Letters (Dec 9, 2015)

• Critiquing Kunstler
• Email Crimes
• Child Ag Labor
• Take Thompson To The Bar
• Where's Pineapple Girl?
• Did Fox Inspire The Wolf?
• Tiny Houses A Bad Idea
• Memo Of The Week

CRITIQUING KUNSTLER

Dear Editor,

Marvin Blake in his Letter to the Editor published November 25 musters the courage to take me to task for my previous letter taking issue with James Kunstler's column, "Good Little Maoists," accusing me and others who are similarly minded of being cowardly and blinded by politically correct emotion for daring to disagree with him. Those personal attacks misrepresent the substance of my letter and did little to illuminate the issues involved, but they are a piece with the demagogic and bullying style Kunstler is becoming known for. Moreover, the idea that I or anyone needs to confront Kunstler "face-to-face" before they presume to criticize him in print would be a ridiculous notion even if Kunstler didn't live a continent away in upstate New York.

As to the idea that I've misrepresented Kunstler's views, the following excerpts from that column speak for themselves reflecting a smug, patronizing attitude that certainly does embody an ignorant racist stereotype that exists in the minds of too many, some well-intentioned, middle-class people who in reality know little about black culture beyond what they see depicted in the media:

"Now to the touchier question as to why this is. After all, other ethnic groups in America are eager to fully participate in the national life."

And, "much of black America has simply opted out. They don't want to assimilate into a common culture — so common culture has been deemed dispensable by the confounded keepers of the common culture's flame, the university faculty. Much of black America doesn't want to play along with the speech, manners, rules or laws of whatever remains of that common culture after its systematic disassembly by the professors, the deans, and their handmaidens in progressive politics — heedless of the damage to the basic social contract."

So black people simply chose, they have "opted," to live in Compton and similar depressed areas to the extent they do? To be subjected to mass incarceration? To be gunned down in Charleston by cops and racists? Ditto for Latinos and poor whites? How fatuous of a concept is that? Not that institutional racism, class privilege and the depredations of predatory capitalism have anything to do with it? No, it's those leftists university professors and their esoteric doctrine of diversity that are the problem Kunstler informs us, as "the diversity cult of the day is a smokescreen to disguise this fundamental fact of American life: much of black America has simply opted out." Really? No evidence is presented to support this wild assertion.

See, Kunstler sermonizes, in reality most discriminatory obstacles were removed by 1965 under LBJ who "invited" blacks to participate more fully in society, but unfortunately this "generated enormous anxiety among black Americans who were not comfortable with the prospect of assimilating into the mainstream culture of the day. They either didn't believe in it, or feared it, or despised it, or worried about being able to perform in it" causing them to not take advantage of the opportunities that emerged, creating a situation where "much of the black population slid into what has become essentially an oppositional culture, determined to remain separate."

This, of course, was the product of the influence of bad characters like Malcolm X and the Black Panthers (who were subjected to a reign of terror by the cops and the FBI while Stokely gave his famous "Black power" speech in in 1966 in Mississippi in the wake of James Meredith being shot by racists).

Yeah, right. No, as Leon Trotsky once commented, such sanctimonious posturing simply represents the sophistry of those who cover for their collusion with the forces of the established order by "masquerading in the beard of a prophet." Nonetheless, I'd be surprised if any conservative commentators outside the unhinged milieu of the far right could even bring themselves to write such insulting, patronizing crap that one would expect from the likes of Donald Trump. Honestly, how can any politically literate or socially conscious person take this guy seriously?

Blake gets sidetracked with comments about how this reminds him about prior controversies involving Noam Chomsky and Frank Zappa, neither of whom have much in common with Kunstler who shares the views of the former's critics on the Middle East. But more to the point — this is not about civil liberties or academic freedom at all, but whether Kunstler should continue to be a paid guest at a college which had no prior awareness of his outrageous and demeaning views of African Americans, having been invited to speak in his capacity as an environmentalist gadfly that had been his main claim to fame. No, Boston College has no obligation to spend its money inviting him back to speak, an act that does not compromise his democratic rights in any way. He is free to take his sophomoric circus act elsewhere.

Sincerely,

Tom Quinn

Fort Bragg

EMAIL CRIMES

Editor

I'm in prison, 30 years, which might as well be life, being 47 at arrest and having served 10 years now. The charge of "e-mail terrorist" is based upon a false arrest and fabricated e-mail evidence. The proof is within file number 10-3813 in the US Attorney's office, 228 Walnut St., Harrisburg, PA 17108. They refuse to obey FOIA and release it. The "e-mail crimes" charged in Pennsylvania and New York are physically impossible since they charge use of my desktop computer which had no monitor. Our appeals court holds a return of property motion for unlawful search and seizure and the government admitted the search was illegal. The court is withholding mandatory suppression of that the illegal evidence. A Hazel Atlas fraud motion is also before the court.

How is it so difficult, when it is admitted, to get a court to grant relief that's not only due, but morally required to give? People should write and ask the court. There's plenty more evidence for a hearing.

The trial was featured on Coast-to-Coast radio.

Sincerely,

Michael Reynolds

Adelanto, California

CHILD AG LABOR

Ah Editor, and Fellow AVAers,

98 million children labor on earth in agriculture which includes fishery and forestry. 68% of these child laborers work unpaid by their families. And 59% of the hazardous work in agriculture is done by children. Ghana and the Ivory Coast produce half the world's cocoa supply. The hazards children face on the cocoa farm include: children do not wear protection while spraying pesticides; children use machetes to cut pods from trees. After beans are removed from their pods they are carried to drying racks. After beans are dry they are packed in sacks and loaded onto trucks. And although the average income for a day of labor in Ghana and the Ivory Coast is 34¢ to 45¢, children receive no income in these countries where $2 per day is the international poverty line.

Farina bangs her exploitation dish and gives thanks for minimum wage in Mendocino after a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. "No hard cheese."

Diana 'Anti-Frack' Vance

Mendocino

TAKE THOMPSON TO THE BAR

Dear Editor,

Someone asked me today why do I read your newspaper? I didn't have to think about it. I said because it's home. You see, I know who reads the AVA. Yes, my family and friends, all my home boys and girls in Low Gap, plus my homeboys up state. People who know me and know what I go through. So when I write in and say Linda Thompson dropped the ball in my case. Everyone who reads the AVA knows I'm talking about Mendocino County Public Defender Linda Thompson who will get you a life sentence for a misdemeanor.

If you don't know, back in 2012 I started this case of tweaker lies of kidnapping and the DA jumped all over a chance to put me away for 25 to life. Yes, that's what they offered me and Rochelle Sutherland. I remember Bruce Anderson writing about it in the AVA stating that hopefully the District Attorney would see this case for what it is and God help us if we got Linda Thompson for an attorney.

Well, thank God I got Steven Antler and Rachelle got Patrick Pekin, both great attorneys who did a good job bringing out all the lies told by Tonya Scheurich who was mad that we stopped her from stealing Kathryn's things. Yes, Tonya, I have a shoebox full of court papers where you admitted to taking property from Kathryn's and my trailer plus where you call CPS on her. So anyway Mr. Antler worked out probation with a three-year lid if we violated the probation. I guess he knew that's one thing I'm real good at (violating probation).

Now, he got this deal my proving that Tonya Scheurich and Andrew Jacobsen had lied over 40 times in their statements. So the District Attorney went from 25-to-life to a three-year probation and off to rehab for us.

Yes, that's where things got bad. You see, I violated my probation and I did not get Mr. Antler for my violation attorney. Yes, you guessed it. I got the most worthless attorney in the County Linda Thompson who did not do her job. She did not go back and read the court transcripts where I had a three-year lid on this case. So I was already sentenced to three years and Linda Thompson and judge Ann Mormon resentenced me to four years and four months and I filed an appeal.

Now 60 days from doing that four years and four months, the Court of Appeals overturned my case, stating that the trial lawyer was messed up and did not bring up the three-year lid. So I've been waiting over a month for Linda Thompson to send a new amended abstract of judgment. I'm over my release date as of May 2015. But I am stuck waiting for Linda Thompson to do her job. So as of today I'm also filing a complaint against Linda Thompson with the California Bar and I know I'm not the only one. I am asking if you have ever had Linda Thompson as an attorney, I can bet things didn't go good for you. If you feel that way you should also file a complaint with the California Bar. Here's the address:

State of California Bar Association, 180 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-1639

Or The California Bar, 1149 South Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015.

Hopefully one day soon Linda Thompson will no longer be able to drop the ball. You can help. Please do the right thing and help get rid of Linda Thompson.

PS. Eric Seals: Thank you for telling the cops that I was running to Jason's house. You are what Mendo doesn't need more of. So I renamed you Eric Squeals. Paperwork don't lie. Please file your complaint with the California Bar. You can make a difference.

James 'Gator' Lawson

Soledad

WHERE'S PINEAPPLE GIRL?

Editor,

The newspaper editor's daughter and the Pineapple Girl were working in a Ukiah group home. The newspaper editor's daughter, Linda Lee, had a large dog. The Pineapple Girl, Marcia Sloan, had a large musical instrument. The newspaper editor's daughter bought a 10 acre parcel along Conklin Creek, eight miles southeast of Willits. She found a Redwood building in Boonville, took it apart and brought it over to Willits and put it back together along Conklin Creek. The building didn't fit together as well as it did in Boonville before she took it apart. You could see daylight here and there coming in, nothing to worry about.

There was a man who lived back in the woods who knew how to make teepees. The Pineapple Girl decided she wanted to live in a teepee along Conklin Creek. She needed to have a platform to place the teepee on, so she borrowed an old pickup and drove to Cloverdale where an old mill was being torn down. The Pineapple Girl bought a dozen 2x10s, 12 feet long, and started for Willits, 60 miles away. Whenever she drove over a small bump the front wheels of the pickup tended to come off the ground a little and the 2x10s overhanging the rear went tap tap tap as they struck the road. This act of bravery is unmatched in the history of Route 101. If the CHP or a deputy sheriff had seen this spectacle they would have jumped out of their skin.

The newspaper editor's daughter became a commercial fisherman working out of Bodega Bay, Shelter Cove and Humboldt Bay. The last time I saw her she had a grown daughter and was living in Manila, a narrow strip of sand between Arcata Bay and the ocean near the Samoa Cookhouse.

I don't know what happened to the Pineapple Girl. She may be Gustavo Dudamel's principal cello with the Los Angeles Philharmonic or perhaps she has recorded the Saints-Saens No. 1 cello concerto which is famous for having been recorded by the most different recording companies than any other piece of music. Anyone who has any information about the Pineapple Girl should notify the AVA and bring closure to this story.

Ralph Bostrom

Willits

DID FOX INSPIRE THE WOLF? 

Editor,

Congratulations to FOX News and the rightwing media for creating social destabilization and further shifts to the right in American society. To me these latest acts should give us due warning as to how radically depersonalized technology has made these next generations. Seriously these jihadis are all in their 20’s?!? The police raided the terrorist flat in France and said to the female Jihadi, “Where is your boyfriend?” Her last words before exploding her vest, “He is not my boyfriend!!!” This is a jihad for facebook status now?!?

Even the American Taliban actions like the shooting in Colorado Springs are clearly by rightwing media proxy suggestion. The scary thing really in America is that whites of all ages are susceptible to extremism whereas with the Muslims it really looks like it’s the young ones causing the problems in the West. It’s entirely predictable in that America has always eaten its young, and so the children of immigrants are swallowed into this cauldron of lost traditions, with some screaming and moaning and gnashing of teeth on the way out (for old testament sake).

In San Bernadino it seems like this warped mind was absolutely led by narrative. “Yes you Muslim people are bad, even evil, YES you are one of them. YES, you are evil!!! You can do it!!!” It’s like some sort of perverse pep talk for extremism, it’s pornographic.

I have met rightwing Jews who swore their inspiration was jihadi muslims. I have met radical Muslims (a majority not jihadis because many just blather on and on aka ALL TALK) whose clear inspiration was rightwing America. They were obsessed with their own demonization and objectification.

“Strike a blow against the evil empire in the vacuum of the news spectacle.”

It’s the perverse facebook ego mind going for 15 minutes of fame… by any means necessary. Look out.

Nate Collins

Oakland

TINY HOUSES A BAD IDEA

To the Editor:

This subject very upsetting to me. Why would we build tiny houses to put the homeless in? This will likely encourage more homeless to come into our community, and we already have an over-abundance of them now. Do you really think they will take care of these tiny houses? They don’t now, they throw their garbage in our rivers, leave garbage strewn everywhere, they defecate anywhere they want and where I live in Calpella, the homeless living in the riverbed are always fighting and screaming and the Sheriff has to be called out to take care of it. How do these homeless people pay to stay in these tiny houses? Do we give them free food also? Free appliances, free sheets and blankets, etc. Who even came up with this plan? Did you ever stop to think what a great opportunity this would be for our seniors to have these tiny houses? We have quite a few seniors who can barely pay for their rent, with little left for food, clothing and misc. Seniors should have been thought of first, at the top of the list, we need to take care of our own seniors; after all they gave to this community, the homeless did not contribute to our town.

What’s really confusing to me is that at one point the police and Sheriff asked the community to not give anything to the homeless, they put up flyers and also in the paper, they even put an article in the paper about a homeless couple that panhandled in front of CVS and other establishments and were thrown in jail continuously, only to be let out so they could start over again.

I personally do not feel this project was thought out in the right way. I am not concerned about the homeless, most of them like living the way they do. My concern is the seniors and the handicapped. Have you given consideration to the homeless bringing in drugs and alcohol into these tiny houses? These items are a part of the homeless community. You may have to put a police officer into one of these houses to keep peace. These tiny houses for the homeless is one very big stupid mistake and a waste of good money, just to put a roof over their heads when what we really want is for them to pack their bags and get the heck out of Dodge.

Oh yes, when you do leave please take your dogs with you instead of abandoning them to the streets and leaving this problem to our animal control shelter to either try to find a home for them or to dispose of them. These are my opinions only and if anyone wants to dispute what I have to say, feel free to do that, but I could not let one more day go by without writing this letter.

Linda Warden

Ukiah

MEMO OF THE WEEK

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board

Notice

(Included in recent Mendocino County taxes due notices)

The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) has adopted requirements that may apply to you. The cannabis order (R1-2015-0023 General Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements) aims to protect waters of the State from potential harmful effects associated with cannabis cultivation by addressing erosion control and drainage features, stream and wetland buffers, spoils management, water storage and use, irrigation and run off, fertilizers and pesticides, petroleum products and other chemicals, other wastes, and remediation, cleanup and restoration activities. If 2000 square feet or more of your property is used for cannabis cultivation, whether as owner, leasee, or operator, you must enroll for coverage by February 15, 2016. Visit the Regional Water Board's website for more information:

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/cannabis

Pursuant to Water Code Section 13260, you are hereby notified that you must either enroll under the cannabis Order or otherwise submit an individual report of waste discharge to the Regional Water Board. Third-party programs may be available to assist property owners and/or growers. Failure to enroll and comply with the order may subject you to administrative civil enforcement. Please visit the Regional Water Board's website for more information on third-party programs, how to enroll, standard conditions and other requirements. Enrollees are not exempted from the need to comply with applicable local ordinances or other state and federal laws.

The Regional Water Board also participates in interagency coordination with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the State Water Resources Control Board Office of Enforcement and Division of Water Rights. For more information on the enforcement program, water rights and integrated pest management, visit the cannabis enforcement webpage at:

http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/enforcment/cannabis_enforcement.shtml.

Questions? Please contact Regional Water Board staff at NorthCoast.Cannabis@waterboards.ca.gov or call 707/576-2220 and ask to speak to a member of the Cannabis Team.

John W. Corbett, Chair/Matthias St. John, Executive Officer,

5550 Skylane Blvd., Suite A, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast