SOME LIGHT SHOWERS will linger Thursday behind a front. Building high pressure will dry bring dry weather, above average interior daytime highs, and chilly overnight lows. (NWS)
STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): A much more than forecast .53"of new rainfall collected today. Maybe a sprinkle this morning otherwise dry skies are forecast until the day after Thanksgiving.
ATTENTION BOONVILLE VETERANS AND SENIOR CENTER:
Supervisor Ted Williams, Tuesday, November 18, 2025:
“I met with the veterans in Boonville. They are eager to take possession of the Veterans Memorial Building. I would like to thank the Executive Office for making substantial progress on clarifying possibilities. I think we are going to be able to get that project complete in a short time.”
Mark Scaramella notes: “Substantial progress on clarifying possibilities” is not progress.
FRED EHNOW (Philo):
If anybody else uses Ferrell gas for propane, they are having a special right now for $2.88 a gallon, which is the lowest price in over 5 years. It was $3.83 when I checked 3 days ago, not sure how long the sale will last. Also, they usually they require me to be below 30% before they will deliver, but I'm at 40% and they said that's fine. Almost felt like a scam when they called me, but it's legit.
DIVISION 3: NO. 1 VINTAGE (7-4) VS. NO. 5 UKIAH (7-4), MEMORIAL STADIUM, 7 P.M. FRIDAY
One of these local teams will be playing in a section championship game on Thanksgiving weekend. The Crushers haven’t won a section title in football since 1986 as a member of the Sac-Joaquin Section, while the Wildcats are looking for their first section title since 1999.
The Crushers dispatched No. 8 seed San Leandro 25-15 last week, while the Wildcats took care of 4 seed Antioch 26-15.
Vintage had lost their final four games of the regular season to finish in a three-way tie at the bottom of the Redwood Empire Conference Adobe division before last week’s win. It was also their first playoff win since 2019.
Ukiah and Vintage share a common opponent this year in Rancho Cotate. The Wildcats lost 33-26 to the Cougars in their season opener back in late August, while the Crushers won their league battle 10-7 on a last-second field goal.
Vintage is a deep team this year with a host of impact players on both sides of the ball. They’ll look to control possession with their run-heavy offense and keep Ukiah from capitalizing with its offense that’s capable of ripping off explosive plays.
HSratings computer projection: Ukiah 28, Vintage 21
Press Democrat predictions: Morris: Vintage; O’Doherty: Ukiah
FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BUDGET
by Mark Scaramella
Item 4c on the October 7 Supervisors agenda called for the Supervisors to “Approve or Deny Requests from Department Heads and Elected Officials Regarding Budget Impacts, Funding and Recruitment of Vacant or New Positions Following the Strategic Hiring Process.”
Mendocino County CEO Darcie Antle introduced the item by saying: “We have some hard decisions here. A handful of departments in front of you today have requested to fill positions. There is no doubt that all these positions are for needed and mandated services…”
That “handful” of departments included the District Attorney, the Library and the Assessor Clerk Recorder.
Antle continued: “The county currently has 68 positions in some form of recruitment not including those in front of you today. As you know, we are operating in the current physical year in a deficit. And we are projecting a $16 million deficit for fiscal year 26/27, not to mention HR-1 [Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”] and the state budget. The fiscal team with the help of the departments will present first quarter financial data on November 4. They will be able to provide more current fiscal information at that time. I expect the Auditor Controller Treasurer Tax Collector to have closed fiscal year 24/25 at that time.”
CEO Antle did not offer any estimate of the budget impact of filling the 68 positions that are “in some form of recruitment,” nor how many of them are expected to actually be filled, and nobody asked about it.
After approving a couple of new Library hires which were not funded by the County’s General Fund, and some very limited hiring requested by the Assessor Clerk Recorder (which was accompanied by detailed budget numbers), the DA’s request to fill vacancies was put off to the November 4 meeting because the Board claimed they didn’t have enough budget info to approve them — despite, as Supervisor Madeline Cline noted — the agenda item specifically calling for the requests to be accompanied by budget impact info. CEO Antle promised that she would provide the necessary budget on November 4.
November 4 arrived and not only was there no budget impact information about the District Attorney’s staffing request, there was no mention of the request from the DA at all.
The latest District Attorney’s office budget vs. actual expenses chart included a note that said, “The District Attorney’s Office has reported that the Office will meet the applied 6% attrition [leaving vacant positions open] savings of $414,341. Executive Office attrition tracking for the Office projects the DA budget will be over budget by approximately $800,000 in Salaries and Benefits by the end of fiscal year based on current trends. The Executive Office will continue to work with the District Attorney’s Office and monitor activity throughout the fiscal year as more information becomes available.” The Executive Office did not mention the DA’s request for new hires, including several relatively expensive staff attorneys.
To summarize: The District Attorney did not return to request that positions be filled; the District Attorney “will meet the applied 6% attrition savings” presumably because vacated positions will be left vacant; and yet the DA is expected to exceed his budget by about $800k.
The November CEO Report segment listing budget vs. actual for the First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025/26 (July-October 2025) shows that the District Attorney “regular employees” line item expense so far this fiscal year (July-October) is about $1.35 million vs. an annual budget of about $3.35 million, or about 40% expended for about one-quarter of the year. If the regular employees expense continues at this rate it will be end up at about $5.4 million, about $2 million over budget.
No wonder the Board didn’t know what to do with the District Attorney’s staffing request.
There was no further discussion of the District Attorney’s budget or staffing at the November 18 Board meeting.
For comparison, the Sheriff’s office (excluding the jail) “salaries” budget for the first quarter is about $10.7 million with a reported $3.6 million expended. At that rate the Sheriff’s salary line item will end up at about $14.5 million, some $3.8 million over his annual budget.
The CEO budget note on the Sheriff’s office (and Jail) budgets:
“The Sheriff’s Office and Jail do not expect to meet the applied 6% attrition savings – totaling $1,719,765 and $855,128 respectively – for Fiscal Year 2025-26, due to public safety staffing needs for patrol and new Jail staffing expenses. Elimination of positions and cuts to services and supplies have been offered to address, in part, the 6% savings. Total combined savings for BU 2310 [the Sheriff’s office] due to cuts … total approximately $225,500. Additional revenue from the Opioid Settlement funds applied to Coroner related expenses may further offset general fund contribution, but this amount will likely not be known until mid-year.
“Total savings to Jail from add/deletes/cuts total approximately $104,000. There may also be additional revenue realized through the Jail Based Competency Treatment Program (JBCT) agreement with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) due to the program’s success and the occupied bed count increasing slightly from what was initially budgeted back in March. We are projecting approximately $100,000 in additional revenue from JBCT activities.”
Of course, these numbers are snapshots, not anywhere near final budget numbers for the fiscal year. The period that the expenses cover in the detailed budget vs. actual report is not entirely clear. (It could be a couple of weeks more than one quarter.) So all of this is guess work, subject to change.
However, whatever the numbers are, the picture is both confusing and ugly.
On November 18, CEO Antle reminded the Board that the carryover from last year — the amount of revenue received minus General Fund expenses — is between $11 million ($12 million if you include inaccessible investment value increases) and $16 million, is “one time funds” and should not to be used for ongoing expenses or to cover this year’s deficits.
On the plus side (if you’re inclined to think that keeping positions vacant is a good way to balance the budget), the CEO reported last week that her finance team now forecasts that the projected vacancy savings for this year are magically up by almost $2 million compared to her estimate just two weeks prior.
Which brings us to Supervisor Ted Williams’ concluding remarks last Tuesday:
“In just about every conversation I have with constituents it’s about county finances and reporting. I hope the board will give serious consideration to treating it as a number one priority to revamp our financial systems so that we cannot just talk about what happened two years ago, but talk about the year ahead. We don’t seem to have a forecast that we can really believe because in one breath we are talking about a financial crisis and we won’t be able to make payroll and in another breath we find there’s $11 million on the table. Somebody after the fact could make sense of all this, but there’s no way to tell that story looking a year ahead. It makes every effort that the county engages in difficult because we don’t know what we have to work with. I have come to the appreciation that we have good people working diligently but within a really archaic framework. We also have some bad tools. Maybe the tools are fine, but we just need to rethink how we work with them. But that’s where my constituents would like the county to put emphasis: fixing that financial accounting system and the reporting structure so that we can work on dependent projects.”
Which is it then? Is the County’s finance/budget computer system faulty? Is the “thinking” faulty? Is the CEO incapable of using the accounting data to provide meaningful reports? Is the Board incapable of even knowing what the problem is?
None of Supervisor Williams’ colleagues responded to his request to make financial reporting improvements a top priority.
Does that mean they think everything is fine and there’s nothing to worry about?
Funny, four years ago in the run up to the wrongful suspension of Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector Chamise Cubbison the then-Board, led by Supervisor Williams (and former Supervisor Glenn McGourty), was doing everything it could to blame the financial reporting problem on Cubbison. That misguided effort not only fell embarrassingly flat, but is likely to cost the County millions of dollars they don’t have in a settlement of Cubbison’s pending civil suit. (Cubbison’s lawsuit was on the Closed Session agenda again on Tuesday, but the Board again had “nothing to report.)
Four years later and the Board is still in the dark, questions of staffing and filling vacancies are going unasked and unanswered, and nobody seems to know what the problem is. In fact, they don’t even agree that there is one.
PAY RAISE FOR FORT BRAGG CITY COUNCIL?
Sakina Bush:
Fort Bragg City Council did not recently double their salaries, but they did approve a measure to potentially increase salaries up to a new cap, which will take effect in 2026. The salary is not being doubled but aa future increase up to $950 a month per council member is possible.
The salary for Fort Bragg City Council members is $950 per month, or $11,400 annually, based on an update to the Municipal Code. This amount is based on California Government Code § 36516 for cities with a population under 35,000.
California Government Code § 36516 sets the limits on pay for City Council members
According to AI council members work 18-20 hours a week. At 20 hours a month $950 would be $47.50 / hour.
David Gurney:
I should have said "nearly doubled" their salaries, from $510 to $950/month. Doubled would have been $1,020, but round numbers…
And not using "AI" - it's not some mysterious cap at some ambiguous date - if approved, the pay raise will be up to $950/month, and goes into effect within 30 days of the passage of the resolution before the City Council, likely at their next meeting on 11/24/2025. The Res. was drawn up and approved by the "Finance Committee" at their Nov. 12th meeting.
There are two City Councilmembers on the Finance Committee, and the Finance Department has been very inappropriately without a Director for almost two years now.
It's doubtful the Council won't give themselves the full monte.
"Section 4. Effective Date and Publication. This ordinance shall be and the same is hereby declared to be in full force and effect from and after thirty (30) days after the date of its passage. Within fifteen (15) days after the passage of this Ordinance, the City Clerk shall cause a summary of said Ordinance to be published as provided in Government Code §36933, in a newspaper of general circulation published and circulated in the City of Fort Bragg, along with the names of the City Council voting for and against its passage."
I asked the "Finance Committee" during Public Comment why they hadn't hired a new Finance Director (for almost two years) and they not only refused to answer, they wouldn't even acknowledge I'd asked the question!
Daney Dawson:
In these times, $950/mo doesn't seem extravagant for someone with that much responsibility. Just sayin'.
David Gurney:
Pay Raise P.S. - We shall see if the City Council tries to sneak their self-proposed pay raise through on the unscrutinized "Consent Calendar."
If so, it should be requested the Item be removed from the Consent Calendar, and legitimately placed on the Agenda for discussion.
Jean Arnold:
My guess is that they spend more than four hours a week on their duties. How much, per hour, should they get paid? They also have to get to and from the meetings, etc. Keeping their pay down just means people of low/no means can't afford to serve.
David Gurney:
I'm absolutely in favor of a pay raise, and said so during the public comment at the Nov. 12 Fin. Comm. meeting.
And I think they should get a lot more than that, if they were competent, ethical and intelligent in performing their duties as decision makers for the city and people of Fort Bragg. Unfortunately, that's not the case. There are no competency, moral or intelligence requirements to win a local CC election, so you get who you get. It seems like it's sort of been an unspoken "volunteer community service" position in a lot of ways.
I've been "looking under the hood" at how things are run in FB for the past couple months, and sorry to say we got a real clunker.
ICE, AN EXCHANGE
Anne Thomas:
I was not alarmed by the recent posts regarding ICE being in our community only because I knew it wasn’t true. But the repeated headline as people responded to the original post must’ve made it seem terrible to most readers of the list. Thank you, Frank Hartzell, for looking into this and providing the number of the rapid response network. Listers, please think about what you’re posting and how you are labeling it for the sake of the many people in our community, who are absolutely terrified and horrified by what is happening (so far, only) in other communities.
David Gurney:
Yes, we here in our isolated Mendocino enclave - where our only worry is how to donate that extra bidet to the KZYX pledge drive - need not let such things as an ICE invasion, real or otherwise, disturb our blessed equanimity…
AV PANTHER ATHLETICS:
Season Passes now available for the 2025-2026 Basketball Season.
$100 for a family of 4
$50 for a family of 2
$25 for individuals
To purchase a pass please go to the AV High School Office.
(Tickets DO NOT include any tournament or Playoffs. Ticket only valid at home games)
Go Panthers!
SHERI HANSEN:
Reaching out to AVHS Alums. The museum’s Argus collection begins with 1920. These are the years we need to have a complete set: 1972,1976,1978,1981,1984, 1991,2004,2005,2014 and 2018-present. Let me know if you can help complete the collection.
‘DAVE IN PA’:
Roadkill reminds me of my three plus years living at various places around Philo from 1971 to 75. I was there doing alternate service at Clearwater Ranch. Someone told me, not sure how accurate, that in this period before the vineyards were producing much, Mendocino County was one of the poorest in CA and the one with the most deer. At one very nice location I lived in a cabin in a small redwood grove, rented for $35 a month from Robin Bloyd. Next to the cabin in the grove was an open-air screened meat safe where roadkill hung to cure, mostly venison. The roadkill was collected, typically in the mornings from rt 128. Memories.
DUI DRIVER’S TRIAL STRATEGY SUFFERS AN EPIC FAIL
A Mendocino County Superior Court jury was excused on Wednesday after the close of the prosecution’s case-in-chief and before the defendant’s proposed defense could even get off the ground.
When the defense failed at a mid-trial “402 hearing” to demonstrate that testimony of two proposed “experts” was relevant, reliable, and admissible, defendant Isaac John Glavin, age 31, of New Lisbon, Wisconsin, apparently saw the writing on the wall.
He entered a no contest plea to driving a motor vehicle just after midnight on September 1, 2023 on South State Street with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater, a misdemeanor.
The blood test evidence presented to the jury was that Glavin was driving (and ran into a curb) with a blood alcohol concentration of .16, twice the legal limit.
So what is a 402 hearing? On timely motion of an opposing party, questionable trial evidence proposed by a party can be forced to be vetted by the trial judge to determine if the evidence in question should be heard by the jury.
Found in the California Evidence Code, a 402 hearing is a procedural vehicle for a trial judge to hear and evaluate proffered evidence, listen to arguments by the parties in favor or in opposition to the evidence in question, and ultimately rule on admissibility.
The outcome of a 402 hearing can significantly shape a trial’s trajectory. If evidence is deemed inadmissible (and thus disallowed, as happened in Glavin's case), it often dismantles key arguments, forcing one side or the other to reevaluate their chances at a favorable trial outcome.
In addition to his DUI case, the defendant also resolved two other cases Wednesday that were in trailing status.
To wrap up his business with the local courts, the defendant entered a no contest plea to intentionally interfering in July 2024 with a local business by obstructing or intimidating those working at the business, or the customers of the business, and then refusing to leave the business establishment after being requested to leave by the business and/or a peace officer.
In a second case, the defendant entered a no contest plea to being in a public place in April 2025 while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the point of being unable to care for himself or the well-being of others.
The law enforcement agencies involved in this week’s DUI trial were the Ukiah Police Department and the Department of Justice crime laboratory.
The prosecutor who presented the People’s evidence to the jury -- and then successfully argued that the proposed defense evidence was neither relevant nor reliable -- was Deputy District Attorney Sarah Drlik.
Retired Superior Court Judge Janet Clark, on temporary assignment to the Mendocino County Superior Court, presided over the three-day trial.
LOCAL EVENTS (this week)
SFGATE SAYS UKIAH is one of the “best hippie towns in Northern California.” Why?
“Ukiah is near the start [sic] of the “Emerald Triangle,” the three Northern California counties long known as the world’s best marijuana-growing region. Ukiah is the largest city in Mendocino County and is home to a few popular hot springs and the City of 10,000 Buddhas, an international Buddhist community and monastery which is open to visitors and includes a vegetarian cafe. The allure of weed, and the recent successful legalization efforts, have fueled a land rush in most areas of the Emerald Triangle, starting in Ukiah as well as some of the other towns included in this rundown.”
Yikes! How many errors of fact or crazy assumptions can you spot in that one paragraph?
MENDOCINO COUNTY FARM BUREAU:
There will be a public workshop in Ukiah to update the community on the Potter Valley Project, November 24, 1-4 PM at Ukiah Valley Conference Center in Ukiah. The Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission will be holding a workshop on to provide updates, answer questions and support a collaborative informed dialogue about the Potter Valley Project. Attendees will receive updates on planning efforts, future infrastructure needs, timelines related to PG&E’s decommissioning and ongoing storage investigations.
COAST LIGHTHOUSE TOUR
The next Historical Society of Mendocino County History presentation will be on Sunday, December 7 from 1pm to 3pm. The day will begin at the Caspar Community Center, where we will explore Mendocino County's lighthouses. Mark Hancock, Executive Director of the Point Arena Lighthouse, will discuss the history, technology, and people who have kept the Point Arena Lighthouse operating since it lit in 1870. From the first brick and mortar tower, to a temporary one erected after the 1906 earthquake, to the current 115-foot-tall structure, the lighthouse has lit the way for mariners for 155 years.
His presentation will feature historical documents and photographs, along with images he has taken in his ten years at the Point Arena Lighthouse.
After Mark's presentation, the talk will continue at the Point Cabrillo Light Station— a short drive from the Caspar Community Center. There, we will learn more about that site.
This event will be accompanied by a light lunch for $20 per person. Reservations are required for lunch. The Caspar Community Center is located at 15051 Caspar Road, Caspar California, just off Highway 1 south of Fort Bragg. To reserve please call the Historical Society of Mendocino County at 707-462-6969 or email us at [email protected].
— Tim Buckner, Executive Director, Historical Society of Mendocino County
THE MENDOCINO COUNTY LIBRARY now offers bilingual Northern Pomo–English audiobooks by Buffie Campbell-Schmidt, a Sherwood Valley Rancheria tribal citizen dedicated to revitalizing the Northern Pomo language. The books are free to listen to on SoundCloud.
CITY OF FORT BRAGG LAUNCHES TRANSPARENCY PORTAL FOR FLOCK SAFETY CAMERAS
Flock Safety technology helps the Fort Bragg Police Department investigate crimes through retroactive searches and real-time alerts on hot listed vehicles, such as those tied to wanted suspects or Amber Alerts.
The Flock Safety – Fort Bragg CA PD Transparency Portal is available at: https://transparency.flocksafety.com/fort-bragg-ca-pd
The portal includes:
- What the system detects (license plates and vehicles) and does not detect (faces, people, gender, or race)
- How data may and may not be used, including clear acceptable and prohibited uses
- Access, hotlist, and data retention policies (including a 30-day retention period and the number of cameras in operation)
- Which agencies can access or share data with Fort Bragg, and which hotlists are used (such as California SVS and NCMEC Amber Alerts)
- A Public Search Audit feature where search activity can be reviewed
- Key privacy and accountability measures include:
- Data used only for legitimate law enforcement purposes, owned by Fort Bragg PD and never sold to third parties
- Prohibitions on use for traffic or immigration enforcement, harassment, intimidation, or targeting based on protected classes
- Logged and auditable access to the system, with public-facing search audit information
The Transparency Portal supports the City Council’s goals of public safety, open government, and active community engagement by making this technology easier to understand and monitor.
For questions about the portal or the Police Department’s use of Flock cameras, please contact the Fort Bragg Police Department or the City Manager’s Office at [email protected].
FROM THE ARCHIVE (2014):
“PLASTIC SHOPPING BAG BAN EXTENDED TO MOST STORES IN UKIAH, COUNTY by Mike Sweeney (Fort Bragg Advocate, 8th January 2014) The throw-away plastic shopping bag became illegal on Tuesday, Jan. 7, in almost all stores in Ukiah and the unincorporated County. It already happened Dec. 10 in Fort Bragg…” And so on.
THANKS, MIKE. I'm sure you won't mind if I point out that your live-in love interest, Glenda Anderson, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat's “Ukiah Bureau,” presented this same press release as a news story with her byline on it for the PD last Tuesday, and that Glenda, when she was with the Ukiah Daily Journal, often got your press releases published on the front page of the Ukiah daily. As news! Frankly, Mike, it all seems kinda mind-control-ish, kinda creepy. Does dear Glenda ever get to do stuff on her own, outside your control? Should her friends be thinking of doing an intervention, a de-programming, some kind of mental re-set, or will she remain simply one more checkmate you've manipulated into place to help ensure that in Mendo no one in authority will ever come after you for blowing up your previous wife, Judi Bari?
LOOKED AT OBJECTIVELY, Sweeney has managed to pull off what amounts to a perfect crime, so far at least. And what better place to reinvent oneself than this odd jurisdiction where every day history starts all over again and you are whatever you say you are?
HELL, the whole County is like an open air Witness Protection Program. Strangers show up all the time, and next thing you know there they are on your local school board or hosting a talk show on KZYX. Some of them even get elected to the Board of Supervisors!
ANYWAY, MIKE, your secret's safe with me. I have to say I rather admire what you've pulled off. How many guys could begin adult life as a college communist, segue on into a commie killer cult circa 1969 that itself segued into the infamous SLA, shed his first family for Madam Bari, blow up one of the hangars at the old naval airfield in Santa Rosa, abbreviate Bari's life with a car bomb, then manage to get himself put in charge of all of Mendocino County's trash at $90 grand a year? Dude! I have risen to my feet to salute you as The Most Interesting Man in Mendocino County!
THE BUILDING 7 brigades might want to come down off the Grassy Knoll long enough to look into the Bari-Sweeney matter, which they can conveniently do at our spiffy website, theava.com. The entire case is up there, complete with links to Sweeney's ad hoc, see-through counterblasts. We especially challenge the MCN ListServe shut-ins and other local intellectuals to give us their hard-hitting perspectives.
CATCH OF THE DAY, Wednesday, November 19, 2025
KATELYN BAGULEY, 19, Saratoga Spring, Utah/Ukiah. Probation revocation.
KENNETH BURTON JR., 21, Ukiah. DUI, no license.
JAMES GIBNEY JR., 57, Fort Bragg. Domestic battery.
EVERARDO GRANILLO, 33, Ukiah. County parole violation.
ARTHUR JUDICE, 70, Ukiah. Petty theft with two or more priors, suspended license, unlawful display of registration.
NATHANIEL KUGLER, 22, Fort Bragg. Taking vehicle without owner’s consent.
MICHAEL MENKE, 32, Ukiah. Disobeying court order, failure to appear.
MARINA NORIEGA, 23, Ukiah. Petty theft, resisting.
LATOYA RENICK, 44, Ukiah. Failure to appear, probation revocation.
BILLY RICKMAN, 52, Ukiah. Paraphernalia, county parole violation, unspecified offense.
JACINTO TUPPER, 20, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear, probation revocation, resisting.
DON’T KILL GRAY WOLVES
Editor:
The killing of gray wolves in the Sierra Valley at the behest of private cattle ranchers troubles me and is typical of how most people approach nature: It must be subdued, even eliminated.
California and federal agencies have spent more than $1.4 million to try and deter the wolf depredations. Perhaps 100 cattle were lost to the wolves. Cattle can sell for up to $5,000 each, that’s $500,000. Paying the ranchers for their financial loss and letting the wolves exist as part of the ecosystem where they belong seems a better strategy to me.
I would prefer my tax dollars to be spent helping wolves remain in the world before facilitating a cheap hamburger.
John Wadsworth
Concord
MEDICARE FOR ALL
Editor:
I agree with Sen. Bernie Sanders. It’s time for a single-payer health insurance program, one without expensive premiums or taxes. On April 29, Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Debbie Dingell and Sanders introduced the Medicare for All Act in the House and Senate. These landmark pieces of legislation would establish a single-payer national health program in the United States. Our medical system needs to allow every citizen access to health care without the worry of how to pay for it. Europe and the United Kingdom do.
It’s time to do away with for-profit, publicly traded health insurance companies. The recent inaction of our government regarding extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits highlights the need for a single-payer system that would not have an expiration date.
It is so important that, as citizens, we let our Republican, Democratic and independent representatives know we support a single-payer fair insurance program for all. Please write, email or call your representatives. Attend meetings. As citizens these are the only things we can do to voice our concerns regarding the health premium cost crisis.
Carol Aspinall
Santa Rosa
MAGA DRINKS KOOL-AID
Editor:
For years, I have argued to my wife, my family and close friends that President Donald Trump reminded me so much of the late Rev. Jim Jones, the notorious cult leader who cast some horrible magic spell on his doomed followers.
Imagine my surprise when I read Open Forum by Don Lattin, thinking that finally, someone else gets it. What I enjoyed most was Lattin’s ability to articulate the association between Trump and Jones far better than I possibly could.
I have one thought to add to Lattin’s otherwise exceptional comparison. Much like Jones’ flock — including those 900 who surrendered to his maniacal final request to commit suicide — all of Trump’s MAGA followers, his cabinet, his advisers and the majority of Republicans in Congress have all drunk the Kool-Aid, and they are forever beholden to their Messiah.
Stephen Perlman
San Mateo
ISRAELI WEST BANK RAMPAGE
Editor:
It is olive harvest time in the West Bank, but Israeli settlers are thwarting Palestinians harvesting olives on their own land. And the Israeli government does nothing to stop settlers from attacking Palestinians and stealing Palestinian land. There is no justice when a settler kills a Palestinian (this has happened multiple times). This has been going on for years, and the U.S. turns a blind eye to this injustice.
The horror committed by Hamas was terrible when they attacked, killed and kidnapped Israelis and others on Oct. 7, 2023 (1,200 people perished and 251 kidnapped). The genocide committed by Israel is horrific (68,000-plus) as well and falls in the category of war crimes and intentional cruelty through starvation and withholding medicine.
Asking again, does a Palestinian parent cry any less than an Israeli parent at the loss or injury of their child or loved one?
Jacob W. Boudewijn
Santa Rosa
REVOLUTION’S FULL STORY
Editor:
Regarding “Why watching Ken Burns’ ‘The American Revolution’ might be the most patriotic act you do this year”: Ken Burns was drawn to the American Revolution’s military history without sufficient regard for how the Founding Fathers defined the unalienable right of liberty and who would enjoy it. Enslaved people, women and Native Americans were excluded.
To Burns, the revolution was successful because its leaders were willing to compromise. But to what end? The international slave trade continued for 20 years, and slavery remained a state’s right until the Civil War, which cost over 700,000 Americans their lives.
Also needing scrutiny is the often-dysfunctional bicameral Congress, the vast grant of power to the executive branch, which invites abuse, and the creation of a national judiciary that has become a partisan super-legislature.
The Constitution permits amendments, of course, but the founders made them nearly impossible.
The narrative of the American Revolution is a great story, but it must go beyond inspiring patriotism. This is a cautionary tale.
Steven S. Berizzi
Norwalk, Conn
AM AWAITING
Warmest spiritual greetings,
Am on a public computer at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in Washington, D.C. at 2:16 p.m. on a cloudy November 19th. Still sleeping at the homeless shelter, and going out and about during the day. Nobody is active at the former location of the Peace Vigil in front of the White House; perhaps the participants are travelling at this time. There is no interest on capitol hill in the subject of the planet earth's climate, because it is now considered to be a waste of time to focus on it. Otherwise, the pace is slow here in the District of Columbia in the wake of a lengthy federal government shutdown.
Am awaiting membership cards in regard to health, wealth, and food to arrive in the mail; all of the applying, interviewing, etcetera is completed. Beyond this, I am available on the planet earth.
Craig Louis Stehr, [email protected]
THE LIFE OF BARBARA GRAHAM, born in Oakland, California, in 1923, was marked by instability from an early age, leading to a troubled adolescence that included time spent in a reformatory.
Despite attempts to live a conventional life, her early marriage in 1939 quickly dissolved within two years. Following the failure of her marriage, she drifted into sex work and petty crime, eventually moving between California and New York. Her criminal associations grew, culminating in her marriage to an alleged underworld figure, Henry Graham. It was through this connection that she was introduced to Jack Santo, a known gang leader, who would become central to the crime that sealed her fate.
The crime occurred in Burbank, California, in March 1953. Barbara, her husband Henry Graham, Jack Santo, and two other men, Emmett Perkins and John True, planned to rob a wealthy, elderly widow named Mabel Monahan at her home. According to later testimony, the robbery quickly escalated into brutal violence. When the group failed to find the large sum of money they expected, Monahan was smothered and severely beaten to death. The perpetrators were quickly apprehended, and the crime became a sensational media focus. Barbara's dramatic demeanor and criminal history earned her the infamous press nickname, “Bloody Babs,” and she was the only woman among the defendants.
The trial of the four co-defendants resulted in a conviction and a death sentence for Graham, Santo, and Perkins, largely due to the testimony of John True, who turned state's witness. Despite her legal team's numerous appeals, Barbara’s execution was set for June 3, 1955. Known for her defiant attitude, when she was told there was a possibility of a stay of execution, she reportedly responded with the cynical remark, “I never got a break in my whole goddamned life and you think I’m going to get one now?” Her execution in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison was marred by administrative delays. Her scheduled 10:00 p.m. execution was postponed multiple times as legal efforts continued, leading her to cry out, “Why do they torture me? I was ready to go at ten o’clock.”
Ultimately, Barbara Graham was led into the gas chamber and was pronounced dead at 11:42 p.m. Her final statement before her execution became one of the most quoted lines associated with her case: “Good people are always so sure they’re right.” Her life and execution became a high-profile case that fueled the debate over capital punishment and later inspired the 1958 film and book, I Want to Live!, cementing her place as a figure in 20th-century American crime history.
ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY
Most women have lost it. Just look at the purple hair, the pussy hats, the nose rings, lip rings and tattoos and you'll see it. Want a good example of what women have become? Check out the two stars in that new movie, the remake of the Wizard of Oz, I can't remember the name right now. One of them is Arianna Grande. I think she's a female of latina origin but when looking at her, one can't be too sure. She's not white but she just looks weird, almost like a bug or something. She is very emaciated. She just doesn't look right. Then at her side is a black chick with facial piercings, shaved head and shaved eyebrows wearing some kind of leather dominatrix outfit one would see in a Friday the 13th horror film. Looks scary as hell. Breitbart.com ran an article on these two sweeties ranting about how the Wizard of Oz is "gay as hell" and was written for LTBTEADEZAQ+ crowd. This is what women have become. It's hard to watch.
THE MONTH OF JUNE: 13 1/2
As our daughter approaches graduation and
puberty at the same time, at her
own, calm, deliberate, serious rate,
she begins to kick up her heels, jazz out her
hands, thrust out her hipbones, chant
I’m great! I’m great! She feels 8th grade coming
open around her, a chrysalis cracking and
letting her out, it falls behind her and
joins the other husks on the ground,
7th grade, 6th grade, the
magenta rind of 5th grade, the
hard jacket of 4th when she had so much pain,
3rd grade, 2nd, the dim cocoon of
1st grade back there somewhere on the path, and
kindergarten like a strip of thumb-suck blanket
taken from the actual blanket they wrapped her in at birth.
The whole school is coming off her shoulders like a
cloak unclasped, and she dances forth in her
jerky sexy child’s joke dance of
self, self, her throat tight and a
hard new song coming out of it, while her
two dark eyes shine
above her body like a good mother and a
good father who look down and
love everything their baby does, the way she
lives their love.
— Sharon Olds (1987)
THE MALE SENSE OF SPACE must differ from that of the female, who has such interesting, active, and significant inner space. The space that interests men is outer. The fly ball high against the sky, the long pass spiraling overhead, the jet fighter like a scarcely visible pinpoint nozzle laying down its vapor trail at 40,000 feet, the gazelle haunch flickering just beyond arrow-reach, the uncountable stars sprinkled on their great black wheel, the horizon, the mountaintop, the quasar — these bring portents with them and awaken a sense of relation with the invisible, with the empty. The ideal male body is taut with lines of potential force, a diagram extending outward; the ideal female body curves around centers of repose.
— John Updike
IS NFL’S SMELLING SALTS OBSESSION SIMPLY BAD OPTICS, OR SOMETHING WORSE?
by Ann Killion
I confess: After reading the Chronicle’s compelling examination into the use of smelling salts in football, by my colleagues Eric Branch and Noah Furtado, I thought, “Why not give them a try?”
After all, I start each day with a strong cup of black coffee, to help me wake up and focus. Would smelling salts — ammonia inhalants in capsule form — be like that, only more intense? Would it improve my writing?
Alas, dear reader, though smelling salts are available over the counter, they weren’t in stock at my local big-chain drugstore (I looked). So, no gonzo journalism today: You will not be getting a meta smelling-salt enhanced column on smelling salts.
It’s also quite possible that I couldn’t find them because the local high school team might have bought up the supply. That’s how ingrained the use of smelling salts are, not only in NFL football but throughout sports, even at lower levels.
Smelling salts, according to WebMD, have been around since the 13th century. They were regularly used in the Victorian era, when fainting couches were trendy decor and women’s corsets were laced so tight that they passed out. The inhalant has also been used for centuries on the battlefield and for decades by emergency technicians to revive the unconscious.
But these days, we see smelling salts most in sports, particularly on the football field. As Branch and Furtado noted, there have been several instances of the television cameras capturing NFL players breaking the capsules and holding them under their noses, including when they’re emerging from the blue medical tent after being examined for a concussion.
That’s what you call bad optics.
And, as the Chronicle story notes, it is likely those bad optics and the NFL’s disturbing history in treating concussions played a large part in the league restricting the use of smelling salts this season. The NFL said the substance is not proven to be safe and can mask the symptoms of concussions, so it banned teams from distributing smelling salts. But the league continues to allow players to provide them and take them on their own, if they so choose.
And many of them do so choose. Former NFL player Michael Strahan has estimated that as many as 80% of players use them. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle said he uses them before every offensive series and joked that he would “consider retirement” if they were banned. Even general manager John Lynch, long retired from the field, has said he keeps them in his suit pocket and hands them out in the team suite on game days.
For many athletes, the use of smelling salts is part of their game routine. It may be more psychological and ritual than providing any actual physical performance edge. Players speak of using them to wake up, get jacked up, prepare for their violent sport.
Every week, we watch NFL players step out on the field and do the unthinkable. Be hit with the force of a high-speed car crash again and again and again. If they want to take a centuries-old stimulant to get ready for such madness, is that cause for concern?
Smelling salts, which increase blood flow to the brain, increase heart rate and provide temporary alertness, have not been directly linked to severe adverse side effects. Though players say their use can make them feel “juiced,” these aren’t anabolic steroids, a known cause of kidney and liver disease. The most serious reactions are possible irritation of the respiratory system from overuse.
But in 2024 the FDA warned that smelling salts had “the potential to mask certain neurologic signs and symptoms, including some potential signs of concussion.” Smelling salts have been banned in boxing for more than half a century, specifically because of their ability to mask signs of neurological damage. And — let’s be honest — it’s a bad look when boxing is ahead of your sport on the personal safety scale.
According to a league spokesperson contacted by the Chronicle, the league and the players union had discussions on an outright ban on smelling salts. He referred our reporters “to the NFLPA to answer why it was not prepared to ban player use.” An NFLPA spokesperson said the union had a “neutral stance” on the use of smelling salts.
Will we look back one day on the casual use of smelling salts and wonder why we were so naive? Throughout the history of sports, plenty of substances once thought to be innocuous turned out not to be.
Baseball used to have a jar of “greenies” — amphetamines — in the clubhouse for all to grab, before their serious side effects were recognized and they were banned. Baseball regularly handed out chewing tobacco to players, another substance believed to help focus and concentration, before one of its greats, Tony Gwynn, died of salivary gland cancer at age 54, leading to a ban on smokeless tobacco (though sadly cans of dip are still spotted in the back pockets of many players).
Will smelling salts fall into the same category? One player told the Chronicle “there’s no real downside to it. You might lose a few brain cells.”
He was kidding around, but I’m glad my shopping trip was unsuccessful. I can’t afford to part with any precious brain cells. Black coffee will have to suffice.
(SF Chronicle)
WHEN HITLER HEARD that German born Marlene Dietrich was in Europe entertaining U.S. troops, he personally ordered her killed. When U.S. Intelligence found out, they offered to ship her back stateside. La Dietrich said “Nein” and demanded she be taken to the frontlines to perform closer to the troops. The daughter of a Prussian officer was one tough cookie. After the war, President Truman awarded her the Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony.
THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE
NOW this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back—
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
Wash daily from nose-tip to tail-tip; drink deeply, but never too deep;
And remember the night is for hunting, and forget not the day is for sleep.
The Jackal may follow the Tiger, but, Cub, when thy whiskers are grown,
Remember the Wolf is a Hunter—go forth and get food of thine own.
Keep peace withe Lords of the Jungle—the Tiger, the Panther, and Bear.
And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the Boar in his lair.
When Pack meets with Pack in the Jungle, and neither will go from the trail,
Lie down till the leaders have spoken—it may be fair words shall prevail.
When ye fight with a Wolf of the Pack, ye must fight him alone and afar,
Lest others take part in the quarrel, and the Pack be diminished by war.
The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, and where he has made him his home,
Not even the Head Wolf may enter, not even the Council may come.
The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, but where he has digged it too plain,
The Council shall send him a message, and so he shall change it again.
If ye kill before midnight, be silent, and wake not the woods with your bay,
Lest ye frighten the deer from the crop, and your brothers go empty away.
Ye may kill for yourselves, and your mates, and your cubs as they need, and ye can;
But kill not for pleasure of killing, and seven times never kill Man!
If ye plunder his Kill from a weaker, devour not all in thy pride;
Pack-Right is the right of the meanest; so leave him the head and the hide.
The Kill of the Pack is the meat of the Pack. Ye must eat where it lies;
And no one may carry away of that meat to his lair, or he dies.
The Kill of the Wolf is the meat of the Wolf. He may do what he will;
But, till he has given permission, the Pack may not eat of that Kill.
Cub-Right is the right of the Yearling. From all of his Pack he may claim
Full-gorge when the killer has eaten; and none may refuse him the same.
Lair-Right is the right of the Mother. From all of her year she may claim
One haunch of each kill for her litter, and none may deny her the same.
Cave-Right is the right of the Father—to hunt by himself for his own:
He is freed of all calls to the Pack; he is judged by the Council alone.
Because of his age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw,
In all that the Law leaveth open, the word of your Head Wolf is Law.
Now these are the Laws of the Jungle, and many and mighty are they;
But the head and the hoof of the Law and the haunch and the hump is—Obey!
— Rudyard Kipling (1894)
IN CAPITALISM They Tell You To Become The Hammer If You Don’t Like Being The Nail
by Caitlin Johnstone
Came across an old Hampton Institute tweet:
“If you don’t like being exploited (employee, tenant), then become the exploiter (boss/owner, landlord)” is the capitalist mindset that has been drilled into all of us since we were kids. The real solution is to end exploitation (capitalism) altogether.
You run into this sort of argument all the time when interacting with capitalism supporters.
If people can’t make enough money to get by then they should get better-paying jobs.
If people don’t like getting kicked around by an abusive status quo then they should climb their way into a socioeconomic strata that isn’t getting kicked around as much.
If someone doesn’t like being the nail then they should become the hammer.
They deflect criticisms of the abusive system by babbling about what people can do as individuals to be less abused personally.
It’s like a horror movie villain trapping a bunch of people in a pyramid-shaped room and then filling it up with water so that only the ones who fight their way to the top can get air. He goes, “You don’t like drowning? Better not be among those who are underwater, then!”
In this horror movie, the people don’t curse the villain or swear they’ll kill him. Instead they just say “Well it’s not a perfect system, but it’s the best one possible!” If someone less fortunate manages to pop their head above water for a second and say “Please! We need air!”, they shove him back down and climb on his shoulders saying “Well you need to fight harder to get to the top then.”
Saying “Don’t like drowning? Then fight your way to the top” completely ignores the fact that the entire room is deliberately structured so that there will always necessarily be a large group of people who are drowning. Pointing out the fact that it is technically possible for someone as an individual to claw their way to the top is just a way of avoiding the need to address the abusive nature of the overall system which is premised on the permanent existence of a disadvantaged class.
Not everyone can be an employer; some people have got to be their employees, or their job doesn’t exist. Not everyone can be a landlord; landlords require rent-payers in order to exist. There can’t be a top ten percent who are living comfortably without a bottom ninety percent who aren’t.
This whole dystopia is built on top of an underclass of low-wage workers keeping the gears of industry turning; if they all quit today, the entire economy would be instantly obliterated. Saying “If those low-wage workers want better wages they should stop being low-wage workers” is telling a man to stop drowning while you are holding him underwater by standing on his head.
And what’s really crazy is that in this horror movie, the villain is entirely within reach. He’s standing there taunting everyone at the top of the room from a platform where he controls the water levels, and his legs are right there within grabbing distance. But instead of grabbing those legs and pulling him down so they can drain the room and save everyone, they’re fighting each other for air and saying anyone who drowns is to blame for their own drowning.
Craziest thing you can imagine, really. I wouldn’t even pay to watch that movie, because it’s too unbelievable.
And yet here we are.
(caitlinjohnstone.com.au)
CHARLES WEMYSS JR.:
It’s a story as old as time. Crooks are crooks and you can have all the Dodd Frank laws you want most companies will endeavor to comply and then the crooks don’t and we get a crisis. Or a Madoff or an Enron. Regardless of the laws people in markets (forget who is running the companies they're all idiots) need to do their own due diligence and stay vigilant. Walk when the warning sign pops, cut your losses early and hope to take some profits and watch the banks and other less diligent ride the stock to the bottom…boom! The sound of an imploding market..indeed buyer beware. As it is in our personal health care now, one must become the CEO of their health care and finances.
LEAD STORIES, THURSDAY'S NYT
Nvidia’s Profit Jumps 65% to $31.9 Billion. Is It Enough for Wall Street?
Holiday Hiring Slows, Frustrating Job Seekers
Trump Loyalist Admits Grand Jury Never Saw Final Comey Indictment
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Has Big Plans, but His Giant Fund Is Low on Cash
Lawrence Summers Has Come Back From Scandals. Will This Be His Last?
After a Mysterious Death, a Family’s Quest for Answers Leads to a Tick
Americans Have Lost Billions to Online Scams. How Is That Possible?
TRUMP SIGNS BILL ON RELEASE OF EPSTEIN FILES
Mr. Trump announced on social media that he had signed the legislation, but the release of all the files is not guaranteed.
Relenting to pressure from his base, President Trump on Wednesday announced on social media that he signed legislation calling on the Justice Department to release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days.
Mr. Trump’s signature does not guarantee the release of all the files. The bill contains significant exceptions, including a provision protecting continuing investigations, which could mean many documents would stay confidential.
(NY Times)
THE PALESTINE LABORATORY: Exporting Occupation Technology (The Chris Hedges Report w/ Antony Loewenstein)
Gaza has become a testing ground for Israeli and Western weapons and surveillance tools — technologies that will inevitably be used to target populations across the globe.
by Chris Hedges
Filmmaker, author and journalist Antony Loewenstein documents how Israel has used Gaza as a weapons showcase. Spyware, killer drones, robot dogs and other weapons are debuted in Gaza and field-tested on the civilian population, demonstrating their effectiveness to regimes around the world that await their chance to purchase them.
Loewenstein joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to chronicle what he has learned from writing The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World and producing The Palestine Laboratory, a documentary based on the book.
“I think the whole idea of what Israel…has been showing the world, I say two things. One, what weapons you can use to murder, kill, target Palestinians but also how to get away with it. I think Israel sells that concept,” Loewenstein explains.
As spyware companies like Pegasus and Paragon and arms companies like Elbit and Rafael see business boom, Loewenstein argues countries have a moral imperative to end trading with Israel. These same technologies perpetuating the genocide in Gaza, Loewenstein explains, will come back to haunt the citizenry of purchasing countries.
“All these governments around the world, whether they’re so-called democratic or repressive, are obsessed with these tools. They can’t give them up. They’re desperate to listen to their opponents, to the journalists, to activists,” Loewenstein remarks.
“It’s very hard for these regimes to give them up because there’s no regulation. There’s just none. It just doesn’t exist.”…
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-palestine-laboratory-exporting
RAMBLIN' JACK & MAHAN
Now a Ramblin' Jack Elliot said:
I got these lines in my face
Tryin' to straighten out the wrinkles in my life
When I think of all the fools I've been
It's a wonder that I've sailed this many miles
To which Larry Mahan replied,
He said, "The sweet bird of youth
Was sittin' on my shoulder yesterday
But she's always changin' partners
And I always knew she'd up and fly away"
Stayin' up all night
In the Driskill Hotel
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan
Was cowboy'd all to hell
The room smelled like bulls
The words sound like songs
Now there's a pair to draw to boys
I would not steer you wrong
So ol' Ramblin' Jack said:
He said, "I recall a time
I set my soul on fire just for show
All it ever taught me was
The more I learn the less I seem to know"
Ol' Mahan crawled out from behind a couch and said:
"Jack, as far as I can see
Mistakes are only horses in disguise
Ain't no need to ride 'em over
'cause we could not ride them different if we tried
Stayin' up all night
In the Driskill Hotel
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan
Was cowboy'd all to hell
The room smelled like bulls
The words sound like songs
Now there's a pair to draw to boys
I would not steer you wrong
— Guy Clark & Richard Leigh (1992)
LOVE LETTER TO A SMALL TOWN: Boyhood Memories Of Chapman, Kansas
by Chuck Dunbar
I went to Heaven
’Twas a small town…
— Emily Dickinson
A long, long time ago — 70 years on — life granted a great gift to a young boy. I was that boy — little Charlie Dunbar — and that gift was living for a time in the small town of Chapman, Kansas. My father was a U.S. Army officer, and our family had been living in Germany where he was stationed. The Army had ordered him in 1955 to return to the states to serve at Fort Riley, Kansas. It was a fortunate posting, as my caring, good, parents were native Kansans, both born and raised in Miltonvale, with many relatives living around the state. So we traveled back to the U.S., finding a home in Chapman, population just over 1,000 folks. We first lived in an old but lovely two story house, near the town’s center. We lived in Chapman for nearly four years, moving in the third year to a new home on the town’s western-most street, near Highway 40 — train tracks and the Smoky Hill River just beyond.
I was 8 years old when we came to Chapman. Little did I know then how important my years as a young boy in this small town would be. I surely didn’t know Chapman would visit me in many dreams over the years. Nor did I realize I’d never forget this sweet town, that it would nestle in my heart forever. Chapman turned out to be the perfect place for young Charlie Dunbar.
Chapman Memories
Here are some of my Chapman memories. After all these years, they’re still vivid, tugging at my heartstrings:
School Days
I attended Chapman Elementary School for 3rd through 6th grade. My memories of this school are all pleasant ones. The school staff were kind and friendly, and I looked forward to attending each day. I recall my first teacher, in the 3rd grade, was new to teaching. We were her very first class. She was young, very pretty as I recall, and had a helpful, sweet manner. I regret I’ve forgotten her name. She was a kind teacher, who comforted me once when I cried over spelling quiz errors I’d made. A girl asked why I was crying. Her gentle answer, “because Charlie wants to do well.” I suspect many of the boys in the class had a mild crush on our teacher, as I surely did.
Other memories come to mind, one involving our 5th grade class viewing a film (on long-gone reel to reel equipment) about Robert Frost. It was a bit beyond the boys, who began to make fun of his old-man appearance. I admit I was one of the miscreants. Our teacher had had enough. She stopped the film and gave us a well-deserved lecture on how wrong it was to make fun of a national treasure. We all rightly kept our mouths closed for the rest of the film. Another memory, grateful in nature: Another teacher, caring and observant, saw that I couldn’t read the black-board from my desk. She talked to my mother, who had my sight assessed. I soon had my new pair of glasses, seeing all around me so much better.
Good Friends
I recall being thrilled to make new friends when I started school. It was a big deal to have friends, really the first close ones of my childhood. One instance of friend-making is vivid in my memory. Don, one of the boys in my first class in school, seemed at first not to like me. One day as we sat in class, his desk close to mine, he dropped his pencil. Without much thought, I leaned over, picked it up, and gave it back to him. Don smiled, thanked me, and we became friends, just like that. It’s still a good lesson for me of the power of a kind act. I soon made other friends — Phil and Mike. We were buddies, Don and Phil, Mike and Charlie. Later, after we moved to our second home, I made another good friend in Mark, who lived nearby. We rode our bikes all over town, our days filled with all the fun things young boys enjoy. And Chapman was a safe, friendly place, a wholesome town.
I especially recall many pleasant times playing at Phil’s warm, friendly house. He was my closest friend, a kind, thoughtful, boy. We were watched over by his caring mother, Verna (trained as an anthropologist and engaging in a considerable amount of field work over her life, I learned only recently.) Phil’s father, Neil, also a friendly presence, was the local banker. I vividly recall one day at their home, playing inside during a snowy winter storm, watching out the window as a bright red cardinal ate seed from their bird feeder.
Sweet Girls
I recall two girls from my grade school classes, Vicki and Donna. I can still see, all these years gone, their pretty, young-girl faces and recall their kind ways. Vicki was, as I recall, more outgoing, while Donna seemed a bit shyer. There were other girls, too, all of them seeming uniquely special to me, a quiet, shy boy, in their presence. I recall one day, sitting at my desk in class, one girl passing me, brushing her hand over my crew cut, saying, “I just wanted to see how it feels.” A girl’s purely innocent touch, but it was a first and felt nice! And on one Valentine’s Day, a card was delivered to my house by a classmate — it may have been Vicki. That was another first for me, I was surprised, happy. So these early school days held the first inklings of what girls — and later, women — would come to mean to me. My first crushes on girls. It was an early-in-life awakening, young Charlie not yet knowing its full import.
Baseball
I fell in love — passionately — with baseball while living in Chapman. It was my first sport, and my first experience in being part of a team. We had a young baseball team over these years, coached by a gem of a man, Jack Leather- man. Jack ran the local grocery store, The Mercantile, a beloved family business. He was a young man in his 20’s at the time. And he was a fine coach, friendly, encouraging, skilled at leadership and teaching, knew baseball well, loved the sport. He gave and gave as a coach. We were youngsters, new to the game. We needed just what Jack had to give us. We took it with our whole hearts, soaked it up. He was a good man and a worthy mentor, my first in life (my parents excepted).
Our youth league was scattered around the eastern-central Kansas area. We played with teams in small towns like Emporia and McPherson. Traveling out of town was a big thrill, game days always exciting. I played as a left-handed shortstop, and as a pitcher. Memory dims as to how good a team we were over these years. I know for sure that we all had great fun playing the game.
Chapman had two baseball parks, one near the business district, the other across the railroad tracks to the south. We young boys played in these parks, as well as the older boys in their leagues. I loved to watch the older boys play. Danny was one I recall, a pitcher with a smooth, graceful delivery. I viewed him as kind of a baseball prince. Once, as Danny rested after playing, I saw his glove lying on a bench, no doubt a “Wilson,” the brand to have of that era. I couldn’t resist — I picked up the glove and tried it on, imagining for just a moment that I was older, more skilled and practiced — just like Danny.
One summer our baseball team took an unforgettable baseball trip, led by Jack, helped by some of the baseball dads. We all got on the train — imagine our excitement! — traveling to Kansas City to watch the A’ s play Boston. The stadium was so very large, beautiful to our eyes. Especially thrilling, we got to watch the great Ted Williams play. I can still remember my amazement at the power of those batsmen — balls hit so hard, towering so high, and so very far! For small town boys it was surely the trip of our young lives.
More Chapman Memories—Short Takes
Our first black and white TV at home — later a new color TV. A whole new world of entertainment had arrived. My family and I were entranced, often watching TV together. Ed Sullivan and Lawrence Welk, “The Grand Ole Opry,” “Captain Kangaroo,” “I Love Lucy,” on and on — the good old days of TV in its early years.
Watching my dad working hard in the garden — hand-plow, hoe and shovel — growing corn and tomatoes. He was a real Kansan, had the knack. I helped him, getting rid of pests and weeds — tomato worms and dandelions were my specialties.
Looking out our window with amazement in the middle of winter — a car spun ‘round in a full circle on our icy street across from the big County high school— but no damage done. All fine, then, and on the car went.
Country watermelon stands in the summer. Dropping a just-bought, big water- melon on the ground, horrified as it shattered to pieces — But we got another!
July 4th fireworks stands — Fireworks abounded! It was much fun and also a bit scary. I once held a firecracker in my hand as it exploded — short, quick fuse the villain — hurt like heck! Mom fixed me up.
Learning to love reading, checking-out books at the small, second-story Chapman library. My first favorites were the Nancy Drew books.
Listening intently every night to music from a Chicago radio station (WIND, I think) loving the rhymes, rhythms, and melodies of song, as well as the tales told. Hearing in real-time the classic transition from mid-50’s pop music to the beginnings of rock and roll — from Pat Boone, Doris Day, the Everly Brothers, to wild, brazen, rock music — Chuck Berry, Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and lots more to come…!
Carnival Days in Chapman — the downtown business block taken over by fun and games for all.
Trips to the dump with my dad driving his old, beat-up Dodge truck, badly faded red in color.
My first job as a boy — delivering papers across the town by bike, collecting on bills at month’s end. I was proud to do a good job and earn a little money — a good way to enter the world of work.
My first dog, “Boss” — a good dog, fine companion, my friend, but very excitable around kids. After he bit a girl, off to my grandfather’s farm he went. It was a sad loss, I cried lots of tears — my first broken heart.
Enduring the long Kansas winters — down in the basement with tennis ball and baseball mitt, pretending to be pitching. Tennis ball on cement wall going “bonk-bonk-bonk,” while I waited long months for snow and mud to be gone. Time for Spring baseball!
Across from our second home at Chapman’s western edge lay “Witches Hollow” — wild country land, a creek, small hills, an abandoned homestead. We boys took BB guns and snacks — marching off on brave adventures.
Leaving Chapman
After nearly four years in Chapman, my family had to move on. My father was ordered to join a small U.S. Army contingent on the Pacific Ocean island of Guam. We would live there for a short time, then move to a larger island, Okinawa. After that, back to the U.S. at Fort Hood, next to Killeen, Texas. It was hard to leave our lovely Chapman. I was sad to leave my buddies, my school, our nice home. It was the ever-changing life of an Army family, and one got used to it. (At times, though, I’ve wished I could have lived in Chapman for all my youth. A much different life as a boy it would have been…).
I left Chapman with many gifts. I had learned and done so much. I’d made good friends — my first buddies — learned to play and love baseball, was taught so well in grade school, and had my first little job. Still a young boy, I’d learned a lot about going out to meet the world. Life in Chapman had readied me for life yet to come.
Dreams of Chapman
As an adult I’ve been blessed with many pleasant dreams of my Chapman days. In many dreams I’m a boy again, riding on my Schwinn bike through the town’s streets. I’m happy and free in my around-the-town travels, going up and down the the gentle hills and tree-lined streets. I’d wake and smile, remembering those good times. Though once, not so pleasantly, I dreamed the town had grown much larger, and a huge shopping mall had been built near our first home. It was a troubling, bizarre dream. So it was good to wake-up, finding it was just a dream.
Closing Thoughts
So there we are, the nostalgic memories and musings of a thankful old man of 78 years. I live now, with my dear wife Eileen, on the California coast north of San Francisco, near two small towns, Mendocino and Fort Bragg. I came here nearly 40 years ago, moving from San Diego. I’ve been blessed with a good long life, including the ups and downs and eternal learnings that come to all of us. I’m retired now, after a career in social work with families and children, as well as elders. Gardening has been my passion for 55 years. We have a small place on land a mile from the ocean, growing many trees, shrubs, spring bulbs, roses, and more.
After all the years gone by, living in many other towns and cities, I still hold dear my memories of Chapman and its kind, good-hearted, souls. These memories — and the perspective and gratitude that have come with aging — moved me to write my love letter to this little town. Young Charlie Dunbar was nurtured and formed there as he started out in life. Much good fortune came to him during those years. Chapman was indeed a heavenly haven, a boy’s dream come true.
Dear little Kansas prairie town, thank you.
: Boyhood Memories Of Chapman, Kansas
Chuck- That was a wonderful story of your childhood. Have you ever gone back to visit Chapman?
Here is some perspective on the Fort Bragg City Council pay scale. Every 2 weeks we receive a paycheck that amounts to roughly $215. So that comes to about $107.50 a week. If you are truly dedicated to serving the public and sit on three different standing committees along with various ad-hoc committees, you should be spending an average of 20 hours a week. I remind you that some Council meetings include closed sessions that can run up to 6-7 hours per meeting. Yes. You read that correctly. So let’s do some math. $107 divided by 20 equals $5.35 per hour. Yes. You also read that correctly. While it is true that you receive top-notch health coverage, this salary is still about 4 times less per hour than someone working at our local McDonalds. And at least at a fast food restaurant job you don’t have a line of people who constantly complain about the job you are doing while accusing you of corruption. At least at a fast food restaurant job you don’t lie awake at night worrying about a decision you will have to make that may effectively harm a friend of yours. I look at my position as Community Service and I truly do try to do the right thing for what is best for the common good. I think we all do. It is truly the epitome of a “ thankless job”. However helping those who need help is a reward beyond measure. Something money cannot buy. For this I am thankful. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Lindy Peters
Fort Bragg City Council