Category: Addiction
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People First
I can’t lie. I’m excited about a Trump presidency. He will probably do some fun, interesting things. I’m hoping for more self-driving Teslas driving around, smashing into plate glass windows. I’m hoping for Amazon drones falling on old ladies walking to church. The deregulation that he’ll do for business should be entertaining and creative. But…
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When the World Turns Away: Choosing to Stand in a Society that Won’t
A personal reflection on rage, humanity, and the cost of caring I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to overcome my rage. The world is just so wrong sometimes. Did I tell you that my friend Hurricane got hit by a school bus? It destroyed his cart, his front bicycle wheel and his guitar.…
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The Art of Staying Alive in a World That Makes No Sense
A personal journey through despair, anger, and meaning in the face of life’s absurdities I think about killing myself all the time. Albert Camus writes: “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.” I…
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Starbucks Lines and Silent Screams: America’s Invisible Addictions
Coffee, Trauma, and the Quest for Self-Acceptance in Modern America I laugh at myself often, listening to the petty bullshit that goes on in my head. I’m still stewing over losing that city council election seat. Yesterday, I was yelling at people in my head who voted against me because they thought that I was…
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Joan Trumpauer Mulholland – A Symbol Of Hope
I’m a little embarrassed to say that I had never heard of Joan before yesterday. She was trending on Reddit yesterday. She is an American civil rights activist who was active in the 1960s. She was one of the Freedom Riders who was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi in 1961, and was confined for two months…
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And Now I’ve Been Banned From Nextdoor
I’m not going to lie. Getting banned from all these social media channels has done wonders for my mental health. I think I had an unhealthy relationship with all of them. Sage’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Now I’ve been…
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From Bench to Breakthrough: Crystal’s Journey of Resilience and Hope
I hardly know where to start with this story. Each of these leads are so powerful I don’t know which is the best hook to start this story off. I guess it’s a story of triumph over tragedy. Subscribe now Let’s go back to last summer… Crystal was pregnant and sleeping on a bench in…
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Suzanne Thomas was found dead in a scrapyard in Canton April 26 2023.
Suzanne Thomas was found dead in a scrapyard in Canton April 26 2023. I’ve been meaning to talk about this for some time. But it’s a bit of a difficult subject for me. Suzanne was a close friend of our homeless community. She lived at our tent village for quite some time. She also was…
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5 People Have Already Moved Into This Church
We’ve been starting to clean out this church. It has sat completely empty for years. Random people come and go. But nothing really significant was happening there. Within a couple weeks of us working in the church we now have no less than 5 people living in this church. How could it go from having…
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SATM Podcast 120: Insanity In Akron
Sage Against The Machine Podcast Episode 120 We are going to look at the forced mental health treatment courts in Akron Ohio.
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Will You Play Well With Others?
I was out talking to voters yesterday and a woman asked me this question: “Will you play well with others?” That’s a really good question. It represents a deep understanding of who I am. I really appreciated the question. She is wondering if I will be able to work with other members of city council…
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Help! My Family Member Is Addicted To Meth
I just got this question from a person on Facebook. This is what they wrote: This is what I wrote: This is a favorite topic of mine. I LOVE thinking about it. And I’m so sorry you are experiencing this in your family. It’s brutally difficult. This is what I tell people: Think of yourself…
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MY SECOND EXPERIENCE WITH DE-ESCALATION WITH A GUN
I was sitting inside my building yesterday when a homeless friend came to me and said there was a man with a gun who was extremely agitated at our house. I went to see what was going on. As I slowly walked towards the scene I watched as this man ranted and paced around aggressively…
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WHY DO YOU PUT PICTURES OF THESE PEOPLE ONLINE?
This is a friend of mine passed out after taking a really good hit of fentanyl. The needle is still in her arm. In our circle we all know who this is. She’s embarrassed by this picture. But she didn’t tell me to take it down. That’s the one rule I’ve given myself. If a…
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Why Do I Want To Put Myself Through This?
I read this article: Akron, Ohio, police condemn councilwoman’s comment on Jayland Walker and my first thought was: “Why am I doing this to myself?” I could sell a couple assets and retire. I’m 51 years old and I could just move to an island or California or someplace where there is less racism and…
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It Turns Out We All Live In A Prison
Did you see the new policy where Akron Public Schools is locking away some students cellphones? We are starting at East, Buchtel and Ellet. We have contracted with a company called Yondr for $43,450 to lease 2,475 locking pouches. East and Buchtel’s campuses include grades six through 12, and Ellet is nine through 12. (What…
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THE YOUNG SEX WORKER
If we are ever going to get one step closer to solving our societal problems we must acknowledge the complicated nature of reality. Let me tell you this week’s story… A young woman from out of town ended up in our house that tries to help the most challenging homeless people. She said that she…
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My Most Prized Possession
This might be my most prized possession. (I think telling its story is relevant to the brutal beating and murder by Memphis police of Tyre Nichols). I just bought this gun last night from a felon. This is something I do from time to time. I buy guns from people that shouldn’t have them. But…
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An Unloaded Gun
As a drug addled insane man pulled a gun on me yesterday because someone broke into his room and stole his clothes while he was in jail for two months and somehow blamed me for it, my first thought was: “That poor guy spent all his money on drugs and doesn’t have an easy way…
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SATM #109 – Assisted Outpatient Treatment – Big Brother is coming.
House Bill 439 has already passed the House in Ohio. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes a law in Ohio. Big Brother is coming. https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA134-HB-439 If you have missed any shows they are now archived in a podcast. You can check them out on my blog. Or you can get them on…