Mendocino County Today: Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017

• Hot
• Shared Roads
• Pets!
• Wind River
• Arpaio Pardon
• Cancelled Rally
• Little Dog
• Marco Radio
• Cannabis Hour
• Festival Bummers
• Remember Kaitlyn
• Yesterday's Catch
• Empire Life
• Free Speech
• Bull Empathy
• Computer Classes
• Book Club
• Fear
• Carbon Trading
• Arctic Melting
• Tax Appeal
• Living Online
• Euro Terrors

IT WAS OVER 100 DEGREES IN BOONVILLE SATURDAY for the first time in quite a while. Which means it was very hot all over the north (non-)coast and it looks like it will stay hot for at least another week, although it at least might not get over 100 in Boonville.

ONE OF THE BEST CALIFORNIA WEATHER BLOGS

http://weatherwest.com/archives/5826

After mid-August reprieve, yet another prolonged California heatwave

A very hot summer thus far away from immediate coast; weak monsoon on western fringe Summer 2017 has featured a recurring pattern across California,…

WEATHERWEST.COM

COUNTY USE PERMITS FOR SHARED ROADS

Dear Dan Hamburg,

You are my supervisor. According to the California Office of Planning and Research, an order by county governments can be effected pertaining to agricultural activities vis-a-vis use permits (see paragraph 4 below). Sir, my question to you is this: why does our county require an onerous use permit for short term rentals on shared roads, when it does not require a use permit for commercial, cannabis cultivation on shared roads? This is an issue of significant interest to the citizens of Mendocino County. Sir, I would consider it a kindness if you, and your fellow board members, can answer this question as soon as possible: Why are dope growers allowed the privilege of exemption while others are not?

Thank you for your valuable time.

Michael Koepf, Elk

* * *

PETS 'O THE WEEK

Byron came to the shelter in a feral cat trap. We neutered him and tipped his ear in preparation for sending him out as a barn cat. Shorty after his neuter, he decided he loved people and jumped in the arms of a staff member! We can tell you--this does not happen often! So now Byron is available for adoption as a pet and part of a family. Byron is a 2 year old, neutered male who needs a home where he is an indoor-only cat. Byron is playful, affectionate and will be a wonderful companion.

Lovebug is the best way to describe Princess, a 2 year old, spayed female. Princess weighs 46 svelte pounds. She likes playing fetch with a tennis ball--which she will fetch, but not really bring back! Princess likes to lean in and get as much affection as she can. She likes other dogs and does well in our off leash playgroups. This girl is so sweet and so cute....we can't say enough about her: just have to come and meet her!

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 us 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.

REEL QUICK MOVIE REVIEW: I lasted about 45 minutes into "Wind River" to see how dumb it could get frame-by frame. It was still descending when I hit the exit. It was about white guys driving snowmobiles on a winter time Wyoming rez shooting other white guys and, now and then, a bad Indian. Adding considerably to the dumbness of the whole, there's a robotic female voice-over telling you what you're seeing on the screen. "The rugged man leans in the doorway looking at the woman." Etc. The voice-over apparently lasts the entire movie. All us citizens know we live in a rising tide of scumbaggery, but true connoisseurs of depraved behavior long ago moved on to television crime shows. (My fave is Chris Hansen's “Crime Watch Daily”). So, why make lame-o movies about murder and mayhem when the true stories are better than the ones conjured by movie land?

IF HE ISN'T GUILTY, WHY DOES HE NEED A PARDON?

SO, the fascisti cancelled their rally at Crissy Field. Then they said they would appear at Alamo Square for a "press conference." The cops said, "No, unpermitted event of any kind would be allowed at Alamo Square." I imagined The Chuckle Buddies news teams racing frantically around the city, from venue to venue, praying for a violent shot in time for the 5 o'clock news.

THE RIGHTEOUS were massed and ready to go, but had to settle for non-violent events — assuming you consider tired rhetoric about how "we all need to love one another" to be non-violent.

SPEAKING of rhetorical crimes, the new pronunciation of antifa as "An-TEE fah" makes anti-fascism sound like your long lost Arab aunt.

* * *

PATRIOT PRAYER MOVES: Patriot Prayer makes new SF plans on the fly, but details are scarce

Alas, looks like we might not find out. The SF police just shut down Alamo Square park for the day, erected a cyclone fence overnight and blocked all access, for everyone. And they shut you down in Berkeley, too. See what you do? Annoy dog owners, cost the City money, infuriate normal, happy people who just want to hang out with trees and be around nature so as to avoid monstrous jerknoses like you.

Oh, well. Enjoy that basement. Try a breath mint, OK? You make the world sad.

(Mark Morford, SF Chronicle)

* * *

THE REAL REASON THE SF RALLY WAS CANCELLED

Party poopers: rightwing rally cancelled in San Francisco amid dog poo protest

Patriot Prayer cancels Saturday event, citing ‘safety concerns’ and ‘smear campaign’ that branded group as white supremacists.

Turd Reich: San Francisco dog owners lay minefield of poo for rightwing rally

by Julie Carrie Wong

Patriot Prayer, the rightwing protest group that planned to rally in San Francisco on Saturday, has cancelled its event, citing safety concerns and a “smear campaign” by elected officials who called them “white supremacists”.

The group said it still intended to attend a rally on Sunday in nearby Berkeley, which has seen a number of violent standoffs between rightwing protesters and anti-fascist activists this year.

“We’re going to put our effort and resources into Berkeley,” Patriot Prayer organizer Joey Gibson said in a Facebook Live broadcast. “Berkeley is a better situation because we don’t feel that we’re walking into a trap.”

However, shortly after, the organizer of the Berkeley rally released a statement urging people not to come to her “No to Marxism in America” rally. Andrea Cummings said she was concerned for the safety of the people who might come to the event.

Thousands of San Franciscans were planning to mount counter-protests against the rightwing event, with residents planning to dance, march, rally, and boat in defiance of rightwing extremism. Several hundred people even announced a plan to allow their dogs to poo on the protest site in advance of the event.

The group’s intention to hold an event in the notoriously liberal San Francisco provoked considerable concern from the city’s elected officials, police, and residents, especially in the wake of the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

Though Gibson has denounced white supremacy and neo-Nazis, Patriot Prayer events in the Pacific north-west have been attended by members of white nationalist groups and often devolved into violent street-fighting.

Elected officials, including House minority leader and San Francisco congressional representative Nancy Pelosi and mayor Ed Lee, unsuccessfully pressured the National Park Service to deny the group a permit for the rally. Pelosi called the group “white supremacist”.

Such characterizations amounted to a “smear campaign”, the organizers said.

“Intermingling of protesters and rally-goers would be a horrible horrible idea,” said Patriot Prayer member Gabriel Silva. “It would lead to nothing but casualties.”

“In our opinion,” said Gibson, “it seems like it would have been a huge riot.”

(The Guardian)

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “I see all these happy dogs sailing by out on 128, their smiling faces stuck out the window in the wind. Not me. Sigh. This guy says to me, ‘Rides aren't in your contract, LD. Get back to work’."

THE GREEN EYE OF THE LITTLE YELLOW GOD.

The recording of last night's (2017-08-25) KNYO and KMEC Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio show is available to download and enjoy via http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

Also there you'll find directions to many not necessarily radio-useful though worthwhile goods that I set aside for you while putting the show together, such as, for example:

You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe

A cockatiel sings the theme to My Neighbor Totoro.

Hey, kids! Deaf people swear better, and you can too. Here's how!

And the lovely Un-ka-pu-chi, Indian maiden voted Miss Potato Chip of 1953.

http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/potato_chip_queens

Marco McClean
memo@mcn.org
http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

ATTORNEY HANNAH NELSON to discuss legal issues on the next Cannabis Hour, Thursday, Sept. 7, 9 a.m. on KZYX

Ever wonder if anyone reads the volumes of paperwork generated by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors each time it changes its cannabis ordinances? Does the fine print really matter? Fort Bragg attorney Hannah Nelson will talk with host Jane Futcher on the legal details and big issues that worry Nelson and her cultivator clients the most. That’s Thursday, September 7, 9 a.m., on KZYX, 90.7 FM, Philo; 91.5 FM, Willits and Ukiah; and Fort Bragg, 88.1 FM. You can stream the show on the Web, at kzyx.org or listen to programs you may have missed at jukebox.kzyx.org.

400 POUNDER DENIED WATER, and other North County Adventures

Editor,

One love, one blood, one heart.

My name is Anthony Gonzalez, aka Tony Dogg. I was raised partly in Yorkville by my aunt Cindy and uncle Gary Johnson. My cousins Brandon, Brandy and Jed also. I'm writing this to shed some light on the violence and sexual assaults at Northern California festivals such as Reggae on the River, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, etc. I've been enjoying the festivals since 2000 and lately I’ve seen it get worse year after year.

The people who get paid and have free wristbands to protect us while we party are not protecting us. The Mateel Center in Redway is a joke. They will let rapists volunteer for security. So let me tell you this. In 2000 a beautiful soul I call my brother Big Dan brought me into the circus as I call it: the Nighthawk Overnight Security. I've been trained in this and worked every year for the Mateel unless I was in jail or out of the state. Please remember I love most of the Mateel staff and volunteers.

I need family love sent to me.

As of now I'm looking for a great lawyer who wants to help me sue The Mateel Center and Humboldt County Sheriff's Department, CHP and Mendocino County as well.

Let's begin in Piercy. I showed up for work Thursday for Reggae on the River. On Friday I was kicked off the property for staff members stealing my personal property out of my truck. Of course I was mad so I made a scene. Yes I do drugs as do a lot of people at these events. But get this: I was not high or drunk on this day. I was escorted out. I'm driving my truck to the top of the hill where I am stopped by some punk kid CHP pointing his taser at me and telling me to get out of my truck. I complied for the next four hours. He asked me the same questions over and over. He denied me water in the 90-degree heat and the whole time he was saying I was drunk. I weigh about 400 pounds. He kept telling me to do field sobriety tests. I did all of those tests except for the heel to toe. I'm a big guy with an open gash on my shin from a trailer hitch a couple of days before. So it was physically impossible for me to do that. These cops made fun of me and denied me water for four hours on the side of the road. I blew a Breathalyzer of 0.00.

I need you to send a reporter to the Ukiah jail to interview me. I have no money and no paper and I'm locked down here in jail.

I was then allowed to drive across the street to volunteer camping and I was shaken up and yes I was mad that my wallet and camping stuff was stolen out of my truck. You can't kick me off my land. I am a man and I'm not going to let any other man steal my land. So I waited, I ate some food, got a new shirt from my new friend, thank you very much and God bless him. He talked with me for four hours until we went back across the street to see the show.

I love the music. It is in my blood and in my body and in my lungs. So I went in to get some food and then I went across a bridge and back to the party. I made it to the teepee where some of my people were asking me what happened. After a couple of beers and fat joints I went out and tripped around looking for the Roses or Franklin Tower. I tried to have fun and get along until morning when I found myself with my boy hitting nitrous oxide, giggling at the people. I got in a fight. My lip was split and I could blow bubbles through it. I was escorted out for the second time.

Yes, the police and security would not let me get my truck to drive myself to the hospital. I then went north to Garberville and south to Willits. I live in Potter Valley so I wanted to go to Willits.

I sat in front of the store while my sister tried to clean me up with her first aid kit out of her purse. The people from the store told me to leave. So now when I tried to get in my truck some punk rent a cop tried to tackle me. I dodged him and finally made it to my truck. I made the move to come out of there and, BOOM: pulled over again saying I'm drunk and I can't drive.

I aced all the tests but now I can't blow because there is a hole in my lip. They denied me water again and I was still waiting. Finally they let me go. I got blessed with five dollars from a wonderful soul. This lady helped me more with her compassion than anything else. Thank you very much.

Now I had a police escort to the gas station. I felt like Troy Aikman leaving the Super Bowl. They pumped that five dollars in gas. Then I was on my way. I picked up this hitchhiker fellow, a dead-head, and we talked until I ran out of gas 9 miles from Willits.

To be continued…

Anthony Gonzalez

Ukiah

GUNS & AMMO

Dear Editor,

Unfortunately, here I am again, back through the revolving door for "access to ammo." Wrong place, wrong time, I guess? But isn't there ammo just about everywhere? And should people with guns and ammo warn a known felon before inviting them into their home? I don't know, and I don't care anything about any guns or ammo. But I guess I should now after being forced into a deal of 32 months at 80% — wrong place, wrong time.

So I've been reading the AVA through a homeboy on the tier. But he was endorsed to another prison. My first thought was, uh-oh, there goes the AVA! Second, Good luck homeboy, may Prop 57 be with you. Now I sit here stressing out. How will I get AVA? On the street I just went to Down-Home Foods by the movie theater. Good sandwiches by the way. Now I’ll just pray someone will set me up with a subscription (hint).

Love and respect to all homeboys. Good job Flynn Washburne, love your column; and my condolences to Walter Miller. Also it's nice to see the District Attorney is going after Dr. Keegan. Now what about the old Garrett Matson? Just saying. A bow to the AVA.

Justice for Kaitlyn Long.

Daniel Shealor

San Quentin

CATCH OF THE DAY, August 26, 2017

GARRETT COUGHLIN, Redwood Valley. Reckless possession of explosive device on public street, possession of ammo by prohibited person, receiving stolen property, harboring a wanted felon, probation revocation.

ROCKY DUMAN, Ukiah. Parole violation, failure to appear.

SAMUEL FINLEY, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

TRENT FOSTER, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

BRIDGETTE FRANK, Covelo. Probation revocation.

SAMUEL GIBNEY, Fort Bragg. Trespassing, resisting.

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

KATINA GOWAN, Philo. Under influence and in possession of weapon.

DUSTIN HILL, Ukiah. DUI.

JESSE LAWRENCE, Potter Valley. Leaded cane, etc.

LEON MARKS JR., Clearlake/Ukiah. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, brandishing.

HILDA MATA, Ukiah. Controlled substance, suspended license.

GEORGE MIDDLETON, Fort Bragg. Burglary, using someone else’s credit, theft by use of access card information, conspiracy.

MICHAEL PARKER, Ukiah. Interfering with business, controlled substance, paraphernalia, resisting, probation revocation.

JAMES QUILTER, Willits. Domestic abuse, protective order violation, probation revocation.

LEAH RICHARDSON, Boonville. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, Ukiah. Parole violation.

KENDALL TRAVIS, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

RONALD VALENTINE JR., Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

JOSEPH VENTURI, Ukiah. County parole violation, resisting.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

It’s really very simple. The US is an empire, just like Rome was. Empires extract real value from their provinces. Back home in the center of the empire, nothing of real value is created, but somehow the spoils of war (i.e. the resources extracted from the provinces) must be distributed. Initially, this distribution mechanism is relatively equitable, but over time the crafty ones figure how to get a greater and greater part of the pie (i.e. the spoils.) All this “financial” legerdemain is just a mechanism to distribute unearned resources to the beneficiaries of the empire. Of course, eventually this scheme falls apart. Everybody in the provinces wants to be part of the empire to get some “spoil” too. This causes the crafty ones to grab an even bigger share of the pie. Finally, even people who want to be producers of real value are forced into playing the legerdemain just to survive. Ultimately the whole shebang collapses. That’s what happened to Rome. That’s what will happen to the American Empire, or whatever you want to call it.

RALLIES SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE ALLOWED IN SF

by Frank Somerville

I grew up in Berkeley in the 60’s when this picture was taken during all the Free Speech/Anti-War demonstrations at Cal.

I saw the National Guard called in.

I saw how demonstrators fought for their Free Speech.

All of which brings us to this weekend.

And the debate once again over Free Speech.

There has been a lot of debate about whether the rallies should be allowed this weekend.

On that question I am very firm.

They absolutely should be allowed here.

That’s what Free Speech is.

Protesters will call it hate speech.

(Even though the leaders of the rallies are very blunt and say they are not interested in hate speech or violence)

But even if it is hate speech it's still protected by our constitution.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled:

“The idea that the government may restrict speech expressing ideas that offend … strikes at the heart of the First Amendment.

Speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, or any other similar ground is hateful.

But the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express “the thought that we hate.” – Justice Samuel Alito

Make no mistake.

I’m not defending Neo-Nazi groups or White Supremacists.

They make me sick.

For the record I’m no fan of Antifa either.

I don’t agree with their tactics and their methods.

But just as all of those groups are free to say who they hate.

I am free to say that I don’t like them.

That’s what Free Speech is all about.

First Amendment U.S. Constitution:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

I now open the floor for discussion.

As always I just ask that you keep it respectful.

QUESTIONS

by Manuel Vicent

Translated by Louis S. Bedrock

A beautiful animal lives quietly in the country, raised in luxury—although this does not exclude his being nourished with toxic feed until he reaches a weight of 500 kilograms. Suddenly, he is snatched away from the peace of his natural surroundings and the blue horizon of the meadow is replaced by crate about the same size as its body.

Outside of this casket in which they have put him, are heard sharp noises and human voices. The bull is in darkness. He hears the starting up of the engine and immediately begins a journey full of accelerations and sudden stops that throw him against the wood: if he doesn’t lose his balance, it’s because he is so rigidly imprisoned. But perhaps the darkness and the jolting bring his mind to the border of madness.

Among human beings, what has happened to the bull would be called “kidnapping”.

The bull has had nothing to eat or drink during the trip. After many hours, his kidnappers dump him in a corral and from there he is moved to a “toril” or bullpen where he’s also left in the darkness while outside there is an increasing din that the bull doesn’t recognize.

Suddenly, the door is opened and the explosion of light coincides with the burning sensation from the colored ribbons that they nail to his shoulder.

He thinks he has returned to the pasture where he was happy, but he finds himself surrounded by a brutal uproar, and upon realizing that he is surrounded, he seeks an opening through which he can escape.

There are two fundamental questions which have mesmerized us throughout our history. Does the bull suffer? Do animals have rights?

Both questions are badly framed. He who has a right to imagine that the bull suffers, and that the bull’s pain does not elevate his own spirit, is the citizen.

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, please contact: Melissa Eleftherion Carr at 707-467-4634 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us.

WINES & SPINES BOOK CLUB

Last Wednesdays of the Month – 6:30 pm

Ukiah Brewing Company, 102 S. State St.

Adults 21 & over are invited to join our monthly book club Wines & Spines. We meet at the newly reopened Ukiah Brewing Company on the last Wednesday evening of each month.

Studies show reading for pleasure reduces anxiety & increases our capacity for compassion. Join us in September & celebrate our freedom to read with a discussion of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood - Sept. 27^th at 6:30 pm.

For a list of our titles & more information – please contact Melissa at the Ukiah Library: 467-6434 or carrm@mendocinocounty.org.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Ukiah Valley Library.

FEAR

by Charles Simic

“Fear passes from man to man

Unknowing,

As one leaf passes its shudder

To another.

All at once the whole tree is trembling.

And there is no sign of the wind”

BIG OIL LOBBYIST LAUDS RESULTS OF CARBON TRADING AUCTION

by Dan Bacher

If anybody had any illusions that the passage of Governor Jerry Brown’s cap-and-trade bill, AB 398, was good for the environment, one only has to read the statement issued by Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), on August 23 praising the results of the state's carbon auction:

“Today’s successful carbon auction quarterly results prove that reforming and extending California’s cap-and-trade program was the right thing to do. The passage of AB398 has reinforced carbon market certainty, helping the industry compete in the world’s most stringent regulatory environment.”

Oil and gas companies, utilities and other corporations spent a total of $935 million to buy greenhouse gas pollution permits. State officials said the auction was sold out.

You can read the California Air Resources Control Board (CARB) report on the auction here: www.arb.ca.gov/...

WSPA, the trade association for the oil industry in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona, is the most powerful corporate lobbying group in California — and historically has spent more money annually than any other organization on lobbying the legislature and state officials.

After AB 398 passed through the legislature last month, Reheis-Boyd predictably lauded the legislation in a statement.

“The bipartisan cap-and trade package passed this week is the best, most balanced way for California to comply with state law requiring reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” said Reheis-Boyd.

She also claimed, “This significantly reformed cap-and-trade program presents the best available path forward for our industry in the toughest regulatory environment in the world.”

Her full statement is available here: redgreenandblue.org/...

Reheis-Boyd failed to mention that the legislation was based on a WSPA and Chevron wish list that gives loopholes and tax breaks to corporate polluters that could actually result in more, not less, emissions.

She also failed to mention that Big Oil spent over $10.8 million in lobbying in the second quarter of 2017 to ramrod the bill, opposed by over 65 environmental justice, conservation and consumer groups, through the Legislature.

Governor Brown claimed that carbon trading bill deal resulted from "mystery, miracle and prayer,” according to a video on the Sacramento Bee website: www.sacbee.com/...

However, the lobbying spending figures released on the California Secretary of State’s website reveal an entirely different story — and “mystery, miracle and prayer” have nothing to do with it. The San Ramon-based Chevron and subsidiaries topped all other lobbyists in the state with $6,153,952 spent, followed by the Sacramento-based WSPA with $2,528,751 and the San Antonio-based Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co. LLC with $2,193.489.

In a classic example of the “fox guarding the hen house,” WSPA President Reheis-Boyd served as a state regulatory official from 2004 to 2012, a conflict of interest that the media and many NGOs are reluctant to discuss.

As I have mentioned in many articles, Reheis-Boyd chaired the privately-funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so-called “marine protected areas” in Southern California. She also served on the task forces to create “marine protected areas” on the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast.

The “marine protected areas” created under the helm of the WSPA president and other corporate operatives fail to protect the ocean from offshore oil drilling, fracking, oil spills, pollution, military testing and all human impacts on the ocean other than sustainable fishing and gathering.

In another apparent conflict of interest, Reheis-Boyd’s husband, James D. Boyd, sat on on the California Energy Commission from 2002 to 2012, including serving as Vice-Chair of the Commission from 2/2007 to 1/2012.

The enormous power that Big Oil exerts over California regulators was inadvertently revealed in a March 10, 2012 article in the Santa Barbara Independent that discussed a “marine protected area” created under Reheis-Boyd’s leadership.

The official language for the marine protected area in the Isla Vista area of Santa Barbara County, the Campus Point State Marine Conservation Area, reads, “Take of all living marine resources is prohibited, except for take pursuant to operation and maintenance of artificial structures inside the conservation area … ”

“The caveat, allowing marine resources to be taken near artificial structures, exists to allow oil production representatives the ability to maintain equipment, including pipelines, located in this area,” the article by Cat Heushul stated.

Background: Big Oil spent $36.1 million lobbying in 2015-16 session

The California Oil Lobby was the biggest spender in the 2015-16 legislative session, spending an amazing $36.1 million on lobbying over the two-year period. Based on the oil industry lobbying last quarter alone, it looks like the industry may set a new spending record this session.

Big Oil spending last session amounted to $1.5 million per month — nearly $50,000 per day. The $36.1 million surpassed the $34 million spent in the prior session, according to an American Lung Association report. To read the complete report, go to:

WSPA was the top overall oil industry spender during the 2015-16 session, spending $18.7 million. As is normally the case, WSPA ranked #1 among all lobbying spenders last session. In the seventh quarter alone, WSPA dumped $2.6 million into lobbying legislators and state officials.

Chevron, the second overall oil industry spender, spent $7 million in the 2015-16 session. It spent $3 million in 2016 alone, sixth among all lobbyists in the session.

Since the 2007-08 Session, the oil industry has spent over $146 million in lobbying in California when you include the figures for the first two quarters of 2017.

WSPA and Big Oil use their money and power in 5 ways: through (1) lobbying; (2) campaign spending; (3) creating Astroturf groups: 4) working in collaboration with media; and (5) getting appointed to positions on and influencing regulatory panels.

For more information, go to www.dailykos.com/… 

WHAT'S NEW ON CLIMATE CHANGE?

Dear Editor:

As I commented last week every few days there are new research reports on climate change and it is not possible to discuss all of them in a single letter. As a follow to my comments on the loss of ice in the Arctic there was an article in the Guardian highlighting how climate change is opening up the high Arctic. A Russian tanker, Christophe de Margeric, sailed through the northern sea route at record speed without an icebreaker. It carried a load of liquefied natural gas from Norway to South Korea in 19 days which was 30% quicker than the normal shipping route through the Suez Canal. The tanker was built to take advantage of the diminishing Arctic sea ice. The tanker used its integral icebreaker to cross ice fields passing along the route in a record 6 1/2 days. The ship is the first of such 15 tankers expected to be built which will extend the route from 4 months with an expensive icebreaker to all year round in a westerly direction. The tankers will have green credentials since they will be using LNG rather than conventional fuel. The Russians expect by 2020 there will be 150 crossings and it is a much shorter alternative than the Suez route. Simon Boxall, an oceanographer at the University of Southampton commented they were making a "safe bet" and that "Even if we stopped greenhouse emissions tomorrow, the acceleration in the loss of Arctic ice is unlikely to be reversed." Don't bother to ask what plans the United States and the Trump administration have about the northern sea route.

In peace and love,

Jim Updegraff, Sacramento

PLAINTIFFS' APPEAL BRIEF IN JOHNSON, ET AL. V. COUNTY OF MENDOCINO

Dear BCC friends and neighbors, government officials, and fellow attorneys,

Our Opening Brief was filed in the appeal of Johnson, et al. v. County of Mendocino.

For those of you who can tolerate legal language and preciselegal form, you can read it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B54ASBGLrClFNUNiS1l0amhQdGc/view?usp=sharing

For those of you who don't want to be overwhelmed by this legal brief, please note that the plaintiffs seek to invalidate the Medical Cannabis Business Tax (Mendocino County Code Chapter 6.32), imposed by Measure AI on the November 2016 County ballot. We argue that this tax is unconstitutional under California Constitution articles XIII A and XIII C. This tax is unfairly bankrupting legal medical cannabis businesses.

Mendocino County's responsive brief is due in 30 days. Win or lose in theCourt of Appeal, this is a serious issue for all taxpayers. This is why we have courts of appeal.

Lawrence Rosen
Rosenlaw, www.rosenlaw.com
Ukiah

SOCIAL MEDIA SUCKS

Editor,

Andrew Sullivan, writing for New York magazine on our president's favored form of communication. Sullivan ran a blog called The Dish, for many years:

"But I also discovered in those years.... that living online is deeply dangerous to mental and physical health, that the pressures of the online crowd can overwhelm individual thought, and, in the end, thought itself. Twitter is not a place to air diverse viewpoints; it is a desiccating swarm of like-mindedness, moving as a single mutating mass, shimmering with every minuscule ripple in the news cycle, destroying all perspective, undermining learning, destroying the very process of reading, and deeply corrosive of a liberal society. If you are in the middle of the online stream, as I was for a decade and a half, and you are intelligent and attempt to be conscientious and honest, the emotional toll will be crushing."

DON’T GO THERE

by Scott M. Peterson

TV SHOW HOST Paul Joseph Watson knows how to rivet an audience. He’s young, handsome, articulate — and does it with a British accent. His recorded shows can be seen displaying the CNN logo prominently. So you can just feel it. Mr. Watson is the real McCoy — a genuine newsman.

IN JULY OF 2017 I’d just touched down in Amsterdam to find his latest broadcast on my laptop. It was aptly titled, ‘WHY TOURISM IS COLLAPSING IN EUROPE.’ As a topnotch investigative reporter for the Anderson Valley Advertiser, I’d be there to see it first hand. According to Mr. Watson’s detective work, European holiday destinations were being shunned by travelers concerned about safety. The specific threat was Islamic terrorists looking for infidels to blow up — like Judi, her father and me. Paul’s eighty-seven. So if we ran into trouble, I didn’t have to outrun the assailants. All I had to do was to outrun Paul.

MR. WATSON would’ve been shocked at what we saw. The place was absolutely jammed with unclean Westerners. Machine gun toting cops were nowhere in sight. Nor were any policemen for that matter. Our first room at Hotel Résidence Le Coin overlooked picturesque Rembrandt Square and the canal. Where U2’s Bono keeps a houseboat. After hopping on a twenty-foot barge for a tour of the downtown area, we noticed a suspicious pack of Farsi speaking individuals smoking — ick — marijuana and drinking gigantic gin & tonics. They’d obviously just arrived from a Taliban training camp and were steeling themselves for a suicide attack. So we kept our distance.

OUR NEXT STOP was the a city swarming with Middle Eastern troublemakers — Eindhoven. The main employer there is technology giant Philips. So naturally Al Qaeda would have a presence. My assignment was to infiltrate an event hosted by a couple whose family had immigrated from an absolute hotbed of Muslim extremism — Indonesia. And if you’re looking for violence, everyone knows where to find it. At a wedding.

DUTCH AUTHORITIES were all over it. Just to keep things under control, they tailed the groom to the event with a pair of uniformed motorcycle cops. These weren’t ordinary gendarmes either. They were from the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service. Obviously on duty to prevent the beheading of any hapless Western journalists. The ceremony took place next to Lake Put van Caron. Which didn’t show any signs of recent refugee activity — but you never know. Dark skinned, turban-wearing, AK-47 toting guests weren’t obvious — but they never are. And the fifty-some odd partygoers were obviously petrified — but never showed it. So we all ate, drank and danced like there was no tomorrow — because you just never know.

GUEST SOPHIE KIELA and her husband Erwin have a taxidermy business in Nijmegen called De Museumwinkel.com. Among their amazing portfolio of work is an African elephant — standing on its head. The completely articulated skeleton of a beautiful eighteen year old woman — done at the request of the decedent’s mother. A lamp made from an amputated leg — commissioned by a one-legged donor. And a genuine fetus — ordered by its loving uterus. But most intriguing of all is an authentic shrunken head they’ve affectionately named Henk.

HENK CAME FROM the Jivaro natives of Ecuador circa 1860. It wasn’t exactly commissioned, but Sophie and Erwin got it nonetheless. And for the super low price of €49,000, you can have it too. Erwin estimates there are only about 1,500 shrunken heads in existence today — none of them as handsome as Henk. So be sure to keep than in mind for your next little Bat Mitzvah surprise. Sophie and Erwin’s business isn’t shrinking. They’ve got thirteen employees and more work than they can handle. Undoubtedly reassembling decapitated Western reporters for clients like Mullah Omar when the need arises.

ULRICH MANGOLD works for Bosch in Germany. He’s the Vice President of their Automotive Aftermarket Division, working in the finance department there. I’m about a head taller than him before a few beers. But that distance seemed to vanish in no time. When I asked what he thought about the obvious superiority of Americans, he said something strange. ‘I see your country as a conundrum,’ Ulie told me. ‘It’s both a developed country and a developing country.’ Adding that we’ve got great culture and innovation on one hand. But could use a little improvement in the self-governing area. The interesting thing is how he delivered that message — with a British accent. Just like Paul Joseph Watson does. Which seemed to add a little something to whatever he said. Huh.

ULIE WENT ON to elaborate on what that meant. ‘When I get a one-sided chain email from an employee about a dispute with another employee — and I get a number of them — I forward it to the other employee and tell them to bring their dispute to me together.’ He continued, ‘And I always tell them to recommend two courses of action.’ How does that work? According to Ulie, it always kills the dispute — right then and there. That didn’t sound very American to me.

HANS ELLING is about six foot three and a dead ringer for Mr. Clean. His line of work is building maintenance. Every wedding reception has somebody like Hans — a man who just tears up the dance floor. His family is from Germany too. ‘There are no absolutes here,’ Hans told me. ‘But too many immigrants.’ Aha. Now we were getting somewhere. Elling assured me of my safety here. Explaining if he even threw a punch that missed, police would be here inside of ten minutes to take him away. Yet that didn’t apply to immigrants. ‘They live by special rules,’ Hans said. ‘And they beat our women.’

IT’S HARD TO DISPUTE an account like that. Especially with somebody who could’ve dropped me like a bad habit. But here’s the thing. The average Middle Eastern male — sans suicide vest — stands about five foot nine inches high and is downright scrawny. Your run of the mill Dutch female is easily two inches taller and fit as a fiddle. So I ran that by Judi’s sister, Susan Kalkhuis-Beam — who’s married to a man of Indonesian descent. Did she know anything about violence between Middle Eastern immigrants and Western women? Her response surprised me.

SUSAN WORKED at a foreign aid facility in Seattle right after the First Gulf War. She saw first hand what happened to Middle Eastern men who tangled with Western women. All of them got their asses handed to them. Which reinforces the first part of what Hans told me — about there being no absolutes. Did Hans have any first hand knowledge of that violence? No. So that’s game, set and match to Susan.

AT THE STROKE of 2:00 AM, the bar closed. The next day, we spent some time with the bride’s grandfather. Who came to Holland from Indonesia in 1950. His choice then wasn’t any different from refugee options today. Either stay put and die — or immigrate and live. The exodus of Allied forces there after World War II left a power vacuum. Just like the one we see in the Middle East today. Holland’s doing its level best to pick up the slack. Giving food and shelter to refugees until they can get on their feet. But that’s seen by many Dutch citizens as unfair.

THE BRIDE AND GROOM — Susan and Nick — are both employed by the Dutch Secret Service. So I asked Nick what he thought of Russia. ‘I don’t like Russia very much,’ He told me. ‘They’re not taking any refugees.’ That echoed what Hans had reported. He spoke of liking Russians, but not Putin. Still he admired him. ‘He’s a very smart man,’ Hans said.

WHEN THE ALCOHOL finally wore off it was time to get the hell out of jihadi infested Holland. But first, we had a one-week stopover in one more place famed for European terrorism — Dublin, Ireland. Where a twenty-minute ride on the Dart Train took us to the picturesque seaside village of Howth. On a hill overlooking the harbor is a stone building that houses ‘Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio.’ A not-to-be-missed walk through time with our host Michael Walsh. Who reassured us that terrorism certainly wasn’t lacking in Ireland over the last century.

WHILE ENGLAND fought Germany during World War I, Ireland fought England with German rifles. During the 1916 uprising, British forces actually shelled Dublin. By World War II, the Irish still hadn’t gotten the message. And actually stayed neutral during that conflict. Violence isn’t a recent thing on the Emerald Isle either. A visit to the National Museum of Ireland proves that. Where the bodies of well-preserved — but eviscerated and/or decapitated ‘bog people’ bear gruesome witness on what happened to unwelcome visitors. Not to mention the very apex of armed Nordic intruders. And what happened to uncooperative hosts.

VIKINGS — like Shia militia — were armed to the teeth. At the time of their visits, the Irish were no match for them. An ancient skull shows that — with the right frontal lobe cleaved off clean as a whistle. There was an interesting selection of recently discovered hoards on display too. Revealing tonnes of ancient treasure dug up over the past century or so. Something the terrorists obviously haven’t discovered yet.

AFTER JUST ONE DAY of seeing things that tended to support Watson’s grim narrative, it was time for a beer. Throngs of tourists hadn’t heard about all the violence in Dublin, so the streets were packed with them. Ditto for the world famous Irish pubs. That forced us underground — literally — into a place beneath ‘Brogan’s Bar’ on Dame Street called ‘Underdog’ — where Chris Murray offers no less than eighteen brews on tap. When I asked him for a hoppy IPA, his face lit up. ‘How about a Marching Powder?’

THAT ALE is made by Blacks Kinsale Craft Brewery in County Cork. The alcohol is 6.5% — putting it squarely off limits for observant Muslims — and the hops are extracted cryogenically. Not wishing to be rude, we ordered a second and a third pint. Probably more, but I lost count. With the prospect of multiple car bombs going off nearby, we somehow choked ‘em down. Then afterward, we staggered up the cobblestones to Chris’s suggestion for dinner.

BULL & CASTLE is a four-star steakhouse on Pembroke Street. Our first attempt at getting in fizzled because they were booked solid. We got in the next night though. Only because Chris’s partner Barry made the reservation for us. He tipped me off that Chris’s girlfriend worked there. And wouldn’t you know it — Dominika was our waitress! Once again, the place was packed with Western infidels. We started with the F.X. Buckley cured salmon, served up with blini, chive crème fraîche and mustard honey dressing for €9.50. Then moved onto a 22 oz. rib eye steak for €44.00 that stuffed all three of us. After admiring the delicious smoky salt that topped our entré, Dominika popped the whole shaker into our doggie bag. Likely because she knew I was a foodie from the world famous AVA.

IN BETWEEN we had two meals at Murray’s Bar & Grill on O’Connell Street. I ordered the lamb shank there for €15.95 — twice. The place was full. Even more so once the live music began. Clapping our way through tunes like ‘Irish Rover’ & ‘Whisky in the Jar’ with tabu beverages, we almost forgot about all the Islamic terrorists plotting against us outside. But hearing no gunfire or explosions, we decided to walk our way back to the hotel.

THE DISTANCE from Murray’s to the Parkway Guesthouse on Gardiner Street is only about a mile. But it’s on the north side of the River Liffey — i.e., the rougher part of town. Thus I expected to see scads of foreign extremists there. However, nary a hijab or turban could be seen. So I asked our host Seamus Hefferman — pronounced shay-muss — what the deal was.

ACCORDING TO SEAMUS the only violence in Ireland these days is a turf war between Irish gangs. It’s not over religious or political ideology either — but drugs. In a scene reminiscent of ‘The Godfather’ six hitmen armed with AK-47s stormed the weigh-in of a lightweight boxing match and killed the enforcer of one faction. Triggering payback against the other. The rivalry has left countless Dubliners dead. And much to the dismay of my editor, none of them were tourists. If anything, it appears the Irish hooligans actually exported terrorism to foreign lands. Thereby shooting a gigantic hole in Mr. Watson's theory.

OUR BRIEF STAY at the Parkway Guesthouse was interrupted by one night because Seamus was booked solid. That gave us a chance to reconnoiter the South side. To see if any jihadis were lurking there. Thanks to airbnb, we found a room. Yet once again, no armed refugees. Huh. The only danger we felt on the entire trip wasn’t from dark-skinned foreigners. But from light-skinned tourists wanting the same thing we did — food and lodging. Go figure.

ON THE TRIP BACK an eight-hundred page book titled, ‘The Better Angels of Our Nature’ gave me one explanation. That violence is actually on the decline. The reviews were impressive enough. Bill Gates called it, ‘One of the most important books I’ve read — not just this year, but ever.’ Author Steven Pinker attributes much of that to human evolution and — get this — democracy. He also lays out some interesting facts about our understanding of violence. Including a statistic showing that of fourteen major world powers, the last to abandon judicial torture was the Vatican. Yeah. Also, of the top twenty worst violent episodes in human history, number seven took place in the USA. That’s the annihilation of the American Indians. And at the very top 27 of all the planet’s wars, where do you think the per capita death toll was highest? In the Kato — or Cahto — region of Mendocino County.

PINKER’S BONAFIDES seemed pretty water tight to me. So I went to my favorite travel guide — Rick Steves — to see what he thought about traveling in Europe today. Mr. Steves made that case with statistics. According to the Washington Post, your odds of being killed by a terrorist overseas are 1 in 20 million. Your odds of being struck by lightning are 1 in 10 million. While your chances of being killed by gunfire in the United States are 1 in 32,250. Translation? For every citizen killed by a terrorist outside the USA, 620 are killed by terrorists here. That prompted a second look at Mr. Watson’s claim about tourism collapsing in Europe.

JOHNNY JET’S a fellow who travels 150,000 miles a year to 20 or so different countries. He’s also appeared on every major news show in the country — except for Mr. Watson’s. According to an article he wrote in the Huffington Post this past June, ‘The truth is that Europe is a place no more dangerous than where you already live.’ Hmmm. My next stop was Mr. Watson’s television show — to see if I’d gotten anything wrong.

A QUICK REVIEW showed me what I needed to know. The thing that looked like a CNN logo on Mr. Watson’s video wasn’t a CNN logo at all. Ugh. And the reference material that Mr. Watson cited for that episode was written by — get this — Mr. Watson himself. And as it turns out, Paul Joseph Watson has a reputation for being full of shit. That’s reported in an article by Salon titled, ‘Infowars’ Paul Joseph Watson can’t get anything right.’ Among Watson’s claims is that ‘there’s no such thing as moderate Islam. Islam is a violent, intolerant religion which, in its current form, has no place in liberal western democracies.’ In other words, Paul Joseph Watson doesn’t get out much.

THE SALON PIECE goes on to cite twenty-two articles where Watson has gotten things wrong. However bad his reporting is, he’s managed to do something right. Attracting two fans whose names you might recognize — Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Oh boy. I think I need another beer.

Story Index