Mendocino County Today: Monday, Aug. 21, 2017

• Supes on Marijuana
• USA Eclipse
• Pets!
• Air Advisory
• Little Dog
• FB Management
• Sunset
• Crime Stats
• Name Calling
• Happy Burble
• Dahlias
• Sweetcorn Diplomacy
• Measure B
• Umpire Problems
• PO Box
• Yesterday's Catch
• Oligarch Economy
• Catfish Explains
• NAMI Classes
• The Bullfight
• Library Events

BASED ON recent pot reg discussions at the Supes Chambers in Ukiah, a few basically minor changes are being proposed for adoption on Tuesday. The proposed pot reg changes would:

• Redefine “youth oriented facility”
• Redefine and relax setback requirements
• Allow two permits per parcel under certain conditions.
• Removes third party inspection requirements.
• Extends deadline for proof of prior cultivation submission.
• Allows for removal of dead, dying or diseased trees and revises other tree treatment requirements.
• “…Provide specific clarity that violations related to the cultivation Permit will be included in the compliance plan, while violations not directly related to the cultivation Permit will be addressed separately.”

BUT NOTHING about disability access and bathroom requirements for greenhouses, drying sheds, etc. Nor anything about implementation of “overlay zones” which would allow a local neighborhood to permit (or not permit) pot growing in areas where it’s prohibited (or permitted).

SUMMARY OF CHANGES: Ordinance Making Certain Amendments To Chapter 10a.17 – Medical Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance

It is proposed to make certain specific changes to Chapter 10A.17 of the Mendocino County Code. Third-party inspectors are being removed from Chapter 10A.17, and the ordinance authorizes refunds for any application fees paid by prospective third-party inspectors. The definition of “youth-oriented facility” is being amended to day care facilities and youth centers, as those terms are defined in state law. Clarifying changes are being made to how much medical cannabis may be cultivated by qualified patients and primary caregivers. Setback requirements for certain sensitive uses are being limited to those uses in existence at the time a permit is issued. Requirements related to wattage for indoor or mixed-light cultivation sites are being deleted. Rules regarding multiple permits on a single legal parcel are being clarified. The application deadline to apply for permits during Phase One of the ordinance is being extended to June 30, 2018. Prior cultivation sites being used to show proof of prior cultivation must have been able to meet certain setback requirements, as opposed to actually have met such requirements. Clarifies that persons eligible to apply for a permit during Phase One may apply for one type of permit, but may expand or change permit types in subsequent years, subject to all requirements of Chapter 10A.17. The requirement to provide a written agreement with a dispensing collective or processor has been removed. The existing prohibition on tree removal for development of a cultivation site has been clarified to require evidence that no trees were unlawfully removed under relevant laws; unlawful removal of trees shall be grounds for denial of a permit application. Provisions regarding code violations and remediation through a compliance plan have been expanded to include more detail, as have provisions related to code violations discovered after issuance of a permit. The ordinance also makes other specific clarifying changes to Chapter 10A.17.

StaffMemore-Chapter10A

* * *

SUPES COMPLAIN to Fish & Wildlife about over-zealous and heavy-handed pot enforcement on small pot gardens.

08-22-17Ltr toSecretaryLaird

ECLIPSE REMINDER: Starts around 9am Monday morning in NorCal, peaks at 10:17, ends at 11:45.

PETS OF THE WEEK

Rainbow is a two-year old, spayed, female Dilute Calico. She loves attention and is curious by nature. Rainbow seems to have an independent side to her so she may be a good mouser in her new home. If you're looking for a unique cat, Rainbow's your girl.

Goldie Locks is a wonderfully sweet hound dog. She her own fan club at the shelter because of her lovable personality. Goldie's gone on day trips with shelter volunteers and she's always a hit with everyone she meets, especially kids. Goldie is 2 years old and 80 pounds. She came to the shelter with puppies, and now she's working on getting her girlish figure back and finding a new home.

The Ukiah Animal Shelter is located at 298 Plant Road in Ukiah; adoption hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10 am to 4:30 pm and Wednesday till 6:30 pm. To view photos and bios of our adoptable dogs and cats, please visit online at www.mendoanimalshelter.com or visit the shelter. Join us the 2nd Saturday of every month for our "Empty the Shelter" pack walk and help us get every dog out for some exercise! For more information about adoptions please call 707-467-6453.

AIR QUALITY ADVISORY for Mendocino County — Friday, August 18, 2017

The hazy sky conditions for most of Mendocino County are attributed to wildfires to our north. Satellite imagery from the U.S. Forest Service confirms smoke from the Orleans Complex, Ruth Complex, Eclipse Complex and Salmon August Complex fires are impacting the visibility and the air quality in the county. The Eclipse Complex fire alone has burned over 17,000 acres and is only 13% contained. Until the fires are contained, changes in wind direction and temperatures could increase the impact to inland areas of Mendocino County.

Currently, smoke concentrations are averaging in the 'Good' to 'Moderate' AQI range for most of Mendocino County. The forecast suggests no relief from the smoke impact from the north for the next couple of days. If high pressure persists and winds remain calm, smoke impacted areas may reach the “Unhealthy” range.

Smoke in heavy concentrations can cause eye and throat irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing. People who are at greatest risk of experiencing symptoms due to smoke include: those with respiratory disease (such as asthma), those with heart disease, young children, and older adults. These sensitive populations should stay indoors and avoid prolonged activity. All others should limit prolonged or heavy activity and time spent outdoors. Even healthy adults can be affected by smoke.

Persons experiencing any of the following symptoms should contact a health care provider: Headache; Repeated Coughing; Chest Tightness Or Pain; Difficulty In Breathing; or Nausea.

Information regarding the most current air quality readings and related information can be found on the District web site at www.mendoair.org

(AQMD Press Release)

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “Get this. The anti-vaxx nuts are now refusing to vaccinate their dogs! They say the vax could make us autistic! Ever see a dog with rabies? Ever see a a rabid human? (Outside of these people, I mean.) How could you not want to vaccinate against rabies?”

A READER WRITES: I thought that the Fort Bragg city manager would retire before the city had to come up with money for Calpers so this is just a couple of years early. Because the Calpers funding is going to be a huge problem for the city but no plans have been made for it. And the taxpayers will be left paying the price.

I hope that the new city manager won’t look at grants as the only option for survival. Some of those grants were for ridiculous projects that were and will be reversed but they were justified by saying that they brought in funds to the city. Those funds went to city management in wages and additional assistants. And the infrastructure is crumbling, due to neglect. The cost of starting a business in Fort Bragg was so high for so long that people have been discouraged. There is much more than anything to do with Scott Mayberry or the Old Coast Hotel at play here. If the city manager believes what she said in her KZYX interview, she should allow making public the details of what was discussed at the closed session negotiations, especially the meeting where she retired.

Seeing that she has a Gandhi quote on her email, Ms. White’s name-calling is disappointing. It makes her look as bad as those she’s calling names – Gandhi wouldn’t take her attitude. And Charlottesville? Wow. There are quite a few people who supported the city manager who are using name-calling instead of discussing facts. So far, all I see is the name-calling and judgment on both sides rather than open discussion about problems and how to resolve them. There is no conversation going on. Take a good look in the mirror.

Photo by Vicky Williams

UKIAH, Saturday, August 19. -- California Department of Justice Crime Statistics for 2015-2016

The good news, according to the latest California Department of Justice categorical crime statistics, is that those living in Ukiah experienced a small decrease in violent crime, as well as a decrease in property crimes, in 2015-2016 from the prior reporting year. In the same time period Willits stayed steady with no increase in violent crimes and had a healthy decrease in property crimes. Kudos to the Ukiah Police Department and the Willits Police Department.

The bad news is that Fort Bragg experienced over a 27% increase in violent crime and almost a 27% jump in property crimes during 2015-2016.

The majority of law enforcement activity in Mendocino County happens through the Sheriff's Office. The DOJ report indicates that those living outside of city limits experienced an almost 6% increase in violent crime, and an almost 7% increase in property crime, which cumulatively adds to the increases previously reported for 2014-2015.

The State Department of Parks and Recreation experienced a whopping 66.7% increase in property crimes during the 2015-2016 reporting period!

Statewide, violent crime in California increased 4.9% last year and has increased over 15% since 2014!

So what's really happening here? In October of 2011, California began its experiment with Realignment which prohibits over 500 types of felons from being exposed to a state prison. Individuals convicted of one or more of the 500+ enumerated penal code violations, instead, must be kept in the county jail and be dealt with locally. This continues to be an example of saving money at the state level by forcing the counties and cities to spend from their more limited budgets. Jail credits were also significantly increased so that those being punished — whether in the county jail or state prison — are back out on the streets a lot sooner.

Then in November of 2014, the voters approved a new set of laws (Prop 47) that downgraded numerous drug and theft felonies to misdemeanors. These Prop 47 offenders are not even arrested and taken to the jail these days; it now is a matter of "catch-and-release," meaning they are briefly detained, given a citation, and sent about their business (which often means continuing to do the same old thing all over again after the police move on and leave the scene).

In November of 2016, the voters approved another new set of laws (Prop 57) that focused on further expediting the release of inmates serving time in state prison.

(To see which inmates committed from Mendocino County are being considered for expedited release, see https://www.mendocinocounty.org/home/showdocument?id=10280)

The first inmate committed to state prison from Mendocino County to be granted expedited release is, of course, a serial burglar.

Are there dots that can be connected in all of this? You decide.

(Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office)

ON THE SUBJECT of Fort Bragg's liberal bigots, a reader writes:

Meg Courtney's "round up" of supporters because she "had just been informed" a coup was taking place was the final straw for Linda. Who "informed," Meg?

Turner, by his own admission "gave them a list of Linda's accomplishments." Could it be they had no idea what her "accomplishments" were until pointed out by Turner? The way this was handled by this group has certainly raised a lot of questions from the community and obviously from the council as well.

1. Who knew this group was going to show up at the council meeting? Linda’s son was there, was she aware of this prior to the meeting?
2. How many times in the past has this same tactic been used without the knowledge of the entire community?
3. Who “informed” this group?

Scott Menzies said it best in his letter to the council, and yes, Scott, it does sound familiar. Perhaps an hour or so of meditation would have relieved some of that fear, stress, anxiety, anger and feeling of betrayal before this group gathered at the meeting. Your statement below hit the mark but it should have been pointed out to the group before the meeting not after.

Menzies writes:

“Another thing we need to acknowledge is the unfortunate reality that strong emotions like these make people kind of, well, stupid (for a lack of a better term). (Link was inserted here).

Any strong emotion, fear, stress, anxiety, anger, joy, or betrayal trips off the amygdala and impairs the prefrontal cortex’s working memory. The power of emotions overwhelms rationality.

That is why when we are emotionally upset or stressed we can’t think straight. The IQ points we need to thoughtfully consider decisions are depleted temporarily.”

Mix this with the results of the Dunning-Kruger study (feel free to look it up), and you end up with angry people who think far more highly of their opinions than they should.

Sound familiar?”

And then you have Carole White pleading with Dave Turner in what I am guessing is asking him to not let the group take delusional and stupid thinking actions again.

“Dave,

I am forwarding you my letter to Lindy. I expect the same from you. It is time to speak up and defend against the kind of institutional and insidious misogyny, racism, bigotry that is rampant in our town. I realize you are somewhat of a lone ranger now. But since you are not seeking reelection, I urge you to use this next year to pushback against delusional and stupid thinking and action. I appreciate your testimony at the planning committee meeting. That and more is what we need from you. If you need support to back you up, you just need to ask us. Many are counting on you to take a stand and to lead the rest of us to back you up. If the Norvell camp can do this, so can we. Thank you for your service to our community,

Carole”

Does Carole simply want a woman in charge or on the council or would that woman have to be of her choosing?

So, here we start with the name calling again. Just remember that “bigot” is somebody with strong opinions, especially on politics, religion, or ethnicity, who refuses to accept different views. I’m thinking this group refuses to accept anyone’s views other than their own, so while they are pointing fingers there are three pointing back at them.

This issue should have been handled in closed session but someone sent out information that they “had been informed a coup was taking place.” No one knows what the outcome of the closed session would have been. What we do know is, a lot of questions have come up because of the way this was presented to the council.

Vice Mayor Will Lee was obviously angered by the tactic as well as council members Bernie Norvell and Mike Cimolino.

Instead of name calling and pointing fingers perhaps it would be best to take Mr. Menzies advice and follow the link he provided in his letter.

THIS MORNING'S "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED," as usual considered little of any substance, and delivered all of it in highly annoying, chirpy voices with bursts of hysterical laughter at remarks that don't warrant a smile let alone full hyena choruses.

ONE OF NPR's happy talkers hosted a lame discussion about race. One of the race experts was a black guy, the other apparently a “highly evolved” white woman, as she might be described by the arbiters of appropriateness, Fort Bragg branch.

SEVERAL EARNEST WHITE PEOPLE called in to describe their adventures in racism; most of what they described were simple gaffes by naive but well-meaning palefaces. One young woman did say her parents had virtually disowned her for attending a Black Lives Matter rally, but the rest of the discussion consisted of stuff of no real consequence, like one woman who said she was mortified by another white woman's remark to a black man in a play audience that he looked liked the black actor on the stage. I can understand a black person being irritated by a remark like that with its implication that all black people look alike, but "mortification"? At the end of the discussion, the bubblehead hosting the race talk burbled something like, "Well, whatever you do, don't bring this subject up over Christmas dinner." Like, you shouldn't challenge errant opinion wherever?

MY FAMILY is lockstep lib, but there are still arguments at holiday gatherings, especially over the Democratic Party. Elements of my family were very unhappy with me for voting Green instead of Hillary. I've voted third party all of my life for third parties except way back when I was a kid and still feeling my way I voted for Kennedy. On the Trump election, my in-house critics shared the national lib assumption that Hillary "with all her faults" was "still better than Trump." I argued that she and the Democrats, in their present incarnation, are worse, much worse than Trump, then an unknown factor, in office hamstrung by his own impulsive wackiness.

WITH all the race talk underway I prefer to point out that race relations are millions of times better than when I was a kid, circa 1957, when genuinely loyal and affectionate intra-race relations were rare-to-non-existent but now there are millions of them now. It took the integration of the armed forces and the wonderful world of sports to begin to break down the lynch mob racism prevalent up through the 1950s. To my diminished mind, the fundamental problem in this country is and has been the economic inequality that puts people at each other's throats. Take that one down and everything else will work out.

JEEZ, BRUCE, if NPR irritates you so much why do you listen to it? I listen because it's the only station I can get when I'm on my early morning hikes. If there was an alternative I'd be there, believe me. Why can't NPR deliver their conservative liberalism without all that hysterical laughter at everything, and the transparently faked emotion of their hosts and news readers? The happy-happy burble-gush voices of these people is insufferable. Are the libs who make up the NPR listening base so enfeebled they need burble-gush to kick their day off?

BG FB $1DAY by Susie de Castro

SWEETCORN DIPLOMACY

by Spec MacQuayde

Saturday morning we showed at the Ukiah farm about seven o'clock to start picking sweetcorn. The market starts at nine. No matter how tasty your sweetcorn is, it's always better harvested that morning, as the sugars turn to starch over time.

At first I planned on dropping off the corn and heirloom Mickey Lee watermelons at Phil Cool's table in downtown Ukiah, then driving on to Boonville for the farmer's market, but as I twisted the ears from the stalks and opened the silky tips to inspect, it seemed like one out of five either had poor pollination or was still immature. That slowed the process as I wandered around the field rather than snatching every ear up and down the rows.

"Could have been that week when it was 110," said Phil at the market, as I showed him one of the sketchy specimens, pulling the husks back. "The silks only have a few hours to pollinate, and when it's hot like that they dry up."

While customers lined up for sweetcorn, Phil at the next table had people stopping by for milkweed starts. I had somewhat chuckled when he'd mentioned selling milkweeds. Twenty years ago such a proposition would have been ludicrous, but ever since the entire Mississippi valley was converted to Round-Up Ready GMO corn and soybeans, the relatively benign, perrennial weed has disappeared. Due to organic, also somewhat slacker practices, one of the sand hills at our Indiana farm still hosts a healthy patch, maybe a quarter acre. Nobody ever would have thought milkweeds would be in danger if they tried hoeing it out of a sweetcorn field. The deep-rooted plant shoots another stalk right back at you. A week later it's two feet tall again. But it was no match for Round-Up.

The only attention I'd ever paid to milkweeds besides futilely hoeing them was in elementary school when we always brought one in the classroom, complete with the Monarch butterfly's emerald chrysalis, to watch the miracle transformation. Because herbicides have nearly wiped out the once prolific plant species, the Monarch butterfly is now endangered. People — mostly homesteaders, I gathered, were purchasing entire flats of milkweed starts. Phil was selling out as fast as we were!

About 10:40, as the last few dozen ears were disappearing from our table at the rate of fifty cents each, I got a text from Sara Songbird. The Real Saras were performing at Dig! Music, show starting at 11. Sara Ryan wanted sweetcorn.

Quickly I made my way to the truck that was still loaded with Mickey Lee watermelons, and set aside four or five of the best sweetcorn ears.

"She thinks you and your songs are utterly disgusting," Songbird had confided to me several times, referring to her bandmate.

We'd started out on an awkward note. In November of 2014 my son, then 17, and I took the train from Indiana to San Francisco. From there we rode the bay area buses north to the downtown station in Santa Rosa, where we had a few hours to wait for the Ukiah bus. That was where we ran into a girl we knew, Amber, who was just getting off the southbound.

Amber was 20 at the time. She'd lived at our Indiana farmhouse the previous winter, and gone out west with some musicians who'd hoped for trimming work. By the time my son and I recognized the girl at the Santa Rosa station, she was drifting alone.

We tried to take her out for burgers at a swank place nearby, but she only picked up the fries as if to examine them. She barely responded to our questions, and wouldn't look at us. Considering the scant odds of running into someone we cared about from back home, and her clear disorientation, we suggested she come to Boonville with us. No way we wanted to see her drifting in that condition. For several hours we hung out and drank beer from paper coffee cups at the bus station. I played banjo, warming up after two days on the train. Sara Songbird had scheduled band practice for six o'clock at Goodness Grows Nursery in Anderson Valley. That Saturday night we had a gig booked for Lauren's. I was going to open for the Real Saras, and their band was going to back up some of my tunes, without Sara Ryan, who didn't feel comfortable doing vocals for enduring ditties like "Piss Test" and "Crank Ho in the Basement."

The bus dropped us off in Ukiah at about 4:30. I phoned Songbird to see if she'd give us a ride, but she was busy in Boonville. Sara Ryan was driving down from Willits, she said, and connected with us to meet near the bus stop off Perkins.

With nothing to do but sit for an hour at the Pear Tree Mall, I decided to pick up a six pack of Boont Amber to celebrate being back in Mendo. Several homeless, grungy winos joined our growing party. By the time Sara showed up in a tiny car, pulling in along the curb, you would not have been able to distinguish us from our new friends. My son wore leather redneck boots, dirty blue jeans, and carried an old backpack that had been repaired with conspicuous duct tape. I saw our ride's jaw drop as we stood up with our baggage. It took forever to arrange the banjo, guitar, and all of us into the cramped quarters. No doubt we smelled like the streets, especially in such tight confines, this being sunset in late fall, the windows rolled up, the heat on.

As she made the turn towards Boonville on 253, I jubilantly cracked open the last beer. "Thanks so much for the lift," I said. "Nice to finally meet you."

"You can't have open containers in here!"

"Sorry."

As she nervously kept the car on the road around the curves and glanced in the rear view mirror at Amber, my son and I tried to explain that the girl had recently experienced some kind of trauma, was lost, and we had run into her at the bus station. It must have made no sense to Sara. By the time we hit Boonville, dropped my son and Amber off in town, and showed up for band practice, I'd made my first impression.

Amber ended up wandering off from the General Store the next morning after a sleepless night of pacing. She was afraid to sleep, so nobody else could, either. She meandered out into the Hiatt logging equipment yard.

Eventually the girl made her way to rehab, and is now attending college in Tennessee.

After selling out of sweetcorn at the Ukiah Saturday market, we made our way to Dig Music, where the show had already started. The place was packed, and we squeezed past people to the back. As always, the three Saras blew us away with their harmonies and original tunes. After the show I had to wait around while patrons and fans chatted it up with the band, before finally getting a chance to walk up with the sweetcorn ears dangling from my hand, as a peace offering.

"Maybe I was wrong about you," she said. "Thanks. You're not as disgusting as I thought."

PD FINALLY GETS AROUND TO the Sheriff’s Mental Health Facility sales tax proposal:

pressdemocrat.com/news/7318993-181/mendocino-county-revives-sales-tax

UMP PROBS

To The Editor,

I’m seeing softball playoff umpire problems. I started the first co-ed league in Ukiah and ran it for eleven years, including putting on over a hundred softball and basketball tournaments.

I will bet $1,000 that 75% of the base umpires do not know where to stand when a base runner is on first or second and the correct call on runner interference at second base. I used the KISS method (keep it simple stupid) when I put on clinics for umpires, stressing five points: Common sense, know the rules, common sense, hustle and common sense.

Ray Whittaker, Hopland

NO HOME, NO MAIL

To The Editor,

Today I discovered that if I can’t prove I have a home in Ukiah, I can’t have a PO Box. The application requires me to have ID (such as driver’s license or State ID, passport, alien registration card or certificate of naturalization, all of which I have. A second ID is required — one of: a current lease, mortgage or deed of trust, voter or vehicle registration, home or vehicle insurance policy. The application doesn’t specify, but I was told that the second ID must show my home address (mine shows my PO Box in Willits because that’s where I get my mail). I live on Clay Street in Ukiah. It occurs to me that were I without a home, I would have to have mail sent to “General Delivery” and stand in line to get it. This would be a huge difficulty to a person seeking employment or just needing to communicate with family. It’s demeaning and clearly discrimination and I can’t see why it’s necessary. What are we afraid of? Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Janet Denninger, Ukiah

CATCH OF THE DAY, August 20, 2017

ROWLAND ADDISON, Ukiah. Petty theft.

GILBERT BENAVIDEZ, Ukiah. Ammo possession by prohibited person.

TIMOTHY DAWE, Mendocino. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, failure to pay.

JOSEPH DILLON, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

MICHAEL DONAHE, Ukiah. Domestic battery, disorderly conduct-alcohol. (Frequent flyer.)

ROBERT FICARRA, Redwood Valley. Probation revocation.

ANTHONY FIELDS, Chico/Fort Bragg. Shoplifting, petty theft, paraphernalia, probation revocation.

KELLY FOUTZ, Willits. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, false imprisonment, elder abuse, resisting.

JAMES GODDARD JR., Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

CLEMENTE MAGALLON, Ukiah. Controlled substance, probation revoation.

DANIEL NICHOLAS, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

MATEO PACHECO, Ukiah. County parole/community supervistion violation.

MICHAEL PARKER, Ukiah. Petty theft, paraphernalia, probation revocation.

CHERRI ROBERTS, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol. (Frequent flyer.)

CRYSTAL WILLIAMS, Redwood Valley. Criminal threats, failure to appear.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I lived my life in the belly of the corporate world. I’ve seen entire departments of skilled white-collar workers get the boots because their work was sent to India. I’ve seen people go to India to train their replacements. They do this to not get a reputation as a whiner. You’re supposed to swallow whatever shit they dole out without complaint. You want to be able to get another job. You want no problems with getting your severance payment. You want a good reference.

The Oligarchs know what they’re doing and they don’t. They’ve set up a global system of production and consumption for their own wealth and income but that is unworkable, that is upright only for the time being because of central bank and government treasury interventions.

For now the Globalist set have massively increased their wealth. It has to be noted that it was at the expense of a huge multitude of American workers. But this is not sustainable because the economy they’ve created is not sustainable. 20 trillion in US federal debt is testament to this, the present day policy of NIRP and ZIRP is also, ever lengthening terms for auto leases is also. There are many indicators. All these are methamphetamine and crack-cocaine for the financial system.

Financial markets are the overlay to the real economy. If the real economy doesn’t work, then neither do financial markets.

REDNECK CATFISH COOLEY explains how we can all get along in life:

https://youtu.be/Lwc_ijRC_aA

NAMI MENDOCINO’S upcoming Family to Family class.

F2F2017

Donna Moschetti, Chair - NAMI Mendocino

THE BULLFIGHT

by Manuel Vicent

Translated by Louis S. Bedrock

On these dusty grounds, every year more than 30,000 fighting bulls are publicly beaten, pierced by gaffs, dragged by the neck with a rope, burnt alive by tar bullets, and beheaded In the midst of a great revelry. There is no longer a bloodthirsty God presiding over this carnage who needs to be satiated. The only element that remains from that ancient liturgy is the spectacle, the foundation of which is death; and this is brought about with extreme violence after having dragged this beautiful animal to its ultimate degradation—which coincides with the degradation of the spectators, even though they may not be aware of it.

A national hero, disguised as a playing card, dances around the bull, which is covered with wounds; or some young boys from the village, armed with sticks, flutter around it, while the masses yawn or bellow and are hoping to see someone’s intestines beneath the Spanish sun. But this doesn’t happen very often.

In any military barracks where they shoe pack animals, the number of soldiers who have died from being kicked by a mule is much greater than the number of bullfighters who have fallen in the ring in the entire history of bullfighting. The victims of this sinister chicanery, where death is presented as a party, are the bulls and the souls of the spectators.

More than 30,000 fighting bulls executed every season form a great pool of blood in the middle of the country and in the subconscious of its citizens. The Ministry of Culture considers such slaughter our spiritual patrimony.

In the stands, some poets think about the quality of the stewed beef that the picadors leave in the upper parts of the animal. In the front row, the aristocracy eat meatballs while watching the monosabios—the picadors’ assistants, who cover up excrement and blood clots with their brooms after each contest. Behind the barrier that shields the matadors, a governmental bigwig puffs on a cigar in between belches of pig knuckles.

Well-bred bankers discuss horn wounds through femoral arteries—and similar loans, amidst the ambiance of beheadings. And right over there, an intellectual is explaining to a group of Japanese tourists the depth or level of the stab wound inflicted by the matador.

The Jack of Swords struts around this dung heap. And all of this is called art.

Long live Spain! Long live the flies!

POETRY READING featuring Theresa Whitehill!

At the Ukiah Main Library Branch (Open Mic follows)

Saturday, August 26^th 3 pm

Join us for a reading with Theresa Whitehill, Poet Laureate Emeritus of Ukiah! A California poet, graphic designer, and letterpress printer, Theresa will be visiting the Ukiah Library on Saturday, August 26^th. Open mic follows. Teens & adults are invited to share poems in any form or style.

A feminist epic by Diane di Prima, LOBA (She-wolf in Spanish) is a visionary epic quest for the reintegration of the feminine, hailed by many as the great female counterpart to Allen Ginsberg's Howl when the first half appeared in 1978. Loba, "she-wolf" in Spanish explores the wilderness at the heart of experience, through the archetype of the wolf goddess, elemental symbol of complete self-acceptance.

A California poet, graphic designer, and letterpress printer, Theresa Whitehill served as Poet Laureate for the city of Ukiah from 2009 through 2011 and has been involved her entire career in production of poetry readings and events. Whitehill’s two collections of poetry, A Grammar of Longing (2009) and A Natural History of Mill Towns (1993), were both published by Pygmy Forest Press.

Light refreshments will be served. For more information – please contact Melissa at the Ukiah Library: 467-6434 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us

* * *

COMPUTER CLASSES FOR ADULTS:

Email Basics – August 29^th

Internet Safety 101 – Sept 19^th

All classes begin at 11 am

Join us at the Ukiah Library for hands-on interactive computer classes for adults. Learn how to keep in touch with friends and family, use email to correspond & communicate business matters, and protect your identity & stay safe online!

Registration is required; please call 463-4490 to sign up!

All classes and events are free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Ukiah Valley Friends of the Library. For more information about the Ukiah Library Summer Reading Program, please contact: Melissa Eleftherion Carr at 707-467-4634 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us.