Mendocino County Today: Thursday, Feb 11, 2016

• Children's Parade
• Lester Ousted
• Boardman Services
• Coming Crash
• Fund The Bern
• Weed Fair
• Coach Credit
• 1000 Words
• Shelter Letters
• Albright's Place
• Stranger Danger
• Forest Grower
• Yesterday's Catch
• Aerial Survey
• DNC Establishment
• Mindless Zombies
• Bern Time
• Cannabis Compliance
• Steinem Clueless
• Soccer Drama
• Beyonce Appreciation
• Ham Call
• BHAB Meeting
• Marijuana Tax
• Big Oil
• LakeCo Planning
• Cancer Fundraising
• Blackbird
• Ip Man

TEMPLE OF KWAN TAI PARADE TODAY

Hey everyone,

Just a reminder, the Kwan Tai children's parade is today and starts at 10:45 am. They start at Ukiah and Lansing, then down Main to Kasten and then down Albion to the temple.

It really is quite fun seeing all the costumes, dragons, and other decorations that the children have worked on. It's not a long parade and the kids enjoy being part of it, so if you can break away from what you are doing for a few minutes I'm sure that you'll enjoy the parade.

Thanks for reading,

Laura Evans
Cultured Affair Cafe

ANY OLD BODY can see for himself the gradual chipping away at California's allegedly protected magnificence. The kind of vulgarians who think they're entitled to build their ten thousand square foot second and third homes along the Pacific are trying to remove one of the good guys on the 12-person Coastal Commission, Charles Lester. A commissioner since 2011, four commissioners are working overtime to get Lester out. A huge crowd of Lester supporters, organized by such dependable defenders of the shoreline as the Surfriders, will turn out to support Lester at today's meeting of Commission in Morro Bay.

THE MOVE to oust Lester is the work of Steve Kinsey, a Marin County supervisor who refuses to say why he wants Lester out, although it's clears from Kinsey's stands as a supervisor he's a ten thousand square foot house kinda guy. The Northcoast's State Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Jim Wood are supporting Lester, as is Congressman Huffman.

BUT McGUIRE & WOOD et al were no match for Kinsey. In a 7-5 vote, the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday dismissed the embattled executive director. The vote came after more than seven hours of testimony from Lester and public comment that overwhelmingly opposed dismissing him. Hundreds of people from all over California waited all day at the public hearing in Morro Bay to hear Lester's fate, the large majority in favor of Lester.

SERVICES FOR DENIS LEE BOARDMAN, who was murdered in his home in Fort Bragg on Jan. 2, 2016, will be held next week. A VA memorial-internment of ashes will be held Friday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. at Oceanview Cemetery. A memorial service honoring Denis will be held Saturday, Feb. 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lions Hall on Redwood Avenue. Full obituary to follow soon.

FINANCIAL MARKETS THE WORLD OVER ARE INCREASINGLY CHAOTIC; either retreating or plunging. Our view remains that there’s a gigantic market crash in the coming future — one that has possibly started now. Our reason for expecting a market crash is simple: Bubbles always burst. Bubbles arise when asset prices inflate above what underlying incomes can sustain. Centuries ago, the Dutch woke up one morning and discovered that tulips were simply just flowers after all. But today, the public has yet to wake up to the mathematical reality that over $200 trillion in debt and perhaps another $500 trillion of un(der)funded liabilities really cannot ever be paid back under current terms. However, this fact is dawning within the minds of more and more critical thinkers with each passing day. In order for these obligations to be reset to a reality-based level, something has to give. The central banks have tried to modify the phrase “under current terms” by debasing the currency these obligations are written in via inflation. Try as they have, though, they’ve been unable to create the sort of “goldilocks” low-level inflation that would slowly sublimate that massive pile of debt into something more manageable...... Let me be blunt: this next crash will be far worse and more dramatic than any that has come before. Literally, the world has never seen anything like the situation we collectively find ourselves in today. The so-called Great Depression happened for purely monetary reasons. Before, during and after the Great Depression, abundant resources, spare capacity and willing workers existed in sufficient quantities to get things moving along smartly again once the financial system had been reset...... When [the crash] happens most folks will undergo a “forced simplification” of their lifestyles (as well as their financial portfolios), which they will experience as disruptive and emotionally difficult. That’s not fear-mongering; it’s just math. (And it’s the reason why we encourage developing a resilient lifestyle today, to insulate yourself from this disruption, as well as be able to enter the future with optimism.)

— Chris Martenson

ATTENTION BOONVILLE!

Wall Street sounding the alarm

Our success has clearly set off some alarm bells inside of the political establishment and among the nation's financial elite. They've thrown everything at us but the kitchen sink, and I expect that will be coming soon as well.

Last night we sent a message that will echo from Wall Street to Washington, from Maine to California. And that is that the government of this great nation belongs to all of the people, and not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors and their super PACs.

As you may have heard in my speech last night, I am in New York today. But I am not here for a Wall Street fundraiser. This campaign is funded by people like you, responding to emails like this, giving an average of $27 apiece some of whom can hardly afford the contribution.

With 14 primaries and caucuses in the next three weeks, we'll need to be ready. That’s why I have to ask you directly:

Can I count on you to make a $3 contribution to our political revolution and MoveOn's campaign to help us win? It could mean the difference in Nevada, South Carolina, and on Super Tuesday.

What everyone learned with the record-breaking turnout in New Hampshire last night is that our campaign is the Democratic Party's best chance to harness the energy and enthusiasm we will need to succeed in November.

When voter turnout is high, Democrats and progressives win. When voter turnout is low and people are demoralized, Republicans win.

What we are building together is a political revolution that will bring tens of millions of people together. Working people who have given up on the political process. Black Americans and white Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, straight and gay, male and female, people who were born in America and people who immigrated here.

And what we are saying, loudly and clearly, is that this government belongs to all of us, and not just a wealthy few. That is what this campaign is about. That is the political revolution.

Click here to chip in $3. Your donation to our campaign and MoveOn today will help grow the political revolution that will win the White House and take back our country from the billionaire class.

I am overwhelmed, and I am moved by your continued support. And I know that if we continue to stand together, we will win.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

Want to support our work? There are 14 primaries and caucuses over the next three weeks, and you can be certain that our victory in New Hampshire will prompt a desperate response from the nation's financial elite and the political establishment who want to stop our campaign to transform America. Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can.

http://pol.moveon.org/

THE BOONVILLE FAIR BOARD has nixed this proposal, turning down the event cold.

https://www.theava.com/archives/52229#11

Various trustees expressed apprehension at the likely sale of dope edibles, salves, ointments and so on. Organizers were told, Come back when it's legal. Of the many ironies here, Boonville's latter day prosperity, prior to wine, was marijuana farming.

YOU GOT IT, COACH

Editor,

I saw I got some ink in Valley People last week. It's nice to know some things in my 50 years in basketball have never changed:

1. If you win, the players get the credit.
2. If you lose, the coach gets the credit.
3. This fact that if you lose by 2, the focus is on all the things you did wrong, and, if you win by 2 the focus is on all the things you did right.
4. Most loss analysis in pro sports comes from the experts on ESPN, and, most loss analysis in high school sports comes from parents.

Jim Young

Mendocino

THE SAYING COMES FROM A NEWSPAPER IN 1911.

ANIMAL SHELTER CHANGES NEEDED

To the Editor:

At Mendocino County Animal Care Services “out of sight out of mind” is the name of the game. It’s no secret the shelter is working hard to create the perception that they are doing a great job for our community. The proponents who declare that the “Ukiah Animal Shelter is the most outstanding, compassionate government run shelter in this country” clearly have not taken a trip to the locked quarantine area where dozens of dogs sit and wait to be evaluated for weeks, some forgotten. A month could go by without seeing the light of day. These proponents have not been there to walk their favorite dog only to find his underbelly fully inflamed and raw because the need for medical care was ignored or not even identified. They have not seen the deep seated breed discrimination which results in a black, middle age pitbull being killed while a not so friendly German shepherd gets to go to rescue after being turned down by 3+ rescues for his behavior. This person hasn’t gone into the nursery to see that nearly all of the 45 plus kittens and mothers have been killed because vaccination and sanitation protocols were not followed properly.

Behind the scenes at what they call “animal care services” volunteers see the ugly side of sheltering that does not need to exist. I’m tired of hearing complaints about the public being turned away because the shelter is closing in an hour. I’m tired of hearing that one family is being charged hundreds of dollars to get their dogs out while another is having all of their impound fees waived. I’m tired of being told that the animals had to be killed because the animal was a danger for the community, when we all know the temperament testing and evaluation process currently in place is archaic and outdated. Terrified and stressed does not equal aggressive, or dangerous to the public.

No more excuses or neglect, we need solutions for the Mendocino County Animal Care Services facility! We need a highly trained and progressive animal shelter team to do the best for our homeless pets. The animals deserve higher live release rates, proper medical attention, and lower length of stays amongst many other things. Our government run, county departments don’t have the expertise, ability or funding to run an animal shelter that is modern, highly efficient and saves all adoptable animals even those with medical or behavioral issues that can be treated. I welcome Petaluma Animal Services Foundation to join our community so that our animal shelter can become the modern, high achieving shelter that our homeless pets deserve.

Alana Hastings, Willits

* * *

GRIM & BARE IT

To The Beast:

The contract proposal process for the outsourcing of the county's animal shelter has ended; after a long year, and after the Executive Offices gave the proposal half a year of attention and consideration in an attempt to acknowledge a viable contract, County CEO has stated that the one proposal in question was inadequate.

This SHOULD end a heated and extremely unfriendly campaign against the shelter, but alas, it has not and probably will not, as the group calling itself the Friends of the Ukiah Shelter are unwilling to accept the end of a long, studied process by the county. Instead, they seem to be honing the rhetoric by searching any possible corner of events in order to turn them into a never-ending farce and charade.

Further character assassinations will be forthcoming (about yours truly, for one, for having the audacity to write letters to the editors); harsh assertions about the lack of transparency at the shelter will commence from a group that continues to interact in the exclusive and opaque world of social media; and conclusions about the interim shelter manager already begin to swirl, days before her actual arrival.

Though a major player in this sad business went before the board and demanded that the process remain open and public and “town hall meetings” be commenced in order to delay an already ridiculously long contracting process, in fact, that “side” is neither willing to communicate in a respectful, non-personal manner or attempt to understand rules or logic.

And the irony is, though the campaign has been heard to repeat the phrase, “it's all about the animals,” in fact, the animals have been been reduced to a minor player, as the shelter has been left without its manager, and volunteers who are not interested in partaking of the current nonsense, avoid being around bad “vibes."

I hope this very sad experience will come to a conclusion, and the ideas about good animal sheltering will be shared with all stake holders, as we try to improve the shelter, while keeping the management local, and the pitchforks can go back to the barn while some semblance of actual dialogue can begin.

I'm not holding my breath, though.

Kathy Shearn

Ukiah

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who famously answered the question, “Was it worth having the sanctions on Iraq for all those years where 500,000 children died?” and she said, “Yes. It was worth it”, is now telling American women that if we don’t vote for Hillary Clinton there will be “a special place in hell for us.” Funny. I see it the exact opposite! There will be a special place in hell for Albright, Clinton and all the American women who DO vote for her.

ON FEBRUARY 9TH at about 8:40am, a UPD officer was contacted by a social worker with Mendocino Youth Project. The officer was informed that a female juvenile was possibly followed by an adult yesterday morning. The UPD officer began an investigation and contacted the juvenile, who reported that on February 8th at about 7am, she was walking through the Shell gas station on South Orchard Avenue, when she noticed a man in a pickup truck following her. The victim first ignored the subject and walked towards East Perkins Street. For the next 30 minutes, the victim walked to different locations on East Perkins Street in an attempt to avoid the subject. During this time the subject got close enough to the juvenile victim, to make inappropriate comments and gestures toward her. The victim last saw the pickup on East Perkins at Main Street. The suspect was described as a chubby Hispanic male in his 30’s, with a mustache, wearing a grey hat and a blue hoodie type sweatshirt. The vehicle was a faded red, two door Chevrolet pickup truck, with the word “Chevrolet” written on the tailgate, over a silver stripe. If anyone has information regarding this latest incident, please contact the Ukiah Police Department Detective Division at 463-6262.

* * *

FROM THE UKIAH POLICE DEPARTMENT

Stranger Danger: No, Go, Yell, Tell

Last month in Ukiah, a number female students in their early teens were assaulted or approached by strangers on their way to and from school. In each situation, the teens fought back and got away. Working with the Ukiah Unified School District, we immediately issued press releases and posted information on social media (which you can access at ukiahpolice.com), and our officers began paying extra attention to school routes and school bus stops to help prevent this activity from occurring again.

In addition to the heightened police activities to keep students safe, it’s important that parents educate their children about how to avoid danger and what to do if danger cannot be avoided.

The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) says that perhaps the most important way parents can protect their children is to help raise their awareness about potentially dangerous situations — this will help them when dealing with strangers as well as with familiar adults who may not have good intentions.

Children should be instructed to recognize and report suspicious behavior, including any time any adult does any of the following:

Asks them to disobey their parents or do something without permission;

Suggests that they keep a secret;

Makes them feel uncomfortable in any way.

Even with good instincts and smart behavior, kids cannot always avoid dangerous situations. If they feel threatened, they can use “No, Go, Yell, Tell” — say no, run away, yell as loudly as they can, and tell a trusted adult what happened.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends the following safety tips for kids:

Don’t talk to strangers.

Be aware of your surroundings (e.g., don’t focus your attention on your cell phone while walking home from school).

Stick together; there’s safety in numbers.

Practice basic self-defense. A swift kick to shins or private parts along with a loud scream that this person isn’t a parent or friend should get the attention of people in the area.

Lock doors, especially if home alone.

As a parent, I know it can be difficult to figure out how much information to share with your children at each age and stage of their development. If you have young children, kidsmartz.org is a great place to start. It has several online cartoon videos designed to teach kids how to stay safe. The videos are in five parts: Check First, Take a Friend, Tell People No, Tell a Trusted Adult and Test Your KidSmartz, and you can even play the videos on your smart phone.

For kids in grade school and older, I encourage parents to enroll their child or teenager in a self-defense class (even one 30-minute class). Many people think of self-defense as a karate kick to the groin or jab towards the eyes of an attacker. While these skills can be useful, self-defense is much more.

Students who have taken self-defense classes often report feeling more prepared in case of a violent attack or a sexual assault. They also report feeling more empowered in everyday situations like walking alone at night or being approached by a stranger. Self-defense reduces vulnerability by making participants more aware of their surroundings and teaching them how to react to a variety of situations.

Research shows that kids who yell or use active physical resistance are more likely to avoid being assaulted or abducted. The goal of a good self-defense course is to provide students with response options to an attack, not to teach violent behaviors. As kidshealth.org says, self-defense is all about using your smarts, not your fists.

Assaults and possible abductions of school-aged kids is disturbing and frightening. We hope that this information helps keep your family as safe as possible. If you’d like to learn more, visit our website under the Community Support tab for more child safety resources.

As always, our mission at UPD is simple: to make Ukiah as safe as possible. If you have suggestions on how we can improve please feel free to call me. If you would like to know more about crime in your neighborhood, you can sign up for telephone, cell phone and email notifications by clicking the Nixle button on our website: www.ukiahpolice.com.

Chris Dewey, Ukiah Chief of Police

PABLO BARRETO-CRUZ, a Mexican national, has been sentenced to five years, three months in federal prison plus a fine of $23,000 in restitution for growing marijuana on public land. Barreto-Cruz had some 3,000 pot plants under cultivation in the Mendocino National Forest from March to May of last year. Rangers said the garden caused serious damage to habitat and water quality, as Barreto-Cruz laid on the chemicals and diverted about 18,000 gallons of water a day from streams in the area.

CATCH OF THE DAY, Feb 10, 2016

OSCAR ALVAREZ-CARRILLO*, Ukiah. DUI, under influence, loitering, failure to pay.

JESSICA BRUCE, Willits. Parole violation.

DOMINIC FABER, Ukiah. Controlled substance, parole violation.

TIMOTHY FISCHER, Ukiah. Drunk in pubic. (Frequent flyer.)

LENY FLORES-MARTINEZ, Ukiah. DUI, illegal entry.

CHRISTOPHER MAKI, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

CHARLES REMELE, Laytonville. Honey oil extraction, probation revocation.

SATASHA ROSADO, Willits. Failure to appear.

SAMUEL RUCZAK, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

* * *

* WHEN A GUN COMES IN HANDY

The Ukiah PD didn't identify him, but a Rose Avenue man repelled a home invader Wednesday morning by confronting the man with his home defense unit. The Rose Avenue man held Oscar Alvarez Carrillo, 27, of Ukiah, at gunpoint until Ukiah police arrived to take Carrillo into custody. Carrillo had opened the back door and was about to enter the residence when the armed home owner came face to face with the intruder. Carrillo, who'd apparently cut his hand climbing a fence into the Rose Avenue man's backyard, was treated at the hospital before being booked into the County Jail for being under the influence of a controlled substance, prowling, and on two outstanding misdemeanor warrants for his arrest. Carrillo was arrested on suspicion of prowling, being under the influence of illegal drugs and for the outstanding warrants. Carrillo, who had somehow cut his hand prior to police arriving, was medically cleared, then booked into the Mendocino County Jail, police said.

BEAR DAMAGE?

Mendo Forestry Advisor Greg Giusti posted the annual aerial forest survey this week, commenting that for the first time in a long-time it is possible to see bear damage from the air extending into Mendocino County. Giusti added, “The drought, as expected, has slowed the spread of Sudden Oak Death over most of the region. Ponderosa pines continue to suffer the wrath of the drought. I’m sure this will continue for some time regardless of the outcome of this year’s winter storms.”

NorthCoastReport2015

CLINTON & THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ESTABLISHMENT: THE TIES THAT BIND

by Eoin Higgins

After what can only be described as an absolute disaster of an electoral showing in the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton’s hopes of becoming the Democratic nominee in 2016 increasingly hinge on her support from the Democratic establishment.

The establishment, which is connected to Clinton and her financial backers by ingrown threads of funding and financing, is panicking over the surging campaign of Bernie Sanders. It will turn to its people in the media and party leadership to reverse the trend.

But even the usually reliable techniques of media and party dominance are in trouble. Here are two examples.

Chris Matthews has been under considerable fire from the left recently for what’s been interpreted as “relentless shilling” for Hillary Clinton on his MSNBC talk show, Hardball.

Hardball, a show in which Matthews screams over his guests the minute they try to answer his questions (seriously, it’s like he waits quietly for them to start talking and then launches into a new diatribe, often changing the question), is one of MSNBC’s oldest political shows, having launched in 1999.

Hardball serves as the mouthpiece for the establishment Democrats. Matthews’ famous “thrill up my leg” moment with then Senator Barack Obama in 2007 was only the vocalization of what the party’s elders already wanted - a new and pretty face to go up against the presumptive nominee of the GOP, the decrepit John McCain (this was before McCain ensured a Democratic win with his selection of Vice-President).

His endless devotion to the Democratic Party got Matthews the kind of attention that many people only dream of from party elders. Over the past decade, his name has been bandied about as a candidate for Senate or Governor in his native Pennsylvania. He’s been the subject of a speculative New York Times Magazine cover story on his political aspirations.

But in the end, it appears Matthews is sticking with television. Instead, his wife Kathleen is running for political office as a Democrat, in Maryland, where the Matthews family lives.

And herein lies the crux of the matter. As the Daily Caller reported on February 9, many of the wealthiest Clinton donors are funneling money to the Kathleen Matthews Congressional campaign. This, in turn, makes Chris Matthews’ constant kow-towing to the Clinton campaign suspect at the very least. Although it may just be part of ingratiating himself to the Democratic establishment.

The money trail from Hillary Clinton to Chris Matthews crosses the path of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. The support each of the latter gives to the former is a direct by product of that financing.

The Democratic establishment is represented by Clinton acolytes. The DNC is chaired by Wasserman-Schultz, a Florida Congresswoman who served as one of Clinton’s National Campaign co-chairs in 2008. After Obama’s election, Wasserman-Schultz was appointed DNC Chair in 2011.

Wasserman-Schultz is facing calls for her resignation over her attempts to rig the nominating process for Clinton. The more Wasserman-Schultz tries to force a Clinton victory, the more obvious it becomes that the Florida Congresswoman is in Clinton’s pocket, and the more angry the base becomes.

Wasserman-Schultz’s political career was jump started by Clinton acolytes in the National Organization for Women Super PAC in 1998. The then-state representative moved quickly up the ranks, serving as a state Senator for four years and then in 2004 winning election to the House of Representatives.

This political rise would have been possible without Clinton’s support, but it would have been difficult. Clinton’s network of donors and web of funding helped the Florida Congresswoman rise to Congress. Clinton’s influence is broadly acknowledged to have pushed Wasserman-Schultz into the DNC leadership, and kept her there for the past five years.

Both Wasserman-Shultz and Matthews are doing their best to ensure a Clinton nomination. Wasserman-Schultz is working hard to limit dissent within the party and to stymie the Bernie Sanders campaign. Matthews gives talking point cues to Clinton and her supporters and rails against the bogeyman of socialism he believes Sanders represents.

Both are blatant in their shilling for Clinton. Both have a financial interest in her victory; expressed as debt and expectation respectively. Both are the Democratic establishment. And both are facing the inexorable tide of anti-establishment opposition from their own party.

It looks like the money might not do it this time. The Clinton-DNC-MSNBC revolving door of funding and access is facing an uprising from the base that their usual techniques may not be enough to defeat in conventional electoral warfare.

I wrote a month ago that Sanders won’t be the nominee. I’m sticking to that. But it’ll be interesting to see how the Democratic establishment - with all its incestuous funding and access granting and intra-connections - decides to deliver the nomination to a more palatable candidate.

For more on the misadventures of Hillary Clinton please pick up a copy of Diana Johnstone’s latest book, Queen of Chaos.

Eoin Higgins is a writer and historian from upstate New York. You can find him on twitter at https://twitter.com/EoinHiggins and see his other work at eoinhiggins.com.

DO YOU FEEL THE BERN?

Until Bernie Sanders picked up the banner of economic reform as his signature issue, the Democratic Party had all but anointed their presumptive candidate. It is time for a woman president they say. The impulse to tap into the frustration of millions of women, that long burning fuse of feeling like second class citizens, is a powerful palliative. Almost as importantly is the sub-text: how dare men deny women an equal place at the center of power, equal pay, equal access to every form of social life. The pull of the women’s issue is a powerful lever on the conscience of millions of voters, certainly more so on Democrats. If only Bernie Sanders had not upset the game plan! If only a smooth sail into the general election were possible.

But Senator Bernie Sanders did enter the fray. He had brought forward a vision of a future America that promises to be more just, less corrupt, more in tune with the aspirations of so many, many Americans who feel the economic sphere of their lives is rigged against them. The young certainly feel it, especially when they consider the load of debt the must assume to get an education. The workers of America feel it when they generate huge profits for the companies they work for, only to see their own wages stagnate in the face of unfettered greed on the part of the “owner class.” The senior citizen feels it when he or she sees their buying power shrink each year in retirement. Bernie Sanders has tapped into the frustration of the majority of Americans. He still has to make the sale, that is convince a majority of voters going to the polls during primary season. And, the long knives are out for him. The mere use of the word socialist terrifies many. They can’t see how Democracy is based on a social concept, Democratic socialism. Yes, he would be best served by shedding the “ism.” Economic justice, fair play, a level playing field, and end to Citizen’s United and the strangle hold of Wall Street and lobbyists are all part of Senator Sanders’ vision.

So there is the choice we should face directly. Do we vote for the worthy symbolism of voting for the first woman president? Or, do we favor a chance at reforming the economic system by voting for a true progressive?

Of course, Senator Sanders is not the ideal candidate for the media. He talks about the problems Americans face with the bark off. He does not appear to have spent an hour with the make-up artists before taking the stage. He has sworn off taking money from Wall Street and Super PACs.

The media can’t bring itself to let go of its own prejudices, especially flogging the bloody flag dripping in empty labels like socialism. Even the term “independent” seems somehow smudged the way they apply it. Nor can it bring itself to focus on oligarchy, the threat lobbyists pose, the way Wall Street gets away with wholesale banditry. They may allow a sound bite here and there about rip-off artists in the drug industry. They may throw a bone to the need for environmental reform. But in the end they revert to empty sound bites and talking heads endlessly repeating the daily drivel that substitutes for facts.

It is, for me at least, not a hard choice between Hilary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders stands for something far beyond the comforting symbolism of breaking another glass ceiling. He stands for a substantive shift in American public life, one that favors a long overdue overhaul of the American economic system. With the future economic security of my family and that of America, Senator Sanders gets my vote and campaign contribution.

Franklin Graham, Navarro

CALIFORNIA CANNABIS COMPLIANCE ALLIANCE

Public Meeting With Attorney Hannah Nelson

How & Why To Join Together

Preserve Local Businesses

Make It Easier & More Affordable To Navigate The Maze Of New Regulations By Sharing Resources & Banding Together

Feb. 17^th Laytonville Grange 4pm

Calcannabiscompliancealliance.Com

INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM: IS GLORIA STEINEM NOW CLUELESS?

by Bob Morris

Alt-hero, author, and philosopher Robert Anton Wilson said as we age we must fight ferocious battles with ourselves to avoid becoming calcified, resistant to change, and scornful of new ideas. He never succumbed, staying alive to new ideas until his death. By contrast, Gloria Steinem apparently gave up that fight long ago. Sometimes the revolutionary from two generations ago becomes a quaint anachronism or worse to the current generation, who mostly then shakes their head about crazy old people and ignores them. “One generation got old, one generation got soul,” as the Jefferson Airplane sang long ago.

Steinem came to prominence during the end of first-wave feminism / beginning of second-wave feminism. Third-wave feminists find her views, especially about young women supporting Sanders to attract boys, clueless, condescending, and insulting. Third-wave feminists are often intersectionalists, believing that fighting for gender equality must also include issues of race and class. That, they say, is what Steinem ignores.

Your “joke” came as young women are constantly being told we have to support Clinton because she’s a woman, as though having women in leadership equals an automatic feminist paradise. (You know, like Thatcher’s Britain!)

Your sexist, dismissive words about millennial feminists and Bernie supporters suggest a growing chasm between your brand of feminism and the intersectional feminism that young activists have been leading the charge on. And your bias toward the Democratic Party’s brand of insular, upper-class white feminism — the brand of feminism Clinton herself is so closely associated with — is evident in more than this one controversial statement.

In 2002 you joined other liberal feminists like Eleanor Smeal and Eve Ensler in calling for U.S. intervention to “liberate Afghan women from abuse and oppression,” a campaign that wound up providing ideological cover to Bush’s “War on Terror.” And when it comes to sex workers, you’ve argued that all sex work is rape and that sex workers should be rescued by the carceral state. In addition, though in 2013 you apologized for your 1970s position on transgender issues, during the Real Time interview you participated in transphobic humor with Maher, laughing at his comment that “the Woman of the Year has a dick.”

One of the primary divides between second- and third-wave feminism is – to oversimplify – second-wave believes if it has a penis, it’s male. Third-wave is much more likely to accept gradients of sexuality and doesn’t tie gender strictly to biology. Heat-seeking missiles are being lobbed in this debate. There are plenty of smart, savvy people arguing both sides of this argument. The culture at large is changing as a result of it. Yet Steinem isn’t even on the second-wave side to any appreciable extent. She mostly seems to have left the battlefield. Except when she beams in from Arcturus.

This doesn’t just happen in feminism. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones recently made silly comments about how rap isn’t music, insulted metal and the Beatles too. Yeah, whatever Mr Geezer. You’ve upholstered your rut, and appear comfortable living in it.

“One generation got old” indeed. Don’t let it happen to you. And since for many of you, I am old, I can say this without being ageist! And completely agree with Robert Anton Wilson about the ferocious fight.

(Courtesy, http://polizeros.com/)

CONTROVERSY FUELS NBL SOCCER SHOWDOWN

Soccer star Bryan Rosales insists he transferred to Montgomery purely for academic reasons, but Santa Rosa High says otherwise.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/sports/5197653-181/benefield-controversy-fuels-nbl-soccer

A READER WRITES: Ima have a little soap box temper tantrum, k’
I am just-shy-of-middle aged, of nonlinear/unspecific spiritual beliefs, largely uneducated, somewhat simple-minded, third-generation Irish-American, female, and white. I'm not a hip-hop fan. I don't watch football. 
You catch my drift. 
In all honesty, my opinion doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. 
Except for the whole “…all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” thing.
 So, I have one to share. About Beyoncé and her comeback song/video and Super Bowl halftime show (and, yes, seriously, after 50 years, you'd think they could figure out the acoustics in a football stadium). And about the comparison of her words and actions to those of the KKK and/or sporting the Confederate Flag on your 4x4 as a proud nod to one's American heritage.
 No. Just, no. 
If you google either of those aforementioned comparisons, you will read words such as “anti-Semitism,” “homophobism,” “white-supremacy,” “racism,” “lynching"… 
If you google the Black Panthers, you will read words such as “anti-racism,” “community support,” “feed the children,” “social justice,” “civil rights.”

The Black Panthers have a barely 50 year history of grossly positive (even with a handful of rumored incidences of “excessive protest” or, even less provable, “drug trafficking") impact on a community that has been belittled and dehumanized for, literally, hundreds of years.

Versus: Literally hundreds of years of oppressing, murderous terrorism. Squishing an entire wing of Americans like bugs for not looking the same as themselves. Fighting to the death for ownership, segregation and superiority. 
So, no. It's so not even close. It's embarrassing.

Beyoncé didn't call for violence against those who don't look like her. She called for peace. She called for equality. She called social justice. She said 
"I am fucking rad, and I invite you to be rad, too!” She gave a nod to a history (and a present) laced with the blood of her ancestors. 
She isn't condemning all police, she said WE are sinking. She said she will not drown with the culture of hate and fear, and, in so much, she will not be drowned out by it. 
She said “I AM human, I AM beautiful, I AM intelligent, MY children MATTER, and are pleasant, beautiful, capable beings and I say bullshit to your ignorance and naïvety.” 
She said “WAKE UP, America! I AM American, too!” 
So, ya.. Nope.. 
Not even a little.. 
Not even once.

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS (HAMS) NEEDED

Interested in becoming a HAM? Here is your opportunity. Why become a HAM, you may ask. HAMs are vital members of Mendocino County’s Emergency Response Team. They are instrumental in maintaining communication with all areas of our county when all other modes of communication are down.

If you are interested in becoming a HAM, there will be a test session offered in Willits.

Saturday, April 16

Registration starts at 12:15

Mendocino County Museum

Wonacott Room

400 E. Commercial

Willits

Price: Test Fee $15

If you are interested in taking the test you MUST pre-register with the exam coordinator Ken Alvey at kg6txu@arrl.net to reserve a spot. He will provide you with information on what you need to bring to the test session and how to obtain a federal registration number (FRN) before the test.

Suggested book to study for test is Gordon West Technician Class study guide available through Amazon. Tim Hanna has also offered to put on a study group if there is enough interest prior to test session. For information you may contact him at tdhanna@msn.com

THE MENDOCINO COUNTY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD will be meeting next Wednesday, February 17, 2015 in Willits. The location is the WISC, Atlantic Room, 472 Valley Street (formerly 221 S. Lenore.) The meeting starts at 10:00 A.M. and adjourns at 2:00 pm.

Presentations focusing on mental health services in the Willits area will be presented by the County's Behavior Health and Recovery Service program staff and contractors. Other speakers include, Supervisor John McCowen and Dr. Ace Barash of Howard Memorial Hospital.

Perhaps most importantly, we provide an opportunity for the public to express thoughts and comments directly to the Behavioral Health Advisory Board, mental health service providers, and others involved in providing mental health services in Mendocino County.

Please join us.

Nancy Sutherland

BHAB Vice Chair

MIKEY LIKES IT!

Sacramento, CA – Today, Senator Mike McGuire introduced The Marijuana Value Tax Act, a bill that would place a 15 percent tax at the point of sale on medical marijuana.

“We made a commitment last year as we were working through the huge undertaking of setting statewide regulations for medical marijuana that we would follow up on a statewide excise tax,” Senator McGuire said. “This needed revenue will make our communities stronger by focusing on the impacts of cultivation and use of marijuana, including funding local law enforcement and neighborhood improvement programs, state parks, drug and alcohol treatment and environmental rehabilitation.”

The state Board of Equalization estimates the total sales of medical marijuana in California at well over $1 billion statewide, and they expect that to soar once the new rules and regulations that Senator McGuire authored last year begin to kick in. The 15 percent Marijuana Value Tax Act is expected to bring in over $100 million in new revenue, which will likely grow substantially in a short period of time.

Under SB 987, 30 percent of all revenue from the MVT will go to the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation to distribute via grant programs designed specifically for local agencies who oversee the regulation of cultivation, processing, manufacturing, distributing and sale of marijuana. The funds would be available to any city or county agency/department including law enforcement. Per the legislation, no more than 5 percent of these funds may be used for administration of the grant program by BMMR or the local agency.

Additionally, 30 percent of funds will go to the state’s General Fund; 20 percent of all revenue from the MVT will go directly to State Parks for operations and to tackle their $1 billion deferred maintenance backlog; 10 percent to the California Natural Resource Agency for the restoration and remediation of public and private lands and watersheds damaged by marijuana cultivation; and 10 percent to counties for drug and alcohol treatment programs.

“Now that there is a long overdue regulatory framework put into place, it’s time to help fund the areas that are most affected by the cultivation – those communities that have long been paying the price of the negative effects of cultivation brought on by the ‘bad actors’ who destroy the environment and bring in crime,” Senator McGuire said.

While McGuire’s legislation would only apply to medical marijuana, the 15 percent excise tax rate mimics the tax rate that is in the leading recreational marijuana ballot initiative. Other states, including Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska already have sales taxes in place for medical marijuana. SB 987 also ensures that cities and counties will continue to be able to enact their own local taxes and fees.

Last year, North Coast Senator Mike McGuire passed SB 643 – The Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act – that was part of a historic three-bill package covering every aspect of the commercial medical marijuana industry which will be regulated and subject to licensure.

BIG OIL BUYS BIG SACTO

California Oil Lobby spent a record $22 million in 2015

by Dan Bacher

The oil industry spent a record $22 million lobbying California legislators and officials last year, allowing it to largely determine which bills passed and which bills didn't pass through the Legislature.

This “gusher” of lobbying money in 2015 yielded alarming results: every environmental bill opposed by Big Oil was shelved, or in the case of SB 350, a climate change/green energy bill, was amended under pressure from the oil industry.

The 2015 lobbying brought the total expenses by the oil and gas industry to a whopping $127 million over the past 10 years, according to a report from the American Lung Association in California written by Will Barrett. The report data is obtained from the annual reports filed with the California Secretary of State. (www.cadelivers.org/...)

The record $22 million spent amounts to $60K spent per day on oil lobbyists.

The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) spent a record $11 million ($10,949,150) on lobbying, making it the number one spender in California for the fourth year in a row. Of the WSPA’s $11 million, $9 million - 82% - was reported in the uncategorized “other” spending category.

Barrett noted that WSPA’s “other” spending would rank #1 on its own among all spenders in CA. WSPA paid $1.5 million to KP Public Affairs, the top grossing lobbying firm in 2015.

Second to WSPA in oil industry lobbying expenses was the San Ramon-based Chevron corporation that spent almost $4 million ($3,982,671) the fifth most of any organization in California in 2015. Coming in third in oil industry lobbying expenses was Phillips 66, with $1,483,032 spent.

The report also revealed that Big Oil spent a “staggering” $42 million on lobbying California lawmakers over the past two years.

In 2015, Big Oil spent its $22 million “attacking healthy air and climate legislation,” according to Barrett. Under intense pressure from WSPA, the Legislature and Governor removed a provision from SB 350 to reduce petroleum use in California by 50% in the next 15 years. In addition, Big Oil forced SB 32 (Pavley), which would have set greenhouse gas reduction limits to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, to be shelved until the next legislative session.

The oil industry also defeated legislation, SB 788, that would close a loophole in state law that currently allows slant oil drilling through a marine protected area, the Vandenburg State Marine Reserve, created under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, and the Tranquillon Ridge.

Ironically, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) who led the opposition to SB 788 and other environmental legislation, CHAIRED the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so-called “marine protected areas” in Southern California! She also served on the task forces to create “marine protected areas” on the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast.

For an in-depth report on the environmental bills that Big Oil lobbied to defeat with the help of the “Oil Caucus,” a group of Assemblymembers whose campaigns are funded directly and indirectly by polluter money, go to: www.dailykos.com/…

In 2014, Big Oil spent $20 million “attempting to limit industry responsibility under carbon policy,” said Barrett, as well as defeating legislation to impose a moratorium on fracking in California.

You can read the complete report at: www.cadelivers.org/...

But lobbying is just one way that Big Oil exerts its inordinate influence in California politics and regulatory processes. The industry also wields its money and power through massive campaign spending, capturing regulatory panels and commissions, creating Astroturf groups, and working in collaboration with mainstream media.

To read my piece on the five “wonderful” ways that Big Oil and WSPA have captured California politics, go to: www.dailykos.com/...

The Top California Lobbying Spenders in 2015 Total:

1. Western States Petroleum Association $10,949,150

2. California Hospital Association $8,977,831

3. CA State Council of Service Employees $6,203,372

4. California Chamber of Commerce $4,292,174

5. Chevron $3,982,671

JUST IN FROM THE FAR EAST

Fight sprawl and maintain the General Plan.

After a series of postponements, on February 16 the Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing on a proposed General Plan amendment to facilitate an apartment project north of Lakeport. This proposal was unaccountably approved by the Planning Commission despite a staff report that identified multiple inconsistencies with existing planning policies. Because it requires a General Plan amendment, Board approval is also needed.

Among other considerations, the project would be inconsistent with the surrounding residential neighborhood (which consists of single family houses on large parcels of an acre or more) and the principles of smart growth, and even more disturbingly would require removal of a Scenic Combining District overlay designed to limit building height to maintain views of the lake. Preservation of Lake County’s natural beauty and rural charm is essential to our future prosperity and to the well-being of the residents of our community. Approval would put those values at serious risk, and because of the precedents set, not only on the project site but also countywide.

The Planning Commission decision to support the application against the advice of planning staff was evidently made in the mistaken belief that any action to restore the housing stock so grievously depleted by last summer’s wildfires would be justified. That conclusion ignores the obvious fact that this redesignation will do nothing whatsoever to meet the immediate housing needs of those displaced by the Valley, Rocky and Jerusalem fires, nor in the longer term will additional rental units north of Lakeport meet South County needs. Approval will do nothing but impair our ability to guide future growth in wise and beneficial directions.

Please contact your supervisor and urge him to reject the General Plan Amendment and Rezone for the Tanti Apartments project. A message can be left for any of them by calling 263-2368, or send an email to Jim.Comstock@lakecountyca.gov Jeff.Smith@lakecountyca.gov Jim.Steele@lakecountyca.gov Anthony.Farrington@lakecountyca.gov Rob.Brown@lakecountyca.gov

CANCER RESOURCE CENTERS OF MENDOCINO COUNTY

IMPORTANT 2016 FUNDRAISING DATES

Save These Important 2016 Dates!

These fundraisers support cancer support and advocacy services free of charge to anyone in Mendocino County facing cancer.

Join us for any one or all of these events!

For Information Or To Donate Visit:

www.crcmendocino.Org - http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/6f895d7037/b00fcbcee7/16e0dee047

The services we offer in our centers and by phone are free of charge to anyone who needs our help. Please join with your community in supporting the Cancer Resource Centers through annual donations, monthly contributions, or longer-term commitments. We promise to stretch your dollars as far as they can go.

Be assured that 100% of your dollars stay right here in Mendocino County. We are a 501(c)3 Nonprofit organization and as such, all donations are tax-deductible.

------------------------

Coastal/Admin Office:

45040 Calpella St
PO Box 50
Mendocino, CA 95460

------------------------

Ukiah Office:

590 S. Dora St
Ukiah, CA 95482

------------------------

MAY - Mother's Day Card Campaign

Watch for upcoming details. We send a beautiful, handcrafted card by a local artist to the mother (or mothers!) of your choice. This year's artist is Jendi Coursey.

JUNE - Father's Day Card Campaign

Watch for upcoming details. We send a strapping, handcrafted card by a local artist to the father (or fathers!) of your choice. This year's artist is Michael Greene.

12th Annual Goldeneye Winemaker Dinner - June 18th, Philo

The Goldeneye Winemaker Dinner is an exciting culinary evening of artfully paired wine and food.

AUGUST - 12th Annual Pure Mendocino - August 27th, Dark Horse Ranch

Pure Mendocino is an exploration and celebration of the healthy community created around our region's organic and Biodynamic farms, vineyards and ranches.

Click here –

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/6f895d7037/b00fcbcee7/8b2d9d1ed8 for more information. Tickets go on sale 2/14/16.

OCTOBER - 17th Annual Big River Walk & Paddle - October 22nd, Mendocino

This community event brings people together to celebrate and remember family members and friends who have faced cancer. Walk or paddle with us in memory of someone lost, to honor yourself or someone you love who has faced cancer.

Click here –

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?CancerResourceCenter/6f895d7037/b00fcbcee7/31bf6414e7 or more information.

TEL: (707) 937-3833
COASTAL OFFICE TEL: (707) 467-3828
CRCMENDOCINO.ORG
Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County
PO Box 50
Mendocino, 95460

A VERY FINE TASTY TRIBUTE to the Beatles by Late Show bandleader, and up-n-coming N’Orleans jazz pianist Jon Batiste Wednesday night. (Who says young musicians are all no-talent celebs?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0-9IgVRm28

* * *

AND WHILE WE’RE AT IT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewJPKTmnlYs

REMEMBER

Ip Man 3 is superb...

And the addition of Iron Mike Tyson contributes a rare dimension.

But remember: The Dao is NOT Chinese!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ip_Man_3

Craig Louis Stehr

February 10, 2016

EMAIL: CraigStehr@inbox.com