Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022

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JUST IN:

Challenger Susan Sher was leading the pack of Ukiah City Council candidates as the first results were released Tuesday night. According to numbers posted by the Mendocino County Elections Office at 8:22 p.m. Nov. 8, Susan Sher had received 853 votes, or 23.75 percent, with incumbent Mari Rodin receiving 788 votes (21.94 percent) and Juan Orozco receiving 747 votes (20.80 percent). If those numbers hold, Rodin and Orozco would retain their seats, and Sher would take over the seat currently held by Jim Brown, who was in fourth place Tuesday night with 708 votes (19.71 percent), while Challenger Thao Phi was in fifth place with 496 votes (13.81 percent)....

ukiahdailyjournal.com/2022/11/08/ukiah-city-council-race-sher-rodin-and-orozco-leading-in-early-results/

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Library and Fire, Measures O & P, passing.

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Nationally, Republicans didn't do as well as they seemed to think they would do. (Red Wave is more like "a pink trickle," quipped Stephen Colbert.)

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EARLY MENDO RETURNS for noteworthy County races (as of 8:22pm Tuesday evening):

Fort Bragg City Council

“Short Term”

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Ukiah City Council:

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Mendocino Coast Health Care District (vote totals):

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MEASURE O, the quarter-cent Library sales tax, with more than 11,500 votes counted, is ahead by about 61% to 39%.

* * *

MEASURE P, the quarter-cent “Essential Services” General Tax (for Fire, presumably) with almost 11,600 votes is ahead by about 56% to about 44%. 

SHOWERS WILL DISSIPATE across Northwest California this morning. Thereafter, dry weather is expected Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning. In addition, frost and freezing temperatures are likely Thursday morning. Otherwise, a front will approach the region Friday afternoon and aid in a period of light rainfall going into late week. (NWS)

RAINFALL TOTALS thus far this month: Yorkville 3.48" - Boonville 3.39" - Ukiah 3.35" - Elk 3.28" - Gualala 3.16" - Caspar 3.11" - Laytonville 2.95" - Covelo 2.65" - Mendocino 2.59" - Redwood Valley 2.59" - Albion 2.57"

STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO EYSTER: YOU DEAL WITH IT

by Mike Geniella

The state Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday it has turned down Mendocino County District Attorney Dave Eyster’s bid to be recused from deciding whether ousted Ukiah Police Chief Noble Waidelich should be prosecuted on a woman’s sexual assault complaint.

Eyster in late September attempted to hand off a decision to state prosecutors about the outcome of the high-profile case, which was investigated by Sonoma County for weeks this past summer after the alleged victim complained the former police chief sexually assaulted her on June 13, 2022, while he was on duty. 

The investigation’s conclusions have been kept under wraps by the DA since. Eyster has refused to publicly comment on any aspect of the case, including the fact that investigators are looking into a sexual assault case, the second such police misconduct case to rock local law enforcement and the town of Ukiah this year.

Until now, the investigation has been labeled ‘a criminal complaint,’ but the Attorney General’s letter specifically identifies sexual assault.

 “The investigation arose from a complaining witness’s June 13, 2022, complaint to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office that Mr. Waidelich sexually assaulted her while he was on duty,” according to the AG’s letter.

Eyster’s secretive handling of the Waidelich case was eventually questioned publicly because three weeks after the sexual assault complaint was made against the police chief the DA approved a controversial plea deal dropping sexual assault charges against a former Ukiah police sergeant once under Waidelich’s command. 

Disgraced Sgt. Kevin Murray, under the terms of that deal, was placed on probation rather than serving jail time as advocated by probation officers. In addition, Eyster in 2017 was named a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by a former county probation officer and live-in partner of the fired police chief. She complained the DA personally orchestrated a campaign to force her out as a local law enforcement representative after she accused Waidelich of abusing her. Eyster eventually succeeded in getting dismissed from the still pending lawsuit, citing state provisions that District Attorney’s immunity from decisions they make on the job.

Since then, a possible outcome of the high-profile Waidelich case has dogged the former police chief, city officials, and Eyster. The lack of any public statement by prosecutors, and the fact that details of the case are still under wraps months after the complaint was filed, has only exacerbated public concerns about the second local police misconduct case to be aired this year. 

The state Attorney General’s Office, after reviewing Eyster’s bid, wrote in a letter to the DA dated Nov. 3 that “the perception of a conflict does not require recusal or disqualification of the local elected prosecutor.”

Jeffrey Laurence, Senior Assistant Attorney General in San Francisco, said a ‘recusal inquiry must focus on whether there is evidence demonstrating likelihood that the Waidelich investigation will not be handled in a fair manner by the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office, and not on how proceeding with the local prosecutor may appear to the public.”

“The request for the Attorney General to assume this investigation is based solely on the concern that the public might perceive an appearance of a conflict of appearance in this matter,” said Laurence.

Laurence, in tossing any decision about Waidelich back to Eyster, said, “We appreciate the concerns about appearances you have raised but we do not find a recusable conflict that would disqualify you your office from handling this investigation.”

Laurence said the AG’s office understood that the DA seemed to be worried about public perception that “your office might provide a high-ranking law enforcement suspect more favorable treatment, as opposed to pursuing an impartial assessment of the facts of the case.”

“And you have raised the concern that various competing interests could be perceived by the general public as affecting any charging decision with respect to Mr. Waidelich,” said Laurence.

Laurence, said, “However, those appearances do not constitute a recusable conflict, and we are confident you and your office will exercise your prosecutorial discretion in evaluating this case in the same fair, impartial, professional, and even-handed manner with which you assess all investigations presented to your office.”

What Eyster will do now is unclear.

The woman involved is a well-known by local law enforcement officials, and if a friend of many. She has declined to speak publicly about her experience with Waidelich.

Waidelich, his team of attorneys who include former Judge James King and Ukiah lawyer Steve Johnson, all have declined comment about the case.

DA Eyster did not respond Tuesday for comments about the state AG’s determination.

EMPLOYEES TO SUPERVISORS: DO YOUR JOB

by Mark Scaramella

The slo-mo train wreck that we have become accustomed to watching since Big Momma Carmel Angelo retired in March seems to have stalled. Say what you will about former CEO Angelo, but she wouldn’t have allowed the aimless inertia this leaderless Board of Supervisors has fallen into.

So little gets done anymore — besides lots of talk and reports — that the locomotives seem out of steam, about to come to a sputtering stop in their tracks or disappear on an abandoned spur line before they even get close to any kind of dramatic train wreck.

Commenting on facebook about our recent item about how few Board meetings are scheduled for the rest of the year, Supervisor Ted Williams took his familiar, dismissive tone instead of attempting any kind of sustentative response:

Williams: “Board is not taking a month off. Giving more and more direction to staff, week after week, isn’t a recipe for success. Mark is in the dark if he thinks board meetings are the entirety of work, but the AVA is about selling stories more than truth-telling.”

Williams is right that “more direction to staff” isn’t working. But aside from the typical “you’re lying about us” whining without providing any examples, we are supposed to take Williams at his word that the Supes are working really really hard.

That’s not how the County’s own employees see the Board, however.

On Tuesday morning, County employee union rep Patrick Hickey provided as good an answer as we could to Williams’ inane claim.

Hickey: “You have a general fund reserve. You can only use that reserve if you have an emergency. Well, we are in an emergency. We are in an official emergency. You can tap those funds to support your staff to stop the hemorrhaging [of people leaving out of frustration or because of low pay]. Family and Children Services [Food stamps, Medi-Cal and employment assistance] are shutting units down. Mandated services that this County is required to provide — they are not able to provide. If the state actually did their job they would probably turn the lights out here in Mendocino County. They would say, Sorry — you are not doing the job you are supposed to do. We have been giving you money and you are not using it. We are offering you money, and you are not asking for it. Half of the County is state and federal funding. But we have people that are not being paid at market. That makes absolutely no sense. The County has made no proposals at the table for six months to deal with that. They [the expensive attorneys the County has hired to “negotiate” with the union] sit there and stare at us and say, We don't know what's happening; we don't know what we're supposed to do, we don't know what's in the budget — you tell us. No! That's your job! We have been waiting for six months for you to do your job, so do your job!”

The room full of County employees erupted in loud and extended applause. (Note the hand-written sign from one employee who urged the board to “stop stalling.”)

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In case there was any doubt about why these supervisors have been trying to put the auditor/tax collector on the spot these last few weeks, Supervisor Glenn McGourty made it as clear as he could Tuesday morning that he wants the public and the employees to blame Auditor-Tax Collector Chamise Cubbison for their failures:

McGourty: “We really genuinely do not know how much money we have to work with. A quick civics lesson: Our Auditor Controller Tax collector Treasurer is an elected official. She does not answer to us. We have to have good information provided by her. She has not done it! We are waiting! That's what's holding us up! That's all that's holding us up! So have a conversation with her! Urge her! Encourage her to take help. We have offered help. We are trying really really hard [sic] to make this work.”

McGourty conveniently ignores the negligent role that he and his colleagues and their CEO and her department heads have in this process. 

But when the subject of the one senior assistant their Auditor-Tax Collector needs now — the one the Board promised to expedite at the last meeting, the “help” that McGourty says has been “offered” — arose a few minutes later, Ms. Cubbison called in under public expression.

Cubbison: “I didn't see the information I requested from Human Resources until this morning. I don't really agree with the direction that HR is recommending. Apparently they did not hear my concern about limiting the applicant pool based on the classification. I feel strongly that a Program Administrator [that HR proposed] is not going to get me in the direction of a more analytical position. That is not at all what I'm looking for for the Treasurer Tax Collector office. It sounds like we are going back to the drawing board in this discussion with Human Resources.”

Again, the Board feigned concern and said they wanted to help. Nobody disagreed with Ms. Cubbison. Instead they turned the question back to Mr. Schurtz, Mendo’s Human Resources manager, who went on and on about the difficulties of a lengthy process of creating a new “classification” for the position Ms. Cubbison wants. County Counsel Curtis offered only vague promises that he’d look into the matter to see if there was any way to get around the tedious classification process. Nobody had any idea how to streamline or speed up the that process, much less actually hire someone, or what it would take to provide Ms. Cubbison with the person she needs now for her understaffed and overworked office. In the end, all they could come up with was a vague idea from Supervisor Dan Gjerde who offered to suggest a few names of people who worked in the Auditor's office years ago who might be contacted to see if they’d consider coming back as extra help.

STILL LOOKING FOR RENTER/CARETAKER IN PHILO

Our mom is in her early 70s and lives in Philo on Nash Mill Road (on the lower portion, only ¾ mile from Hwy 128). Her memory problems are becoming more severe. We purchased a park model RV tiny house that we are working to place and set up -- we hope to have it ready and available for a renter by early December. The tiny house is a 1-bedroom, 400 sq ft home.

The renter/caretaker would share the south side of the property with the Spanish-speaking property caretaker.

Our mom mostly stays at home and takes care of her animals, including chickens, cats, and a dog. She loves her property and is independent and free-spirited.

If interested, please contact her daughter Karen Verpeet at kverpeet@gmail.com (mailto:kverpeet@gmail.com) or 510-301-6256. Following an initial call, references will be required.

MICKIE ZEKLEY, founder of Lark Camp, at Mendocino Woodlands, died October 28, 2022

It is with deep sadness that we tell you of Mickie Zekley’s death from pneumonia very early in the morning on Friday, October 28. We are especially sad that after 3 years of hiatus related to the pandemic, we won’t be able to see him at in-person camp in 2023. Many people are posting memories and condolences on Facebook.

For those of you who don’t know this history, Mickie founded Lark Camp in 1979. For many years, Mickie also ran Lark in the Morning, an instrument store with locations in Mendocino, San Francisco and Seattle that boasted an exhaustive catalog of instruments from around the world. Mickie named the camp after the store, and then when the store sold, simplified the name to what we call it now—Lark Camp. You can read about some of Mickie’s exploits as a street musician here.

We look forward to being at Lark Camp together in 2023, to share our grief and memories of Mickie and take comfort in each other’s camaraderie. We are forever grateful for the musical magic of Lark Camp that Mickie created.

https://www.larkcamp.org/about/

ARTISTS OF ANDERSON VALLEY - AV OPEN STUDIOS VETERANS DAY TOUR

Have you ever looked at a work of art or a finely crafted piece of jewelry and wondered how the artist made that? You can get the answer to such questions while visiting the studios of some of Anderson Valley’s best artists throughout the Veterans Day Weekend, Nov. 11, 12 and 13, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Artists of Anderson Valley Open Studios event includes eight locations stretching from Boonville north to Navarro. This self-guided tour is free to the public and open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. An online tour map at artistsofandersonvalley.org and signs along Highway 128 will guide the way.

This 20th anniversary of Anderson Valley Open Studios again offers the unique opportunity to meet the artists and see the personalized environments in which their art is made. This year’s tour showcases the work of 11 artists working in a variety of artistic media, including: ceramics, jewelry, photography, textile, painting, printmaking, collage, and sculpture.

The artists participating this year are in Boonville and along Hwy. 128 between Philo and Navarro.

In Boonville, follow the map to the studio locations for Rebecca Goldie (paintings and found object sculptures) and Martha Crawford (collage works). Next, going north on Hwy. 128 take the second turnoff for Anderson Valley Way (at the history museum red schoolhouse) then turn left to visit the studios of Antoinette von Grone (paintings and photographs of animals, people, nature and whimsy) and Saoirse Byrne (intriguing one of a kind cordage works).

Heading north past Philo, the action fans out from Hwy. 128 at the intersection with Clark Road and Holmes Ranch Road. A turn onto Clark Road quickly brings you to the historic barn studio of Colleen and Marvin Schenck (jewelry, collage, painting and printmaking). Nadia Berrigan (photography) is also showing with them as her own studio is isolated.

Across the highway, about a mile up Holmes Ranch Road the visitor will find the marker for the forested driveway that takes you over Mill Creek to Jan Wax and Chris Bing’s porcelain and stoneware pottery studio. Back on Hwy. 128 again, head north, after a mile, start looking to the left for Rebecca Johnson’s big studio barn filled with sculpture and paintings.

A little further north on the highway, also on the left, Doug Johnson’s Pepperwood Pottery is marked by a large colorful ceramic mural.

For the artists, opening their studios is an opportunity to showcase their creativity and share the studio spaces lovingly developed to foster the creation of their art. Hopefully, you will take some of that creative energy home with a special new artwork for your own collection.

ED NOTES

YOU QUALIFY as a Valley old timer if you remember Madge Gibson every Veteran's Day without fail out in front of the Boonville Post Office exchanging paper red poppies for Vet donations.

“NOSE CHANDELIER,” a new term to me, and one that made me laugh, as I and every other geezer wonder why a pretty girl would want to deface herself like this. 

This particular young woman was involved in the infamous Settler murder case out of Laytonville's deep outback, a full account of which is available in a new podcast described and posted elsewhere in this morning's ava news.

I WOULDN'T ORDINARILY recommend a movie re-creation of Jeffrey Dahmer's uniquely depraved life, but this Netflix series is so brilliantly acted even vegetarians are likely to get sucked in. I tried to watch it a couple of weeks ago, but was put off by the murky opening scene of Jeff's neighbor confronting him about the “smell coming from your apartment.” I thought to myself, “Uh, do I really want to watch this story whose outcome we all know, on a perfect Fall afternoon, the birds singing, the trees turning brilliant yellows and reds?” At the time I decided, No, I'd rather go outside. Then I read somewhere that the Dahmer saga was Netflix's all-time draw so I just had to see if it was as good as all that. It is, and then some, though the righteous race lectures occupying too many episodes at the end coulda, shoulda been cut, imo, since the fact that our hero preyed on young black and brown men (and at least one 14-year-old boy) made the racism implicit. No need to take two hours to make the point that the Milwaukee police department of the time — ’78-’91 — was dominated by oafs and incompetents. The series is pretty heavy going in some parts when, for instance, Jeff, an otherwise model tenant “who always paid his rent on time,” offers his complaining neighbor a peace offering sandwich containing guess what? The poor woman was dealing with a constant stench — “Just some old pork chops gone bad,” Jeff explained, not bothering to explain the late night thumping as he subdued his victims and went to work dismembering them with drills and electric saws. The most chilling passage, to me, was a verbatim recording of the police call from an astounded black woman complaining that the police had just returned a drugged, battered, obviously underage kid to Dahmer's custody. To conclude, this thing is a truly excellently done rendition of a horrifying series of events by one more lonely monster produced by world headquarters of lonely monsters. 

SYMPHONY OF THE REDWOODS OPENING CONCERT! 

Get your tickets at brownpapertickets.com, Out of this World in Mendocino and at Harvest Market in Fort Bragg for Symphony of the Redwoods Opening Concert! Guest conductor Dana Sadava will lead the orchestra in Danzon #2 by Marquez, Brahms' Symphony #2, and Mouquet's Flute de Pan featuring our own brilliant flutist Kathleen Reynolds.

Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, November 13 at 2:00 pm at Cotton Auditorium in Fort Bragg!

30-minute preconcert lecture by Ms. Sadava at 6:30 on Saturday and 1 PM on Sunday.

Symphonyoftheredwoods.org

symphony@mcn.org

or call the office at 707-964-0898 for more information.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST WELCOMES NEW FOREST SUPERVISOR

Wade McMaster began his role as the permanent Forest Supervisor on the Mendocino National Forest on Monday, November 7.

McMaster has been with the Forest Service for over 12 years and grew up in Northern California near Shasta-Trinity and Klamath National Forests.

McMaster comes to the Mendocino National Forest from the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest, where he served for four years as District Ranger for the Gold Beach Ranger District. He has also recently completed a 120-day detail as Acting Forest Supervisor on the Shoshone National Forest. Prior to his role as District Ranger, McMaster was the Tribal Relations Program Manager for Region 5, where he worked with leadership to develop, maintain and nurture relationships with over 150 California tribes. McMaster also worked as a Tribal Liaison for the Plumas, Lassen and Modoc National Forests. “I’m delighted that Wade is returning to work with us here in the Pacific Southwest Region,” said Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien. McMaster is a member of the Wintu Tribe of Northern California and served 13 years as Chairman. He continues to serve on the Tribal Council as Vice Chairman. “I feel blessed to walk both paths as a Native American and as a Forest Service family member, understanding that we all have so much in common when it comes to our passion for caring for the land,” said McMaster. Prior to joining the Forest Service, he served for 10 years in the Air Force as a Russian cryptologic linguist and worked in Information Technology. 

McMaster holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Excelsior College and a Master’s in Educational Counseling from the University of LaVerne. McMaster and his wife Stacie enjoy taking road trips and getting outdoors in their spare time. 

(US Forest Service Presser

CROOKED CITY PODCAST DEEP DIVES INTO THE MURDER OF JEFF SETTLER IN LAYTONVILLE

by Kym Kemp

As the six year anniversary of the homicide of cannabis grower Jeffery Settler in the Laytonville area approaches this week, a gripping new crime podcast (this reporter forgot to keep working while listening) that digs deep into the motives of his trim crew came out yesterday.

The first episode provides audio from police cameras which include an interview with the person who hiked out eight miles to report finding the dead body of his former boss, what was seen by the first law enforcement at the scene, and details that this reporter who reported on the story extensively has never heard before.

According to Crooked City’s press release,

Marc Smerling’s truth.media and Sony Music Entertainment, in partnership with Novel,…announced the premiere of The Emerald Triangle, the second season of hit podcast Crooked City. Hosted by journalist Sam R. Anderson, Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle examines the complex story behind a grisly murder in an area of Northern California known as The Emerald Triangle, home to the nation’s outlaw culture of marijuana growing. The first two episodes are available now and subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes today.

Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle showcases an incredible cache of original law enforcement audio tapes surrounding the murder investigation, allowing listeners to step foot inside the interrogation room and ride along with detectives as they solve the mystery.

After moving back to his family home in the sleepy suburb of Ringwood, New Jersey, Sam Anderson learns that one of his high school classmates has been arrested for murder in The Emerald Triangle. It’s a legendary place in the mountains of Northern California where most of the marijuana grown in the US comes from. People who have been there describe it as a hippie nirvana that promises freedom, money and an escape from the expectations of everyday life.

Following in his classmate’s footsteps, Sam travels West to the small town of Laytonville where the murder took place. Desperation, greed and a seemingly never-ending acid trip created a perfect storm of paranoia that the locals refer to as “hill crazy,” culminating in a moment of unspeakable violence. He learns that the promise of freedom comes at a very high price.

If you have an Apple device, you can Subscribe to The Binge for all Ten Episodes.

Previous AVA Coverage:

STEVE HEILIG: The eclipse was rained out this time, so here it was as I caught it a few years back…

FEAR STALKS THE YOUNG

Editor: 

Losing faith — As a junior at Santa Rosa High School, I hear horrifying stories from my peers, regardless of their gender or sex. I’ve been told countless times by my mother, as many others have, that I should never talk to or trust a stranger. I knew it was a threat, but I never felt it truly concerned me.

Come high school it seems as though every fifth person I talk to has at least one story of being assaulted or almost abducted or a close friend having an experience like that. After getting into the dating pool, pessimism really sets in. If you’ve never had your loved one confide in you about what people have done to them, it is heart crushing and optimism shattering. I lose more faith and trust in humanity each day.

As a man, I see girls and guys my age afraid and anxiously looking over their shoulders. I recently walked past a girl from school who was in her car, and I heard the doors lock. If we care at all about the future and health of humanity, this needs to be fixed. Change needs to happen.

Ethan Scott

Santa Rosa

INSTEAD OF THE GOVERNMENT ROBBING US, THIS GUY ROBBED GOVERNMENT

On Thursday, November 3, 2022, at approximately 7:18 AM, UPD Officers were dispatched to 501 Low Gap Road., The County of Mendocino administration building, for a report of a burglary following employees finding an open exterior door. Officers responded and searched the building for potential suspects and found none. 

Officers observed that an exterior door had been pried open by the suspect to gain entry. Officers contacted County employees in order to determine what may have been stolen by the suspect. An initial check revealed that multiple laptop computers appeared to be missing. UPD Officers were able to obtain video surveillance footage of a male suspect taken inside the building earlier that morning. 

Following their initial investigation, Officers briefed UPD Detectives on the burglary. Detectives responded to the area to search for the suspect and stolen items. At approximately 10:39 AM, a Detective searching the area of the creek bed south of the County building located a male subject, identified as Justin Williamson, 40, of Fort Bragg, sitting beneath a bridge. The Detective saw that Williamson was wearing the same distinctive hooded sweatshirt and appeared to match the subject depicted in the surveillance video. Williamson also had two laptop bags at his feet. 

The Detective placed Williamson under arrest and searched Williamson and his property. Williamson was found to be in possession of several laptops, an electronic tablet, multiple cellular phones, and sets of car keys all determined to be County property. Williamson was also in possession of a methamphetamine pipe. 

Williamson was transported to the MCSO jail where he was booked on the above listed charges. All stolen recovered property was returned to County of Mendocino employees that day.

(Ukiah Police Department)

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DRUGS, GUNS, AMMO, INTOXICATION, BIZARRE BEHAVIOR, ETC…

On Sunday, October 30, 2022, at approximately 5:38 PM, UPD Officers were dispatched to 217 Irvington Drive for a report of a male subject, later identified as Ryan Kotterman, 42, of Ukiah, acting erratically. 

On arrival Officers contacted Kotterman. Officers observed him displaying symptoms of drug influence and placed him under arrest for public intoxication. Kotterman was also found to be in possession of a methamphetamine pipe. Kotterman was transported to MCSO jail where he was booked. Officers learned from a tenant at the residence that Kotterman had been displaying bizarre behavior and speaking incoherently. The tenant also advised that it was believed that Kotterman owned firearms and he had previously been seen in possession of a handgun.

On 10/31/22 officers were called back to the residence. Officers were given a handgun believed to be Kotterman’s that had been located by a tenant, inside the common area of the residence following his arrest the day prior. Officers were shown the handgun and observed it was an unserialized Glock style pistol (Ghost gun) that was loaded with several rounds of 9mm ammunition in a high-capacity magazine. The handgun was collected as evidence.

Officers learned that Kotterman had prior felony convictions and was thus prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. Officers contacted UPD Detectives and, based on the above information, a search warrant on Kotterman’s residence was obtained.

On 10/31/22, UPD Detectives served the search warrant. During the search Detectives located a gun safe in Kotterman’s room. The safe contained numerous firearms including a .22 caliber pistol that had previously been reported stolen in a different state. Detectives also seized several hundred rounds of ammunition of various calibers.

Kotterman, who had already been released from jail following his arrest the day prior, was contacted by Detectives and was taken into custody. Kotterman was booked a second time at the MCSO jail where he was held on $25,000 bail. Kotterman posted bail and was released the following day.

UPD is also requesting that the District Attorney file additional charges on Kotterman for Criminal Threats/Felony and Indecent Exposure/Misdemeanor) based on the statements provided by involved parties, during the course of the investigation.

2022 ROBE SHUFFLE

Presiding Judge Jeanine Nadel has announced the judicial assignments for 2023. Primary judicial assignments are reviewed every two years. However, adjustments and reassignments are made at the discretion of the Presiding Judge, if necessary. 

Effective January 2, 2023, the assignments are as follows: 

Criminal: Departments A and B will manage vertical felony calendars from arraignment through trial and post-conviction hearings. Judge Keith Faulder and Judge Victoria Shanahan will preside over felony matters in these departments. Judge Carly Dolan will preside over misdemeanors in Department H from arraignment through trial and post-conviction hearings. 

Family Law: Judge Cindee Mayfield will preside over family law matters in Department C. 

Unlimited Civil And Probate: Presiding Judge Jeanine Nadel will continue to sit in Department E handling unlimited civil matters, probate, and conservatorships. Judge Nadel will also preside over the Adult Drug Court. 

Limited Jurisdiction Matters: Judge Patrick Pekin will preside over limited civil matters, unlawful detainers, small claims and traffic and non-traffic infractions in Department F. He will also preside over Behavioral Health Court. 

Juvenile: Judge Ann Moorman is the Presiding Juvenile Judge and will preside over juvenile dependency and delinquency proceedings in Department G. 

Ten Mile: Judge Clay Brennan will continue to preside over civil, criminal, and family law matters in the Ten Mile Court Branch in Fort Bragg. 

Appellate: Judge Dolan will also continue as Presiding Judge of the Court’s Appellate Division. 

For more information contact: 

AVAILABLE! NOW!

Warmest spiritual greetings, I need to move on from the Building Bridges homeless shelter in Ukiah, California, where I took up residing after the marijuana trimmers put me out of the place that I was living for 13 months. Nobody there was interested in developing a spiritual political community living environment. It could have been amazing. But it didn't go anywhere. 

Therefore, after being in the homeless shelter since March 1st, bottom lining the trash & recycling voluntary chore, while sending out a steady flow of messages to say that I am available on the planet earth for spiritually oriented direct action in the name of radical environmental and attenuating peace & justice issues, I'd like to move on. Soon!

You are correct in understanding that postmodern America owes me for the past 73 years of a dedicated, concerned, successfully cultivated spiritual life, which has benefited everybody and everything. Contact me here:

CATCH OF THE DAY, Tuesday, November 8, 2022

ARMANDO ALVAREZ, Ukiah. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

JUSTIS EISENHOUR, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear.

JONATHAN KREBS, Fort Bragg. Elder abuse resulting in great bodily harm, criminal threats, brandishing.

DANIEL LONG, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

MICHAEL LUCAS, Ukiah. Controlled substance withour prescription, county parole violation.

SALVADOR MARIN-ORTEGA, Ukiah. Domestic battery, protective order violation, probation revocation.

ANGEL MILLER, Ukiah. Transient-failed to register, parole violation.

ERIC OLECIK, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

AARON SCHLEICH, Healdsburg/Ukiah. Paraphernalia, probation revocation.

TIMOTHY SHANOFF, Willits. Shoplifting, concealed dirk-dagger.

JOSEPH SHORTSLEEVES, Fort Bragg. Stolen vehicle, attempt to keep stolen property, controlled substance, more than an ounce of pot, saps/similar weapons, under influence, suspended license, unlawful display of registration, smuggling controlled substance into jail.

KATELYN WALKER, Willits. Controlled substance while armed with loaded firearm. 

CONTROL OF THE US CONGRESS STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL

U.S. voters headed to the polls Tuesday to decide control of the U.S. Congress. But with vote counting still ongoing, many races are still too close to call and it is still not clear if Democrats will retain their narrow majorities in the House and Senate – or if Republicans will take control. 

(voanews.com)

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WHEN WE’LL KNOW: The Remaining Key Factors in Georgia, Nevada, Arizona 

Who will control the Senate and the House? Settle in for a long wait. 

by Nate Cohn

For the second Election Day in a row, election night ends without a clear winner.

It could be days until a party is projected to win the House of Representatives.

It could be a month until we know the same for the Senate.

Here’s the state of the race for both chambers and when — maybe, just maybe — we’ll know the outcome.

The House

Republican control of the House was all but a foregone conclusion heading into Tuesday, but Democrats outran the polls and projections.

Republicans will have to claw their way to a majority, seat by seat. The Needle suggests Republicans are likelier than not to win the House, but it is no certainty. As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, there was only enough information to have them projected to win 197 seats — 21 short of the 218 needed for a majority.

They’re nowhere close to being called the winner in many of these races — in many of these states, late mail ballots have the potential to help Democrats. It will take days to count these ballots.

Meanwhile, Democrats lead in another group of races where Republicans might wind up mounting a comeback.

The Senate

The fight for control of the Senate will come down to four states: Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona.

Wisconsin is the only one that could be resolved by early this morning. The Republican Ron Johnson led by just over one percentage point at 7 a.m. Eastern, with 94 percent of the vote counted. A handful of counties might still have a modest number of absentee ballots to report, which could let the Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes close some of the gap. Either way, the number of absentee ballots should be ascertained fairly quickly. They ought to be counted fairly quickly as well.

On the other end of the spectrum is Georgia, which seems unlikely to be resolved before a Dec. 6 runoff election. A New York Times analysis of the results by precinct and state absentee files suggests that Senator Raphael Warnock (who leads) is unlikely to reach the 50 percent necessary to avoid the runoff, barring an unusual number of provisional or late mail ballots. Unlike in 2020, there weren’t many absentee ballot requests this year.

If Wisconsin goes for Mr. Johnson and Georgia is stuck in runoff purgatory, there’s only one way for the Senate to be decided quickly: One party wins both Arizona and Nevada. It appears neither will do that soon.

Of the two, Nevada is the clearer case. Still, the race is too close to call. The Republican Adam Laxalt leads the Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto by 2.7 percentage points at this hour, but most of the remaining vote is expected to be Democratic-leaning mail ballots and provisional ballots, including from same-day registrants.

The Needle suggests a close race, but much remains uncertain, as the exact number of outstanding ballots is unclear. The turnout in the state appears fairly low, suggesting that a large number of ballots might remain. It is also unclear how long it will take to count them. Last time around, Joe Biden was projected to win only on Saturday, even though he won by a fairly comfortable two points and seemed poised to gain in the late ballots. At this point, such a clear path to victory seems unlikely for either candidate.

The situation in Arizona is even less clear, but here there is at least a chance of a quick resolution. The Democrat Mark Kelly leads by six percentage points, 52 percent to 46 percent, with most of the Election Day and early votes counted. Most of the remaining vote is the mail ballots that were returned to the state near the election, including on Election Day, along with provisional ballots.

These days, mail and provisional ballots are typically good for Democrats. But this is not a normal case. A large majority of voters cast ballots by mail in Arizona, so the mail ballots are not nearly as favorable toward Democrats. Instead, a strange pattern has emerged in recent years: Democrats mail in their ballots well ahead of the election, leaving Republicans to turn in their ballots near the election or simply prefer to vote in person. In 2020, Donald J. Trump won the ballots counted after Election Day by a wide margin here, turning a four-point lead for Mr. Biden at this hour in 2020 into a race won by less than a point.

This time, the Republican Blake Masters will need to mount an even larger comeback — at least as measured in percentage point margin. It may seem daunting, but it may not be quite as challenging as it looks: There might be about twice as many outstanding mail ballots, as a share of all voters, as there were at this time in 2020.

Mr. Kelly seemingly has a healthy lead from the early vote, but there is no hard evidence that a Masters victory is impossible. We’ll probably begin to get a sense of whether these mail ballots look like 2020’s mail votes as soon as today.

— NYT

COLIN KAEPERNICK, Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award-winning American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent and, who played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League, celebrates his 35th Birthday today!

“VIOLENCE,” “DEMOCRACY ITSELF,” AND FETTERMAN'S SHORTS: The Official 2022 Midterm Election Drinking Game

The hammer-to-cranium feel of congressional election propaganda will worsen exponentially Tuesday night. Your guide to drinking the pain away.

by Matt Taibbi

America could be stumbling drunk pretty fast tonight just based on Rule #1 of the Official 2022 Midterm Election Drinking Game: drink at every mention of democracy itself. We’ve been told for months that’s what’s at stake, and it’s a safe bet you’ll be told it again tonight at least enough times to drain a bottle or two.

But what fun would a drinking game with one rulebe? Especially at the end (we hope!) of a political season as infuriating as this one, we deserve to kick it a little. The quantity of terror-mongering this year has been unprecedented. Issues all but vanished. In their place the public was subjected to an endless parade of horror tales about democracy’s end, “attacks” on ballot integrity, intimidation, disenfranchisement, foreign influence, “election denial,” and three bears of the new Homeland Security Goldilocks tale: misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. 

All of which makes the prospect of watching returns tonight grimmer than usual, but we’re here to help, with drinking game rules for tonight’s broadcasts. I’m going to be watching MSNBC, purely for comedy value, but you can substitute any broadcast from Fox to CNN fairly easily. I’m on kid duty tonight and unfortunately won’t be on hand for the whole night. However, I plan on trying Substack’s new chat feature, opening a beer and a chat with subscribers at 8 p.m. You’ll need the Substack App to take part. I’ll also be joining Katie Halper on her show at around 10 p.m (click here to join). 

No matter where you watch, coverage tonight should be packed with lunatic hyperbole, with warnings either about a blood-soaked New American Reich or a vast election-theft conspiracy, depending on which party succeeds. Of course the most likely end is the Beastie Boys No Sleep Till Brooklyn scenario, i.e. we don’t make it to an answer no matter how late we stay up, with panic continuing for weeks and people on all sides feeling more anxious and hating one another more as time progresses.

Drink EVERY TIME:

Anyone, from a candidate to a TV anchor, mentions that “democracy is on the ballot.” Double-shot for use of the phrase democracy itself, e,g, “democracy itself is on the ballot.”

You’re told this is the most important election of our lifetime, or the most critical moment of our lives, etc. You may drink an additional shot if you’re certain today is not any of those things. 

Steve Kornacki draws a frenzied geometric shape around Pennsylvania. 

John Fetterman’s shorts are visible in a video report. 

Nate Silver reminds you he doesn’t do predictions, but rather publishes percentage-chance forecasts.

Liz Cheney is mentioned (i.e. as if mattering). 

Elon Musk is blamed for something. Double-shot if the bad thing is “in the name of” or “under the guise of” free speech. 

Anyone mentions “over a hundred election deniers on the ballot.” Also drink for permutations on the theme, e.g. “60% of Americans will have an election-denier on the ballot,” or “Over half of GOP candidates are election-deniers,” “election-denier JD Vance wants to ban books,” etc. 

Anyone mentions the “specter of violence” or “conditions ripe for violence,”or reports votes are being counted “amid threats of violence.” Do an exclamation shot at the end of the night if no violence is ultimately observed. 

A politician or a pundit warns that everything might come down to the “wild card” in Georgia, and with suspicious gleefulness reminds you we might all be waiting until December 6th to find out who’ll control the Senate. Call it the “No Sleep Till Georgia” rule. 

Special MSNBC “Decision 2022” Election Night Rules:

Tune in at 8 p.m. Guess which of Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, Joy Reid, Chris Hayes, Alex Wagner, Lawrence O’Donnell, Ari Melber, Stephanie Ruhle or the aforementioned Kornacki will be first to blame any Republican victory on disobedient or insufficiently centrist Democrats and/or third party “spoilers.” Drink the first time this happens anyway, and drink a double if you guess correctly. 

Guess which contributor will be the first to make a cringe sports-related joke about Herschel Walker. Drink the first time this happens, and drink a double if you guess correctly or the person botches the terminology (e.g. “For once, Herschel Walker can’t pile the move”). 

Guess which contributor will be first to convey warnings from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, US Capitol Police, or National Counterterrorism Center about threats, misinformation, or the impending end of civilization. Drink the first time this happens, and drink a double if you guess correctly or the contributor happens also to be a former government official. 

Guess which contributor will be the first to invoke Nazis, fascists, or white supremacy, or suggests without irony that tonight might be the last time we ever have elections. Drink the first time this happens, drink a double if you guess correctly. 

OPTIONAL: Keep a running count of how many times the word “Trump” is mentioned on the broadcast versus all mentions of all other issues (health care, education, the economy/inflation, etc.). If at the end of the night you have a “hot deck,” i.e. the number is +4 for Trump, you may drink that many times. If the deck is cold, drink coffee. Or whatever.

Drink Only The First Time You Hear:

“Red wave.”

“Red mirage.”

Russians/Putin want you to vote Republican (e.g. ”a Republican majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives could help the Russian war effort”). 

Remember, rules can be combined. Here’s a double-shot, for instance:

Liz Cheney: “This is exactly what Putin wants. If we’d had Republicans like this in the 1980s we would have lost the Cold War.”

As always, do not politics and drive. Hydrate before sleeping, hug your loved ones, and don’t wig out too much, no matter what the result. The sun will still come up tomorrow.

A MAGA VICTORY WOULD BE DISASTROUS

by Paul Krugman

If you aren’t feeling a sense of dread on the eve of the midterm elections, you haven’t been paying attention.

We can talk about the conventional stakes of these elections — their implications for economic policy, major social programs, environmental policy, civil liberties and reproductive rights. And it’s not wrong to have these discussions: Life will go on whatever happens on the political scene, and government policies will continue to have a big impact on people’s lives.

But I, at least, always feel at least a bit guilty when writing about inflation or the fate of Medicare. Yes, these are my specialties. Focusing on them, however, feels a bit like denial, or at least evasion, when the fundamental stakes right now are so existential.

Ten or 20 years ago, those of us who warned that the Republican Party was becoming increasingly extremist and anti-democracy were often dismissed as alarmists. But the alarmists have been vindicated every step of the way, from the selling of the Iraq war on false pretenses to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Indeed, these days it’s almost conventional wisdom that the G.O.P. will, if it can, turn America into something like Viktor Orban’s Hungary: a democracy on paper, but an ethnonationalist, authoritarian one-party state in practice. After all, U.S. conservatives have made no secret about viewing Hungary as a role model; they have feted Orban and featured him at their conferences.

At this point, however, I believe that even this conventional wisdom is wrong. If America descends into one-party rule, it will be much worse, much uglier, than what we see in today’s Hungary.

Before I get there, a word about the role of conventional policy issues in these elections.

If Democrats lose one or both houses of Congress, there will be a loud chorus of recriminations, much of it asserting that they should have focused on kitchen table issues and not talked at all about threats to democracy.

I don’t claim any expertise here, but I would note that an incumbent president’s party almost always loses seats in the midterms. The only exception to that rule this century was in 2002, when George W. Bush was able to deflect attention from a jobless recovery by posing as America’s defender against terrorism. That record suggests, if anything, that Democrats should have talked even more about issues beyond economics.

I’d also say that pretending that this was an ordinary election season, where only economic policy was at stake, would have been fundamentally dishonest.

Finally, even voters who are more worried about paychecks and living costs than about democracy should nonetheless be very concerned about the G.O.P.’s rejection of democratic norms.

For one thing, Republicans have been open about their plan to use the threat of economic chaos to extract concessions they couldn’t win through the normal legislative process.

Also, while I understand the instinct of voters to choose a different driver if they don’t like where the economy is going, they should understand that this time, voting Republican doesn’t just mean giving someone else a chance at the wheel; it may be a big step toward handing the G.O.P. permanent control, with no chance for voters to revisit that decision if they don’t like the results.

Which brings me to the question of what a one-party America would look like.

As I said, it’s now almost conventional wisdom that Republicans are trying to turn us into Hungary. Indeed, Hungary provides a case study in how democracies can die in the 21st century.

But what strikes me, reading about Orban’s rule, is that while his regime is deeply repressive, the repression is relatively subtle. It is, as one perceptive article put it, “soft fascism,” which makes dissidents powerless via its control of the economy and the news media without beating them up or putting them in jail.

Do you think a MAGA regime, with or without Donald Trump, would be equally subtle? Listen to the speeches at any Trump rally. They’re full of vindictiveness, of promises to imprison and punish anyone — including technocrats like Anthony Fauci — the movement dislikes.

And much of the American right is sympathetic to, or at least unwilling to condemn, violence against its opponents. The Republican reaction to the attack on Paul Pelosi by a MAGA-spouting intruder was telling: Many in the party didn’t even pretend to be horrified. Instead, they peddled ugly conspiracy theories. And the rest of the party didn’t ostracize or penalize the purveyors of vile falsehoods.

In short, if MAGA wins, we’ll probably find ourselves wishing its rule was as tolerant, relatively benign and relatively nonviolent as Orban’s.

Now, this catastrophe doesn’t have to happen. Even if Republicans win big in the midterms, it won’t be the end for democracy, although it will be a big blow. And nothing in politics, not even a full descent into authoritarianism, is permanent.

On the other hand, even if we get a reprieve this week, the fact remains that democracy is in deep danger from the authoritarian right. America as we know it is not yet lost, but it’s on the edge.

EXAMINING US: The Voters & Drop-Out Voters

by Ralph Nader

Voter grumbling, rage and cynicism is rampant heading into the mid-term elections on November 8th. Add the flattering, flummoxing and fooling of voters by many corporatist politicians to the mix and we have the makings of an election-day disaster.

Set the above aside and reflect on the unused citizen power, given wholesale, to 535 members of Congress. Our sovereign power starts with the preamble to our U.S. Constitution – that is “We the People.” Not “We the Congress.” Not “We the Corporations.” As a Republic, we then delegate power to Congress to define, enable and fund the activities of the Executive and Judicial branches.

If you don’t like what your Senators and Representatives are doing, elections are supposed to give you a chance to say “Stop, Go, Listen or Leave.” The problem is that the monied interests corrupt our elections, from pressing their own choice of candidates, financing them, directing them and backing them with nonstop television/radio/social media propaganda, and using front groups to promote lies and coverups.

Year after year, this assault has ground most voters into – Republicans and Democrats under varying degrees of corporate encampments. Too many voters put these labels on themselves and never look back.

Here’s the nub. Most voters who do not do their homework about “politics” “elections” and their “voting strategies” end up either passively voting for their family’s long-held party choice or staying home. Not voting helps powerful interests have a field day because voters are not even on the playing field. There are an estimated 120 million eligible voters who will not vote in this election.

Voters who don’t spend the time don’t realize that candidates go back to Washington and work actively and often furtively against people’s most immediate livelihood interests, as does Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Such lawmakers aid and abet your worst fears about “politics” unless you’re quite rich.

For example, when you delegate (with no accountability attached) your voting power to Congress, you are entrenching corporate power to keep your wages down, allow price gouging and crumble your public services in favor of more destructive weapons for an Empire and needless wars we don’t want. The corporate Congress renders our country unprepared for pandemics, climate violence and the corporate crime wave running amuck. Moreover, Congress sends your tax revenues as subsidies and bailouts to the grossly under-taxed super-rich and big businesses.

Whenever you hear your friends say “I’m not into politics – they’re all crooks” signifying dropping out of voting and civic engagement, you can tell them, “But politics is into you in all kinds of impactful ways. Since you can’t escape, quitting is only hurting you.”

To be sure, our two-party duopoly restricts choices and opens the door wide to con artists – candidates with bulging campaign treasures. They specialize in grand lies, fake versions of what they call reality (as with “Covid-19 is fake” and “global warming is a hoax”). They make grandiose promises, then betray you and always blame someone else. Voters who don’t do their homework become rigid believers and do not reconsider what political tricksters have done to them.

For example, did you know that the greatest wealth in our country is owned by the people, but controlled by corporate power? These powerful assets of the people include our vast public lands, public airwaves and government R & D that founded most of the modern industry (e.g., the internet, computers, aerospace, drug, biotech and nanotech industries) and trillions of dollars in money market savings and pensions. Who allowed corporations to control what you own and turn these assets against your legitimate interests? The politicians. Do you still want to drop out of politics?

In your own private moments, ask yourself whether you are spending as much time studying the candidates vying for your vote as you do when choosing to buy a car or a house, or playing a month’s worth of bridge or video games.

Voter withdrawal is allowing the dangerous extremists in the GOP to think the unthinkable – taking away what you already have by corporatizing Medicare, cutting Social Security and repealing consumer, labor and environmental protections. They’re saying things that fifty years ago would have been political suicide for their notorious careers. Such cruel assaults on the people’s well-being reflect their sense of what the passive voters will let unscrupulous candidates get away with.

If you want recent evidence, read the report by GOP Senate Re-election Chairman, Rick Scott (R-FL) – who once presided over a large hospital corporation fined $1.7 billion for defrauding Medicare. The report’s misleading title “An 11 Point Plan to Rescue America“ demands that your existing protections and economic security be terminated and up for Congressional grabs every few years.

Other GOPers want to eliminate the minimum wage altogether – never mind just holding it at its present frozen federal level of $7.25 an hour.

With voters reading, thinking and acting, our country can turn around and benefit all the people, their children and grandchildren. It’s in your hands, people. Pursue your legitimate interests and you will find Thomas Jefferson’s “pursuit of happiness” goal on its way as never before.

If you’re waiting until election day to vote, take a look at the website winningamerica.net and my little paperback Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier Than We Think.

Then do your duty and cast an informed vote!

THE NBA’S HYPOCRISIES ARE SABOTAGING ITS RESPONSE TO KYRIE IRVING

by Dave Zirin

The Brooklyn Nets have decided that Kyrie Irving is “not fit to associate” with their team for five games because he posted an anti-Semitic video called Hebrews to Negroes. Following Irving’s apology on Instagram—after not apologizing to the media twice—the team laid out a set of conditions for him to return that seem designed to ensure that if he refuses, it could mean the end of his career. I wrote about the politics of the film—and more importantly the white supremacist forces celebrating Kyrie—last week. But suffice it to say, seeing the film, which denies the Holocaust and claims Jews worship Satan, atop Amazon’s charts has Nazi message boards in a tizzy of joy. It’s like a giggling popularity contest between boosters of Elon, Tucker, Kanye, and Kyrie. 

Whether Kyrie believes the mythologies presented in Hebrews to Negroes is one issue. But his inability to disavow his fascist cheering section is distressing. Even more disturbing is that neither the Nets nor the NBA have pressed him on this point. Their silence on the broader political implications of the film’s new popularity has created a dynamic: The Nets and the league seem primarily concerned with the hurt feelings of their Jewish fan base, not addressing the political climate of white supremacist rage, which is precisely what makes the film’s ideas so dangerous.

They will not address the climate, because then they would have to address their own complicity in its creation. They would have to address why they are fine with the DeVos family, which owns the Orlando Magic, bankrolling groups on the Christian Right, including the work of fascistic Blackwater founder Erik Prince whose sister, Betsy DeVos, was the education secretary under Trump. They would have to address why 81 percent of political money spent by franchise owners flowed to the GOP in 2020, with several sending small fortunes to the election denier, coup plotter, and bigot-in-chief Donald Trump. The orange fascist has done more to whip up hatred against oppressed groups, including American-born Jews, than Kyrie could in a 1,000 lifetimes. Yet the league will provide home for a right-wing union busting billionaire like the Trump-loving Tilman Fertitta of the Houston Rockets.

Then there is the Nets billionaire owner Joseph Tsai, co-founder of the company Alibaba, which, according to an ESPN report, financially supported the “cultural genocide” of Uyghur Muslims. Tsai insisted on meeting with Irving to “educate” him about the perils of anti-Semitism. (For some reason Tsai is “fit to associate” with the Brooklyn Nets.) Then there is the Anti-Defamation League, which returned a $500,000 donation from Irving and is one of the arbiters of Kyrie’s repentance. The ADL, which is presented in the press as if it’s the Jewish version of the NAACP, is an organization with its own history attacks against Black leaders and virulent anti-Palestinian bigotry. (I strongly encourage people to read this piece in the Boston Review by Emmaia Gelman about the history of the ADL.) None of this is to give Kyrie a pass. I don’t believe in “whataboutism,” where the sins of one are absolved by the sins of their enemies. But it is to point out that those standing in judgment of him are some of the worst actors in our politics. This is why I oppose the fines and suspensions against Kyrie. All they do is turn him into a martyr and make the film that much more attractive to the fascist curious. Adam Silver and the league have also now drawn a line that means NBA athletes, who have been encouraged over the last decade to speak their minds, must now watch what they say or face consequences for what they post. Many people are reading it to mean there is free speech for Black athletes—but only as long as people in power can abide the beliefs being expressed. This is causing fans, tragically in my view, to equate Kyrie with the great athlete-activists of decades past. He hasn’t shown that courage or earned that distinction. But the more he is punished, the more people will think that shoe fits. Again, that’s a tragedy, but it would be one of the NBA’s making.

Then what do you do? The only way to fight anti-Semitism is by linking it to broader fights against racism and oppression. (And solidarity to my Black Jewish friends who find themselves straddling these identities in highly divisive times.) This won’t happen by making Kyrie a martyr.

The only way we can make these links is to both condemn this video while also condemning the anti-Black racism of the response, not to mention the anti-Black racism that constantly goes ignored. When Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan expressed joy that Kyrie was “put in his place,” that is anti-Black racism, and it should be condemned.

Kanye West clearly has no interest—financial or political—in a mass movement against all forms of oppression. Floyd Mayweather, another Kyrie supporter, is a serial abuser of women, not a fighter for anyone’s liberation. Our ability to come together will mean saying we are against anti-Semitism and all forms of racism; that if we condemn Kyrie’s actions, we also condemn the actions of the hypocrites swirling around him. This might sound pie in the sky—don’t suspend Kyrie, but build a movement to confront all racist and bigoted ideas—but it’s the best choice among the awful alternatives, and the only one that provides hope that we can emerge from this darkness.

UKRAINE, TUESDAY, 8TH NOVEMBER

Senior US officials have been urging Ukraine in recent weeks to signal it is open to diplomatic discussions with Russia, sources told CNN. When asked about the reports in an interview with CNN in Kyiv, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that any negotiations must have “Ukraine in the driver's seat.”

Russian forces have stepped up their scrutiny of civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine's southern Kherson region, detaining locals to root out partisan resistance, according to the Ukrainian military. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday it had disrupted a “sabotage and reconnaissance group” in Kherson, and detained nine Ukrainians.

Russian soldiers have complained about being sent into an “incomprehensible battle” in the Donetsk region. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow had suffered heavy losses in the eastern region.

Kyiv is preparing for worst-case scenarios in the event of further Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure that could potentially leave the capital without electricity or water, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

There is no way to continue our current overconsumption so it will stop, and all the foot stomping and breath holding demands for it to continue will not produce more oil, topsoil or water.

The last 80 years were an incredible assault on the ecosystem that sustains all life on the planet, and it really ramped up after 1980.

Taking chemical weapons designed to kill people and using them after the war on food in order to destroy insects seemed like a good idea at the time, I guess, but it hasn’t really worked out well, although it ballooned the human population to obscene levels.

Using fossil fuels to raze forests, vacuum oceans and strip mine topsoil was also a bad idea.

I don’t think it can be fixed, but even if it could, there is no will to do so.

BILL BRYSON: BY THE BOOK

What books are currently on your night stand?

I have so many books stacked beside my bed that I can’t be absolutely sure that there is actually a night stand in there. Those at the very top of the pile are: “The History of Modern France,” by Jonathan Fenby; “Life’s Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code,” by Matthew Cobb; “The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World,” by Oliver Morton; and the one I am most actively immersed in at present, a funny, moving, very entertaining memoir called “Flesh Wounds,” by the Australian writer Richard Glover.

What’s the last great book you read?

While doing a short biography of William Shakespeare a few years ago, I read all his plays over the course of one summer. (Actually, if I am honest, I didn’t read “Timon of Athens.” I don’t think anyone ever has.) That was the last really ambitious reading I can recall.

Who are your favorite travel writers, and what is your favorite travel book?

For their descriptive powers and command of material, I admire Paul Theroux, Jonathan Raban, Sara Wheeler and Colin Thubron, but for pure pleasure I don’t think you can beat the travel books of S. J. Perelman, though they are not so easy to find now. My favorite travel book of all is “In Trouble Again,” by the British writer Redmond O’Hanlon. It concerns a trek into a dangerous corner of Amazonia. It is sidesplittingly funny to begin with, but then grows increasingly dark and scary in a way that is both unsettling and unforgettable.

Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

When I can read what I want, I generally go for histories and historical biographies, though much of my reading is naturally dictated by research requirements. For escapist reading, I especially like the sea novels of Patrick O’Brian. I don’t consciously avoid any genres, but it is unlikely you would find me lingering in the section where they keep books like “Eat, Pray, Love” or memoirs of life with a pet.

What is the last book that made you cry?

I was one of the judges for last year’s Wellcome medical book prize, and the winning book, “The Iceberg,” by Marion Coutts, was the most moving book I have read in some time. It is her account of the decline and death of her husband from a brain tumor. It is a harrowing read, as you would expect, but also beautifully written and intensely powerful.

What was the last book that made you furious?

“The Ocean of Life,” by Callum Roberts, a marine biologist at the University of York in England. It is a very sober, nonpolemic look at how we are ruining the Earth’s oceans through overfishing and poor management. If nothing else, it will make you think twice before ordering mahi-mahi again.

Tell us about your favorite poem.

I am not a good reader of poetry, but recently I happened upon “In Flanders Fields,” the celebrated poem of the First World War. I had never read it all the way through and was astounded by how powerful and moving a few simple lines could be. I had always assumed that the author was British, but in fact he was a Canadian doctor named John McCrae, who wrote it just after the Second Battle of Ypres. McCrae died a short while later himself without ever seeing home again, which clearly adds to the poignancy of it.

And your favorite movie adaptation of a book.

If by that you mean which movie is much better than the book (or books) on which it was based, I would instantly say “The Wizard of Oz.” If you mean which is most enjoyably faithful to the original, I would propose “The English Patient.”

Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Your favorite antihero or villain?

When I was young I had a period of reading J. D. Salinger’s books and wanting intensely to be a member of the Glass family, partly because they lived in a big apartment in Manhattan, which seemed terribly exciting to me as a boy from Iowa, and partly because their conversations struck me as so much more scintillating and profound than those we had in our house. I don’t think I especially identified with any of the characters, but just wanted to be taken into the family. I haven’t read Salinger’s books since I was about 15, and I am pretty nearly certain I would find all the characters shallow and insufferable now, which is why I haven’t read them again. The only villain that springs to mind for me is Captain Hook in the Disney cartoons of my childhood. He scared the daylights out of me. But I can’t think of a good literary choice offhand.

Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?

I was completely devoted to an imprint called Landmark Books when I was growing up. I don’t know whether anyone remembers this series anymore, but they were nonfiction hardback books, on historical subjects, written for children or adapted from adult books. They made you feel that you were taking part in a grown-up activity but at a level that you could handle. A good deal of what I know about American history came from Landmark Books. I used to spend nearly all my pocket money on either Landmark Books or, if I was feeling rakish, Hardy Boys books. I am hugely indebted to both.

If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?

Goodness, that’s a big question. I remember in early adolescence reading “The Sot-Weed Factor,” by John Barth, and being so enchanted with it that I wanted to become a writer, too. At about the same time I had a similar experience with “The Grapes of Wrath.” I have never written anything like either of those books — never attempted fiction at all — but there was something about the magic and possibility of the written word that captured me.

What author, living or dead, would you most like to meet?

William Shakespeare, as long as I didn’t have to tell him that when we’d finished talking he’d have to go back to being dead again.

What was the last book you put down without finishing?

Nearly ever summer when we go away on vacation I pack an old copy of “Anna Karenina,” and every year I manage to move the bookmark about 20 pages along before it is time to go home. I have long since lost track of who most of the characters are or what their relationships are with one another. I can’t pretend that any of them have ever interested me. At the rate I am going, I estimate that I will need approximately 74 more vacations to finish the book.

Of the books you’ve written, which is your favorite?

I suppose that would have to be “A Walk in the Woods,” my account of a profoundly hopeless attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail in the company of an equally hopeless companion named (pseudonymously) Stephen Katz. The Appalachian Trail is physically very grueling, but it is also awfully hard to write about. Walking, even when it is going well, is an intensely repetitive experience. The whole time we were out there, I kept thinking: “All we are doing is walking every day. I don’t know how I am ever going to get a book out of this.” So the fact that it did eventually result in a book is to me a kind of permanent miracle.

Whom would you want to write your life story?

My wife. She is kind, and she was there.

(New York Times)