Mendocino County Today: Sunday, Feb 21, 2016

• Clinton Party
• Keegan Subpoena
• Credibility Issues
• Finding Asha
• Offer Rejected
• Reporter Needed
• Coastal Pets
• Urban Homestead
• HumCo Permits
• Yesterday's Catch
• Undemocratic Superdelegates
• Resistance
• Bankrupt Liberalism
• Strong Women
• Summer 2016
• Courage
• This Election
• Umberto Eco
• EF! Questions
• Imperial Priorities

ACCORDING to the usual unreliable sources, Hillary Clinton has narrowly defeated Bernie Sanders in the Nevada Democratic caucus today. Clinton's tweet made it sound like she and her misguided supporters had just trekked over the Sierras with the Donner Party: "To everyone who turned out in every corner of Nevada with determination and heart: This is your win. Thank you."

SUSAN KEEGAN was bludgeoned to death in her home five years ago. The only other person present was Dr. Peter Keegan, Susan's husband of thirty years. Mrs. Keegan's death certificate reads, Cause of Death: "Homicide."

DA EYSTER inherited the Keegan murder, whose investigation was so badly botched by the responding Sheriff's Department officers, that sitting DA Meredith Lintott simply took one look, if that, and danced out the door into her semi-retirement.

BUT EYSTER continues to pursue the Keegan case. He recently subpoened Keegan-related records from the Ukiah offices of attorney Norman Rosen, of Vogel and Rosen, which is a County first so far as we are aware.

ROSEN functioned as the Keegans’ court-appointed marital mediator and may have also functioned as Peter Keegan's lawyer. Susan Keegan told her close friends that her husband threw a major tantrum in Rosen's office when he learned that his wife was entitled to half the couple's modest assets. Right there is what most people would consider a motive for murder.

ROSEN will no doubt claim his records are protected because his function as counselor was a confidential one. Rosen has not cooperated with the DA's investigation of Mrs. Keegan's murder, which seems to us to put him squarely in first place as co-conspirator in his client's death.

ACCORDING TO THE DA, it took his office two months to get the judge (Henderson) to review and approve that search warrant, and when it was finally served before yet a third lawyer, Chris Neary of Willits, to make sure the DA carried away only the material specified in the subpoena whatever was carried away from Rosen's office disappeared into Judge Henderson's chambers, where it still hasn't been seen by anyone other than His Honor and impartial lawyer-witness, Neary.

ALL THIS secrecy and sequestration is frustrating to anyone unfamiliar with byzantine workings of official Mendocino County, and seems a blatant obstruction of justice to those of us are who want to see the Keegan murder finally sorted out before a jury.

JUST LAST WEEK there was a closed hearing in Henderson's courtroom to allow Rosen the opportunity to object to turning over whatever was seized from Rosen's office when the search warrant was served on him. The DA was excluded from last week's secret session. What happened remains unknown, but it doesn't auger well for justice for Susan Keegan.

MR. JEDIDIAH JONES' RECORD would cause the forces of law and order to assume he raped the girl, but he didn't, as this Friday story makes clear:

Willits Man Released; DA’s Office Says Evidence Didn’t Support Woman’s Assault Claim

by Adam Randall

A Willits man, who was jailed Feb. 13 on suspicion of assault, will not face criminal charges because the claims against him were deemed to be false. Jedidiah W. Jones, 36, was arrested by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office after a 21-year-old acquaintance accused him of assaulting her for more than five hours at her home. After sheriff’s detectives conducted their investigation, the charges were submitted to the District Attorney’s Office, which launched its own investigation and determined the evidence didn’t support the charges. “By the time it hit our office, there were all kinds of credibility issues,” said Mike Geniella, DA spokesman. “A team of attorneys determined the case could not be prosecuted beyond a reasonable doubt.” However, Jones was ordered to stay away from the woman and her residence. Geniella also said the woman will not be charged with making a false report. Jones said Friday that since the accusations were made, he has received death threats and has worried about his children’s safety.

(Courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

AS POLICE here continue to regard the disappearance of Asha Kreimer as suspicious, Asha's friends in her hometown of Alice, Australia, who write, “We need to find out what happened to Asha.” They are keeping hope alive via this internet contact address and working on hiring a private detective:

‪#‎helpfindashajreimer‬ ‪#‎caladvocatesforthemissing‬

For those wishing to contribute, visit https://www.gofundme.com/656da8y4 and use the hashtag #helpfindasha.

Alice woman missing in US mystery

Two Alice Springs women fear for their childhood friend who disappeared in the United States last September.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/centralian-advocate/friends-fundraise-at-olive-pink-botanic-garden-to-help-find-alice-woman-missing-in-us-since-september-21/news-story/6ac8f88f72e6692343581cbb88a176f3

THE COUNTY has rejected the sole offer it received to give over management of the County's troubled Animal Shelter to the Petaluma Animal Services Foundation. The County deemed the offer deficient in particulars, commenting that despite the County's request to the Petaluma group to beef up their application with proposed management particulars, Petaluma failed to do so. Petaluma claimed they could run the Shelter for about a mil a year but couldn't, or wouldn't say how they'd do it.

THE COUNTY'S SNIPPY REJECTION of Petaluma's offer, included this statement: “During a public competitive process, it is imperative to ensure consistent and accurate information is exchanged as well as ensure that only the appropriate public employees are involved in the process."

WE'RE AVAILABLE, STEVE-O

Weekly Newspaper Reporter Needed

Part-Time Reporter -- Do you share our passion for our community newspaper? Are you curious, observant, articulate and enterprising? We need you to join our team which brings news that matters to the Mendonoma coast and beyond through the pages of the Independent Coast Observer. Work in ICO office in Gualala Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, plus occasional assignments. Benefits include paid sick leave, vacation and unique job satisfaction every week. Contact Editor and Publisher Steve McLaughlin now for an interview appointment: (707) 884-3501 ext 13, or edpub@mendonoma.com

THE MENDOCINO COAST always gets left out of the Animal Shelter discussion, as a Coastie complains: "I have a copy of the RFP and I see there is no mention whatsoever about ACS for the Coast. Do you think it fair that we ask it to be included since we currently do not even get the Care-A-Van on the Coast and since we have a perfectly good shelter waiting to be used? My organization helps pay bail out fees for animals taken over the hill by Animal Control. Lots of these folks do not have transportation to pick up their animals, and if they do, they can’t pay for fuel or their vehicles might not make it over the hill. The lucky ones have some income from jobs but cannot leave their jobs to pick up their pets. That means we have to pay additional fees for boarding while these folks get an opportunity to pick up their animals. As for tourists, if their pets should stray on a weekend and the shelter is closed on Sunday and Monday, I guess they are plumb out of luck and can return home with one less mouth to feed. And we are dependent on tourist trade to survive?"

NORMA WATKINS RECOMMENDS:

Great story about an urban farmer. (Watch the video)

http://expandedconsciousness.com/2016/02/16/food-for-thought-family-grows-6000-lbs-of-food-on-110th-acre/

PRESS RELEASE FROM HUMBOLDT COUNTY ANNOUNCING MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH:

Beginning on Friday, Feb. 26 you can take part in making history by applying to have your medical marijuana business permitted in the unincorporated areas of Humboldt County. On this day, our Commercial Medical Marijuana Land Use Ordinance will take effect, making Humboldt the first county in the state to develop a comprehensive local regulatory system that is in line with recently passed state law.

On Jan. 1, the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) took effect, and provided a statewide regulatory framework whereby those who obtain both a local and state permit can legally engage in a variety of activities involving commercial production, manufacturing, and distribution of medical cannabis in California. While you will be able to apply for your local permit on Friday, once the state begins issuing licenses you will need to get those as well. However, those who are considered to be in good standing with their local jurisdiction will be first in line for those licenses.

“As the new state laws come online, cannabis growers and other businesses will only be able to operate legally in California if they are licensed and permitted at the local level,” said Mark Lovelace, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Humboldt County is leading the state right now, so those businesses which get their permits early will not only be ahead of the curve legally, they will also be well-positioned in this emerging marketplace.”

These regulations were put into effect to reduce environmental impacts, to help ensure local control and to convert an underground, black-market economy into a legitimate agricultural and commercial contributor to the local and state economy. By applying, you are not only ensuring that your business is operating in accordance with the MMRSA and county regulations, you are also demonstrating that you are a responsible business owner and member of our community.

The permits you will be able to apply for are as follows (full definitions can be found in Humboldt County Ordinance No. 2544):

Cultivation: Planting, growing, harvesting, drying, curing, grading, or trimming of marijuana for medical use. Permits are broken down into indoor, outdoor, mixed light and nursery cultivation. Manufacture: Transforming the raw agricultural product into a medical cannabis product
. Distribution: Location or facility to procure medical marijuana for sale to dispensaries, and the inspection, quality assurance and batch testing of the product prior to transport.

To apply for your permit, visit the Planning & Building Department beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 26 at 3015 H Street in Eureka.

For more information: Visit our Medical Marijuana Permits page at humboldtgov.org/MMJ, which has a checklist for easy reading.
 The department has also established a dedicated 24-hour hotline for questions concerning the Commercial Medical Marijuana Land Use Ordinance. Call them at 707-268-3795. During regular business hours, dedicated staff will be available to answer questions and return calls.

“This is an exciting time for Humboldt County, and it’s an honor to be able to serve our citizens in this historic new process,” said Robert Wall, Director of the Planning & Building Department. “This is new ground for everyone, so there are bound to be some bumps in the road. However, we are dedicated to making this successful and supporting applicants in any way possible. We want to make sure you have everything you need and answer any questions you have during the permitting process.”

The hard work of both our Planning & Building Department and our County Counsel’s Office allowed us to pass these regulations before any other county in the state. More regulations are still being developed.

Beginning Feb. 26, the application process will only be open to activities outside of the Coastal Zone. New regulations within the Coastal Zone await review and certification by the Coastal Commission before they may take effect. Unless extended by the Board of Supervisors, the period for accepting applications will close on December 31.

CATCH OF THE DAY, February 20, 2016

MICHAEL BALMER, Oroville/Ukiah. First degree robbery, witness intimidation.

ARIK CALDWELL*, Ukiah. Community Supervision violation.

TINA CARRILLO, Hopland. Meth sales, suspended license, probation revocation.

CAYTLIN COLLICOTT, Willits. Pot sale, failure to appear.

CHRISTOPHER FRANCE, Willits. Probation revocation.

GEORGE GOWAN, Philo. DUI, probation revocation.

DAVID HAYDEN II, Covelo. Driver with concealed weapon, failure to appear, probation revocation.

MICHAEL LARSON, Ukiah. Under influence, probation revocation.

CHRISTOPHER LELOUP, Ukiah. Failure to appear. (Photo not available.)

THERON NELSON, Fort Bragg. Protective order violation.

XOCHE WRIGHT, Failure to appear, probation revocation.

* https://www.theava.com/archives/38602 & https://www.theava.com/archives/50684

HILLARY HAS IT WIRED

by Hope Yen & Stephen Ohlemacher

Despite Bernie Sanders' win in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton is adding to her big lead among the delegates who will choose the Democratic nominee for president.

Since the New Hampshire primary, Clinton has picked up endorsements from 89 more superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, and Sanders has added just 11, according to a new Associated Press survey.

These party leaders and elected officials can change their minds. But if they continue to back Clinton overwhelmingly, Sanders would have to win the remaining primaries by a landslide just to catch up. He would have to roll up big margins because every Democratic contest awards delegates in proportion to the vote, so even the loser can get some.

After the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, Sanders has a small 36-32 lead among delegates won in primaries and caucuses. But when superdelegates are included, Clinton leads 483-55, including two new superdelegate endorsements she picked up on Friday, according to the AP count. It's essentially a parallel election that underscores Clinton's lopsided support from the Democratic establishment.

The disparity is sparking a backlash among some Sanders supporters, who complain that the Democratic nominating process is decidedly undemocratic, rigged in favor of Clinton.

Some of them are contacting superdelegates who have publicly endorsed Clinton. Their message isn't subtle, or always welcome.

"They were saying 'We're not going to forget this,' " said Lacy Johnson, an Indiana superdelegate who backs Clinton.

"I'm an African-American male who is in my 60s," Johnson said. "I have experienced the struggles. The experiences they are sharing don't faze me in comparison."

Superdelegates have been part of the Democratic Party's nominating process since 1984. They automatically attend the national convention and can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of whom primary voters back. They are party leaders — members of Congress, party officials and members of the Democratic National Committee.

There are 714 Democratic superdelegates, about 30 percent of the 2,383 delegates needed to claim the nomination.

The Republicans have far fewer automatic delegates who can back the candidate of their choice.

Clinton's campaign expresses confidence that she will maintain a strong lead among superdelegates even as she focuses on state-by-state voting. "Our campaign strategy is to build a lead with pledged delegates" won in primaries and caucuses, spokesman Jesse Ferguson said in an email.

Sanders campaign adviser Tad Devine said he doesn't consider an early superdelegate count to be very meaningful. Sanders' ability to attract younger people and independent voters, as he did in New Hampshire, will be a strong selling point to change people's minds, he said.

"We are confident that superdelegates want to be behind the strongest candidates in a general election and have a nominee to help candidates win up and down the ballot," Devine said.

Many Clinton supporters question whether Sanders could win the general election.

"He'd get killed!" said Rosalind Wyman, a DNC member from California. "A socialist independent?"

Others talk about their relationship with Clinton, who has been in Democratic politics for decades.

"Superdelegates are interested to see who can win, and many of them have strong ties to the Clintons, like me," said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.

Sanders supporters are tired of hearing these arguments.

"I'm so damned sick of people saying I love this guy but he can't win," said Troy Jackson, a DNC member from Maine who supports Sanders. "People need to start voting with their heart, what they know is right."

Jackson, a superdelegate himself, said he will push to have all five of Maine's superdelegates back the candidate who wins the state's caucuses in March. Three have endorsed Clinton and another is undecided.

"I want someone who's going to fight for me, not cut deals, not compromise on core values," Jackson said. "While I have respect for Secretary Clinton, she does that too much."

(Courtesy, the Associated Press)

WATTS THE MEANING?

IN EUROPE, America’s Democratic Party would be a far-right party. The Republican Party would be extremist. There is no liberal — much less left or progressive — organized political class in the United States. The growth of protofascists will be halted only when a movement on the left embraces an unequivocal militancy to defend the rights of workers and move toward the destruction of corporate power. As long as the left keeps surrendering to a Democratic Party that mouths liberal values while serving corporate interests, it will destroy itself and the values it claims to represent. It will stoke the justifiable rage of the underclass, especially the white underclass, and empower the most racist and retrograde political forces in the country. Fascism thrives not only on despair, betrayal and anger but a bankrupt liberalism.

The political system, as many Sanders supporters are about to discover, is immune to reform. The only effective resistance will be achieved through acts of sustained, mass civil disobedience. The Democrats, like the Republicans, have no intention of halting the assault on our civil liberties, the expansion of imperial wars, the coddling of Wall Street, the destruction of the ecosystem by the fossil fuel industry and the impoverishment of workings. As long as the Democrats and the Republicans remain in power we are doomed.

— Chris Hedges

WELCOME TO MENDOCINO - WE'VE GOT STRONG WOMEN

video by Scott Peterson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLys3ntJwBA&list=PLWTKx4OwAkBEZRZB07aPOA237QV8BS-b0&index=1

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Should be an interesting summer, huh? Summer 2016, one for the ages, like 1914 or 1939, a major war breaking out in west Asia, Turkey on one side, Iran, Russia and Syria on the other, with the Kurds, Iraqis, ISIS, SArabia, UAE, China, NATO, the US, France, Great Britain, Israel, Yemen thrown in as wildcards, in the midst of a US Presidential election and constitutional crises over SCOTUS appts., maybe more than one, who knows? To top it off BLM thugs threatening to tear down the campus, and burn down the cities across the USA.

Turkey has one of the world’s largest and most modern air forces, and its anti-aircraft hardware is NATOs best.

So much for ‘The Legacy”!

I think I’ll just disappear this summer with my canoe and fishing gear in those Army Corps of Engineering lakes up by Ozones spread, stocked with both trout & SALMON.

COURAGE

WHAT TO DO WHEN THE BERN GETS JOBBED

To your esteemed AVA readers,

As of the date of this letter, Bernie Sanders has been reported to have overtaken Hillary Clinton, for the first time, in a major national poll. Does this mean he stands a good chance of securing the Democratic nomination when their national convention rolls around? Unfortunately, it probably does not. Combine the well-honed tactics of machine party organization with the super-delegate factor, and Clinton is still the likely candidate, regardless of popular vote. What it does mean, however, is that the integrity projected by Sanders, along with the ideas and policies he's been proposing and defending on the primary campaign trail, have carried a strong appeal to enough voters to create and command a useful populist mandate. If Sanders continues to generate his current numbers throughout the remainder of the primaries and caucuses, yet fails to secure the party nomination, we will find out if he possesses the integrity he projects and is fully committed to the ideas and policies he's promoting. If he does and is, he will plead with his supporters to cast their ballots for the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein. Sanders does not line up perfectly with the goals and platform of the Greens, but they share enough of a political/social vision for the direction our nation needs to pursue, that his supporters could easily, and in good conscience, bridge the gap and vote Green. Doing so, they would be utilizing the advantages of an already established and well-organized party structure. An independent run, on his part, lacking these advantages would be hobbled from the start. Better to cede his voters to a slightly less quixotic effort to carry forward his goals for our future. The Greens, of course, cannot actually win the presidency in 2016, which will result in suffering through four years of a Cruz or Trump administration. As much as I dread that prospect, I can't help but believe that it would be a small price to pay for the opportunity to significantly disrupt the collusive fraternity of regular Republicans and Democrats whose shared dominance has rendered our elections irrelevant and our political process shackled for longer than most of us have been alive. Maybe a strong showing for the Green Party, say twenty percent or more, would bring some more of us to a clearer understanding that we are not obligated to accept the entrenched, cynical, and constricted two party political structure which has served so many so poorly for so long. Maybe even enough more to make a real difference in another election cycle just down the road. And by the way, if you've been supporting Bernie Sanders, and he does fail to get the nomination, you don't actually have to wait for Bernie to tell you that when you're in the booth and reading down the names on the ballot, it's okay to vote for whichever candidate is really advocating for your interests. Exercise your right to making a choice. Choose to have a choice, for change. One thing is certain. The people who have been calling all the shots will be happy to stay on the job for you, if you tell them that's what you want. If you like the way things are and want more of the same, just vote for someone in the club. Either one, doesn't matter.

Michael DeLang

Coal Creek Canyon, CO

UMBERTO ECO, ITALIAN NOVELIST AND INTELLECTUAL, DIES AGED 84

The revered literary critic, author and essayist – most famous for 1980 novel The Name of the Rose – had been suffering from cancer

by Kevin Rawlinson

The celebrated Italian intellectual Umberto Eco, who shot to fame with his 1980 novel The Name of the Rose, has been remembered as a master of Italian culture after his death at the age of 84.

Eco died on Friday night after suffering from cancer, prompting tributes to pour in for the esteemed writer.

He was “an extraordinary example of a European intellectual, combining unique intelligence of the past with a limitless capacity to anticipate the future”, said Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi. “It’s an enormous loss for culture, which will miss his writing and voice, his sharp and lively thought, and his humanity,” Renzi told the Ansa news agency.

Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, said Eco remained youthful until his last day. “A master who brought Italian culture to the whole world,” Franceschini wrote on Twitter.

Leading daily Corriere della Sera called Eco “the writer who changed Italian culture”, while newspaper La Stampa described a country in mourning for the author’s death.

Through Eco’s academic writings and his bestselling books, he became a respected intellectual voice both in Italy and abroad.

Internationally, he remains best known for his bestseller The Name of the Rose, a medieval detective novel set in an Italian abbey, which follows Brother William of Baskerville as he investigates a series of suspicious deaths. The novel captured imaginations globally and was turned into a film starring Sean Connery as William.

The work secured Eco’s international reputation and he went on to pen a number of other novels, including Foucault’s Pendulum in 1988. His most recent work, Numero Zero, was published last year and centres on a new newspaper in Milan funded by a meddling tycoon. Later this year a final novel will be released posthumously, Italian media reported.

Although Eco’s works sold millions of copies, he was not one to pander to popular tastes. “It’s only publishers and some journalists who believe that people want simple things. People are tired of simple things. They want to be challenged,” he told the Guardian in 2011.

While his first novel was not published until 1980, Eco said he had always had a “narrative impulse” and began writing stories at the age of 10 or 12. Born on 5 January 1932 in Alessandria, north-west Italy, Eco rejected his father’s wish that he study law and instead read philosophy and literature at the University of Turin.

After finished his doctoral thesis, Eco lectured at his alma mater and during the same period worked at Italy’s state broadcaster, RAI, as a cultural editor. He went on to develop his interest in semiotics, the study of signs and symbols, and became a professor of the subject at the University of Bologna. His significant academic writings include On Beauty and the later On Ugliness, exploring how people’s perceptions are shaped through history.

George Lakoff, a professor of cognitive linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, credited his friend with changing academia’s approach to literature by giving respectability to the study of popular art forms.

“He showed how not only to understand culture, in general, but to create new culture that way. That is what this man was about,” Lakoff told the BBC World Service. “Not only that, he loved it, he enjoyed every minute of it. To be with Eco was to just enjoy life.”

(Courtesy, the London Guardian)

JUST IN FROM CRAIG

What's It All About, Earth First!?

My warmest most loving greetings, As I sit here at a guest computer at the Green Tortoise travel hostel in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, I am indeed struck by the sheer plethora of current activity in regard to the Earth First! Journal Collective's multi-endeavors. 1. When is the 2016 Winter Organizer's Conference report back going to be available? 2. What exactly is the situation of the "Earth First! musical"? Is this in creation, or is this already finished in terms of script writing and songs, (and therefore in pre-production), or is this in post-production and ready to go on the road/already sufficiently rehearsed and currently being critiqued by friends at the compound in Florida, or, have you already left Lake Worth and are today in South Beach on that grassy area in front of the night clubs? 3. Do you believe that a group visit to Las Vegas and/or New York City to view current musical productions would be of value? Also, did anybody go to any musical performances when at COP 21 in Paris? (I assume that you intelligently ducked out of the tear gas, and took refuge at the Crazy Horse Saloon). 4. What specifically is the collective seeking insofar as future issue "inserts" are concerned? For example, Friends of Penobscot Bay in Maine expressed an interest last summer in submitting a comprehensive update, when I visited there after the RRR. Is the EF!J Collective actively soliciting bioregionally? 5. I am going to the huge Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco this afternoon, and will observe costumery, traditional musical ensembles, endless fireworks, and the motif of the monkey everywhere. After parade cocktails will be at Vesuvio's, next door to City Lights Bookstore. Obviously, you may smoke whatever you like in Jack Kerouac alley. Please join with me if you happen to be in town. ;-) I ask you to make contact with appropriate career opportunities,

Craig Louis Stehr
San Francisco
EMAIL: CraigStehr@inbox.com

PS In about an hour, the Chinese New Year parade begins in San Francisco, followed by a huge celebration in Chinatown. Am at the moment relaxed at a computer at Berkeley's Eudemonia. Around my neck is a ceramic pendant given to me by the Buddhist nuns at the Fa Yun Ch'an temple on 8th Street in Oakland's Chinatown, featuring a dragon fly hovering over lotuses in a pond; the spiritual implication of the pendant is to "stay low" in one's behavior. Also, on my left wrist, is a mala of 18 medium sized Tiger Eye beads, (useful when travelling, to control the breath and hence the mind). And most importantly, is just being awake! This means to allow the most profound spiritual reality to make use of the body-mind complex, without interference, which is termed "wu wei" in Daoism. This means to watch the mental factory's thoughts dispassionately, and continue to not interfere with the highest spiritual reality whatsoever. In other words: Do Not Be Attached To Anything At All. Now, let us all celebrate the year of the monkey, by cooperating in radical environmental direct action, for the planet earth and for the civilization which depends on healthy ecosystems and a clean biosphere. ~Gung Hay Fat Choy~