Mendocino County Today: Friday, Sept. 30, 2016

• Peachland Premonition
• Hare Creek EIR
• Poplars
• No AF
• Forum Viewing
• Complected Seven
• Hanes Sentencing
• Adopt Seth
• Open Studio
• Grape Harvest
• Radio Theater
• Boat Sale
• Yesterday's Catch
• Marijuana Millionaires
• Job Offer
• Apoplectic
• Attack Trump
• Demonizing Greens
• Class Warfare
• Kent Landmark
• Two Vacancies
• Dear Deplorables

A GHOST STORY (or ‘Murder on Peachland Road’)

by Briana Burns

This is a sequel to my story about the burning of Lone Tree.

Maybe ten or twelve years later, along about 1993, my daughter Wendy had gone off to college (not at 18, but a couple of years later) to UC Santa Cruz. One weekend she came home to Boonville with a college friend named Jennifer. Maybe my son CT was around that weekend, too, I’m not quite sure. Anyhow, there were at least three of us there at our Peachland home for the weekend, Wendy and Jennifer, and me, home for the weekend from my then-job in the Bay Area. It was Saturday, May 15.

Anyhow, for some reason we were out in the front yard just at evening, and we heard two gunshots, sounding awfully nearby. They didn’t sound like they were on our property, but very nearby. And of course I always paid attention to such things, so I noted the shots.

Shortly thereafter a vehicle came by, heading to town. I can’t remember if I recognized the vehicle or not, but I later learned it was that of my next neighbor up Peachland Road. At that time Chuck and Connie Golden were my immediate neighbors on up the road, who had bought the 160-acre parcel opposite the new vineyard on the left on up Peachland Road.

It was almost dark, so we had moved into the house and turned on the electric light in the kitchen, which is at the back of the house. By now it might have been about 15 minutes since I had heard the shots. As I say, we were in the kitchen when, totally out of the blue, (something that had never happened after dark in all my 20 years living up there) there was a knock on the front door out at the front of the house, and I heard a strange noise, an inhuman noise, along with the knock. My first reaction was to think it was some sort of prankster! I think this was my reaction because the noise was like nothing I had ever heard in my life.

I went to the front door and opened it, and here was a woman who had turned away and was heading around the house, presumably to the back door. I could see blood on the back of her dress. When she heard me open the door, she turned back to me and said, in this weird, other-worldly voice, “Help me!”

She said she’d been shot! At first I assumed she meant it was an accident. Because of the blood, I didn’t invite her up the steps and into the house, but we brought a large clean towel and she tried lying down, but she soon said she couldn’t breathe lying down so she sat up. In the meantime, of course, someone had immediately called 911!

Turned out it was Rosalind ‘Roz’ English, whom I knew, as she and I had worked on things together at the Elementary School. I forget who we reached on the phone, a stranger, I guess. Maybe I had tried to call Keith Squires directly? I don’t remember.

I do remember that Deputy Keith Squires, whom we all knew well, was the first to arrive. He explained that the ambulance couldn’t come up until he had determined that the gunman was not a possible danger to the EMTs. So he questioned Roz, and she told him that she and her boyfriend, Martin Baltazar Gonzales, age 31 at the time, had driven up the road and had an argument and he had shot her and then shot himself. She thought he was dead, but Keith had to go check for himself before he could let the ambulance come up. (As I remember, the AVA later reported that Roz had just gotten out of jail on drug charges, and she and her boyfriend were arguing because he wanted her to continue, dealing, I guess, and she didn’t want to, so he shot her!)

So Keith left to go on up the road and check on the gunman, and we waited. I learned later that Chuck Golden, when he went down the road earlier, had seen the vehicle parked on the side of the road, and two people out of it, and that the man had a gun. As I remember, I think Keith had already heard about the man with a gun from Chuck, when I phoned to say Roz was at my house and had been shot!

Finally the ambulance came! I suppose by now it was anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half since I’d first heard the shots.

What I do remember is Beryl Thomasson, one of the EMTs, cutting Roz’s blouse or dress down the back, baring her back, where we could both see what I presume was lung tissue draped down her back! Berle took one look and grabbed a huge pad of gauze about nine inches square and laid it over the wound and covered Roz up again!

In retrospect, with what I know of anatomy from butchering animals, I feel pretty sure Berle must have known this was a mortal wound and that Roz was not going to survive!

It had been a minimum of at least half an hour that she had been bleeding with the shot through her right lung! That was why her voice had sounded so non-human! It was high-pitched, like someone talking after inhaling helium, because she was talking on only one lung, instead of two full of air! And Roz had walked, at least a quarter of a mile, down the road to my house! And this was a Saturday night, and she was dressed up and wearing some kind of heels; maybe not really high heels, but low high heels! I admired her, and was so glad she knew I had a phone, and had come to me for help! How lucky she was that it was the weekend, and someone was at home for the weekend!

Sometime in the next month or two, my old friend Kathy Bailey happened to have driven up Peachland Road and got stuck, or something, further up the road. She, too, came to my house for help, but she started calling as she came down the hill from the road toward the house. She explained that after my recent experience, she didn’t want to come to the house and knock on the door, but wanted to let me know from a distance she was a friend in need! I told her I was not feeling traumatized by the experience of having Roz come to my house for help after dark! I mean it was traumatic, but I felt good that both Roz and Kathy had come to me for help, and I was able to help!

Back to Saturday night outside the front door — there was little the EMTs could do. They brought up a stretcher and carried Roz down the yard to the ambulance. Then they drove down to the airport and waited for what seemed to us, up at the house, listening for the ambulance helicopter to arrive from Ukiah, like a long time! When we finally heard it arriving, and then leaving for Ukiah, we figured that was the end of the incident for us. Later, we learned in the AVA that Roz had not survived the trip to the hospital.

But, that night, after we heard the helicopter come into the Valley and then take off from the airport, then came the spooky part!

Wendy only then told us all that that weird inhuman voice, crying “Help me, help me”, was the same voice she had heard outside the house that night more than ten years earlier, when Lone Tree had burned! I don’t believe in ghosts, but I admit I had a strange sensation when she told us this story! I remembered from 1980, that when I left Wendy and CT alone to go up Peachland Road to try to do something about Lone Tree burning, when I came home after dark that night, she had been scared to death and insisted that there had been someone outside the house crying “Help me, help me!” She had been way too scared to do anything about it while I was gone, but when I got home she insisted that I go out into the night and go all around the house, looking to see if there was any person, or animal, or ghost out there, that had scared her so!

So we all had creepy sensations that night, hearing Wendy claim that she had heard that exact same voice, Roz’s strange other-worldly, inhuman voice, begging for help ten years earlier! I still don’t believe in ghosts, but I can’t explain this story! It is a mystery!

HARE CREEK UPDATE

Update on the Hare Creek Center Project Environmental Impact Report

Written comments about Hare Creek Center project due October 19 The Hare Creek Center Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) public scoping session was held at Town Hall in Fort Bragg on 9-19. The public met the EIR consultant, learned about the EIR, the permitting process, and by when written comments need to be turned in. This was a rare opportunity for the public to express environmental concerns about this project. The consultant’s presentation and public comments was videotaped. See http://mendocinotv.com/2016/09/15/hare-creek-center-eir-public-scoping-session/ and http://cityfortbragg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=195

Now is the time to identify significant environmental impacts and suggest project alternatives. We hope that you will share your key environmental concerns and issues about this project. It is very important to turn in written comments by October 19 so they will be part of the public record. Many responses by concerned community members addressing specific environmental issues raised by the project would likely encourage the EIR consultants to study all the issues and produce a full, complete, and up-to-date study.

The EIR consultants have been retained to look at the environmental impacts of the proposed new project along with a few alternatives: the 2014 project submission, no project, and a smaller project. The public also has the right to suggest possible alternatives and request thorough, up-to-date studies of areas of concern. The public can communicate with the EIR consultants via Community Development Director Marie Jones <mjones@fortbragg.com>

Please put "Hare Creek Center EIR" in the subject line. Look for updates on the web page of the City of Fort Bragg https://city.fortbragg.com/486/Active-Permit-Applications

and also on our web page https://www.facebook.com/citizensforappropriatecoastallanduse Annemarie Weibel

PHARM NOT FARM: NO ON AF

To the editor,

Measure AF, the "Agricultural Fraud Act", on the November 2016 ballot is a blatant, well-financed attempt by the pot industry to subvert the County planning and zoning process by permitting commercial pot production on virtually the entire Mendocino County land base.

Measure AF amends Mendocino County Code Chapter 10A to designate commercial pot production as an "agricultural operation", thereby protecting this activity under the County's "Right to Farm Ordinance", shielding the pot producers from neighbors' complaints about noxious odors, loud noise, glaring lights, and pesticide drift. In reality, pot production is primarily a pharmaceutical operation.

Measure AF amends Mendocino County Zoning Ordinance Section II Title 20 to permit commercial pot production in all zoning districts, including Residential, Public Facility, and Open Space.

Measure AF imposes a regulatory scheme by initiative format that bypasses environmental assessment and eliminates public review by local elected officials, specifically the Board of Supervisors.

Measure AF, as an initiative, becomes entrenched in regulatory mumbo jumbo that makes it virtually amendment-proof.

Measure AF bans criminal enforcement of pot permit rules and substitutes a civil enforcement procedure that would be totally ineffective.

Measure AF would allow explosive butane to be used in the production of hash oil as a "principal permitted use" in any industrial zoning district even though the dangerous practice has caused many fires and serious injuries.

Measure AF would have a devastating effect on Brooktrails, west of Willits, opening the entire subdivision to commercial pot production - including the Greenbelt.

Unverified reports reveal that parcels in Brooktrails are being marketed by real estate agents as potential places for pot production. The District Office has received numerous recent inquiries by "farmers" planning to clearcut lots to produce pot who said they were told that it was allowable. In recent months the Brooktrails Fire Department has actually encountered perpetrators in the process of clearcutting their lots for pot production.

Current law makes such clearcutting illegal under the Brooktrails Specific Plan; therefore it can be stopped through existing legal procedure. Measure AF, if passed, will allow legalized clearcutting and pot production on all Brooktrails parcels.

Measure AF is an arrogant, selfish attempt by the pot industry to write its own rules and regulations that circumvent environmental and community review.

VOTE NO ON MEASURE AF!

Don Morris & Maryl Morris

Willits

VIEWING TIP — A COAST RESIDENT WRITES: I just finished watching the Mendocino Coast Health Care District Candidates Forum live on Mendocino TV. I recommend watching it to help in determining who will get your votes for the two open seats on the District board. The forum will probably be available for viewing on their website beginning tomorrow (I'm not certain about that but it's the usual time frame for programs becoming available to view again). It's an important vote for the future of our hospital and I hope that there will be more public forums, with all of the candidates, before the end of October. Thank you to Mendocino TV for hosting this one.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?

THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT posted this alarming bulletin late this morning:

We Need Your Help - The Sheriff's Office is working on an incident at the intersection of Spy Rock Road and Iron Peak Road since early this morning.

There were reports of a possible marijuana robbery with at least one individual shot with a potential of 7 or more armed suspects. We have yet to find the reporting party, suspects or victims. We advise all area residents to be cautious and to report any unusual or suspicious activity to our dispatch center at (707) 463-4086. We have no descriptions of vehicles or persons involved beyond 7 dark-complected men were involved.

We are asking for the public's help — if you have any information that may be helpful regarding this incident please call 463-4086 as soon as possible.

* * *

SOUNDS LIKE A HOME INVASION. It is the season, of course, but as the sun died in the Pacific this evening, we don't know exactly what happened.

* * *

FALSE ALARM

On 9-29-2016 around 5:46 AM the Mendocino County Sheriff's Dispatch Center received a cellular 911 telephone call. An exact location of the caller was not established. A male caller advised that he'd fled his property after being confronted by up to 7 armed males. The caller suspected the persons were there to steal marijuana from him. The caller stated the men shot his wife in the stomach and he suspected they may have shot his 16 year old son as well but he'd lost track of where his son was, suspecting the armed assailants might be chasing his son into the woods. Approximately 30 Officers from Mendocino County Patrol Division, California Highway Patrol (CHP), Cal Fire Prevention Officers, and the Mendocino County Inter-agency SWAT Team responded to the call.

Once in the area officers were unable to locate the reporting party, any potential gunshot victims, or suspects. Officers did find the possible crime scene but evidence of persons actually being shot was not found. There were indications of recent firearms use present and several witnesses in the area reported hearing shots being fired, during what sounded like a possible verbal dispute, around 5:30 AM that morning. A CHP Air Unit out of Redding was called to assist and a helicopter responded to assist with the search of the area.

By noon Officers called off the search after being contacted by an individual who stated there was no one shot at the location, no one was injured, and the suspects had fled. The individual stated he did not know the identity of the suspects in this case. The case was turned over to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Investigations Unit.

Anyone with information related to this case is requested to contact the Tip Line at 707-234-2100. The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office would like to thank Cal Fire, California Highway Patrol, Laytonville Fire and Ambulance, and Veri Health Ambulance for their assistance on this call.

BRUCE McEWEN RESPONDS to the DA’s Correction:

Apology.

The DA writes a calm and lucid note of critique for my blurb on the Hanes sentencing, making me look too foolish to understand sixth grade arithmetic, and plain English.

What he doesn’t mention is that he doesn’t talk like that in court; no lawyer does; they use broken sentences — interrupted by either opposing counsel or the judge for clarification*– interspersed with disjointed references to other questions, digressions, explanations for unrelated ideas and code references to lawyerly lingo.

Keep in mind this is going on in a room full of people who have other interests and are whispering back and forth to each other, people coming and going,a ruckus in the hallway,among other distractions; and that they, the lawyers, are sequestered above all the hoi polloi, away in their intimate little corral, facing each other, able to hear, question, and correct one another.

*Those of us in the gallery are not allowed to ask the lawyers or judges to repeat or clarify themselves. Certainly, we are allowed to approach these exalted persons later and ask questions — if, that is, in the mad scribble to get down what happens next, we have time to make a note of it and can catch up with these busy and self-important figures as they hurry off to their locked sanctuaries.

But in this case I felt no need to ask because the DA had said something like, “Judge, why not just give her a three-year sentence and split it with mandatory supervision” — then he launched into an explanation of how the supervision would be under the same terms as the probation had been… the bailiff came by to quell a disturbance in the hall (they were holding court with the door propped open due to the hot weather and the air-conditioner being on the fritz) and at this time the DA must have clarified his idea for the split, and I missed it.

I make a lot of mistakes, and if lawyers were as eloquent and succinct in their courtroom delivery as they are in writing in to censure me, I would make a lot more because it would be impossible to keep up. The beauty and joy of my job is lawyers are so inarticulate and confused in their speech that they have to say it all a dozen different ways and many times over to make the judge understand — And they often compliment me on making them look so glib and polished in print.

And here I should point out that I am not a transcriptionist, I do not get the testimony exactly right and have never been so foolish as to try. But I always — and when I say always, I mean in this case too — get the basics right. What’s going on here, with this note from the DA saying I got it “wrong” is that I marred the DA’s ego by suggesting he was being lenient towards Ms. Hanes and his new girlfriend probably became jealously suspicious.

Basically, I got it right the first time, because a two-year sentence is not a two-year sentence and a three-year sentence is not a three-year sentence no matter how you split it. A two-year sentence is only a one year sentence, so if Bronwen Hanes took the DA’s offer she’d be out in less than a year, since even by his own admission, he wanted only the two-year sentence which is really only a one-year sentence.

I expect these kinds of cavils from the general public — people who are not often exposed to all the ludicrous intricacies of the justice system — but to have one of the perpetrators jump me on it seems a bit much.

SETH: The smartest dog at the shelter. Don't you want a part pittie so you can make play dates? Great dog.

POP UP October 8 & 9

POP UP: body of water inspired by tributaries, aquifers, ponds, fog and rain

FYI pop up is a small show only up for a short period of time.

PLEASE POP IN: Saturday and Sunday, October 8, 9 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Rebecca Johnson's studio, 1200 Highway 128, Navarro, CA, mile marker 15.08

Rebecca Johnson
rebecca@rebeccajohnsonart.com
www.rebeccajohnsonart.com

MACHINE GRAPE HARVESTING was observed from our offices late Wednesday night in the high hills north of Highway 128 above Boonville. The telltale harvester and tractor headlights lit up almost a quarter of the hill as workers operated the equipment on the steep slopes in the cool night air.

* * *

HEAT SPIKE KICKS NORTH COAST GRAPE HARVEST INTO HIGH GEAR

by Bill Swindell

The recent heat spike has kicked the North Coast grape harvest into overdrive, as growers near the finish line of the season with a crop that is again earlier than usual and yields expected to be near the historical average.

“Over the last week, the heat has definitely pushed the ripening and really condensed our harvest timeline,” said Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County Winegrowers, the trade group that represents most local grape growers.

About 80 percent of the grapes in the county have been picked, Kruse estimated on Wednesday. Fruit typically picked later in the season, such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot in the Alexander Valley, could be done by the end of next week.

Harvest should be completed in the county by mid-October, two weeks earlier than usual for a season that traditionally wraps up around Halloween, she said. From start to finish, most local growers took an average of six weeks to bring in their crop, she said.

“For most folks, this was a very quick harvest,” Kruse said.

The weather so far has been beneficial for the North Coast’s grape crop, which was valued at $1.1 billion last year in the premium wine region of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties. The vineyards avoided frost during the growing season and spring rainfall provided sufficient water into the summer, where temperatures have been within the historical range.

“It’s been a nice, relatively even season without extremes,” said David Ramey, owner and winemaker of Ramey Wine Cellars in Healdsburg.

The past two weekends with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees — which spiked the sugar levels in the fruit — has forced winemakers to speed up their pick dates and winery staff to scramble for additional tank space.

“We are picking cabernet at higher (sugars) than we want to and the wineries want to,” said Bret Munselle, a fifth-generation grower with Munselle Vineyards, which owns 300 acres in the Alexander Valley and farms another 300 acres for clients.

The heat was not prolonged, so the crop avoided sun damage. “There’s not a lot of sunburn or raisined (grapes),” Ramey said.

Like others, Munselle is doing more machine harvests, especially on the valley floor where tractors can operate more easily.

Early Wednesday, Munselle had a crew for a machine pick at Stone Ranch in the Alexander Valley for cabernet sauvignon.

The machine harvesters with their bright lights can be seen around the North Coast during harvest time, an eerie view akin to a UFO landing on a movie set. They head down each vineyard row vigorously shaking the vines to remove the berries from the clusters. The crews typically start around midnight when the nighttime fruit is chilled, which winemakers prefer for crushing.

Machine picks are becoming more common in the North Coast, especially because of a labor shortage in the local industry and new laws that will bump the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 and implement new overtime rules for agriculture.

Still, work crews are needed for areas such as hillsides, Munselle said, and the heat has forced vineyard managers to end shifts earlier than usual to protect workers.

He recently had a pick with a crew at Pine Mountain near the Mendocino County border. The temperature that day was 75 degrees at 7 a.m. “We have been able to do less,” he said. “Instead of stopping at lunch, we stop at 10 a.m. because of the heat.”

While the high temperatures have subsided, growers now are worrying about a chance of showers Sunday afternoon, especially as rain during harvest can trigger spoilage or mildew.

“You’re seeing a big push to get things in with the possibility of rain on Sunday, especially with the white grapes,” Kruse said.

This year’s North Coast harvest will be larger than last year’s 402,489 tons, according to analysts. Glenn Proctor, a partner at Ciatti Co., a wine brokerage firm located in San Rafael, is predicting a North Coast crop of around 500,000 tons. That would put it ahead of the 10-year average of 463,000 tons, but below the record crops of 2012, 2013 and 2014.

“Things look relatively up,” Proctor said. “There is still good activity for in-demand varieties even with the crop bigger than initially expected.”

Those popular varieties, Proctor said, include cabernet sauvignon from Napa and Sonoma counties and chardonnay and pinot noir from the Russian River Valley.

“All (of those) still have solid demand and growers have not had issues continuing to sell these varieties even now on the market at prices that are at, or near, what they could sell them for earlier in the year,” he added.

The quality of the fruit appears to be good this year, with some crediting milder temperatures at the end of August that allowed the grapes more time to ripen and develop a greater flavor. “It’s been a great season so far — the grapes are in great condition and are showcasing spectacular flavors,” Kendall-Jackson winemaster Randy Ullom said in an email.

Munselle agreed and said the vines are in better condition this year and that the grapes have a good texture with no softness. “The quality of the grape looks great,” he said.

(The Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

THE AV THEATER GUILD PRESENTS:

"A Celebration of Radio Theater, 5 One Act Comedies"

October 7th and 8th at the AV Solar Grange

7 pm show — Doors open at 6:30 pm

Tickets at the door $5 - $10

A benefit for the AV Theater Guild and the AV Solar Grange

3 BOATS FOR SALE. Closed deck whitewater kayaks and surf kayak; adult & youth; paddles for both; all in great shape. 707-485-2449. Gary, PO Box 1702, Gualala, CA 95445.

CATCH OF THE DAY, September 29, 2016

AARON ALARCON, Covelo. Under influence, controlled substance, paraphernalia.

CORY BRANDELL, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

SCOTT FABER, Ukiah. Community supervision violation.

ALEX FLORES, Lakeport/Ukiah. Probation revocation.

TRACI HERNANDEZ, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

MASON MCGEE, Ukiah. Drunk in public.

ANTHONY PINOLA, Ukiah. Child endangerment, conspiracy.

LAURA PITTENGER, Ukiah. No license.

ALLI QUICK, Santa Cruz/Ukiah. Failure to appear.

DARTANYAN ROBINSON, San Francisco/Redwood Valley. Controlled substance, vehicle driver with concealed weapon.

BRENDEN SALAICES, Stockton/Ukiah. Marshall’s warrant.

RUBY SHEPHERD, Willits. Child endangerment, conspiracy.

ANTHONY TOLBERT, Garberville/Ukiah. Parole violation.

WEED & THE DOW-JONES

http://moneymorning.com/acq/weed/one-event-is-about-to-trigger-americas-new-gold-rush

COASTAL PROGRAM OFFICER

The Community Foundation of Mendocino County is seeking a part-time (20-24 hours/week) Coastal Program Officer. The successful candidate will serve as an interface with donors, volunteers, and non-profits to implement, monitor and update the Foundation's Grant, Scholarship and Technical Assistance programs in Anderson Valley, South Coast and North Coast regions of Mendocino County.

See complete Job Description Here

Resume and cover letter emailed to Megan Barber Allende,megan@communityfound.org, by Monday, October 24 at 5:00 pm.

Questions: email or call Megan Barber Allende, incoming CEO

THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL DEBASED

Editor,

Two assholes talking shit is a debate! Then I guess this is a Demockery! The highest office in the land made into a stinking travesty!

“America America where have we gone, it’s such a long walk home… Giant guns raised”… Neil Young.

Where can a nation go when its very soul is controlled by the soulless and the resulting mass of clueless? What could any honest person expect but more profitable explosive mayhem?

The junior high school playground, “I’ll show my tax returns if you show your emails!” Very low theater indeed! Go and fuck in private you ugly rich retrogrades!

Tell me. Would not the world have been a better place if some awake person had put a little missile in Herr Hitler’s sick vegetarian brain in early ’39? This current folly is Hitler’s wet dream. But lord have mercy on any poor fool who actually sees what the bloody fuck is going on! As this fine publication is want to do.

In case you all haven’t noticed. We are way far into the post political phase of this bloated empyre. All you have to do is behave like a blood hound and follow the filthy money, it all falls into place if you can dare to turn off your flat screed and your pad long enough to face the inconvenient truth!

People scratch their heads and wonder about the simplistic equation of lesser than two evils. Hey, maybe it’ll be the next Harry Potter blockbuster! Why not! This shit is so gross and obvious that all the tens of millions who are not used to the raw smell of reality and sympathy, simply turn their personhood over to some shit-brained Tesla yuppy asshole Disney version of who they are in the scheme of things… and then guess what? The repo man comes to remove your giant idiot donk and Escalade.

“When the lies get so big and the pockets so bare, they got lies so big that they don’t make a noise.” — Frank Zappa

When repetition and inane inundation take the place of intelligence, then we can all kiss our silly asses way good bye as the corporate glitter makes our toxic baths seem like a spa day in Baden Baden. Good luck Chuck!

"Don’t need to be coy Roy, just set yourself free” — Paul Simon

Who could see this current chapter of humanity and not require some spirits and medicine of herbology? I honestly wish all of you the best of good fortune.

Marvin Blake

Elk

CUT LOOSE, HILLARY

Editor,

I am a big Hillary Clinton supporter but honestly I don’t think she did well in the debate. The entire debate she sounded like she was reading from a script. Clinton needs to step outside of her comfort zone and attack Trump.

Let go of the script and speak from her heart. I know she can do it. I’ve seen her do it and it is very appealing. Trump, although he is unfit to be president, has great passion which is appealing and draws support. He speaks to the common man and he addresses their concerns.

He speaks in a language that they understand. About 42 percent of the electorate are independents and I hope that they are smart enough to see past the superficial and vote for the most qualified candidate.

Gloria Judd, San Francisco

DEMONIZING THE GREEN PARTY VOTE

by Fran Shor

Third parties, especially during presidential election years, are subjected to a variety of criticisms from supporters of the candidates of the duopoly and their corporate media enablers. The level of virulent denunciation in 2016 of the Green Party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, by Democrats and partisans of Hillary Clinton may be a reflection of how paranoid they have become over the thought that a misogynistic and xenophobic white nationalist like Donald Trump might actually win the election. Although that is highly doubtful, especially given the demographics, the Greens have become, nonetheless, a target to be browbeaten and censured.

At the core of much of these criticisms is a profound misunderstanding of what a vote for a third party like the Green Party means. To denigrate that vote as merely a “protest” neglects the fact that people have strong political perspectives and deep values for which voting is only one manifestation of those perspectives and values. In addition, the presumption by HRC supporters that Green Party proponents are engaging in “white privilege” or self-indulgent moralism overlooks the criticisms of HRC by Black Lives Matter and other groups promoting racial justice, the level of diversity within the Green Party, and the degree to which many Greens also operate out of a strategic and tactical sense for their voting.

Thus, the blanket condemnation of anyone voting for the Green Party’s ticket of Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, even in states that Clinton will dominate, such as California, Oregon, Massachusetts, etc., is a reflection of the inability to acknowledge the adoption by individual or organized Greens of a “safe-state” strategy. One also sees among some of the hysterical attacks on the Green Party a level of fear mongering that infects much of the Democratic Party electoral strategy. While there is certainly much to dread about Trump, Pence, and the right-wing politics of the Republican Party, that in no way negates the neo-liberalism and warmongering that is openly advocated by Clinton, Kaine, and the Democratic establishment.

One can also find evidence of deliberate distortion and misrepresentation of the positions of Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka. For example, the baseless allegation that Stein does not support vaccinations continues to rear its ugly head even after myriad statements by Stein of her endorsement as physician of vaccinations. Ajamu Baraka’s perspectives on Barak Obama have been taken out of context and used to diminish his important voice as a human rights activist within and outside the African American community.

Another major problem confronting third parties like the Greens is that the electoral system is rigged to favor the duopoly. Only in certain cities can one find ranked-choice voting or Instant Runoff Voting. It is on the ballot in Maine for the November election and looks like it might pass, becoming in the process a template for electoral reform around the country. Beyond this change in voting, there are so many other reforms needed that are not on the duopoly’s agenda that working for an alternative voice and movement like the Green Party is essential if there is ever going to be substantive change in the political life of this country.

(Fran Shor is a Michigan-based retired teacher, author, and political activist.)

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

The real issue in America isn’t race. It’s class. The Elites are delighted to have the racial straw man to distract everyone, and it works on far too many of us.

Now, race and class do correlate in America. By percentage, black people are poorer. If you take a map of an area showing household income and another showing race, they tend to overlap.

It’s worth noting that the Black Panthers (the real ones) were somewhat tolerated until they started objecting to the Vietnam War and making common cause with lower-class white people who were getting exterminated. That’s when the Black Panthers were exterminated, not before.

The primary function of the police is to keep the underclass down, to the benefit and protection of the Elites. That there is a terrible unaddressed and sometimes denied racial problem in America provides excellent cover for the class warfare that threatens to burst into flame.

KENT STATE NOMINATED FOR NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK - MOVING QUICKLY

Dear Friends of Kent State Truth,

We have recently learned that the National Park Service is reviewing an application to designate Kent State as a National Historic Landmark. The process occurs under the auspices of the US Department of Interior with the final hearing scheduled for October 19, 2016 in Washington, D.C. We are currently in the middle of a 60-day public comment period and are formalizing our Kent State Truth Tribunal comments for submission as one of the recognized stakeholders.

Authorities from Kent State University have crafted a 144-page landmark nomination report and application to the DOI. The applicants have encouraged no other groups to participate nor allowed other Kent State views to be incorporated yet their nominating report offers an intimate, deeply flawed and confounding view into the US government’s story on Kent State in 2016. READ the report http://bit.ly/2cIV1lO or https://www.nps.gov/nhl/news/LC/fall2016/KentStateShootingsSite.pdf

Most concerning is the nominating report purposefully censors the 2010 forensic expertise offered by evidence scientist Stuart Allen and new developments such as our forming the Kent State Truth Tribunal and our efforts in taking Kent State before the UN Human Rights Committee, demanding Allen’s forensics be acknowledged in 2014. The report even forgets to recount the significance of Neil Young’s anthem for the Kent State massacre in his song, Ohio.

Kent State Truth Tribunal efforts are currently focused on responding to the Kent State landmark nominating report.

According to the nominating rules, those nominating for landmark must include impartial, necessary investigation, research towards obtaining “true and accurate historical” information in the nominating report:

Title 36: Parks, Forest & Public Property

Part 65 – National Historic Landmarks Program

65.1 Purpose & Authority

(b)(2) “To make necessary investigations and researches in the United States relating to particular sites, buildings or objects to obtain true and accurate historical and archeological acts and information related the same.”

If you wish to comment and want your comment to be read by the nominating committee and included in the formal nomination package, please write your comment letter, attach it in an email, and email your comment before October 14th to:

Ms. Patty Henry
National Park Service/Landmark Nominations
Email: patty_henry@nps.gov
Phone: (202) 354-2216

Peace,

Laurel Krause
707-357-2855

APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED for anticipated vacancies on the Behavioral Health Advisory Board:

• 3rd District Consumer Family Representative
• 5th District Consumer Family Representative

— Mendocino County Executive Office

DEAR DEPLORABLES

To The Editor:

For those who think Mr. Trump is their guy, the right man to lead the nation:

The following excerpts are from a New York Times book review of a new history, “Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939,” by Volker Ullrich. (Reviewed by Michiko Kakutani, 9/28/16). The reviewer notes that Ullrich attributes Hitler's rise to power to a number of factors, summarized in part by the reviewer as follows:

“Hitler was often described as an egomaniac who 'only loved himself'--a narcissist with a taste for self-dramatization and what Mr. Ullrich calls a 'characteristic fondness for superlatives.' His manic speeches and penchant for taking all-or-nothings risks raised questions about his capacity for self-control, even his sanity. But Mr. Ullrich underscores Hitler's shrewdness as a politician—with a 'keen eye for the strengths and weaknesses of other people' and an ability to 'instantaneously analyze and exploit situations.' ”

“Hitler was known, among colleagues, for a 'bottomless mendacity' that would later be magnified by a slick propaganda machine that used the latest technology...to spread his message. A former finance minister wrote that Hitler 'was so thoroughly untruthful that he could no longer recognize the difference between lies and truth.' and editors of one edition of “Mein Kampf” described it as a 'swamp of lies, distortions, innuendoes, half-truths and real facts.' ”

“Hitler was an effective orator and actor...adept at at assuming various masks and feeding off the energy of his audiences. Although he concealed his anti-Semitism beneath a 'mask of moderation' when trying to win the support of the socially liberal middle classes, he specialized in big, theatrical rallies staged with spectacular elements borrowed from the circus. Here, Hitler 'adapted the content of his speeches to suit the tastes of his lower-middle-class, nationalist-conservative, ethnic-chauvinist and anti-Semitic listeners,' Mr. Ullrich writes. He peppered his speeches with coarse phrases and put-downs of hecklers. Even as he fomented chaos by playing to crowds' fears and resentments, he offered himself as the visionary leader who could restore law and order.”

“Hitler increasingly presented himself in messianic terms, promising 'to lead Germany to a new era of national greatness,' though he was typically vague about his actual plans. He often harked back to a golden age for the country, Mr. Ullrich says, the better 'to paint the present day in hues that were all the darker. Everywhere you looked now, there was only decline and decay.' ”

“Hitler's repertoire of topics, Mr. Ullrich notes, was limited, and reading his speeches in retrospect, 'it seems amazing that he attracted larger and larger audiences' with 'repeated mantralike phrases' consisting largely of 'accusations, vows of revenge and promises for the future.' “

These circumstances are stunning in their clear relation to Mr. Trump's character, manner, and actions in the current campaign. I offer them here because relatively few of us were alive as adults during this period of history. It is history and context that should not be forgotten today.

Chuck Dunbar, Fort Bragg