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Posts published in “Essays”

The Siqueiros and the Gringo

A recent edition of Jeopardy featured Los Tres Grandes, the three famous muralists who challenged the social order in Mexico in the mid-20th Century. The correct response was Diego Rivera, the best known of the…

Congressional Attack

Preston Brooks entered the United States Senate chamber with a gutta percha walking cane in hand. The cane stood approximately waist high next to the thirty-six-year-old South Carolinian. The head of the cane was topped…

What Would Cockburn Say?

Never have I missed the insight and guidance of Alexander Cockburn as much as I do now. What would he make of the big mess in DC this week? When he referenced his ancestor, George…

Conan and the Vandals

It took another Barbarian to deliver the toughest talk to the Vandals and Goths who sacked the American Capitol last week. Whether any from these bearded, fur-clad tribes were listening to Conan the Californian seems…

Frustration Mounts Around COVID Vaccine Availability

Many people in our community are expressing frustration that we have not yet been able to give them the vaccine. The simple answer is that, we can’t vaccinate unless we have the vaccine to give them...

Got Covid? Check Your Chakras

A hard shot of COVID19 would be a shock to our system but not in the way medical experts think. Mendocino County is different, weirder and harder to figure. Assuming locals will respond to a…

The Mystery of the Broken Glasses

One morning in early March of 1971 I was one of the workmen gathered in the Laytonville State Highway Maintenance Yard awaiting instructions on the day's work. During this usual pre-work bull session I overheard…

Case Studies

A Misdemeanor in the Haight  July 26, 2001:  Officer flagged down by victim Joshua D.  Said he had just been assaulted. Showed officer bite on his neck. Pointed out man at Haight and Belvedere. Officers…

Halls of Memory

Berkeley, CA, January 11, 2021 — By now, you’ve probably seen the footage many times. Unless you’ve had the discipline and good sense to keep out of your life that which the unavoidable image merchants…

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