Mendocino County Today: November 25, 2020

Cool Dry | 27 Cases | Election Results | McMaster Watercolor | Two Bodies | Noyo Vintage | Brush Fire | Vintage FB | Hiding Daddy | Food Banking | Mill Pier | Ed Notes | Vintage Greenwood | Family Sponsoring | Yesterday's Catch | Settlers Settling | Fishers Fishing | Thanks, Covidiots | KDAC HQ | Greed Parable | Hellsgate Dam | Creepy Dreaming | Labor Party | Joe Iraq | Jobless Inmates | Everybody's Job | Biden Inauguration | Hunters Point

A WEAK FRONT will move southeast of the area this morning. Showers will continue generally north of Cape Mendocino through the day. Otherwise, seasonably cool temperatures are expected into the weekend, with valley fog and frost occurring during the morning hours and dry conditions expected during the afternoon hours. (NWS)

27 NEW COVID CASES reported in Mendocino County on Tuesday bringing the total to 1468.

NOTHING MUCH CHANGED in the County’s final election results released Tuesday. Overall, turnout was high at over 82% with 44,134 voters out of 53,651 registered. In the somewhat close race for the second open seat on the Ukiah City Council, newcomer Josefina Duenas got 1947 votes to beat challenger Jenny Kimbler with 1752 and incumbent Steve Scalmanini with 1724. Ms. Duenas will join incumbent Doug Crane who got the most votes at 1994 on the Ukiah City Council. Ukiah City Councilwoman Maureen ‘Mo’ Mulheren was confirmed as the next Second District Supervisor replacing John McCowen. And Potter Valley grape guy Glenn McGourty was confirmed as First District Supervisor replacing the Farm Bureau’s Supervisor, Carre Brown. 

IN ANDERSON VALLEY the three incumbent Community Services District Board members were re-elected with 1463 ballots out of 1725 registered voters for a more-than 84% turnout in Anderson Valley. Director Valerie Hanelt got 867 votes, Director Paul Soderman got 721 votes, Director Francois Christen got 569 votes, and challenger Stacey ‘Stace the Ace’ Rose got 325 votes. There were 1,760 “undervotes” in the CSD election which means a lot of voters did not vote for three candidates, possibly because they did not realize that they could vote for three candidates, or generally weak support among the candidates, and/or general lack of interest in the district and the election.

THE CLOSELY WATCHED Willits Measure K sales tax increment to fund police and community services got over 65%, well above the 50% needed to pass. 

TWO BODIES DISCOVERED NORTH OF ROUND VALLEY; LAW ENFORCEMENT BELIEVES THEY ARE CONNECTED TO COVELO KIDNAPPING

Two dead bodies were discovered by a bystander alongside Hulls Valley Road north of Covelo this afternoon, according to Mendocino County Sheriff Office’s Public Information Officer Captain Greg Van Patten. He told us detectives are assuming the bodies are connected to two missing Covelo residents, Traci Bland and Kyle McCartney, who disappeared after a suspected kidnapping on November 19.

mendofever.com/2020/11/23/two-bodies-discovered-north-of-round-valley-law-enforcement-believes-they-are-connected-to-covelo-kidnapping/

FORT BRAGG FIRE TUESDAY

Brush Fire On Old White Property (9.2 acres)
November 24, 2020 1:25 P.M.
1100 Block N Main Street, Fort Bragg

On Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at approximately 1:25 P.M., Fort Bragg Police Dispatch alerted Fort Bragg Patrol Officers of a 911-transfer call to Cal Fire dispatch of a large amount of smoke seen in the area of the old White property, 21801 N. Hwy 1, Fort Bragg. Officer Wilder, Officer Shaw and Officer McHugh arrived at the location; once they were able to get through a closed gate, they observed a three to five acre grass fire actively burning on the property. The fire was spreading in a southeastern direction. Officers quickly grabbed a garden hose to protect a residence from the fire. Officers called for immediate assistance since the fire was spreading towards The Ocean Lake Adult Mobile Home Park at 1184 N Main Street. 

Sgt. McLaughlin arrived on scene and quickly began an evacuation of the Mobile Home Park. Mendocino Coast Ambulance, Mendocino County Sheriff’s, State Park Rangers, and Mendocino County Probation, responded and assisted with the evacuation of residence as well as utilizing garden hoses to slow the fire progress towards the Mobile Home Park. Fort Bragg Fire quickly responded arriving to put out the fire. The fire came to approximately 10 feet of the Mobile Home property fence line before being extinguished. 

As Chief of Police, I would like to commend the three Officers Wilder, Shaw and McHugh for their quick response to investigate the source of the smoke. Sgt. McLaughlin for his quick actions of beginning evacuations and all of the Allied Agencies on the Mendocino Coast who responded to assist. I would also like to credit the owners of the Best Western Motel; they called 911 to report the large amount of smoke drawing the emergency response. Today we avoided a huge disaster. This is a reminder we still have dry conditions from lack of rain and even the North Coast is not exempt from fire disasters. 

Fort Bragg Police Chief John Naulty

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BACKGROUND: Bank wants to burn White property barn

MILLION DOLLAR CHOMO

In October of 2020, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was contacted by personnel from the Modoc County Sheriff's Office regarding an arrest warrant for Ricky Lee Beck, 62, of Willits.

The Sheriff's Office was advised that the Modoc County Sheriff's Office had obtained an arrest warrant for Beck, alleging multiple violations of section 288 of the California Penal Code (lewd & lascivious acts with a child). The warrant was issued by a Modoc County Superior Court Judge and had a $1,000,000 set bail.

Deputies made multiple attempts to locate Beck and arrest him on his warrant at various locations in the general Willits area.

This included attempting to locate him at his daughter's residence in the 26100 block of Peacock Road. The daughter, Renee Beck, 24, of Willits, had been made aware of her father's wanted status.

On Friday, November 20, 2020 Deputies received information that Ricky Lee Beck was in fact at his daughter's residence and the deputies responded there.

Deputies contacted both Renee and Ricky Lee Beck at the residence.

Renee initially denied her father was there and then tried to claim that the individual later confirmed to be Ricky Lee Beck was a different person, in an attempt to assist her father in avoiding arrest.

Ricky Lee Beck was ultimately identified, arrested, and transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he was booked on the Modoc County arrest warrant.

For attempting to assist her father in avoiding capture, and having prior knowledge of his wanted status, Renee was arrested for Accessory and booked into the Mendocino County Jail where she was to be held in lieu of $15,000 bail.

DEMAND SOARS AT NORTH COAST’S LARGEST FOOD BANK

“It’s staggering,” said Redwood Empire Food Bank CEO David Goodman. “And, we’re about to head into winter and I think things are going to get a lot worse. It’s going to become less and less comfortable for people.”

pressdemocrat.com/article/news/demand-soars-at-north-coasts-largest-food-bank/

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ED NOTES

NORTHEAST MENDOCINO COUNTY and Southern Humboldt County may be the outlaw capitol of America. It's also among the most beautiful areas of the United States, containing the least visited national forest in the country. Ever since drugs took hold in the late 1960s, this vastness has attracted an ever larger number of criminally oriented individuals, foreign and domestic, who easily disappear into it.

PEOPLE have been saying for years that “something” has to be done about the anarchic hold criminals seem to have on Round Valley in which rests restive Covelo whose small population dominates the Sheriff's Log and occupies much police time. Realistically, what can be done when the bad people intimidate the good people into silence and non-cooperation with the police, and the police are an hour away, at least? A few more years of anarchy like Covelo's and I predict that small groups of the righteous will begin to fight back as order continues to deteriorate many places in the country, especially a remote, isolated area like Covelo with its big head start in lawlessness.

THIRTY YEARS AGO, a man who'd bought property sight-unseen just outside Covelo called to tell me that the resident deputy had advised him to arm himself because he lived in a bad neighborhood. “Where am I?” the caller wondered. You're in a topographically vast, lightly populated county whose outback is home to lots of dangerously violent people, I said. The deputy gave you good advice. 

THE FOLLOWING on-line comments express views common in northeastern Mendo unto southern HumCo where two bodies were found yesterday dumped by the side of the road north of Covelo:

(1) Covelo. Damn. Nothing is shocking anymore. All the crimes up there that get reported at the last moment or after somebody feels guilty or it weighs on their conscience. Then… if you do try to help or report crimes etc all the bullying that gets handed out to everyone if you do ask for help. SNITCH…What a freaking mess. THEN CONSIDER THE AMOUNT OF STUFF THAT NEVER GETS REPORTED. I’m sorry I don’t care what people’s lives were lived like they don’t deserve to wind up dead in a ditch. Something’s got to give up therel this is just becoming beyond ridiculous. Many…too many dying at the hands of others.

(2) DAMN. People are trying to raise their families up there. What kind of future is it for anyone? The best and brightest get sucked in the quicksand. Like the movie TREMORS. What gets spit back out? COVELO. RIP KYLE AND TRACI.

(3) In the twenty years I’ve known this town, things have deteriorated unbelievably. Businesses shuttered, then burned to the ground. (Arsonists never charged, properties left with fire debris and overgrown with weeds.) File a complaint for code violations and nothing is done. People shooting off semi-automatic and automatic weapons day and night. Call the cops, nothing is done. People drive 60, 70 mph and more in residential areas, contact the authorities, nothing is done. Wells going dry due to numerous illegal grows, call the government, nothing is done. Our sheriff says the Cartels are here doing business and it sure seems that way. Illegal water trucks run residents off the road. Growers threaten firefighters and steal emergency pumps for their grows. People knock down fences or crash into cars and speed away. Murders. Kidnappings. Fine, law-abiding citizens are leaving and considering leaving. Who will take their places? We look at our “Covelo, Back in the Day” facebook page and can no longer recognize the nice town in the pictures. Law enforcement seems not to care about Covelo. What once was a thriving, beautiful area looks like a third world country that has been through a war. It is beyond sad.

(4) Covelo is going downhill so incredibly fast. It's full of trash (I mean ALL the roads), the population is increasing with thugs EVERYWHERE!!! I don't feel safe anymore. I know it's only going to get worse if us SANE residents who CARE don't get involved with DRIVING OUT these criminals. I feel so sad that this happened to these people. PLEASE COVELO WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!

IN FACT, Sheriff Kendall does care. He's from Covelo, and grew up there before the present lawlessness took hold. Kendall is also new in the top cop job but has said that Covelo is a law enforcement priority. 

THEFTS of catalytic converters have come to Mendocino County with several thefts reported in the Fort Bragg area. The Toyota Prius is a primo target of experienced thieves, who can jack up a vehicle and have the converter off under two minutes. The stolen devices can bring two to three hundred dollars on the black market.

A KNOWLEDGEABLE commenter explains, "The converter is exposed under the car and can be removed with a socket wrench. A problem might be getting clearance to crawl under there so they'll need a jack and a light. To make them hard to remove, buy security bolts that require a special wrench that a 5 finger auto supply mechanic wouldn't ordinarily carry. Maybe a couple of different designs to increase your odds [examples pictured below]. It only takes one nut but it's kind of a ripoff for just one, and it may not be the size that fits, so ask at Napa or a repair shop.

If those cost too much:

1. replace the bolt fasteners with some that are an inch longer.

2. hammer the threads on said longer bolt so they won't pass through the nut unless the bolt is cut off.

3. when you sell the car someday, tell them it won't come off w/o a grinder or torch, which makes a lot of noise, and probably a mechanic, so labor may cost a bit more."

WE’VE HEARD THAT AIR BAGS are also a target of car theives in some areas because they can sold to replace the ones that went off in minor fender benders because new ones are so expensive.

PROJECT SANCTUARY

Project Sanctuary Sponsor a Family Program

Winter is fast approaching and it is time for Project Sanctuary's annual gift-giving program! We are doing things a little differently this year, complete with changing the name of our program from "Adopt a Family" to "Sponsor a Family. Lift Your Community." For 2020, we are encouraging sponsors to spend their dollars at our local businesses by purchasing gift certificates/gift cards for our Project Sanctuary families. By doing so, our families will get the opportunity to enjoy the books, toys, music, clothes, and gifts our wonderful community has to offer. By sponsoring, you will help support our local stores and economy! And you don't have to do it alone - inspire your colleagues, service club, church group, or book club to share resources and sponsor as a team! With your help, we are able to give gifts to dozens of families each year. Thank you! 

To learn more, or register to be a sponsor, please click the link here: https://www.projectsanctuary.org/events/sponsor-a-family/

If you have any questions, please email me at vicki@projectsanctuary.org.

CATCH OF THE DAY, November 24, 2020

JACQUELINE ESPINOZA-GARCIA, Willits. DUI.

CHRISTOPHER HEANEY, Ukiah. Protective order violation.

CHRISTIAN HERNANDEZ, Ukiah. Trespassing, controlled substance while armed, felon-addict with firearm, criminal street gang member with loaded firearm, evasion, failure to appear.

JOSEPH HOAGLEN, Covelo. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, kidnapping for ransom or extortion, mandatory supervision sentencing.

KOLE PARKER, Fort Bragg. Controlled substance for sale, fireworks without permit, offenses while on bail.

JON RICKEL, Ukiah. Domestic battery.

SAMUEL SANCHEZ, Ukiah. Battery, disorderly conduct-alcohol, parole violation. (Frequent flyer.)

HISTORY, AN ON-LINE COMMENT:

I’ll stagger in here and make a few comments. The various white “brogues” of English in SoHum NoMen came first from Missouri and the troops recruited into the war with Mexico. Frank Asbill did manage them in his “Last of the West". The first ex military settlers and hide hunters came in from the east not the Eureka settlement or the southern counties. They culled huge numbers of deer for the leather factories supplying the 49ers. Another source of income was found in kidnapping and selling Native children. Plenty of documentation of that. The timber industry was the beginning of the new population here and the various brogues. The Hippies (Say it out loud, I’m hip and I’m proud) believe it or not, did not come here to grow pot. We came to get the hell out of the cities into a beautiful country. We found a place where logged over land was “dirt” cheap and developers anxious to subdivide and sell it to us. We became a new industry for real estate folks. The word in town was that we’d be gone in no time as you couldn’t make a living on 40 acres. Makes me smile. Years ago, I knew the daughter in law of Steven Fleming the first white settler at Eel Rock. We have not been in this country long and yet, even I, see myself as an old timer. If I had corrected Tennessee Hodges’ english in the bar, I would have had sudden familiarity with the floor. The old them and us culture here has dissolved into marriages and grandchildren with redneck and hippie ancestors… When Covid clears, go to a High School graduation. The division is just an entertaining memory.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY #2

I’d like to start by saying thanks to all the folks who made this Purple possible:

— those who refused to take this seriously because a moronic “Leader” told them not to.

— those who claim not wearing a mask is a Constitutional right (it isn’t).

— those who said it’s only the elderly who are going to die so they can’t be bothered.

— those who won’t enforce simple health mandates because they didn’t make them (that means you Honsal, amongst others).

— those who steadfastly maintain it’s a hoax, or a scam, or a conspiracy by liberals to convert everyone to communism (there’s stupid and then there’s utterly moronic which includes these folks).

— those snowflakes who fear that doing simple things to protect others will somehow weaken themselves.

— those who feel like suggestions for masks and distancing and reducing travel are “for other people” and continue on with their vacations and gatherings.

— those who feel like their religion demands that they gather together to spread the virus.

— those who feel like having a family reunion or a wedding right now is more important than protecting the participants and folks they come in contact with from infection.

— those who think a motorcycle rally with open bars and no mask requirements in the middle of virus outbreak was a good idea.

— those who think killing only 2% of the people infected means it isn’t worth their time to wear a mask.

— those who think this is only the flu and since we don’t do anything for that (we do, called vaccines), we shouldn’t do anything for this.

— those who dig up and distort science studies or outdated quotes to support not doing simple things to limit the spread.

— and let’s not forget those who think doing anything at all to limit the spread is an attack on their personal freedom and the American way of life despite a quarter of a million Americans dead from the virus already and what looks like 1000 to 2000 a day for the next couple of months at least.

For all of you, you can thank yourselves for ending up where we are today.

The rest of you who have been doing all of the simple things and dealing with all of the asshats listed above for the last 9 months have my actual thanks. It’s not worth anything and you’ll have to keep it up (both the simple things and dealing with the asshats) but you genuinely do have my thanks for this Thanksgiving. At least I’m still here to see it. So far.

COMMONERS, USURPERS AND THE “DEMON OF GREED” - A PARABLE

Dear Editor,

Many centuries ago, far to the north of our world, there lay a land of the common folk. They were a happy, peaceful, cooperative kind, living free and equal as their ancestors had done. As the life giving sun rose out of the east, the village folk made their way to the common lands where they farmed and grazed their animals, sharing the bounty of the land. When the work day was done, as the sun set behind the ancient trees, the people went home for good conversation, music and food. Safe in their little stone houses, the village folk went to sleep, content in their warm beds. So it had been since the beginning of time. 

Born of the sun and the moon, an ever flowing river of life enveloped and nurtured the world. One warm, dark night a dense mist arose from the river of life and drifted like a cloud over the village, lurking silently within the mist lay an unknown germ. Days later a few villagers fell into a deep slumber with high fevers. They lay sick in their beds for two days before recovering. When the sick came out of their houses the villagers were shocked to see that their eyes now glittered like diamonds. A few weeks later the villagers noticed that those who had fallen sick had become somehow different. They sought out others who had been infected spending time together, seeming more interested in one another than the other village folk. The diamond eyes formed a small group spending much time together, considering themselves somehow better than the other villagers. This odious idea was not well received by most folk, and so the infected few began to conspire and the germ soon spread among the conspirators and their friends.

One morning some months later, the villagers found that much of the common land was enclosed by a mighty fence, with a huge iron gate. Behind the gate stood the usurpers and with them their guards carrying long sharp swords. A huge banner hung across the gate that read--“We claim this land as our right. Our diamond eyes are a sign that we are more equal and destined to rule the land.” The commoners were bewildered and in disbelief. Was this really happening to them? After recovering from the shock, the villagers held a meeting. It was decided that the cause of their troubles was the new infection that had come to the village and they called it the “Demon of Greed”. To avoid the sickness and to find new land the village folk moved closer to the forests and mountains. Every few months the villagers would find that the iron fence had been moved to enclose more of the common lands. More guards holding long swords were present. Over many years, driven by greed, the usurpers grew rich from the land they had seized and began to carry their money bags everywhere they went. They had huge houses built and enjoyed fine food and drink while spending many hours singing their own praise.

Every night, for many long years, the village folk discussed their plight. Finally the good folk decided that they must rid themselves of the “Demon of Greed”. The illness must be contained; it could not be allowed to spread throughout the region. And so it was decided to force the usurpers to the lands at the edge of the Great Sea, where they would be confined behind tall stone walls until a treatment could be discovered. United with the villagers, the mountain warriors and forest fighters formed an army of the people.

One night the mighty army descended on the stolen common lands and drove the usurpers and their guards to the edge of the Great Sea where they were confined behind giant stone walls. The usurpers promised to remain behind the walls until a cure could be found. A few weeks later a usurper, driven mad by greed, was found by a villager snooping around in the forest. He was quickly isolated to prevent spread of the germ. Since those infected by the “Demon of Greed” had broken their promise to remain behind the stone walls, the village folk marched them, carrying their money bags, unto big ships, and set sail for a remote island in the middle of the Great Sea.

Once the usurpers were unloaded along with all their money bags, the village folk began their sea journey home. All that the usurpers had become was only what their money could buy. Thus their hunting and farming skills had decayed. Hunger pains soon forced them to eat snakes, then rats. In desperation, when they were only skin and bones, they began to eat their money.

When the ships returned home, the people tore down the iron fences and reclaimed the common lands. There was great rejoicing at the victory over the “Demon of Greed”. Butterflies danced over the fields and the land breathed a sigh of relief. The shadows of the setting sun fell across the land as a magnificent feast and celebration was held in the village.

As the sun rose over the mountains the following morning, the people sent out sentries to every corner of the land to protect the people’s health from any dangers the ever flowing river of life might bring. Rejoicing in their solidarity, the people dedicated themselves to protecting the oneness of the people and the land. 

Dr. Nayvin Gordon

Oakland

IN “THE ART OF THE COMEBACK” in 1997, Trump said that his only regret “in the women department” was that he didn’t date Diana after her divorce. He said “she lit up the room with her charm, her presence,” and was “a dream lady.” Dream on, Donald. Of his wooing, Diana told a friend, “He gives me the creeps.” Di, we know how you feel.

— Maureen Dowd

PROFILES IN BIDEN’S NON-COURAGE

From the opening moments of the Judiciary Committee's hearings it became instantly clear that Alito faced no serious opposition. On that first ludicrous morning Senator Pat Leahy sank his head into his hands, shaking in unbelieving despair as Senator Joe Biden of Delaware blathered out a self-serving and inane monologue lasting a full twenty minutes before he even asked Alito one question. In his allotted half hour Biden managed to pose only five questions, all of them ineptly phrased. He did ask two questions about CAP but had already undercut them in his monologue by calling Alito “a man of integrity,” not once but twice, and further trivialized the interrogation by reaching under the dais to pull out a Princeton cap and put it on. In all, Biden rambled for 4,000 words, leaving Alito time only to put together less than 1,000. A Delaware newspaper made deadly fun of him for his awful performance, eliciting the revealing confession from Biden that “I made a mistake. I should have gone straight to my question. I was trying to put him at ease.”

— Alexander Cockburn, January 2006

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Next up was Joe Biden, standing between two gold-fringed flags, and probably with Old Glory underwear, telling the press that “to the extent that Bush fails in Iraq, American interests are seriously damaged, and I'm rooting for his success, not his failure.” 

—Alexander Cockburn, March, 2006

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Then Biden gave the neocons a lesson in how to pay lip service to internationalism and “our allies”: “What we need isn’t the death of internationalism or the denial of our stark national interest. What I want to talk about today is a more enlightened nationalism that understands the value of international institutions but supports the use of military force — without apology or hesitation — when we must. An enlightened nationalism that does not allow us to be so blinded by our overwhelming military power that we fail to see the benefit, indeed the need, of working with others… To begin moving this nation in the right direction I believe we need to embrace a foreign policy of enlightened nationalism… First, we need to correct the imbalance between projecting power and staying power. America’s military is second to none. It must and will remain second to none.”

— Alexander Cockburn, September, 2003

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During the Democratic Party debates, Joe Biden claimed that despite voting to authorize military force against Iraq in 2002, he opposed the Iraq war from “the moment” it began. That’s not accurate, and Biden now says he misspoke.

The public position taken in the lead-up to and early days of the Iraq war has been a litmus test for many presidential candidates.

Sen. Bernie Sanders proudly boasts about his vote — while serving as a member of the House in late 2002 — against authorizing use of military force against Iraq. While running for president, Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that he publicly opposed the Iraq war before the March 19, 2003, invasion, though we looked into it and could find no evidence that he ever did.

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when the authorization vote was cast, Biden was at the forefront of the debate about what course to pursue with Iraq. As a result, he was also frequently quoted in the press and spoke numerous times from the Senate floor, providing ample evidence of his position over time.

Biden was a consistent critic of the way the Bush administration handled the war: Its failure to exhaust diplomatic solutions, its failure to enlist a more robust group of allies for the war effort, and the lack of a plan for reconstruction of Iraq. Some of his comments proved to be quite prescient, including his warnings about the likely higher-than-expected cost and length of the war, and the complexity of “winning the peace” once Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled.

But Biden never outright opposed military action in Iraq in the immediate days after the start of the invasion, as he claimed. He now admits his recent comments went too far.

— Robert Farley, Factcheck.org

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BIDEN VOTED FOR — AND HELPED ADVANCE — THE BUSH AGENDA

The simple truth is that Biden voted to give Bush broad power to go to war with Iraq. He did so as a top-ranking Democrat in the Senate: the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And he did so at a time when the majority of Americans did not support taking immediate military action.

“In my judgment, President Bush is right to be concerned about Saddam Hussein’s relentless pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and the possibility that he may use them or share them with terrorists,” Biden said at an August hearing. “These weapons must be dislodged from Saddam Hussein, or Saddam Hussein must be dislodged from power,” he continued. “President Bush has stated his determination to remove Saddam from power, a view many in Congress share.”

(vox.org)

STUNNING UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD by prisoners in California.

The district attorneys called the situation “the most significant fraud on taxpayer funds in California history,” according to a letter obtained by The Times, describing crimes that involve identity theft of prisoners as well as alleged conspiracies by individual inmates and organized gangs to game the state system.

latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-24/california-has-sent-jobless-benefits-to-death-row-inmates

ON TO THE INAUGURATION, PLEASE

by Jonah Raskin

Are we at the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end?

So many questions. So many unknowns. To take the pulse of the country, I took the pulse of a small group of intellectuals. What was Trump going to do, I wanted to know. I heard a wide range of views, though almost everyone I asked said, “Your guess is as good as mine.” Nobody I talked to— all of them white, relatively well off and male— saw what we used to call “the light at the end of the tunnel.” Or, if there was a light it wasn’t all that bright.

One professor, an expert on the American war machine, suggested that Trump might well launch a military attack on Iran. “Yuk, it’s a scary time,” he emailed.”I worry that Trump will refuse to leave office and provoke a civil war.” An East Coast historian who has written a lot about the American Civil War, has, for months, urged friends to calm down and de escalate their rhetoric. That historian wrote, “I think a lot of what Trump is doing is bluster. I can’t really see what he can actually do to stay in office.”

A Pacific Northwest professor, who has long studied borders and border clashes, wrote, “Based on personality and show business, Trump will be escorted out of the oval office at 11 a.m. by U.S. Marines and announce his candidacy for 2024 as he exits.” A former SDS leader who became an investor and an art collector told me, “Trumps’ lawyers are quitting and he’s running out of steam. It will be horrible to live with him until January, but I don’t think we’re headed for a civil war.”

After I sent out questions and received responses I watched Steve Talbot’s documentary on the year 1968 which first aired on TV in 1998, and that features Tom Hayden and a cast of thousands rioting in the streets of New York, Chicago, Paris and Prague. Near the end of the film, Talbot focuses on George Wallace and his run for the presidency. Wallace’s followers with their American flags and their pasty white faces look like Trump’s followers today.

Hayden links the Wallace phenomenon to what he calls, “the angry white man.” He also says that after King’s assassination he thought that there might be civil war and that he’d be “imprisoned and killed.”

In a way, we’ve been here before, though I don’t know anyone today, aside from Black teenagers, who think they might be imprisoned, shot and killed. Also, after King’s assassination, Reverend Jessie Jackson explains on camera in Talbot’s film that the Memphis police drew their guns and charged the Black suvivors on the balcony. “No, the bullets came from the other way,” Jackson told the cops. Whether it’s ‘68 or 2020 the bullets come from the same direction. Not long before he was shot and killed, King gave a speech in which he said, “We will get to the Promised Land.” Many of us would just like to get to Biden’s inauguration in January 2021 in one piece.

(Jonah Raskin is the author of For The Hell of It: The Life and Times of Abbie Hoffman and American Scream: Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’ and the Making of the Beat Generation.)