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Letters to the Editor 11/4/2009

FINGERPRINTS FOR EVERYBODY?

Dear ACLU,

I am a recipient of home health assistance in Cali­fornia. As I fear retribution from IHSS, I wished to remain anonymous. Enclosed you will find a circular which I received from the in-home care office.

A similar attempt by Big Brother was made in Texas about 15 years ago and was denied as it is a vio­lation of the Privacy Act and the Civil Liberties Act. I believe the ACLU was involved.

I have been approved by my doctor — several actu­ally — to receive in-home assistance benefits. This was provided to the IHSS along with my Social Security number and my California identification as proof of identity.

When hiring a provider, the state of California emphasizes that the recipient — me in this case — is the employer and not the state of California.

I, as the employer and the provider, and the employee, must provide a fingerprint on every time sheet! Does every employer and employee in the state of California have to comply with this ruling? Are state employees fingerprinted when they sign their payslips? Does Adolf get fingerprinted also? Oops! I mean Arnold! No!

What's next? Will all providers have to wear arm­bands for identification? Will the unannounced home visitors were jackboots? Will schoolchildren be asked turn in their parents? Will California residents be subjected to immigration raids?

Does the state of California require every employer to be fingerprinted? Do they require that every employer have their employees fingerprinted? NO! They do not!

Providers with serious misdemeanors and felonies will not be eligible to be an IHSS provider. Why not? George Bush the second admitted that he smoked pot!

The state is discriminating against the disabled and the poor. Very few millionaires act as providers. They are denying a reformed individual the right to employment. In many instances a family member who may have a criminal past is the provider and very few axe murderers are walking the streets!

Big brother is watching you! Orwell would be proud.

Name withheld

Ukiah


GIMME CULTURE

Dear Editor,

Sign me up for another year of flaming discontent. Whether ranting about his neighbors or musing about life in the city, Bruce Anderson's contributions are not to be missed. I also enjoy the “culture” (or lack thereof) writers like Yearsley and Belkamp.

If the paper seems to be shifting more to local con­cerns and issues at the expense of worldwide insurrection, so be it. Steve Sparks personality profiles are well presented except for the embarrassingly inane questions at the end. What's next? Favorite color?

Non-Boontling readers would appreciate more international commentary like Cockburn and every­one wants 12 pages of course. Well, wish in one hand and blog in the other. See which fills up first.

Michael Townsend

Port Townsend, Washington

PS. Hello friends and neighbors. In lieu of a CD release party or extensive liner notes here is some information about my new recording, Guitarctic. You are someone who cares about music and local artists and I hope this message will not be an imposition. For many years I have collected and transcribed piano pieces that I might hear and are within my ability to play on the guitar. Now I've been able to make some very nice recordings of those pieces on my precious 1924 koa Martin. The sound is great, just right for a good stereo or headphones, perhaps with a hot cup of tea. The music is pretty but adventurous, full of puz­zles and games.

After hearing my woes about home recording (bro­ken gear, stolen gear), guitar aficionado Roger Jackson patiently assembled good microphones, a Mackie board and a mini disc unit. For the past year I've burned the midnight oil, recording these modern compositions and a few of my own, rearranging and re-fingering them for the most musical results. In postproduction, Neville Pearsall was a simpatico editor, making me sound like a better player. On a couple of pieces we sampled the reverb from the cis­tern. Thanks to SOS for good printing, Corey Edwards for design and Vicky for helping assemble the cool packages. If you're interested in hearing this music that I find so intriguing, it's available at Quim­per Sound for the price of a sandwich. Yet you can enjoy it over and over again! Thanks for your time.


PHOTOS WITH FIDO!

Editor-

Once again, our dear friends at Fort Bragg Feed & Pet have come forward to help the abandoned and orphaned animals at our County Animal Care Services facility in Fort Bragg. This is an opportunity all pet lovers won't want to miss!

On Saturday, November 14th, Fort Bragg Feed & Pet, 880 D Steward St., will be hosting “Your Pet's Photo With Santa!” from 11am-3pm, with everyone's favorite Santa! All (and we do mean ALL!) family members are welcome to be in these very special pho­tos.

Margaret Bodaly, photographer, will be graciously donating her time and talent, with Cypress Bodaly serving as Elf! Whether you choose your photo as keepsake, gift or holiday card, your purchase will help so very many critters.

Please mark your calendars for a photo op you won't want to miss and a support op that will make a huge difference for homeless shelter animals on the Coast.

All proceeds will go to SOS (Support Our Shelter), the only organization on the coast whose sole purpose is to improve the lives of our County shelter animals. For more info: 964-3333

Hope to see you there!

Carol Lillis, President

SOS County Animal Care Services

Fort Bragg


SAKO’S DEFENSE

Dear King Collins,

Responding to your email, I did show you the evi­dence of my work history last month at Starbucks when I met you and Gabrielle. That very same docu­ment is on file at KZYX. The “snapshot” of my FINRA file clearly documents a career which began in 1977, and ended in 2007. That's a 30-year career, Mr. King.

Most recently, my three years at United Bank of Switzerland, or UBS, (2003-2005), and my 17 years as a general partner in the Cayman Island-based BMRG, prior to UBS (1986-2003), are also clearly stated in the FINRA file. The FINRA file also documents my Series 7 license going way back to 1979, and a Series 3 license in 1985.

Furthermore, the FINRA file is signed by an associ­ate director at FINRA. That's pretty high up in FINRA, Mr. Collins.

Concerning my personal life, Mr. King, since I remarried in 2003, I do not discuss my personal life out of respect for the privacy concerns for my wife and adoptive family. They are entitled to that privacy.

What I will say is that in 1989, I was awarded com­mendations from both the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives for “leadership in fighting AIDS” (quoting directly from the commendations). The House commendation was signed by Speaker of the House George Keverian. The Senate commenda­tion was signed by Senate President William Bulger. Both commendations are in my background file at the Sheriff's Office.

Concerning Ms. Coplan, I met her briefly more than ten years ago and haven't seen her since that time. I never represented myself as a California Bar-admitted attorney. I do, however, know a fair amount of securities law, and tax law, particularly as it relates to offshore banking and “undisclosed accounts.”

Concerning, Ms. Bosk, her statements about me are slanderous and libelous. Her statements are even more outrageous in light of the fact that she has never met me or even asked to meet me. Serious journalism? I don't think so.

Meanwhile, I have questions of Ms. Bosk. What is the source of her income? Is she a marijuana grower? Are her grows legal and fully documented? Has she fully documented her “caretaker” status?

Is Ms. Bosk a property owner? Are all her proper­ties fully listed, with improvements, at the county clerk's office, or are they homesteaded properties not on the tax rolls? Are her properties fully assessed? Did all improvements made to Ms. Bosk's properties go through the proper licensing process? Are her proper­ties up to code?

Does Ms. Bosk rent to growers?

Was Ms. Bosk ever the beneficiary of an inheri­tance? How is that money invested? Is it invested in socially responsible investments?

Does Ms. Bosk declare all her income? Does she pay all her taxes?

Finally, is Ms. Bosk willing to make a full disclo­sure of her finances? If not, why not? She is, after all, a public person.

Concerning your statement that I have promoted myself to “near celebrity status,” quite the opposite is true. I currently blog under a pseudonym for fear that the negative press that Ms. Bosk and others have gen­erated will interfere with my work to develop digital currencies and complementary currencies in anticipa­tion of the time that the US dollar will lose its status as the world's reserve currency.

Why is this project important to me?

The supremacy of the US dollar since Bretton Woods has done little except to enable Wall Street to “colonize the world,” and to “export global financial apartheid to global financial markets,” in the words of South African economist Patrick Bond, who was a guest on my show.

I agree with Mr. Bond.

Incidentally, my two partners in this project are both from the Bay Area, and they are both Cisco vet­erans; therefore, this is a local story.

It's a crying shame that we are not working together to report this and other stories, Mr. Collins. By “we,” I mean you, me, Ms. Bosk, Ms. Giles, Mr. Solomon, and other voices of the local progressive media. That would include Bruce Anderson.

But, alas, such as it is with progressive media. We are our own worst enemies. Our infighting is chronic, and it is celebrated by our opponents. In recently speaking with some folks from FOX News, after I had Phil Kerpen on my show as a guest, their agree­ment on this point was cheerfully acknowledged.

The Truth about Progeressive Media?

A few big really big egos, and a few really radical types — what I call “left-wing fascists,” who are as intolerant and irrational as those they claim to hate — have undermined the progressive agenda almost from the beginning of time. Unfortunately, Ms. Giles was taken in by someone who may be such a person.

I am currently working on an article about left-wing fascists, Mr. Collins. I have found that they are often anti-Semites, and this is often their hidden agenda. I'll copy you under separate cover, if you would like to contribute to the article.

In conclusion, it's not my desire to sue anyone, especially those in the progressive media. We are few in number. We lack resources. Our media enterprises almost always operate on a shoestring. Most of all, we are an important voice. We may even be agents for change.

However, what I do want is transparency and accountability. I'll be more specific.

Along with my FINRA file, I am pulling together other documentation, including: the press release of my being hired as the national sales manager of man­aged futures at Dean Witter Reynolds (managed futures funds were the prelude to hedge funds); my ID card from Spear Leeds Kellogg giving me admittance to the floor of the NYSE; my commendations from the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representa­tives; etc. I'll submit these to you and the others.

My expectations will be the following: that the “North Bay Bohemian” will publish a correction and apology, and post my articles back on AAN; and that I be renominated for a best features award for my articles, which Ms. Giles acknowledges are “prescient and smart” and certainly forecasted a collapse on Wall Street that only a Wall Street insider, like myself, could have predicted; that IPA take down their quali­fier about me; that AAN also correct the record about me; that Ms. Bosk offer an apology and correct the record in her tabloid; and that you correct the record at Green Mac.

I don't want retribution, Mr. Collins. I want the record corrected.

And I want us all to find a way to work together. Time is short. Our country and our world is in crisis. The divide between the rich and poor has never been wider. We have become a “predator nation.” There are the predators — the super-rich, and their lobby­ists, and a Congress the super-rich have bought, sold, and traded, like so many Topps baseball cards. And there are the prey — the rest of us, we tax-paying, working Joes and Janes, up to our ears in credit — mortgages, car loans, credit cards, student loans, etc., and a national debt, we can't ever afford to pay down.

The Predator State. Read Jamie Galbraith's book. It's excellent. Incidentally, Jamie Galbraith was recently a speaker at an important “economics for peace” conference in Sonoma. He spoke about the predators and trhe preyed upon.

Case in point: Just today, the breaking news is that Social Security recipients will not get a COLA in 2010. This is heartbreaking news for the 57 million seniors and disabled folks receiving Social Swecurity checks.

And to think this COLA is being denied at a time when Wall Street got $12.8 trillion in bailouts, loans, guarantees, and other commitments, and at a time when Goldman Sachs is reporting record profits and paying record bonuses. The Goldman Sachs bonus pool for 2009 currently has $16.1 billion in it. That means that every single Goldman Sachs employee will get a whooping bonus at Christmastime. The average bonus will be about three quarters of a million dollars. Some C-level executives at Goldman Sachs will get upwards of a $50-100 million.

There is much work to do, Mr. Collins. Let's do it together.

For instance, I'm planning a show on poverty in Mendocino County. I'm hoping that the directors of the Ukiah Food Bank and the Fort Bragg Food Bank, and the director of Ploughshares, will be my guests. I would also like to have a representative of the Kiwanis Club or the Rotary Club, too. Those two clubs recently collected three and a half tons of food for the Ukiah Food Bank.

Help me co-produce the show, Mr. Collins. We can work together. It's time to “walk the walk.” It's time to stop the trash talk. It's time to stop under­mining the work of progressive media.

Sincerely,

John Sakowicz

Ukiah


PLANNING MATTERS

Editor,

It is possible that there will be an end to the stall­ing around on General Plan implementation [setting priorities for the required revision of affected County code sections] at the November 10th meeting of the Supes. On October 15th Planning Commissioners asked Planning Director Nash Gonzales when he would go to the BOS with a list of needed actions and a request for their priority. By my count we are at $3.5 million and counting on the as yet unfinished General Plan update. Until the Code is revised the GP cannot be implemented. Look for Agenda information on the 5th.

While the request may be limited to deciding between some peripherals such as the Housing Element final, the UVAP, and Kunzler Terrace and Harris Quarry EIRs, and the GP rezone map changes, just possibly the essential and required changes to Titles 6 through 22 of the County Code will also be included in the discussion.

Two examples of why it is essential that the code updates go forward first are the new Marijuana ordi­nances and the revision of the septic system guidelines currently being considered by the BOS' Health and Human Services Committee and the Public Resources Committee. Both need to be properly integrated into the new codes to conform to the requirements of the new General Plan.

The Marijuana ordinance was discussed on Octo­ber 19th. Minutes of the discussion were not available until the 30th, and say simply that County Counsel is directed to incorporate “amendments” to two draft ordinances relative to fire safety, grounds for denial of permits, findings, definitions, locations, collective, minimum parcel sizes, exemptions, limitation, set-backs, permitting process and related matters for review at the Health and Human Services meeting on November 9th. Look for the agenda on November 5th. The draft ordinance should be attached.

The septic system guidelines [which may have a huge impact on development of Certificate of Com­pliance and other non-conforming parcels] are still in limbo between the planning department and envi­ronmental health. “Staff” is to provide a status report, also on the November 9th, at the next meeting of the Public Resources committee. Again, check the agenda on November 5th to make sure that this has not become “report and possible action” with a draft included for discussion and action.

Eugenia Herr

Philo


UKIAH VALLEY HISTORY

To the Editor:

This election about whether we should host a large shopping mall has me thinking about change; the huge changes I’ve seen here in the Ukiah Valley over the last half a century and more. Every so often, a pinna­cle decision is made that then sets the tone for the future rollout of dozens and dozens of other changes that then ripple out in the community changing life for generations to come.

The megamall is one of those.

And what strikes me as important about the mall vote is that we may have enough hindsight now to know that if we say yes to the mall (even if they don’t build it) life here will be different. We know that instead of simply accepting change with a shrug from the sidelines that we can be actively shaping the very changes that allow for the healthiest, happiest, most bountiful life here. And yes, sometimes that takes patience.

When I do a whirlwind rewind of my life growing up here, I recognize some of the staggering changes I have seen have been great for this small town. How­ever other changes have not always been in alignment with promoting our very best qualities as humans and as a collective community. It doesn’t have to be that way anymore.

In 1947, my parents bought an 1,800-acre cattle ranch in Potter Valley for $30,000 on Pine Avenue. Only three deeds or so before, the land had been the home of Pomo people for thousands of years. Can we imagine no fences and no pavement anywhere? When I was little, my mother drove us without seat belts to Ukiah on a road that went through where Lake Men­docino is now. There was an outdoor roller skating rink with a huge sound system and on hot summer nights, parents would sit in their cars and watch their kids skate under the stars as they listened to Elvis, The Four Seasons and The Supremes. The Pear Tree Shopping Center was a real field of pears, the drive-in movie was in a field off of Dora Street and I pretty much knew everyone in town. There was an award winning marching band led by Roland Nielson that marched down State Street and a thriving performing arts program at the high school theater directed by Les Johnson who directed fully staged musicals of the times to packed houses.

My parents didn’t have a credit card but then they didn’t buy a lot of stuff. In the fall, we went to McNabs, The Palace Dress Shop or Irene’s, Tots to Teens to buy one new outfit and a coat for school and sometimes we bought a 45 at Hayes Music. Most par­ents’ quality time with their children in Potter was doing chores, going for walks, swimming in creeks, fishing, shadow tag, 4-H, family meals, square dances at the grange, looking up at the sky full of stars but not shopping.

But not all was serene. On a parallel story of hor­rific and rapid fire change here in Mendocino and Lake County, rewind to the years when four Califor­nia governors in a row had open policies of complete extermination of native people. The surviving families of those policies were ordered to reservations and smaller rancherias. Later Steven Knight won a court case to desegregate the schools, the movie house and beauty shops here in Ukiah.

Fast forward again — tribes were terminated, relo­cated, unterminated and then federally recognized. At the same time farm workers had been coming to the valley to harvest, landscape changes were happening from timber and hops alongside hay and cattle to apples, pears, grapes and then it seems like just moments ago “back-to the-landers” arrived, the blessings and curses of marijuana emerged, the inno­vations of green industries blossomed and now-BAM! Screeching and careening into the present comes the idea of a mega-mall!

Thinking about change, I asked several teens if they thought that young people are still shopping as much since the economic downturn. One described it like this: “You can tell the kids who are higher up on the food chain are still shopping. Their parents have money or credit cards. The others, not so much.” If there is a mall, will we have enough families who are “higher up on the food chain” to really buy? Will our quality time with our kids be going to the mall to shop or will we just drop our kids off there and let the mall be our babysitter? Will our high school and college graduates work at minimum wage jobs without health insurance, grown men and women living at home, because they can’t afford to have their own apart­ments?

I hope that we don’t become desperate and grasp for minimum wage jobs. I hope we choose to follow the county plan and not allow a multi-national corpo­ration to circumvent the local process.

Change we must — the question is how? Let’s take the time and imagine something better than a mega-mall. Please vote for local control. No on A.

Laurel Near

Ukiah


WHITE MAKES BRIGHT

Commander Anderson,

In re “Chinks…” (!!) (AVA, 10/21/09): I’ll bet I had as much fun reading it as you had writing it. LOL, ending with a mental sob at the thought of who’s in charge of Mendo ed. Thanks for brightening a gloomy Oregon day. It was, well, mighty white of you.

Respectfully,

Don MacQueen

Eugene, Oregon

 

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