WAR & GUNS, AN EXCHANGE
Editor,
I enclose my latest two letters (and what provoked them) to the Contra Costa Times. We are allowed one letter a month but at least they ran.
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Letter #1: Soldiers pay for our freedoms — I am a combat veteran of the Korean War. Although a truce was signed in 1953, the conflict has never officially ended. How does a Korean combat veteran view today's world? Surely, he must recall freezing in the Korean winter, vastly outnumbered by an attacking force, wounded from being too long on the line, emotionally scarred from isolation as a POW, and surrounded by the death and carnage of combat. The veteran says: “I suffered physical pain to give you freedom to vote and loss of income when called to duty.” Remember, it is the soldier, not the TV newscaster, who gives you freedom of the press. The soldier, not the campus organizer, who allows you to demonstrate. It is the soldier — who salutes the flag, fights for the flag, whose coffin is covered by the flag — who allows the protester to burn the flag. President Harry Truman kept the legacy of freedom alive by courageously confronting the invasion of North Korea into South Korea. Today, South Korea stands as one of the great economic engines in South Asia. — Stanley Grogan, Pinole
My Reply: War is not fought for our freedom — Stanley Grogan's letter in the July 24 Contra Costa Times should ponder the late Major General Smedley Butler's 1933 speech where he declared: “War is just a racket … conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.” Butler, a Marine, spent his career protecting the interests of American oil, sugar, industry and banking on three continents and called himself “a gangster for capitalism.” Soldiers don't pay for or or defend our freedoms. They serve the state and fight its wars for the interests of finance capital and the military industrial complex and never ask the question, “How does killing faraway foreigners protect our freedoms here?” The answer is, it doesn't. These arrogant misadventures just destroy other people, their lands and their futures. Our freedom results not from the state the soldiers fight for but from those willing to defy state authority and resist its encroachments on those freedoms. None of our wars abroad had a thing to do with defending our freedoms here at home. For protecting your freedoms, thank courageous journalists, civil rights workers, Wobblies, whistleblowers, demonstrators and the ACLU. — Jayne Thomas, Richmond
Contra Costa Times, Talkback Results, August 4, 2012. Question: Should gun laws be changed in the wake of the Aurora, Colorado massacre? Yes: 39%. No: 61%. (850 online votes.)
My Reply, August 6, 2012: Highest rate of gun ownership. Editor: your recent talkback question asked should we change our gun laws? Sure, let's not have any. Let's allow everyone to police the commons. Like George Zimmerman, we'll all be well trained and have excellent judgment, won't we? Funny, we already have the highest rate of gun ownership in the world (Yemen is second, but their rate is only half hours), yet roughly 100,000 Americans are killed or wounded each year. Not enough carnage for you? Let's arm everyone!
Jayne Thomas
Richmond
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FIX IT, DON’T TOSS IT
Editor,
Meeting Mr. Hollister Half-Way—
I am pleased that Mr. Hollister finds some merit in my observations. I do believe that there is ample evidence to show that the executive level elite running state parks has become a negative influence on the future of our parks. They have shown little interest in what the vast majority of Californians believe they have a right to expect — transparent administration of the common good, accountability, and an obligation to communicate. Instead, they have deceived, betrayed, and undermined the very mission they were sworn to protect and defend. Ruth Coleman and her immediate staff lied about the “hidden assets” of some $54 million, gave out vacation payout moneys at a time when they were supposed to be prohibited, put in motion actions leading to privatization of selected state parks, and utterly failed to defend the parks from closure. The poster boy for what has been happening turns out to be not Ruth Coleman, though she is the worst offender. Instead, it is one Manuel Thomas Lopez, age 45, who, as Deputy Director of Administrative Services, reported directly to Ruth Coleman. In administering the prohibited vacation buyout plan totaling $271,000, he personally pocketed $20,600. What is not generally known is that he is a convicted felon. He has convictions for at least three DUIs, one resulting in an injury accident. In 1988 he was convicted of theft. Instead of being fired, he was routinely promoted and given raises. He wound his way through the departments of Education, Caltrans, and ultimately State Parks and Recreation, with a salary of $113,000. Along the way, he was also the subject of two sexual harassment suits, one of which ended up costing the state $50,000 to settle. All of this is amply documented by Matt Weiser, at the Sacramento Bee. (mweiser@sacbee.com.)
So you see, Mr. Hollister, things are not what they should be at DPR. But where does the heart of the problem rest? In these times, it is easy to blame the system. But the system is not the problem. We need a public entity to defend and protect the commons. Yes, the DPR needs improvement. We do need more transparency to know what is going on. We need to know that when someone violates our trust, they are accountable. We need to know that our officials are acting with our interests paramount, not theirs. Obviously, Ruth Coleman failed at every level to do her job. She also put in place people like Mr. Lopez, promoted him, and gave him regular raises.
The irony to this whole sordid affair is that Mr. Lopez, in dipping into the trough for even more remuneration than his “paltry” salary of $113,000, became a focus of inquiry. Ultimately, greed, in his case, did not succeed. In the coming months, Assemblyman Jared Huffman and Senator Noreen Evans will be working to advance legislation to remedy many of the abuses within DPR. The reforms will help. But, unless the DPR has in place the right people no amount of reform will solve the problem. Out there, at the District level, there are fine, dedicated public servants who are fully qualified to lead and direct the DPR toward a sustainable and secure future. Let our elected officials know that you support their efforts to reform the DPR, starting with the personnel put in place.
Franklin Graham
Navarro
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GOD BLESS 'EM
Dear Editor:
Greetings from the California Men's Colony in sunny San Luis Obispo. My friends and I would like to thank you and your staff of talented writers for publishing such a great newspaper. Since all of us are in prison and we don't have a lot of resources, we often share whatever few luxuries we have, including the AVA. Normally a person who is fortunate enough to have a subscription to it passes it around so that others can enjoy it too.
Sometimes the list of people waiting to read the AVA can grow quite lengthy. When I first started reading the AVA I was the fourth person on the list to receive it and often I wouldn't get it until the paper was a week or two old. Not that it mattered because the AVA is such a great paper I would have enjoyed it even if it were a month late. But now that my cellie has a subscription to it I'm the second person in line to read it and I'm as happy as a cat in a fish factory.
One of the things that I like most about your paper is that you publish a lot of articles about crime. The best examples are the articles written by Bruce McEwen who covers some of the daily affairs of the Superior Court. For sure, he is an absolute riot. His knack for seeing the humor in what are obviously very serious situations is remarkable and his articles never fail to get a chuckle from me. Of course, I'm sure that most of the crooks whom he writes about don't always appreciate his witty criticisms. As a general rule I think most dumbasses don't like being called a dumbass. I know because I used to be one. But as an old wise saying goes — and something I had to learn the hard way — if people don't be don't like being called a dumbass then they shouldn't be doing dumbass things.
Another writer I enjoy reading as Alexander Cockburn. This is a man who definitely does his homework because I've often seen his work validated by writers and other articles and periodicals later. As an example, in his article “Riots and the Underclass,” Alexander Cockburn notes that as more and more people were being incarcerated across America, the amount of crime being committed was actually decreasing. Then in his article, “The Caging of America: Why Do We Lock Up So Many People?” (Published in the New Yorker on January 30, 2012), writer Adam Gopnik makes a similar finding, noting that as America was engaging in mass incarceration the crime rate had already decreased by 40% across-the-board.
The writer I enjoy the most however is you, The Editor. Your articles such as “The Short, Sad Saga of Aaron Bassler,” “He's Coming Back,” and “Billy Mayfield: Double Prisoner” are some heavy stories that kept me riveted to the paper from start to finish.
The article, “He's Coming Back” tells the story of Tony Mitchell, a man who killed two people but will soon be released after serving only 12 years. That is particularly astonishing because there are numerous guys here (and probably even more throughout the prison system) who never even killed anyone and yet either have served or are serving twice that amount of time. No matter what people might think about the story, it definitely demonstrates two fundamental facts about life: 1. Some people are exceptionally fortunate, and 2. Life isn't always fair.
Something that also caught my attention and earned my respect is that in spite of the injustice of serving so little time, I noticed you still held out hope that Mr. Mitchell might have changed for the better and refrained from making any judgments about how he might do once released. In this day and age when most people are inclined to think the worst, I thought that spoke volumes about your character.
Of course, my friends and I don't read the AVA just for the crime stories because the AVA contains a lot of other articles, editorials, columns and tidbits that are worth reading as well. A prime example is your recent article, “You Don't Make Me Shiver, And You Don't Make Me Shake,” a story about a 63-year-old Vietnam era Marine whose home is deteriorating to the extent that it's become uninhabitable. When I read this article it made me wish I could volunteer my time and skills to help that man repair his home. In fact, a friend of mine who served time and worked on a construction crew with me at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego also read that article and came up with a great idea: He said the Department of Corrections should employ crews of inmates outside who can do construction work, either to repair or upgrade existing properties just as they do inside the prison. The a Department of Corrections could pay the inmates the same wages they earn when they work in prison (i.e., 95¢ an hour), and the city or county where the repairs or upgrades are made can pay for the materials needed to do the work. By doing this the Department of Corrections would be providing hands-on training and experience to inmates who could then use the skills to get a job when they are released. The property being repaired or upgraded would have its value increased and the owner or renter could have their home repaired for free or at a discounted, affordable price.
Unfortunately, as great as this idea sounds, my friend and I know that it will never happen. Both of us are life-term inmates in the same shoes as Billy Mayfield (my friend has over 31 years in and I have over 35 years in), and if there is one thing we know for sure it's that if an idea makes any kind of sense or saves any money it's not going to happen in the Department of Corrections. Even so, maybe someone or some group or organization out there can volunteer their time and resources to help a veteran out?
Finally, I can't write about the AVA without at least putting in a word about the Manbeaters Of The Week. Sometimes those girls are so adorable it's hard to imagine them losing their tempers. My cellie thinks I'm crazy because I always tell him that I think most of the girls are just misunderstood and that deep down inside their sweet as cupcakes. My cellie tells me that if one of them were to crack me over the head with a wine bottle I wouldn't think they were so sweet and that I should keep my sights on a good Christian girl. He might be right. But I say God bless those darling little manbeaters because every now and then a man needs a woman with a little spirit.
Mark Titch
San Luis Obispo
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LEADERS? WHAT LEADERS?
Editor,
I know I am no brain surgeon. Criminy, I bombed out of college my first semester, but all my life I have been frustrated by the seemingly stupid, dumb, thoughtless things that people do. It is so blatantly obvious to me that our American social order is increasingly failing to provide a sustainable, harmonious and fulfilling environment for its people. I blame that on our leaders. Human nature provides many pitfalls and it is the job of leaders to find ways to guide us around them.
In a recent attempt to understand the human animal and how and why it behaves the way it does, I took an online beginning-level sociology class from Mendocino College. There I learned in an early chapter example of the scientific method of a “famous” experiment conducted in 1965 by Albert Bandura that showed that children who had witnessed violence on TV replicated that violence in real life. I do think this is somewhat of a “Duh!” discovery. But what fries my bottom is that as a culture we, today, stand around and scratch our heads when the bullets fly. Sure guns are intimately implicated but guns don't kill people, people do. We do. And knowing of the dangers we continue to make the damned movies that prod us on.
David Severn
Philo
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TAXING GRO PONDS
Letter to Editor
This illegal pond tax draft state legislation (see Sec. 2) which has been generally trumpeted as an agricultural irrigation supplies transportation inspection of uncovered loads on unpaved roads of 50,000 acre resource lands timber tracts, has been promoted in Ukiah and Sacramento by Mendocino Sheriff on behalf of County and family of Jere Melo, is now proposed as a County opt in bill.
So with recent modification on August 6th, this travesty of a bill may be an 'only in Mendocino' spectacle, with the financial penalties reaped becoming the trade off mechanism for Mendocino County to gain some sort compensation from violators of the law, as a civil surcharge penalty to backfill the County expenses for the Aaron Bassler manhunt which paralyzed part of the County for a month.
I have yet to hear that the jurisdiction of Department of Fish and Game does not include most ranch uplands in Mendocino County, so the 50,000 acre timberland or resources land limitation wordsmith effort, which does not apply to Section 2 that has more far reaching authority, is a guise distraction for these significant section of the bill, which has not been widely publicized in the print media that simply reported that Wes Chesbro's intent with the bill was more limited, not a wolf in sheep's clothes.
If passes as proposed, get ready for the Sheriff to role up his sleeves and verbally strong arm and cajole the Board of Supervisors for a 5-0 vote for the bill, which they endorsed in an early draft version that sprang from a Jere Melo memorial presentation in Fort Bragg, Mendocino County. And then watch the pond tax money roll in!
Sincerely,
Eric Sunswheat
Potter Valley
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TOO LATE
Dear AVA,
Between the time you reamed the US Postal Service a new one, and this 4th of July, my AVA has consistently arrived on Friday, Saturday at the latest. But after the 4th (or maybe after the fiscal year, June 30th ?) the paper has been arriving here in San Diego on the following Tuesday, a week after you mail it. But today, Thursday, it still hasn’t arrived, the reason for my complaint. I know I can read the AVA on line, but it’s not the same.
John Wester
San Diego
PS. Katheryn and I just rented a very powerful but disturbing French movie called “House of Pleasure.” Worth seeing.
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MOVE TO AMEND
Editor,
There will be a measure on the November ballot for those Mendocino residents who would like to start working towards defending our Democracy from corporate corruption. The Move To Amend Coalition of Mendocino County gathered enough signatures to qualify Measure F for the November elections.
Measure F instructs our state and federal representatives to begin drafting an amendment to the Constitution that removes the status of persons with human rights from corporations. The amendment will also reverse the corrupt Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United v. the Federal Elections Commission.
This decision allowed corporations to spend unlimited, anonymous millions on political campaigns. The Court ruled that campaign spending was free speech and that limiting corporations campaign expenditures was limiting free speech. This decision has severely diluted the voice of every American.
Recently the California state legislature called for an amendment reversing Citizens United. California joined Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and 68 communities in Massachusetts well as the Massachusetts state legislature.
This is the beginning of a movement to make America an government by, of and for the people rather than just the obscenely rich and their corporations. The Move to Amend Coalition hopes you’ll join this movement to take back the country from the one percent by voting yes on Measure F this coming November. Corporations are not humans with limited lifespans. They have more financial resources than humans and they have far too much control over our government.
Ed Oberweiser
Fort Bragg
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DOGTUSE LOVER
Dear Editor
Thanks to Shamus Fitzgibbons for our perfect new word dogtuse. His funny, sweet and oh so true description of dog owners who do not take the time to train their beloved beasts is welcome. I hope we hear more from this wonderful writer.
Bess Bair
Dos Rios
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STOP POISONING US!
Dear Readers,
There is now an online petition asking Mendocino Redwood Company to stop saturating Mendocino County with deadly herbicides. In just a few days this petition has gathered hundreds of signatures. Please add your name to the list:
Elaine & Mike Kalantarian
Navarro
PS: Some of the signing statements people have made—
• "Please stop this spraying. My son was born with Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia after our water was contaminated by Imazapyr. He underwent full body irradiation and high dose chemo, then a bone marrow transplant. He lived most of his first 4 years in isolation @ Oakland Childrens and UCSF Childrens hospitals. He was given odds of less than 5% of survival, amazingly he did indeed survive, but will live with the effects of your spraying his entire life. He is deaf because of the treatments, has endocrine problems and life long issues he will have to deal with. He has survived your chemical warfare against him. Sadly many do not. Is it really worth it? Not one bit." — JS, Fort Bragg
• "Please stop using toxins to kill trees in our county. I will never again purchase items from Gap and Piperlime until I hear that you have ceased using deadly herbicides in Mendocino County. We are residents who want a clean environment for our children." — AW, Ukiah
• "Killing off something that does not make $$$ for the Fisher family, but is destructive to human and animal life should be banned not only in Mendocino County, but everywhere. How dare they pollute our county for their profit. Makes me screaming angry. Where do the Fishers live? Would they do this around their home? Would they allow their poison in their ground water? Out, out, damn spot. Away with you and your herbicide." — JW, Redwood Valley
• "The Mendocino Redwood Company owns land that attaches to my property. I don't want them spreading Imazapyr which is a poison near my land. It could leach into the watershed and poison my water. There is no logical reason to poison oak trees. We need them for firewood. Let people sell them for firewood, not kill them then leave them for fire tinder." — KG, Comptche
• "This is my home. Seeing dead trees all over the hillside makes us all sick! The Fisher family has done SO much damage to our beautiful environment. STOP THE POISONING OF TREES, WATER AND WORKERS!" — TN, Ukiah
• "I have watched our forests decline for the past 30 years. MRC touts itself as a righteous model of sustainable forestry yet poisons their forest and by extension the local environment with herbicide. SHAMEFUL!" — VO, Redcrest
• "One company does not have the right to pollute the environment, for their own monetary gain. With all the evidence of the adverse health effects to humans and animals, this chemical should be banned as it is in Europe." — SN, San Francisco
• "Stop poisoning our planet. People still live here." — TM, Massachusetts
• "Disgusting practice. I hope all retail customers are made aware of the fact that Baby Gap owners are intentionally poisoning the environment because it's more convenient for them. EVIL EVIL EVIL" — MH, Colorado
• "Genocide of trees because they are not the right species!? Poisoning land and creatures and endangering our health for profit, shame on you!" — LV, Quebec
• "Big business is destroying life on our planet." — NG, North Carolina
• "This sort of ecocidal insanity must stop. If that means exposing MRC & the Fishers and boycotting them, then those are logical first steps." — PH, Alabama
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NO JOKE
Editor,
An update: The Ukiah Daily Journal published the letter I had written three weeks ago. By your publishing my letter, I set into motion a chain of events. It started with the Journal publishing my letter. And today (Friday, August 10) Sheriff Tom Allman did a walk through. After being bolted by my call he looked at me like I had just kicked his dog. Then a clean up crew came through. And even Mr. Quarterman got a shower. They totally cleaned and disinfected my neighbor’s cell. I just have to say: “WOW!”
Now that we’ve seen to a matter that has miraculously fixed itself for the time being, may we address one more issue — please! Inmates are typically housed in administrative segregation for a period of 10 to 30 days for fighting. I personally was never in an altercation and I never threatened harm at any point. I did have an argument, a heated discussion with another inmate. This was approximately six to eight months ago and because I have pissed off the chain of command, they have housed me in isolation, not just ad-seg.
I have not been convicted of my charges, nor do I believe I will be. Evidence will show however that due to the nature of this accusation I am being treated literally like Hannibal Lecter.
The Ukiah Daily Journal dubbed my letter, “Compaining about conditions” here, yet what is a person to do about “justice”? Again, who are the criminals? They have complaint forms here. My attorney has 20-25 of them that I’ve filled out and let me say, What a joke!
I want to watch TV and be human, not be judged because I got a corrections deputy in hot water for his threats toward me. I can prove so many things that are not right behind these walls. Yet I really just want to be treated normal, like the rest of the inmates. There’s a law which requires equality of inmates. Is that a joke too?
James Kester
Ukiah
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NEED COMPUTER HELP?
Dear AVA,
For anyone in the Anderson Valley area looking for technical support (for those of us who are not computer saavy) I would like to recommend High School student Cali Mendoza who is looking for summer employment. He is a great teacher/ tutor for all those computer questions and skills that are needed. Cali is very knowledgeable and has a wide range of skills. He has been my tutor for the last year and I highly recommend him.Please call me if you are interested, or call him directly. He can meet you in the Boonville wireless area or travel to your home.
Kira Brennan
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WELCOME GLENN REEDER.
DON'T BE ALARMED AT SUDDENLY FINDING YOURSELF
BEHIND THE GREEN CURTAIN.
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JAPANESE TSUNAMI RELIEF
Editor,
Good news —
The origami fundraiser raised $749.42. Millie and Atsuko have done a great job on this project. Kudos to you ladies.
We were going to give the money to a school or to the Red Cross but we want to make sure that all the money goes directly to the tsunami victims in Japan.
We will give the money to Atsuko's mother and let her and handle it considering that she can make contact with an authority in person.
Thanks to everyone who helped including Pizzas Etc. in Redwood Valley, and Greg at Redwood Tree Service Station in Ukiah!
(Thank you,)
Okie Joe Munson
Ukiah
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