Mendocino County Today: Wednesday 2/12/2025

Rain Coming | Road Slump | Dusk Musk? | Indivisible Mendocino | Sports First | Public Expression | Grief Support | Working Retirement | Opus Concert | Bragg Blues | Ukiah High | Ed Notes | Navarro River | Yesterday's Catch | Halftime Show | Eating Disorder | Man Made | Wristband Rule | Montaigne Said | Marijuana Instead | Tesla Threats | Mexican Riviera | Goofball Sidekick | Import Tax | Unlimited Funding | Another Nakba | Drill Instructors | Bass Solo | Creation Conscious | Lead Stories | Feel Helpless | Fascistic Coup | Fired | Two Shooters | All Same

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A FRONTAL SYSTEM approaches today, bringing south winds and rain this evening through Thursday. Heavy snow is expected in Trinity County. A break is expected Friday afternoon and Saturday, then more rain is forecast Sunday.

A FLOOD WATCH remains in effect from this evening through Thursday afternoon.

A frontal system will progress across the area late Wednesday night through Thursday. 1.5 to 3.0 inches of rain is most likely over 24 hours. High resolution models indicate periods of rain rates up 0.5 inches/hour possible over Mendocino and Lake Counties. With the ground still saturated, such high rain rates have the potential to drive moderate urban and small stream flooding.

There will be an increased risk of rock and land slides along roadways. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. (NWS)

STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): Rain is skirting us just the to south this morning giving us some cloudy skies but a still cold 33F. Dry today then rain returns by Thursday morning. Showers thru Monday with maybe a break on Saturday, then clear skies after that, we'll see?

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THAT'S VENUS, NOT MUSK

Catherine Ruhs asks: What is the super large bright star in western sky right now? Starlink satellite. The first generation of them were not altered at all for reflectivity so they are so bright they block out the rest of the sky.

Nick Wilson: Venus is the brightest object in the sky after sunset. Starlink satellites are bright only for a short while after launch while they are in a low temporary orbit before migrating into their assigned position and orbit, after which they are not visible to ground observers. Also they move fast against the background stars and planets.

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INDIVISIBLE MENDOCINO meets today, Feb 12, at 6pm at Community Center of Mendocino.

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CATS REFUSE TO BE HERDED

by Mark Scaramella

But they will be heard, at least for not more than three minutes each.

Supervisor/Board Chair John Haschak expanded his Terrible Dilemma about managing public expression Tuesday morning when he added yet another option to his six previous options which we discussed a few days ago: https://theava.com/archives/26075#4

Under present board rules public expression cannot exceed ten minutes per topic unless permitted by the Board Chair.

Haschak wanted to discard his previous options in favor of splitting off-agenda public expression into two parts, ten minutes in the morning and then unlimited speakers in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, not only did Haschak’s colleagues disagree with his unwieldy proposal, preferring to leave things as they are, but they didn’t even want to limit the number of public speakers at all, saying basically that they didn't think there was much of a problem letting everyone who shows up have a say. If someone goes to all the trouble to come to Ukiah and speak to the Board, they should be allowed their three minutes, and if that introduces a touch of inefficiency, well, so be it; democracy was never meant to be particularly efficient, especially in Mendocino County.

(But later in the meeting, when Philo resident and Vietnam combat vet Don Shanley wanted to read his full letter in opposition to “Hip” camps and glamps, Haschak made it clear that he’s a stickler for the three minutes, rudely turning off Shanley’s mic mid-sentence a paragraph or so before he finished.)

After Supervisor Ted Williams said he didn’t want to “censor the public,” he pointedly asked Haschak what problem he was trying to solve, Haschak first offered nothing more than what he had proposed in his original agenda item: the mythical Mendo Efficiency.

Haschak also tried noting that sometimes consultants who are paid by the hour have to listen drawn out public expression and that having public expression at 9am might force some south coast constituents to drive to Ukiah on icy roads. Again, nobody was persuaded.

The Board inefficiently and repetitively batted Haschak’s proposal around for about 45 minutes with no one seeming to appreciate the irony of strict limits for the public but unlimited blathertime for the Supervisors. Haschak’s colleagues favored of letting as many public speakers as want to be ignored be ignored.

Supervisor Williams finally moved that: “public expression stay at the top of the meeting, and we not limit the speakers.” Williams clarified that as long as the speakers kept their remarks to the existing three-minute limit, there should be no limit on the number of speakers.

Supervisor Norvell agreed saying that if there was a problem they could deal with it later.

When the vote was called, Williams’ motion passed 4-1, Haschak the lone(ly) dissenter. Haschak’s attempt at Board meeting efficiency was blathered into submission.

Coincidentally, earlier in the morning, an innocuous agenda item to refer the question of whether the Planning Department’s interpretation of a marijuana program rule that would allow somewhat larger pot gardens to the “General Government Committee” drew quite a few commenters both pro and con the referral as well as pro and con the expansion. After allowing about a dozen problem-free public speakers, the Board proceeded to make the referral as proposed, voting 3-2 in favor with Mulheren and Williams opposed. Nobody seemed bothered by the number of the pot commenters, even as they were, as usual, ignored as the issue was shunted back to committee.

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IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

by Terry Sites

In the United States the average age of retirement is 65. This is a pretty good age for curtailing many types of activities. Very physical jobs like firefighter, vineyard worker, or construction crew jobs are best performed by those under 65. When you reach 65 you start to think about what activities you are still capable of and possibly even better at as a senior. Wisdom is supposed to come with age — at the very least the longer you live the more experience you have.

The ideal version of retirement involves doing all the things you never had the time or money for when you were younger. Ideally, this time should feel like one (hopefully) very long vacation.

But wait a minute. Some of us seniors may find ourselves over 65 and not exactly that ideal situation. Maybe health is a problem. Since health is your greatest wealth that really can be a problem. Next, assuming that your health is more or less sound, what about that other kind of health: financial health? Coming up short in this department these days can necessitate a long hard look at ways to earn well into the “golden years”.

A person finding themselves in this category will have to think about how to be an effective earner after 65. What jobs are doable and even enjoyable for a resilient senior?

I decided to test the waters by doing a mailing to 100 friends and acquaintances. One side of my card read, “Odd Woman Seeks Odd Jobs” while the flip side said, “The New Year is here, time to get organized — I can Help.” I included my name and contact information. Attached to each card was a handwritten note. I asked each recipient to recommend me even if they didn’t personally need an “Odd Woman” at the moment. I also listed some possible services including home healthcare, sewing, de-cluttering, cooking, errand running, and writing.

In the week that followed the mailing 20 of the 100 people I mailed to responded in one way or another. Some offered actual jobs, others commented on what I was doing or gave me suggestions or referrals to others. This was a good response rate, which I attribute to the fact that I actually knew every person I mailed to. It was, as they say in sales, a “Hot List.” No matter what you call it, getting that much feedback was gratifying and encouraging.

The second week I started interviewing with potential clients. I visited someone who needed me to feed three horses and three cats at their beautiful ranch home while they travel.

A professional artist took me on a tour of her studio and may hire me to help organize and store pieces of art from her last two shows.

Two charming women from a local commune are looking to organize a lifetime of precious possessions. A book on “Swedish Death Cleaning” inspired one of them.

Apparently in Sweden it is customary to tidy up and pare down your things so that your heirs will not be burdened with a landslide of your lifetime of accumulated “stuff” when you die.

I also heard from people who need help cleaning out garages, offices, their memorabilia, photos and creative writing files. Someone needs “extra hands” for when houseguests arrive. A collector of gorgeous ethnic art, clothes and fabrics wants help preparing for a sale. A person needs dog sitting and someone even needs help dividing clumps of irises in their garden.

It’s now the third week and I’m starting to do some of the jobs that were booked. It has been much more fun than I imagined. I thought re-entering the job market would be hard. Instead I’ve found myself surrounded by beautiful things with friendly people who feed my soul while helping me pay for groceries! In Anderson Valley the homes I’ve worked in have been lovely, many with views to die for. The people I’m working for are definitely blessed. Also many of them are artistic, creative or otherwise unique which makes my life richer.

The take-away from this story is that sometimes lemons (the need to return to work) can turn into lemonade (who knew these jobs would be so interesting?!). I am taking care to log each job and maybe I’ll even write a book about my surprising experiences someday that will encourage other seniors to take heart and go forth boldly if they too need to go back to work in their golden years.

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MATTHEW MIKSAK AND PAUL SCHRAGE IN CONCERT!

Conductor/Pianist Paul Schrage and Bass-Baritone Matthew Miksak will bring Schubert’s seminal art song cycle Winterreise to the Opus Concert series this Sunday at 3 PM, Preston Hall, Mendocino. This song cycle is one of the most poignant representations of lost love in the repertoire.

A short virtuoso piano solo will round out this engaging program. Full program at symphonyoftheredwoods.org

Ticket in person at Out of this World in Mendocino and online at symphonyoftheredwoods.org

Cookies, coffee and tea available when the doors open at 2:30 PM and during intermission.

Come early to claim your seat!

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CITY OF FORT BRAGG TO HOST INAUGURAL BLUES FESTIVAL, MAY 2-4, 2025

Get ready to groove! The City of Fort Bragg is thrilled to announce the first-ever Fort Bragg Blues Festival, taking place May 2-4, 2025. This three-day event will bring both notable and up-and-coming blues musicians to the heart of downtown, promising a weekend of soulful tunes, delicious food, and coastal charm. The festival kicks off on one of our popular “First Fridays,” when shops and galleries stay open late, and the streets are filled with visitors and locals alike!

Tickets Sales Open on Valentine's Day, February 14th!

Nestled along California’s rugged coastline, Fort Bragg offers a unique and vibrant atmosphere. From exploring tide pools and pristine beaches to biking scenic trails, kayaking in the Noyo River, or riding the historic Skunk Train or their innovative rail bikes, Fort Bragg has something for everyone. Visitors can indulge in fresh seafood at the working harbor, try their hand at mushroom foraging (in season), or simply relax and enjoy the cool, laid-back vibe of this unassuming gem. With its artful boutiques and diverse culinary scene, including favorites like Cucina Verona, Mayan Fusion, Los Gallitos, Dijon, Saltwater Grill, and the Headlands Cafe, Fort Bragg is the perfect backdrop for a weekend of blues. And with three popular breweries (North Coast Brewery, Tall Guy Brewery, and Overtime Brewery) all within walking distance of the festival’s downtown venues, attendees can easily enjoy the local flavor.

The Fort Bragg Blues Festival will feature an incredible lineup of blues talent, including:

Soul Circus Band

J.C. Smith Band

Brad Wilson and the Rhythm Drivers

Bella Raynes and Friends

Mark Hummel performing a James Cotton Tribute with Steve Freund

Special VIP Late-Night Event at The Weller House: An Evening with childhood friends “Big Mo” (Maurice Huffman) and Volker Strifler. This is a very intimate acoustic event with limited seating.

Blue Luke

Big Mo and the Full Moon Band

Friday evening and Saturday, the festival action will be centered in the CBD (Central Business District), allowing ticket holders to park once and easily walk to all venues, breweries, restaurants, and shops. Sunday’s event, “Lazy Sunday: Food Trucks, Brews & Blues,” will take place outdoors at the CV Starr Community Center, so don't forget your lounge chairs!

Tickets for the Fort Bragg Blues Festival go on sale Valentine's Day, February 14th. An early bird special will be offered for All-Access Passes (which include access to all shows except the intimate VIP Event at The Weller House, plus early entry and logoed merchandise) from February 14th to March 8th, starting at only $200. After March 8th, All-Access Passes will be $240. Individual event tickets will also be available for purchase, ranging from $35 to $85.

Tickets can be purchased at https://fortbraggblues.com

Beer and wine sales at these events will be conducted by two local nonprofits as a fundraiser. One of the nonprofits is the Mendocino Food Network. The second nonprofit is to be determined.

Sponsorships Welcome! If you’d like to become a sponsor for this event, we have multiple ways to get involved. Learn more here: https://fortbraggblues.com/sponsorship-opportunities/

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FROM A TIME AMERICANS CARED WHAT THEIR PUBLIC BUILDINGS LOOKED LIKE (via Marshall Newman)

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ED NOTES

REMEMBERING CHARMIAN

Charmian, like Cher and Madonna, achieved single-name renown on the Northcoast partly, perhaps, because her long-running column in this publication seemed an anomaly, a little old lady writing little old lady prose about little old lady matters in a weekly newspaper, ahem, heavily reflective of its boisterous times. Charmian expressed no hesitation whatsoever at her dubious journalistic company, plunging right into what might seem to the unaccustomed eye a maniacal weekly mosh pit. She and the late Joan Bloyd served as dual oases of anachronistic calm in a 12-page sea of turbulent opinion. I seriously doubt, however, that Charmian ever read anything beyond the safety zone of her own column. My dear old mum once commented, “It's nice you have one normal person in the mix.” And Charmian herself asked me early on, “So, Bruce, are these people hippies or what?” I said my contributors would fall more into the Or What category than hippie. Charmian told lots of funny stories in person that she felt were just a little too louche for her column. One was about her husband Smokey, quite a local legend in his own right. One night when Smokey had had a few, and anticipating Charmian's wrath, Himself, as Charmian called him in her column, pretended to be drunker than he was. He thought if he could successfully pretend to be under the influence he and Charmian would share the joke and he would escape a scolding. So, coming through the door Smokey faked a pratfall, sprawling over the doorstep, but quickly regained his feet and, with a cavalier laugh, announcing to his skeptical mate, “Hah! Fooled you, didn't I?” Charmian said she laughed right back and said, “No. But nice try, Smokey.” In August of '08, The Major and I visited Charmian at the Brookside Convalescent Compound in Ukiah. She didn't recognize us, but when she stood next to the piano with The Major at the keyboard she had no trouble remembering many song lyrics, belting out Danny Boy and other personal favorites. Given her circumstances, and not that Brookside is particularly bleak given the givens of these places, Charmian seemed happy with her life, and we left happy that she was happy.

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JACK SAUNDERS:

The old photo here was taken in about 1920 looking up the Navarro River from just off the edge of what is now Highway 1. The original north Navarro road grade appears meandering down the hillside in the upper portion. In the foreground along the north bank of the river are the old engine and tool house associated with the lumber company's former railroad, with the original terminus of the north road grade appearing immediately to their left. The most interesting buildings otherwise, at least to me, are those along the north bank east of the bridge. The easternmost one appears to have been built on pilings. To get the same view today would require parking at a very small turnout, climbing over the guardrail, and turning the camera 90 degrees. Unfortunately, the Google Earth van did not have a camera extending out and looking down…

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CATCH OF THE DAY, Tuesday, February 11, 2025

MATTHEW FAUST, 50, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol. (Frequent flyer.)

ELIANA GUTIERREZ, 23, Ukiah. False personation of another, failure to appear, probation revocation.

MICHAEL HEGLIN, 57, Santa Rosa/Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol&drugs.

DANIEL MILLER, 33, Ukiah. Parole violation.

ISRAEL MORALES, 45, East Palo Alto/Ukiah. Failure to appear.

ANTHONY NUZZO, 32, Redwood Valley. DUI, disobeying court order.

FRANK PAGE JR., 52, Richmond/Ukiah. DUI.

AARON STILL, 43, Fort Bragg. Under influence, controlled substance, paraphernalia.

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A WELCOME RELIEF AND A TRULY GREAT IDEA!

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FOOD SCENES

by Paul Modic

(“You should only complicate your life if you really need to.” Edward Abbey)

Eat Hearty!: When I was around ten I went into the neighborhood restaurant, Ray Keesling's in Muncie, Indiana, where the waiter was also our paperboy. I asked him how much the french fries were and he said fifteen cents. A while later he brought out a huge pile of fries and said, “Eat hearty!”

I ate the delicious fries with lots of catsup and left without paying. When I came back a few days later he said, “Why didn't you pay for the fries when you were here before?”

“I only asked you how much they were,” I said. “I didn't order them.”

When In Doubt, Eat. I have been bad, bringing food into the house that we shouldn't be eating: fancy bread, gelato, and pizza. I need to stop.

One day I said, “Mom, it stresses me out to see you constantly eating out of boredom. You eat before meals, after meals, and between meals. I do too and it's not good, but I take walks on the beach while you're not very mobile in your walker. You're not getting much exercise, you're going to get fat, and it won't be good.” She nodded in acknowledgement.

The next day I said, “Let's challenge each other not to eat between meals for one day. Maybe just a small morning and afternoon snack that I'll put out for us.” She agreed.

So today is day three of the challenge and it's good for me too. I know when I leave Tacoma in a couple weeks she'll go back to eating from boredom, but for now I think she may be on the computer and reading more, instead of obsessively eating.

It's not easy being old, dealing with her toes, ears, eyes, blood pressure, and diabetes, but I guess this is as good as it gets: having her weird son keeping her company for a while.

Craving: On my way back through Oregon I stopped at the Grants Pass farmers market where they were making the highly recommended fresh doughnuts. I picked up a sample bite, popped half in my mouth, and tossed the other half in the trash. As I was chewing the tasty doughnut I realized I couldn't go through with it and discretely spit it into a napkin and tossed it in the garbage can.

When I get in front of a display case of muffins, scones, and cookies these days I imagine the taste and eating huge mouthfuls. My eyes get wide, I start breathing rapidly, and then I'm moaning and panting, though once someone looked over so I knew I'd gone too far.

Dessert: When I got to Mexico, I bought a variety of pastry, ate just a bite from each, and tossed the bag into the trashcan on the plaza. I went into the market to do some shopping but when I came back out I wanted a few more bites. I reached into the garbage, opened my bag sitting on the top, and ate a little more. You should have seen the wide eyes and horrified looks from the Mexicans sitting nearby, thinking oh poor Gringo, as I ate their trash.

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BILL KIMBERLIN:

When I drove up to Boonville after work, usually on a Friday, I would turn off at Healdsburg, and cross the bridge over the Russian River. Taking a quick right turn just after exiting the bridge I would drive into town on this near river road through what were then modest houses, to downtown Healdsburg. I always passed this old building which I imagined must have had an agricultural past so I photographed it. I liked it's shape, and the wilting of age and because there was still a kind of grandeur to it.

It reminded me of something the actor, Jack Nicholson had written once. He was on location in some foreign land and had to be driven every day across some waste land where he passed a giant wreck of an old factory of some sort. He said, “I couldn't help looking at it and I couldn't understand why it was so compelling to me, day after day. Then, sometime after I realized what it was. It was because, “Man made that.”

I have had the same feelings when seeing fighter jets blasting across the San Francisco Bay from my boat and blasting past me in a roar. I hate war, but I admire what man has built.

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SENIOR HINDU LOCKED OUT IN A BLIZZARD

Another Ridiculous Situation in Postmodern America

So I returned to the Adam's Place Homeless Shelter in Washington, D.C. early, before it snows, and was refused entry because I did not have my wrist band (received daily upon check in) on. It was my impression that it was only needed between the time of check in and the next morning, in case one went out at night and wished to get back in. Apparently it is necessary to have it in order to come in the next day for check in, also. My entreaties to be given a courtesy this one time and be let in, since I've been at the shelter since the first week of September, and of course am recognized, was refused! I had to leave and may come in at 5 p.m. for today's check in, and will keep the wrist band until the next day's check in.

This is the unfortunate situation with being in a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter. If I can get anything from anybody to leave the shelter, and move into a more accommodating living situation in postmodern America, please contact me immediately.

Craig Louis Stehr, craiglouisstehr@gmail.com

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FRED GARDNER:

For the sixth or seventh time since moving to the Whine Country, I found myself wishing I’d held onto a book – Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. I wanted to look up “No man is a hero to his own valet” – a line I occasionally used in reference to Terence Hallinan.  According to Brewer’s online, the famous quote is a double mistranslation of what Montaigne had observed: “Few men are admired by their servants.”

Add cool Montaigne comments:

“I do not care so much what I am to others as I care what I am to myself.”

“If you press me to say why I love him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I."

“There is nothing more notable in Socrates than that he found time, when he was an old man, to learn music and dancing, and thought it time well spent.”

“If I speak of myself in different ways, that is because I look at myself in different ways.”

And here's one I just made up: "There are only two things we are really forbidden to say: 'Share the Wealth' and 'There is no God.'"

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INFLICT PHYSICAL DAMAGE’: CALIF. GROUP PLANS TO VANDALIZE TESLAS

by Silas Valentino

A Northern California police department said it’s received several reports from Tesla owners about threatening notes left on their vehicles. The messages demand that they trade or sell their cars before Wednesday or face vandalism.

Sgt. Heidi Grossman with the Arcata Police Department told SFGate that four Tesla owners in that city have contacted the department since last week about written threats of vandalism left on their cars. A note left on a Tesla in Arcata, first published in Lost Coast Outpost, said: “No Nazis in America. Tesla owners trade or sell before Feb 12. After that it is open season.”

A group calling itself SANE — Students Against Nazi Extremism — claimed responsibility for the threats in documents mailed to the Outpost, which were received Monday, adding that SANE planned to target Teslas in four California cities.

A note received among the documents said 10 students in Arcata and Seaside in Monterey County had left threats on 13 Tesla cars, Local Coast Outpost reported. The group also described Tesla major shareholder Elon Musk as “an overt Nazi with a history of fascist, racist, misogynist and criminal behavior” and threatened to “inflict physical damage to Tesla-branded vehicles.”

The documents mailed to Lost Coast Outpost list four California cities — Arcata, Rohnert Park, Seaside and Hayward — where the group said it plans to vandalize Teslas.

Nick Borges, the chief of police for the Seaside Police Department, told SFGate that in response to the threats, the department has begun to take “precautionary measures” to protect a Tesla dealership in the city and alert Tesla drivers.

“We’ve had protests at our Tesla dealership in the past,” he said. “They were peaceful protests but we’ll go out there today to touch base with the business and prompt them with what’s being said.”

SANE wrote that its goal is to “create enough shame to make it onerous for anyone to buy or operate a Tesla-branded vehicle.”

Grossman said the Arcata Police Department opened an investigation into the threats and encourages anyone in the community with information to contact the department.

SFGate reached out to Tesla for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

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MIKE GENIELLA:

AP HEADLINE: “White House bars AP reporter from Oval Office because of AP style policy on ‘Gulf of America’.”

OUTRAGEOUS. A free and independent press does not have to bow to the declarations of Trump and his goofball sidekick. It would be comical if it did not underscore the constitutional crisis the Trump return has ignited. What the hell is Elon Musk doing there, standing in the Oval Office making pronouncements about a majority - Trump received less than 50 percent of the vote in the November election - getting what they demand? Who's he, besides an erratic billionaire whose campaign contributions got him in the door? Let's hope a united and vigorous press challenges this action.

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ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I shake my head that many Americans who absolutely despise taxes are quizzically “all in” for tariffs. Simply put, a tariff is an import tax with a different name. You know that, right?

I've watched seemingly bright people think that tariffs will cost foreign countries money. In reality, of course, these import taxes will be paid by the American consumer.

Take an avocado from Mexico, for example. Say it costs the US retailer 50 cents and it is then double marked-up to $1. A 25% tariff will increase the cost to the retailer to 62.5 cents and it is then double marked-up to $1.25. Mexico still gets its 50 cents. The retailer goes from getting 50 cents to getting 62.5 cents and the US government goes from 0 to 12.5 cents. In this simple scenario, the US avocado consumer now pays an extra quarter which is split by the retailer and Uncle Sam.

A tax by any other name is still a tax.

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ANOTHER CATASTROPHE IN GAZA?

Editor:

Is another Nakba — catastrophe — about to happen to Palestinians in Gaza? Is deranged power about to ethnically cleanse my people again? After 16 months of indiscriminate death and destruction by Israel on Gaza, will those poor people, whose unbelievable bravery and endurance and faith we have witnessed on our screens pulling their family members from under their bombed homes, some collecting their loved ones’ body parts in plastic bags, will they be starved out again until they leave Gaza for God knows where?

My family and over half the Palestinian population was driven out or fled massacres in 1948, and hundreds of thousands more were displaced in 1967 when Israel seized all of historical Palestine. And it’s never stopped since then. How long, O Lord? Have we not learned that stealing people’s land is not a solution and that oppressed people will always resist oppression?

Is Hamas the excuse? Violence against any human being anywhere is morally wrong and cannot be condoned. Yet violence must be analyzed and understood. Otherwise, the deadly cycle continues. Thirst for power and wealth and personal security will devour the poor and wretched until we come to our senses and rise up to stop it. There is another way, and coexistence can be possible.

Therese Mughannam-Walrath

Santa Rosa

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IN ONE OF THE MARINES MOST ICONIC JOBS, A STUNNING PATTERN OF SUICIDE

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark reality.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/investigations-and-features/2025/02/10/one-of-marines-most-iconic-jobs-stunning-pattern-of-suicide.html

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THERE APPEARS to be a law that when creatures have reached the level of consciousness, as men have, they must become conscious of the creation; they must learn how they fit into it and what its needs are and what it requires of them, or else pay a terrible penalty: the spirit of the creation will go out of them, and they will become destructive; the very earth will depart from them and go where they cannot follow.

— Wendell Berry, A Native Hill (1968)

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LEAD STORIES, WEDNESDAY'S NYT

Trump Orders Plans for ‘Large Scale’ Work Force Cuts and Expands Musk’s Power

Russia Releases U.S. Prisoner After Talks With Trump Envoy

Gaza Cease-Fire Imperiled as Netanyahu Threatens to Resume ‘Intense Fighting’

A California Battery Plant Burned. Residents Have Gotten Sick, and Anxious

Monty, a Dignified Giant Schnauzer, Wins Best in Show at Westminster

Chubby Checker, Phish and Outkast Among Rock Hall Nominees

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A TRUMPIAN FASCISTIC COUP IS UNDERWAY; STOP IT BEFORE THE TERROR STARTS

by Ralph Nader

Rise up people, and fast. Tyrant Trump and his Musk-driven gangsters are launching a fascistic coup d’état. Much of everything you like about federal/civil service for your health, safety, and economic well-being and protections is being targeted.

To feed Trump’s insatiable vengeance over being prosecuted, being defeated in the 2020 election, or now just being challenged, this megalomaniacal, self-described dictator is harming the lives of tens of millions of Americans in need and millions of Americans who are assisting them.

In his demented lawless arrogance, convicted felon Trump is nullifying the freedoms and protections of the American Revolution (King Donald is today’s King George III), and rejecting the Declaration of Independence (which listed the rights and abuses against the British Tyrant that Trump is shredding and entrenching). He is defiantly violating the U.S. Constitution, its controls over dictatorial government, and its powers exclusively given to Congress. The Constitution demands that we live under the rule of law, not the rule of one man.

While Trump enjoys Mar-a-Lago and his golfing, Madman Musk, a South African, is literally living in the Executive Office Building next to the White House, with his heel-clicking Musketeers, seven days a week (they brought in sleeping cots) guarded by a large private security detail.

Consider, people, that the world’s richest man, with billions of dollars of federal contracts, is unleashing his henchmen to wreck the daily work of public servants committed to providing critical services that have long and bi-partisan support. Assistance to children, emergency workers, the sick and elderly, public school students, and people ripped off by business crooks. He is firing the federal cops on the corporate crime beat – whether at the FBI, the EPA, or the key Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which Trump/Musk are gutting.

Some headlines: “Laws? What Laws? Trump’s Brazen Grab for Executive Power” by the great reporter Charlie Savage (New York Times, February 6, 2025). Outlaws taking charge, driven by greed for the government’s honeypots of corporate welfare, and near-zero taxes for the rich and big corporations.

Or “Searching for Motive to Musk Team’s Focus on ‘Checkbook’ of U.S.” by Alan Rappeport, February 6, 2025, New York Times.

Or “White House Billionaires Take on the World’s Poorest Kids” by the super-reporter Nicholas Kristof (February 6, 2025. New York Times) shutting down The Agency for International Development’s distribution of AIDS medicines, and crucially stopping U.S. health agencies from countering rising, deadly pandemics in Africa that could come here quickly without U.S. defensive actions abroad. Already the devastating effects on children missing healthcare and food are erupting.

Kristof concludes that all this (and the dollar amounts are very small compared to their benefits) may seem like a game for Trump/Musk, but “… it’s about children’s lives and our own security, and what’s unfolding is sickening.” It is also criminal!

When the forces of law and order reassert themselves, Elon Musk may become known as felon Musk. He is not a properly appointed federal official. He has no authority to send his wrecking crews into one agency after another, demanding private information about Americans, pushing people out, and shutting down operations.

Musk, whose next target is the federal auto safety agency that has been enforcing the safety laws against Tesla and has not surrendered its regulation of self-driving cars (Musk’s next big project). Musk refuses to disclose his sweetheart contracts with the federal agencies nor has he disclosed his tax returns. Demand them.

What is very clear in the first 20 days of Trump’s lawless madness is that he is moving fast for a police state along with deepening the corporate state with and for Big Business. His prime victims are not the vast military budget at the Department of Defense, nor the big budgets of the Spy Agencies or of Musk’s lucrative fiefdom – NASA, the Space Agency. No, like the bullies they are, Trump/Musk are smashing people’s programs. They hate Medicaid (provided to over 80 million Americans) or the food programs for millions of children. Crazed Trump is pushing to shut down many clean wind power projects and cut credits to homeowners installing solar panels while booming the omnicidal oil, gas, and coal industries. He wants many more giant exporting natural gas facilities near U.S. ports which could accidentally blow up entire cities.

Musk’s poisoned Tusks have even reached Laos, Cambodia, and parts of Vietnam where mine-clearing efforts have been cut off. These are the U.S.’s Vietnam War era unexploded ordinances and bomblets that have killed tens of thousands of innocent residents, mostly children, in the past fifty years.

The Washington Post headline on February 6th, “Musk Team Taking Over Public Operations” understates the carnage. They are brazenly shutting down agencies, taking down thousands of government websites helpful to all Americans, and telling conscientious civil servants to obey or be driven out.

The Republicans in Congress, to their future shame and guilt, are surrendering their constitutional powers in the very branch of government our Founders assigned to check any rising monarchy in the White House.

The Democrats in the minority are just starting to protest, some in front of shuttered federal buildings. But they have not yet initiated unofficial public hearings in Congress to give voice to the surging anger of Americans (now flooding their switchboards) whose narrow majority of Trump voters are sensing betrayal big time. Demand unofficialhearings now! Federal judges are starting to uphold the violated laws.

The media, itself threatened by Trump’s attacks, censorship, and who knows what is next from this venomous liar (see the Washington Post’s Glen Kessler’s January 26, 2025 piece “The White House’s wildly inaccurate claims about USAID spending” or “Trump’s gusher of misleading economic statistics at Davos”) will cover protests and testimony by people all over the country. The rallies and marches have begun and will only get larger as Trump and Musk sink lower with their tyrannical abuses.

The career military does not relish the reckless buffoon that Trump put over them as Secretary of Defense. American business cannot tolerate the chaos, the uncertainty, the tumult. Thirty-nine million small businesses are already feeling the oncoming Trump tsunami.

Break with your routine, Americans. It’s your country they are seizing with this burgeoning coup. Take it back fast, is what our original patriots of 1776 would be saying.

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MAGA HEAD OF JFK FILES TASK FORCE CLAIMS THERE WERE TWO SHOOTERS AND PLEDGES TO UNCOVER MORE SECRETS

by John Michael Raasch

MAGA star Anna Paulina Luna has made a jaw-dropping claim that there were 'two shooters' in the JFK assassination.

Luna made clear her belief in a second shooter as she launched a new task force that will expose some of the government's most scintillating secrets.

She and her team will declassify highly sought after documents about JFK's murder, and also files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In doing so the congresswoman dropped a bombshell about her own thoughts regarding JFK's shooting by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963.

“I believe that there were two shooters, and we should be finding more information as we are able to,” she said.

Luna will also push to expose what the U.S. government knows about UFOs, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.

Secret documents about the origins of COVID-19 and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack could all soon be revealed, Luna shared.

The Florida Republican added that her investigation into JFK's assassination will be more comprehensive than past efforts.

“In previous investigations, they didn't have access to the information that we are going to have access to, and so that's a big deal, especially if you're looking at what truly happened with JFK,” the 35-year-old continued.

The task force will hold its first hearing in March and it will cover the Massachusetts Democrat's murder. A specific date for the hearing has yet to be determined.

Witnesses at the hearing could include individuals who were present in the operation room where JFK passed away, Luna said.

“There's people that have been publicly out there, for example, in the JFK stuff that were actually present in the room, at the operating room, where he was actually brought to right after the shooting,” the Floridian said.

“So we hope to bring those people in to testify. And again, these hearings will be open to the public.”

Luna and Oversight Chairman James Comer's new task force comes on the heels of Donald Trump ordering the full release of the JFK files shortly after taking office.

His executive order requires the director of national intelligence and other officials to formulate a plan for the full release of the assassination files within 15 days.

Trump also ordered the release of the MLK and RFK files, requesting that the officials present him with a plan to do so within 45 days.

Luna shared that she will be working directly with the White House to reveal more about these high-profile murders.

Already Luna and Comer sent letters to the agency's responsible for the necessary documents.

The pair sent letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice to reveal more details about the Epstein files.

They have also sent letters to the National Security Agency, CIA, the Pentagon, and the State and Energy Departments.

Furthermore, the Republican-led task force will investigate unidentified aerial phenomena and unidentified submerged objects which have captured major public interest.

On Monday, it was revealed by Axios that the FBI had unearthed 2,400 new documents that could shed light on the enduring mystery of JFK's death.

These newly unearthed documents may include files on a CIA spy chief with a murky role in the affair, it has emerged.

The CIA man based in Miami funded a group of Cuban exiles, which assassin Lee Harvey Oswald tried to infiltrate weeks before he shot the president in Dallas on November 22, 1963.

According to Jefferson Morley, a leading expert on the assassination, the new documents could include files on George Joannides, who was chief of covert action at the CIA's station in Miami in 1963.

Joannides, who died in 1990, was also the case officer for a group of anti-Castro students called the the Cuban Student Directorate, which had several interactions with Oswald, and received funding from the CIA.

JFK investigators have long been intrigued by Joannides - whose codename was 'Howard' - and wanted to know more about him.

They also want to know more about whether elements of the CIA, in the wake of the JFK assassination, used the Cuban Student Directorate to promote propaganda and a potential U.S. invasion of Cuba.

A collection of over 5 million government records at the National Archives was required to be opened by 2017, unless there were any exemptions designated by the president.

But about 3,600 of those records still have redactions and haven’t yet been fully released.

As he ordered their declassification with the stroke of a pen in the Oval Office, Trump said: “All will be revealed.”

It has previously been speculated that hundreds of pages of documents relating to the Joannides episode may still exist. If they do, they could soon be made public by the newly minted congressional task force.

(DailyMail.uk)

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