Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022

Colder | Fun Stuff | Deputy Appreciation | 68 Cardinals | Boonquiz | Shipping Point | Chickens Roosting | Acorn Day | Coast Dems | 1921 Kids | Rotary Event | Folk Concert | AVCSD Annexation | Night Fishing | Brewer Concert | Ed Notes | McNabbs | Patterson Chat | Shadows | Ukiahween | Pumpkin Harvest | AV Village | Funkacillin | Yesterday's Catch | TSR Listserv | Colorblind | Dumbing Down | Work Party | Black Bart | Not Content | Snoop Edibles | Gerald Stern | Dictatorship Party | Package Size | Voter Suppression | Pig Nap | Western Values | Sarcasm | Big Brother | Jersey Vista | Christian Nation | Mormon Scam | Nuclear Fleet | Recycling Myth | Ukraine | Official Narrative | Electoral BS

COLDER AIR will continue to move into the area in the wake of the recent cold front. Much colder temperatures, high elevation snow showers, and lower elevation rain showers will continue through this evening. Drier weather and colder than normal temperatures are forecast for the latter portion of the week with frost or freezing temperatures possible. Another series of fronts will bring additional bouts of rain and mountain snow this upcoming weekend and potentially into early next week. (NWS)

TO THAT DEPUTY....

Editor,

I was in a bad car accident on October 29, 2022. It happened where Reynolds Highway meets the 101. I would like to thank the first sheriff on the scene and all the responders for their help. 

I was very scared and the first person on the scene was a sheriff. I don’t know his name, but he kept me calm the whole time. I also had my dog with me and they put him in a sheriff’s car and safely delivered him to my father-in-law. I am so thankful for all these people. Thank you thank you.

Amanda Marsh

Willits

BOONVILLE QUIZ THURSDAY AT LAUREN’S: This is the first Thursday of the month, so that means we’ll be having a Quiz at Lauren’s at The Buckhorn starting at 7pm on Nov 3rd. Hope to see you there. Cheers, Steve Sparks, The Quizmaster.

‘GET CUBBISON’ BACKFIRES

by Mark Scaramella

The highlight of Tuesday morning's discussion of the Board's attempt to blame Auditor-Controller-Tax Collector Chamise Cubbison for financial reporting delays was when Chief Deputy Auditor Controller Kiki DeLong came to the podium and bluntly told the Board what lots of outside observers already know — not that the Board was listening, of course.

The Agenda Item had attempted to pigeon hole the County’s relatively new Auditor-Controller-Tax Collector:

“Discussion and Possible Action Including Direction for Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector to Provide an Update on the Status of Fiscal Year End 2021/22 Close, Schedule of School District Audits, Quarter 1 Close, and Other Topics as Seen Necessary for Ensuring Continued Governmental Operations.”

Ms. Cubbison explained that the closeout of last fiscal year (which ended on June 30) is still not complete because of staff shortages in her office and incomplete, late, or inaccurate financial paperwork from the various departments and the CEO. The Board, primarily Supervisor Ted Williams, then peppered Cubbison demanding to know what she needed to speed up the process, but never asking their CEO Darcie Antle what she was doing about the problem. Cubbison said it would be nice if they’d stop dragging their feet about hiring a senior financial analyst and maybe require that the CEO vet the info from the departments before handing it over to the Auditor with avoidable errors and omissions.

Then Ms. DeLong stepped up.

DeLong: “It is really painful for our office to watch these board meetings. It strikes me as somewhat hypocritical, the way you address Chamise [Cubbison] specifically with regard to wanting her to name the departments that she is asking for a little bit more support from and analysis before sending materials to her for input. Against her will, she named the CEO's office, asking that they review the materials a little more. Then you took her to task for getting personal and having a personality conflict, maybe being difficult to work with. It's really obvious to our department that the agenda here is to see her fail. You pay lipservice to trying to provide support, but she is basically being used as a scapegoat. You basically blew up our two offices by forcing this consolidation against both offices' will; Against Schari [Schapmire who retired early saying she couldn’t work with “this board” anymore] and Julie [Forrester who just quit] and Chamise and Lloyd [Weer, former Auditor Controller, now retired] and several of the community members speaking out against this. They were not just against it, they just wanted a plan to be in place — until you did a study, not just because they did it in Sonoma County which is close to the Bay Area and has access to employees. You said, We can just do it! There was no study to see if there would be any savings or efficiencies for our county. There was no action plan. You just took her to task for not having an organization chart! You need to take care of this stuff. Because you basically blew everything up and created this urgency ordinance to appoint her to clean up your mess and now you can blame her for everything that's not being done through the departments? No! That's not how it works. We all have to work together. ... There is just this stonewalling of our department from the board, from the Executive office. It is getting really frustrating. We are all working very hard to try to carry the load of not having enough staff and not enough hours. And when we watch these board meetings and see the two-facedness where you seem to be wanting to support us, but then you take every opportunity to make Chamise your scapegoat. It makes us all want to just take a vacation — which I have not done. I have not used any vacation since becoming an employee of Mendocino County four years ago. Because we have always been understaffed, and it's not because the positions are not there. It's because you can't attract people to this area, this market. It takes so long to fill a position. From the time applicants apply before you get around to calling them in they have already accepted an industry position. Industry fills these positions in 21 days. Government fills the positions in two months or more. That has to change. If we need to get butts in seats and get work done, we need to be able to hire people quickly and competitively. That is not going on right now. We have a lot of empty desks and we have a lot of people trying to do two jobs. I don't like watching these board meetings. It makes me want to just quit. I stay out of respect for Chamise. But I do not feel support from the board. The board blew up our offices and now you are not happy because you are not getting things in a timely manner. Maybe you should've thought about that before your legacy went forward. You have no plan. You drove away our Treasurer Tax Collector. You drove away our Assistant Treasurer Tax Collector. And then you appointed Chamise and made her responsible for everything. She was not the previous Auditor Controller. She was brought in to take care of that job, and Schari's job and Julie's job. You did not appoint her when Lloyd left last year so she was not able to hire an Assistant Auditor Controller. She was doing Lloyd's job and her job last year. And now she doing Julie's job and Schari's job? And now you are whining about what's not being done? You created this mess. And I -- I've said my piece. I'm done.”

* * *

Supervisor McGourty didn't get it at all. Instead of acknowledging the correctness of Ms DeLong's complaint and admitting the Board needed to deliver on their empty promises of support, McGourty didn’t budge: “I know people are not happy. But we made a decision and we are moving forward. We cannot dwell on the past. This board has been pretty supportive and we are looking for solutions and for things to work. I think we're trying really really hard [McGourty’s repeatedly insists that he and his colleagues are “working really really hard” as if saying it itself was hard work] to accommodate what needs to be done. I realize things don't always go the way people want and things don't work the way we want them to. But we've made a decision and were moving forward with it. Now it's time to figure out how to make it work. And that's what we're going to do. We are not going to dwell on the past.”

DeLong: “If you had come up with a plan and there was a transition plan, things would have been a lot smoother. If you'd got employee buy-in… If you had got cooperation… If you had taken time to do it correctly… we would not be in this position we are in right now. We have a desperate lack of people in these two departments. I just would like to see the Board of Supervisors be a little more respectful when they address my boss about what they are not getting. Because the reason they are not getting stuff is because of your direct action in trying to combine these two departments without a plan in place, without a transition plan.”

Supervisor Ted Williams agreed about hiring delays but had no idea how to fix it. Then he denied that the offices were even consolidated: “We just decided there would be one elected department head instead of two. The board did not dictate that those offices had to be combined in any way.” Williams cited pension errors, the health plan deficit not being identified sooner, none of which the consolidation addresses nor which the office’s organization had anything to do with. 

Williams then said that he thought the problem was the Auditor-Controller's office for somehow not getting with the program. It reminded us of that Sam Goldwyn line: “Consensus is when everybody agrees with me.” “We have to get through the transition,” insisted Williams. We need a more professional financial plan. It's not to say that the employees have not been professional, but it needs to work in concert with the Executive Office, with the Board of Supervisors. We have not had that arrangement.”

Supervisor Gjerde opened his response by saying that he “did not catch the speaker's name” then proceeded, not bothering to find out, into his irrelevant response. Demonstrating yet again how detached the supervisors are from the their senior staff, Gjerde, who has been phoning it in on Zoom from Fort Bragg since the Board chambers were opened in August, has no idea who his own Chief Deputy Auditor Controller is, in a department they all seem to think is important. Gjerde said that because previous board's had jabbered about the possibility of consolidation in the past but had delayed it because the department heads were running for re-election, and therefore, according to Gjerde, the Department — not the Board — should have been better prepared for their ill-advised forced reorganization.

The Board finds itself in a downward spiral of its own making. They've gone years and years without requiring basic monthly financial reporting from their CEO. They've delayed even modest pay raises or cost of living adjustments, making it hard to hire staff, which has made it harder for departments and the Auditor to stay current on finances. They imposed a new structure on their financial offices for the wrong reasons and without a plan. Now they wonder why financial information is slow to reach them from the departments and the Auditor and the CEO? Then they claim that they can't offer raises because they don't have the necessary financial information, which in turn makes it harder to hire staff…. 

What’s that flapping noise? Chickens returning to their roost?

ACORN DAY AT GRACE HUDSON

This weekend, Grace Hudson Museum continues celebrating National Native American Heritage Month. Saturday, Nov. 5th will be Acorn Day. From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., artist Martina Morgan will share the process of making acorn mush, a traditional food. From 12 noon to 2:00, painter Bonnie Lockhart will show visitors how she uses oak leaves as part of her painting process. Visitors can have a hand in creating their own painting to take home. Both artists have work on display in the Museum's current exhibition, “Gathering Time: Pomo Art During the Pandemic.”

All activities for Acorn Day are included in Museum admission: $5 individuals, $4 students and seniors, $12 for families, and always free for Native Americans, standing military personnel, and Museum members. The Grace Hudson Museum is at 431 S. Main St. in Ukiah. For more information please go to www.gracehudsonmuseum.org or call (707) 467-2836.

LETTER TO OUR FRIENDS ON THE COAST

Dear Friends,

Federal, state, and local elections are one week from today. We have been working hard to Hold the House through California! Over 6500 postcards have been written to date through our joint efforts! Good job!

Laser focus now on the election of our three candidates for the Healthcare District Board: Lee Finney, Susan Savage and Jade Tippett. Tomorrow night let’s join our candidates at the Harbor Lite in Fort Bragg from 5 - 7 pm to talk about the issues of concern. There will be appetizers and fabulous wine from Pacific Star Winery. There has been talk coming from the incumbent in this race that Democrats are taking over the healthcare district board. Our position is that healthcare is not a partisan issue. We work toward access to quality healthcare for all people. Last February, our Club held a Public Forum asking ”Is there a Future for Our Hospital? 92 people joined that zoom call. We set to work to assure a future by asking people to run for the District Board.

Turn out is everything! If you want to help Get Out The Vote, let me know. Karenbowersu2@gmail.com.

Karen Bowers, Coast Democratic Club Chair

CHRIS PHILBRICK alerts us to the Ukiah Rotary Club’s event “Guitars for Troops” being held on November 12 at 5:30 p.m. at Carl Purdy Hall in Ukiah. All the proceeds benefit veteran causes and we expect 400 people to attend. Three great bands, demonstrations by the canine corps, $15 entry and $20 for a great dinner. 

AS GEORGE DORNER ASKS, “How about an address for mail-in donations?”

AV CSD TO ANNEX ADJACENT PARCELS

Public Notice: Introduction To Notice Of Intent

Anderson Valley’s Community Service District (AVCSD) provides important services to the community, including Anderson Valley Fire Department (AVFD), street lighting, the recreation department, and the airport. These services are paid for by local taxes on residents of the areas served. AVFD also provides ambulance services funded by a membership program, billing for services provided and other funding not obtained through local taxes. 

The Anderson Valley Fire Department has historically served large areas outside the AVCSD tax base and legal boundaries. AVCSD is now seeking to expand its official service boundary to take in these additional areas, through a process called “annexation.” This expansion benefits the entire community by ensuring that our own local fire department is fairly supported by all who benefit from it. To avoid “…an illegal gift of public funds”, property owners outside the current AVCSD boundaries are required to be billed for services rendered or voluntarily enter into annual contracts with the AVCSD. The annexation would end this annual contract since the annexed properties would now be included in the AVCSD District. 

AVCSD and Anderson Valley Fire Department is now informing the public about the annexation proposal, so that the community can respond and comment. When public meetings are scheduled, AVCSD will publish notices about them as well. Please feel free to call Anderson Valley Fire Department at 895-2020 for more information.

* * *

UPDATE: The Anderson Valley CSD & Fire Department is now informing the public about the annexation proposal, so that the community can respond and comment. There will be a resolution to vote on this at the next CSD regular board meeting on November 16, 2022 at 3pm. 

BEHIND THE VEIL

On Saturday, November 12^th at 7:00pm, a special event will take place at the SPACE Theatre in Ukiah. Renown composer, producer, pianist Spencer Brewer will be celebrating his 15th record ‘Behind the Veil’, with a rare album release concert. Special guests will include Jeremy Cohen, Paul Yarborough, Margie Rice and Joel Cohen.

After a 14-year hiatus, this recording is an inspired collection of compositions, allowing what was ‘Behind the Veil’ to come forth. The combination of his virtuoso pianistic technique, gifts as a melodist and his approach to organic music making, provides the canvas for his 15th solo album. The concert will be videoed for the January 2023 release of the record. 

General admission $25 tickets are on sale at Mendocino Book Company in Ukiah & online at Brown Paper Tickets – Brownpapertickets.com/event/5595570. SPACE Theatre is at 508 W Perkins St, Ukiah, - Phone: (707) 462-9370. For more info, visit SpencerBrewer.com.

ED NOTES

YES, teachers these days have a difficult job, when they are on the job, which is half the year with a lot of scam-a-rama days off as described above. Why can't we presume that teachers are “professionally developed” before they step in front of their sugar-fueled students, many of these students from howlingly dysfunctional “families,” while their teachers, intellectually, are about a half-step, if that, ahead of their students? The whole, entropic public ed project needs to be re-thought, and re-thought on a monastic assumption that the surrounding society is insane, actively hostile to the welfare of the young. (cf Snoop Dog and Kim Kardashian) 

UKIAH HIGH SCHOOL, based on its windowless, re-circulated air architecture alone, ought to be bulldozed as a clear and present danger to anyone confined to it.

THE MENDO COUNTY edu-context was defined years ago when Mendocino College was founded. The gym, complete with a pro-level weight room, was built ahead of the library. When the library was dedicated, college president, Leroy Lowery, said that he hadn't read a book since he was in college. He wasn't joking.

SHOCKING EVENTS always prompt speculation, as has the weird assault on Paul Pelosi. I think a lot of the speculation is interesting and I'm surprised — well, not really — that a lot of libs of the Democratic Party type think that Pelosi-related speculation shouldn't be heard or seen, especially if it comes from dubious, politically motivated writers of fascist leanings. I say bring it on, bring it all on, and trust your fellow Americans to distinguish truth from untruth.

MY PELOSI SPECULATION is that when it's all sorted out, the big event will be pretty much as described, that a deranged man broke into the house and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer. I think it's already clear that the intruder is crazy, that his unfounded ravings about Nancy Pelosi are simply more evidence that he's nuts, not that those opinions are uncommon among the Magas. Hell, we are a nation seriously, perhaps terminally divided so we better get used to rolling with the rhetorical punches.

SWAPPING DREAM STORIES with another geezer, both of us stipulating to one each in full recognition of how boring the subject is, he said the most recent dream he could remember was going to Boont Berry to buy a cucumber that somehow became a crook-neck squash when he peeled it for a salad. The only recent dream I could remember was one so crazy I made a note of it. I'd encountered Winston Churchill shuffling along in a walker — Homberg, suit, cigar, the full Churchill — who said to an unseen someone, “I want Bruce to help me with this.” WTF as the young people say.

PATTERSON’S CLAIMS

Editor,

There is a modern proverb stating: “An attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client.” Jacob Patterson has taken this axiom to a whole new level. Not only does Mr. Patterson represent himself, but it appears that he may be his only client, along with empty “citizen groups” devoid of citizens. 

Patterson dedicates his career to both volunteering obsessive oversight of city operations; and filing claims against the city on behalf of himself. He has filed eight claims against the city: seven on behalf of himself and one on behalf of a “citizen group”; and he has threatened many, many more. Over the past five years, he has initiated close to 300 public records requests - ostensibly looking for some type of impropriety within the City. 

One of Mr. Patterson’s biggest monetary rewards from the City was almost $19,000 paid to his landlord/mother, City Council Candidate Michelle Roberts through the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program. To put this into perspective, Ms. Roberts received the fourth highest sum of any Fort Bragg “landlord” for room rentals to her two adult sons. The top three recipients on the list (landlords receiving more than Roberts) were two apartment building owners and a property manager. The reward was so great, that his landlord/mother tripled his room rent from $400 per month to $1,200 per month, during the pandemic. A form 700 filed by Roberts immediately prior to accepting TBRA funding did not claim any rental income. (CoFB, PRA 22-183) Once all program funds were expended, many local Fort Bragg residents - who did not have a parent willing to support them into their 40’s - were denied rental assistance. 

Between civil claims, Patterson stalks City employees, threatens to have employees fired and then demands to be employed by the City at the director salary level. An email cry for help from Former City Manager Tabatha Miller shortly prior to vacating her position was directed to City Council describing Patterson’s behavior: 

“I have tried to figure out how to work with Jacob Patterson so that his destructive and vindictive side doesn’t get the best of staff, Council, me or the City. …He very much wants to work at the City, but is also intent on breaking down and destroying much of it. I have spent a year trying to figure out how to give him a productive role here so that he doesn’t destroy us. … 

“These discussions range from him happily agreeing to work on the project to his demands to be hired as a City employee at a Director pay scale and that I must fire certain employees on his “hit list” (which changes depending on his mood).” 

His demeaning treatment and “borderline stalking” of City employees was so egregious that the local union became involved. A portion of the SEIU letter to City Council is shown below: 

“This individual’s (Patterson’s) obsessive and unrelenting actions should raise alarm bells. It appears that this individual has gone so far as to visit city staff’s home and taken photographs of their houses. His rambling missives to the city cite fictitious organizations that seem to exist only in his imagination, leading many to be understandable concerned about his mental stability.” 

Patterson is no longer allowed to interact directly with city staff; but his bizarre behavior and drain of city resources continues. In the past two months City Manager Peggy Ducey received 136 emails from Patterson raging about petty issues. 

While it would be unfair to criticize Roberts simply due to unsuccessful parenting outcomes, there are several items that voters should consider when heading to the polls: 

• Roberts’ participation in the TBRA program after claiming no rental income leads to concerns about her integrity. She received more funding than the vast majority of real landlords for housing her two grown children in her home. 

• Roberts signed a Code of Conduct form agreeing to refrain from scurrilous attacks of opposing candidates and yet she failed to intervene when her son -Patterson - publicly attacked candidates Peters and Albin-Smith. 

• Roberts is supplementing Patterson’s living expenses, thereby allowing him to use his law degree to be a public nuisance. If gainfully employed, he would lack time for petty tirades. 

• How much more destructive might Patterson become to City operations if he has a council member who will listen to his antics at the dinner table for the next four years? 

• How will city staff feel when Patterson’s mother becomes their boss, after suffering so many attacks from Patterson? 

• What will she do as her son’s many claims are presented to City Council? 

• How does she have the nerve to run for City Council, when she is aware that her son outrageously attacks city staff; files petty complaints against the city requesting large sums of money; drains city resources; and uses bizarre tactics, such as extortion, to try to get a job wit the City? 

The irony is that Patterson has utilized a colossal amount of city resources in an obsessive, unsubstantiated search for misuse of city resources, when the culprit was much closer to home. He did not need to conduct an exhaustive review of public finances. He only needed to look squarely in the mirror. 

Signed,

Outraged in Fort Bragg 

(All statements can be substantiated through City of Fort Bragg PRA requests 22-183 to 22-186.) 

* * *

PATTERSON RESPONDS:

AVA,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the anonymous letter submitted to the AVA by “Outraged in Fort Bragg”. Although I wouldn’t normally respond to such nonsense, I feel I owe it to Michelle Roberts to correct the record concerning this misleading tirade since her candidacy is mentioned and it is clear the intent is to try to discourage people from voting for her in next week’s election. The author doesn’t even identify themself and proceeds to make unfounded allegations that are allegedly supported by records they obtained from the City of Fort Bragg. I tend to discount anonymous missives because the person writing them doesn’t even have the integrity or fortitude to identify themselves. How can one respond to someone who won’t identify who they are? At least people know it is me when I write into the AVA so they can contact me directly if they have any concerns or want to try to refute something I write.

First, I will not comment on any matter involving my legal representation of clients unless I have their permission to do so and I have no such permission. I will say that none of my clients are imaginary or mere alter egos as the author suggests. Actual people who are not me are in all community groups I have assisted, either formally as a lawyer representing them or just as a fellow concerned citizen providing non-professional assistance. Some of them have even identified themselves at various times and at public meetings but the author doesn’t appear to want to let the facts get in the way of their preferred narrative.

Second, concerning the ridiculous allegation that Michelle Roberts was part of anything improper by receiving rental assistance income from a program that was administered by the City of Fort Bragg (but using federal money not local resources), I can state with certainty that nothing untoward happened despite the author suggesting otherwise. Setting aside the fact that financial and personally-identifiable information about program participants should not have been released by the City of Fort Bragg about any of the recipients because such information is protected by various privacy laws and applicable program guidelines, the alleged “facts” presented by the author are either completely false or misleading.

Here is the truth: Michelle Roberts did not report receiving rental income prior to 2020 because she did not have a rental unit prior to 2020. The two Form 700s referenced by the author cover calendar years 2018 and 2019 where she did not have any rental units. No rental units = no income. In 2020, she replaced a former alley house that had been demolished with a new building and she moved into the brand-new residence. After that, she rented out her former residence to me. There has never been any rent increase, let alone one that happened during Covid, but there were two different rental units with different rent amounts. I have been living in my current larger and more expensive residence since July 2020, which is months before the rental assistance program administered by the City of Fort Bragg even began—the program applications were processed in September and October of 2020 but the program covered prior periods going back to April 2020. Landlords don’t even apply to this program, the tenants do. I knew about the program because of my regular attendance at City meetings and I applied. I recommended the program to my brother who also applied. Michelle had little involvement outside confirming information provided by her tenants about outstanding rent and agreeing to receive the rental assistance on behalf of her tenants. When she received rental income, she properly reported it.

Third, the author goes on to list other considerations for voters as they make their choices on who to support but that part of their letter is also riddled with ridiculousness. For example, I have properly objected to two candidates’ involvement in an apparent scheme to alter their nomination paperwork to try to run for seats they were not actually nominated for, including in my own previous letter to the AVA. The author describes those objections as scurrilous attacks, implying that they somehow violate the candidates’ pledge to not engage in dirty campaign tactics. Setting aside that I am not involved in Michelle Roberts’ campaign in any way—I didn’t even sign her nomination papers—she has no influence or control over my actions and statements because I am an independent person and an adult who makes his own choices. Michelle is responsible for herself but she does not direct or influence my actions. Further, none of my objections concerning the improper alteration of the nomination papers of Tess Albin-Smith or Lindy Peters are inappropriate or scurrilous in any way.

Who has been subject to scurrilous attacks and dirty campaign tactics? Certainly not Tess or Lindy. They were properly called out for their own actions and choices that were highly improper. However, Michelle continues to be attacked with completely false allegations in an apparent attempt to keep her from being elected. The anonymous letter is merely another example of these attacks. Moreover, I have heard that Tess Albin-Smith’s campaign has been knocking on doors and telling people that Tess had to run as a write-in candidate because Michelle threatened to sue the City over the nomination papers. That would be a false and scurrilous attack. Not only was Michelle not involved in discovering or objecting to the nomination papers scandal, she has never threatened to sue anyone about it. In fact, no one threatened to sue the City at all, let alone Michelle. That is only the latest dirty campaign tactic following many others.

I trust Fort Bragg voters to make their choices and value transparency and truth. Unfortunately, this campaign has devolved into a mess due to nonsense like this anonymous author is peddling.

Thanks again,

Jacob Patterson 

Fort Bragg

CRAIG'S HALLOWEEN

Subject: Halloween Report

Halloween was celebrated enthusiastically in downtown Ukiah, with the sidewalks filled with costumed trick or treaters, who accompanied their parents into the Ukiah Brewing Company for dinner. Observed this from a seat at the bar, while quaffing Noyo Harbor IPA beers with a shot o’ 12 yr. old Red Breast whiskey. After the manager cut me off and offered me a glass of ice water, stayed to enjoy the steak entree. Was informed that my cooperation with management was appreciated, and that I am welcome back at any time. Proceeded to The Forest Club for two more rounds of beer plus a shot o’ Buchanan’s Deluxe whiskey. Played the juke box, and appreciating customers paid for my drinks. An UBER driver drove me back late to the Building Bridges homeless shelter for ten dollars. It was by any measure the absolute best Halloween possible. Wore my bright orange Carhartt shirt for the occasion. Awoke this morning with a smile, feeling slightly dizzy from it all, poorer but happy. 

Much love, Craig Louis Stehr

ANDERSON VALLEY VILLAGE NEWSLETTER, November 2022

We currently have a record 62 members (48 memberships) and 45 trained volunteers ready to lend a hand!

Happy Birthday to our wonderful members and volunteers: Ron Gester, Stephanie Gold, Barbara Lamb, Donna Pierson-Pugh, Elizabeth Summers, Michael Holland, Barbara Nelson, Jeanne Nickless, Citlalli Lievanos, Jan Pallazola, Susan Lewis (don't see your name? send me your birthdate).

October's Fall Party was a hit – thank you Barbara Nelson for jumping in and sharing her lifelong passion, career and how she ended up in the valley! Barbara is holding up one of her art pieces in the photo. And Philip did a great job with his fall prevention, home safety reminders!

Join us for more good times! Upcoming AV Village Events

FUNKACILLIN AT THE WILLITS COMMUNITY THEATRE

Funkacillin is back with fresh faces and new energy, ready to funk down the house with some old school and original funk music that will get you groovin' and boogieing on the dance floor! Willits Community Theatre, Saturday, Nov. 19th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 and available on the theatre website or at the door. Want to find out more? Visit us on Facebook and have a great Holiday Season everyone! 

CATCH OF THE DAY, Tuesday, November 1, 2022

JUSTIN BALL, Fort Bragg. Battery with serious injury.

MIHAI COSMA, Willits. Failure to register as transient.

NICHOLAS DAVILA, Leggett. Probation revocation.

YOUSEFFI DELAFUENTE, Ukiah. Unauthorized entry into dwelling without owner’s consent.

LUMIERE HOLCOMB, Willits. DUI with blood-alcohol over 0.15%, child endangerment.

RONALD HUTCHISON, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

OSCAR RAMIREZ, Ukiah. Domestic battery.

ARMANDO WILLIAMS, Point Arena. Probation revocation.

THE SEA RANCH READER

It was one of those weeks on the Listserv where you just want to throw in the towel.

Have you ever regretted saying something as you are actually saying it? That happened to one Listerv member last week as they wrote an email poking fun at either Parkinson’s disease or fecal matter transplant (FMT) therapy. That same person replied to themselves in a second email admonishing the previous one.

Someone who decided to take a walk after dinner was spotted by a large helicopter equipped with a searchlight. First responders were thanked profusely.

One member said that someone used the word “ADU” or “Additional Dwelling Unit” during a The Sea Ranch Association committee meeting. Another member replied that ADUs are The Sea Ranch’s answer to the affordability crisis and would provide a nice rental income to some of the retirees here. A long debate ensued, about whether recent California State laws would supersede California Commission rules about density at The Sea Ranch, or vice versa. Not a single person had the courage to ask the obvious questions, which were “How many member passes would properties with two homes receive each year and what would that printing cost do to our overall TRSA budget?” Since these questions were not posed, there was no opportunity for someone to say increased membership card printing costs would be a deep and unsettling, “injustice”.

One Sea Ranch member declared that their word for one evening would be, “panopticon.”

Another member called the TSR Buzz group (separate from the Listserv), “outrageous” and that “they’ve never seen anything like it.”

Someone said they saw a rumor about an airport expansion at The Sea Ranch. Someone else asked, “when did the ‘private airstrip’ transform into an ‘airport?’” A discussion emerged on the ontology of airstips, airports, runways, and airfields. One member said that everyone was focused on the wrong thing and that everything is an “airport” because, in the FAA’s glossary of terms, it is the only noun used to describe any sort of place where planes take off or land.

Someone shared an article about The Sea Ranch’s very own D-list Fox News commentator, counsel to Donald Trump, and anti-LGBT rights advocate, Harmeet Dhillon*. Several Listserv members said she was beyond the pale and her presence here is a disgrace. Another member said that even neo-facist enablers, like Dhillon, have the right to live at The Sea Ranch without harassment. One member that identifies as a member of the LGBT community disagreed and hoped The Sea Ranch community would join together and “make her feel uncomfortable”. During a few hours of catharsis, many others came forward in support of that statement – a sign of solidarity against bullies and collective faith in the power of shame. 

But that didn’t last long. Others told the person who said “I hope we make her uncomfortable” to chill out, since being nasty “never changes minds.” To the contrary, everyone should grab a beer or a tea with Harmeet, and have a conversation with a person who wants to make LGBT community members feel vile and strip them of their civil rights. Both sides have a point of view that should be heard, right? 

Another person sent the self-identifying member of the LGBT community a brief message: “leave.”

After several days of back and forth, the Listserv moderator intervened and said they would no longer tolerate “personal attacks” on Harmeet Dhillon. When another member asked why they didn’t intervene during a worse situation several months ago, when a young couple received hundreds of harassing messages after they held a small afternoon wedding ceremony in their yard? In that case, dozens of people shamed, doxxed, and threatened legal action against them. The rhetoric was far worse, against a much more minor offense than bigotry.

The moderator provided the following explanation: “If you don’t like it on the TSR Listserv, you can always go to the TSR Buzz.”

*The Sea Ranch Reader editors, as a matter of course, never mention specific The Sea Ranchers by name, out of respect for their privacy (unless we ask permission in advance). In this case, we took a vote and decided to mention her by name, out of abundant disrespect.

DO THESE DOGS CARE about what color they are? (Marilyn Davin)

MARIE TOBIAS: I never talk about anything I don't understand completely... I had a double major at UCI of Physics and Computer Science, with a minor in Electrical Engineering in Junior College at Long Beach Community College. I have a pretty diverse and eclectic background, and I've been a voracious reader covering a wide variety of technical disciplines all my life. The fact that I correspond with people who are leaders in their particular fields and have deeply satisfying conversations with them, suggests Alan, the lack of understanding isn't on my side of the equation. But as I've already said many times before, we are all free to think and believe as we choose... Me, you, everyone.

As I mentioned, I do a lot of reading, and some of it is Science Fiction, Fantasy, or an occasional Horror Novel. Some of my reading includes classics. I also occasionally enjoy something by Tony Hillerman, Lee Childs (I like the collaborations of Lee Child and Douglas Preston), Tom Clancy, James Patterson, John Grisham, Steven King, Dean Koons, That above and beyond, about a half dozen Scientific Magazines, Journals, and NewsLetters, The Harvard Wellness Letter, and a couple periodicals about my astronomy and radio telecommunications hobbies. I have an extensive personal digital and physical library. That in spite of having lost over 1,000 books when I lost my personal storage space in 2013.

I like words, Alan. I like turns of phrases. I like colorful language, I like people who can paint with words. I find it sad, that as we become more and more attention deficit, twittering and text messaging ever tinier thought bites, unable to hold an idea more complex than “I'm right” and “You're wrong”... As civility gives way to impatient half thoughts and missing acts of kindness and consideration, I find my appreciation of words, forms, and flourishes, ever more appealing. Because they demand patience, and thought, and apprehension, and at least a modicum of playfulness. I miss etiquette, and the niceties of social consideration. They occur to me as a serious “missing.”

But I can also see how they might become another wall, a kind of elitism... I don't feel particularly elite, but in the name of successful communication, I'll try to find the lowest common denominator. I actually have a tool I use to write technical documentation. It's designed to ensure my writing is easy enough to read, that anyone can use my instructions and explanations without confusion or consternation. I'll turn it on and try to keep my writing at the suggested 8th grade level, for the sake of clarity and readability. If there's another tool to enhance brevity, I try to use it too.

ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

We need more vigilantes like Black Bart in the world these days:

On November 3, 1883, the gentleman bandit known as Black Bart the poet—because of the poems he left behind at the scenes of two of his crimes—robbed his last stagecoach before being apprehended by the authorities. By then, Black Bart had been robbing stagecoaches in California’s gold country for eight years—unbeknownst to the many members of San Francisco high society who knew him as Charles Bolton, a courteous middle-aged mine owner who sported diamond accessories along with his cane, derby hat, and gold watch. (According to Daniel R. Seligman writing in True West Magazine, Bolton got the name “Black Bart” from the villain in William H. Rhodes’s novel The Case of Summerfield, which had been serialized in the Sacramento Daily Union in 1871.)

Black Bart was courteous too—he avoided violence (some say his shotgun was never even loaded) and declined to steal from the passengers of the stagecoaches he robbed. All he would take was the Wells Fargo express box and the mail. “During his first robbery, on July 26, 1875, near the top of Funk Hill at the head of Yaqui Gulch,” writes Seligman, “he politely requested the Wells Fargo box. When a thoroughly frightened woman passenger threw her purse out of the window, he gallantly returned it with the words, “I don’t want your money—only the express box and mail.” And also courteously . . . he left poems.

After his fourth robbery, he left behind this fine piece of verse:

I’ve labored long and hard for bread
For honor and for riches,
But on my corns too long you’ve tred
You fine-haired sons of bitches.
–Black Bart, the P o 8.

After his fifth robbery, he got a little more ambitious:

Here I lay me down to sleep
To wait the coming morrow.
Perhaps success, perhaps defeat,
And everlasting sorrow.
Let come what will, I’ll try it on,
My condition can’t be worse;
And if there’s money in that box
Tis munny in my purse.
–Black Bart, the P o 8.

It wasn’t until Black Bart’s 29th holdup that he was finally caught, after he left a handkerchief (seriously!) at the scene. He was apprehended on November 12th, and four days later, he pled guilty and was sentenced to eight years in jail. He was released after only four, for good behavior—as befits a gentleman—and soon after that, he disappeared entirely—as befits a poet.

DON’T GROW; MANUFACTURE: LORD OF THE RINGS

by Jonah Raskin

No, I’m not talking about J.R.R. Tolkien’s superlative epic, nor am I talking about the action adventure movies inspired by “The Lord of the Rings.” I’m talking about the crispy, flavored, cannabis-infused rings from Tsumo Snacks that are endorsed by Snoop Dogg, the multi-millionaire rapper and record producer with an empire all his own and a biography titled “The Doggfather.” Like many successful rappers as beloved by white kids as Black kids, Snoop has more money than he can launder or bank legitimately. His financial success suggests that the real money in the cannabis world has not been by growing it but by mass producing it and with slick advertising for the mass market. Snoop’s familiar goofy image appears on both the front and on the back of the package of his cannabis edibles which contains a total of 100 mg of THC or 10 mg per serving and zero CBD. The lordly rings, which come in different colors, are flavored with onion seasoning, garlic powder, turmeric extract, sugar, salt and buttermilk powder. Mouth wateringly delicious, they do not taste like marijuana and the rings aren’t green or flecked with leaf. I can testify that the bite-sized snacks are difficult to resist. They got me stoned the first time I tried them. The more rings I ate the more I was stoned, but just one ring made me feel like a lord in my own head. Some users get the munchies when they eat these snacks. The more you eat the more you want to eat. It’s a vicious cycle. The Tsumo company also offers a “classic cheese” cannabis-infused snack and another, “salsa verde.” There are five additional flavors. The promo reads, “It’s an edible experience for adults with taste.” You might want to find a comfortable armchair, eat a few of Snoop’s snacks and watch one of the three epic fantasy adventure series directed by Peter Jackson, filmed in New Zealand and starring Ian McKellan, Cate Blanchett and others. Then, again you might want to read or reread Tolkien himself without the aid of THC. “The Lord of the Rings” is trippy all on its own, and so are the characters including Frodo and his many endearing pals. Tolkien knew what Snoop may not know: that rings can be harmful, though the words on the back of the package read, “Warning: cancer and reproductive harm” and “use extreme caution.” Maybe Snoop really does know his stuff. He didn't become a multimillionaire blowing smoke.

GERALD STERN, R.I.P.

“Half the world is at war or preparing for it or recovering from it. Moreover, a sizeable portion of the good people of the world are in political prisons of one kind or another, and a fourth are starving; and we are contemptuous not only of human life but all life on the planet, if not the universe; and we are in a kind of trap, and coldness of heart has become the dominant mode, and the life we force ourselves to lead is degrading; and almost all governments are inept and corrupt and brutal; and we live by delusion, and there is very little dignity left and very little awe; and we may perhaps indeed be evil or indifferent creatures altogether, as the cruel incendiaries among us have for centuries suggested; and in my own country ugliness is apotheosized, and money is worshipped more than ever before; and we elect weasels to office; and we carefully destroy most of what is good from the past; and we murder and rape and thieve with ease; and we bore ourselves to death; and we either believe in dark and mindless things or pretend to be governened by systems and rules we neither understand nor believe in; and we hate the brain; and we are deeply pessimistic. Although there are some pockets of resistance: we produce art and we are somehow great in medicine and astronomy; and we dance and write poetry; and we still live for the future; and for one drop of water, the thirsty among us would gather and weep.” 

— Gerald Stern, from his memoir, ‘What I Can’t Bear Losing’

chrishedges.substack.com/p/death-of-an-oracle

RALPH NADER'S URGENT APPEAL: VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS

by Jeff Cohen & Norman Solomon

“This is an order of magnitude we have never seen before.”

When Ralph Nader appeared on “Democracy Now!” last week, a key moment came as he responded to the final question from host Amy Goodman: “You have campaigned as an independent and a Green throughout your political life. You ran for president four times. Why now throw in your lot with the Democrats?”

“We have never seen a party literally trying to repress the vote, miscount the vote, purge the vote, intimidate precinct worker volunteers, and steal elections.”

“Well, this is clearly the most dangerous political movement since the Civil War, the GOP under the corporate fascist Trump's thumb,” Nader replied. “He spread a whole breed of many Trumpsters who are getting far too much publicity compared to their opponents. Everything we fought for, Amy, for over 50 years, is at stake here. They're ready to do everything but tear seatbelts out of cars. They want to let Wall Street lie, cheat and steal with impunity. They want to make sure the corporate crime wave continues to roll across America against workers and consumers and the elderly and children.”

Nader added: “So this is an order of magnitude we have never seen before.”

In the week ahead, the crucial question is whether the Republican Party will be successful in capturing Congress. A Republican takeover of the House and Senate would be a huge step forward for fascistic politics.

Nader summarized the Republican threat to democracy: “We have never seen a party literally trying to repress the vote, miscount the vote, purge the vote, intimidate precinct worker volunteers and steal elections. They have actually basically said, 'Any election we lose is because it has been stolen from us.' That is the word of a dictatorship party.”

The interview with Nader, reaching many thousands of progressive voters around the United States, could have impact on tight races. The battle for control of the Senate is notably down to the wire in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Candor requires acknowledging that Democratic candidates for Congress are mostly an uninspiring lot from progressive vantage points. At the same time, they represent the only means available right now to halt the march of Republican demagogues into congressional control.

Ralph Nader's influence among some progressive voters could tip the balance. In some contests, the margins of victory could be just a few votes per precinct.

Disappointing—and sometimes infuriating—as the current Congress has been, the absence of Republican control has made possible the enactment of some very valuable legislation into law. Any such progress would come to a screeching halt if Republicans run Congress, as Nader pointed out while calling for Democrats to “compare and contrast life under the authoritarian bigoted corporate-indentured GOP with life under the Democrats.”

For example, Nader said, “20 or 25 million people will get a raise to $15 minimum wage under the Democrats. The GOP is against that. The assault on children by the GOP is absolutely stunning, from not using available Medicaid funds to insure them, to exposing them to hazardous pesticides and denying paid family leave and sick leave. The GOP is against that. The $300 a month child tax credit to 58 million children in our country, cutting child poverty by a third, was suspended because of GOP opposition in January.”

Nader was crystal clear: “Your choice in 2022, compare the Democrats and GOP, and the GOP is against every one of these, whether it's minimum wage, strengthening gun safety laws, taxing the wealthiest firms and the super-rich, guaranteeing freedom and equality for women, ending the dark money in campaigns, providing Medicare for all, raising frozen Social Security benefits, restoring voter rights, funding childcare and sick leave, fighting climate violence with renewable energy, reducing skyrocketing drug prices and increasing funding to prosecute corporate crooks. All of those are opposed by the GOP.”

There are profound differences between the two major parties. Ralph Nader is offering crucial wisdom at this historic moment.

DEMOCRATS MURDER ANOTHER THIRD PARTY

by Howie Hawkins

The Democrats are not innocent of voter suppression themselves because they suppress the votes of their opponents to their left. Their preferred strategy is to suppress ballot access for the candidates of independent progressive parties. Party suppression is a form of voter suppression. It denies independent progressive voters the right to vote for who they want once they get their ballot. 

The Republican role in precipitating our crisis of democracy is easy for progressives to see. But it also easy for progressives to miss the Democrats’ complicity, from their fecklessness on voting rights and election protection bills in Congress to their active suppression of independent progressive parties. Even without the current crisis, the American system of single-member-district, winner-take-all elections is fundamentally anti-democratic because it systematically excludes most people from being able to vote for and elect candidates to represent their political views in government…

counterpunch.org/2022/11/01/the-democrats-murder-another-third-party/

WE'RE DESTROYING WESTERN VALUES to defend western values. To win its much-touted struggle of "democracies vs autocracies", western civilization is becoming more and more autocratic. Censoring more. Trolling more. Propagandizing more. Jailing journalists. Becoming less and less transparent. Manipulating information and people's understanding of truth.

We're told we need to defeat Russia in Ukraine in order to preserve western values of freedom and democracy, and in order to facilitate that aim we're getting less and less free speech. Less and less free thought. Less and less free press. Less and less democracy.

I keep thinking of the (fictional) story where during World War II Winston Churchill is advised to cut funding for the arts to boost military funding, and he responds, "Then what are we fighting for?" If we need to sacrifice everything we claim to value in order to fight for those values, what are we fighting for?

Dissent is becoming less and less tolerated. Public discourse is being more and more aggressively disrupted by the powerful. We're being shaped into the exact sort of homogeneous, power-serving, tyrannized, propagandized population that our leaders criticize other nations for having.

— Caitlin Johnstone

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING, IF YOU VOTE

Social shaming mailers are out in force this election season, combining old-fashioned neighborhood pressure with a touch of surveillance-state menace

by Matt Taibbi

Is Big Brother watching you? Maybe. Just a little. That’s the message of political mailers circulating in states all over the country heading into midterm elections.

The gist of these mailers is to remind people voting records are public, and whether they vote next week will be public record. It isn’t a new technique, and historically both parties have used it, though less on the Republican side. It seems to have become more ubiquitous this season, with Democratic voters especially inundated. As one state official put it, the practice may be gaining extra menace in the doxing age.

“It’s basically, ‘If you don’t vote, we’ll know,’” he said. “These days, who the hell knows what that means?”

The mailer below recently circulated in Ohio. The top line reads, “Ohio voter records are public,” and “Who you vote for is private, but whether or not you vote will be part of those public records”:

Versions of this same message are appearing by post, video, and text in states all over the country. Here’s an example from Nevada:

This one, from California, is handwritten:

The resident who received this one was creeped out by the “personal” approach. “I don’t know who Charlene is, so it feels threatening, as if a neighbor is keeping track of who has or has not voted,” he said. “The tone was definitely not a ‘friendly reminder.’”

The Ohio Democratic Party so far has declined comment, though former Ohio State Senate member Nina Turner said it was “sad to see.” Multiple law professors agreed there likely wasn’t a legal issue with the message in these mailers, among other things because “it’s not clear that it’s actually a threat,” is how Columbia University professor ok put it. However, the practice is not without controversy.

“My understanding is that the Obama campaign first developed a technique of voter mobilization based on this data,” says University of Buffalo Professor James Gardner. “They would mail postcards to people showing the proportion of their neighbors who voted recently, the message being one of shaming or peer pressure: don’t be the only loser in your neighborhood who doesn’t vote.”

Gardner pointed to a Reuters piece from 2012, “Activists use peer pressure on voting history to urge Americans to vote,” which again cited voters in Ohio. In that case, millions were sent a mailer that “shows whether the recipient voted in recent elections and compares the voting record to their neighbors.” Reuters found examples of people whose voting records were reported inaccurately, and described a “report card” mailer sent out by MoveOn.Org then:

MoveOn.org planned to send 12 million “report cards” to “progressive potential voters” in key states and congressional districts that compare their voting record to a neighborhood average. The grades reflected votes at the same address in prior elections and did not take into account recent moves.

In an example that made headlines in Alaska in 2014, a woman named Nikki Adams received a mailer that read, “WHAT IF YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR NEIGHBORS, AND YOUR COMMUNITY KNEW WHETHER YOU VOTED?” It went on to say low turnout was a persistent problem, and “this year, we’re taking a new approach…sending this mailing to you, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues at work and your community members to publicize who does and does not vote.” The Anchorage Daily News explained further:

To make good on that threat, the names of 11 people — some of whom Adams knew personally — were listed below, along with their addresses and a tally of whether they had voted in the last three statewide elections.

The mailer turned out to have been sent by something called the Opportunity Alliance PAC, described as being active in conservative causes, and school choice. Another recipient of the same “creepy” mailer also got information about 11 people, all of whom were her Facebook friends.

The use of so-called social shaming mailers is likely to increase even more in the future, because “they work,” as one former gubernatorial campaign chair put it to me. A quartet of academics writing for the Journal of Electoral Studies published a study in February of 2017 that concluded, “the more social pressure a mailing exerted, the higher the turnout rate in the primary election.”

From time to time stories about the use of these mailers appear, and despite the fact that they’re usually packed with quotes from freaked-out voters, the reason they keep coming is because the psychological pressure is just that effective.

A personal touch like the postcard signed by “Charlene” appears to be in fashion this election season, again more with Democrats (although Republican electioneering techniques certainly aren’t above shaming, e.g. the “You’re a traitor, you abandoned Trump“ texts). Bridge Michigan reported a nonprofit based in Washington called the Center for Voter Information sent out two million individualized postcards to Michigan alone this election cycle. The group’s CEO, Tom Lopach, was quoted saying, “Social pressure mailings can be short-handed as peer pressure in an envelope,” and, “They’ve been proven to be the most impactful at getting voters to the polls.”

While that piece also quoted a Michigan County official named Barb Bynum criticizing the “creepy” letters, saying, “It’s trying to shame voters into exercising their right,” not everyone finds the technique so far out of bounds. Ben Ginsberg of the Election Legal Defense Network seems to feel just reminding people of what’s legal and true is “kind of passive,” compared to those earlier mailers that, say, directly inform people about their neighbors’ voting records.

“There are far worse motivators to vote,” Ginsberg says. “I’m always up for pounding on Democrats, but I’m just not gonna get real outraged about this one.”

Still, the word “Orwellian” came up more than once in interviews regarding the widespread use of the technique this year. Especially in the post-Covid age of doxing, de-banking, and other surveillance techniques, it “feels like yet another move in the social credit score direction,” as one less-than-amused recipient from Arizona put it.

Is Big Brother watching? If the wrong party loses next week, someone in your neighborhood probably will be. Welcome to 21st century electioneering.

SAYS WHO?

45% of Americans Say U.S. Should Be a 'Christian Nation’

“Most U.S. adults believe America’s founders intended the country to be a Christian nation, and many say they think it should be a Christian nation today, according to a new Pew Research Center survey designed to explore Americans’ views on the topic.”

pewresearch.org/religion/2022/10/27/45-of-americans-say-u-s-should-be-a-christian-nation/

DEBRA KEIPP: Remember the article I did about Mormons in Point Arena…

FRANCE RESTARTS COAL PLANTS As Cracking Nuclear Fleet Drives A Crisis

In response to an emerging electricity shortage this winter, France is restarting permanently closed coal-fired electricity plants. France’s energy crisis is part of a broader predicament across Europe ignited by sanctions against Russia for its invasion of sovereign Ukraine. Russia cut off its natural gas pipeline to France on June 15, 2022. But France now finds its electricity problem uniquely exacerbated because of its heavy reliance on nuclear power (70%). Regardless of nationality, because of nuclear power’s inherent hazards, exorbitant cost and harsh operational environment, it is proving to be more of a liability than an asset in times of natural disaster and national crisis. France’s state-owned nuclear industry is now experiencing prolonged outages because of unexpected generic age-degradation in critical reactor safety systems.

Of France’s 56 commercial nuclear power plants 32 have been taken offline either for extended maintenance or evaluation of safety risks after discovery of generic stress corrosion cracking affecting the French reactors’ primary cooling system piping made of stainless steel. The French nuclear regulator says that returning these reactors to reliable operation will require a “large scale” plan and “several years” while more reactors may be halted due to the same unanticipated corrosion cracking in the safety-related piping and dissimilar weld material. French nuclear experts have said that the projected calendar for finding and repairing the deteriorating reactors is ambitious. Once the degree of cracking is is bounded and tallied, the repair task will be difficult given that the work on corroded pipes must be performed in high radiation zones inside the plants. Worker safety and protection rules limit how long welders can spend on the job because of the radiation exposure.

To compensate for this vulnerability in nuclear power stations and loss of electricity generation, French power authorities have announced in the lead up to the winter of 2022-2023 that the nation is reopening permanently closed coal-fired plants in Saint-Avold, Lorraine and Emile-Huchet. French authorities are saying that coal-fired operations are anticipated to “initially be limited to the end of 2023.”

“We know we pollute,” said one worker returning to his job at the Emile-Huchet coal plant. “We have dug up a corpse,” he said, looking back on the 210,000 tons of coal now stored on the reopened site.

Meanwhile, the unanticipated cracking in the nation’s nuclear power stations has led French President Emmanuel Macron to caution against basing France’s future energy plans on renewing the operating licenses for its aging nuclear fleet to 60 years. The Wall Street Journal October 23, 2022 update noted, “The nuclear fleet was designed to act as the front line of France’s energy security. Since Moscow cut the flow of natural gas to Europe—plunging the continent into its biggest energy crisis since the 1970s oil shock—France’s vaunted nuclear fleet has been about as effective as the Maginot Line, the French fortifications that did little to stop the German invasion during World War II.”

(beyondnuclear.org)

UKRAINE, TUESDAY, 1ST NOVEMBER

The Ukrainian military said occupation officials were forcing people from their homes in Kherson, ahead of a possible battle for control of the key region. 

Ukraine says civilians are being evicted in Kherson as Russia tries to shore up its defenses.

The United Nations says that no grain ships will leave Ukrainian ports on Wednesday.

Advanced defensive weapons systems could be delivered to Ukraine in the coming days, U.S. officials say.

The water supply has been fully restored in Kyiv, officials said.

Cheap drones and Western weapons help Ukraine turn the tide in the south.

Europe braces for winter by moving away from its main energy provider: Russia.

Saudi Aramco reports a big profit as the war keeps oil prices high.

(NYT)

THE OFFICIAL NARRATIVE ON UKRAINE

by Caitlin Johnstone

The official narrative promoted by the entire western political/media class is that Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February of this year solely because he is evil and hates freedom. He wants to conquer as much of Europe as possible because he cannot stand free democracies, because he is another Adolf Hitler.

The official narrative is that while Russia is in Ukraine solely because its leader is an evil monster like Hitler, the US is in Ukraine solely because its leaders are righteous. The United States is providing arms, military intelligence, and assistance on the ground from special ops forces and CIA officers to Ukraine, as well as implementing an unprecedented regime of economic warfare against Russia, solely because the US loves its good friends the Ukrainians and wants to protect their freedom and democracy.

If you dispute any part of the official Ukraine narrative, you are an evil monster, and a disinformation agent. Because Vladimir Putin is the same as Adolf Hitler, you are also the same as Neville Chamberlain, and are guilty of the cardinal sin of supporting appeasement.

Because you are an evil disinformation agent Neville Chamberlain appeasement monster, it is legitimate to censor you. It is legitimate to accuse you of being secretly paid by the Russian government. It is legitimate to swarm you with coordinated astroturf trolls working to shout you down and overwhelm you. It is legitimate to publish propagandistic smear pieces about you. All normal expectations of public discourse go out the window, because you are a monster, not a person.

If you are tempted to ask questions which put a wobble on the official narrative, you must resist this urge at all cost. Don’t ask why western officials, scholars and strategists have spent years warning that the actions of western governments would lead to this war. Don’t ask what people are talking about when they say the US provoked this war, or when they say the US is using this war to advance strategic agendas it has had in place for years, or when they suggest that these things might have something to do with why the US is obstructing diplomatic solutions at every turn. If you ask questions like these, you are the worst person in the world.

Per the official narrative, if you confront powerful lawmakers on their support for US interventionism in Ukraine, you are “parroting pro-Putin talking points” and spreading “Russian disinformation“. Questioning officials of the most powerful government in the world about the most consequential decisions being made in the world is violence, and is not allowed.

If you claim you are objecting to the US using proxy warfare in Ukraine on anti-war grounds, you are lying; you are not anti-war. You are only anti-war if you support the same positions on Ukraine as noted anti-war activists John Bolton, Bill Kristol, Tom Cotton, and Mike Pompeo. Anyone advocating diplomacy, de-escalation and detente is an evil warmonger, like Hitler. If you want to learn about the true anti-war position, consult reliable anti-war publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post.

The official narrative on Ukraine is that the US empire and its media never lie or circulate propaganda about wars that the US is involved in. If you dispute this, you are lying and circulating propaganda. That’s why it’s necessary to have so much censorship and organized trolling and mass media reports reminding you how good and righteous this war is: it’s to protect you from lies and propaganda.

If any part of the official narrative on Ukraine sounds suspicious to you, this means you have been infected by Russian disinformation. Do not breathe a word of the thoughts you’ve been thinking to anyone, or else you will be guilty of spreading Russian disinformation and will become the enemy of the free world.

Remember, good citizen: we must oppose Russian propaganda at all costs to protect our western values of free expression, free thought, free press, and free democracy. So do not question any part of the official Ukraine narrative. Or else.

(caitlinjohnstone.com)