Mendocino County Today: Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017

• Keegan Arraigned
• Crazy Behavior
• Replace Croskey
• Coast Shelter
• Little Dog
• Emergency Response
• Replace Scalmanini
• Economic Driver
• Costco Ransom
• Farm Produce
• Yesterday's Catch
• Tipi Pressure
• Alcatraz
• Monstrous Plan
• Marco Radio
• Walmart Evil
• War Bride
• November Election

PETER KEEGAN ARRAIGNED ON SECOND DEGREE MURDER CHARGES

Plea postponed for ten weeks.

The arraignment for Dr. Peter Richard Keegan went very swiftly this morning, at 9:00 am, all parties having arrived early, except the defendant, who came in last wearing a gray suit and leaning on a walking stick, in the company of three younger men — two of whom were the defendant’s two grown sons, Simon and Luke Keegan — and a small boy. Judge Ann Moorman came out and called Dr. Keegan's case first. (Doctors have kept us all, each and every one, waiting often interminably, but we would never dare presume to impose upon their precious time!) Judge Moorman noted that the Grand Jury had returned an indictment for one count of murder and prosecutor Timothy Stoen submitted a copy of the indictment, charging the defendant with second degree murder, Section 187 of the Penal Code — the judge had copies made telling Stoen he should have made three endorsed copies and while he apologized Moorman noted that Judge Behnke had set bail on Wednesday at $300,000 — the bail schedule is $500,000 for murder, incidentally, but no explanation was offered for the reduction. Keegan's lawyer, Chris Andrian of Sonoma County, told the judge he had a cashier's check for the full amount in his hands, and would like to hand it over to the court clerk. Moorman told him to take it to the office and get a receipt for it against the day it would be returned. She then gave Mr. Andrian a copy of the indictment, which he formally acknowledged, and asked that the matter be put over for 60 days for entry of plea. The date of Friday, October 20th at 9:00 AM was decided on. Mr. Stoen gave Mr. Andrian a flash-drive containing the discovery and Judge Moorman noted that the witness list had been sealed. Andrian asked that it be unsealed for the attorneys only and this was agreed to. Dr. Keegan was ordered to return on October 20th — ten weeks hence — for entry of a plea. (Bruce McEwen)

* * *

IMPRESSIONS

EVEN BY THE SLO-MO standards of local media, MSP and the AVA excepted, it took the rest of the gang a full day to circulate news of the arrest of Dr. Keegan for the murder of his wife, Susan. Even though the AVA did the heavy lifting on the story, I find Keegan's indictment more sad than gratifying. I knew Susan Keegan. The instant I heard the circumstances of her death I said to myself, "No way. Impossible." She was an active person who got up every day and did things. For her husband to claim she was a pill-popping drunk was simply untrue and, even for an estranged spouse, un-gallant; persons on the pill and booze merry-go-round don't taking leading roles in little theater productions and meet friends every day for coffees and lunches.

SUSAN was moving on. The last day of her life she'd met a close friend in Santa Rosa to look at apartments. Her killer claims she arrived home at 10pm, downed pills not to be mixed with alcohol, and got falling down drunk on top of the drugs. Of course him being an MD with access to the full pharmacopeia, I'd say it wasn't difficult for the doctor to stage his estranged wife's bed stand with what he must have hoped would be an incriminating post-mortem display.

TO PREVENT LEAKS — official Mendo suffers a positively Trumpian prob with release of info they'd prefer remained secret — the criminal grand jury that heard the evidence against Keegan met in the mostly deserted Willits Courthouse. And when was the last time a criminal grand jury was called in this county? I can't remember a single one. (The Willits Courthouse, the ugliest structure in the County, was closed when it was determined it was not up to earthquake standards. Fortunately for the Keegan case the Big One didn't strike while this grand jury was in session.)

DA EYSTER DESERVES high marks for staying with the Keegan case. He and his investigators spent a huge amount of time on it, wouldn't let it go, even to the point of subpoenaing the Keegan files of long-time Ukiah attorney Norman Rosen. In the context of years of overly collegial relations among County attorneys and judges, the success of the Rosen subpoena was a surprise. An even greater surprise came from Judge Richard Henderson who ruled that Rosen's claim of attorney-client privilege was false; Rosen was merely the couple's marriage counselor, not their attorney. Rosen, as Susan Keegan had informed friends and family, had watched Peter Keegan lose his temper when he learned that his wife of 30 years would get half the couple's property in their subsequent parting, a fact of California law the doctor was apparently unaware of.

THE KEEGAN CASE, however it turns out, and it may not run its course given the medical conditions and ages of Keegan and prosecutor Stoen, it's reassuring that Mendocino County at last has a DA who doesn’t give up on murder.

A FORT BRAGG READER WONDERS:

"Two items puzzling me and others around here”

1. Why so many suicides lately, in and around Fort Bragg? One a transient, maybe three others local people.
2. Do the bums have a new drug? Everybody is talking about the crazy behavior erupting around town. One day last week the scanner never stopped."

NOT TO SPEAK evil of the dead, but we have it on good authority that a recent murder victim, connected to a Bay Area gang specializing in drug distribution, had been selling heavy drugs in Fort Bragg and up and down the Mendocino Coast.

BRING BACK PINCHES

Dear Editor,

I am very disappointed in Georgeanne Crosky's recent announcement [that she will not seek re-election when her term runs out]. First, she was appointed to serve out Tom Woodhouse's term without any say by the people she is supposed to be representing. Second, she came to this appointment with no obvious knowledge of county issues, nor of the constituents she claims to "serve." Her standard response when faced with issues and information is a cheery "I'll have to learn more about that."

This is a job with a large learning curve and we deserve experienced representation.

The Willits Weekly reported on Aug. 3 that Croskey's husband accepted a new job. Croskey says, "my husband and children need me to be a wife and mother first," yet the same press release reports that, "Supervisor Croskey will complete her term as Third District Supervisor on Dec. 31, 2018. Then the family will be reunited." Though she promises to dedicate her time to serving the constituents and addressing the issues facing the county, I believe she can best serve our county by resigning now so someone with experience and knowledge can fill out the term.

Further, as a representative of the people, she should be accountable to the people. Unfortunately, the announcement that she will be leaving office and not seeking re-election effectively pre-empts all accountability for any controversial decisions she may have to make.

I see a conflict looming already. In the same issue of the paper announcing her intention to leave the county, I read a front page article about Croskey's appointment to the Mendocino Fire Safe Council and how she is taking up the challenge of working on an evacuation plan with her family. I think we have a right to expect our representative to plan for the entire county.

Perhaps she is not aware of the full scope of the fire danger facing us. Mendocino Redwood Company, a prominent member of the Fire Safe Council, has been poisoning thousands of acres of oaks, leaving large swaths of dead trees. Aside from increasing the future financial burden to taxpayers, our fire fighters are expected to risk their lives against the extreme danger of tens of thousands of highly flammable standing dead trees.

Last year, after a hard-fought campaign against big money, 63% of the voters passed an ordinance declaring dead standing trees a public nuisance, thus putting financial responsibility on the timber companies that continue to pursue these dangerous practices.

Apparently MRC is not listening. More likely, they consider the financial risk worth it. They are the last company to continue to use herbicides to deliberately poison trees. They immediately challenged the constitutionality of our ordinance at the state level, as it interferes with their business model. And while they await a decision, which may never be forthcoming, they continue the wholesale poisoning of otherwise healthy forestlands. Meanwhile they continue a well-funded PR campaign to neutralize any attention on their responsibility for forest safety. That way the risk continues to fall on firefighters, taxpayers, home-owners and all the rest of us.

I look at our summer heat wave. I shudder at the recent lightning strikes. I think about the thousands of acres burned this year, last year, and the year before, and I am worried. How can we be so reckless as to add fuel to an already critical fire situation?

What will happen when our Board of Supervisors is asked to deal with the ongoing issue of fire danger created by MRC? How do you think Supervisor Croskey will respond to these issues?

I would ask Croskey to resign now, so someone with more experience can step in. We had several very good candidates apply for the position, including Holly Madrigal and John Pinches. They both have proven experience in public service, the trust of their constituents and a deep knowledge of complex county issues. I personally favor Holly. However she has moved on to another excellent position serving our community. I say we pull Pinches out of retirement to fill the rest of the term. I may not agree with him on a lot of issues, but I sure respect that he is easy to talk to, he represents our concerns well and he is not afraid to speak his mind under pressure.

Thank you,

Robin Leler

Willits

ABOUT TIME

County is seeking staff for coast animal shelter

In case you missed the notice in Thursday's Advocate, Mendocino County has posted two job openings in Fort Bragg: An Animal Shelter Supervisor and an Animal Facility Attendant. This is great news for coast residents who have long lobbied for the reopening of a coast shelter. These will not be easy jobs, but the right candidates will make a significant difference in the lives of coast residents and their pets. Applications should be made online, and the deadline for submittal is Tuesday, August 22. For more information, click on the following links:

1. Animal Shelter Supervisor
2. Animal Facility Attendant

Or check the JOBS icon on the county's website at mendocinocounty.org

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “Skrag the cat is a major ingrate. He had the nerve to invite his two pit bull buddies from next door to eat cat food with him! I asked what the hey, and he says, ‘Me and the pits go way back. I used to live over there. Besides, these guys have bags of the stuff’."

EMERGENCY RESPONSE NEEDS TO BE RE-THOUGHT

Dear Supervisor McCowen,

Below, please find a link to a copy of the Fitch Report published in 2011, that, at the time, summarized the state of the EMS capability in Mendocino County. It clarifies what the County's responsibilities are, under state law, in delivering this public safety service. It also delineates what role and responsibilities the individual Fire Districts have in relation to this same effort. It may (or may not) surprise you as to the level of responsibility the County has in providing this service. This is even more timely now, given the current Ambulance EOA and Dispatch RFP that is making its way forward. There seems to be an impression by some that hiring CVEMS to manage the County EMS and the fourth coming EOA, that this qualifies as providing a functioning EMS, yet, there are major components related to what goes into responding when a citizen calls 911 in a medical emergency, that are missing from this understanding. Ambulance crews are not generally first on-scene and do not provide immediate medical aid, particularly in acute medical distress or physical trauma. Ambulance crews are generally not trained or equipped to deal with these types of calls for service. There is no physical rescue capability contained with a typical ambulance crew. Concurrently, Fire Districts are not required to provide any EMS capability or response and can opt out of EMS calls for service, entirely.

In the coming weeks, we hope to engage with the County to discuss the above issues in more detail. A more comprehensive letter that discusses the above topics will be issued, shortly.

https://www.coastalvalleysems.org/resources/pdf/fitchreport_20110214.pdf

Thank you for your continued support,

David Roderick, Hopland Fire Protection District

A READER PASSES ALONG a consensus Ukiah opinion re obstructionist city councilman Scalminini who is now demanding that the just approved CostCo install solar power. Scalminini, appointed to the Council when no one else applied, belongs to a small gaggle of eco-egotists who sued to prevent CostCo from coming to Ukiah:

Scalmanini is up for reelection November of 2020. I'm running for his spot. If you want Costco, vote for me. There's no reason why we should let these few individuals dictate what's good for them. He's there to represent the people of his community. It's clear that's not the case. Do what's right. Get rid of these people and put someone in who genuinely wants to improve the quality of our city.

WHEN SHERIFF ALLMAN pointed out to the Supervisors last week that marijuana wasn't the only public discussion we Mendo people should be having, he was expressing an opinion widely shared by most of us unaffiliated with the business. Few of us are unaffected by it, however, one way or the other, as Google Earth confirms. Right here in Central Boonville more parcels than not have a pot patch out back while large-scales grows, indoor and out proliferate in the hills.

SO WE WERE SURPRISED when County CEO Carmel Angelo introduced yet another Supe's discussion of the County's fluid marijuana regulations by describing pot as the County's "economic driver." We played it back to make sure we heard right. Yes, she said "the economic driver." But it isn't. It's only one of many economic drivers, and it may not be as prominent as it has been as supply outstrips demand, and the County's unreasonably complicated rules, cause growers to give up. We know several long-time growers who say at the present $500 a pound for last year's dope, a lament we hear in all areas of the county, mom and pop growers are more driven to find a back-up income than they are contributing to Mendocino County's alleged "economic driver."

OUT OF THE WAY, SCALMANINI

AVA:

Costco Ransom—

I believe that Scalmanini is attempting to hold the Costco project up for ransom. It is too late to raise yet another issue. If solar is so important, why was it not raised earlier? This latest delaying tactic reflects both arrogance in ignoring the needs of the rest of us in the County and bad faith negotiating with Costco. This is a classic example of why government is held in such low regard. No one else would treat their fellow citizens with such contempt nor would they employ such under handed negotiating tactics. Well as seen earlier, I guess some lawyers would act this way. But they represent the interests of their clients. Government is supposed to represent the community in total, not an official’s personal point of view.

And if Costco cancels the project, then what? Let the project proceed but work with Costco to encourage them it voluntarily install solar. In the long run, a good working relationship with Costco is better for the County/City than a sour one! The City can not blame the lawyers for this one.

Neil Darling

Boonville

THIS WEEK AT BLUE MEADOW FARM

Colorama...

Heirloom, Early Girl & Cherry Tomatoes

Corno di Toro, Gypsy, Bell, Pimento Sweet Peppers

Padrons, Jalapenos, Anaheim, Poblano, Criola Sella Chilis

Italian & Asian Eggplant, Zucchini & Patty Pan Squash

Walla Walla Onions, Garlic, Cucumbers, Basil, Parsley

Strawberries and Butter Lettuce in August!

Sunflowers & Zinnias

Blue Meadow Farm, 3301 Holmes Ranch Rd, Philo 707-895-2071

CATCH OF THE DAY, August 11, 2017

SHANNON ARNOLD, Goleta/Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

KEVIN BROWN, Ukiah. Domestic battery, false imprisonment.

JASON CASS, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

BILLY EATON, Ukiah. Recklessly causing fire to structure or forest land, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

EDWARD HOLTZ III, Willits. Probation revocation.

PETER KEEGAN, Ukiah. Murder.

DEBORAH LAWRENCE, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

JOSE MARTINEZ, Calpella. Controlled substance, under influence, paraphernalia.

SARAH MESA, Santa Rosa/Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, controlled substance, paraphernalia.

DARRIN PHILLIPS, Ukiah. Suspended license.

DELILAH SMITH, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

JOSEPH THOMPSON, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

GUT CHECK AT THE WANNABE CHURCH

by Paul Modic

One dirt road branched into another deeper into the mountains, at the end of the last road stood the hand-made house on the side of the hill. In the middle of the grassy meadow below SunMan was standing next to a large tipi, he welcomed and directed me up to the house for some bread and soup which I carried out to the back deck where the “first-timers” were being informally oriented by Jan about what would be happening that night.

Within a few minutes most people had drifted down to the tipi to celebrate the union of the host couple and the impending birth of their child, they had come to church to pray and sing for the happiness of Julian and Jan through the traditions and ritual of the American Indians. In the tipi the fireman was painting a line down the middle of a crescent hearth he had built around the fire, an array of blankets in the circle staked out the spaces for people to sit. SunMan showed me to his guest blanket sending his child to the sleeping section behind the sitters, some of us sat down inside as others mingled outside by the huge pile of firewood that would be burned in the next fifteen hours. The Road Man leading this unique gathering called us all outside.

“Start over?” someone said.

“Should we bring our blankets out?” someone else asked.

The Road Man, called Rutherford, addressed us as we stood in line with our precious pillows:

“When an Indian does something we do it all night and all day again if necessary. We do not reach something fast. When we do the smoke inside that is the commitment to stay all night. This is not a social gathering—we are here to learn.” We filed back inside and put our blankets and pillows down in a sort of musical chairs quickly filling the circle around the fire, only five didn't have a seat and the Road Man said, “Let's try to fit them in.” People scrunched against their neighbor another inch but there was just no more space—the last few went outside to sit in the dusk light.

Flat sheets of corn husks were passed around the circle as the Road Man explained about the smoke that followed and was rolled up by the young and old. After the tobacco had gone around a jar of those little deer footprints, peyote, followed. I poured a healthy spoonful onto my hand and chewed on the bitter cactus as taste buds exploded in my mouth. The tea soon followed which I drank staring intensely into the fire. The beaded staff was passed around the circle, each blessing themselves with it and singing the songs if they knew them.

When it was almost to me SunMan said, “Take the staff.”

“But I've still got this,” I said showing him the medicine in my hand that I had been very slowly ingesting.

“Eat it,” he said and I said I couldn't. I handed it to him and he popped it into his mouth. I took the staff, blessed myself, handed it over to SunMan then rose to change seats with a drummer who SunMan wanted to accompany his spirited singing. I walked around the fire clockwise then learned that when the medicine is going around you go the other way. Pedro sung with great feeling and others joined in. I was new, I was there, I had already done the smoke and my ass was getting sore.

Within minutes of entering the tipi and finding my folded rug seat I was squirming around trying to get comfortable. Hours later I was sitting on my hands or propping myself up with my arms like a tripod. After about four hours I was beginning to have serious doubts that I would be able to make it through the night, traditional rules notwithstanding. When a song ended someone would say, “Road Man can I go out?” Then another would say, “Could I go too?” Then another and another went outside. I went out thinking I wouldn't come back in with the others when the next song ended. Under the stars we walked and stretched, answering nature's call as the drumming started up again in the tipi. I hesitated, having not completed rationalizing my escape and was drawn back inside.

I immediately regretted it as I found my uncomfortable seat on the blanket in the crowded tipi. I realized what was keeping me there, more than breaking someone else's rules, was peer group pressure. I looked around the circle and counted the faces I knew, wouldn't they think I was a schmuck if I left? I thought of SunMan, who had invited me, and how my departure could be seen as an insult to him, the honored couple, and the Road Man.

A woman beamed her peyote-glazed smile at me and I wished I could stay all night. Finally I didn't care what anyone thought, after seven hours around the fire I had to get out of there, go home, go to sleep.

I said to SunMan, “I don't think I'm going to make it.”

“Then you came to the wrong place. Here, have some more tea,” he said.

“No, I don't want any more peyote.”

I went out with some others after a song and walked up the trail to my low-rider. I hesitated, then turned the key—it cranked loudly but didn't start. Shit. I tried again this time internally combusting 227 cubic inches of industrial roar into the cool night air. I glided out of there thinking, “I'm a bad boy, I'm the bad boy again. What sacrilege.” I didn't have the character to stay but I did have the guts to leave.

ON THIS DAY IN 1934, THE FIRST FEDERAL PRISONERS ARRIVED ON ALCATRAZ ISLAND

by Katie Dowd

Eighty-three years ago today, Alcatraz went from a rock to The Rock.

On Aug. 11, 1934, the first boat loads of federal inmates arrived at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, entering American lore in the process.

Alcatraz had been a military prison since the turn of the century, but it wasn't until 1933 that it was purchased by the Department of Justice to serve as a maximum security facility for America's worst criminals. It was, officials and newspapers declared, utterly escape-proof.

Most of the first inmates were transferred from Leavenworth in Kansas. They were bank robbers, murderers and counterfeiters.

"Although the total population of Uncle Sam's new fortress for incorrigibles will run into the hundreds, the 47 now 'on hand' will be sufficient to give Attorney General Homer S. Cummings an idea of the situation," the Chronicle wrote upon their arrival.

Among the first shipment of prisoners was "Red" Kerr, a Chicago gangster who stole over $200,000 from a Sacramento post office and John M. Stadig, a "counterfeiter and escaper." Its most famous inmate, unbeknownst to him, was being prepared for a similar move.

"Unusual precautions, it was learned, will be taken to safeguard several nationally known figures in the world of crime from Atlanta and Leavenworth penitentiaries to the prison in San Francisco bay," the Chronicle revealed.

Nationally known was an understatement: On Aug. 20, the Chronicle found out that none other than Al Capone was on a heavily guarded train from Atlanta.

Capone had been secretly packed onto a custom steel-barred train car in the dead of the night, but word quickly spread that the Chicago mobster was traveling across the country.

The Chronicle reported that an onlooker called out to the other prisoners, asking if Capone was on the train. Another inmate pointed to a coach window. "The man in that window, who resembled Capone, grinned when asked whether he was Capone," wrote the Chronicle.

Early on the morning of the 23rd, the train arrived in San Francisco. Capone and 52 other convicts were loaded onto a barge in Tiburon. Accompanied by an armed Coast Guard cutter, they sailed to Alcatraz.

"Al Capone, who iron nerve he boasted would never break, quailed when he viewed the escape proof ramparts of Alcatraz yesterday," proclaimed the Chronicle.

Indeed, Capone never attempted an escape from Alcatraz. His health declining, he spent much of his last year in the prison hospital. He finished his sentence at Alcatraz on Jan. 6, 1939.

STOP the neo-fascist “Freedom Caucus” threats to DEFAULT on our Social Security Program—make the Rich pay down the National Debt NOW!

(Fascism: a political movement of nationalism, racism, militarism, sexism, xenophobia…)

According to the New York Times, 8/7/17, the neo-fascist Freedom Caucus “is fixated on cutting entitlement spending” and if these cuts are not made, “they’ll refuse to vote on raising the debt ceiling”.

The Government owes the Social Security Trust Fund $3 Trillion that they have borrowed over the last decades. They have used the money to fund endless wars and bailout big banks and corporations. Now the politicians want to cut $72 Billion from Social Security Disability Insurance (S.S.D.I.) to pay back other debts they owe to the Banks, corporations and Walls Street Financial institutions. Politicians borrowed billions for years because they have given massive tax breaks and subsidies to the rich, corporations and banks, who now sit on over $2 Trillion in cash.

The Republican’s monstrous plan is to pay back the debt to the rich and to DEFAULT on the Government’s debt to the American wage earners.

A default on S.S.D.I. would most severely affect the most vulnerable, poor and minorities. This program covers severely disabled workers, such as those with kidney failure and the blind. We cannot allow this racist cutback to happen. Such a brutal budget proposal brings to mind the horrible history of German Nazi extermination of the disabled, because they were considered “useless eaters”. The rich, who are hoarding Trillions of dollars, must pay for the capitalist economic crisis that they helped to created!

“Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” –Edmond Burke

Millions in motion can protect and expand Social Security Now, Let’s get organized.

Dr. Nayvin Gordon, gordonnayvin@yahoo.com

PS. Dr. Nayvin Gordon is a Family Physician living in Oakland; he has written many articles on Health and Politics.

MEMO OF THE AIR: GOOD NIGHT RADIO, TONIGHT! (Was Re: Harassment)

John Redding wrote:

You totally misunderstood. Zeke’s emails are "saucy", no wait, they are of a nature that might be considered harassment. I thought we might send a few of Zeke's emails to an authority on harassment laws to get their expert opinion. It beats going back and forth saying "it is too" and "it is not".

* * *

Marco McClean:

John-o, speaking of what's true and what's not, when you've engaged your legal expert to get an opinion on Zeke and all the terrible ways he's hurt your feelings, kill two birds with one stone by asking also about your sky-god. You asked, what if a person called on the phone and said what Zeke said in his posts to the discussion listserv? Well, hmm, what if a person created uncountable cubic parsecs of universe, populated a speck in the vastness of all that with billions of tiny pets capable of suffering, and then treated them like this:

https://unpleasantgod.ffrf.org/

* * *

IN OTHER NEWS, tonight (Friday, Aug. 11) I'll be doing my show from Fort Bragg, not by live remote from far away, so here's an open invitation to the local general population of this speck to come and play your musical instrument(s) or talk about your project, or whine about your existential angst, or whatever. It's 325 N. Franklin (next to the Tip Top bar). Just trudge in any time tonight after 9pm, head for the lighted room at the back and get my attention away from whatever I'm doing, and we'll go from there. If you need more room to spread out and flagellate yourself properly, we can pull an area mic into the gallery and broadcast every collective moan, every gasp, every bloody drip.

And if you ever write something you want me to read aloud on the air (which is the main reason I've been doing this since 1997), email it to me any time during the week. The deadline is usually around 6pm the night of the show. Or call it in to 962-3022 during the show. Let it ring awhile in case I'm in the bathroom or tangled up in wires or struggling under the yoke of a cruel, childish, imaginary god.

Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio. Every Friday, 9pm to about 4am on 107.7fm KNYO-LP Fort Bragg, including midnight to 3am 105.1fm KMEC-LP Ukiah. And also there and anywhere else via http://knyo.org or http://TuneIn.com* * *Marinela Miclea wrote:Actually, Marco, I, too, would like to see how you respond to the question:what if a person called on the phone and said what Zeke said in his posts to the discussion listserv?I hope you’ll answer it directly, not w/ a non sequitur.* * *Marco McClean:

Marinela, in the late 1980s and nearly through the '90s I edited and/or published a countywide newspaper wherein I printed everything anybody wrote to and for the paper. Swearing, goofy conspiracy theories, angry tirades against former employers, science, art, poetry, everything. I even printed what people screamed into the answering machine. People often called me at home, woke me up with the phone, to harangue me about how terrible it was that I printed something by their personal enemy. How could I? "How could you, Marco! There is pain here!" Yeah, there always is. And nobody else, excepting maybe the Anderson Valley Advertiser, would print anything these people wrote, and a lot of them were pretty impressive writers.

Then I took my show to countywide KMFB in 1997 and, until Claude Hooten bought KMFB and fired everyone and destroyed it in late 2011, I read on the air everything anyone sent. People called and swore at me because they didn't like this and they didn't like that, and it was so very wrong of me to give /abortion/ a public platform, say, because that made me complicit in 40,000,000 murders. Or, you know, really anything.

In all cases, here's how I responded in real life, not in some hypothetical fear dream: I engaged them in talk, invited them to participate in the project, and then closed with some variation on Thank you for calling, (or thank you for stopping me in the post office and poking me in the chest with your middle finger), and fair play to you, fella. In all those years, there was only one guy who would call back and call back and refuse to understand that all he had to do to not have to even think about me ever again would be to just turn off the radio or change the channel, just like all you and John and Chuck and Ravis What's-her-name have to do to not be all pissed off about Zeke is to google how to make filters in whatever email program you use and filter directly into the trash anything from Zeke. In Thunderbird it takes a couple of mouse clicks and five seconds, maximum, and you only have to do it once. There's a function called Quick Filter.

And I think you all know that. Which just points up that you don't want to avoid Zeke's writing or attention; you just want him to not be read by others, because you see that somehow as losing and then Zeke wins and you can't stand that. You want the last word. I know exactly how that feels.

I've told you, I don't always understand Zeke. I don't have to. It takes all kinds to make a world, and every one of those kinds should have equal access to a public forum. Zeke didn't call John on the phone; that's the point. And if he chooses to, deal with that then. He calls me on the phone, and I say, "Hi, Zeke, what's up?" and he usually gets tired of talking with me before I get tired of talking with him, so it hasn't become a problem.

I have to finish getting my show together now. I'll tell you the rest tonight on the radio.

Marco McClean

memo@mcn.org

http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

* * *

Chuck Wilcher:

I have turned him off, Marco. His posts never make it to my email client. Who needs his written stink? The only times I read his malicious posts are when others quote him. Save your brain and anger, folks. Filter him out on your email provider’s side. That’s an instant and easy solution.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Prior to retirement I had the misfortune of working for my state’s Dept. of Public Welfare. Over the course of many years, I must have approved the applications of thousands of low wage workers from Walmart (and other retailers) who needed SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid to make ends meet. But look at the bright side. Many Walmart employees had life insurance policies. Problem was, they were unaware that they were not the beneficiaries – Walmart was – “Peasant Policies”, taken out and paid for by Walmart, with Walmart as beneficiary. If there is, or ever has been, a more purely evil corporate citizen than Walmart, I haven’t seen them.

THE WAR BRIDE

by Miguel Lanigan

I was putting the last two pool balls in the pocket after losing a close game to Gary. Win or lose it didn’t matter to us.

It was our one game a day that had become a tradition. We were evenly matched and our egos were not damaged, win or lose. I saw the old woman circling the table checking out the bar at the Happy Garden. Her face was wonderfully wrinkled, but it was the eyes that got me--they were a vivid blue on clear white; they were the eyes of a teen staring out from her ancient face, and they were looking steadily at me. They smiled hello. I nodded and returned the smile.

Back at the bar I took my stool next to Gary and told him to take a look at the beautiful wrinkles in the old woman’s face. As she came up to an open place next to me he glanced over with disinterest. She hit me with that wonderful smile again and explained she was awaiting her take out order of Chinese food. We exchanged names and I introduced her to Gary, who showed little interest in joining in a conversation--he was into a basketball game on the TV on which he had a bet.

I asked her what she had ordered. As we talked of food and the weather, I thought I detected a slight accent. “Are you from England or Australia?” I asked. “England,” she answered. “I came over here from there as a war-bride. I married a young American lad who was a tail-gunner on a B-17.”

“Tail-gunner! That was the most dangerous position on a B-17.”

“Yes it was. A lot of the lads never came back.”

“How’d you happen to meet.”

“Well, during the war the men were all over fighting in Europe and there was no one to work the fields. My father, who owned three fields, asked me to come and help him. So I joined the Woman’s Land Army.”

She explained that women went to work the fields to take the places of the field workers who were off fighting the war.

“One day this lad came riding up on a bicycle and introduced himself and told me he wanted to get permission to hunt on the land we were standing beside. He asked who owned it. I pointed to my father out in the field and told him my father did.”

“It occurred to me then that in a couple of days it would be April 2nd, and every April 2nd the farmers would go to where the crows lived and shoot them, I’m ashamed to say.”

In an embarrassed voice she rushed on, “The crows would follow along behind the plows and they would eat the just planted wheat seeds, so it had to be done.”

She looked intently at me with those young eyes to see if I was disapproving -- I wasn’t.

“It was war and one had to do what one had to do during those dire times.”

Not seeing censure from me, she continued, “I told the American about this local tradition and said perhaps my father would let him get in on the shooting.

My father came over and I introduced him. The American was a very polite young man and my father said it would be alright.”

“The young man had some job back at the base that gave him access to shotguns and ammunition. He also had a friend who had access to a Jeep, and so on April 2nd I was out shooting. We would only shoot one shot at a time since during the war we were only allowed one box of 25 shells a month.

All of a sudden I heard to my right, pow-pow-pow-pow,” she held her arms up like she was holding a shotgun, “and there he was. The Yanks had all the shells they wanted. He was using a pump-shotgun,” She moved her left arm back like she was working the pump. “Anyway that was how we met.”

She got a far off look in her eyes as she thought back to when she and her young American tail-gunner were in love. Her eyes misted.

She was standing very close to me in the narrow space and her ancient hands, all big-veined and beautiful, unconsciously played with the sleeve of my blue flannel shirt. She lightly pinched and rubbed it as she spoke. She must have been quite something as a young woman, I thought.

I changed the subject by asking if it was true that the British soldiers had a saying about the American soldiers, “They’re over-paid, over-sexed…” “…and over-here,” she finished. “Yes, that was true,” she laughed, remembering.

“Where was your father’s land?” I asked.

“About thirty miles north-east of London.”

“North-east! On the coast! You must have seen the Luftwaffe flying in on bombing runs.”

“Oh yes,” she said, “and the B-17s would take off and circle around and around grouping up and then one group would go that way, and another group would go that way,” she pointed in different directions seeing them in the picture in her mind. “It was so sad. We would count them as they left, and so many times they would return and there would be two or three missing.”

Just then her order arrived in a white plastic bag tied at the handles. We talked of foods we liked for a bit more, and then she gave my arm a squeeze and a pat, and picked up her dinner. We agreed that if we met again, we would have a drink, or perhaps something to eat, and continue our talk. She gave a wave and flashed that remarkable smile that lit up her teenage eyes, and left with a quick stride.

MENDOCINO COUNTY CANDIDATE LIST

November 7, 2017 – Consolidated Districts Election

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COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICTS:

ANDERSON VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT: 2 Long Term Extended

• Kathleen McKenna
• Kirk Wilder

BROOKTRAILS TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT: 3 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Ed Horrick
• Tony Orth
• Roy R Williams, Incumbent

COMPTCHE COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT: 2 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Joel Holmes, Incumbent
• Larry Macdonald, Incumbent

COVELO COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT: 3 Long Term: 1 Short Term Extended

• David Colin Vallero
• Joseph Gauder
• Paul Filler Incumbent

Short Term To Be Appointed

• Vacant

ELK COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT: 3 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Ed Oliveira Incumbent
• Ben Macmillan Incumbent
• Michael Powers Incumbent

GUALALA COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT: 3 Long Term; 1 Short Term To Be Appointed

• Adele Funderburk Incumbent
• Susan Aicher
• Joel L Rogers Board Member

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• De Williams Denten (Appointed)
• Deborah (De) Williams-Denten Appointed Incumbent

MENDOCINO CITY COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT: 3 Long Term; 1 Short Term Extended

• Roger A Schwartz
• Jeffry Stubbs
• Harold Hauck Incumbent

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Vacant (Sam Kraynek's Seat)

POTTER VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT: 2 Long Term Extended

• Betty Lee Harvey Incumbent
• Kim Larsen

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FIRE DISTRICTS:

ALBION / LITTLE RIVER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 2 Long Term; 1 Short Term To Be Appointed

• (Scott Roat - Resigned) Vacant
• Steve Acker Retired Wastewater Superintendant
• John Crowningshield Business Owner

Short Term:

• Chuck Greenberg Retired Contractor

COVELO FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 2 Long Term

• Tyler Kappl (Appointed)
• Rano V Mccombs Incumbent
• Esther Evelyn Assistant Store Manager

FORT BRAGG RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 3 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Clark E. Rishel Incumbent
• Rich Pyorre Incumbent
• Dan Maas Incumbent

HOPLAND FIRE PROTECTION: 2 Long Term To Be Appointed

• David Roderick Incumbent
• Jim Mastin Incumbent

LEGGETT VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION: 3 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Steven Day L. Incumbent
• Scottie Rosenthal Incumbent
• Jill Palmer Retired

LITTLE LAKE FIRE PROTECTION: 2 Long Term; 2 Short Term To Be Appointed

• Skip Lucier (Appointed) Rancher
• Tom Herman Incumbent

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Nancy Stipe (Appointed) Incumbent
• Arnie Mello (Appointed) Incumbent

LONG VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 2 Long Term; 1 Short Term Extended

• Dan Campbell
• Michael Braught
• Lurane Cassidy Business Owner

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Vacant Gregory C. Smith Retired

MENDOCINO FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 3 Long Term; 1 Short Term To Be Appointed

• Emily Strachan Incumbent
• William E Lemos Retired Educator
• Forrest Francis Incumbent

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Vacant Exempt

PIERCY FIRE PROTECTION: 2 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Larry L Casteel Incumbent
• Ed R Ryan Incumbent

REDWOOD COAST FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 2 Long Term; 2 Short Term To Be Appointed

• Judy Seymour Incumbent
• David Branesky Incumbent

Short Term: Extended

• Greg Stefani
• Brian Dressler

REDWOOD VALLEY/CALPELLA FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 2 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Linda Talso Incumbent
• Steven W Rugg Commercial Project Manager

SOUTH COAST FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 2 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Walter E Slunaker Retired Contractor
• Flavia De Oliveira Postal Clerk

UKIAH VALLEY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: 2 Long Term; 1 Short Term To Be Appointed

• DC "Butch" Carpenter Incumbent
• Allen Cherry Incumbent

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Jenifer Bazzani (Appointed) Incumbent

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WATER DISTRICTS:

CALPELLA COUNTY WATER DISTRICT: 2 Long Term; 1 Short Term Extended

• Bob Mahaffey Incumbent
• Angela Silver

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Vacant

ELK COUNTY WATER DISTRICT: 3 Long Term; 1 Short Term Extended

• Anthony R Cook
• Jay Penrod (Appointed) Incumbent 877-1607 N Y
• Denise Allyn Georganas Incumbent
• Eric Gregory Malm None Provided

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Vacant Jesse M. Russell None Provided

LAYTONVILLE COUNTY WATER DISTRICT: 3 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Michael J Davis Incumbent
• Kary Lynne Incumbent 984-6444 N Y
• John Philip McCaffrey, Jr. Board Vice Chairman

MILLVIEW COUNTY WATER DISTRICT: 3 Long Term Election

• Kenneth D Budrow Incumbent 489-8474 N Y
• Jerry Cardoza Incumbent
• Jeanne K Metcalf Incumbent
• Roberto Muniz Federal Benefit Specialist

REDWOOD VALLEY COUNTY WATER DISTRICT: 2 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Marvin Talso Incumbent
• Ken Todd Incumbent

ROUND VALLEY COUNTY WATER DISTRICT: 2 Long Term To Be Appointed

• George Helmholz Incumbent
• John Marshall Incumbent

WILLOW COUNTY WATER DISTRICT: 3 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Devin W Gordon Incumbent
• Mike Hildreth (Appointed) Grape Grower
• Ross Larue Incumbent

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LANDOWNER WATER DISTRICTS: - Landowner Districts Tabulate Their Own Elections

CASPAR SOUTH WATER DISTRICT: 3 Long Term; 1 Short Term Extended

• Mary Lynne D Oxford t
• Marc Wasserman Board Member
• Stephen Clouse Incumbent

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Vacant Exempt

PACIFIC REEFS WATER DISTRICT: 3 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Howard Pines Incumbent
• Jeannette Rasker Incumbent
• John Hall Incumbent

OTHER DISTRICTS:

HOPLAND PUBLIC UTILITIES: 3 Long Term; 1 Short Term To Be Appointed

• Joan Norry Incumbent
• Bruce A Nicolas Incumbent
• Gary James Rosetti Incumbent

Short Term: To Be Appointed

• Robert J Schmitt (Appointed) Incumbent

UKIAH VALLEY SANITATION DISTRICT: 3 Long Term Election

• John Sakowicz (Appointed) Incumbent
• James-John Ronco Incumbent
• Robert Page Incumbent
• Ernie Wipf Contractor
• Darwin D. Dick Watertreatment Operator
• Andrea Reed Business Owner
• Sharon M. Hunt Retired
• Julie Bawcom  Retired Engineering Geologist

MENDO CO RUSSIAN RIVER FLOOD CONTROL & WATER IMPR: 3 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Matthew Froneberger (Appointed) Incumbent
• William Carson (Appointed) Incumbent

VALLEY IRRIGATION DISTRICT: 2 Long Term To Be Appointed

• Ken Stroh - Div 2 Incumbent
• Mac Magruder - Div 5 Incumbent

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BOS APPT IN LIEU = Mendocino County Board of Supervisors will appoint those (UDEL) races that do not have more candidates than seats up for election, candidates must have completed their paperwork and be listed on Elections Office spreadsheet. Those individuals interested in being on a District Board who have not completed their paperwork must write a letter to the Board of Supervisors at 501 Low Gap Road, Room 1090 Ukiah, CA 95482 telling the BOS they are interested in serving on a district board.

The Board of Supervisors may appoint individuals "in-lieu" of election through Election Day.

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SCHOOL DISTRICTS:

ANDERSON VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: 2 Long Term; 1 Short Term Extended

• Natalie Maston
• Kerry Sanchez
• Craig Walker Resident Deputy Sheriff

Short Term:

• Vacant Saoirse Byrne Mother/Artist

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MEASURES TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE VOTERS:

• MEASURE A - Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District
• MEASURE B - Mendocino County Mental Health Treatment Act