Letters (July 1, 2020)

• Escape From Tulsa
• 2020! And 2026!
• Solutions
• Fair Play For Junipero Serra
• Horse Whips
• Black People In The Anderson Valley
• High School
• Objects To Philbrick
• Sheriff Kendall On Citizens Oversight
• Fair Play For Tommy
• Leave Tommy Alone, Libs
• We Love Ourselves
• Thanks, George, Bill
• Hands Off Rushmore!

ESCAPE FROM TULSA

Dearest Editor,

Thank you for throwing out a partially true statement about my past life for me to correct, as you knew I would.

Everything you mention is fairly accurate — pioneer, hippy, Trotskyist, and the like. But out of the blue comes "beauty queen", a preposterous claim that stems from me representing Tulsa in the Memphis Cotton Carnival as a teen.

I have no idea how the whole thing happened. My Dad came to me and asked if I'd like to represent Tulsa at the Cotton Carnival. I blithely said ok. I played no special part and had no reason to be there. My assumption is that someone knew my family and extended the invitation and Dad jumped on it, considering it an honor. But I didn't, since I'd done nothing to earn it. 

On arriving in Memphis, I immediately made myself unwelcome with my repeated criticisms of racism as a part of their culture. They eventually got tired of my civil rights point of view and, in no uncertain terms, kicked me out. It was understandable — I'd become disruptive.

I returned to Tulsa unfazed and went on to help integrate Tulsa Oklahoma public lunchrooms in 1960 as a better way of expressing my beliefs.

It came up again last year when I was talking with Kelly House Museum staff. Suddenly, they mentioned that you told them about the Cotton Carnival incident. I explained to them what had happened and they had a good laugh, instantly realizing it was my rebel spirit at odds with southern tradition.

Being a "beauty queen" had nothing to do with anything and you should not be passing on this irrelevant claim, not only because it's not true, but because my life is not based on superficialities like looks as a gauge of accomplishment or character. I hope this clears that up.

Pebbles Trippet

Elk

Ed note: But you'll always be a beauty queen to me, Pebs.

2020! AND 2026!

Editor,

Thank you for recognizing the Anderson Valley Elementary sixth-grade class of 2020 in the June 3, 2020 issue. With the cessation of on-campus learning, this year’s class was presented with numerous challenges, including the inability to gather for social interactions with their peers. Additionally, they were unable to be acknowledged as in the past for the time they spent at the school. While we were unable to give them a formal farewell this year, being able to see them “together” one more time was extremely gratifying and certainly appreciated. Thank you, 

Sid Frazer

Principal, Anderson Valley Elementary

Boonville

SOLUTIONS

Editor,

You may not know it but I have been giving you the answers to problems, none of which were adopted. For example, all of the winning initiatives must be okayed by the state legislature and signed by the governor: 

Voluntary 25¢ tollbooths directed in both directions of Sherwood Road could pay for a second access road.

Election Day will be a holiday and just as having a license plate on your car is mandatory, showing up to either vote or not vote will be mandatory. Then no need for his census — it will be taken care of on election Day. (Won’t Republicans jate this one?)

All schools will be required to receive the broadcast of local and national-world news each school day at 1 PM. This will be collected from the Press Democrat and relayed by the County office of education. The Press Democrat will compensated for this service.

Subscribing to the Press Democrat in Willits costs me $60 a month. All print newspapers in the county will be subsidized by 50%, split between the reader and the publisher just as public transportation is subsidized by local government. All weekly newspapers will receive legal ad payments for printing a summary of State news each week. This will be paid for by the state treasurer.

All auto insurance rates, if raised, must notify the reason for the increase to the insured and must be okayed by the state in Insurance Department. This is not being done now. Consumers are being ripped off. 

Public schools will be responsible for counting school-age children for the census and hospitals and midwives responsible for infants and children less than school age. The money saved by the census will be allocated to homeless services.

After each general election all registered voters will be given a packet to be sent to the winning congressional candidate in the 435 congressional districts. There will be plenty of space for the voters to express their views to their congressperson. 

Also there will be a number of questions that can be answered yes or no: 

Do you favor switching to a parliamentary system of government? 

Do you favor eliminating the electoral College? 

Do you favor reducing military spending 5% each year with the savings earmarked for low cost affordable housing? 

Do you favor a 1% increase in the federal gasoline tax each year with the proceeds going to building brothels in each state where prostitution has been legalized? 

Do you favor limiting the hours a firearm can be used to two hours a day, 6 AM to 8 AM? 

Do you support requiring all girls between the ages of 15 and 25 to wear ribbons in their hair: blue for virgins and red for "other"? 

Do you support a sign to be posted at the entrance to all men's rooms: "No matter how long you shake it, you're never going to catch that last drop"? 

All high school seniors will be required to read "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn before graduating.

Al returned packets will have a Washington DC address but they are intercepted and tabulated for public release before they are sent to the congressmen. Some do not want their constituents to see them.

Ralph Bostrom

Willis

FAIR PLAY FOR JUNIPERO SERRA

Editor,

Protesters Toppled Statues Of St. Serra

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on protesters who destroyed statues of Saint Junipero Serra:

Smashing statues of American icons is all the rage among urban barbarians. Ignorant of history, they are destroying statues of those who were among the most enlightened persons of their time. This includes Father Junipero Serra. The 18th century missionary fought hard for the rights of Indians, and was rightfully canonized by Pope Francis in 2015.

A statue of Saint Serra was toppled in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on June 19, and the next day another statue of the legendary priest was torn down at Placita Olvera in Los Angeles. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, who is also president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, singled out Saint Serra for his compassion and his effort to establish rights for Indians and women.

In 2015, I published a booklet, "The Noble Legacy of Father Serra," that detailed his many accomplishments. In light of the attacks on him, it is worth recalling some of his heroics.

Serra got along well with the Indians. His goal, and that of the Franciscan missionaries whom he led, was not to conquer the Indians—it was to make them good Christians. The missionaries granted the Indians rights and respected their human dignity, quite unlike the condition of black slaves. The Indians appreciated their efforts, drawing a distinction between the missionaries and the Spanish crown: the former treated the natives with justice; the latter did not. The civil authorities were the problem, not the priests.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the missionaries did not eradicate Indian culture. Indeed, they learned the native language of the Indians and employed Indians as teachers. Some cultural modification was inevitable, given that the missionaries taught the Indians how to be masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, and painters. The Indians were also taught how to sell and buy animals, and were allowed to keep their bounty. Women were taught spinning, knitting, and sewing.

Archbishop Gomez is right to point out that Serra fought for the rights of women, as well. It was the missionaries who sought to protect Indian women from the Spanish colonizers. The Friars segregated the population on the basis of sex and age, hoping to safeguard the young girls and women from being sexually exploited. When such offenses occurred, Serra and his fellow priests quickly condemned them.

A total of 21 missions were established by the Franciscans, nine of them under the tenure of Serra; he personally founded six missions. He baptized more than 6,000 Indians, and confirmed over 5,000; some 100,000 were baptized overall during the mission period.

If the truth were told about Saint Serra, he would be heralded as a friend of the Indians, not as their enemy. But truth matters little to those whose hearts are full of hatred and whose minds are closed to reality.

The Catholic League for Religious & Civil Rights

450 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 10123

HORSE WHIPS

Editor: 

The California Horse Racing Board has approved new rules regarding the use of whips on horses — no more than six times during a race; only in an underhanded position (whatever that means); no more than two strikes in succession; no whips during morning training and after the end of races. 

This is all well and good, but it gives me cause to wonder, why do horses have to be whipped at all? It can’t be to spur them to run faster, because all the horses are whipped, so whipping one horse gives no advantage. Does it make the jockey feel better? Has anyone ever asked the horses? Or trainers Frank Stronach and Bob Baffert? 

Attorney Shane Gusman, representing the Jockey’s Guild, took the issue all the way down to, “You’re going to end racing in California. It’s just going to happen if you go down this road ...” 

Just like Southeast Asia; watch those dominoes fall. But they didn’t. In fact, now we’re friends with the people of Vietnam, who not that long ago we were trying to kill. 

Take away the whips. Jockeys will become “horse whisperers.” There’s precedent for that. The horses will love it.

Ed Shoop

Sonoma

BLACK PEOPLE IN THE ANDERSON VALLEY

AVA,

Ida and Emmett Jackson bought a ranch high above Boonville in the 1930s. She had been the first Negro Masters graduate in education at Cal in the early 1920's. He made a living renting to single workmen in San Francisco. The Jackson family had emigrated from the New Orleans district years before that. She became an acclaimed educator and modest philanthropist. They vacationed summers at their ranch in Anderson Valley.

The attachment here is from her autobiographical reflections for a California oral history project. Chapter XIII deals with buying and living on the ranch. My wife's parents visited them throughout the 1940's and 1950's, as late as the early 1960's by which time both her parents had died. Ethel Waters was another visitor. The local sheep and hog rancher element was violently hostile. It was a general attitude in the region. When Emmett took my wife to Point Arena in about 1951 to get her an ice cream cone, the proprietor refused service. Emmett pointed to the money, quarter, and demanded the ice cream, which the owner handed over.

Years later, someone sabotaged the Jackson ranch house's propane tank with a timer set to explode and blow up the house. It happened that my wife, the only occupant, then a teenager, had left unexpectedly to return to Berkeley that weekend. Old Boonville hands confirmed the race relations circumstances to Marianne Crispin, a young wife living in Boonville when Judith was a child. They recognized each other in Willits 25 years later at the Carnegie Library in 1972. Marianne died falling asleep on the way back from Boonville taking care of her mother in about 1980.

Ida should be considered a pioneer in race relations in the Bay Area. The honorific might be extended, were it known, to life in Anderson Valley. When the nearby Hendy Woods State Park was inaugurated, she invited Ethel Waters to attend and perform.

It was a rough crowd. She avoided all talk about it in her memoir.

Bill Ray

Willits

PS. One anecdote about the only Black man in redneck country. My late neighbor Glenwood Wagner in about 1958 had a 1924 De Soto, perfect condition, newly upholstered, about which he was constantly being importuned by a little old 'Black,' then 'Negro', guy in the neighborhood who was bound and determined to get it. "He was always at me, always at me," Glenwood explained to me. He was the best hunter and fisherman of his time, For years he only used a crossbow, meaning he had to get within forty yards of his prey. He lived twelve years past what his oncologist predicted as curtains. But he was generous to a fault. Finally he gave in to the little guy and sold him the relic, for $35. The buyer spent his last days at Ridgewood Ranch, the religious collective South of Willits, complaining incessantly about racial prejudice. I saw him there in the late 1970s when I delivered mail at Ridgewood as a contract carrier. Black people didn't move to Willits.

HIGH SCHOOL

Editor,

Very interesting if sobering "Message to the Class of 2020" by Tommy Wayne Kramer in the June 17 edition.

I grew up in an affluent community and graduated from a public high school that was essentially a publicly funded college prep school.

At my high school graduation ceremony the three valedictorians of my class gave speeches. They probably had GPAs around 4.85. I happened to know two of them, one a guy I'd known since the fourth grade; the other a guy I'd known since the sixth grade. I didn't I don't remember anything from their speeches.

I do remember something from the principal’s speech though, both because of its importance and its irony. He said in his speech that all of us in my class (realistically almost all of us) had learned how to "read, write and compute at a high level" during our four years at our high school.

To me this was ironic because within the environment of my high school with its grandiose expectations (or demands) of sending graduates to prestigious colleges, most of us students (and our parents) took for granted that we had learned to read, write and compute at an adequate level.

Unfortunately, we all knew that a lot of American high school graduates do not learn to read, write and compute at an adequate level.

In my opinion, the academic focus at my high school was all out of proportion towards achievement and performance rather than learning. In fact, I'm sure that some of my classmates had a feeling: "I don't really care so much if I can read, write and compute at an adequate level, I just want to go to UC Berkeley and wind up in the affluent professional class like my parents."

Speaking of my classmates, I did not celebrate graduation with my group of 12-15 male friends that night after going out to dinner with my family. Why not? Looking back all these years later I suppose it's because I didn't really consider them friends — they were merely guys I hung out with. After I dropped out of college in 1988 because of the prestigious college professional class rat race had beat me to a pulp, I knew my high school "friends" would reject me outright and consequently I haven't had any contact with them since 1988.

Keith Bramstedt

San Anselmo

OBJECTS TO PHILBRICK

Editor,

As a long time [38 years] subscriber. I finally let my subscription expire due to your unrelenting acquiescence to Mr Philbrick's racist, misanthropic, ignorant rants. Ok, Let him scribe a couple but it’s a constant platform of hate and stupidity that you countenance. Please. Enough is enough. What purpose are you serving letting this crockpot spew the same shit every week? If Mr P. had enough intelligence and insight to at least vary his tormented diatribes I might be curious, but no, It’s the same crap every single week. As an ancient welder and blacksmith I worked on LP’s equipment on Willow Creek in Occidental since the 80’s and then for MRC after. Never met a redneck asshole such as Philbrick. Thank god. 

Peter Prunuske

Occidental

SHERIFF KENDALL ON CITIZENS OVERSIGHT

Letter to the Public:

I’ve received several calls and emails regarding the item which was brought forward by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors (BOS) regarding the forming of a citizen’s advisory committee for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. I’ve been asked if I am for or against this along with several topics which are being discussed in the national dialogue.

Anyone who saw the Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting of June 24, 2020, can see the answer on this is a little complicated. I agree that more transparency between government agencies and the public is a positive move, and law enforcement is no exception. Since the passing of Senate Bill 1421 (SB-1421) and Assembly Bill 748 (AB-748) at the beginning of 2019, law enforcement has been able to provide records to the public relating to officer use-of-force incidents, sexual assault and acts of dishonesty, without the need to go through a drawn-out and often expensive legal process. Without this transparency, it’s easy to understand why the public would often draw their own conclusions about disciplinary actions taken (or lack thereof) by a department against an officer in a specific situation. Without the reports and evidence to review, it’s human nature to fill in the unknowns. SB-1421 and AB-748 have opened up the doors for us to show the public we’re already very good at correcting problems and making changes within our ranks. These two bills opened up the opportunity to build even more trust with the people we protect and serve. 

In Tuesday’s BOS meeting, the model the BOS brought forward was basically a copy and paste of the ordinance which Sonoma County enacted in 2016. Due to the recent legislation, it has become antiquated and is currently costing an enormous amount of money for duplicate work. (I am very conservative with my coins and yours.) 

One week of thinking and a copy of another county’s ordinance doesn't seem like something that will fix hundreds of years of problems. I truly believe we can do better. 

While I’m not opposed to any type of citizen advisory board that considers differing points of view to help shape a new system, I would like to see it come together in a fashion that works for everyone, the public and law enforcement. If we don’t consider all affected, ultimately, good deputies will begin to weigh their own liberty and safety and that of their families, and question having a career which includes so much risk and so little respect. We have many good men and women who are serving our citizens during these times who feel hated, betrayed, and are looking for new jobs. 

While we look to create a more equitable system, we should also look at all departments within the County, not simply the Sheriff's Office. I believe within our government, everyone who serves our public should be held to the same standards and we all need to remain aware of how we are treating the public. If we have a systemic problem in the United States then it isn't simply in law enforcement. The national dialogue is representative of failures in all parts of government and all departments to be involved in changing this.

Any time changes need to be made in the Sheriff’s Office which can affect our people with morale, training, goals or general direction, it has to come from the Sheriff. When something comes forward that can change their lives, I, as the Sheriff, have a duty to speak with them before they hear about it from another source. I also have to work with the local Police Chiefs and our District Attorney. We have a shared goal of public safety and must support each other in this endeavor. I had been working with Police Chiefs and our DA to identify problems and build tangible goals on this topic well prior to this item coming forward from our County Supervisors. 

I’d also like to talk to you about the “De-Fund the Police” movement gaining momentum in our nation and how this effects all of us. My perspective on this may surprise many of you.

This movement seems to be designed to remove law enforcement from dealing with individuals experiencing mental illness, homelessness and drug addiction challenges. This is something that law enforcement has been requesting for years. Law enforcement has always struggled to acquire adequate funding to hire, train, and equip personnel, so while I don’t see defunding law enforcement as an appropriate solution, I totally support additional funding for mental health services, drug and alcohol challenges and for those individuals experiencing homelessness.

People who are affected by mental health challenges, or are dual diagnosis patients, or face drug and alcohol challenges, truly deserve more than they are getting when we arrive as law enforcement officers. They deserve treatment, not incarceration. When they’re released without their core issues resolved, we put them back into a situation where they then often begin to escalate to things like burglaries, assaults, robberies or worse. For years law enforcement has been used as a quick and temporary solution, and every year I am mandated to provide more training towards these issues. This is because the legislature wants the police to continue dealing with these problems, instead of placing the problems where they belong. This needs to change and stop this revolving door. We need to look for solutions to the core problems other than incarcerations. We have received no funding to take on these extraordinary challenges however we are dedicated to working on the problems together. 

Asking an officer to be a doctor, nurse, or therapist is much like hiring a plumber to come wire a house for electricity. It usually doesn’t work out very well and when it fails, do we blame the plumber because he was tasked with a job he wasn’t trained to do? 

If a person overdoses on drugs and dies on a park bench, it’s a terrible event. If that person takes the same amount of drugs and dies in custody, the police are blamed. This cycle has to end. 

I have concerns created by the current national dialogue. It has become reminiscent of something I remember from my youth. I was a child when the Vietnam War was ending and our servicemen were returning home. My father was a fire captain, and over the years, he had several firemen who had been drafted or enlisted, and many of them remember horrific treatment they received when returning to the United States. They had put their lives at risk to defend our liberties and way of life and were blamed for the policies put in place by the government leaders who sent them. They, and sometimes their families, were threatened, assaulted and ostracized, treated without compassion and blamed for a war they didn’t start. This caused a great deal of distrust and division throughout our country.

In a similar fashion, today’s law enforcement officers are being asked to risk their lives to maintain the safety and quality of life by following the rules created by legislators. Many times legislators don’t understand the real-life impact of their decisions. The hostility of the public is often misdirected at officers (and their families) who have nothing to do with the creation of the laws that meet with the public’s dissatisfaction.

We watch the news on television and see the unrest across the country and it’s easy to think that it’s all far away from our own homes and lives. But I see it as an opportunity to learn how to make Mendocino County an even better place to live and avoid the issues of more turbulent areas. 

In closing, I support positive changes, however we have to build a model for Mendocino County that will be durable and work for Mendocino County. I’d like to thank everyone who reached out to me regarding these issues. I truly appreciate all of the directions these issues are viewed from. And I would also remind everyone that I’m always open to hear your suggestions on how we can make our communities better together.

Thank you.

Sheriff Matt Kendall 

FAIR PLAY FOR TOMMY

Letter to the Editor

I can’t believe the letters to the Ukiah Daily Journal editor squawking to stop Tom Hine from writing his column in the Journal. Personally, of all of the local writers of columns, the only two I ever read are Tom Hine and Jim Shields who both only appear in the Sunday Journal. The rest of them, I can’t even force myself to get past the first paragraph.

I think most of these oafs complaining about TWK are upset because Tom Hine pokes fun at them and their far left beliefs, and, with their way overinflated egos, just can’t stand being made fun of.

In my opinion, I believe that most of the reasons that they give to get rid of TWK are, to use a very, very overused word, racist. 

Thankyou,

David Anderson

Ukiah

LEAVE TOMMY ALONE, LIBS

Editor,

Freedom of Expression in Perilous Times:

I find disturbing the attempts to kick Tommy Wayne Kramer (nee Tom Hine) out of publishing his column in the Ukiah Daily Journal. Some of my liberal friends seem to feel that his screeds are inappropriate and disturbing. I certainly don't agree with most of what he writes but it's a refreshing addition to an otherwise monochromatic opinion arena.

I used to view TWK as satire because it didn't fit the Tom I have known very slightly but over several years. I will never forget the day that our mutual friend and mentor, Buddy Eller, died in a tragic car crash. Tom was obviously as crushed as I was by the loss of a man with whom he apparently had substantial political disagreements but still enjoyed a strong bond and friendship. Somehow I feel that if my liberal friends had sat down with Tom and discussed their concerns… Oh, there you go again, Kathy, singing Kumbaya and whining "Can't we all just get along?!" 

But the fact remains that banning a person from expressing right wing political ideas would be a blemish on our liberal community. It's important to hear the other side and Tommy certainly pushes the envelope like no other local writer I know. Thankfully, editor KC Meadows "gets" that freedom of expression thing and TWK will continue at the Journal. And I hope that his critics continue to express their views and challenge his. Just no more attempts to silence him, please. That's not who we are.

Kathy Brigham

Ukiah

WE LOVE OURSELVES

Editor,

To the Editor:

During the shelter in place mandate, our residential care homes, behavioral health services, crisis and homeless programs have all remained open to continue to serve our children, youth, families, and adults with essential healing care. The selfless services and supports RCS employees provide daily is life-changing and value-adding. Further, our organization is made possible by our steadfast administrative teams who provide the backbone for the services RCS is able to make available to the community. Without the brilliance of our administrative employees, we would not have been able to respond to this new environment seamlessly.

RCS is proud to stand in company of such amazing, brilliant, and inspiring change-makers who work tirelessly to create a more loving, just, and healing world. Our employees stepped up and continue to amaze us during these critical times, often working overtime, taking shifts in programs and counties they do not usually work in, spending countless hours ensuring clients’ needs are met – all while being away from their families- and for this and all the other countless ways you contribute, we salute you!

For more information about the services RCS provides – from foster care to our 24-hour youth and adult homes; our 24-hour crisis services, behavioral health services, day resource and night shelter services, and substance use disorder treatment services, please visit our website at www.redwoodcommunityservices.org

Victoria Kelly, CEO, Tawny Bailey, COO, Carmen Harris, CPO, Angie Bakker, Marketing & Communications

THANKS, GEORGE, BILL

Editor,

Do Black lives matter? Evidently not. They killed 14 last weekend in Chicago and wounded 104 and that's just in Chicago. In all the cities of the United States there were over 200 killed, black people. And several hundred wounded. Where’s the outrage? Where is the coverage by the media? None! The filthy scumbags won't put it on a because it sounds too bad. Where is the outrage you stinking media? Where is it? And all this outrage around the United States? Thank you George Soros and Bill Gates. 

God bless Donald Trump. 

Jerry Philbrick 

Comptche 

HANDS OFF RUSHMORE! 

Editor, 

Mad as hell! It has been disclosed on evening radio night of June 25, 2020, there is a plan formulating to the deface/tear down Mount Rushmore. Enough is enough! We laypeople black and white have got the message. It is time to put on the brakes, stop the overkill. These problems can be resolved without going on these historical carnages. 

For those few refuse to pull your head out of your ass, cash those food stamps and welfare checks, buy a one-way ticket to Egypt and tear down those big ugly pyramids that took hundreds of years to be built by slave labor. 

Know this: I’m mad as hell and I am not going to put up with it anymore! Touch my flagpole, burn any flag, deface any of my historical monuments, I see you, the brothers, and I will relocate you. Don't ask! 

My friends myself and thousands of others have had it up to here! We will not stand by and just watched the lawless actions seen on TV!

Don't, say again, don't test the waters. You and others will find you have made the mistake of your life!!!!

Just a little snippet for all you far left wing flaming liberals: put that in your pipe and smoke it!

God bless America, the Donald and Jerry Philbrick.

Mad as hell, Patriarch of this grand nation,

Boonville