Cultural Identity program.
• 160% increase in students reporting a positive “sense of belonging” after participating in Black Star Rising.

Serving the Whole Child:

• 23,554 unique mental health services provided to middle school students.
• 3,043 unhoused students received essential support services.
• 82 cafeterias redesigned, 4 kitchen renovations completed, and a 200%+ increase in breakfast and lunch participation following the opening of the McAteer Culinary Center.

“The partnership between SFUSD and Spark SF Public Schools has been instrumental in expanding educational opportunities for all our students,” said Dr. Maria Su, SFUSD Superintendent. “We deeply appreciate the unwavering support from the Spark community and call on the broader San Francisco community to continue investing in our schools. Together, we can create lasting, systemic change.”

“As we look ahead to the next decade, our vision is one of even greater impact,” said Ginny Fang, President of Spark SF Public Schools. “By strengthening public-private partnerships, we can unlock new opportunities for SFUSD students to succeed and thrive.”

The 2023-24 Annual Report reinforces the pivotal role of philanthropy and cross-sector collaboration in shaping a brighter future for San Francisco’s students. Spark SF Public Schools remains committed to fostering community engagement, securing essential resources, and driving initiatives that support SFUSD’s mission.

For more details, view the full 2023-24 Annual Report here.

About SFUSD:
Serving approximately 50,000 students across 119 schools, SFUSD’s mission is to provide every student the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century. The district is committed to helping all students develop strong academic knowledge and skills, as well as the dispositions and behaviors to increase their curiosity and engagement, activate their full potential for learning, and prepare them for life, work, and study beyond their secondary school years. 

About Spark SF Public Schools:
Spark SF Public Schools is the only non-profit 501(c)3 organization in formal partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District to receive and mobilize philanthropic and community funds on behalf of the district, working to ensure every SFUSD student has access to an excellent public education. In partnership with SFUSD’s Superintendent of Schools, Spark identifies pivotal opportunities within SFUSD’s highest priority student outcome initiatives where philanthropic dollars can act as a catalyst to exponentially amplify success in driving significantly better student outcomes across San Francisco’s public school system.

Un momento para los patriotas

— por David Eugene Perry

Cuando era niño, daba recorridos por el Capitolio del Estado de Virginia en Richmond. Me sentaba frente al televisor con mi grabadora de casetes y registraba el audio de los Bicentennial Minutes de Walter Cronkite en 1976. Mi madre y mi abuela alimentaron mi curiosidad y mis ansias de conocimiento llevándome a tantos sitios de la Revolución Americana, la Guerra Civil y la historia indígena en el estado que terminé con ampollas en los pies y una estantería repleta de libros y direcciones de conservadores de museos. De niño, fui un patriota precoz.

Mi primera carta al editor fue en defensa de la entrevista de Betty Ford en 60 Minutes, en agosto de 1975, en la que hablaba abiertamente sobre temas como el sexo prematrimonial, el consumo de marihuana, el derecho al aborto y su propia batalla contra el cáncer de mama. Llamé “mentes superficiales” a quienes se oponían a su franqueza. El editor del Richmond Times-Dispatch llamó a mi madre (quien no sabía que yo había enviado algo al periódico) para preguntarle: “¿Está segura de que esto lo escribió un niño de 13 años?”

— “Sí.”

Soy lo que en el Sur llaman un Yella’ Dog Democrat: alguien que votaría por un perro amarillo antes que por un republicano. Y sin embargo, aunque nunca obtuvieron mi voto, Ronald Reagan, Bush padre y Bush hijo se ganaron mi respeto por la manera en que representaron a los Estados Unidos en la escena internacional, aunque eso me llevó a escribir muchos artículos de opinión y a participar en muchas marchas de protesta contra sus políticas.

Siempre me he considerado primero un estadounidense y, en segundo lugar, un demócrata.

— Hasta hoy.

Fui objeto de burlas despiadadas en la escuela primaria — “Fairy Perry” — así que sé reconocer a un matón cuando lo veo. Ver a Donald Trump transformar sistemáticamente — y con gran éxito — la política exterior de EE.UU. en un ejercicio de extorsión, negligencia e información falsa me ha convertido, antes que nada, en un ciudadano del mundo, oponiéndome con horror y repulsión al carácter y la crueldad del 47.º presidente de los Estados Unidos y sus secuaces. No es un republicano. Es un mafioso en busca de una corte medieval y una corona. La corte, ya la tiene. La corona: aún no.

¿Hay mérito en algunas de las políticas de Donald Trump? Posiblemente. ¿Hay mérito en desmantelar en menos de 100 días el orden mundial por el que lucharon mi padre, mi tío y mi hermano? No. Para citar a Patrick Henry: “Dios Todopoderoso, no lo permitas.”

Soy ciudadano del mundo. Soy ciudadano de EE.UU. Soy demócrata.

Soy miembro de la Resistencia.

Exhorto a todos los estadounidenses a marcar dos fechas: el 3 de noviembre de 2026 y el 7 de noviembre de 2028.

Hasta entonces, debemos seguir adelante y asegurarnos de poder votar con seguridad en esas fechas. Lamentablemente, en este caso, el consejo de FDR no aplica. Hay mucho, muchísimo más que temer que solo el miedo mismo.

David Eugene Perry nació y creció en Richmond, Virginia. Se graduó de St. Paul’s Parochial y del Benedictine Military Institute. Ahora vive en California con su esposo. Trabaja a nivel internacional y ha visitado más de 70 países.