Mendocino County Today: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024

Clear & Cold | Raven Sunrise | VSO Move | Communication Crisis | Hopland Farmers | Angry Vets | Relocation Comments | Instant Carma | Blowhole | Ed Notes | Anniversary Hike | Caspar Dump | Zebras | Planning Cancelled | Greed Results | Brains Required | Hindoo Ingrate | Listen Liberal | Cruise Ships | Kosher Wine | Yesterday's Catch | Insurance Meltdown | Farm Hussy | Budget Deficit | Secret Sauce | Social Security | Marion Davies | Coming Election | Feeling | Book Fair | Taverns | PG&E Giveaway | Rapture | Reading | Empodocles | Butterbean | Pandemic Follies | Bada Bing | Big Money | Remote Pilot | Guarding Prosperity | Colonize Palestine | Good Hours

MAINLY DRY WEATHER is expected today, although a few very light showers are possible this afternoon. Friday the next system starts to bring rain spreading south through the afternoon. Heavy rain is expected Friday night and Saturday along with strong winds. Heavy snow is possible in northern Trinity county. Drier weather is expected Sunday and Monday with additional systems possible by mid week. (NWS)

RAINFALL (past 24 hours): Leggett 1.52" - Willits 1.19" - Laytonville 1.08" - Covelo 0.87" - Boonville 0.32" - Yorkville 0.32" - Ukiah 0.28" - Hopland 0.24"

STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): A much less than advertised .09" of rainfall this Thursday morning on the coast. Clear skies & a brisk 39F at 5am. Clear skies today & most of tomorrow with rain returning later Friday. A whopper storm for Friday night & Saturday they are telling me. We'll see. Dry skies Sunday & Monday then more rain of course.

DISREGARD FOR VETERANS' WELFARE IN MENDOCINO COUNTY

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my profound disappointment and anger over the recent actions of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors regarding the relocation of the Veterans Service Office (VSO). Despite impassioned pleas from numerous veterans and community members, the Board has persisted in a decision that not only disrespects our veterans but also demonstrates a troubling lack of transparency and consideration.

The CEO and GSA Facilities Department Head Jannelle Rau decided to move the VSO into an inadequate space within the Public Health Department building, and the Board of Supervisors voted to approve without proper communication or consultation with the veterans or veteran groups. This hastily and poorly executed move of the VSO betrays a startling indifference to the needs and dignity of those who have served our country.

What is particularly galling is the sneaky manner in which County executive leadership went about this. The veterans, the very people this decision affects the most, were the last to know and given almost no time to mount an effective opposition. It's as if the Board hoped this move would go unnoticed until it was too late. This behavior by our leadership happens often and is not just poor governance; it’s a blatant disregard for the democratic process and public accountability.

The assurances the Board and Dr. Jenine Miller provided about making the new location “welcoming” with a private reception area and a possible additional office come off as hollow, reactive measures rather than well-thought-out plans. These promises of improvement seem more like band-aids applied to a situation that requires surgery. The fact that the veterans’ service office will now be in a controlled access building, hindering easy walk-in access, shows a need for more understanding of the very nature of the services provided to our veterans.

Moreover, the burden placed on Michelle Smith, the sole Veterans Service Representative, is unacceptable. Expecting her to manage the workload meant for two while navigating these new and ill-conceived changes is unreasonable and unsustainable.

This entire situation reflects poorly on the current leadership of Mendocino County. It paints a picture of a Board of Supervisors that needs to be in touch, lacking in foresight, and seemingly indifferent to the voices of the people they are supposed to serve and represent. As a concerned citizen, I am appalled. As someone who cares deeply about the welfare of our veterans, I am outraged.

I vow to keep a close watch on this situation, holding the Board accountable for their actions and ensuring our veterans receive the respect and services they rightly deserve. Whether as a private citizen or a potential future member of this Board, I will not let this issue rest. Our veterans deserve better, and it’s high time they received it.

Sincerely,

ANOTHER MENDO CRISIS

Dear Editor,

Not only does our County have a budget crisis but it also has a communication crisis. Departments don't communicate with each other, Supervisors don't communicate with departments, the CEO doesn't communicate with departments or the Supervisors.

Tuesday's Board meeting public comment was filled with veterans and others speaking out against the County's decision to move the Veterans Service Office (VSO) from their house on Observatory into the Public Health building next door, as they plan to move Air Quality into this VSO house for “storage.”

I toured their current house location today with Second District Supervisor Candidate Jacob Brown, also a veteran. The house setting offers veterans a comfortable “homey” space to receive services in a non-clinical environment which is inviting and spacious. This setting helps veterans feel comfortable to seek services and not have the stigmatism of going to a hospital or clinic setting. 

I tried to see the new location that they will be moved to on Monday, but it was locked and I had to leave my name and number for Dr. Miller, the interim Public Health Director, to call me back. This “hospital” setting at the Public Health building on Dora St., is a concern for our veterans as it is sterile and uninviting as well as a huge decrease in space from the house they currently have. They will have two 10x10 rooms in the Public Health building. These spaces will not accommodate the L shaped desk that Michelle, the Veteran Service Representative currently has, or a smaller desk and a veteran in a wheelchair, at the same time. They currently have shelves of essentials for our homeless vets, such as boots, blankets and toiletries. The new location will have no room for these supplies, therefore less services for our veterans, especially the homeless ones.

How is this OK? Who made this decision? Why can't Air Quality use the Public Health location? Several Board members toured these locations on Thursday yet weren't concerned enough to keep this move from happening.

The County receives money for our veteran services. The more veterans they provide services to, the more money the County receives. Yet our County decided to take their home and give it to Air Quality whose employees work remotely.

I spoke with Supervisor Haschak later in the afternoon and he related that there will be an agenda item coming up to address the situation since the VSO was not consulted about the move. Even more insulting, is that the VSO office was being packed up while the representative, Michelle, was out of the office. She returned to stacks of boxes and everything in disarray. 

I encouraged Haschak to stop the move until it comes back to the Board. 

This lack of communication has happened before when General Services decided that the County should get rid of a house used for child services without consulting child services. 

This disrespect of our veterans is truly appalling. The needs of our citizens should be a top priority but the County shows again and again that we are not. 

Carrie Shattuck

1st District Supervisor Candidate

Ukiah

COUNTY VETS FIGHTING FORCED MOVE

by Jim Shields 

By far the most interesting topic discussed at the Board of Supervisors meeting this past Tuesday, Jan. 9 was not even on the agenda. 

It arose during public comment, when numerous military veterans addressed the Supes regarding a recent decision by CEO Darcie Antle and Dr. Jeanine Miller, who oversees both the Public Health and Behavioral Health Departments, to relocate the Veterans Services Office (VSO) to another facility. According to the CEO, the reason for the move was to turn the space over to the Air Quality Management District that reportedly had lost its lease at its offices. 

The Vets were all united in their opposition and outrage to a decision to relocate the VSO from its longtime location in a small house on Ukiah’s Observatory Way (near City Hall) to a receptionist’s office with two, 10’ by 10’ offices in the old Public Health Health Building. 

One of the Vets addressing the Supes was Carl Stember, who identified himself as the County’s former Veterans Services Officer. Among other things, Stember told the Supervisors the “CEO and her staff have been untruthful and sneaky as this county treats its Vets with hostility and dishonesty. I am requesting that this ill-conceived decision to move the VSO office be halted, and put on next month’s agenda. Do the right thing.” Stember also noted, “And through my whole speech the CEO didn’t look up once, she was doing something else.” 

The optics of the reality of evicting the Vets Services Office from its long-time headquarters to makeshift space in the old Public Health Building was completely lost on the bureaucrats who didn’t bother to provide the Vets or the Supes with any advance notice of their decision.

And the beat goes on.

Here’s a statement issued today, Jan. 10, to the Supes in the words of one Vet, Kennedy Cooper, of Willits, who explains the issue from a Vet’s perspective.

To the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed relocation of the Veteran’s Service Office from 405 Observatory Avenue to 1120 S Dora Street. As a veteran and a resident of Mendocino County, I am deeply concerned about the negative impacts of this move on the Veteran community and the quality of service they receive.

The Veterans Service Office provides vital assistance and support to the Veterans of Mendocino County, such as helping them access their benefits, health care, education, employment, and housing. The office's current location is convenient, accessible, and comfortable for the veterans and their families. It offers privacy, tranquility, and security for the veterans, who often must deal with sensitive and personal issues, such as physical and mental health, trauma, and disability. The current location also has a history and a legacy of serving the veterans, as it displays memorabilia and photos of the Veterans and their organizations.

The proposed relocation of the office to the public health building is unacceptable and detrimental to the veterans and their well-being. The public health building is crowded, noisy, and chaotic, which is not conducive to the veterans’ needs and preferences. The public health building also poses a safety and privacy risk for the Veterans, as it is frequented by a known “Public Citizen” who has been harassing and filming the county employees and the private citizens seeking services. The public health building also lacks the space and facilities to accommodate the Veterans and their documents and equipment.

The county decided to relocate the office without proper consultation and communication with the Veterans and their representatives. The county gave zero direct notice to Veterans, and by the time the handful of Veterans found out, they had less than three weeks’ notice of the move. This lack of communication is insufficient and disrespectful to the Veterans and their rights. 

The county also failed to provide a clear and reasonable justification for the move and did not address the concerns and objections the Veterans and their advocates raised. The county also showed a lack of respect and appreciation for the veterans and their service, as the county’s employees external to the Veteran’s service office packed up the current office in an inappropriate and careless manner, throwing away veteran memorabilia and photos in the trash piles. One such photo picked out of these trash piles is that of Veterans from various VSOs throughout the county (American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars) standing hand in hand with previous County Supervisors.

I urge the county board of supervisors to reconsider and reverse the decision to relocate the Veterans Service Office and keep it at 405 Observatory Avenue. I also request the County Board Of Supervisors to apologize to the veterans and their organizations for the mishandling and mistreatment of the Veteran’s Service Office and its contents. I also demand the County Board Of Supervisors engage in a transparent and respectful dialogue with the veterans and their representatives and address their needs and concerns promptly and effectively. 

The veterans of Mendocino County deserve better than this. They deserve to be treated with dignity, gratitude, and honor. They deserve to have a Veteran’s Service Office that is convenient, accessible, and comfortable for them. They deserve a voice and a say in the decisions that affect them and their service.

DO NOT make the mistake of thinking that continuing the move of the Veteran’s Service Office to the proposed Public Health location is in any way an acceptable outcome for this situation. No amount of beautification or mediation will right the disruption caused by your actions.

As I said in the public expression on 01/09/2024:

As Veterans – 

It Is Not That We Can And Others Cannot 

It Is That We Did And Others Did Not

Thank you for your attention and your hopeful action.

Very Respectfully,

Kennedy A. Cooper 

SGT, USA 

Retired

Willits

(Jim Shields is the Mendocino County Observer’s editor and publisher, observer@pacific.net, the long-time district manager of the Laytonville County Water District, and is also chairman of the Laytonville Area Municipal Advisory Council. Listen to his radio program “This and That” every Saturday at 12 noon on KPFN 105.1 FM, also streamed live: http://www.kpfn.org)

VSO RELOCATION ON LINE COMMENTS:

Our veterans pleaded with our board and were completly ignored, i’ve never been so ashamed of our county.

* * *

This Board of Supervisors has made a huge mistake. They are not concerned with how this affects our veterans! Change the decision. Put Air Quality Management in the Public Health building. Veteran’s Services may be under Social Sevices, so what. Quit making bad decisions over and over again. Listen to your constituents!!!

Right The Wrong!

* * *

Really shameful the way the corrupt bos does business. Smh. I don’t remember this being broadcast to the public before today. Seems like this is another thing the corrupt bos did in the middle of the night.

* * *

Can’t “Air Quality Management ” be stuffed in an obscure office somewhere? What a crock!

* * *

It honestly makes sense to move the building if it’s part of behavioral health and public services. Sounds like they’re making accommodations to make a private entrance and to make it as welcoming as possible. They’ve even said they’ll accommodate moving the garden. It sounds like the building will be nicer than the one they have now.

* * *

Nicer? I don’t think so. It’s hard enough for a veteran to seek assistance when the atmosphere is safe and inviting, like the 405 house. Now the BOS expects a vet to feel comfortable going into a maze of corridors and sit down tiny, claustrophobic office. They don’t understand the VSO office is able to pull off their mission at 1/3 staff precisely because the current office space allows it. The majority of all contact with VSO is walk in, the current space allows that because of the reception area where they can read information will they are waiting to speak to the ONE staff. Maybe they have an opportunity to speak to other vets while they wait, how is that going to work in two small 10×10 offices? No, not nicer.

For many Vets, myself included, this article is the very first we’ve heard of this move. In typical BOS fashion, it seems like another bad decision in a long line of bad decisions. Personally, for the last decade or so I’ve been trying to get myself to to go talk with the VSO about filing a claim but it’s hard. I don’t see the current change making that decision any easier.

* * *

Sorry to read this. Our board of sups just suck.

* * *

It’s all about our veteran’s comfort and to get the help they desperately need. Not the Board of Supervisors, or Incorporating veteran’s services into the Public Health Building. Once again, the veterans concerns are not considered, nor was the public notified about this, before the bad decision was made. Veterans needs and concerns are critical to them and our country they fought for and continue to fight for.

OWNERS STEAL CAR BACK FOR INSTANT "CARMA"

My niece and her husband (Grant and Rachel) had their car stolen the night before last near Buffalo, NY. They even captured a video of the hooded-up punks in the act on their home security cameras. Right in their front driveway! The Police however said "There is nothing we can do". Wrong answer. Grant and Rachel then dug into social media to discover that there is a "TikTok challenge" that encourages car theft of Kias and Hyundais. Digging deeper they found kiaboyz on Instagram and began scanning areas where these creeps take the cars when stolen. Grant put on a bullet proof vest and brought his heater. Street by street they went — and they found it! And what did they do? THEY STOLE IT BACK!! They went to the Police Station to report their car was no longer stolen. "How's that?" the officer asked. "We stole it back" they replied. Long pause — "Well this is a first."

I bring this up because my neighbor in Fort Bragg had his Kia Soul stolen from his driveway just last night. He is a retired Pastor and the nicest guy you want to meet. Flock Security cameras in Lake County picked up the vehicle but not before it disappeared. The Fort Bragg PD is putting out a PSA to educate the public. This TikTok challenge has been happening nationwide for a while now. Be safe out there!

Lindy Peters, City Council, Fort Bragg

ED NOTES

UH OH. Where’s Mazie Malone? Chatty and commenting every day and then… nothing. Silence. Did Mazie take her Coolest Name of the Year trophy and flee Mendo? Come in, Mazie Malone. We miss you.

A LOCAL MAN called to say he had been in before a judge he’d had a very hard time calling, “Your Honor.” (I know the feeling.) Seems that he’d delivered a piece of machinery to his honor’s house, happened to look into a bag lying in the back of his honor’s pick-up truck where delivery guy discovered a bag full of lady’s underwear. Thinking there was a lady resident, the guy thought no more about it until a few days later when his honor himself dashed across the yard togged out as a ballerina. “The guy’s a pervert,” the caller concluded. “I just don’t see how he can get up there and act holier than thou when he himself has a few screws missing.”

HMMM. Crossdressers on the bench? I thought back to the Robes I’ve had some experience with: Cox, Luther, Broaddus, O’Brien, Lechowick, Moorman, Gustafson, Hathaway, Orr, Lehan, Heeb, Combest, Labowitz, Brown, McCowen. A couple of these worthies did some questionable things up there sitting in judgment; one was lightly sanctioned for flashing his clerks, another one fell in love with a juvenile defendant, but otherwise the local courts have been scandal-free, decisions aside.

A VISITOR, abruptly asked me my age. I told him. Then he told me that when he was an EMT he’d assisted a disoriented elderly man who’d called 911 to report that he couldn’t change the channel on his TV set. “But he didn’t have a television set. Hah, hah.”

THE REAL POINT of the visitor’s anecdote seems to have been inspired by my years, and he seemed miffed when I said, “Hell, the least you could have done for the old guy is change the channel.” 

WHATEVER HAPPENED to those large abstract sculptures at Little River? I remember when a late-night art critic painted “old cheese sucks” on the piece called “Slice,” an 11,000 pound pile of steel girders painted Chinese red. The Coast media called it a “landmark,” which I guess it was because you couldn’t miss it if you tried, and I tried every time I passed by. An outraged letter soon appeared in the local papers complaining about the “vandalism.”

LORRAINE TOTH of Elk wrote, “To the idiot vandal that defaced the sculpture at Stevenswood with a moronic comment and blue spray paint, I say you deserve the contempt of the thinking community. You stabbed every artist and art appreciator directly in the heart. You destroyed trust. There is no excuse.”

THE THINKING COMMUNITY? Where’s that? I still wish the vandal had critiqued The Slice with dynamite.

A READER WRITES: “So a friend has loaned me his copy of ‘Luna and Me.’ I’m starting to think Julia Butterfly is a nut case. Her stories of love and her personal courage don’t preclude that. As you know, Judi Bari made a living as an intellectual schizophrenic, praising the working class but abusing her fellow workers no end. Enormous, sky-high egos seem to go with the rhetoric. I think Julia has the biggest ego of anybody I’ve ever met. First impression of her book: Hallmark trash. If you flip the pages, the word ‘Love’ just jumps off them. Reminds me of that wretched single from the early 70s, the Desiderata. She’s totally retro. Before Mars & Venus men and women, there was Robert Bly and his revival of maleness. That followed the Goddess archetypes, which followed pop psychology books. And before them there were these putrid tracts on love and compassion…”

YES! YES! And Rod McKuen and Doctor Hugs and Gibran and Judy Garland and Jerry Lewis’s telethon and Pat Nixon’s cloth coat and Keane paintings and Charles Schultz and Starhawk and Yanni! Bathetic mawk has always been a big seller, and here come cyber communications festooned with hearts, rainbows, unicorns and all manner of whatnots.

AS SOON as movie stars started climbing up that tree to visit Julia I knew the kid was going to be a millionaire. And by the time large groups of druid-oriented tree worshippers were gathering at the foot of the tree waving their hands in the air and chanting, “Woo-woo-woo,” Julia had become a growth industry.

GORDON “The Toe” TOVANI passed away some time ago. Sports fans will remember him when he played for the Raiders, and I think of him every time I pass through the Willits Arch. I met the ebullient barefoot field goal kicker, a veteran of the NFL, a few years ago when the City of Willits and Caltrans churlishly refused him permission to boot a few through the Arch. I agreed with The Toe that Willits and the boys in day-glo orange were “a bunch of uptight pricks” and suggested he go ahead and kick a few three-pointers over the “Gateway to the Redwood Empire” anyway. If he could find a long snapper I’d hold for him. Nah, he said, to hell with it. Then he tried to get me to go with him to the Erotic Neurotic Halloween Ball in San Francisco or whatever it's called, an event definitely out of my recreational zone. “Don’t you be an uptight prick,” Gordy urged in many phone calls before the event. “It’ll be great. Think of all the bare-assed broads who’ll be there.” 

THE TOE was scheduled to kick a field goal over a stack of nude voluptuaries. He wanted me to be the holder for him while some floozy snapped me the ball and he booted the ball over the big naked pile. “It’ll be great,” he said. Nope, not me, Gordy. It’s not my kinda thing. Then, to my utter mortification, I picked up a weekly newspaper in San Francisco and darned if I wasn't listed as part of the show! Fortunately, at least so far as I know, only one person saw it, and she wasn’t my wife. Or my mother. Or the picture of my grandmother I carry in my wallet. Rosie Radiator called to say how happy she was I’d be coming down for the Erotic Watchamacallit. “I'm going to hike the ball, Bruce. Naked.” All I could think of to say was, “I’ll see you there,” and regretted describing a woman I’ve always admired as a naked floozie.

COUNTY GOING OUT TO BID ON CASPAR TRANSFER STATION IMPROVEMENT PLANNING

Caspar Transfer Station Improvements Planning, Environmental, Design and Engineering

Department Transportation

Category Request for Proposals

RFP Number DOT 240001

Start Date 01/10/2024 8:00 AM

Close Date 02/13/2024 2:00 PM

RFP Post Status Open

See full Request for Proposal for more information.

Project Summary:

Mendocino County is seeking a qualified consultant to perform planning, environmental, design, and engineering services for improvements to the Caspar Transfer Station. The scope of work for the project includes the following key tasks:

Task 1 – Project Management and Coordination 

Task 2 – Data Review, Facility Assessment, and Conceptual Plans 

Task 3 – Field and Geotechnical Surveys 

Task 4 – Preliminary Design Plans and Cost Estimate 

Task 5 – CEQA Compliance & Permitting 

Task 6 – Final Design Plans and Specifications 

Task 7 – Bid Assistance

Submission Information:

Vendors must submit four (4) copies of their proposal: three (3) complete paper copies with original vendor signature, and one (1) complete copy on USB Flash Drive. Proposals must be formatted in accordance with the instructions of this Request for Proposal. Promotional materials may be attached, but are not necessary and will not be considered as meeting any of the requirements of this Request for Proposal. Proposals must be enclosed in a sealed envelope or package, clearly marked “Mendocino County RFP No. DOT 240001”, and delivered by 2:00 p.m. on February 13, 2024, to: 

Mendocino County Department of Transportation
340 Lake Mendocino Drive
Ukiah, CA 95482-9432

Late or facsimile proposals will not be accepted. It is the proposer’s responsibility to assure that its proposal is delivered and received at the location specified herein, on or before the date and hour set. Proposals received after the date and time specified will not be considered. Note: The unauthorized use of the County’s official logo is strictly prohibited.

READ THE CANCELLATION NOTICE?

Cancellation of Planning Commission Meeting (1-18-24)

Dear Interested Parties,

The cancellation notice for the January 18, 2024, Planning Commission meeting is now available on the department website at: mendocinocounty.org/government/planning-building-services/meeting-agendas/planning-commission

Please contact staff if there are any questions,

Thank you!!

WHAT WENT WRONG

Editor,

It was over twenty years ago that I took a plane ride over the upper Noyo River. The entire watershed had been “moon-scaped.” Georgia-Pacific had made the decision to “cut-and-run.” I took a friend up there a couple of years later and when he waded into the river the silt was so deep he got bogged down in it and I had to find a long limb to help pull him out. This guy is 6′ 5″ tall and at that time was 240 pounds of muscle. He played basketball all four years of college. When the fish eggs get smothered in silt for three years the salmon are gone. I quit fishing the river in the hope a few would survive.
It didn’t have to be done this way. The forest can be selectively logged in a way that maintains a thriving forest that is thinned, allowing for the remaining trees to grow faster. More higher quality timber can be produced through selective logging in an ongoing manner than by clear cutting every 40 years, and the forest and rivers stay healthy. 

GP wanted the big bucks now and then they moved the mill to Mexico and abandoned the town and workers of Fort Bragg. Of course, the California Department of Forestry signed off on all of those Timber Harvest Plans. It is an old story in the USA. The pride of our country back in the 50s was that we had the largest middle class of any country in the world. Since our manufacturing jobs have been moved offshore we now have an economy with one of the smallest middle classes among industrialized nations. For the details on how Reagan did it read a book entitled “America, What Went Wrong.”

Donald Cruser

Little River

I CAN'T "HANG IN THERE" ANY FURTHER, BECAUSE THIS IS INSANE!

Awoke later than usual, following a night of spasmodic coughing due to having run out of Albuterol. The two doctors at Adventist Health-Ukiah Valley have been faxed by Walgreen’s, but there has been no response yet. Meanwhile, there is pain in the upper left side molar. Using Orajel to manage this. Two phone calls, plus sending an email, to the dentist in Windsor who saw me two years ago following the total chaos with Ukiah’s Hillside facility and its Willits branch, have not been answered. Obviously, I have not gotten affordable housing in this stupid American experiment with freedom and democracy. It definitely helps being enlightened! I cannot even imagine how intense the suffering must be for those who are still misidentifying with the physical and the mental. Feel free to contact me. Certainly there could be something which I might be doing, other than waiting around on earth for a spiritually based opportunity. Thanks for appreciating this urgent message.

Craig Louis Stehr

ED REPLY: Hold it right there, you Hindoo ingrate! You were offered a perfectly nice unit on deep South State Street which you haughtily turned down on the false grounds it was too far from a bus stop and downtown, you a guy who nearly bought the eternal krishna trip because of your failing heart, a muscle that needs to be regularly exercised or it conks out. A short walk to the MTA bus stop from your nearly free housing would have strengthened your ticker, sparing you lengthy hospital stays.

CRAIG REPLIES: I did not “turn it down” because it was not offered to me in the first place; because I rationally, sanely, and intelligently asked that I not be considered for it. The reason is because you have to live somewhere…not be somewhere. There is a difference. The small room is way way way down South State Street, with scant bus service, near nothing at all in central Ukiah, which is a necessity for a social life. Of course if one is crazy, one could just move into the small room and stand there pointlessly for as long as one wishes. I was also informed by a Building Bridges staff person that it would necessitate senior services picking up, cleaning, and returning the laundry! Thanks for getting it, Bruce. P.S. Good luck with your yoga class. ;-))

BRUCE MCEWEN: The bus service from south state to downtown runs hourly. Another Hindu holy man and frequent commenter, Michael Jameson, went to pains to explain this all to you at the time but you were stubbornly impudent and rejected sound advice from people who meant you no harm, myself included (you may recall I went to bat for you when a majority of the readershiip, led by the late Lewis Bedrock, wanted your begging bowl kicked out of your hands and you thrown under the bus) as I lived down there over a year and had no trouble commuting daily to the courthouse and other Ukiah hot spots on the bus… so your excuses are invalid and your pretensions inexcusable. Meditate on that a while, holy man.

STEPHEN ROSENTHAL: Who’s been coddled and enabled more: Craig Stehr or Draymond Green?

MIKE J: I don’t understand the laundry angle! There’s a brightly lit, right now in the dark, door open, laundromat right across the street from the Canadian complex (the northern neighbor to the complex straight across the street). There’s a middle-aged homeless woman there sleeping on the chairs in front under a tarp, this very moment.

LISTEN LIBERALS

U guys,

‘Listen Liberal’ by Thomas Frank… 

Ever read this one? If allowed I would chain faux libs into chairs while slow reading it to them and KEEP them there until they sincerely repented.

Chris Skyhawk

Fort Bragg

NOT SO KOSHER

Editor,

Reading Bob Dempel’s article is a little like reading a story about the Civil War without actually letting the reader know that this is the 21st-century and not 1860. The historical aspects are interesting and true. As a kosher wine maker, here in Northern California, I have worked successfully with many of the individuals mentioned in this article. And I made my Napa Valley Cabernet at the Herzog winery in Oxnard from 2003 to 2007. Indeed, the challenges of transporting grapes, long distances can be difficult. That said, Dempel’s description of kosher wine making is ridiculous. His descriptions of kosher sanitary conditions, and other misnomers are laughable. And his impression that it’s impossible to make kosher wine in Northern California is just plain stupid. He should come visit our kosher Covenant winery in Berkeley, where we make wine just like any other winery, kosher or not. The myth of some Kusher conundrum in the production of kosher wine is just that—a myth. And it is promulgated by ignorance, such as that disseminated by clueless writers and grape growers like Bob Dempel. If you are going to write about the past, you better learn something about the present as well.

Jeff Morgan

Berkeley

CATCH OF THE DAY, Wednesday, January 10, 2024

VANESSA ELIZABETH, Ukiah. Petty theft, failure to appear, probation revocation.

MATTHEW FAUST, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

CHRISTOPHER HEANEY, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

SACRAMENTO HERNANDEZ, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

JASON RAY III, Redwood Valley. Probation revocation.

ASHLEY SCHUCKER, Fort Bragg. Parole violation.

KIERA SHED, Willits. Taking vehicle without owner’s consent, failure to appear, probation revocation.

KEVIN TOBIE, Vallejo/Ukiah. Taking vehicle without owner’s consent.

COLLEEN WARNER, Gualala. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

HOW WILL STATE RESPOND TO THE HOME INSURANCE MARKET MELTDOWN?

by Dan Walters

While Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators wrestle with a massive state budget deficit this year, a few blocks from the Capitol another crisis that could have far more impact on California families will be playing out.

Ricardo Lara, California’s insurance commissioner, will be trying to dissuade companies that provide insurance coverage to millions of homeowners from fleeing the state. Citing heavy losses from disastrous wildfires and the potential for more destruction in the future, the largest insurers, such as State Farm and Farmers, have already cut back on new policies and renewals. 

As a result, many homeowners in fire-prone regions have been forced into the state’s last ditch insurance plan, called FAIR, which offers reduced coverage at high premiums, to protect themselves and comply with their mortgages. 

The industry wants to include actuarial projections of future losses and the costs of reinsurance in their premiums. 

Neither factor is now allowed under regulations approved by voters more than three decades ago under a ballot measure that also made the insurance commissioner an elected official. 

As the list of insurers reducing their exposure in California mounted last year, the Legislature briefly tried to come up with a revised regulatory process that would induce them to keep writing policies, but adjourned in September without action. 

Newsom punted the crisis to Lara and he quickly laid out in broad terms new rules that would allow estimates of future losses to be folded into premium requests and hinted that including reinsurance might be approved. In return, Lara would require insurers to maintain at least 85% of their market in fire-prone regions. 

His announcement set in motion what could be a year of hearings and other processes to write new rules that would, in effect, modify much of the 1988 ballot measure that created California’s highly regulated insurance system and strictly limited the factors that could be included in rate requests. 

It has exacerbated a running feud between Lara and Consumer Watchdog, the organization that sponsored the 1988 ballot measure and has benefited handsomely from “intervenor fees” for participating in premium rate proceedings ever since. Consumer Watchdog has been highly critical of Lara throughout his tenure, and charges that his proposed systemic changes would be a sellout to the insurance industry. 

“He’s basically capitulated to the industry,” Jamie Court, the group’s president, said of Lara at one point. “There’s not really much coming back for the consumer in here.” 

In response, Lara cites his duty to maintain a viable insurance market and accuses Consumer Watchdog of protecting its own financial interests. 

“One entity is involved in nearly 75 percent of all interventions for rate approvals, materially benefiting from a process that is meant for a broader public participation,” Lara responded to the allegations, adding, “throwing bombs is easy and putting out bombastic statements from entrenched interest groups doesn’t benefit anyone.” 

Until the crisis, California’s average homeowner premium was slightly lower than the national average. 

There’s no question that if Lara makes major changes to insurance regulation, homeowners’ premiums will increase. 

In fact, last month, he approved a 20 percent premium increase for State Farm, which holds more than a quarter of the state’s market and had announced a moratorium on new policies. 

It’s a trade-off, one that not only affects current homeowners but those who aspire to ownership and therefore must obtain insurance to obtain mortgages. 

Moreover, the availability of insurance for their potential customers affects developers who build and sell new homes. 

As with the budget crisis, politicians cannot repeal the unwritten laws of economics. Ultimately, there’s no free lunch. 

(Dan Walters has been a journalist for more than 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. CalMatters.org.)

CALIFORNIA’S HUGE BUDGET DEFICIT

by Sophia Bollag

Though the U.S. economy is, by many measures, doing well and has not dipped into a feared recession, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California lawmakers face a daunting budget deficit.

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, which makes budget predictions for state lawmakers, estimates that they will have to reduce planned spending by $68 billion. For context, the 2023-24 budget represents $310.8 billion in spending.

California can trace its budget woes all the way back to the winter storms around New Year’s Day 2023 — when communities up and down the state faced flooding and damage due to heavy rains. Those storms prompted the federal government to push back the deadline to file taxes on their 2022 income from April 18 to Nov. 16 for the vast majority of Californians.

California’s Constitution requires the governor and state lawmakers to craft a state budget based on how much they estimate the state will collect in taxes over the next year. The governor must sign the budget into law by the end of June, in time for the July 1 start of the state’s fiscal year.

By then, state government usually has a very good idea of how much California residents and businesses paid in taxes for the previous year because the state budget deadline comes after the tax deadline. But last year, the extended tax deadlines meant the state budget experts at the LAO and the Department of Finance had to do a lot more guessing than usual. In the end, they estimated too high and projected the state would collect more in taxes than it ultimately did, which accounts for a big chunk of the projected deficit.

Budget experts point to several factors in recent years that have pushed tax revenue down, including a declining stock market, high inflation, rising interest rates and job losses in the tech industry. Those factors are also contributing to the projected deficit.

California’s budget outlook can fluctuate dramatically from year to year because the state relies so heavily on taxes from its highest earners, whose income tends to be heavily influenced by changes in the stock market. In 2022, the stock market in general and many tech companies’ stocks in particular took a big hit. The S&P 500 stock index dropped 19% in 2022, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 33%.

Just two years ago, fiscal analysts predicted a $100 billion surplus, and the governor and lawmakers budgeted accordingly. State law required them to spend much of the projected surplus on public schools and reserve accounts. They chose to spend much of the remainder on shoring up the state’s social services programs and also sent some money back to Californians in the form of stimulus payments.

They also took some steps to prepare for future deficits, including by paying down debts and adding billions of dollars to reserve accounts beyond what was legally required. And they opted to make many one-time expenditures in areas like homelessness and infrastructure that didn’t commit the state to ongoing expenses, which make future deficits more likely.

Even so, the amount in the state’s rainy day fund and other reserve accounts isn’t enough to cover the projected deficit this year. Republicans argue that the Democrats who control state government should have been more fiscally prudent when they had a surplus.

“After ignoring my warnings of overspending at a time of economic uncertainty, the state is glaring at a $68 billion budget deficit,” Assembly Member Vince Fong of Bakersfield, the top Republican on the Assembly budget committee, said in a statement. “I have said for years, a slowing California economy coupled with unsustainable spending is a recipe for fiscal disaster.”

Now, Newsom and lawmakers will have to cut projected spending to balance the budget.

Newsom’s Department of Finance will release its own deficit estimate Wednesday, when the governor will unveil his plans for how to address it. The LAO estimate and the Department of Finance’s estimates always differ somewhat, in part because the finance estimate comes later and therefore can factor in additional tax receipts that have come in since the LAO issued its estimate.

(SF Chronicle)

THE SOCIAL SECURITY LOCKBOX

Editor: 

A recent letter writer offered two perspectives on how to “fix” Social Security. Both are creations of establishmentarians who can’t or won’t think out their institutional boxes.

The facts: The Social Security Trust Fund has taken in more revenue each year than it distributes. The undistributed revenue is invested in U.S. Treasury bonds, i.e., to the general fund. The government currently owes $2.76 trillion to the trust fund.

The way the system works now is that working people help keep federal taxes as low as possible for high-income individuals and corporations. When people talk about cutting Social Security benefits, I see “I’m going to steal from you, and you’re going to like it.”

Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan introduced the Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box Act. It seeks to ensure that Congress stops stealing from the rest of us. We don’t need to cut Social Security benefits for anyone. This is not a left/right issue. It is our issue. We need to claim what is ours and insist that Congress come up with a plan to protect what we pay into the trust fund and pay back the money borrowed from it.

Jeffrey J. Olson

Clearlake Oaks

MARION WITH W.R. HEARST, who were together from 1919 until his death in 1951. 

In Hearst's declining years, Davies provided financial as well as emotional support for him. At one point, he reportedly came close to marrying Davies, but decided his wife's settlement demands were too high. Hearst was extremely jealous and possessive of her, even though he was married throughout their relationship.

WHO SITS ON THEIR HANDS?

Dear Editor and Readers,

Yet another saga of who gets paid to sit on their hands? I know it’s tough times. Everybody’s hurting. Bills, taxes, and those who were raised with such (higher) hopes and dreams are told sit on that, squelch that dream, wait. We had to. Sound familiar? Lol. 

Yet when a senior gets an allowance debit card guess who screams foul? So many secrets in these places meant to be grateful, meant to be forgiving and allow others to find their own path/way. I bet as a prognosis this coming election will be to desire poor conduct (sit on hands) and expect to be paid for it. Take care of yourselves.

Sincerely yours,

Gregory ‘Vigilant’ Crawford

Fort Bragg

SOME PLAYERS, THEY HAVE ALL THEIR LICKS MEMORIZED. 

They think about what they’re going to play, but I try to think about what not to play. Tone and phrasing, that’s what’s important – less is more. The feeling, that’s the thing. — Charlie Musselwhite

A CELEBRATION OF RARE BOOKS Returns to San Francisco: The California International Antiquarian Book Fair

by StoryStudio

In every corner of San Francisco lies a chapter of literary history, woven into the fabric of the city. Historic moments, like the establishment of its first bookstore in 1849 and the influential Beat poetry movement, reflect San Francisco’s enduring passion for the written word. It’s a legacy embedded in the city’s bookstores, cafes, and cultural landmarks, and it sets the perfect stage for a prestigious event that celebrates the world of rare and antiquarian books, maps, prints, and ephemera.

In February, the 56th California International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the scenic embrace of San Francisco’s Pier 27. Sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, the three-day event offers an opportunity to explore a selection of manuscripts, early American and European literature, modern first editions, maps, and photographs and autographs, as well as antiquarian books on history, science, cooking, wine, and more. 

The California International Antiquarian Book Fair – A Global Gathering

The 2024 edition of the book fair is shaping up to be a global spectacle, featuring an impressive resurgence of exhibitors that include participants from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Almost 40% of this year’s exhibitors are from outside the U.S., positioning the fair as a major international hub for the rare and antiquarian book community. Visitors can look forward to a rich cultural tapestry of unique literary treasures, making the event a true celebration of the diverse and interconnected world of book collecting.

Introducing the ABAA

Sponsoring the 56th annual book fair is the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, an organization dedicated to the celebration and preservation of rare books. Established in 1949, the ABAA promotes ethical standards in the rare book trade, fostering a community that includes collectors, librarians, and enthusiasts. At the fair, the ABAA’s presence will be apparent not only in the carefully curated collections but also in the shared commitment to promoting literary heritage and education. The event serves as a platform for the ABAA to connect with a wider audience, sharing a passion for rare books and the association’s vital role in cultural preservation.

Cultural Partnerships and Learning Opportunities

This year’s book fair is enriched by partnerships with key San Francisco cultural organizations including the Book Club of California, the American Bookbinders Museum, the Letterform Archive, the Hand Bookbinders of California, the Ephemera Society of America, and the San Francisco Center for the Book.

These collaborations shine a light on book and printmaking techniques, typography, design, and illustration, offering attendees an immersive experience in the world of bookmaking and preservation. The fair also boasts an exciting lineup of speakers, as well as the possibility of special events at local gathering spots leading up to the weekend. While specific details are under wraps, these teasers promise enriching encounters with the luminaries of the book world.

The Fair Experience

At the fair, a gathering of 125 distinguished exhibitors showcases their inventories of rare and antiquarian books, with prices ranging from affordable discoveries to priceless treasures. The eclectic mix promises that each visitor—from those just beginning their journey into book collecting to the most experienced bibliophiles—will encounter books that speak to their passion, as well as their literary taste and budget. 

The opening night celebration is a highlight, as the ABAA hosts a sparkling wine bar to kick off the festivities. A $25 ticket grants access to the fair all weekend, where select concessions and a cash bar will fortify guests during their exploration. For fans of society-type events, the fair offers a unique blend of sophistication and casual ambiance. While some may opt for business attire, jeans and casual wear are welcomed equally.

Importantly, the California International Antiquarian Book Fair is not just for seasoned collectors; it is a welcoming event for all who cherish books. ABAA members at the fair are eager to engage with newcomers, share their knowledge, and develop new relationships, making the event ideal for those new to the world of rare books. And while personal book appraisals are not available, the ABAA provides opportunities for visitors to connect with expert book dealers.

The Gloves Are Off: A Note About Handling Antiquarian Books

Contrary to the often-intimidating atmosphere of high-end collectibles, the fair encourages hands-on interaction with the books. The opportunity to handle precious volumes with clean hands, not gloves, underscores the ABAA’s philosophy of making rare books approachable and tangible. 

Plan Your Visit

The 56th California International Antiquarian Book Fair runs from February 9th to 11th at Pier 27 along the Embarcadero. Situated in a safe, tourist-friendly area of the city, the book fair is easily accessible by BART, ferry, or Muni, and offers over 100 free parking spots for attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be food, wine, beer, and liquor available for purchase daily. 

A Global Community of Bibliophiles, Collectors, and Enthusiasts

As the California International Antiquarian Book Fair makes its much-anticipated return to San Francisco, the ABAA invites everyone to explore the fascinating world of antiquarian books, maps, prints, and ephemera in a relaxed and approachable setting. This event is not just a showcase of rare items but a lively, inclusive gathering that highlights the enduring charm and significance of historic treasures. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just beginning to explore the world of rare books, the fair promises an unforgettable experience. For more information, including hours, directions, and ticket inquiries, visit www.abaa.org/cabookfair. 

(SFgate)

PG&E’S ‘SETTLEMENT’ GIVEAWAY

Editor,

There is a proposed "settlement" with PG&E being considered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). They are planning to give PG&E $40 million to upgrade it digital records system and California residents and cities and towns damaged by the fires caused by PG&E's unsafe pursuit of profit. 

The CPUC is still considering this idea. You can send an email to them about this BS at: Martha.Perez@cpuc.ca.gov

I have sent the following letter:

Martha Perez

Employment Program Representative

PG&E

---

Ms. Perez,

This proposed “settlement” is nothing more than a giveaway to PG&E of $40 million. The people who suffered from PG&E’s lack of ensuring the safety of California residents suffered far more than $5 million. They lost their homes and more.

The towns of Paradise and Concow were almost completely destroyed. They lost 95 % of their structures. Greenville was mostly burned. The camp fire and the dixie fire were caused by PG&E’s using most of their profits for enriching their investors and board of directors and CEO instead of ensuring the safety of California residents

PG&E should be penalized for this not given more millions to upgrade It’s digital records system which it should have done with its massive profits ($18 billion gross profits for 2023.

This settlement is an insult to California citizens who pay PG&E’s outrageous bills.

Edward M. Oberweiser

Fort Bragg

SIT IN A ROOM AND READ — and read and read. And read the right books by the right people. Your mind is brought onto that level, and you have a nice, mild, slow-burning rapture all the time.

― Joseph Campbell

EMPEDOCLES ON ETNA

Once read thy own breast right,

And thou hast done with fears!

Man gets no other light,

Search he a thousand years.

Sink in thyself; there ask what ails thee, at that shrine!

.

What makes thee struggle and rave?

Why are men ill at ease?

'Tis that the lot they have

Fails their own will to please;

For man would make no murmuring, were his will obey'd.

— ‘Empodocles on Etna,’ Matthew Arnold, 1852

I’M NOT YOUR TYPICAL BOXER. 

I'm more of a fighter. I go out there and I fight, I throw a lot of big punches. I don't usually box. I can, but I'm bored. The fault is tired. One day I might try boxing. People want to see a fight. A typical boxing match is boring to watch. Two guys punch and run and dance. Who wants to pay to see two adults dance?

— Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch

ORF VS. THE MEMORY HOLE: Anthony Fauci's Pandemic Follies

We villainized Americans for refusing to blindly follow the dictates of a doctor who didn't bother to keep any story straight for long

by Matt Taibbi & Matt Orfalea

On March 9th of last year, former chief medical advisor to Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, gave an interview to Neil Cavuto on Fox News expressing mirthful astonishment that anyone could say he pushed a zoonotic “spillover” theory for Covid-19. “That’s totally bizarre,” he said. “First of all, I wasn’t leaning totallystrongly one way or the other. I’ve always kept an open mind.” 

Two days later he was on CNN, telling Jim Acosta that he didn’t start off in one place or another, but was influenced by “two very important, well-written, peer reviewed papers in Science magazine strongly suggesting that in fact it was a natural occurrence from an animal to a human.” As Racket’sMatt Orfalea goes on to show above, Fauci didn’t just repudiate the substance of what he’d said about Covid’s origins across three years, but the specific language, down to the word “strongly,” dating to the beginning of the pandemic. 

I’m recovering from a particularly violent bout of Covid-19, so perhaps as a vaccinated person I’m a bit frostier on the subject than one might normally be, but Orf has put together a clip I hope future historians will bother to review. It’s now clear one of the biggest, if not the biggest single sources of misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic was Fauci himself: 

The above Orf clip pertains to one corner of the jumble: Fauci’s preposterous double-down on the idea that he was never “strongly leaning totally one way or the other” about the origin of the disease. 

That Fauci was saying this as late as March of last year is amazing, given that emails and chats between the authors of the infamous Proximal Origins of SARS CoV-2paper ginned up to promote the “zoonotic origin” hypothesis were just a few months from bursting into public, proving that Fauci poured his bureaucratic weight into that theory, even over and above the authors’ own reservations. He must have known this material would get out. 

The moment history should perhaps examine most closely is the amazing White House press conference Fauci gave on April 17, 2020. 

On that day, Fauci said, in response to a question about the possibility of a lab leak: “There was a study recently that we can make available to you by a group of highly qualified virologists looked at the sequences there and the sequences in bats as they evolved… it is totally consistent with a jump from an animal to a human.” 

He paused. “I don’t have the authors right now, but we can make that available to you.” He was referring to the Proximal Origins of SARS CoV-2 paper.

I’ve re-watched that video sequence probably a hundred times. It might be the most impressively bold example of political lying I can remember in recent years, and that includes Donald Trump’s appearances. If it were possible for a human being to lie one’s face off, Fauci’s would have been sliding off at the edges in that sequence above. 

Last summer, Michael Shellenberger and Alexandra Gutentag of Public and I were able to review and publish those Proximal OriginSlack chats and emails showing Fauci could not possibly have been ignorant of the article authors when he gave that April 2020 press conference. Why? Because he was in every meaningful sense an uncredited author of the paper, with constant involvement in its preparation in the months leading to that moment. Those of us who worked on that story had our faces repeatedly shoved in the hugeness of Fauci’s lie. 

The genesis of the “papah” to which Fauci referred, when he acted as if he didn’t know the “authas,” was a February 1st, 2020 conference call including Fauci and at last four of the eventual Proximal Originwriters, many of whom expressed strong initial suspicion of a lab leak. Even Wellcome Trust’s Jeremy Farrar, one of the biggest funders in medicine, said, “On a spectrum if 0 is nature and 100 is release — I am honestly at 50!” Eventual author Robert Garry: “I just can’t figure out how this gets accomplished in nature.” Researcher Michael Farzan added, “I am 70:30 or 60:40,” meaning leaning toward lab release versus natural origin. 

Three days from the conclusion of that call, the first Proximal Origindraft was written and submitted not to a magazine editor, but to Fauci and NIH director Francis Collins. When Collins wondered how accidental lab escape might be possible, Fauci himself wrote, “??Serial passage in ACE2-transgenic mice?” meaning via genetically modified mice. 

We never heard him posit anything like that in public, until confronted about the possibility of U.S. funded-research involving humanized mice by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. In any case, on February 6th, 2020, two days after Fauci’s “serial passage… in ACE2-transgenic mice?” comment, eventual lead author Kristian Anderson changed the name of his group’s Slack chat from “project-wuhan_engineering” to “project-wuhan_pangolin.” Our jaws dropped at Publicand Racketat this. You can’t make such stuff up.

Two days later, on February 8th, Andersen wrote, “Our main work over the last couple of weeks has been focused on trying to disprove any type of lab theory.” 

It wasn’t until four days after that, on February 12, 2020, that Anderson finally wrote to Natureeditor Clare Thomas to propose a paper “prompted” not just by the five scientific authors themselves — “Eddie Holmes, Andrew Rambaut, Bob Garry, Ian Lipkin, and myself,” but also “Jeremy Farrah [sic], Tony Fauci, and Fancis Collins,” meaning the bigwigs from Wellcome Trust, Fauci’s NIAID, and Collins of NIH.

This is just some of the great quantity of correspondence between these figures prior to the paper’s eventual publication in Nature Medicine. For Fauci to still pretend after that, first, he had nothing to do with assembling the Proximal Originresearch, and furthermore contend he was never “leaning totally strongly” in any one direction three years later, is astonishing. 

In another moment that would likely be memory-holed if not for the efforts of people like Orf, Fauci insisted in May, 2021, under Senate questioning by Marco Rubio, that his reason for believing in zoonotic origin was because there had been compelling historical examples. 

RUBIO: What is the basis for the conclusion that it is likely to have been more naturally occurring than a lab accident?

FAUCI: Well, we have a historical experience that happened with SARS-CoV-1. It happened with MERS… So the historical basis for pandemics evolving naturally from an animal reservoir is extremely strong.

These were both questionable examples. As Rubio noted, the animal hosts for SARS CoV-1 and MERS were found relatively quickly. Moreover, neither SARS-CoV-1 nor MERS ever became anywhere near as adept at transmitting from human to human as Covid-19, which was one of the complaints CDC Director Bob Redfield had about the zoonotic theory. “We had people,” Rubio said, “who were called kooks and conspiracy theorists for saying publicly a year ago what we now say may be possible. I think we owe those people an apology, at minimum.” Obviously, no formal apology came.

The Covid-19 origin story paled in importance to the more aggressive blame campaign directed at people who did not get vaccinated. Orfalea documented this horrific fiasco at length already seven months ago, but it’s incredible how willing the media priesthood has been to try to continue to tiptoe away from this episode, as if it didn’t happen. 

It of course would have been different if the Covid-19 vaccine like the one I took (and had boosted three times) prevented either infection or at least transmission of Covid-19. It did neither, and this was known to be the case well before Joe Biden came out in July of 2021 in a CNN Town Hall and said if you’re vaccinated, “You’re not going to die” and “You’re not going to get hospitalized.” (He would also say you’re “not going to get COVID.”) Politifact, by the way, had the balls to rate Biden’s “not going to die” claim “Half True,” calling it a “slight exaggeration,” yet another reminder that fact-checkers were some of the worst factual offenders during the Covid-19 period.

By December of that year, 2021, “Breakthrough infections” were reported by Timeto be “rare no longer,” ostensibly because of the new Omicron variant. 

However, I had one of those “rare” breakthrough infections in the pre-Omicron period, and knew numerous other unlucky lottery winners from that time. Anyone with a telephone and friends could see that whatever good the vaccines might be doing, they weren’t preventing contraction, or either symptomatic or asymptomatic transmission, in the same way that traditional vaccines would. Nor were they putting us on the road to the utopia in which “everyone” faced no risk, a hallowed land we were told to to blame the “unvaccinated” for burning to the ground.

A legend that scientists who opposed lockdowns were doing so because they “want them infected” became a popular propaganda line, one incidentally pushed by Fauci, who spoke of those who wanted to “let it rip.” We now know there were scientists like Stanford’s Jay Bhattacharya whose simple objection to lockdowns was that his data showed SARS CoV-2 infection rates were much higher than initially admitted, making efforts to stop transmission bit of a fool’s errand. It wasn’t a question of “letting” transmission happen, but focusing protection on those who needed it most, like the elderly, and those with co-morbidities. 

Nonetheless, the wide belief that the disease was perpetuated by the unvaccinated persisted, which is how we got one of the all-time mean-spirited public relations campaigns: “Nobody is safe until everyone is safe.” Orf’s compilation documented the insane progression. This video, by the way, is demonetized, despite it being wholly a compilation of mainstream news pronouncements, as YouTube has decided it “isn’t suitable for all advertisers.”

This “Nobody is Safe!” mantra was repplayed over and over with the leaden gravitas of We Are The World, but positive messaging didn’t suffice. The disease had to be blamed on recalcitrant anti-vaxxers. No one stood in the way when a parade of half-smart carnival barkers in smart-glasses like John Oliver bleated hysterically to those who didn’t get the shot, “You’re the fooking problem!” A true low point came when Gene Simmons — as close to a one-man health crisis as rock n’ roll has ever produced, and I mean that as a compliment — grunted to the unvaxxed, “You are the enemy!” Sean Penn, of all people, said going around unvaccinated was like having a “a gun in peoples’ faces.”

We then got the famed Jimmy Kimmel take on E.R. triage in the Covid age: “Vaccinated person having a heart attack? Yes, come right in. Unvaccinated guy? Rest in peace, wheezy.” What the fuck!Doctors never even took that attitude toward people who plopped into emergency rooms with ancient cases of untreated diabetes or Fentanyl ODs or any of a thousand other fixable medical problems. It still would have been a moral outrage to turn away such people, but the “pandemic of the unvaccinated” was worse: a state-sponsored cruelty campaign ungrounded in fact, for which no one has ever apologized. They want us to just forget it.

Politically the only benefit in trying to keep this entire era memory-holed, now that everyone sees what happened, is to hope that people like me, when they contract Covid-19, don’t spend that glorious first 72 hours of fever and hacking recalling all this insanity. In my case, they were wrong. How dumb must they think people are? As the disease lingers, so will the memories. 

ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Big money owns America. Always has.

During the 1950s thru the early 1960s, it was most advantageous for big money that middle America should do better.

That was a unique era. That era ended as the Europe, especially Germany, and Japan got on their feet and began to outcompete the US–with the tacit approval of the US government (controlled by big money); it ended as the costs of the Vietnam War led to inflation and deficits (both enriched big money, so they wanted that), and the energy crisis.

Since then, the size of total pie (per person) has remained remarkable STAGNANT. Big money’s share of the pie has continued to grow, which means everyone else’s has declined, though not evenly. Some Americans had held their share, maybe a wee bit more. But most have lost share.

COVID, the war in the Ukraine, and the war on war on Palestinians all enrich big money.

The big question is, to me, is:

Does big money own and control China? Is BRICS and the Chinese-led “non-West” really like a WWF professional wrestling match, where big money owns both.

GUARDING PROSPERITY

by Tom Stevenson

The Red Sea is usually one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Nearly 30% of maritime container trade, and a significant quantity of oil, passes through the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandab. Or it used to, before the Houthis in Yemen began trying to shut it all down last month.

In October, they launched a number of ballistic missiles at Israel. Some were intercepted by Israel’s Hetz missile defense system; others were shot down by US Navy destroyers. But where these attacks failed, the Houthis have enjoyed more success in the Red Sea.

The distance between the Red Sea’s jagged coral coasts is relatively narrow. Southbound ships usually keep west and northbound ships stay east, passing closer to Yemen. 

On November 19, videos showed Houthi forces boarding and commandeering the Galaxy Leader, a ship flying a Bahaman flag, chartered in Japan and, according to the Houthis, Israeli-owned. (Israeli authorities said the ship’s owners were British and it had nothing to do with them.) The raid was followed by near daily attacks on passing commercial ships.

By mid-December, the world’s four largest shipping companies – MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM and COSCO – had suspended the Red Sea transit. Maersk has decided to reroute all its ships “for the foreseeable future.” Some smaller shipping companies have persisted.

The Red Sea has been the main maritime route between the east and west of the old world since the opening of the Suez canal in 1869. In the 19th century, the British Empire built a coaling station and colonial outpost at Aden to control trade between Bombay and London. The alternative is to sail round Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding thousands of miles to the journey.

The Houthis have made clear their “comprehensive blockade in the Red Sea” is a direct response to Israeli crimes in Gaza. It is also a direct challenge to US naval dominance in the Middle East. Ineffectual missile attacks on a US protectorate were bad enough. Defying American power in the region’s second most important waters (after the Persian Gulf) was bound to provoke a response.

On December 18, the US and a few allies declared Operation Prosperity Guardian to escort commercial ships through the Red Sea. US forces have been shooting down anti-ship missiles launched by the Houthis. Helicopters from the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and the destroyer USS Gravely have seen off small attack boats. The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond shot down a drone. No commercial ship has suffered very serious damage since the start of the operation, but that hasn’t been enough to get the giant shipping companies to return.

The Houthis are often still described as “rebels,” a term that might have been appropriate a decade ago but isn’t any longer. In the chaotic aftermath of the 2011 uprisings in Yemen, the Houthis – a composite movement of political, religious and tribal groups from the north of the country – were the qualified victors. They did not win a complete national victory. But by 2014 they were in control of the capital, Sanaa, and most of the densely populated parts of the country except Aden. They have survived a concerted and bloody assault designed to remove them from power, led by Saudi Arabia and backed by Britain and the US. They are the closest thing Yemen has to a government – much closer than the so-called Presidential Leadership Council concocted by the Saudis, which does most of its business out of the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh.

In Britain there have been calls to increase the Royal Navy’s involvement. The Telegraph columnist Tom Sharpe has published five articles calling for the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to be deployed to the Red Sea, and for “offensive strikes into Houthi territory.” The years of brutal war in Yemen, sustained by Britain and the US, with a death toll in the hundreds of thousands, go unmentioned.

On January 3, the US and UK issued a “final warning” to the Houthis to stop the attacks. The Houthis responded the following day by sending an “unmanned explosives-packed surface boat” into the shipping lanes. Another round of Anglo-American attacks on Yemen has become likely. But the Houthis have already shown they cannot be cowed. Tuesday night they launched what is said to be their biggest attack yet, intercepted by American and British forces. A larger war isn’t getting any less likely.

The Red Sea crisis has revealed the absence not only of purported “middle powers” but also of China. The shipment of manufactured goods from Shanghai to Rotterdam is the emblematic trade route of the modern world. Yet Beijing has issued a single bland pro forma statement, from the deputy director of the information department at the Foreign Ministry, urging “all sides” to play a constructive role. In practice, the situation is left to the flailing violence of the US and its lesser allies.

GOOD HOURS

I had for my winter evening walk—

No one at all with whom to talk,

But I had the cottages in a row

Up to their shining eyes in snow.

And I thought I had the folk within:

I had the sound of a violin;

I had a glimpse through curtain laces

Of youthful forms and youthful faces.

I had such company outward bound.

I went till there were no cottages found.

I turned and repented, but coming back

I saw no window but that was black.

Over the snow my creaking feet

Disturbed the slumbering village street

Like profanation, by your leave,

At ten o’clock of a winter eve.

— Robert Frost