Letters to the Editor

CHEAPER COPS?

To the Editor:

Most of you do not know me. I am an investigator with the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office. Prior to that I was a detective with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. I have sat across the interview table from some of the most violent criminals this county has ever known. I sat there knowing that this scum was going to walk away unless I was able to solicit the truth from them, and I used every legal tactic available to me get this done. I was very successful at this. Some of my cases have been featured on television, and I have been called upon to assist every single law-enforcement agency in this County at one time or another. I've missed weekends, holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. I did this with pride and without complaint. My motto was always that this county owes me nothing because we “settle up” every two weeks (payday).

That was until now. My union just advised me that the Board of Supervisors are going to decrease my  base pay by at least 10% and will no longer pay for my retirement which results in another 6% reduction in pay. This is a 16% pay reduction. There are five board of supervisors members. Three of them took a 10% pay cut and two of them took no cut at all, yet they are going to give law enforcement a 16% cut. I will not be able to pay for my home and will have to seek employment else­where outside of this county.

Now I know most of you are saying “bye-bye” and you don't really care. What I want you to consider is the state of law enforcement that will be left when the dust settles. Who will be sitting across the interview table from the rapists and murderers? Will the job get done? Or will they simply “get away with it”? And who will ultimately pay the price for “cheaper cops.” I've always been proud of what I do and how I do it because “I made a difference."

Now it's your turn. If you care about this county, if you want to be able to look at yourself and know you did the right thing at the right time, then I urge you to con­tact your representative on the board and let them know that you value your local cops and the work they do. Let them know that you are ashamed of their conduct and appalled that they are asking those who put it all on the line to take a bigger hit than anyone else — those who have always answered the call day or night, late or early.

I will end this with one more fact for those on the anti-law enforcement side and what they need to know. The Deputy Sheriffs Association (of which I am a mem­ber) made a presentation to the Board of Supervisors where we will voluntarily take a 5% reduction in pay and we will pay for all of our own retirement (another 6% reduction in pay) and it was refused. Name any other county employees who have offered to take a harder it. We have always been there when the public needed us. Now we need you. Will you stand up and answer the call? Or will you sit on your hands while the County forces good cops to go elsewhere? When the ones who can, leave — what are you left with?

Kevin Bailey

Willits

PS. As I sit here trying to figure out how I am going to pay my bills, I recall the day my 3 year old son asked me why I was putting on a ballistic vest to go to work. I had no real wisdom for him that day, I hope I have a better answer for him when he asks why we can't afford to pay for college. I'm ashamed to be a resident of this county, but I'm even more ashamed that I don't have the balls to leave it. Tough times call for tough choices. Contact your Supervisor and let them know what you think about the way they treat your law enforcement professionals. If you don't know what I'm talking about read the docu­ment in the album on this page. Enough said!

Memo of the Week I

To Mr. Dan Edwards, President, Mendocino County Deputy Sheriffs Association

Re: County of Mendocino Last, Best and Final Offer

July 1, 2010

Dear Dan:

As you know, the County of Mendocino and the Men­docino County Deputy Sheriffs Association have not been able to reach agreement on a successor memoran­dum of agreement to the agreement that expired on April 1, 2010. Following numerous meet and confer sessions the parties reached a point where impasse was declared. We mutually agreed to go to mediation which was con­ducted by a mediator from the state media­tion/conciliation department. Our efforts in mediation were not successful. Therefore, at this time the county is issuing its last, best and final offer to the Association as follows:

1. Term: one year from date of adoption by the Board of Supervisors.

2. Effective with the first full pay period following adoption of the agreement by the board of supervisors all employees will receive a 10% reduction in salary.

3. Effective with the first full pay period following adoption of the agreement by the Board of Supervisors all employees shall pay the 6% employee contribution to the retirement fund that was previously paid by the County.

4. The attached prior tentative agreements shall be put in force and effect and are part of this offer.

Please advise me no later than July 12, 2010, if the Association is willing to accept this offer. If we have not heard from you by that date we will assume the Associa­tion does not accept the offer and the Board of Supervi­sors shall take whatever action it deems appropriate and in the best interest of the county.

Dan, do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this letter.

Sincerely,

Teresia Haase, Human Resources Director

Mendocino County, Ukiah

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NEWT, NEWT, NEWT

Editor,

Mea Culpa. In response to Michael Bear Parsons June 9th letter in the AVA, I must state that after due and deliberate reflection I've concluded that he's absolutely correct and I sincerely apologize for my intemperate remarks. In the future, if I'm fortunate enough to obtain some enlightening libertarian literature I will realize that these present-day onerous legal restrictions upon capit­alism have been harmful to us all. Hopefully, if I can absorb some of the mature libertarian ideology, this will help me grow up and stop my childish writing.

However, I must correct one minor error that Michael made. After serving 42 years of my 209 year sentence — 199 for shootouts with cops, then for attempted escape — they still won't let me vote. But if I could have voted I would like to think I'd have voted Libertarian.

Also, in my AVA letter, I believe that I actually wrote, “straight out of the Taliban textbook,” referring to the school board historical “twistifications” (a term Jef­ferson applied to the law).

Thank you Mr. Bear Carson for correcting my errone­ous belief that it was actually the United States forces, et al, that killed “millions” (although I can't seem to find that assertion in my letter): now I know it was the Taliban. Of course I also apologize to the 10 million. I hope they realize that.

I hadn't realized that Gingrich, the House speaker in 1995, was such a distinguished historian. By happen­stance, I'm currently typing portions of Al Franken's book, “Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot And Other Observations.” He’s now Senator Franken and he claimed his book was number one on the New York Times bestseller list. He elaborates on Newt’s career by stating, in part: page 56, “some of these ideas have not been popular among feminazis. Last January, while teaching his “renewing American civilization” course, Newt discussed some of the innate differences between the male of the species and the female: “if combat means living in a ditch, females have biological problems stay­ing in a ditch for 30 days because they get infections (in text). On the other hand, if combat means sitting on an aegis class cruiser managing the computer controls for 12 ships, a female may again be dramatically better than a male who gets very very frustrated sitting in a chair all the time because males are biologically driven to go out and hunt giraffes.”

Two images come to mind. The first is of the grass­lands of Africa during the Neolithic period. Rush, Newt and Bill Bennett, all 825 pounds of them, are trying to run down a giraffe. The giraffe is thinking, “No problem here.”

Page 54 (Newt divorced his wife while she was recov­ering from cancer surgery): he was late with his alimony payments and she had to take Newt to court twice to force him to provide adequate support for her and the girls and that her church took up a collection to help them get by. That we do know.

Page 58. But the core of Newt’s beliefs seems to be derived from the section entitled (the November 1955 Reader's Digest) “why do women go in for concerts and culture so much more than men?” “There is a biological basis. Such things call for sitting still, and it's hard for a man to sit still. Women's greatest avoirdupois is around her hips. This anchors her down in chairs and makes her more comfortable. A man is top-heavy with his maxi­mum weight around his chest and shoulders. He's built for action, not sitting. See? Just add the words ‘Aegis class cruiser’ and ‘giraffe’.”

Page 115, Bizarro Newt: “Most people don't know that it's illegal to pray. When they learn that a 10-year-old boy in St. Louis was put in detention for saying grace privately over his lunch, they think that's bizarre.”

Planet Earth: According to the school superintendent, the boy in St. Louis was not disciplined for praying. Prayer is not illegal in school. Organized prayer is pro­hibited.

Bizarro Newt: Gingrich claimed, also in December 1994, that 800 babies a year were being left in dumpsters in Washington DC.

Planet Earth: In this case Bizarro Newt was off by 795 babies. Four babies found in dumpsters in 1994 were rescued and cared for by government bureaucrats.

Bizarro Newt: In February 1995, Bizarro Newt told members of the National Restaurant Association that a federal shelter in Denver had 120 beds and cost $8.8 million a year to operate while a similar size but private shelter in the same area costs only $320,000 a year and saved more lives in the process. Members of the audi­ence gasped, “Oh my God!” and “Wow!"

Planet Earth: The “federal” shelter doesn't exist. What Bizarro Newt was apparently referring to is a rehab clinic run by Arapahoe House, Colorado's largest drug and alcohol treatment program which operates its multi­ple clinics and 16 school-based counseling programs at a total cost of $11 million of which $4.3 million is federal money.

Page 118. Still, there's nothing like a really dumb apocryphal horror story. Republican Congressman ... claimed on the House floor and in hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a guideline requiring that all 5 gallon and larger buckets used on worksites be built with a hole in them to “avoid the danger of somebody falling facedown in a bucket and drowning.” But no! This was David McIntosh of Indiana. Newt was much too sensible to have uttered such a cracked pot statement.

Page 158. Besides Gopac (Gingrich's political action committee) there is the tax exempt Progress and Free­dom Foundation, a “nonpartisan idea center” which has spent over $600,000 on Newt’s course and cable TV show. The thinktank gets a lot of its money from phar­maceutical and telecommunications companies. Which explains why a large part of the thinktank's agenda is devoted to degulating telecommunications and ridding America of the FDA.

Chapter 8 is entitled “Operation Chickenhawk” and depicts Newt, Phil Gramm, Limbaugh, Dan Quayle, George Will, Pat Buchanan, Clarence Thomas — all led by Lt. Oliver North (Republican warhawks all) on a combat patrol in Vietnam. This comedic scenario belit­tles our elected personnel in such a scandalous fashion that Franken should apologize.

Now we must consider some of the illustrious folks from Tex-a (whoops, there I go again — I suppose it's just the Peter Panism in me), a Republican congressman from Texas (there Mikey, I got it right) recently chas­tised Obama for “shaking down” British Petroleum. As well he should have. If libertarian principles were oper­ant, unfettered free markets wouldn't be subject to such unreasonable demands.

Undoubtedly, George W. Bush, who hails from the greatest state, will go down in history as one of the greatest presidents. We should ignore those naysayers who criticize him for executing 152 death row prisoners in Texas. After all, they were on death row, not life row. As for Iraq and Afghanistan wars, remember, he publicly stated that the Lord told him to strike those Arabs and so he did.

Don't forget the T state good old boys posting those billboards proclaiming how many criminals they would execute if they were elected governor and how most of them then fled the state.

In the book “Molly Ivins Can't Say That Can She?” it's reported that another big T candidate running for governor stayed at a very ritzy San Francisco hotel. When he showered he wrapped shower caps around his feet so as not to catch AIDS. In that sin-soaked city, one can't be too careful.

Ronald Del Raine

Florence, Colorado

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ARE YOU SITTING DOWN?

Dear AVA:

I am here at Avenal, 6-yard, one of the few non-pro­tective custody yards here. Protective custody yards are reserved for filth like the cho-mo Aaron Vargas exe­cuted. Bravo!

I am extremely disappointed to learn he is receiving nine years in prison for doing something that needed to be done a long time ago.

I too watched ABC’s 20/20 and I believe Vargas’s molester goy off too easy with his slow and painful death. If this fine country wants to do the right thing, issue Vargas a badge, a gun, a patrol car and put him up for Officer of the Year with a medal.

Aaron Vargas for judge.

This land is getting too soft on the most vile and dis­gusting of men. We need more men like Aaron Vargas willing to confront the pedophiles of this fine state. Maybe we would see a decrease in the number of child victims. One more injustice is now that Vargas has a fel­ony conviction, he can never possess a firearm in Cali­fornia again. One thing is for sure: when Aaron gets to prison he will be a hero to all who hear his story. That's one for the good guys.

The Smith incident in Willits proves that the law is too light on cho-mos and wierd scum like Smith. As for Smith in Willits, I find it utterly disgusting that a voted public official only sentenced him to probation and did not force this sex offender to register as one when he clearly is one. Smith abused his professional position and sexually abused a 15-year-old child. Are you kidding, Willits? The kids of Willits better try homeschooling where their fathers and mothers can protect them from such abuse. Obviously the judges now in Willits have failed the children in the community terribly.

Please publish this in honor of all the normal, stand up, righteous American men who were taught to protect the innocence of a child. If you publish this I would like to be known as

Tribe Riptarc

Avenal

PS. To all those Smiths out there: you should be urinat­ing sitting down for the rest of your life.

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RASTAFEST

To the Editor:

When I read the article about the World Music Festi­val in Boonville, a question came to mind that often comes to mind when I hear the term “world music.”

Just what is world music, anyway?

So I went to the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival website to try and find out. Checking out their lineup of artists, it is clear to me now: the “world” of world music is almost exclusively Jamaican with a little African and Latin influence thrown in for flavor. For all intents and purposes, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia barely exist.

I am reminded of the world map in the movie “The King And I” in which tiny Siam was the largest country on the map, all others shrunk to insignificance. Now I understand. The “world” of world music must be a very small world indeed.

Lawrence Ames

Ukiah

Memo of the Week II

Subject: Cigarette Butt Disposal

Date: July 2, 2010

(Mendocino County Employee Notification System)

Hello All:

The Mendocino County Water Agency is involved with the Public Education and Outreach element of the County Storm Water Program and would like to share some fliers that we are hoping you will post around your office.

Many people do not know that:

• Cigarette butts do not decompose as they are made of plastic fibers.

• Nicotine is a powerful, water soluble insecticide that is deadly to all aquatic life.

• Many animal species mistake cigarette butts for food and are either poisoned or injured after ingesting them.

• Cigarette butts are the most littered item worldwide, and they have a staggering impact both biologically and environmentally (141 million pounds of filters dumped in the US environment in 2005).

• We estimate that over 44,000 cigarette butts are thrown on the ground every day within the City of Ukiah, amounting to over 16,200,000/year. (Figures based on Ukiah smokers only using a pack a day and discarding 50% of the butts.)

Please see the enclosed photo showing the result of youths cleaning up after adults. As county employees our behaviors are examples to other people in our commu­nity. If you smoke, please be a responsible smoker and demonstrate leadership by discarding cigarette butts in an ashtray!

Thanks for your time, cooperation and consideration of posting these fliers!

— Mendocino County Water Agency Stormwater Team

(Do not reply to this message as this is an automated system.)

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CLASSIC WESTERN?

Editor,

Our local paper reported this bizarre love triangle.

“May 17 — a Felton woman reported that her horse had been tied to a tree and might have been sexually assaulted between 5 and 7:30pm at the Covered Bridge pasture in Felton. The horse suffered abrasions from being tied to the tree with a coarse rope. The woman later identified a man who the woman said she had seen naked from the waist down next to her horse. The man was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals.”

All of the ingredients of a classic Western are here: a man, a woman, a horse, and the sheriff. It appears that the man and the woman were competing for the affection of a horse. I find that disturbing.

If only Dr. Zack were around to advise. Thanks for your great newspaper!

Rodger Taylor

Felton

San Diego

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THE ROTTING FLESH FLOWER

Greetings, Mr. Anderson;

In case you're curious, one of the rarest plants in the world (the Amorphophallus titanium arum) is now blooming in the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. Dubbed the “corpse flower,” it's certainly one of the weirdest-looking blossoms on earth at nearly three feet across, rubbery-lipped and with a central shaft almost four feet high, but the looks are strictly for the tourists: it's the indelicate and pervasive scent of rotting flesh that attracts the flower's pollinators (flies) in such a unique fashion.

By next week it will all be over, so run, don't walk!

Best wishes,

JB Reynolds

Graton

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LOGO&CREW STEP UP

Dear Editor,

I want to publicly thank Logo and his crew from Life Works School for the community service they are pro­viding our community. They cut the hip-high grass in the community park by the Health Center and they came over and trimmed up the elementary school and pre­school.

The community park has been a wonderful example of how many hands have created a delightful resource for our valley. Thanks again Logo and boys for making our community a great place to live!

With gratitude,

Donna Pierson-Pugh, Principal

Anderson Valley Elementary School

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DYING OF PATIENCE

Editor,

Father: “Are you complaining, again?”

Son: “It hurts, okay?”

This seemingly innocent exchange personifies what ails the United States domestically, as well as interna­tionally. Clue: The disdainful manner in which they treat, each other.

Susie de Castro

Fort Bragg

PS. My father was a Periodontist (look it up), and a patient (no pun intended) person. He told me patience was like a muscle, exercise it!

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EXERCISE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR

Dear Bruce:

Electric vehicles are much in the news these days. Later this year, Nissan will be offering the Leaf. Ford will soon have an electric Focus. The Chinese are going to be producing and selling the Coda. And, of course, there's the Tesla Roadster — a screamer of a sports car that sells for more than a hundred grand.

There are many environmental advantages for going electric. But there's potential for public health benefits as well. Reduced air pollution is an obvious one. But, not so obvious, incontinence is another — and it's seldom dis­cussed. There should be a dramatic reduction in inconti­nence if EVs become common.

When I'm driving about in a gasoline-fueled vehicle I get very uneasy when the gas gage falls toward empty. I fret when I have but 25 or 30 miles of fuel remaining. It's especially worrisome at night.

I start watching for a service station. My stomach mus­cles tense up. I clench my teeth. And my nether regions, my pelvic floor (I'll call it that), tightens up. I don't think I'm unusual in this regard.

There's no relief until I find a station and fill 'er up.

With electric vehicles every trip will be in the limited range that causes such concern.

Initially, charging stations will be uncommon. Mil­lions of drivers will be wondering if they'll make it home on their remaining battery charge. (Some won't.) These drivers will be worried and tense — and exercising their pelvic floor muscles as I've described. In other words millions of people will, involuntarily, be performing Kegel exercises.

According to Wikipedia: Kegel exercises may be beneficial in treating urinary incontinence in both men and women. Kegel exercises may also increase sexual gratification.

Thus, with the use of electric vehicles, driver's pelvic floor muscle tone should improve, problems with incon­tinence will subside, sexual gratification will be enhanced and adult diaper sales will plummet. It can't get better than that.

Best regards,

Bart Boyer

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BULRUSHER ADVISOR

Editor,

Wonderful to hear that news of Vassar's performance of Bulrusher made it back to Boonville, however, I do not want to take credit for something I did not do. While Bulrusher was an amazing show put on by Vassar's old­est student-run theater group, and I was excited to work on it, I was not cast and did not perform in it. I served as the Boontling dialect coach, set consultant, and go-to for all things “Boonville,” but I didn't take a role in the play. The lead was, in fact, a close friend of mine from my Intro Drama class and fellow freshman Siobhan Mar­guerite (of Rhode Island). Just wanted to clear things up. Hopefully this coming semester I'll be able to get some time on stage for real.

Thanks,

Cassidy Hollinger

Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York

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HIP, HYPE, HOPE, HELL

Editor,

I gotta say it. Somewhere early on the O in that four letter word that everyone spouted with regards to Obama got switched to Y. That magical word? Hope. You do the substitution. The big difference between the Republicans and the Dems is that the former just do what they want, support corporations, squash the little guy etc., whereas the Dems do it smiling to us little guys promising stuff we won't get. With Obama in office we get nuclear power, more intensive war, a war on education, more stalling on immigrant laws, waffling to BP and let's not forget the big money grab that started his campaign. More corporate healthcare! Frankly I was suspicious when he had the same meal that Lincoln had in that lunch just after inauguration. Why I ask you? Or better yet, who cares?

We are left with all these corporate schmucks self-regu­lating themselves which is like giving the fox a barbecue, cookbook and da sauce. Chicken Kabobs! Americans con­tinue to buy into the corporate media which has very little bad to say about the administration or the company that funds them while we in truth fund it all! Imagine if we striked for real representation, for real regulation. But alas the media has got us all confused again.

I have to agree with the person who suggested that if corporations can have personhood, then they should be given the death penalty when they commit crimes that kill. For example BP, oil company be damned, maiming work­ers with no sense of safety. Hell, imagine what would hap­pen if we little folks did that. Ca chink, the big door closes as our assets go bye bye.

Meanwhile Israel continues to ethnically cleanse their "homeland" of Palestinians in the face of the world, while our government suggests they (Israel) should self-examine (self regulate) what went wrong. The irony of all of that was that one of those pirated ships was the Rachel Corey who is respected for standing her ground for fairness and sanity only to have the fair Israeli government mow her down via the cowardly soldier in a bulldozer who attacks unarmed peaceful folks, children and grandparents, not to mention innocent bystanders doing nothing. I mean, shooting people with sticks, a small knife maybe. Shouldn't they have had other countries involved to show how fair they were gonna be? We stand tall by this government so we can sell them more weapons because they hold us by the purse strings. I gotta say, and I am not talking about the Jewish people here, just the Israeli government. "Cut the cord, Obama, and put some part of the "O" back into H-pe. Funny, by substituting yet another vowel he could be hip, which rhymes with zip and is what we get for our democ­racy. There's trouble here in the good old USA.

Let's look to our determined regulators like the EPA whose 1976 toxic substance law was completely violated in its tenor, as they yielded to the life zapping grind of corpo­rations by grandfathering 80% of the toxic chemicals it was supposed to study and list. Now they have to do something as the European Union soars by this slow nag of a horse and runs circles around its sorry butt!

Got the EPA? Got Cancer!

Course, you could substitute the FDA or California Department of Pesticide Regulation (attempting to cram ultra toxic methyl iodide down our collective throats). You might wanna get 'Fighting Radiation and Chemical Pollut­ants with Foods, Herbs and Vitamins' by naturopath, Steve Scheckter. Why do we have to detox all the time? Got me!

Sherry Rogers book might have some special insight, "Detox or Die." If you are wondering where all these strange diseases and cancers come from. Well.

A good rant starting with Obama, Maybe there is hope, but I don't think it is in Washington DC.

Thanks, I feel a little better. Where's my antioxident here?  Oh, I will just eat some clay or charcoal to get rid of those quaint toxics.

Greg Krouse

Philo

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NEED HELP? CALL SIERRA

Dear Mr Anderson,

I, Sierra Kuny, would like to take the time to tell the community that from May 21-23 I attended the Northern California Youth Leadership Seminar at Menlo College.

The seminar includes over 300 sophomores from various schools all over Northern California, one sophomore from each eligible school. The students are challenged to do 100 hours of community service after the seminar. If they complete the hours by March of next year, they can return to the seminar as mentors to the new attendees. At the seminar we are challenged to be more conscious of ways to help our community and ourselves. We do many self-strengthening activities and many group activities to help us learn to work with our peers.

I made many new friends, but most important I have many ideas on how to bring our community and school together. I am looking for someplace to begin my volunteer hours so that next year I can return to the seminar and so I can continue being an active part of this community that we live in.

I would like to give a very special thanks to Mr James Dean of Unicorn School for fully sponsoring me for my trip to the seminar. He is always very kind not only to my family, since my mom works for him, but he is always willing to buy raffle tickets or whatever I show up at his doorstep with. Thank you Mr. Dean.

If you have any ideas for volunteer hours or know anyone in need of some help, please call 684-0783 and leave a message for me.

Thank you.

Sierra Kuny

Philo

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ON THE ROAD

Greetings one and all:

If you are seated comfortably I shall assume your out­house has not burned down. As I was making my rounds dispensing my approval of local dullness, I noticed some old phardt selling pictures of himself in a carnal embrace with Supervisor Smith. Can this be some sort of “in” joke? I couldn’t possibly comment. I could dither on about it, however…

I think that the Turkey Vulture should write a parody of the local scene before it turns into a state-mandated petting zoo. I also think the extended irony of multiple post-scripted kiss-offs would be a perfect venue for Mendo-cleansing, especially the recently adopted “keep the faith.” (PPS. No less.) Dare we suggest that the Faith is being kept by criminal dullards?

Suck deeply, have a nice cliché, take comfort in the bible and change your medication! Now!’

Banzai!

Ignatzio Hephalumpe

San Narcisco/Bellingham, Washington

PS. California Trainspotters #384: I think Jack Kerouac sucks. When Ginsburg was rallying support for Lenny Bruce in preparation for one of Bruce’s interminable court cases, Kerouac point-blank refused to participate because he didn’t approve of Bruce’s stance on religion. If he feels that way, he should live in a trailer with his mother until his self-aggrandizement takes over his head and smothers him. What? You’re kidding. Well, I rest my case.

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FOR A JAILHOUSE SCUFFLE?

Editor,

On the subject of wasting money the county does not have, I am an inmate at Mendocino County Jail. I agree with the stupidity of this new classification system described by Mr. Gibson in his recent letter, “Bad Clas­sifications.”

But I would like to touch on the issue of why I'm here: I am here because of an alleged altercation with another inmate which has somehow come to the attention of Special Agent Derek Hendry of the Task Force and our favorite District Attorney, Kitty Houston.

I bailed out on unrelated charges three days after the alleged incident, only to be arrested for it the next day. Why? The deputies at the jail don't understand the why or what of it. A seasoned sergeant at the jail didn't think it was worth pursuing criminal charges over, but Special Agent Hendry “heard about” the incident, found a judge to sign an arrest warrant and boom, I'm back in jail in less than 24 hours facing a felony. Did I mention that I’m African-American and that Hendry is partners/best bud­dies with the infamous Peter Hoyle? Yes, it's insane.

My point is that you can have a gang fight in jail and no one gets felony prosecutions yet Ms. Houston is pre­pared to go to trial looking for me to plead to something on a charge that at best is a misdemeanor. For that kind of abuse of power no wonder the county is broke. I also noticed that the “bully” tactics used against my public defender. In Mendocino County if you want to win in court you need a private attorney or a public defender who isn't intimidated by the District Attorney's Office.

Please inquire about this. I see it as discrimination on many different levels. Ms. Houston is really trying to send me to prison for being an addict on another misde­meanor charge. I have no problem doing my time. But I want the time to justify the crime. My bail bondsman won't come get me. My bail was raised even what while I was out on bail.

My public defender Dan “Doolittle” Haehl refuses to stress or convey that I'm on bail and not a threat to run, and I have no failures to appear. Yes, I have a “criminal history” locally. I've been around here over 20 years and I was implicated in one of the most infamous trials of the 90s, a racially charged case.

To summarize: Bailed, re-arrested, bail raised, look­ing at 7-10 years total prison time, fighting felony assault charges, District Attorney wants a felony plea and prison. I'm nothing more than a “good-natured addict” they're trying to send a prison again. My incident was with a Mexican who I believe was involved with that 51 pounds of meth case.

How the task force got involved over a jail matter I have no idea. Nevertheless, I “was still on bail.” Now good old Kitty has caused me and my cosigners big problems. I can't go to work because of two off-duty individual cops and an overzealous district attorney. So now my friends and I are having issues with possibly being sued for bail that I still owe.

Yours truly,

A Dark Citizen Darkly Convicted

Mendocino County Jail, Ukiah