- Correction: Wrong Brian Carter
- The Economic Benefits Of Care
- Dark Money In Fort Bragg Politics?
- The Myth That Won't Die
- It’s Clear What They’re Going
- Outta ‘This’ World
- Save Community Clinics
- Anything Goes
CORRECTION: WRONG BRIAN CARTER
Dear AVA,
It has come to my attention that in your [on-line] paper dated Saturday, September 14, 2024, you wrote and published the following: “Former Ukiah Attorney Brian Carter, son of the legendary Republican fixer-attorney Jared Carter, and former Attorney for infamous Pacific Lumber CEO… Charles Hurwitz, who now lists his residence as ‘Manchester,’ is running for an appointed seat on the Redwood Coast Fire District board.”
Please be advised that I am not a “former Ukiah attorney,” as I still reside and am still practicing law in Ukiah.
Please also be advised that I am not running for a seat, appointed or otherwise, on the Redwood Coast Fire District Board.
Thank you.
Brian C. Carter
Ukiah
THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF CARE
To the general public,
During the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting on September 10 a department head was asked if they supported The City of Fort Bragg’s CRU program or if they have ever considered bringing the idea to the County. The department head responded with, “I don’t have their data in front of me but what I have heard is, their arrests of homeless are up 250%, so no, I am not interested in arresting our way out of this.”
On one hand I would agree that arresting our way out of this problem is not the answer, and that is why we have taken the opposite approach. You can see some of our outcomes in the data below. It is important to me, the CRU program and its staff, that the correct information is provided to the public and not data provided by “hearsay.”
Please review the data below and reach out if you have any questions.
The below summary includes six clients the CRU program has worked with extensively. These clients were selected because they demonstrated the diverse level of services CRU provides to find effective solutions.
The savings presented are just an estimate of police staff savings. The estimated staff cost is $400 per contact and $1800 per arrest. These cost estimates are conservative and do not include costs to other agencies such as the courts or jail. These costs also do not include savings to the healthcare system. Every one of the presented clients had multiple emergency room visits during the timeframes reviewed. The assumption is that these emergency room visits would have declined as well following CRU intervention. We have had difficulty tracking these statistics due to the emergency room being unable to provide data due to HIPPA (the federal Health Information Protection and Privacy Act).
Respectfully,
Mayor Bernie Norvell
Fort Bragg
Bnorvell2@fortbragg.com
DARK MONEY IN FORT BRAGG POLITICS?
Editor,
So, who is this Alliance for a Better Fort Bragg? Why is their contact person located in Sacramento and what do they have to do with conservative Sacramento PR firm Kabateck Strategies? More important for Fort Bragg voters, who funded Kabateck’s services and the Alliance’s fancy website?
Last Wednesday, I learned by chance of a community meeting of the Alliance for a Better Fort Bragg at a Dijon Seafood and Grill in the Company Store. Curious, I decided to check it out. Without counting, I would guess that 30 people were there, many of the “usual suspects” in Fort Bragg politics. Train guys Chris Hart and Robert Pinoli were circulating in the background. Hors d'oeuvres were coming out of the kitchen and wine was being poured.
MC Michelle Roberts gave a short introduction to the Alliance and invited several others to give testimonials. She then shifted into announcing that the Alliance was endorsing Scott Hockett and Ryan Bushnell for Fort Bragg City Council, chosen for their answers to a questionnaire sent out by the Alliance and vetted by an Alliance subcommittee. Scott and Ryan spoke briefly, taking no significant positions other than “putting the swords down.”
After the formal part broke for socializing and individual conversation, I asked Roberts whether the other candidates had returned their questionnaires. Her response was oddly phrased. “I think I can tell you that they didn’t.”
I had a short and pleasant conversation with Ryan, hung out for a while longer with people I knew, grabbed some literature and headed home, planning on digging deeper the next morning.
My first move was to look at the Alliance’s website, https://afabfb.com/, graphically sophisticated with some artful branding. “Cost some money,” was my first thought. A Whois query on the domain name revealed the owner as DomainsByProxy.com, an anonymizer service with the same Tempe, Arizona address as GoDaddy.com, the web host for the website. First red flag: somebody wants to hide who is behind the website.
Second red flag went up when I started looking at the flier I picked up. The contact listed, Nate Haderlie, has a Sacramento phone number. A LinkedIn search for Haderlie listed him as a principal in Kabateck Strategies in Sacramento, a Republican aligned political PR firm whose founder, John Kabateck, worked for Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, fought raising the minimum wage, and wrote an opinion piece for the Hoover Institute.
Kabatech’s website, https://kabateckstrategies.com/, touts their “…more than three decades of leadership with developing, organizing and mobilizing key grassroots organizations and coalitions.” Given their profile, they cannot have come cheap either.
It’s looking more and more like the Alliance is an “astroturf” group, similar to the Tea Party funded by the Koch Brothers, I asked Michelle Roberts at the League of Women Voters forum on Thursday who Kabateck Strategies was. She seemed taken aback that I knew about them. She denied knowing who was paying for their services or that she was working for them.
So, the questions remain:
Who is paying for the Alliance/Kabateck effort?
Are Hockett and Bushnell aware of the sophistication of this effort supporting their candidacies and its source?
Both have denied taking any money from anyone, but campaign signs cost money. If their campaigns have somehow coordinated with the Alliance, are they required to declare the costs of the Kabateck/Alliance effort as campaign contributions?
Fort Bragg voters would like to know.
Jade Tippett
Fort Bragg
THE MYTH THAT WON'T DIE
Re: Lembcke, Spit, Veterans, & The Women
Dear Bruce Anderson:
This is regarding your “How Democrats Captured the Northcoast, Forever” with its reference to spat-on Vietnam veterans, and my book (thank you).
Many AVA readers will have read or at least heard about Kristin Hannah's novel ‘The Women,’ now in its 32nd week and currently #4 on the NY Times bestseller list. Hearing from readers dismayed that Hannah’s lead character, an army nurse home from Vietnam, is spat on multiple times, I shared some of their messages with Marybeth Jarrad, the blog editor at NYU Press. Jarrad replied, “It's stunning that this myth is so firmly entrenched in the collective consciousness! We need to keep doing our part to overwrite it!” With that, I wrote the review linked below.
The reappearance of this myth in best-selling fiction marketed to women — and destined for Hollywood, says one of my readers — is a reminder that the importance of debunking the betrayal narrative for the loss of the war in Vietnam has not only not diminished but expanded into new cultural terrain.
Please let me know of your interest in reposting the review. The link: https://nyupress.org/blog/2024/08/20/veterans-and-victims-in-kristin-hannahs-the-women-by-jerry-lembcke
Jerry Lembcke, Associate Professor Emeritus
Department of Sociology/Anthropology
Holy Cross College
Worcester, MA 01610
508-793-2288
PS. I would love to hear from AVA readers with thoughts about ‘The Women’ and my review. For that, feel free to share my email address: jlembcke@holycross.edu
IT’S CLEAR WHAT THEY’RE GOING
Editor,
What the Trump-Vance campaign is doing with its focus on Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, is exactly what the George H.W. Bush campaign did in 1988 with its relentless ads in the media about Willie Horton, a Black man furloughed from prison during Michael Dukakis’s time as governor of Massachusetts. Mr. Horton committed violent crimes when released, the blame for which could not fairly be placed at Mr. Dukakis’s doorstep.
For those voters too young to remember that race-driven tactic, or for those whose memories don’t go that far back, it’s worth looking up. Unfortunately, it was a winning strategy.
John Loughery
Berlin, Conn.
OUTTA ‘THIS’ WORLD
Editor:
Thank you everyone for your beautiful birthday wishes; they were all wonderful, and my heart received each one! So I’m 62, which is really amazing, considering I barely made it out of my 50s. I was 55 on June 2018 when I had my stroke. But am now reborn, post stroke, and have had to learn how to walk, talk, eat, and take care of my bodily needs all over again. It has been an illuminating experience, since this is so late in life!
And as you may know I’ve had a couple of potentially fatal events since. I had a blood clot through an entire vein in my left leg which got me airlifted to Chico. I then got pneumonia in the hospital, and had a couple of seizures upon my return. Rather than being scared, I mostly have the amusing thought, “Maybe I can’t be killed.” During my near death experience I travelled through the realms of light and love, but also the dark underworld of evil. So maybe it’s true; maybe I can’t be killed! Just kidding, I’m sure I will give up the ghost someday, but until then I’m REALLY excited to keep having more earthly experiences. This is a wonderful dimension, and I enjoy it very much, and I’m discovering that I enjoy persisting!
I’m very excited about my projects and participation in our community, I’ve started a youtube children's channel called “Mr. Skyhawk’s Nest.” It doesn’t have as much content as I would like yet, but we are working on it. I’ve given a few talks about my stroke and NDE experience, where through poetry and anecdote, I open up that drawer. Two of them are posted on youtube. Covid knocked that back, but I’m considering doing some again soon to community spiritual groups and I’m once again programming for KZYX with Universal Perspectives.
Considering the dire times we are facing I’ve been doing a series called “Exploring Late Stage Capitalism; What’s Next?” I explore paradigms where we might co evolve with the earth, as it seems quite apparent that our current political and social structures are unequipped to handle what looms in front of us!
On the local political front, I’ve made no secret of my abject contempt for my former opponent for the 5th District Supervisor Seat, Ted Williams, who I believe is really harming our County. Before I entered the race, I was formerly allied with him in our local fire protection district. He has a very calculating hidden side, which I SERIOUSLY underestimated! Now that he has the job, he seems quite apathetic about the affairs of the county under his supposed “supervision.” There is a very dark, intelligent and cunning sub-personality inside this man. He can read a room, know exactly the images people want to see, show them those pictures with the deepest of sincerity, and then securely return to his apathy! He knows most of his supporters don't bother themselves with the granular details of good governance. I don't think any objective observer would call our County a properly functioning entity, and yet Ted carries on.
A while back in an letter to the Editor I said “beware this man.” While that was admittedly cryptic, this is what I meant. And I’ve since been ostracized and cancelled by his enabling, willingly gaslit apologists who can’t be troubled with the granular details of good governance.
The good news is that I don't miss them. Even though he has a couple of years left on his term, it’s not too early for voters to start considering a plausible electoral alternative, should he decide he wants to continue enjoying the status and salary of his seat.
On the personal front, my 16 year-old twin daughters are doing great, very well in school. They are loved in our community, and are aerial arts rock stars in Circus Mecca. The post stroke collapse of my marriage is another story, but as I said:I enjoy persisting!
On the physical front. my left hand has been in permanent contracture for the last six years, and I have no voluntary control of it. My walking is really a sort of hobbling shuffle, and while I would certainly love to play my guitar again or take a decent day hike with my sweetheart, I’m also enjoying my newfound abilities, The internal landscape is an incredible wilderness to explore!
My life has acquired a very spiritual dimension to it, I was always inclined in that direction, but what I experienced during the stroke and my return to “this” world has taught me a LOT! Maybe it’s because I have so much brain damage, but I’ve learned our hearts actually think! (And they travel through space and time.) There is a thin membrane between the physical and non-physical realms, and I have lots of time to reflect and meditate and dream on these subjects. A while back I was gifted an electric wheelchair that gets me, literally, all over town. I can also cruise the coast trail. It wasn’t a life goal to become a local colorful character, but…
I have various prayer spots for specific intentions I have time to sit, and just watch, I learn a lot in the quiet, and sometimes random strangers come along, and they tell me the most extraordinary things about themselves!
I’m getting increasingly adept at being conscious as I travel inside and across those dimensions, to the point that magical/mystical experiences are quite common for me. My belief is that I’m learning the true meaning and poignancy of what it is to be human! I know people will likely think I’m just a brain damaged nutter; there is certainly ample evidence for that position. But I don't really care, I’m not trying to prove anything!
I love and appreciate support in all its many forms, and I’m comfortable living a Spartan lifestyle. But I do have a Patreon page if anyone wishes to lend their financial support. It’s configured to allow $5, $9 and $20 per month, but I have been told by some Patrons they have been able to customize the amount. Again, obviously I’ve had a pretty rough go, but the level of support, care and love that I’ve received has been nothing short of astounding!
https://www.patreon.com/chrisskyhawk?fan_landing=true
OK thanks again and much love to you all.
Chris Skyhawk
Fort Bragg
SAVE COMMUNITY CLINICS
Editor,
Regarding this editorial from the Chronicle, “Endorsement: Prop 35 is a complicated maze of a measure that doesn’t belong on the ballot." In fact, Proposition 35 is essential for making sure community clinics like our 12 members, which serve over 110,000 patients per year, can keep their doors open, hire more staff and care for the Medi-Cal patients who overwhelmingly rely on clinics for health care.
Community clinics see more than one-third of the state’s Medi-Cal patients, but for 15 years, the state has redirected funding toward non-health-care purposes, leaving providers and clinics who treat the most vulnerable patients struggling.
Prop 35 provides a solution by funding primary and specialty care, along with dental, mental health and emergency care. For too long, we’ve let those who need care the most wait months for appointments or be forced to drive hours for care — just because they have Medi-Cal.
It’s time that we do better for patients. Vote yes on Prop 35.
Johanna Liu, president and CEO, San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium
San Francisco
ANYTHING GOES
Editor:
Is it not as morally reprehensible to put explosives in pagers that can be exploded by remote control so as to maim and kill civilians as it is to plant land mines in order to maim and kill civilians? What is happening to the morality of Homo Sapiens?
J.D. Thompson
Santa Rosa
Dark Money / Jade Tippet
What is with all the “dark money” cloak & dagger stuff? You make it sound like you stumbled upon some secret meeting. It was a well posted meeting that was attended by 40+ public officials, city staff, and people from the community. I am shocked at how you could have sat through that great evening of discussion and come away with such a cynical attitude. You wrote Scott & Ryan “spoke briefly”, but actually they stood there for 45 minutes in an open discussion. Almost everyone but you participated. Why would you so greatly mischaracterize things?
I am one out of several dozen member and it was a group effort to put on the event. John Kabateck does work for me and I asked him to help with the press release & RSVPs. The Alliance has made 2 endorsements and invited people to come out for an evening discussion. That is it. No other activities are planned by the Alliance regarding the election.
Anyone is welcome to get involved with the Alliance. Our mission is to promote a positive economic climate that best serves the citizens and visitors of Fort Bragg. Composed of local residents, small businesses, seniors, veterans and community leaders, AFABFB is dedicated to ensuring our local leaders are held accountable to supporting policies that build and retain our local businesses, create jobs and grow the
economy of our community and the North Coast. http://www.AFAFBFB.com
Yes, Jade, you’re welcome to join in too, No “dark money” needed for entry but please check your cloak & dagger at the door.
Jade Tippett: Thank you so much for paying close attention and eloquently pointing out red flags! I spoke to at least three members, two of whom were endorsed by the Alliance, and none could tell me who was backing the Alliance financially, nor “committee” or charter members. A serious concern. Sounds like Chris Hart knows a thing or two about this Alliance. Rather than sarcastically announcing who is allowed at events and the ostensible objectives, perhaps he can answer the important questions that you asked and tell us the funding source of the hosted events, websites and spokespersons.
Anyone paying the least amount of attention knows that if the Harts find enough Councilpeople that they can buy, the City of Fort Bragg is in serious trouble.
Laura, it is very insulting to the candidates and my company that we would “buy” anyone. People spread the same nasty rumors to take down selected candidates in ’22 but after the damage was done it was discovered my company had made zero donations. And now in ’24 you’re doing the same. My company has made zero donations to any candidate in this election. And I hope you and anyone else whose interested reads Hockett’s post a couple days ago addressing rumors like yours.
And yes, I know a “thing or two” about the Alliance because I am a member. The Alliance has no funds and doesn’t even have a bank account. We’re a group of volunteers. The Alliance’s total involvement in the election is distributing a questionnaire, making an endorsement, and having an open discussion. That is it. And no, no candidate is receiving any funds from the Alliance. Further, the Alliance is not campaigning for any candidate because we have not filed for such status. Any campaigning by the Alliance would violate FPPC rules.
You must be a busy guy with an entire Railroad to run. It is coincidental that you spend time volunteering for an political based group that happens to be endorsing candidates that have great power over the lawsuit that you have against the City of Fort Bragg. If the alliance themselves do not have a bank account, who paid for the hosted event Dijon? You already admitted to hiring a Republican PR firm to design the Alliance website that promotes your narrative through the group. Who paid for that? For the record, I am not trying to insult the candidates. I found your endorsees sincere and concerned for our community. Sierra Railroad on the other hand is only concerned about profits for themselves.
Actually, I help oversee many railroads throughout California. What is your point? I have always been active in ever community I have lived. Busy people get involved. I make no secret of the issues I am involved and whatever bias I may have as a result. I live in Fort Bragg and I want the town to do better. One of the key things we lack is an active business community, and I’m one of many trying to improve that situation.
Dijons was provided by Dave Figueredo who owns the building. I did get John to help – because I am busy running railroads – but any member will tell you that he is not “promoting my narrative” in the group.
I don’t think you can let yourself off the hook about not insulting candidates. Rather than speaking with people, you helped perpetuate rumormongering. In a campaign season that only lasts a month, you slanderously wrote of buying candidates. You made the statement and you have harmed people. Own up to it.
While this does not fit within the dark narrative that Jade and others like to paint, our company is not concerned only about profits. Never has been. You don’t provide your full name and I don’t know whether we have ever met, but I would be open to meeting with you if you like. You can email me at christopher@sierrarailroad.com Rather than buying into the “evil rail baron” narrative how about you speak with me.
For someone who is a casual member of the Alliance, you certainly have your ego wrapped tightly around it, aggressively insulting and attacking anyone who dares to challenge it’s position.
No, your uncharismatic personality came through fine in this interaction and I have no desire for further contact. You seem to a penchant for bullying your way through everything you do. Hoping you soon realize that you do not fit in to the culture here, and return to wherever you came from.
You accuse me of buying candidates and I am supposed to not be offended?
The Fort Bragg culture that I know and admire are people who look in the eye and tell you what they think.
AVA is one the few forums left so I appreciate it and participate. But I will tell you who I am and be willing to speak with anyone, and not hide anonymously behind a keyboard making judgements of people I’ve never met. And if I insult someone, I’ll own it.
Correction: I accused you of TRYING to buy candidates.
I sincerely hope that your endorsees and members are paying attention. I did look both endorsees in the eye and voice my Alliance concerns. At that time neither knew about the financial backing through your hired PR firm. Their reaction to this new information will shine a spotlight on their integrity as community leaders. As will their reaction to your aggressive bullying of their future constituents for bringing it to light.
Hiring a PR firm to design a brand new website and write press releases about endorsements and host select candidate events is an expensive contribution to their campaigns.
In the last 24 hours you have lived up to the awful reputation that you have in this community. I understand your need for hiring a PR firm.
Laura, there is nothing wrong with an organization making an endorsement. And as stated many times, that was the start and the end of the Alliance’s involvement in this election.
But let me ask you this, is it okay for a city employee to write slanderous accusations against candidates and companies? Isn’t there a point where an employee goes too far?
No Chris.
Being a dedicated public servant does not impede my right to participate in the democratic process on my own time using my own equipment. Nothing I have said is untrue.
What would be going too far would be if I were to organize a political group and make inkind contributions without registering my group with the FPPC. Luckily I know better than to do such a thing.
So at least I know with whom I’m communicating. I agree that being a 7-year employee of the City of Fort Bragg doesn’t prevent you from expressing your opinion, voting, or even campaigning for someone.
The Alliance has only made an endorsement. If an organization then goes on to campaign, then yes it needs to be registered with the FPPC. The Alliance has not campaigned, has no plans to campaign, and has done nothing wrong. An organization does not need to register with the FPPC when all you do is endorse and let them speak at a meeting. Perhaps you should learn the law before you and Jade make slanderous accusations.
I find it concerning how the City has bullied my company with a million dollar lawsuit. And now its staff make anonymous accusations that candidates are being bought and encourage people to vote for incumbents. Even when you’re presented with facts and you admit your accusations need correction, you then shift to make more false guesses.
On Facebook you post how a railroad backed candidate only lost by 3 votes to an incumbent in ’22 so be sure to get out and vote for your preferred candidates. However, Roberts received zero financial support from our company in ’22. Further, if you listen to her forum comments she didn’t support us. You spread false information.
As was the case in ’22, you will see no candidates receiving any financial support from the Alliance or my company in this election. It is shameful that you use these scare tactics to get your candidates to win.
Pot calling the kettle black. Chris is quite charismatic, perhaps you are confusing him with his brother Mike who is a little prickly. You appear to get your facts wrong a lot so it wouldn’t surprise me.
My gosh again, Laura… You have been the key bully here—even Jade…not a native…I am merely a niece of one who came in the 1940’s so what do I know….other than telling people to go back to where they came from is not how communities should work to maintain good people. Chris Hart is a qualified guy in his field. Lets allow him, and I am sure he will grant you the same courtesy as a city employee.
Laura—I got a call tonight to read this, and I said I couldn’t imagine it being a bad discussion, especially one involving you. I couldn’t imagine what I am reading here.
Why are you doing this? You are talking to fellow community citizens–they pay taxes and do many things to provide public service. How can you be insensitive to people who want to help their community? Who are you to say what you have? Is Jade an expert of some kind who, through 10 minutes of simple web surfing, where he claims a GoDaddy website purchase is nefarious? OMG. So thanks, Laura. We have likely lost that, and sure, great job squashing people who are tax-paying citizens from voicing their ideas. I think you are the Republican as that tactic is all theirs–it indeed was established by Trump classically to get rid of people who are not falling in line. People told me this stuff….and I didn’t believe it. Now….I am starting to feel it…reading every word.
And now I know the truth about those who say they are ‘forced’ to serve over and over. Please, don’t hurt the two guys running for office. I could not imagine them having to live here with things said about them as being said here. I have never observed this kind of thing in CA, where I constantly spent my summers growing up, and where I naively believed there was respect for human rights, taxpayer rights, and public service.
If you and Jade would like to sit down with the same folks who kindly allowed him to join the alliance open meeting so we can get to the truth here, let’s do it, Laura. If you decline, I guess we will know the actual lack of validity of Jade’s observations from his one single one-hour alliance meeting. But Ryan and Scott? They are good people. Please don’t hurt them.
Pay close attention to slides 11, 14, 15,19 and 33. https://youtu.be/sLXfEGpyExw?si=ynldnZYbhfW2D1.
Chris Hart –
Is it your habit to stalk and harass everyone who disagrees with you?!
Don’t flatter your pathetic investigation techniques. Based on the number of thank you messages that I received, you must have been the last to know, proving again that you are nothing but an outsider.
If Michelle is not your candidate, why do you care if she lost in 2022? By what coincidence is she in charge of your alliance?
I am flattered that you care so much what I think – but Why? Why do you care what I do or say on my time away from work? And why are you working so hard to silence me?
You pretend to be concerned that I am “hurting people” but it is really YOU who is hurting your candidates. You roped them into accepting extremely large in-kind donations. The union was supporting Ryan. How does it look for him to have backing from someone who harasses its member for exercising constitutionally protected activities on my own time? How does this look for either of them to be backed by someone who is so one-sided that you must take down anyone who disagrees with you?
I truly hope that this stalking behavior gets the attention of your members, your candidates, the media and the community. They all knew my identity from the beginning.
Written discourse is one thing. I had to block you on Facebook to get you to stop you from harassing me. I will NOT be silenced or intimidated by you. To the contrary, I will find out if this type of direct harassment is legally allowed.
Don’t bother to answer my questions. They are simply rhetorical. Your behavior has been harassing, unacceptable, petty, obsessive and downright weird. With this harassing behavior, I am done talking with you directly in public, private, online, writing or otherwise. I have made it very clear that I want NO further contact with you. Do not try to contact me in any way. Stay completely away from me both in person and online. If you contact me again, I will consider it legal harassment and I will take appropriate action to protect myself from your harassment.
Laura, you falsely accused me of buying candidates. You started this. I was trying to address your false accusations and incorrect understanding of the law. Why do you feel you can accuse people of things on a large public forum and they are not entitled to respond?
The significance of you calling out Michelle is that she was unfairly wronged by people who used a false rumor about my company, Further, you were using her loss in ’22 to now spur people to hurt other people in a similar manner.
I have never even heard of you until your posts this weekend, and I certainly did not try to make you feel threatened.
IMO, Laura is the one acting like an unhinged stalker, not Chris. For someone threatening legal action (even though she clearly has no real understanding of the law either about in-kind donations or harassment based on her misstatements), she should probably worry more about being sued for defamation for continuing to spread her slanderous lies than trying to go after Chris for defending himself from her falsehoods and misrepresentations. Laura may have a First Amendment right to make the speech but that doesn’t absolve her of civil legal liability for defaming people through that speech.
This has nothing to do with the Alliance
Laura, many of the initial Alliance and committee members were introduced and spoke at the public meeting prior to anyone introducing the two endorsed candidates. Jade just failed to report any of that in favor of making it look suspicious. Anyone who attended can tell you that.
Jade Tippet was at the Alliance for a Better Fort Bragg meeting, as was I and many other people, most of whom have nothing to do with the Skunk Train. Jade’s selective presentation of facts, actually mostly assumptions and leading rhetorical questions, didn’t mention the enthusiastic participation of Sarah McCormick, the City of Fort Bragg’s Economic Development Manager and vocal Skunk Train critic. Sarah spoke and was excited by the Alliance as a coalition of varied community members with a focus on improving economic opportunities or Fort Bragg and engagement with her efforts at the City. Her boss, City Manager Isaac Whippy, was also there and engaged with the crowd and the Alliance members. Ryan Bushnell and Scott Hocket might have gotten the Alliance’s endorsement but all were invited to participate and seek potential endorsements.
Jade also totally misrepresents Scott and Ryan’s statements about campaign contributions. Neither said they have not received any contributions to help pay for things like signs, rather, they responded to a question about potential contributions from the Skunk train or its principals and they both disclosed that they have not. Subsequently, Scott disclosed his campaign is fully self-funded. Does Jade know, for example, that Scott’s family property adjacent to the Skunk’s tracks has been negatively impacted by the Skunk constructing a trail across it without permission? Scott’s mother would likely have a few choice words about the Skunk train (as would Scott) if they were asked about their positions. I asked both Scott and Ryan about their positions on the City’s dispute with the Skunk Train and they both said they DO NOT SUPPORT the use of eminent domain to take private property and they both believe the Skunk Train should abide by the local planning process and obtain all applicable permits for any future ill Site (or other) development just like any other business. I am confident that the City won’t allow any projects that need permits to go unchallenged should the Skunk Train or their development partners fail to obtain the applicable permits.
These false allegations and innuendo in the form of “questions” about the Alliance and these candidates is a disservice to the community as we make our decisions about this election. Further, Jade only mentions Michelle Roberts among the Alliance members–he implies she is a paid employee rather than her actual status as an interested community member who joined up with others to start this new group. Other Alliance members who spoke include local natural medicine expert and advocate Gabriel Quinn Maroney, a retiree and economic development professional Nancy Bond, a former City of Fort Bragg Finance Director, two non-profit executives, and even inland supporters like First District Supervisor Elect Madeline Cline, among others. Retired Sheriff Tom Allman is also an Alliance member. Does Jade disclose any of that? No, instead he suggests this group is a shady front doing the Skunk Train’s bidding and pushing straw men candidates on us. This is ridiculous!
Anyone who knows Scott or Ryan, knows better but apparently Jade isn’t interested in doing so if it doesn’t fit his narrative of a scheming Skunk. I had hope better from a fellow involved member of the Fort Bragg community but some people appear blinded by their misplaced hate and wildly inaccurate assumptions.
Yes, Kabacheck was brought in by Chris Hart to help the group get established and the same firm also works for the Skunk Train but that isn’t a secret even if not all of the individual Alliance members knew about how Kabacheck got involved. Neither Chris nor the Skunk control the Alliance, its members do and they hardly have unified opinions on local issue even if they share a focus on our economy.
With the assassinaion of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s slavish devotion to Israel has gone past the point where any self-respecting Palestinian or Lebanese American can bring themselves to vote for her in November which is both likely to produce a Trump victory (preferred by Netanyahu!) and a Israel Lobby (Jewish Political Establishment/5th Column) pre-organized backlash against Palestinian and Muslim-Americans, blaming them for handing the victory to Trump. This may explain why yesterday those on Michigan’s Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s email list received messages from her stressing the importance of defeating Trump. While I fully understand the reasoning behind her post, I don’t agree. For the world, Harris will be worse.
When Harris says again, after praising the killing of Nasrallah (and ignoring the deaths of more than a thousand Lebanese civilians), what she has been saying all along,
“I have an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. I will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis,” she is not only betraying what would be her oath of office, but guaranteeing US support and likely partcipation in an Israeli war against Iran and the expansion of Greater Israel, which its now wildly popular Hitler figure, Benjamin Netanyahu, clearly envisions.
What AVA readers, as responsible citizens, should consider when it comes to Pres. Biden’s actions regarding Israel since Oct. 7 is that the parents of a Michigan high school student, several years ago, who after ignoring numerous warning signs, gifted their son with a an assasult rifle which he used to murder a number of his school mates, each received multi decade prison sentences for their having knowingly enabled their kid to murder his fellow students and more recenly, a father in Georgia was indicted for murder along with his son (who will be tried as an adult) for doing the same, what should be in the future of Pres. Biden whose shameless presentation to Israel of tens of billions of dollars of America’s most lethal weapons of conventional war, which have enabled its military to murder tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, predominantly women and children, while wounding hundreds of thousands more, including the targeted killing of medical workers and Arab journalists in record numbers–Western reporters being forbidden entry–and reducing Gaza to rubble, and has now has begun the same process in Lebanon, with our president’s full throated support? Has the White House ever been home to a greater criminal?
Jeffrey Blankfort
Ukiah
The very first Nazi to be hanged in Nürnberg was Julius Streicher – an antisemitic journalist and publisher.
Ferdinand Nahimana and Hassan Ngeze were also journalists. They are in jail in The Hague for inciting genocide in Rwanda. A Belgian, Georges Ruggiu, served 12 years for promoting the Rwandan genocide as well.
Our current president as well as both major candidates for president are not simply saying or publishing words, they are supply the weapons, funding, and in some cases the intelligence for the Zionists to carry out genocide.