It Came Out Of The Sky

Be sure and read Mark Scaramella’s excellent recent report from last week,“Veg-Mod Hell.”

Here’s some brief background on this bewildering issue of the Weed Ordinance’s provision prohibiting the removal of even a single tree for the purpose of cultivating pot.

Here’s an excerpt from a column I wrote six years ago on the topic.

Back on July 18, 2017, just a couple of months after Supervisors approved the new Cannabis Ordinance, the representatives of two state resource agencies, on their own motion, addressed County officials on potential problems with their pot rules.

The two agencies were CAL FIRE and the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).

From the outset of their remarks, the state resource agencies’ reps pointedly but politely bared their fangs on the County’s problematical environmental review process and the enforcement issue.

CAL FIRE’s Unit Resource Manager Craig Pederson spoke on the lack of enforcement regarding tree removal associated with marijuana cultivation.

“CAL FIRE was satisfied with the final ordinance language which clearly prohibited tree removal” for grow sites, Pederson said.

But, he stated, “In practice we find that not to be the case as conversion of timberland to cultivate marijuana has continued.”

He pointed out that “the number of issues and potential CAL FIRE law enforcement cases are escalating …”

He told the Supes, “CAL FIRE encourages the county to promptly and consistently enforce the cultivation ordinance. The ordinance must be enforced by the County, as lead agency, to ensure responsible agencies’ (such as CAL FIRE) written and verbal concerns are addressed.”

He reminded the Supes that the ordinance created a “zero tolerance for tree removal. It doesn’t allow a single (commercial) tree to be removed for cultivation purposes.”

He also told the Supes even CAL FIRE doesn’t have a rule that restrictive, but “it’s in your ordinance so you need to enforce it or get rid of it.”

Naturally, the Supes did neither. I’ve always said and I still believe that problems just don’t happen, people make them happen. That’s the history of weed legalization in this County.

Shooting First

U.S. top guns have been busy the past week in their fighter jets.

The US military shot down a high altitude “object” over Lake Huron last Sunday afternoon.

Another “unidentified object” was blasted to bits over northern Canada the day before that.

And the day before that, another “unidentified object” was shot down over Alaska by a US sky pilot.

And don’t forget last weekend, when a Chinese surveillance balloon was taken down by F-22s off the coast of South Carolina.

Who says Joe Biden’s sleepy?

The dude is totally locked in, laserfocused on getting to the bottom of what’s behind all these “unidentified objects” that are infiltrating US and Canuck skies.

Joe’s motto is “shoot first and ask questions later … maybe.”

The past week’s aerial fireworks prompted James Marmon, a frequent poster on the AVA’s website, to inquire: “Weird how all of a sudden unidentified aircrafts are falling out of the sky. Why is this suddenly an issue?”

Well, actually I have the answer to what the hell is going on.

Well, actually, I don’t have the answer, but John Fogerty, front man for one of the greatest rock ‘n roll bands ever, Creedence Clearwater Revival, knew what was happening years ago, and he explained to us in this song:

It Came Out of the Sky

Great, great song one of my favorites, especially meaningful since I lived in Moline (Illinois) when I was a toddler.

Speaking of the Canucks, Canadian retired Maj. Gen. Scott Clancy, former director of operations at NORAD and former deputy commander of the Alaskan NORAD Region, told CNN he does not believe China is behind the unidentified objects that have been shot down in recent days. He explained that it could be a “confluence of a distinctive activity by our adversaries to test the systems.”

“It smells to me, as the guy who was directed to conduct operations to defend North America, I’d be very suspicious,” Clancy said on ‘CNN This Morning.’ “And I’d be on high alert to make sure that all of our adversaries are being countered.”

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, Melissa Dalton explained they were taken down out of an “abundance of caution.”

Dalton said that high-altitude objects can be used by a range of companies, countries, and research organizations for “purposes that are not nefarious, including legitimate research.”

Hah, Ms Dalton of Homeland Defense thinks these “objects” could be used “by a range of companies … for purposes that are not nefarious …”

Is she talking about companies owned by those megalomaniac, narcissistic one-percenters who also happen to own the world right now.

They’d be at the top of my list of suspects. Imagine that, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, true masters of the universe. No wonder they got all those rocket ships and satellites whizzing around inner and outer space.

I’ll be damned.

Be sure and tune in to my radio show this Saturday at 12 noon on KPFN 105.1 FM. I’ll play “It Came Out of the Sky” during our jukebox break. It’ll be a blast, pun intended.