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MCT: Tuesday, September 22, 2020

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RAIN IS FORECAST to spread across Del Norte and northern Humboldt counties Wednesday night into Thursday, with little to no precipitation expected elsewhere. Hot and dry weather appears likely across the region this weekend into early next week. (NWS)

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24 NEW COVID CASES reported on Monday, bringing Mendo’s total to 875. 19 more people were in isolation, two more in the hospital, and one less in ICU. 

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TOM TOWEY has relayed the sad news that Todd ”Cappy” Capazelo passed away last week. A long-time resident of Boonville, Todd had been fighting cancer. An unfailingly pleasant man who knew everything there was to know about football, and a formidable quarterback in his youth, Todd was a popular assistant at Anderson Valley High School under several head coaches.

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JUST IN!

August Complex - West Zone Evacuation Orders Have Been Reduced To An Evacuation Warning For Areas Of Hearst / Eden Valley

Effective Immediately

Areas of Mendocino County:

Zone AB: South of the Middle Fork of the Eel River, west of Eden Creek, north of Salt Flat, east of Salt Creek.

Zone AC: East of Brushy Mountain, south of the fire road on Salt Flat, west of Eden Valley, north of Bald Mountain.

Zone H: West of the National Forest Boundary, north of Thomas Creek and the Eel River, east of Twin Bridges Creek, south of Bald Mountain.

Zone W: West of the Eel River, north of Deep Hole Creek, east of Eden Valley including the entire valley floor, south of Eden Creek.

Road Closures:

FH7 (Mendocino Pass Road) and M1 (Indian Dick Road) at Eel River

Notes:

The public is reminded to stay vigilant on current fire conditions. Please continue to adhere to road closures and any Evacuation Warnings and Evacuation Orders. Please remember to drive slowly and yield to emergency personnel in the area. There may still be smoke in the respective areas as firefighters continue their suppression operations.

The Mendocino National Forest will remain closed, for updated forest closures, visit: http://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino

View the most current evacuation map at: https://tinyurl.com/mendoevac

For more information about wildfire preparedness visit: www.readyforwildfire.org

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BILL KIMBERLIN: “My book comes out in paperback tomorrow. If you like my writing, take a look, as it would help me with my publisher. It is a memoir and not about Star Wars. There is a chapter on Boonville and my life in general. Lots of stories. Thank you for any support.”

INTRIGUING SAMPLE PARAGRAPH: “Just before moving to the Valley, for my high school years, I knew this girl named Janet Rigsbee. We went to school together. She was very easy on the eyes. I didn't hear about her again until I left the Valley for college. She now had a new name. It was Janet Planet and she was with Van Morrison. Van Morrison wrote several songs about her, but my favorite is "Brown Eyed Girl".

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THAT HOME INVASION/POT ROBBERY last week in Laytonville in the Black Oak Ranch area just happens to have occurred on the same property as the awful Settler stabbing murder a few years ago. Same old boy owns the place, which he leases to marijuana farmers whose pot ops tend to go seriously awry. The second old guy — Senior Week In Marijuana Land? — involved in what sounds much more like a pot transaction gone sideways than the usual love drug stick-up, is a career criminal named Louis Bagliere. Bagliere used to live in Laytonville. He has a long record of court appearances in Mendo, criminal and civil, going back to 2007, and arrests in the Bay Area for meth production, among other crimes. Among the people held at gunpoint at Black Oak where one of the gunmen fired a warning shot, was a little girl. Bagliere was cited and released from the Mendo County Jail because of — brace yourselves — his "pre-existing medical condition." This character is well enough to lead a Laytonville home invasion but too medically vulnerable for jail? The other bandidos, including Bagliere's son, are being held without bail.

UPDATE ON LAYTONVILLE HOME INVASION

On 9-20-2020 at approximately 12:45 P.M., a Sheriff's Office deputy received information from citizens in the area of the 50400 block of North Highway 101 near Laytonville, CA. The deputy was informed that citizens in the area located and detained a black male adult fitting the description of the outstanding suspect from Friday, Sept. 19, 2020 related to this robbery investigation. Deputies responded and detained the suspect.

Sheriff's Office detectives responded and following additional investigation, the subject was identified as the outstanding wanted suspect from this ongoing investigation. The suspect was identified as David Lee Edmonds, a 50 year-old male from San Jose. Edmonds was taken to Howard Memorial Hospital for a medical clearance and later transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he was booked for Armed Robbery in Concert, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Felony Child Endangerment, Armed During the Commission of a Felony.

Edmonds was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail to be held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

There are no other outstanding suspects being sought in the Laytonville, area relating to this incident. Anyone with information related to this incident is requested to call the Sheriff's Office Communications Center at 707-463-4086 or can remain anonymous by calling the WeTip system at 800-782-7463.

Original Press Release

On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 at approximately 4:00 P.M., deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to an armed robbery that occurred at the Black Oak Ranch in the 49000 block of North Highway 101 near Laytonville.

Law enforcement personnel from the Sheriff's Office Investigations Bureau, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Mendocino County Inter-Agency SWAT team also responded to assist with this incident.

After law enforcement personnel arrived at the scene and met with the numerous victims, an investigation ensued where the following information was learned. On Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, Tyler Bagliere, 28, of San Jose, and his father, Louis Bagliere, 73, of San Jose, went to the rural property near Laytonville with two black male adults, later identified as Lathiaro White, 26, of Oakland, and Anthony Watson, 30, of San Jose. These subjects were armed with firearms and held a number of victims who were at the property at gunpoint while demanding money. A firearm was discharged at or near the victims during this incident. The suspects later left the property after stealing approximately 20 pounds of marijuana, and stated they would return in two days.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, Tyler Bagliere returned to the above property with three black male adults who were later identified as Christopher Stewert, 30, of San Jose, Deangelo Villalona, 25, of San Jose, and another unidentified adult male. Stewert and Villalona were armed with a firearm on this date and the unidentified suspect discharged a firearm at or near the victims while demanding payment from them. The victims at the scene were identified as 3 adult males, an adult female, and a juvenile female who were held at gunpoint for several hours.

During the continuing investigation, law enforcement personnel stopped a van that was attempting to leave the area. Louis Bagliere, Lathiaro White, and Anthony Watson were located in the van along with multiple assault rifles equipped with large-capacity magazines and a loaded handgun.

The victims were interviewed during this investigation and it was determined they were not injured during the robbery on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020 or Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020.

Evidence was located at the scene of the robberies that corroborated the victim's statements regarding the incidents.

The following suspects were arrested for the listed charges in relation to this investigation:

Tyler Bagliere: Armed robbery in concert, assault with a deadly weapon, felony child endangerment, and criminal threats.

Lathiaro White: Armed robbery in concert, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, discharge of a firearm at an inhabited dwelling, and being armed with a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Anthony Watson: Armed robbery in concert, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, discharge of a firearm at an inhabited dwelling, and being armed with a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Christopher Stewert: Armed robbery in concert, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, discharge of a firearm at an inhabited dwelling, and being armed with a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Deangelo Villalona: Armed robbery in concert, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, discharge of a firearm at an inhabited dwelling, and being armed with a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Louis Bagliere: Armed robbery in concert and criminal threats.

Louis Bagliere was cited and released during this investigation due to pre-existing medical conditions. Investigators with the Sheriff's Office requested a bail enhancement on the other arrested suspects, which was granted for a no-bail status. Tyler Bagliere, White, Watson, Stewert, and Villalona were transported to the Mendocino County Jail where they were ultimately held on a no-bail status.

There was another unidentified adult male suspect who was not apprehended during this investigation. The outstanding suspect is described as a black male adult, approximately 20-30 years old, short, thin build, and possibly armed with a firearm. The suspect fled the area of the scene on foot and has not been located at this time. Please do not attempt to contact or detain this suspect as he is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information relating to this case or the outstanding suspect is requested to call the Sheriff's Office Communications Center at 707-463-4086.

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DRIVE-IN MOVIES AT THE AV GRANGE

This coming Saturday night Sept. 26 at dark it's a classic, some peoples favorite of all time: Princess Bride

We follow all protocols so please bring a mask and be responsible

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LINDY PETERS INTERVIEW WITH PAUL McCARTHY

Lindy Peters writes: I thought you might enjoy this. Kind of like a video of the old On the Record radio show on KMFB. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1479417572230992


KGUA INTERVIEW WITH PAUL MCCARTHY, 2013

https://soundcloud.com/kgua/mendosports-5-20-13

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ONLY ONE FARMERS MARKET LEFT in the season!

Friday from 4-6 at Disco Ranch for the Boonville Farmers' Market. Stock up on local organic olive oil, and meat and enjoy the flavors of summer produce. We're a small group but have a lot to offer! mushrooms, eggs, greens, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, cukes and more!

EBT and credit cards accepted.

Interested in managing the market next year? Let's talk!

Lama, aforestperson@gmail.com

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FORT BRAGG RESIDENTS’ COP RALLY

On Sunday, September 20, 2020, Fort Bragg residents gathered midday on Main Street to show their support for local law enforcement. Mendocino Coast resident Judy Valadao said residents “who support our first responders decided to get together and show our support.”

mendofever.com/2020/09/20/fort-bragg-residents-rally-in-support-of-local-law-enforcement/

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THE INLAND Mendocino Democratic Mobile Headquarters, aka Joe Louis Wildman, Mendo king of the middle-of-the-road extremists, visited “Anderson Valley, specifically downtown Boonville near the Boonville Hotel, on Wednesday, September 23 beginning at 2 pm.” (Which was today, if you read Boonville’s beloved weekly on its publication day.) “Biden/Harris campaign material, handouts about ballot propositions and local races will be available. Not registered to vote yet? Mobile HQ volunteers will happily sign you up. They'll have Census information on hand as well. This year, due to Covid, the IMDC revised their normal practice of opening a Ukiah campaign headquarters. Instead, the organization is sending its “Mobile HQ,” an appropriately emblazoned van, around Inland Mendocino County, following an ambitious itinerary that includes several dozen stops at a wide range of locales. The journey began on Labor Day and will continue until Election Day. Additional upcoming scheduled stops include Ukiah on Saturday, September 26 (the Farmer’s Market at 9 am and State & Perkins at 2 pm) and Redwood Valley on Sunday, September 27 (RV Farmer’s Market at 9 am and Lions Park at 2 pm). There is a return Boonville visit currently scheduled for Sunday, October 18.

The schedule is subject to change, as weather and air-quality conditions dictate. For information and/or date confirmation, please visit the Inland Mendocino Democratic Club website, at https://mendodems.org/WP/ or call (707) 367-0910. “ (Jerry Karp)

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THE MIGHTY AVA recommends a Green Party vote for president as a protest against California's one-party state. The fainthearted must know that Biden is a cinch here in the Sunshine State, as would a celery stalk be a cinch in Ca if it ran as a Democrat, so a protest vote isn't a vote for the beast among nervous libs as it might be in a swing state. 

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YOU CAN BUY one of NorCal's roadside institutions for $3M

Three hours’ drive north of San Francisco on Highway 101, flanking the majestic redwoods of Standish Hickey State Recreation Area and just a pine cone’s toss from a prime Eel River swimming hole, a roadside institution displays an arguably world-famous sign: “Never don’t stop.”

sfgate.com/california-parks/article/Peg-House-roadside-food-drink-California-15578553.php

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A FRIGGIN’ MESS

(Public Comment by long time Supes Pot Permit Program Watcher Corrine Powell)

I again recommend that the Ad Hoc lobby CDFA to allow all Provisional License holders with County Permits, who do not wish to expand cultivation beyond their current permit size, be accepted as CEQA compliant as per the MND and given a County “Legacy/Craft/Heritage Cultivation permit. ANY local existing permit expansion or new applicant must be considered an “expansion of use” and thereby not subject to MND coverage. It will be appropriate to apply an “Appendix G” or applicant site-specific review to ALL new applications, the structure and timing of which to be determined. 

Agenda: 2) Direct the Executive Office and Planning and Building Services to engage with Information Technology consultant to develop a fully digital submission portal capable of instantaneously generating accurate status reports for staff, applicants and the public; 

CP: I’m shocked to learn of the complete disorganization of files in the Planning and Building Services (PBS) department. How long have we been told by PBS staff that they have “streamlined” the application process, inferring improvement, when actually nothing has improved? 

I support directing staff time to resume work with the County’s IT consultant to construct a digital application and record keeping system and portal for cultivation and related cannabis businesses. PBS must prioritize organization and attention to the longest standing permittees first. 

Agenda: 3) Direct Planning and Building Services to implement cost recovery for staff time allocated to cannabis cultivation development discussions beyond existing application scope; 

CP: Until the Board’s main priority of finding a pathway for current Provisional Licensees to obtain Annual Licenses is fulfilled, staff should not be encouraged to use their time to justify cost recovery for extraneous, “outside the application process” activities. We need to solve the primary problems before creating more work for staff. 

Agenda: 4) Direct Planning and Building Services to engage in an interagency agreement with California Department of Fish and Wildlife for a biologist to assist with Sensitive Species and Habitat Review; 

CP: I support a staff Biologist embedding in the PBS to perform and/or review SSHR analysis if the Board retains the current cultivation ordinance where CDFW participation is required for SSHR. If, however, the Board approves a use permit system, the current ordinance requirement no longer exists, and a Biologist will not be necessary as a site-specific CEQA review process will be required of all new applicants applying for a use permit. 

Agenda: 5) Direct Planning and Building to publish and maintain a Cannabis Cultivation Guide, including flowchart, on website; 

CP: This recommendation is premature and a waste of staff time until the Cannabis cultivation permitting process is resolved. Currently, no new applications are being accepted and the website need only state same with assurance of updated information based on future Board action and regulation corrections. 

Agenda: 6) Direct Planning and Building Services to develop a staffing plan to complete processing of Cannabis Cultivation applications within six months or an RFP for outside contractor if county lacks feasibility to perform; 

CP: I support directing staff to complete processing of currently accepted application as per Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the current ordinance which is the only “good faith” position PBS can take. It is also imperative that PBS inform current permittees if their permits were issued in error as acknowledged by Brent Schultz. These permittees have no idea their approved status may be in jeopardy or revoked because of a County action not made public. They will need County assistance and potentially time to rectify any regulatory deficiencies. 

Agenda: 7) Direct Cannabis Program Manager to prepare Equity Grant Program plan presentation; 

CP: Yes, I support a specific directive for County staff to complete the complete the Equity Grant process in advance of statutory deadline. It is essential that County staff work closely with MCA and other County stakeholders who were instrumental in crafting the grant application and achieving this award. 

Agenda: 8) Direct Planning and Building to generate Notices of Correction and establish processing priorities; 

CP: To whom are “Notices of Correction” going? If the Ad Hoc means those permittees granted permits with deficiencies not yet communicated by PBS...I strongly support immediate action. It is essential, however, that the Board establish “processing priorities”. The first permittees to process are those who have been permitted and licensed by the state for the longest period of time as their businesses are most effected if they have relied on approvals and are not out of compliance. These earliest and most presumably compliant fee and tax paying businesses deserve first attention and assistance. 

After the group established above as the highest priority, the second processing must be to purge non- responsive applicants who are delinquent in providing long overdue information to the County or whose applications are obviously not acceptable as presented. Clear the backlog and require applicants to respond within 30 days if they intend to complete applications. If no responsive action is received, PBS must order a cease and desist letter and send Code Enforcement in one week after the deadline. This holding pattern has gone on long enough with little definitive action coming from PBS. 

Agenda: 9) Direct Executive Office to add Provisional License extension to legislative platform and Direct ad-hoc to engage with RCRC, Assembly member Wood and Senator McGuire for support; 

CP: I support adding the recommended action to the current legislative platform and request the topic be discussed under agenda item 5g) so there is action directed today!! 

Agenda: 10) Direct staff to schedule Special Board of Supervisors Meeting for Cannabis Cultivation Phase 3 Zoning Table and Permitting Model. 

CP: The Board has amended the current cultivation ordinance to change or reopen application deadlines for Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3. YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN WITH LITTLE CONSEQUENCE! It is absurd to think the beleaguered PBS staff can assist the Ad Hoc with securing a pathway for current permitttees/licensees to secure Annual Licenses...the Board’s states highest priority... AND process the current application backlog estimated at more staff hours than can meet the existing state deadline. 

PBS has stated “no confidence” in their ability to process applications in house and will likely be asked by the Board to return with a plan of required staff and/or a consultant RFP in the immediate future. Brent Schultz has stated that cannabis regulations are “unique and complex” and he wants his staff to return to a use permit program, more familiar to his planners. They have admitted defeat and rationalize a use permit will be the panacea for the County’s cannabis permitting process. 

Supervisor McCowen is pushing for staff to develop a use permit system BEFORE the Board has resolved the legal CEQA and CDFW challenges for the several hundred permittees in the current system. Sup. McCowen is abandoning the small farmers he has, for years, vowed to protect. His insistence to push for opening Phase 3 and permit size expansion and controversial zoning changes that go with it has been pushed by large, wealthy and a few lobbying companies who want relief from small farmer considerations and environmental protections contained in the current ordinance. Of course, companies like Flow Kana, with investors contributing $125M and Henry’s Original, both with distribution licenses and manufacturing and/or processing licenses that pay minimal taxes to the County, want to “grow their own” and fully integrate their businesses to control costs and maximize profits. If they succeed in lobbying for expansion without protection for small farmers who cannot or do not want to expand, and without a Craft/Legacy/Heritage Permit for the few small, organic, high quality products farms and medicines produced by Mendocino’s historical cannabis culture, our reputation will be lost, and large AG has won. 

This is not the time for staff to invest limited resources in developing Phase 3 not only for reasons stated above, but also Phase 3 is part of the current ordinance. It is irresponsible for the Board to advance and explore Phase 3 until the fate of the current ordinance is determined. 

Staff refused to pursue amendments to the existing ordinance ... because they thought a use permit system was expected. This interpretation of staff’s required performance has been the result of Sup. McCowen PUSHING an undefined use permit system persistently and often over the objections of the CEO, PBS staff and recalcitrant agreement of fellow Supervisors. Sup. McCowen has been singularly most involved in the development of cannabis policy in the County and we are in a friggin’ mess! 

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$5 BILL, UKIAH 1ST NATIONAL BANK

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OLD GUY WITH OLD THOUGHT

A decent respect
For each other’s opinion
Compels us to speak

And to listen too
Maybe to be persuaded
Not just to persuade.

— Jim Luther

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REPORT FROM A SMALL FARM IN YORKVILLE

Autumn begins tomorrow but we usually have another month of beautiful weather before we see its effects. This year fall appears to be falling faster. The 200 year old Valley oak in our front yard is already dropping leaves and the fruit trees are changing color and some are close to denuded. Nothing that breathes (all living creatures and plants) likes the almost daily smoke pall covering most of northern California. That combined with the extreme heat the state has endured up until recently, and the paucity of water, at least in our neighborhood, is probably forcing nature to fold her hand early. There's been no rain and nothing significant is forecast in the near future. 

Our gardens continue to produce despite the dryness and foul air and our freezers and walk-in are full of fresh food for canning. Most pears and apples are harvested and we're starting on the figs this week. The jujubes have beautiful and plentiful fruit this year. Persimmons look as though they too will be early although the set is small and last to come will be the quince. We're hanging on waiting for rain and rest.

Our instincts, feelings and thoughts tend toward the dark right now.

Stay well and safe everyone, and make your voice heard. Our Indian Runner ducks certainly do...quacking loudly together during the day...and have just laid their first 3 small starter eggs!

— Nikki Auschnitt and Steve Kreig, Yorkville

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SEEKING PHOTOS OF THE OLD FORT BRAGG LIBRARY

Date: 2020-09-21 09:55

From: Fort Bragg Library Mendocino <fortbraggbranchlibrary@gmail.com>

To: Announce MCN <announce@lists.mcn.org>

I received an email from a Mendo resident who grew up using the old Fort Bragg Library (and Bookmobile). Her family moved away in 1980 and when she returned in 1988 her beloved library was gone, a victim of arsonists. She has fond memories of her time at the library and was wondering if anyone has pictures, inside or out or both, of the old library prior to its demise? If you know of anyone, could you please put them in touch with me? 

fortbraggbranchlibrary@gmail.com

Thank you and stay safe!

Peggy McGee, Senior Library Technician
Fort Bragg Library
707-964-2020

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CATCH OF THE DAY, September 20, 2020

Costigan, Duman, Lee

SUSAN COSTIGAN, Fort Bragg. Domestic battery, probation revocation.

MARCUS DUMAN, Ukiah. Controlled substance for sale, paraphernalia, no license, suspended license, saps or similar weapons, offenses while on bail. (Frequent Flyer)

PATRICK LEE, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

Marin, Skinner, Stewart

SALVADOR MARIN-ORTEGA, Protective order violation, probation revocation, illegal entry.

JEREMY SKINNER, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, disobeying court order, probation revocation.

CHRISTOPHER STEWART, Hayward/Laytonville. Robbery, assault with deadly weapon not a gun, personal use of firearm, child endangerment, criminal threats.

Villalona, Watson, White

DEANGELO VILLALONA, San Jose/Laytonville. Robbery, assault with deadly weapon not a gun, personal use of firearm, child endangerment, criminal threats.

ANTHONY WATSON JR., San Jose/Laytonville. Robbery, assault with deadly weapon not a gun, personal use of firearm, child endangerment, criminal threats.

LATHIARO WHITE, Oakland/Laytonville. Robbery, assault with deadly weapon not a gun, personal use of firearm, shooting at inhabited dwelling, criminal threats.

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“This usually fixes things.”

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PRESIDENTIAL VOTE COUNTING

by Jim Shields

More than likely, if the Nov. 3 Presdential election vote count is close — or even remotely close — the losing candidate of either party will litigate the outcome, as happened in the infamous Gore V. Bush “Chad Count” Supreme Court decision of 2000.

Back in June, Trump said of the upcoming election, “It’s going to be fraud all over the place. This will be, in my opinion, the most corrupt election in the history of our country and we cannot let this happen.”

Sounds like a legal threat to me, but Democrats also have their court papers ready to file in the event Trump wins in a squeeker.

Edward Foley, the director of election law at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, wrote an article in December 2019 exploring how a contested 2020 election in Pennsylvania could play out. Here’s one example of what could occur.

Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, all of which Trump won by less than one percentage point in 2016, will be important states to watch for possible election challenges.

All three prohibit election officials from processing absentee ballots until the day of the election, meaning the shift towards Democrats could be particularly dramatic as ballots are counted, and all three have Democratic governors but Republican-controlled state legislatures who could disagree over how to award the state’s electoral college votes.

Trump’s campaign is likely to challenge the validity of mail ballots and provisional ballots.

The president’s campaign could also attempt to claim voting discrepancies and fraud at in-person polling places, particularly heavily Democratic ones in urban areas.

You don’t have to look far back to see such an argument from Trump. In the 2018 midterm elections in Florida, GOP Senator Rick Scott and Gov. Ron DeSantis led by substantial margins on election night based on the in-person vote, but saw their leads narrow significantly over the next few days as mail ballots were processed.

“The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!” Trump tweeted on Nov. 12.

After a recount in the US Senate race, both Scott and DeSantis were certified as the winners of their respective elections.

Keep in mind that state and local governments administer elections in the United States, but the Biden campaign is watching the federal government’s actions under Trump closely. Congressional Democrats are investigating changes at the Postal Service put in place by Louis DeJoy, a Republican megadonor installed this year as postmaster general, that could affect mail-in voting.

“I am not engaged in sabotaging the election,” DeJoy told Congress last month.

The Dems’ Joe Biden is building a new legal team in preparation for battles over how people will vote, how ballots will be counted during the coronavirus pandemic, and any voting challenges on Election Day.

According to the New York Times, Democrats have been sucessful in some states in loosening signature-matching requirements for absentee ballots, eliminating witness requirements and allowing absentee ballots to be collected and turned in by third parties, a process the Republicans deride as “ballot harvesting.”

The Biden Campaign says there are thousands of lawyers and volunteers already working on voter-protection efforts to various degrees, including a PR campaign encouraging voters to request ballots soon, make a voting plan and cast a ballot as soon as possible.

The Biden Campaign has established a major new legal operation, bringing in two former solicitors general and hundreds of lawyers in what the campaign billed as “the largest election protection program in presidential campaign history.”

The Times also reports that inside the campaign, they are creating a “special litigation” unit, which will be led by Donald B. Verrilli Jr. and Walter Dellinger, two former solicitors general, who are joining the campaign. Hundreds of lawyers will be involved, including a team at the Democratic law firm Perkins Coie, led by Marc Elias, which will focus on the state-by-state fight over vote casting and counting rules. And Eric H. Holder Jr., the former attorney general in the Obama administration.

You to have wonder just how many millions of dollars Republicans and Democrats are spending just on the legal prep work leading up to actual litigation following election results.

Can’t help concluding that it may be weeks or several months before we know who “won” the November 3 election, and maybe we won’t even know then.

(Jim Shields is the Mendocino County Observer’s editor and publisher, and is also the long-time district manager of the Laytonville County Water District. Listen to his radio program “This and That” every Saturday at 12 noon on KPFN 105.1 FM, also streamed live: http://www.kpfn.org.)

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POMO CHILDREN PICKING HOPS, 1920s

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ON LINE COMMENTS OF THE WEEK

[1] Former mechanic Shawn Shriver bought a storefront about an hour outside Pittsburgh years ago. He created a 400-square-foot gun shop that he runs with his wife. They sell guns, ammo, and holsters to their neighbors. They normally carry about 150 pistols on a regular day. But there haven’t been many regular days since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March, as well as the public unrest that emerged in June. “I’ve got like three pistols in this store,” he said on Wednesday. “That’s it.” A similar story has played out in many gun stores across the country in recent months. Shriver’s experience may be more relevant to understanding the electoral implications of the recent riot-inspired gun-sales spike because of where it’s happening: a small town at the southwest tip of a swing state that could play a key role in electing the next president of the United States. “After COVID hit we sold out of ammo,” Shriver said. “And then they started with the protesting, and a lot more guns started going off the shelves.” Pennsylvania is not the only bellwether state where this is happening. A broader look at monthly sales data, as measured by FBI background checks, confirms swing state voters’ eagerness to arm themselves in 2020. The nine states at the epicenter of the presidential race between President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden each saw historic seasonally adjusted gun sales in June—larger in all cases than the record-setting sales of March—a sign of surging demand for firearms in the wake of rioting and protests that have turned violent.

[2] You claim that mail-in voting is full of fraud and there are several cases of filled-out ballots. The word "several" means two or three. And you also cite no credible sources for your claim. Since I've read numerous investigative reports from the Brennan Law Center–and I just pulled up a 381 page report from the Heritage Center as well–there is only a handful of voter fraud cases each year–not enough to affect any voting total or election outcome. Los Angeles County–not the entire state–last year began removing inactive/dead names from the voter rolls. There were 5 million of them but the news reports said that only 1.5 million would be removed. The removal was the result of a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a conservative organization. Fraud was never mentioned.

As usual, you dumb fucks do no research because you want to believe it's all the Democrats' fault. However, nearly all of the election fraud (not voter fraud) has been done by Republicans. I could give you the list, but nobody is paying me to waste my time to further explain facts to you. And don't get me started on climate change, because I've read the scientific papers and you climate deniers are soon going to watch your homes burn or float away, thereby saving me time and trouble to explain that as well.

[3] The D-Party took two major wrong turns… first, after November, 1963 and the direction they shifted into, and later, when they suffered the Arkansas Coup. They hated how the Republicans rode the law-and-order wave of 1968 into the Oval Office, how the R’s took personal possession of the American flag with the emergence of Right Wing Talk Radio, how the R’s put together a coherent message that began to resonate with Working Class Americans while the D’s couldn’t come up with one, and while the D’s were selling out millions of American workers and allowing factory towns to be gutted financially and leveled physically while kissing up to Wall Street Bankers.

“The US economy began a slow and insidious collapse because its petroleum energy base became unaffordable…”

The US economy began a slow and insidious collapse when businesses and corporations sold out American cities and towns and the American people beginning in the 1960s which cut the heart and soul out of the American industrial and production base. The USA didn’t make real things anymore, so it began to sell moving digits around on computer screens and pretending that this kind of amusement was somehow real productive work. The USA had the greatest industrial engine and was the envy of the World. Now, the USA sells Narratives and Conflicts and Confusion and Fantasy-As-Reality. We used to go to old Carnivals to see strange sights and hear loud carnival barkers and see clowns and bizarre things going on. Now all we have to do is turn on cable TV at any hour of the day.

[4] Absentee voting began today here in flyover country and absentee ballots were mailed out to those who requested them previously. Coincidently, two presidential candidates showed up on our doorstep, Trump in Bemidji (an outpost about as remote as Saskatoon, but with warmer winters) and Biden in Duluth, a working class town in a beautiful setting that has cashed in recently on the pre-covid tourist boom as industry around it has fallen on hard times. Interesting to compare the media markets of both. Bemidji is a small-town market for sure, but the Forum News Service out of Fargo in neighboring ND (can you say red state?) pulls a lot of punch in the north. To be fair, they have some excellent writers, especially delving into environmental issues in the northland. Most out-of-staters don’t realize that the Duluth media market is heavily watched in northwest WI, decidedly a swing state. We may have our Minneapolis, but now they have their Kenosha. The difference between Superior, WI and Kenosha is like the difference between night and day. Believe me, I’ve been to both. Superior is a lot like Duluth (they’re called the Twin Ports), while Kenosha might as well be a suburb of Chicago. In fact, many of the Kenosha rioters came from across the border in IL Anyhow, back to Trump in Bemidji. A local wag covering the event there mentioned that “about a dozen” Bemidji State students marched in support of BLM. Not many blacks at Bemidji State and of course no professional sports heroes or Hollywood actors. Maybe a pro hockey player or two, but they don’t mess their lives w/ BLM. Pro hockey is an almost exclusively white sport in case no one noticed. Meanwhile, back in Duluth, Biden was Biden (yawn), appearing at a union hall in a Duluth suburb and schmoozing with some kids in Canal Park on the Duluth lakefront. Lots of angst on the boom-and-bust Iron Range (which Trump alluded to in his comments, playing the hero of course). The latest big issue is the Polymet mine adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Touted as big job producer, until the mine either plays out or pollutes the hell out of the environment. But then, the BWCA will be around forever, won’t it, so who cares? Local media continues to try to pique interest by saying both candidates may return to the (not yet) frozen tundra before the election. Better bring warm clothes…it can get a mite chilly by mid-October.

[5] What society needs to realize is that life is about calculated risk. If I want to eat a gas station tuna sandwich I’m taking a calculated risk of crapping my pants. If I want to run a red light I take a calculated risk of getting hit by another car. If I want to put my hand on a hot stove, I’m taking a calculated risk that I’m probably going to get burned. So if you threaten a police officer, or attempt to harm or resist a police officer, you’re taking a calculated risk that force will be used upon you. Most people can’t handle the fact there’s consequences for your actions in the real world. You can’t always hide behind a keyboard and say whatever you want.

[6] How many guns do you need? I’ve answered this question more times than I can recall. I have a rote answer by now.

The answer is: for a single user, six, at the minimum. But that is barely adequate and leaves no room for backups.

1) personal carry handgun (semi auto mid caliber pistol, I prefer a Glock 19, 9mm) but wait, I need a backup. Which would be better if it was smaller for added concealability and/or possible ankle carry. I think I need a Glock 43 as well …

2) shotgun for home defense (I prefer Remington 870 12 GA pump action), can also be used for larger nuisance animals and duck hunting. But wait, I need a 20 GA for the kiddos and the smaller/elderly members of the family…

3) small caliber rifle for small game/nuisance animals (I prefer Ruger 10/22 .22 LR) but maybe I want it in a Takedown model. But I don’t really need to take it down for use on the ranch. But I need to take it down for use in my go bag, but, but, but …. dammit, I NEED two Ruger 10/22s.

But wait, I also need a bolt action .22LR to train the kiddos. (I prefer the trusty Remington 514) Plus bolt action .22 really helps improve marksmanship and conserves ammo, so now I need three .22 LR rifles…

4) hunting rifle (I prefer Remington 700, bolt action, .308). Can double up in the (hopefully never) need as a sniper rifle. Tho this is not at all optimal if I need to reach out past (god forbid) 500 yards. But wait, I also need a real sniper rifle…

5) battle rifle. God forbid I’m ever facing a well-armed opponent trying to kill my family and steal my “Arsenal”. I prefer a Smith & Wesson M&P-15 .223/5.56 AR-15 style semi auto rifle). But wait, that doesn’t hit nearly as hard as the trusty AK-47. But AK rounds are so damn heavy, I can carry twice as many .223s in the same load out. But wait… AR, AK, AR, AK. Dammit, I NEED two battle rifles.

6) .22LR semi-auto pistol. Everyone needs a .22 pistol. (I prefer a Walther P22). Good to practice pistol marksmanship at 5 cents a round instead of 50 cents a round. But wait, revolvers are simple to use and basically never fail. I need a revolver…

So, I need six guns. Or maybe I need 12. Oh, my wife needs a gun to guard my six (o’clock). So do my sons, daughters, mom and dad. Actually, I need multiple types of guns for each of them.

Plus, when the WRoL (without rule of law) situation occurs, I need a gun for your dumb ass, because even tho you are a dumb ass who refuses to prepare, you’re still a good neighbor and part of my community. A valued part. So I guess I need a simple gun so I can train you to use it in a single day, so yeah, I NEED revolvers and bolt/lever actions, because I sure as hell ain’t gonna put an AK-47 into the hands of an ignorant SOB such as yourself…

Any more questions?

* * *

OLD UKIAH

* * *

SWAMP THANG

by James Kunstler

There’s the Swamp teeming with scaley, slithery, sharp-toothed, many-footed predators, but then there’s the miasma hanging over the Swamp, a toxic mist of lies, misdirection, dis-info, propaganda, bad faith, and sedition, illuminated by pulsing blue gaslight that affords a toxic blanket of protection to the denizens of the Swamp. Now a storm is brewing. The critters are evacuating their mud-holes and moiling about desperately among the cypress knobs as a mighty wind rises — the election hurricane — threatening to sweep it (and them) all away!

The climate is changing, all right, but not in the way that some think it is. The political climate is changing, and what has been a pestilential subtropical sink on the Potomac is overdue for that cleansing we’ve heard about. Weeks from now, as the fetid water subsides, the protective miasma above will dissipate and the people from sea to shining sea will finally get a good look at the landscape revealed and the pitiful, wriggling, dying life-forms of the order Democratica stranded on it.

Case in point: Joe Biden. Many will wonder in the days to come whether the sole and otherwise inexplicable reason for his elevation to candidate-for-president was a ruse to avoid prosecution — his own and others. The matter was neatly laid out a year ago during the impeachment ploy: After the color revolution in Ukraine, 2014, Mr. Biden was designated not just “point man” overseeing American interests in that sad-sack country, but specifically as a watchdog against the notorious deep corruption of Ukraine’s entire political ecosystem — as if, you understand, the internal workings of Ukraine’s politics was any of our business in the first place.

The evidence aired publicly last year suggests that Mr. Biden jumped head-first and whole-heartedly into the hog-trough of loose money there, netting his son Hunter and cohorts millions of dollars for no-show jobs on the board of a natgas company, Burisma. And then, of course, Mr. Biden stupidly bragged on a recorded panel session at the Council on Foreign Relations about threatening to withhold US aid money as a lever to induce Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko to fire a prosecutor looking into Burisma’s sketchy affairs. Naturally, the Democratic Party impeachment crew accused Mr. Trump of doing exactly what Mr. Biden accomplished a few years earlier.

The impeachment fizzled, but the charges and the odor of the Biden-Burisma scandal lingered without resolution — all the while that Mr. Biden posed as a presidential candidate in the primaries. This week, two Senate committees (Finance and Homeland) are expected to release a joint report detailing findings of their investigation into the Biden family’s exploits abroad. It is expected to not look good. Also implicated are the State Department officers in the Kiev embassy who pretended not to notice any of this, pointing also to their engagement in further shenanigans around the Trump-Clinton election of 2016 — a lot of that entwined in the Clinton-sponsored RussiaGate scheme. Will the committees be so bold as to issue criminal referrals to the Justice Department? If Mr. Biden actually shows up at next week’s debate, do you suppose that Mr. Trump will fail to bring up the subject? Does this finally force Mr. Biden’s withdrawal from what has been the most hollow, illusory, and dispirited campaign ever seen at this level in US political history?

All of which is to say that the Democratic Party has other things to worry about besides who will replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. That may be hard to believe but it’s how things are now after four years of implacable, seditious perfidy from the party. A week ago, all the talk was of the Democrats’ election coup plan, as publicized stupidly by the so-called Transition Integrity Project. Nice try. What if all those mail-in ballots sent out recently have Joe Biden’s name on them and it turns out that he is no longer a candidate? Hmmmm…. No doubt the recipients were so eager to fill them in and send them out that there’s no going back on that scam. Apparently, a Biden withdrawal was not one of the scenarios scrimmaged out in the Transition Integrity Project’s “war game.” What then? A do-over?

Hence, panic in the swamp. Joe Biden’s misadventures, and his pitiful fate, are but the outer rainbands of the brewing storm. There’s the threat of further and widespread riots, of course, but since when has insurrection proved to be a winning campaign strategy in a country not entirely gone to the dogs? People who are not insane usually object to their businesses being torched and their homes invaded. At this point, after months of violent antics by criminal nihilists, one can even imagine Multnomah County, Oregon, turning Trumpwise. Closer to the eye-wall of the hurricane looms the stern visage of John Durham. That’s where the most damaging winds whirl and there is reason to suppose they are heading for landfall. Whatever he’s been up to lo these many months has had a tighter lid on it than the tomb of Tutankhamen. It must be making a whole lot of political gators, centipedes, and pygmy rattlesnakes nervous. Perhaps New York Times editor and miasma generator-in-chief Dean Baquet is up at three a.m. thinking about it, puking into his wastebasket.

(Support Kunstler’s writing by visiting his Patreon Page.)

* * *

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Election results are too close together for our current computer systems to tell the difference. Any state depending on the internet to count votes is in for a rude awakening as the ability for nefarious groups to manipulate the voting systems is growing every election. Using the USPS is a joke! Why? There is no security from sending the vote and it being tabulated. If the dependability of the mail here is an indication of the reliability of the USPS as a carrier in an election, we are going to see election challenges after the election that makes the 2016 Jill Stein fiasco look trivial.

Right now the election system has no way to tally up the votes honestly. So we are going to hear Democratic manipulation, GOP manipulation, Russian manipulation, China manipulation. Foreign manipulation will be trivial compared to domestic manipulation.

Paper ballots counted by hand under official surveillance creating a paper trail is the only honest way to avoid ballot manipulation. No USPS, no hackable computer systems.

* * *

PLANCO MEETS Oct. 1

Planning Commission agenda for October 1, 2020, is posted on the department website at:

mendocinocounty.org/government/planning-building-services/meeting-agendas/planning-commission

Please contact staff with any questions.

Thank you

James F.Feenan
Commission Services Supervisor
Mendocino County Planning & Building Services
860 North Bush Street, Ukiah CA 95482
My Direct Line: (707) 234-6664
Main Line: (707) 234-6650 [2]
feenanj@mendocinocounty.org

* * *

* * *

AMAZING ISN’T IT? Western states vehemently demand sanctions on Russia over unproven and, frankly, tenuous allegations of assassination. Yet the self-declared leader of the Western world, Donald Trump, openly brags about ordering assassinations. And nothing but silence follows. … Irony, it can be said, is dead, or rather assassinated by countless violations of international law by American power, with the silent complicity of Western states and mainstream media. ...Trump’s bragging about murder just reflects the open descent of American power into the gutter of gangsterism. There is no shame relishing in the power to murder. There is only arrogance and presumption of impunity. That impunity is afforded by the spinelessness of Western leaders and corporate news media whose function is increasingly seen to be a propaganda laundry service for American war crimes and state terrorism."

— Finian Cunningham

* * *

IGNORING FIRE EVACUATION ORDERS IS RAMPANT IN CALIFORNIA. That perilous choice endangers others

sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Ignoring-fire-evacuation-orders-is-rampant-in-15579785.php

* * *

FOUND OBJECT

19 Comments

  1. George Hollister September 22, 2020

    OK, Bruce so you are a Democrat supporting Biden. It seems to me Biden, or really Harris, would be better off losing. The biggest internal challenges this country faces are those that have resulted from Democratic Party policies. The welfare system, the school system, the university system, the public employee pension systems, etc. are Democratic Party run institutions. At the least, these institutions need to be reformed. Pouring more money in is merely doubling down on a broken system. Is putting more money into the “homeless” problem going to make that one better? We know that just makes it worse. That means a Democratic Party president needs to be be tough, and go against their own party’s base. Neither Biden, or Harris have demonstrated the toughness necessary to begin this task. Better to be on the sidelines and blame Trump, as working people leave our cities, substance abusers get paid to live and die on our streets, rioters burn and loot, parents find alternatives to the public school system, students discover the university system is an expensive scam, and taxpayers decide to cut off funding. It’s an ugly picture, and it has the Democratic Party at it’s heart.

    • Stephen Rosenthal September 22, 2020

      “That means a Democratic Party president needs to be be tough, and go against their own party’s base.”

      I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. Problem is, such a candidate would never be nominated.

      • George Hollister September 22, 2020

        Yes.

        • chuck dunbar September 22, 2020

          I hardly dare to venture into this political stuff, but beyond the larger picture and the blaming and theorizing and the easy take-downs of politicians, here are two of the right-now, important, bread-and-butter issues, proposed— for the people— by the Democrats:

          The Democrats are the ones proposing a substantial Coronavirus aid package (far exceeding the Republican’s smaller and clearly inadequate one) for the millions of Americans badly hurt by the closures and cutting back of so many businesses. Time is marching on now, and those folks without the previous aid are surely hurting. And the Democrats are the only ones with any proposed health care plan for the near future, proposing expansion of the Affordable Health Care Act to serve many more Americans. This includes expanding Medicare and protecting all those with pre-existing health issues— those unfortunate beings the insurance companies would love to exempt from coverage and/or over-charge and bankrupt. The Republicans offer nada, there’s never been the “Great Plan” promised so many times by Trump—there is no such plan, other than to destroy Obama Care. That of course may come very soon with the Supreme Court hearing the case in question the week after the election.

          These two issues are absolutely critical ones for people’s budgets and health care—their basic well being. Trump and his crew disrespect and neglect millions of Americans with their empty agendas and failure to act. Elected in part on a populist platform, they shame true populism.

          • George Hollister September 22, 2020

            I think the Republicans would agree with you on the corona virus bill, except the inadequate part. Same for the rest of it, in regards to the rhetoric. And that is what it all boils down to, the rhetoric. Read the fine print, if you can find it.

    • Bruce Anderson September 22, 2020

      Wrong, George. I’m going Green as I always do to protest the Democrats, half the problem with this country. I wouldn’t vote for Biden even if I were registered in a swing state. Our “civilization,” brief as it was, is finito no matter which group of criminals is in charge from here on.

      • Lazarus September 22, 2020

        Unfortunately, you’re likely correct but, as Grannie used to say, “if in doubt, go with the devil you know”, nuff said…

        Be well,
        Laz

      • George Hollister September 22, 2020

        “so a protest vote isn’t a vote for the beast among nervous libs as it might be in a swing state.”

        Sorry, I was wrongly thinking you were speaking for yourself. I should have known better. Speaking for myself, I voted third party last time, not as a protest, but as the only choice. Since then I have gotten callus to Trump’s demeanor, and have gotten to appreciate that he has done many good things.

        The only thing Democrats are running against is Trump’s dysfunctional demeanor, and when he is gone they will be left with only a mess of their own long term creation. This will get ugly, particularly for Democrats. But the end of many urban centers, does not mean the end of America.

        • Harvey Reading September 22, 2020

          For whom do you speak, George? The dullards of this sh-thole country? Gotta admit, you DO speak their lingo: mish-mash.

      • Harvey Reading September 22, 2020

        Oddly enough, I agree with you. I’ve already voted and left the prezudint part blank. No Green Party candidate made the ballot here (not surprising, ’cause it takes a lot of signatures to make the backward state ballot), even though the Green Party makes me sick after the 2016 go ’round. I don’t “do” libertarianism or constitutionalism…or fascism, which is all the “two” mainlining parties have offered for decades. It’ll take a revolution to make this country anything more than the sh-tpile it is, and that still hasn’t happened.

        Burn, baby, burn! Erase Rushmore! Tear down ALL the damned statues and memorials to slave owners!

  2. Lazarus September 22, 2020

    FOUND OBJECT

    I’d like one in blue with a gunmetal gray trim, please…

    Thank you and Be Swell,
    Laz

      • Joe September 22, 2020

        The last major cold period on earth occurred during what is known as the Dalton Minimum, running from the last 1700s well into the 1800s. The longer estimate of this period places it from 1790 to 1830. It was not as severe or prolonged as the earlier Maunder Minimum in the 1600s, but the weather was still cold enough to cause significant problems to society at the time.

        This period was marked by spells of bitterly cold weather in both Europe and America, with food supplies being severely disrupted and many people starving and freezing to death. Volcanic activity also increased during this period, as it often does during cooling periods, causing further problems as the volcanic ash emitted prevented sunlight getting through, causing what was known as The Year Without a Summer in 1816.

        https://coldweatheressentials.com/what-happened-last-cold-period-dalton-minimum/

        • Harvey Reading September 23, 2020

          Let’s see now, the gentleman to whom you are responding provided a credible source. You provided nonsense. Now, the tough question: which comment do I consider worthy of trust?

  3. Joe September 22, 2020

    But it seems now, that the greater strategic play from the beginning was to curtail the UN and disengage the U.S. from all of the post-WWII institutions put in place by the people whose descendants are fighting tooth and claw to stop his re-election and effect their apotheosis.

    So, while Trump is still nearly equal parts shit-lord and shit-bag, to turn a phrase, it’s becoming clear that he does understand how deeply the American people are being sold down the river to global totalitarian government.

    And he’s not having any of it.

    https://tomluongo.me/2020/09/21/trump-jcpoa-break-un-before-election/

    • Harvey Reading September 22, 2020

      “Your” observations seem as deranged as your sources. Have you ever experienced the pure joy of an original thought? That is, assuming you could recognize it as original…

  4. Aaron Sawyer September 22, 2020

    R.I.P Cappy, you’ll be missed.

  5. Bruce McEwen September 22, 2020

    Fear is nothing to be ashamed of
    — Liberal Proverb

    Shame is nothing to be afraid of
    — Coin of the Conservative Realm.

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