Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, May 18, 2016

• Dem Primaries
• Fire Danger
• Not Canceled
• FBUSD Caldron
• Snitch Letter
• AVA Recommends
• $120/Acre
• AV Women
• Farm Supply
• Bart Rock
• Yorkville Showcase
• Yes V
• Tanoak Value
• Don Duncan
• Police Reports
• Panther Baseball
• Pets!
• Public Trust
• Yesterday's Catch
• Marijuana Defense
• Nakedness
• Albright Circle
• The Unnecessariat
• Translucent Flower
• Lighthouse History
• Broadband Meetings
• Oil Spillers

SANDERS WINS OREGON Demo primary by 8%; narrowly loses Kentucky to Clinton.

Oregon: Sanders, 54%; Clinton, 46%.

Kentucky: Clinton, 46.8%; Sanders 46.3%.

FIRE DANGER HIGH THIS SUMMER

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Drought-dead-trees-add-up-to-big-fire-danger-for-7534092.php

AFTER A FLURRY of hysterical and totally unfounded speculation yesterday that KZYX was censoring discussion of Measure V, station manager Dechter calmed outpatient anxiety with this soothing assurance:

Subject: Re: KZYX Reconsiders Measure V show

Re KZYX Ecology Hour Tuesday May 17 from 7-8 PM

KZYX's GM Lorraine Dechter responds:

We are running Charlie Acker's live show tonight at 7pm. We are satisfied that the main opposition, MRC, was given the opportunity to participate, but chooses not to. We will also continue to cover this measure and surrounding issues in other formats, besides the Ecology Hour. — Lorraine

THE FORT BRAGG UNIFIED CALDRON ABOUT TO BOIL OVER

The parents of children attending school in the Fort Bragg Unified School District have received yesterday two items. One, a letter in English & Spanish that is visible on the Fort Bragg School District's web page, the other a schedule of meetings with the Superintendent, the first one being tonight at 5:30 p.m. about personnel - how the process works, what can be shared, etc.; the next meetings are about student discipline on May 23 at 5:30 pm, and the English Learner Programs on June 2 at 5:30 pm. All will have translators and will be at the John Diederich Educational Center in Fort Bragg.

http://www.fbusd.us/vnews/display.v/ART/573608c24ef1b

http://www.fbusd.us/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/573608c24ef1b/Letter%20to%20FBUSD%20Community%205-13-16.pdf

http://www.fbusd.us/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/573608c24ef1b/Meetings%20With%20Superintendent%20English.pdf

You can see on Mendocino TV that Mr. Chuck Bush, the superintendent of the Fort Bragg School District, has received a petition of no confidence signed by many community members and 3 of the school board members received a petition of request for resignation signed by many community members.

http://mendocinotv.com/2016/05/12/fort-bragg-unified-school-district-meeting-moves-to-dana-gray-elementary-school/

11:26 to 12:51

The community made comments in the beginning of the meeting and also later on in the meeting, but most of the comments can be seen/heard until 1:09:30. Again, please do not put my name under anything I send you as far as school politics are concerned. Thanks.

WE RECEIVE quite a few snitch notes, and check them out best we can. Here's one aimed at Heidi Dunham, which we passed on to her for comment. Her explanation sounds true to us:

Dear Ms. Dunham:

We received this letter in Monday's mail: "On Thursday, April 14, 2016 the County Human Resources Director had two of her higher paid staff help her move her daughter's things from one home to another while on County time. This should be investigated." Copies of this note have apparently gone to the Supervisors and the UDJ.

Please comment.

Thank you,

Bruce Anderson, AVA, Boonville

Dear AVA.

Thank you for sharing this with me. I assumed these two employees used their paid time off when they unexpectedly showed up to help me on April 14th. Upon receipt of this email, I verified they in fact did not use paid time off for those two hours and they are submitting corrections to payroll this afternoon. I would never intentionally pay a County employee for non-County time.

Sincerely,

Heidi M. Dunham, Director

Mendocino County Human Resources Department

THE AVA RECOMMENDS

President — Bernie Sanders. Hillary is simply unthinkable and twice as dangerous as Trump.

US Senator — Kamala Harris. Very smart, good on the issues, one of those rare Democrats of the elected type who looks out for the interests of ordinary people. Major upgrade from Boxer.

Congress — Matt Wookey. Who's he? Beats me. He's on the ballot and he isn't Huffman so he gets the nod from the mighty AVA. Huffman is a career officeholder of the Hillary-Obama-brained type who represents exactly no one on the Northcoast with a net worth under a million dollars. Like his predecessor, Mike Thompson, Huffman is a full-time errand boy for the wine industry.

Assembly — Write in Phil Baldwin over Healdsburg's wacky dentist, Jim Wood, the guy who just introducted a bill that would give apartment managers the authority to crack down on marijuana smoke. Smoke, mind you, not the smoker. This is this guy's idea of a political issue.

Judge — Keith Faulder. Smart, principled dude with many years of Mendo-specific experience. Pekin, much younger, much newer to the area, is unwittingly supported by a virtual Who's Who of Coast cranks, crooks, retired judicial flashers, and undesirables generally. Not that his supporters should doom the guy, but add Pekin to the long roster of newcomers who don't realize they've stepped beyond the Green Curtain where you are whatever you say you are, and history starts all over again every day.

Prop 50 — No. A phony measure that would do the opposite of what it claims it would do. It provides one year suspensions for legislators for taking bribes other than the bribes known as campaign contributions from vested interests.

Measure U. Yes. Fort Bragg should not suffer another homeless operation in the middle of town, especially one operated by an aggrandizing cadre of non-profit hustlers.

Measure V. Yes. Helps get some control over an arrogantly-run timber apparatus owned by a San Francisco family with a very poor labor relations history.

Measure W. No. We don't need another layer of government, especially one dominated by some of the County's most spectacular nutpies.

WE KEEP HAMMERING on the MRC mystery. Why does this company seem to go out of its way to alienate local public opinion? Why not spend a few extra bucks to hand fall non-commercial tree species rather than leave acres of them poisoned and standing? Mike Kalantarian points out that in 2013, "I asked John Ramaley (MRC head forester at the time) that same question. He said it cost MRC $180 to poison an acre and $300 to cut it."

THE ANDERSON VALLEY CHAPTER of the Independent Career Women is holding an open house next Wednesday (25 May) at the Anderson Valley Brewery's tasting room, food provided, 6:30-8:30pm. Any woman interested in joining is invited and most welcome to attend. Consistent with the newly adopted federal gender guidelines, any male who feels like a woman next Wednesday night is also invited to attend.

A MUST ATTEND: Anderson Valley Farm Supply's annual Customer Appreciation Day, 8am-6pm, THIS Friday, May 20th. Great deals on lots of stuff, vendors and food from noon on.

BLACK BART ROCK

However, according to Paul Paulos of the Mendocino County Historical Society, this is not the original “Black Bart Rock”:

“The original Black Bart Rock was located south of the summit on the old stagecoach road that later became old Highway 101,” Paulos wrote in 2012, “parts of which can still be seen occasionally on the west side of the new highway. Unfortunately, that rock, which we have pictures of at the Mendocino County Historical Society Library, has State signage saying that it is Black Bart Rock. Unfortunately, the original Black Bart Rock reportedly slid down the hill and was lost. The rock that is now called Black Bart Rock got that name from a PR person who I believe was working or writing for the Redwood Empire Association.”

TASTE OF YORKVILLE celebrates local, sustainable, delicious this Memorial Day Sunday!

On Sunday, May 29, from Noon to 5 PM, wineries, artists, chefs, craftsfolk, farmers and other community members will offer “tastes” of their labors at the first annual Taste of Yorkville event. Held at the Yorkville Market in Bucolic downtown Yorkville, locals and visitors will have a chance to sample, enjoy and purchase the bounty of local purveyors. The event, which is free to the public, is intended to showcase all that is wonderful about Yorkville; wine, food, lodging, art, culture, natural beauty and diversity. Our community boasts wineries, vineyards, farms and gardens supporting sustainable agriculture and organic growing practices. Yorkville is a small community in southern Mendocino County, on CA Highway 128, just off highway 101 outside of Cloverdale, on the way to the Mendocino Coast.

Yorkville Market
26701 CA Highway 128, Yorkville, CA 95494
707-894-9456

YES ON MEASURE V

To the Editor:

Do dead trees burn? Most folks will agree that dead trees do burn. What happens when 90,000 acres of forestland are treated causing the mortality of millions of hardwood trees? In most of these treated areas there are hundreds of acres of dense dead standing hardwood trees. To a firefighter this is very heavy fuel for a wildland fire. These dead trees, many are two feet or more in diameter, also represent manmade snags. Each year wildland firefighters are injured or killed by natural snags. The timber industry refers to this management practice as frilling. A more common term for this treatment is hack and squirt. For the last ten years of my career in the Mendocino Unit of Cal Fire I was the Air Attack Captain assigned to the Ukiah Air Attack Base. A major portion of my duties was to fill the Air Tactical Group Supervisor (ATGS) position on wildland fires. The ATGS is airborne directing air operations. In most situations the Incident Commander relies heavily on the tactical advice of the ATGS. I enjoyed a good reputation among ground personnel and pilots. After my retirement I was asked to work for Region Office in Redding as a mentor for ATGS students completing their taskbooks. After five years mentoring students in Redding I decided it was time to move on after 39 years in the business. It is clear to me that any affect frilling or hack and squirt may have on fire behavior is not well understood. As an Air Tactical Group Supervisor (ATGS) I would advise an Incident Commander or Operations Section Chief against making an effort to suppress a wildland fire in an area that has been treated by frilling. Weather forecasts as well as current and predicted fire behavior would factor into this decision. There in lies the problem. Firefighters will be faced with having to disengage where they might otherwise attempt control efforts. It is also clear to me that my advice will not be taken, I am retired. My hope is that the students I mentored will place the same high priority on firefighter safety that I did. I am confident they will.

Let’s ask the timber industry to also make a commitment to firefighter safety. On June 7 vote yes on Measure V. Go to www.citizensforfiresafeforests.com for more information.

Kirk Van Patten, Ukiah

JUDITH VIDAVER WRITES

I once did a calculation of the value of tan oak sold for firewood (based on what Frank’s firewood was charging) compared to that of redwood lumber. Tan oak came out way ahead. So the LP guy is right. Plus commercializing tan oak would provide many more local jobs. I’m sure if there were a few enterprising folks out there to set up tan oak processing facilities, MRC might be open to allowing their tan oak problem to be solved in a less hazardous and environmentally destructive manner.

MY DON DUNCAN — AND OURS

by Fred Gardner

The NY Times ran Don Duncan's obituary May 9 — seven years after he died in a Madison, Indiana nursing home. The belated obit by Robert McFadden shows that somebody at the Times understood the importance of Don Duncan's life. It was a long, respectful obit, with two photos, one of him in uniform on the glossy cover of Ramparts Magazine, Feburary, 1966, the most highly decorated enlisted man in the US Army, wearing his Special Forces beret, arms folded to show all those chevrons, looking sad and serious and saying "I quit!" The sight of him was like a trumpet blast of hope for everyone who thought "we" should not be supporting the South Vietnamese regime.

This is his article in Ramparts, "The Whole Thing Was a Lie!"

Soon after Master Sgt Duncan retired (keep your silver star), he went to Fort Jackson to testify in support of Captain Howard Levy, MD, who was being court-martialed for refusing to train Special Forces troopers in the healing arts. Duncan confirmed Levy's claim that the medical training would be used with an ulterior purpose — to gather intelligence that would be used by killers and torturers. In the fall of '67 I moved to Columbia, South Carolina with two friends and set up a coffeehouse called The UFO to provide GIs stationed at Fort Jackson a respite from the military scene. We were acting in solidarity with Levy and so were some of the GIs who frequented the coffeehouse. Duncan moved to the East Bay and we became friends when I worked briefly for Ramparts in '68. When Levy got out of Leavenworth we all worked in concert for a while. By the winter of 1970-71 I had split with the fake left and so had Levy. I think Don Duncan did, too, but not loudly. I heard he had wound up in Indiana and figured I'd look him up if and when I made it to the midwest. But when I was in Chicago I was too busy convering a medical marijuana conference. It wouldn't have mattered — he was gone.

"But I always thought I'd see you again..."

This is from Howard Levy, MD:

Last Saturday evening I had a long telephone conversation with a professor friend in Upstate NY. He served in Nam and the subject of the Green Berets came up. 

After the call I got the number I had for Don Duncan in Indiana and was set to at last make the call I'd so long shamefully put off making. But somehow I thought it wise to first Google Don and lo and behold there was the next day's obit staring at me. 

It took a while for me to understand exactly what I was reading given the weirdness of reading a 7 year-old obit published that day. When reality did sink in I experienced the sadness you have expressed, which has not yet left me. 

Donald was there for me at Ft Jackson but he was also there when I needed advice and guidance on subsequent political matters. He was a companion and a stable reference point for me when I visited the West Coast. We shared ideas, dinners and, as I recall, Scotch and whatever else. 

I loved the guy and never forgot the meaning of his commitment to the anti-war effort.

ASA's Don Duncan

In 2002 a man named Don Duncan, now 40ish and proprietor of a dispensary in Los Angeles co-founded Americans for Safe Access (with support from the Berkeley Patients Group, in which he had a stake, and a few other dispensaries). When I first met him at an event in Berkeley, I told him I knew the real Don Duncan. (I hope I didn't phrase it that way, but it might have popped out.) He had no idea who I was talking about. I had to explain and I sensed that this new Don Duncan wasn't very impressed. It drove home that whoever had divided the movement of the '60s into a thousand single-issue groups had succeeded beyond repair.

Your Don Duncan, hard-working and soft-spoken, is still a honcho in ASA but overshadowed by the charismatic leader, Steph Sherer. When Steph hit town in 2002-03, one of her key tactics was to organize rallies in front of courthouses where marijuana activists were being tried. I often responded to her calls, and would provide background info, informally, for any reporters who showed up at the rallies.

I wrote a song that I don't think I ever played for Ms Sherer and now probably can't remember. Something like this:

Who am I to suggest? Who am I to give advice? Every so-called bargain, I paid for it twice. F is for Failure. Why am I on your list? Who am I to be asked? Who am I to resist?

Who am I to have hopes of joining the troops when I never fit in in meetings or groups? Camejo and Nader are warning of war — I’m still passing leaflets out outside the door

Who are you to call rallies with pre-arranged busts? You pass yourself off as deserving our trust. Have you stated your interest? What’s your real goal? Do your tactics jibe with your heart and your soul?

Why am I suspicious? Why should I get involved in somebody else’s case that’s unsolved? Who am I to keep coming to the plaza at noon and find myself hoping it’s over with soon?

Who am I to draw lessons? Can’t draw worth a damn. And I watched them erase what’s called Vietnam. Not just civilians got hip to the lies, that war was deplored by US GIs.

Now your Don don’t know the Don Duncan I knew not that long ago, in Berkeley, too. Don Duncan (them both) have plenty to share. It once was one movement. Who knows and who cares?

Who am I to go there? Who am I to advise? Who am I to ask when will the party arise? Who are you to say now? Who are you to say go? Who are you to say yes? Who am I to say no?

COOL IT, CODY. KEEP THIS UP AND YOU'LL NEVER GET OUT.

On Monday, May 16, 2016 at 8:15 PM, Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to an assault of a Corrections Deputy at the Mendocino County Jail in Ukiah, California. When Deputies arrived they were informed that an adult male Corrections Deputy was assaulted by Cody Ladd, 23, of Willits, who was being housed in Wing 4 of the County Jail on unrelated charges. During the investigation it was learned the Corrections Deputy opened Ladd's cell door to remove him for a shower. When the door opened Ladd rushed the Corrections Deputy and punched him in the face multiple times, causing facial injuries. Ladd was restrained by other Corrections Deputies and later detained in a holding cell. Deputies arrested Ladd for physically assaulting the Corrections Deputy and an additional parole violation charge was added. The Corrections Deputy was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released with facial injuries.

* * *

ABALONES CLAIM ANOTHER ONE

On Monday, 05-09-16, at about 8:00 AM, a 57 year old man from Oakland and several of his friends and family went into the Pacific Ocean near Moat Creek Beach, Point Arena, in search of abalone. The missing person was diving nearby and did not surface. As the group searched for him, 911 was called. Members of the Redwood Coast Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched, Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies and Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue volunteers also responded, and the United States Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter. The diver was not located and by the time search divers had arrived the ocean had become too rough. The searchers continued to search along the beaches until the evening without locating the diver. Mendocino County Search and Rescue volunteer divers plan to dive the area at daybreak on 05-10-16, weather permitting.

UPDATE. 05-10-16 Mendocino County Sheriff Volunteer Search and Rescue members resumed the search this morning, assisted by maritime wardens of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). In addition to SCUBA divers, searchers examined the area from the bluffs with binoculars, and a DFW vessel assisted in the efforts. The missing person, David Tan Le, was not located before the search was suspended due to hazardous sea conditions. The search will resume on 05.11.16.

UPDATE 2. 05-11-16 Mendocino County Sheriff Volunteer Search and Rescue members resumed the search this afternoon, again assisted by maritime wardens of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) and the U.S. Coast Guard. Today SCUBA divers searched the area at high tide, which provided access to underwater areas that were inaccessible yesterday and also provided improved water clarity. The divers and searchers on the bluffs with binoculars thoroughly searched the place where David Tan Le was last seen. A DFW vessel also assisted in the efforts. David Tan Le was not located, nor were any indication of additional areas to search identified. The search has been suspended, pending indications suggesting where to resume the search.

UPDATE 3. 05-17-16 At about 8:00 AM, on Tuesday 05-17-16, a person went to the Moat Creek Beach to check the surf conditions and located a deceased person in a wetsuit laying face down on the beach at water's edge. Mendocino County Sheriff Deputies were summoned and investigated the scene. The decedent was found clad in a wetsuit, still wearing a weight belt, and a dive mask was found on the beach nearby. The decedent appeared to have been placed on the beach by the natural process of the sea. The decedent was subsequently identified as 57 year old David Le Tan, who was last seen diving for abalone in this area on 05-09-16 and reported missing. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of Mr. Tan's death.

NO BASEBALL STATS this week, but we can report that our undefeated Panthers have brushed Mendocino aside and this week only need to beat Point Arena in one of two games to proceed to the playoffs.

SCOTTY

This handsome Scottish Terrier mix is a joy to have around and a favorite of shelter staff and volunteers. Scotty is very friendly, and greets you with a happy face whenever you walk in the room. He is easy to handle and seems to do okay around other dogs (though a meet and greet with any other dogs you may have in your home is always recommended prior to adoption.) Scotty is a small but sturdy size and an easy going, eager to please dog who we think will make an easy transition into his forever home. He is sure to bring loads of love and laughter to a very lucky family! Scotty is 38 pounds and two years old. If you think Scotty would be a great addition to your family please stop by the Ukiah Shelter at 298 Plant Rd. today and meet him! And check out our website for the most updated information on all of our dogs and cats: www.mendoanimalshelter.com.

 

THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE

…and The Mendocino County Board Of Supervisors

The “Public Trust Doctrine” dates back 1,500 years. By the 6th century AD, Europe had reached such a high population density it necessitated changes in the Roman laws that governed the use of natural resources. The Roman doctrine of “res communes” declared that some things are “common to mankind - the air, running water, the sea, and consequently the shores of the sea - the right of fishing in a port, or in rivers, is common to all men”. By the doctrine of res communes, these natural resources held in common by the people were excluded from private control and the sovereign state was entrusted with the duty of preserving the resources in a manner that made them available for public purposes.

The doctrine of res communes was reaffirmed by the English Magna Carta in the 13th century and redefined by English common law in the 17th century. English common law granted ownership of common property to the king, though not for his private use, but as a trustee for the benefit of the people. In practice, however, this arrangement resulted in the doling out of special privileges to the nobility. English common law was applied to the American colonies, but after US independence, American courts abolished the English system of royal prerogatives and reestablished the full public trust concept closer to the Roman model.

Early public trust laws protected navigation of waterways, commerce, and fishing, but in the 1971 legal case of Marks v. Whitney, the California Supreme Court held that considering the changing needs of the public, a state is not bound to protect just the traditional interests addressed by early case law and that ecological protection was a public interest covered under the Public Trust Doctrine.

Since the 1970s, courts in the US have markedly expanded the application of the Public Trust Doctrine to include such diverse subjects as wildlife and their habitat, environmental protection from development, pollution, and invasive species, recreational activities such as swimming, parks, and historic monuments, public health, bathing, flood prevention, aesthetic values such as open space and scenic beauty, water diversions for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes, religious and cultural interests, and even the electromagnetic spectrum.

In 1970, California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) which basically codified the Public Trust Doctrine into California state law. CEQA established an environmental review process for any government or private “project” that could have an adverse impact on the environment. CEQA requires that five different options for a project be identified and studied, and the least environmentally destructive option must be preferred.

Protecting the public trust interest is a primary duty of every elected official in the State of California, and yet the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors seems more intent on pandering to the interests of private business rather than upholding the public trust mandates of CEQA. This proclivity has been particularly glaring with regards to the Supervisors protecting the interests of ranchers while neglecting the public trust interest in the County's wildlife.

In the 1970s, Mendocino County was put on notice by the California Attorney General to consider non-lethal alternatives to the County's lethal wildlife management program, yet in the over 40 years since, the County did nothing to comply with this order.

In 2014, a coalition of wildlife protection organizations including Project Coyote, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, sued the County over non-compliance with the CEQA provision that requires environmental review of the County's lethal wildlife management program.

The County's current Board of Supervisors reacted to this lawsuit by hiring an expensive private law firm out of Sacramento to defend the County's lethal wildlife management program. These high priced lawyers advised the County to claim an exemption from CEQA instead of complying with the law.

In April, 2016, after several months of pretrial legal wangling, the Supervisors finally capitulated and agreed to follow CEQA's dictates by suspending the County's contract with the federal Wildlife Services program that administered the lethal wildlife management program pending an environmental revue.

If the Supervisors had just taken their public trust duties seriously in the first place, it would have saved the County an enormous amount of wasted time and money. Unfortunately, it appears that the only way to hold our County Supervisors accountable for protecting the public trust is to sue them. What a sorry state of affairs in our County's governance.

— John Spitz, Laytonville

CATCH OF THE DAY, May 17, 2016

SKYLER BAILEY, Willits. Controlled substance.

DANIEL DELOSSANTOS, Talmage. Vandalism.

GRACIE DIASPERALTA, Fort Bragg. Domestic assault, child endangerment.

OSCAR FUENTES IV, Willits. Controlled substance, paraphernalia, community supervision violation.

PAUL HANNAH, Nice/Ukiah. Probation revocation.

JOSHUA KEYS, Ukiah. Controlled substance, under influence, receiving stolen property, probation revocation.

HUPA LINCOLN, Covelo. DUI.

KEVIN MCANALLAN, Sebastopol/Ukiah. Robbery of inhabited dwelling.

DEVYN MILLER, Redwood Valley. Probation revocation.

ASHLEY SANDERS, Oroville/Ukiah. Failure to appear.

AARON SCHLEICH, Healdsburg/Willits. Protective order violation.

OCTAVIO VICENTE, Branscomb. DUI.

THE NEW MURDER DEFENSE:

MARIJUANA MADE ME DO IT

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/17/the-new-murder-defense-marijuana-made-me-do-it.html

ON LINE COMMENT OF DAY

Let me tell you a story. My oldest son, Bill, had a best friend named Kurt Kauffman. Kurt’s mother was from Germany and still had relatives there. In 1977, Kurt’s cousin from Munich, Petra, spent the summer in the United States with Kurt’s family. The following year, Kurt was invited to spend six weeks of summer in Munich with Petra’s family. Kurt didn’t want to go by himself and invited Bill to go with him. All I and Bill’s mother had to do was pay for Bill’s plane fare to and from Munich.

While in Munich, Bill and Kurt went to one of Munich’s large indoor swimming pools with another of Kurt’s cousins. When they got there, Kurt and Bill asked about the change rooms so they could don their swimming suits. The cousin said, “I don’t understand what you mean.” They explained that they wanted to know where to go to change from their regular clothes to their swimming suits. The cousin repeated that he still didn’t understand what they wanted.

Meanwhile, a girl of about 14 or 15 came near and began taking off her clothes and put on her swimming suit and dove in the water. My son, Bill, thought “if she can do it, so can I!” The regular clothes are put against the wall and no one disturbs them. No one worried about anything getting stolen. It’s just the way it was.

For some reason, Americans are very bent out of shape when it comes to sex. As far as bathrooms are concerned, what if all bathrooms were unisex? What would you see? Actual toilets, in public restrooms, are in a “stall” with a door that locks. All you would see is a person’s ankles and feet if you bothered to look! Urinals for men usually have a small divider so you really don’t have an opportunity to look at another guy’s penis while urinating, again, if that’s your turnon!

I’ve never been to a nudist camp, but I’ve been told that once you get used to seeing men and women in the nude, the “turn-on” factor is greatly subdued. Let’s face it, about 90% of the women I’ve seen in clothes wouldn’t turn me on by taking their clothes off!

I live in North Carolina (a DP from western NY) and for the life of me, I don’t understand why the legislature created a problem that didn’t exist.

MADELYN ALBRIGHT has announced that there is a special place in hell reserved for women who don’t help each other – meaning women who don’t vote for Hillary. Let’s see, Sarah Palin, Madelyn Albright, Margaret Thatcher are all women. Is voting for women, because they are women, feminism? Can feminism be reduced to gender? Looks like hell is going to be pretty crowded for all of us women who won’t be voting for Hillary.

“CLINTON DOESN’T GIVE A SHIT about me. When Clinton talks about people hurt by the economy, she means you: elite-educated white-collar people with obvious career tracks who are having trouble with their bills and their 401k plans. That’s who boomed under the last president Clinton, especially the 401ks. Me, or the three guys fighting two nights ago over the Township mowing contract, we’re nothing. Clinton doesn’t have an economic plan for us. Nobody has an economic plan for us. There is no economic plan for us, ever. We keep driving trucks around and keep the margins above gas money and maybe take an odd job here or there, but essentially, we’re history and nobody seems to mind saying so. Trump doesn’t have an economic plan for me either. What Trump’s boys have for me is a noose - but that’s the choice I’m facing, a lifetime of grueling poverty, or apocalypse. Yeah I know, not fun and games - the shouts, the smashing glass, the headlights on the lawn, but what am I supposed to do, raise my kid to stay one step ahead of the inspectors and don’t, for the love of god, don’t ever miss a payment on your speeding ticket? A noose is something I know how to fight. A hole in the frame of my car is not. A lifetime of feeling that sense, that “ohhhh, shiiiiiit…” of recognition that another year will go by without any major change in the way of things, little misfortunes upon misfortunes… a lifetime of paying a grand a month to the same financial industry busily padding the 401k plans of cyclists in spandex, who declare a new era of prosperity in America? Who can find clarity, a sense of self, any kind of redemption in that world?”

— More Crows than Eagles, The Unnecessariat

THE “SKELETON FLOWER” Turns From White to Translucent When Exposed to Water | Colossal

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/07/skeleton-flower-turns-from-white-to-translucent/

(Submitted by Susie de Castro)

A TOAST TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

The history of the American lighthouse is a history of calamity, insanity, and, in at least one case, cannibalism.

The Boon Island Lighthouse stands six miles off the coast of York, Maine, on a modest granite outcropping barely above sea level. For decades ships crossed the Atlantic only to founder here, nearly in sight of land. None had it worse than an English merchant ship called the Nottingham Galley, which ran aground during a nor’easter on December 11, 1710. The fourteen crew members hauled themselves from the wreck as their provisions, apart from three small rounds of cheese and a few old beef bones, sank into the ocean. After a week of starvation and sub-freezing temperatures, the resourceful men managed to construct a skiff from the ship’s debris. The captain and a crew member set off for the mainland in hope of salvation. Within minutes, however, a giant wave flung them back onto the island, demolishing the boat. “The horrors of such a situation,” the captain later said, were “impossible to describe.”

Those crew members who were not yet too weak to move now assembled a crude raft from the remaining scraps of wood. It departed safely from the island with two men on board. The raft even managed to reach the mainland a few days later. But the men did not.

The first fatality on the island was the ship carpenter, a “fat man, and naturally of a dull, heavy, phlegmatic disposition.” After what the captain later described as a period of “mature consideration” — not, it would appear, an especially long period — the men made the carpenter’s raw flesh into sandwiches, using seaweed for bread. They ate so ravenously that the captain had to ration the meat.

When the castaways were finally rescued on January 4 their story inspired calls to build the continent’s first lighthouse. But one was not built on Boon Island for almost a hundred years. As Eric Jay Dolin describes in Brilliant Beacons, his survey of American lighthouse history, this was a common pattern. Lighthouses may have come to be seen as brilliant beacons but they are also cenotaphs, marking deathtraps that for centuries devoured mariners along the continent’s coasts.

Only after enough maritime disasters occurred in a treacherous location was a lighthouse built. The nation’s first was completed in Boston Harbor in 1716, after the Massachusetts legislature found that the absence of a lighthouse “has been a great discouragement to navigation, by the loss of lives and estates of several of his majesty’s subjects.” A petition to build a lighthouse at Portland Head, at the edge of Casco Bay, was ignored until 1787, when a sloop crashed into it, killing two. “A long list of shipwrecks” led to the construction in 1761 of the first New York lighthouse, at Sandy Hook, and "the wrecks which lie plentifully scattered over the Beach" off Cape Henlopen finally convinced Philadelphia's merchants to build one two years later.

To do so, municipalities and colonies had to overcome the resistance of the so-called "wreckers." Shipwrecks occurred with such regularity that the phenomenon created an entire underclass of scavengers who haunted the coast, waiting for the tide to deposit treasures. Nicknamed "Mooncussers" — before lighthouses, a bright moon was a ship's best navigational aid — wreckers were suspected of tying lights to cows and walking them along the beach in imitation of ships' lights to draw sailors to their doom.

— Nathaniel Rich

BROADBAND ALLIANCE PUBLIC MEETINGS

Our next meeting will be held on Friday, July 8th, 2016, 10:00 - 11:30, at the Community Foundation, 204 S. Oak St., Ukiah. An important opportunity tomorrow, Wednesday, May 18th : the new Sonoma-Mendocino Economic Development District (SMEDD) is seeking community input at a workshop at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, 200 S. School St. from 8:30 am-11:30 am. Please register to attend at: http://www.sonomamendocinoceds.com/public-workshop/.

The Alliance will be holding a special presentation by Computers for Classrooms this Friday, May 20th, 10:00 - 11:00 am, for information on purchasing low-cost computers for low-income households, seniors, students, non-profits, schools and tribes. Computers for Classrooms will also be accepting donations of computers and other e-waste right after the presentation that will be held at the Community Foundation, 204 S. Oak St., Ukiah.

Consider taking action on California Assembly Bill 2395 that would allow the telecoms to withdraw landline service. If you want to send a letter of opposition you can go to the TURN website and easily send a letter to the Assembly Appropriations Committee members.

Be sure to check out our Facebook page for updates and interesting links at https://www.facebook.com/BroadbandAlliance

Hope to see you at our next meeting!

Diann Simmons
Administrative Coordinator
Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County
707-489-4663
www.MendocinoBroadband.org

GRAND JURY INDICTS PIPELINE COMPANY ON CRIMINAL CHARGES IN REFUGIO OIL SPILL

by Dan Bacher

In an announcement welcomed by fishermen, environmentalists and Tribal leaders, a grand jury on May 16 indicted the Plains All-American Pipeline company on 46 criminal charges related to the May 2015 oil spill in Santa Barbara County that fouled over 9 miles of pristine coast.

The 46 charges included 4 felony charges and 42 misdemeanor charges. The company was charged with felony violations of state laws regarding the spilling of oil and hazardous substances into state water.

The grand jury also indicted a Plains All-American Pipeline employee on 3 criminal charges, according to a statement from Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley.

“Both the company and James Buchanan, an employee, were charged with misdemeanor violations for failing to provide timely notice of the oil spill to the Office of Emergency Services,” according to the A.G’s Office. “In addition, the company was indicted on three dozen misdemeanor charges linked to the spill’s impact on birds and mammals.”

Nearly one year ago on May 19, 2015, a badly corroded pipeline operated by Plains All-American Pipeline, a member of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), ruptured near Refugio State Beach, releasing approximately 140,000 gallons of heavy crude oil onto land, beaches, and the ocean. The poorly maintained pipeline ruptured after it had worn down to only 1/16 of an inch.

Federal, state and local governments have spent millions of dollars to clean up the spill, a disaster that resulted in considerable damage to fish, wildlife and the ecosystem over a large area, including controversial “marine protected areas” created under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative.

Attorney General Harris partnered with local and state law enforcement agencies to conduct a criminal investigation and jointly prosecute the criminal case with Santa Barbara County District Attorney Dudley, the AG’s Office reported.

“Crimes against our environment must be met with swift action and accountability,” said Attorney General Harris. “The carelessness of Plains All-American harmed hundreds of species and marine life off Refugio Beach. This conduct is criminal and today’s charges serve as a powerful reminder of the consequences that flow from jeopardizing the well-being of our ecosystems and public health.”

“This indictment came as a result of many local and state agencies working together to present both inculpatory and exculpatory evidence to a hard-working Santa Barbara Grand Jury,” said District Attorney Dudley. “The indictment is a response to the evidence presented and speaks to the alleged criminal culpability of both the corporation and an individual who are alleged to have caused harm to Santa Barbara County’s magnificent natural surroundings and death to some of it’s majestic wildlife.”

Plains All-American Pipeline faces up to $2.8 million in fines plus additional costs and penalties, according to the A.G.’s office.

Seventy-two hours after the spill was discovered, Harris and Dudley launched a joint criminal investigation. In June, Attorney General Harris traveled to the site of the spill and met with command staff leading the cleanup and investigation. More information is available here: oag.ca.gov/.…

Anti-fracking activists and environmentalists applauded the indictment of the pipeline company and its employee.

“Our pristine and protected Refugio State Beach was devastated last year because of Plains All American Pipeline’s blatant negligence and disregard for our state and the people, animals and plants who live in it,” said Becca Claassen, an organizer with Food & Water Watch based in Santa Barbara, speaking on behalf of Californians Against Fracking. “Plains All American Pipeline must be held accountable for its egregious actions, and we commend State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and Santa Barbara County Dist. Atty. Joyce Dudley for standing up for all Californians and our environment, which is in such a fragile state due to the effects of oil and gas.”

“This indictment is no doubt an important step, but our state still has a long way to go, and we will never be free of these kinds of disasters until our state transitions to 100 percent renewable energy,” Claasen concluded.

Ironically, the head of the same oil industry trade association that lobbies for the Plains All American Pipeline corporation, whose pipeline rupture caused the massive oil spill, is the very same person who chaired the panel that created the so-called "marine protected areas" that were fouled by the spill!

"Plains All American, the owner of the pipeline, is a member of the Western States Petroleum Association," proudly proclaimed Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), in her blog post responding to the spill on May 19. (www.wspa.org/... )

In a huge conflict of interest, Reheis-Boyd served as the chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so-called marine "protected areas" (MPA) in Southern California, including four MPAs being fouled by the spill. (www.dfg.ca.gov/...)

She also served on the task forces for the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast from 2004 to 2012, as well as on a federal marine protected areas panel from 2003 to 2014. She served on these panels as the oil industry was fracking like crazy on the Southern California Coast.

Yet in the press coverage of the spill by the Associated Press, other mainstream media and most of the "alternative" media you won't see one word about one of the most important aspects of this oil spill - that Reheis-Boyd, the WSPA President and a lobbyist for Plains All American Pipeline and other oil companies, served as the Chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create the same "marine protected areas" that were fouled by crude oil.

Four "marine protected areas" created under her "leadership" - the Goleta Slough, Campus Point, Naples and Kashtayit State Marine Conservation Areas - were imperiled by the oil spill that started at Refugio State Beach.

Nor will you see in the mainstream media any mention of the fact that Plains All American CEO Greg Armstrong raked in over $5 million in compensation last year and is guaranteed $29 - $87 million in golden parachute cash while oil from a rupture in his company's shoddy pipeline polluted the beaches and ocean waters for 9 miles off the Santa Barbara County coastline.

Big Oil is the biggest and most powerful corporate lobby in Sacramento — and the Western States Petroleum Association is the biggest and most powerful lobbying organization.

The oil industry, including WSPA, Chevron, Phillips 66, AERA Energy, Exxon and Shell, have spent more than $25 million so far in the 2015-16 legislative session. WSPA has spent $12.8 million so far in the session, making them, as usual, the top California lobbying spenders of the session. (www.lung.org/...)