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MCT: Saturday, December 14, 2019

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SHOWERS WITH SNOW ABOVE 3000 FEET will spread into the area this afternoon and evening. Some showers may produce locally heavy rain mixed with small hail this evening along the coast. Drier weather is expected Sunday through Tuesday before another storm brings the potential for rain mid to late next week. (National Weather Service)

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HASCHAK AS HAMLET

On Monday, December 16 The Board of Supervisors will discuss “Possible Action Regarding Implementation of Measure V, ‘Declaring Intentionally Killed and Left Standing Trees a Public Nuisance.” (Sponsor: Supervisor Haschak)

In his August 29 Third District Supervisor Report, Supervisor Haschak declared, “There are many twists and turns to this saga, but the bottom line is that in 2016 County Counsel approved Measure V going on the ballot, the people voted for it, and it should be enforced. In the interest of my constituents and all the voters of Mendocino County, I will work with my colleagues on the Board to see that Measure V is fully implemented.”

Right after Measure V passed, MRC took the position that they were exempt from nuisance laws — including Measure V — based on California’s “Right to Farm” (trees) Ordinance. That dubious claim was submitted to the Attorney General’s office for an opinion. Two years later the AG boldy declared some kind of unspecified “conflict” which prevented them from issuing any opinion on the subject.

Then on November 18 of this year, Acting County Counsel Christian Curtis issued a formal and carefully considered opinion citing applicable sections of The Timberland Productivity Act of 1982, sections of federal occupational safety rules, and doubted that MRC’s hack&squirt tree poisoning practice is a “timber operation” under the law which would be entitled to immunity. Therefore, Curtis concluded, the County “does not see a basis for concluding that MRC has blanket immunity to Measure V.”

On December 7, Haschak’s position on Measure V had morphed into: “I have placed on the Board agenda for our Monday, December 16, meeting a discussion of the County’s enforcement mechanism. As your Third District Supervisor, I would like to see positive economic development happen rather than a drawn out legal battle with MRC over this contentious issue. … My hope is that jobs can be created and MRC’s forest practice of wasting this valuable resource can be ended.”

Several Measure V enforcement advocates have accused Haschak of meeting privately with MRC in recent weeks in advance of the enforcement discussion, presumably to make some dents in his earlier “should be enforced” position. We expect that Haschak’s private meetings, if any, will also be addressed on Monday.

It seems to us that rather than “discussing” the question of the enforceability of Measure V, Mendo should stand by its County Counsel’s ruling and simply tell MRC that Mendo intends to enforce the act — FIRST — then under that pressure, see how MRC reacts — after all, County Counsel Curtis already suggested as much anyway — since we have not seen a response from MRC concerning the County Counsel’s careful ruling.

The available record indicates that Haschak — in the grand tradition of many previous Mendo lib-labs — is falling victim to the rather transparent but historically effective stalling tactic from MRC. “Let’s discuss this,” “My hope is…” “Jobs…” “positive economic development” etc. — these kinds of irrelevant references are intended to obscure and further delay the question — already going on three years now since the passage of Measure V — and are a far cry from Haschak’s initial position that Measure V “should be enforced.”

(Mark Scaramella)

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LAYERS OF CANNABIS TAX MADNESS: "For example, if a retailer buys the product for $50 wholesale, their tax won’t be $7.50 (15% of $50), but rather $13.50, 15% of $90, the value when an 80% markup is added. That additional cost is expected to be passed on to consumers, many of whom say the increase could drive even more Californians to a thriving black market”.

And it is worth a mention that those who have already paid ALL their local Mendocino County non-refundable $1000s in fees to become legal, find out that the Sheriff Department's policy is to not chase nor prosecute illegal grows unless they violate one of the BIG 7 offenses, (e.g. trespass grows, environmental pollution, etc.).

Economics-101 “F“ grade for the State and County…

(Kathy Wylie)

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THE AFTER ACTION REPORT THAT ISN’T

THE CEO REPORT which accompanies next Tuesday’s Board agenda packet includes a way too late and way too long “After Action Report” supposedly about Mendo’s ill-managed response to the 2017 Redwood Complex Fire in Redwood and Potter Valley.

https://www.mendocinocounty.org/home/showdocument?id=31621

The ridiculously long and highly repetitive report is buried deep in the CEO report, probably in hopes that no one will see it or read it for fear that it would embarrass the CEO. The report was prepared by a Health and Human Services consultant named “Tamara Maciel Bannan, MPH with funding from Mendocino County.”

An on-line search showed that Ms. Bannan is a public health specialist who has no business preparing an after action report about an emergency or disaster response. She has no experience in preparing such reports, and should never have been contracted with to begin with. We can only assume that she got the contract because she is a friend or associate of CEO Angelo or HHSA Director Tammy Moss-Chandler. Mendo should have hired an independent senior emergency/disaster preparedness expert, not a public health specialist. Who approved this contract?

Ms. Bannan’s report is full of nebulous, non-specific “communications” and self-evident preparations shortfalls, frequently in revealingly unprofessional phrasing, saying, for example:

“Due to the use of different communication channels by fire and law enforcement the initial evacuation was a little uncoordinated. This was quickly rectified.”

“A little uncoordinated”?

Why not, “Kinda confused”?

Ms. Bannan neglects to mention how the problem was rectified nor does she address Mendo’s obsolete emergency services and law enforcement communications equipment.

Ms. Bannan also observed that there was “an initial lack of clarity.”

This coming from an consultant whose verbosity is the very epitome of “lack of clarity.”

Worse, Ms. Bannan never mentions warning systems or processes nor does she inventory the Emergency Operations Center equipment and staffing against any standard throughout her 43 pages, much less any evaluation of them. How can an “after action report” be released without addressing warning systems or the outfitting and staffing of the Emergency Operations Center?

Among the other lowlights of Ms. Bannan’s embarassingly awful report were such comments as:

“Computer hardware previously purchased required imaging to become functional.” (?)

“Many of the staff that first arrived at the EOC had not been trained nor had they exercised opening and running the EOC.”

“It took longer than it should to bring the EOC to full readiness.”

“…longer than it should”? No shit, Sherlock.

Ms. Bannan concludes: “The overall recommendations for an improved disaster response in Mendocino County mostly address the need for increased preparation, so that the next time there is a red flag warning, residents and responders will be informed and better prepared. It is not expected that Mendocino County staff take all of them on at once. Rather, teams of staff should be identified to address each of the improvements to be made over time. They would be tasked with prioritizing based on things [sic] that could be done quickly, easily, and little cost [sic]. Those items that would require more coordination and cross-sector involvement [sic] would need a detailed implementation plan with associated costs for the improvement.”

This is pure filler. County staff have already improved preparation to some degree out of necessity leading up to last fall’s Power Shutoff’s forced it on them — never mind that they had plenty of warning that a shut-off was coming, unlike the Redwood Complex fire which tested Mendo’s quick response to beyond its capacities.

The rest of Ms. Bannan’s recommendations are so self-evident or vague that they will be totally ignored. CEO Angelo doesn’t even bother to mention any plans for upgrades in preparation or communications in her own portion of the CEO report.

When we looked for how Ms. Bannan somehow became Mendo’s point person for the long-awaited “after action report” we were only able to find that she had previous consulted with Mendo’s Health and Human Services Agency in October of 2017 for $107k (!) to “Facilitate Public Health Accreditation Readiness Activities and Assist with the Whole Person Care Pilot Project in Fiscal Year 2017-18.”

We could not find any mention of her being selected for the After Action report nor could we find any other After Action Reports by Ms. Bannan in any other context.

We’ve seen more than our share of money wasted by Mendo on meaningless consulting reports that check off a bureaucratic box that nobody reads and then collect dust. But here the subject is an important one like disaster preparedness. And we know by actions taken since the Redwood Complex fire – wildland camera projects, siren grant applications, microwave equipment replacement projects, reverse 911 upgrades, social media usage, to name a few — that there are still major gaps in Mendo’s disaster preparaedness that need to be highlighted, but none of which are mentioned by Ms. Bannan.

So the waste in this case is particularly galling since we still need a real After Action Report. But we won’t get one because Ms. Bannan’s useless gibberish has the demonstrably false title of “After Action Report.”

We asked for an After Action Report and all we got was this lousy t-shirt. Mendo should be ashamed.

(Mark Scaramella)

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WHAT ABOUT THE FISH?

To the Editor:

In a article in the Ukiah Daily Journal, “Firm hired to study options for Potter Valley Project,” I noted the significant emphasis on a reliable water supply resulting from the ‘Two Basin Solution’ for our important Eel and Russian Rivers, which are impacted by the Potter Valley Project. What the article failed to specifically mention, however, was the other key component of any solution coming from the relicensing and reconfiguration of the project: volitional fish passage. Reestablishing the ability of salmon and steelhead trout to swim to historic spawning habitat above Scott Dam on the Eel will be “required,” according to state and federal fisheries managers.

The Eel River watershed is California’s third largest salmon-bearing system, but it currently only produces around two percent of its historic runs. Commercial and sport fishermen, tribes, and tourist industries in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties would greatly benefit from recovery of Eel River salmon.

All groups that are engaging meaningfully in the Potter Valley Project relicensing process have agreed to two co-equal goals. The first is to improve fish passage and habitat on the Eel River sufficient to support recovery of naturally reproducing, self-sustaining and harvestable native anadromous fish populations including migratory access upstream and downstream at current project dam locations. The second is to minimize or avoid adverse impacts to water supply reliability, fisheries, water quality and recreation in the Russian River and Eel River basins.

Please ensure that your coverage of the Potter Valley Project reflects all aspects of this important conversation.

Vivian Helliwell

Kneeland

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PAVED REDWOOD HIGHWAY/future US 101 at Scotia, 1920s.

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MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT ACT CITIZEN'S OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

MEETING AGENDA

Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital

Sea Biscuit Conference Room

1 Marcela Drive, Willits, CA

December 18, 2019 - 1:00 PM

Key Excerpts:

. . .

Update Regarding December 10, 2019, Board of Supervisors Meeting Regarding Direction to Perform an Operational Feasibility Study of Proposed Measure B Funded Facilities

Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Update on Status of the Architect RFQ and Related Feasibility Study, Including a Recommendation to the Board of Supervisors

. . .

Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Development of Measure B Budget

Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Reorganization of Measure B Committee Structure

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MAIL BOX BANDIDOS

On Monday, December 9, 2019 at approximately 5:44 PM., Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were conducting a surveillance operation in the 200 block of East School Way in Redwood Valley. During that time, Deputies observed Julia Hutchins, 51, of Redwood Valley, and Leslie Mishou, 50, of Ukiah, committing theft of property from a roadside mailbox.

Hutchins, Mishou

The property was less than $950 in value. Deputies contacted/arrested Hutchins and Mishou for Conspiracy and Mail Theft. Both Hutchins and Mishou were determined to be in violation of their active summary probation terms and were additionally charged with violation of probation. Hutchins and Mishou were transported to the Mendocino County Jail where both were booked to be held in lieu of $10,000 bail.

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CASEY AT THE TWEEK

On Monday, December 9, 2019 at approximately 4:45 PM, Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies received information from a concerned citizen that Hunter Scott Casey, 21, of Fort Bragg, was observed near an apartment complex in the 400 block of South Street, in Fort Bragg.

Casey

Casey had an active Felony Arrest Warrant issued for violations of his felony probation terms. Deputies and Officers from the Fort Bragg Police Department had been looking for Casey throughout the day, due to him being identified as a suspect in an earlier theft that occurred in the City of Fort Bragg. During the investigation into the theft, Casey fled into dense brush and was not located at that time. Deputies were also attempting to locate Casey, as he was identified as a suspect in a recent theft investigation that occurred on Monday, December 2, 2019 in the 31000 block of Turner Road, Fort Bragg. Deputies and Fort Bragg Police Officers quickly coordinated a plan to apprehend Casey and responded to the area. Upon observing a Mendocino Sheriff's patrol vehicle, Casey immediately ran through the apartment complex. Deputies initiated a foot pursuit and were quickly joined by awaiting Fort Bragg Police Officers, who had established a perimeter. Casey ignored multiple verbal commands to stop and he continued running around buildings until he was apprehended near the 700 block of River Drive. During a search of Casey, Deputies located suspected methamphetamine and an Airsoft BB gun that was painted black to make it appear to be a real firearm. Deputies also located evidence that directly linked him to the theft that occurred in the 31000 block of Turner Road. Casey was arrested for his Felony Arrest Warrant, Resisting Arrest, Violation of Felony Probation, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Casey was booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held on a No Bail status.

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NARCAN RESCUE

On Friday, December 6, 2019 at 8:35 AM, Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to a medical aid involving a possible overdose situation at a residence in the 4900 block of North State Street in Ukiah. Sheriff's Deputies arrived at the residence prior to medical responders and immediately began rendering aid to a 36 year-old female who was showing signs of a fatal narcotic related overdose. Sheriff's Deputies administered two 4-milligram dosage units of NARCAN to the 36 year-old female and she responded to the opioid antidote medication and began to awaken. Fire Department and ambulance personnel arrived and took over further medical treatment. While on scene, Deputies learned the 36 year-old female had been injected with heroin approximately 20-30 minutes prior to the Deputies arrival. Earlier this year, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office began to issue NARCAN (Naloxone HCI) nasal spray dosage units to its employees as part of their assigned personal protective equipment. MCSO's goal is in protecting the public and officers from opioid overdoses. Access to naloxone is now considered vital in the U.S. The Center for Disease Control. The California Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard reports Mendocino County ranking, per capita, third in all opioid overdose deaths. (https://discovery.cdph.ca.gov/CDIC/ODdash/) Narcan nasal spray units are widely known to reverse opioid overdose situations in adults and children. Each nasal spray device contains a four milligram dose, according to the manufacturer. Naloxone Hydrochloride, more commonly known by the brand name NARCAN, blocks the life-threatening effects of opioid overdose (both medications and narcotics) including extreme drowsiness, slowed breathing, or loss of consciousness. The antidote can reverse the effects of an overdose for up to an hour, but anyone who administers the overdose reversal medication in a non-medical setting is advised to seek emergency medical help right away. The spray units can also be used by Public Safety Professionals who are unknowingly or accidentally exposed to potentially fatal amounts of fentanyl from skin absorption or inhalation. The issuance of the Narcan nasal units, thus far, have been to employees assigned to the Field Services Division and the Mendocino County Jail medical staff. Employees are required to attend user training prior to being issued the medication. Sheriff Thomas D. Allman would like to thank the Mendocino County HHSA Public Health for providing the Narcan nasal units to the Sheriff's Office free of charge as part of the Free Narcan Grant from the California Department of Public Health.

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CATCH OF THE DAY, December 13, 2019

Barr, Beers, Cullling

WALTER BARR, Redwood Valley. DUI, probation revocation.

MICHAEL BEERS, Ukiah. Vandalism, probation revocation. (Frequent Flyer)

HACK CULLING JR., Fairfield/Ukiah. More than an ounce of pot.

Fontaine-Tucker, Gomolicke, Martinez

HEIDI FONTAINE-TUCKER, Willits. Under influence, probation revocation.

LEONARD GOMOLICKE, Laytonville. DUI, controlled substance.

JORGE MARTINEZ, Ukiah. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

Medina, Nagy, Schuetz, Shepherd

JOSHUA MEDINA, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

JASON NAGY, Fort Bragg. DUI.

PATRICK SCHUETZ, Ukiah. Under influence, county parole violation, probation revocation.

RANDALL, SHEPHERD, Fremont/Ukiah. DUI, paraphernalia.

Still, Thomas, Tillman

AARON STILL, Willits. Controlled substance, paraphernalia, probation revocation.

KELLAN THOMAS, Chico/Willits. DUI, suspende license (for DUI), probation revocation.

TASHINA TILLMAN, Willits. Trespassing, probation revocation.

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GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE SUICIDE NET DELAYED TWO YEARS

SAN FRANCISCO — Construction of a suicide prevention net at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is two years behind schedule because of problems with the lead contractor, officials said.

sfgate.com/news/article/Golden-Gate-Bridge-suicide-nets-delayed-two-years-14902391.php

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SPAGHETTI DINNER, WHITESBORO GRANGE SATURDAY

Spaghetti Christmas Dinner, Saturday from 4-7 at Whitesboro Grange. Come and enjoy the warmth of community and support the Volunteer Fire Dept, and local families who may need a hand. Adults $8, Tweens (6-12) half price, under 6 eat FREE. The Grange is located 1.5 miles east on Navarro Ridge Road. Bob Canclini's famous sauce (meat or vegi) salad, garlic bread, home made pie or cake for dessert, and all beverages included. All are welcome, bring your guests and that neighbor whose mower you've been borrowing, or the neighbor who keeps returning your chickens (or dog) when they wander onto his property, or the new neighbor that doesn't know about our wonderful dinner. Perfect opportunity to do a surprise something nice for someone.

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(Via MendocinoSportsPlus)

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TWO FOR ONE HOLIDAY SPECIAL

by James Kunstler

Hillary Clinton sure got her money’s worth with the Fusion GPS deal: it induced a three-year psychotic break in the body politic, destroyed the legitimacy of federal law enforcement, turned a once-proud, free, and rational press into an infernal engine of bad faith, and is finally leading her Democratic Party to an ignominious suicide. And the damage is far from complete. It’s even possible that Mrs. Clinton will return to personally escort the party over the cliff when, as is rumored lately, she jumps into the primary contest and snatches the gonfalon of leadership from the ailing old man of the sclerotic status quo, Uncle Joe Biden.

The citizens of this foundering polity have been subjected to a stunning doubleheader of political spectacle clear through the week. On Monday, the Horowitz Report was briefly celebrated by the Left for claiming “no bias” and a “reasonable predicate” for the RussiaGate mess — until auditors actually got to read the 400-plus-page document and discovered that it was absolutely stuffed with incriminating details that Mr. Horowitz was too polite, too coy, or too faint-hearted to identify as acts worthy of referral for prosecution.

Mr. Barr, the attorney general, and US attorney John Durham immediately stepped up to set the record straight, namely, that this was hardly the end of the matter and that they were privy to fact-trains of evidence that would lead, by-and-by, to a quite different conclusion. This reality-test was greeted, of course, with shrieking for their dismissal from the Jacobin Left. But then at mid-week, Mr. Horowitz put in a personal appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee and left no doubt that entire RussiaGate extravaganza was spawned by Fusion GPS’s utterly false Steele dossier and the so-called “Intel Community’s” zeal for weaponizing it to overthrow the president.

The shock-waves from all that still pulsate through the disordered collective consciousness of this sore-beset republic, and will disturb the sleep of many former and current officials for months to come as the specter of Barr & Durham transmutes into a nightmare of Hammer & Tongs, perp-walks, and actual prosecutions. The utter falsity of the Steele dossier seems not to have yet penetrated the minds of Dean Baquet and Martin Baron, editors of The New York Times and The Washington Post, the head cheerleaders for the seditious coup by the security state. Their obdurate mendacity can no longer be attributed to a simple quest for clicks and eyeballs. It speaks to a sickness of mind that has infected the whole thinking class of America as it succumbed to the ultimate smashing of boundaries: the one between what is real and what is not real (or what is true and what is not true.)

All the week long, the Horowitz Report and its aftershocks were attended by the impeachment show in Jerrold Nadler’s House Judiciary Committee — an exercise so devoid of sense and prudence that it would embarrass all the kangaroos ever assembled in the courts of legend. As I write early Friday morning, Mr. Nadler’s majority is preparing to report out two dubious articles of impeachment: “abuse of power” and “contempt of congress.” As is always the case with the Resistance, Mr. Nadler’s posse is projecting on its enemy the very offenses it commits. One senses that the voters are seeing through this feeble hocus-pocus, and that even members of the greater Democratic caucus in the house may be getting the heebie-jeebies about staking their political futures on a vote for this idiocy.

A trial in the senate would be a ripe entertainment fer sure! Bring it on! For one thing, the procedure would ascertain finally that Mr. Eric Ciaramella does not qualify as a “whistleblower” but is rather a rogue CIA agent (from a rogue agency) helping to carry out a seditious conspiracy. The defense should call him to the stand, along with his enabler Michael Atkinson, the “Intel Community” Inspector General who flouted and altered the rules in the whistleblower ploy — and who, by the way, was formerly at the center of the RussiaGate mess when he worked as chief counsel to then assistant attorney general John P. Carlin, one of the instigators of the “Crossfire Hurricane” overture to RussiaGate. It could benefit the nation to hear testimony from shrinking violet Gina Haspel, the current CIA Director nobody has ever heard of. What does she know about Mr. Ciaramella’s role in this melodrama, who detailed him to the National Security Council, who supervised him, and who exactly were his associates?

And, of course, not a few fair-minded people would be interested to hear from Rep. Adam Schiff, who engineered the “whistleblower’s” entry into his concocted UkraineGate sequel to the now discredited RussiaGate ruse. Get Mr. Schiff under oath. He is almost certain to lie about his activities, and that will certainly get him expelled from congress in disgrace, along with losing his license to practice law. Bring in Hunter Biden and ask him to explain whether he was busted for crack cocaine in a rent-a-car before-or-after he was hired to serve on the board of directors of a Ukrainian gas company. Bring in Lt. Col. Vindman, bring in Daniel Goldman, bring them all in and compel their testimony under penalty of perjury. This will eventually get America right in its weakened mind.

(Support Kunstler’s writing by visiting his Patreon Page.)

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THE ABSINTHE DRINKER By Viktor Oliva, Czech Artist Circa 1901

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THE RIGHT AND WRONG LESSONS FROM CORBYN AND LABOUR’S DEFEAT

by John Judis

Here are some observations from an outsider about Labour’s crushing defeat in Britain’s election on Thursday. There are some lessons here for the American left and liberals in the upcoming American elections.

The Brexit Factor: Labour lost — leave aside the margin for a moment — because leftwing parties cannot deal with secession crises. Leftwing parties base their appeal on class conflict (however ill defined); secession crises create conflicting cleavages around national identity. Those cleavages split Labour’s constituencies and pretty much insured the party’s defeat.

The only way leftwing parties can prevail or even do OK during secession crises is if the opposition is corrupt (which is how Spain’s Socialists supplanted the People’s Party earlier this year during the Catalonian secession crisis) or incompetent (which is how Jeremy Corbyn and Labour almost defeated Theresa May and the Tories in June 2017). Otherwise they are cooked.

And in this election, Labour faced two secession crises: Brexit and Scotland (where the SNP, a leftwing party, has replaced Labour as Scotland’s main party). And Labour didn’t face an incompetent leader. On the contrary, Boris Johnson showed mastery in getting a Brexit deal through Parliament this fall and in fashioning a campaign meant to attract Labour’s working class constituents. (And spare me the analyses that Labour should have become unequivocally pro-remain. That certainly didn’t help the Liberal Democrats and Jo Swinson, who couldn’t even win her own seat.)

The Corbyn Factor: But if you want to look at the extent of Labour’s loss, you do have to look at Corbyn’s role. Corbyn was a backbencher who was thrust into the leadership almost by default and chance in 2015. He is a child of the upper middle class and did not represent a traditional working class district. He was an old-time anti-imperialist from the ‘70s. (In the U.S., the equivalent would have gone back to the ‘60s.) Preoccupied with foreign relations, deeply suspicious of the U.S. and his own country’s adventures and sympathetic to any challenges to their power, whether from the IRA, Cuba, Venezuela, or Russia.

Corbyn was clearly unable to quell the anti-Semitism among some of the fringe elements that came into Labour after 2015 when the party gained 500,000 members. But he was not an anti-Semite; he was pro-Palestinian, and deeply opposed (as am I) to Israel’s occupation and also sympathetic to its foes, including Hamas. It was not that these stances were wrong — although certainly open to question as regards, say, Venezuela — but that they bespoke a mindset that was not really in line with a 21st century electorate. He was an anachronism. I think that contributed to the widespread view that he was not prime minister material. (Corbyn is sometimes compared to Bernie Sanders who is also an anti-war leftist who ran on that platform in the 70s, but Sanders matured politically as mayor of Burlington and as a congressman. When he ran in 2016, he was faulted for confining his foreign policy statements to his vote on the Iraq War.)

The Leftwing Factor: Some of the commentators are blaming Labour’s defeat on its “hard left” positions. I think you have to draw a very careful distinction here — one that is relevant to America’s upcoming election. Under Corbyn and his shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Labour forthrightly challenged the Tory’s austerity policies under former Prime Minister David Cameron. That stand proved enormously popular and contributed to Corbyn’s near win in 2017. In this election, Boris Johnson moved to the center to embrace Labour’s anti-austerity stance. Johnson favored increased not decreased funding for Britain’s National Health Service and promised tax cuts for the middle and lower ends of the income ladder not the top. That was testimony to Labour’s success in turning Britain against austerity and budget balancing and privatization.

Corbyn and Labour might have gone too far in some of their spending proposals and some of their plans for nationalization, but from what I read, and the polls I’ve seen, these stances did not hurt Labour’s chance and may have helped in some cases.

What probably hurt Labour were the extreme stances taken on immigration (open borders), British nationality (Britain should apologize and pay reparations for its colonial past), and the Green New Deal by the younger leftists who had come into the party over the last four years and joined Momentum, Labour’s main activist group. They spoke of eliminating any bars on who was a citizen and who could vote in national elections; they warned of imminent planetary disaster and proposed steps that were widely seen as threatening the country’s standard of living.

Say what you want about these proposals, but they reflected — to invert Labour’s slogan — the passions of the few, not the many and were bound to marginalize the party.

The UK’s future: I read predictions (along the same lines as in the US) that Johnson now has a chance to remake the Tories into a working class party and to keep Labour out of power well through the next decade. Maybe he will be able to do so. Johnson is a far abler politician than Donald Trump, and he also knows something of his country’s political history and has been consciously mimicking Benjamin Disraeli’s “One Nation” conservatism that sought to unite the working class and aristocracy against the uppity bourgeoisie. But to transform the Tories and keep Labour at bay, Johnson will have to accomplish a trade deal with the European Union (which is no mean task) and prevent a downturn in the British economy as its trade with the EU inevitably shrinks either absolutely or proportionately. And he will have to convince his upper class and business constituencies to abandon their dreams of a deregulated Singapore on the Thames. If Johnson turns his back on his working class vote, and if the country suffers a downturn, Labour can still call on a quarter of the workforce that belongs to unions and that when the cleavages are economic, will — absent the party’s takeover by neo-Trotskyites — come back to the Labour Party. Johnson’s Tories could suffer the fate of Canada’s Conservatives who were rudely ousted in 2015. Labour is not finished even if Jeremy Corbyn is.

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POINT ARENA CITY COUNCIL

AGENDA – DECEMBER 17, 2019

REGULAR SESSION – 6:00 P.M.

City Hall — 451 School Street

drive.google.com/open?id=1onr-dnVURhe5nOQufFPCbfaPHh3IeVHF

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THROW THAT POT!

Three Ceramics Workshops Starting in January

The Mendocino Art Center will be offering three ceramics workshops starting in early January, which will meet once or twice per week and continue for six weeks. Taught by three of our talented Artists in Residence – Carey Nathanson, Myung Ahn and Austyn Taylor – these workshops are a great opportunity to learn new ceramics techniques.


Ceramics Handbuilding

Instructor: Carey Nathanson

January 7–February 13, 2020 (Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10am–12pm)

Handbuilding techniques were the first techniques employed to make the earliest ceramic pieces, and they are still the most versatile and accessible techniques today. This six-week course is designed for ceramic artists of all levels. Through demonstrations and projects we will cover slab, coil, pinch and solid construction methods to build functional and sculptural forms. Projects will be tailored to fit each student’s skill and experience level. In the last half of the class students will learn about glazes and glaze firings and there will be gas reduction and electric glaze firing options. Tuesday classes will be demonstration and project introduction time. Thursday classes will be more open studio style student work time with some guidance from the teacher. There will also be Open Studio time available to students on Sundays, 11am to 1pm, with no teacher guidance.

More information and register online:

http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/Winter20/Nathanson.html


Using The Potter’s Wheel

Instructor: Myung Ahn

January 7–February 13, 2020 (Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6pm–8pm)

The Potter’s Wheel is a quintessential tool in the history of ceramics. It is a beautiful thing to operate and even simply watching a potter on the wheel can be meditative and relaxing. A skilled potter makes the process look effortless, but the reality is the potter’s wheel is a very difficult thing to master. This six-week course is designed for beginning and intermediate wheel throwers, no experience is necessary. Students will develop strong foundational techniques of centering, pulling and shaping clay on the potter’s wheel that will improve even an experienced wheel thrower’s abilities. The class will also cover trimming and decorating on the wheel, and students will have both reduction and oxidation firing options for their work. If you have ever been interested in the wheel, have tried it and would like to get back into the practice, or would like to improve your skills, this is a great class for you. Tuesday classes will be demonstration and project introduction time. Thursday classes will be more open studio style student work time with some guidance from the teacher. There will also be Open Studio time available to students on Sundays, 11am to 1pm, with no teacher guidance.

More information and register online:

http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/Winter20/Ahn.html


Glaze Chemistry: Making Glazes Better And Glazing More Fun

Instructor: Austyn Taylor

January 8–February 12, 2020 (Wednesdays, 10am–12pm)

This class is designed to demystify glazes in order to expand creative freedom and foster more curiosity and excitement in the glazing process. This six-week course will start with basic glaze chemistry and material science including basic techniques for testing new glazes. From there students will be taught how to mix their own glazes following a recipe and how to approach developing their own glaze. We will also experiment with creating new glazes by mixing existing glazes together and adding new materials to commercial glazes to create unique surfaces. This class will have a small "homework" research component. There will be open studio availability on Sundays, 11am to 1pm.

More information and register online:

http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/Winter20/Taylor.html

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AN AMERICAN HERO: BAR CODE DEVELOPER DIES

George J. Laurer, whose design of the vertically striped bar code sped supermarket checkout lines, parcel deliveries and assembly lines and even transformed human beings, including airline passengers and hospital patients, into traceable inventory items, died on Dec. 5 at his home in Wendell, North Carolina, near Raleigh. He was 94…

The Universal Product Code made its official debut in 1974, when a scanner registered 67 cents for a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum at a Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio. (One of the original scanners is at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History; the package of gum was bought and retained by a Marsh executive.)

“It was cheap, and it was needed,” Mr. Laurer told The New York Times in 2009. “And it is reliable.”

And it revolutionized commerce…

The bar code increased the speed of checkout lines by some 40 percent, eliminated labor-intensive placement of price tags on every product, and resulted in fewer register errors and more efficient inventory controls.

The code even made a cameo appearance in presidential politics and became lodged in urban legend.

During the 1992 primary campaign, it was widely reported, in The New York Times and elsewhere, that President George Bush was so out of touch with average Americans that he was baffled by a supermarket bar code scanner he encountered at a grocers’ convention..

* * *

* * *

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

The majority in the House (Dems) knew from the onset that impeachment of the President would not succeed in the Senate with a conviction. Absent a criminal offense charge (Obstruction of Congress and Abuse of Office are not criminal offenses), there is a slim chance any court in the land would allow the evidence the Dems presented in this purely partisan impeachment circus. The same holds true for the Senate. The Dems and the media have been looking for an opportunity to impeach the President since the day he won the election. As you know, the minimum requirement to begin impeachment includes bi-partisan support in Congress and overwhelming support of the public. This case had neither. So why did the Dems in the House do this? It’s a horrible precedent that I don’t want to see happen again. This is exactly what the framers of the Constitution feared.

* * *

* * *

COTATI ACCORDION FESTIVAL DONATIONS AND 30TH ANNIVERSARY

This past November 19th & 20th, the Cotati Accordion Festival was fortunate enough to donate a total of $23,000.00 to five different local youth groups. The non-profit, multi-cultural Cotati Accordion Festival will return to La Plaza Park for the grand celebration of its 30th Anniversary on August 22nd & 23rd to, once again, feature the best accordion talent that the world has to offer. The donation recipients included the music program at the Thomas Page Academy; the 6th Grade Outdoor Education Program at Penngrove Elementary School; the Boy Scout Troop #4 annual camping trip; the Cotati/Rohnert Park Nursery Co-op; and the Cotati/Rohnert Park Education Foundation. For more info call Scott Goree at 707 479-5481; email at info@cotatifest.com; or go to www.cotatifest.com.

* * *

* * *

ANTI-VAXX MISINFORMATION SPECIALIST, Inger Grape wrote on yesterday’s Coast Listerve:

Are you saying that, even if you see devastation from these vaccines, you are not allowed to speak out if you are not a doctor? Just last week one parent told me about a child he knew that stopped speaking after a round of vaccines; another child went blind after the flu vaccine. The vaccines contain heavy metals like aluminum and mercury, and the doses are the same for a 300-lb man as they are for a baby! How is this scientific? Are you saying that I should just shut up about this if I'm not a doctor?

For your information, dear Kathy W., doctors and medical professionals learn nothing about vaccines in their professional training besides the CDC schedule. That is according to what they have told me and others who are keeping track of this. You could try with your doctor -- ask if he/she knows any of the ingredients, like aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG. You can go on even a Merck website and look this up. BS? Then you are not well informed.

Do you call BS on this CDC paper too? "Vital Statistics Rates in the United States 1940-1960."

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/vsrates1940_60.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1sX3IO4MkypLIpqDNiFkJhXOUFjB67LmSEKtLP55lzDLmXCQUN7euyMT8

Notice measles on p. 93 (the old document page says "85") -- the death rates pretty much flatlined around 1950; the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963. Look up all the other diseases in this paper, like diphtheria. Same thing. That's BS too?

Is it BS that since we instituted forced vaccines in this state a couple of years ago, special ed budgets have risen by 15 to 25%?

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article224309595.html

Inger Grape

Microcurrent therapy

Bowen soft-tissue therapy

ReboundAIR teacher/distributor

current-painrelief.com


ROBERT SW responded:

You suggest that we should base our opinions on personal experience instead of science. In that case, I submit that my personal experience includes at least a dozen children who were deafened and some blinded by 3-Day measles prior to introduction of a quick safe vaccine for that apparently harmless disease. My experience was with a tiny fraction of those impacted by the epidemic that swept the country in the late fifties and sixties.

Also in my experience were classmates who died or were crippled by polio prior to Salk’s miraculous preventive. That dread disease continues to take a toll in Africa. Watch the You Tube video of an infant suffering from whooping cough, then measure the experience against the hearsay from a desperate parent trying to find an explanation for their child’s autism.

* * *

FOUND OBJECT

20 Comments

    • Bruce Anderson December 14, 2019

      Will you please just go away, two-note Johnny. Your obvious anti-Semitism and racism, stupidly and tiresomely repeated every day, is about to get you permanently banned.

      • Kathy December 14, 2019

        I second that comment Bruce! Mr. Spittle is just plain gross…

  1. James Marmon December 14, 2019

    So, another homeless man found dead in Ukiah, this time in a creek bed behind the parking lot near Big Lots on South Orchard Avenue. If you recall, Charles Hensley was found at Home Depot on North Orchard Avenue.

    https://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/2019/12/13/body-found-in-ukiah-creek-friday/?utm_content=fb-theukiahdailyjournal&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR0ctc-jfjJF_ft-reeePO6FXyoTcJ857fGj2W5d6v32KQ6Fb2tdHfBa61c

  2. Lazarus December 14, 2019

    FOUND OBJECT

    From her pursed lips to your ears…HRC/2020?

    As always,
    Laz

  3. John Sakowicz December 14, 2019

    FOUND OBJECT

    Definition

    apple cheeks

    Cheekbones that are round and plump like an apple
    seen mostly on girls and older villainous politicians.
    .
    You will see apple cheeks more on rounder faces.
    .

    “I have apple cheeks, and everyone wants to pinch them.”

  4. Jeff Fox December 14, 2019

    RE: THE AFTER ACTION REPORT THAT ISN’T

    “Computer hardware previously purchased required imaging to become functional.”

    From an old I.T guy: This poorly worded sentence refers to preparing a new-in-box PC for use in an organization. An “image” is I.T. speak for the customized copy of Windows that lives on the PC, complete with all of the specialized programs an employee needs to function. “Imaging” refers to the process of copying this image to a new PC and getting it ready for use. This process can take hours per PC depending on the organization and software used.

    So the bottom line is that while they physically possessed PCs for Emergency Operations, they were useless because they had not been prepared for use, which of course misses the point of being ready for an emergency. They had to undertake this time consuming task after the emergency started, which delayed their ability to manage the situation.

  5. Stephen Rosenthal December 14, 2019

    FOUND OBJECT: Hillary Clinton to star in Bride of Chucky Returns. Since she won’t require any makeup for the role, producers hope to release the film by Christmas.

    • Harvey Reading December 14, 2019

      Excellent.

  6. Eric Sunswheat December 14, 2019

    Published: 12.14.19
    Professor Solomon Shtamer, head of the research unit at the oncological wing of Beilinson Medical Center and one of the researchers, said: “This study proves beyond all shadow of a doubt, that chemotherapy could be avoided for most women who discover they have breast cancer in its early stages.”…

    This is an important revelation in the field, considering the chemotherapy many times has long lasting severe health ramifications.

    One of the biggest risks is a severe and permanent damage to the patient’s immune system, which could be a life risk…

    The study, which was published in the prestigious international journal “Nature Breast Cancer”, tracked for ten years 1365 female Israeli who had the two most common forms of the disease, ER+ and HER2-. All had the disease discovered during its early phases.

    As part of the study, the women went through an Oncotype DX checkup, where a grade between one and 100 is giving to the risk level of the disease resurging.

    Every patient with a grade of 25 and lower, was advised to forgo chemotherapy.

    Oncotype DX is a unique molecular checkup done on the tumor tissue of the patient during her biopsy or during her first surgery to remove to tumor.

    This checkup measures the biological profile by measuring 21 unique genes found within the tumor cells.

    And indeed, the research results show that about 97.4% of women who forgone chemotherapy as a result of the checkup, never had the disease return.

    The mortality rate among the study group stood at only 0.7%.

    https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5625101,00.html

  7. Eric Sunswheat December 14, 2019

    A former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton has predicted that there could be a second attempt to impeach President Donald Trump…

    “If the White House, the president, opposes a Supreme Court order to comply, I think that could change it dramatically,” Begala said, referring to public support for impeachment.

    “This impeachment may be done by then. But, you know what? Impeachment is not a single-shot weapon. The constitution does not say it’s a one-and-done deal.

    “This is not the last impeachment we will cover of Donald J. Trump.”

    The rest of the panel on the Anderson Cooper 360 show were taken aback by Begala’s suggestion…

    Begala replied: “It’s criminality today, criminality tomorrow, criminality forever. The guy’s a one-man crime wave.

    “I think if he defies a Supreme Court order it changes everything. I don’t think 43 [percent] stick with him. Maybe 33. I don’t know.”

    https://www.newsweek.com/trump-impeachment-cnn-clinton-supreme-court-subpoenas-1476433

  8. Professor Cosmos December 14, 2019

    I think Hillary has finally met up with ET during her walks in the woods. Thanks for the photographic confirmation…the AVA breaks ground here with something more clear than a gimball, tic tac, and go fast sphere.

  9. John Sakowicz December 14, 2019

    ANOTHER HOMELESS MAN FOUND DEAD

    Goddamn it. This is the Christmas season. And yet…

    Another homeless man was found dead in Ukiah, this time on Friday afternoon in the creek bed behind the parking lot near Big Lots on South Orchard Avenue.

    Charles Hensley was found at Home Depot on North Orchard Avenue. He died of exposure on Thanksgiving night.

    https://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/2019/12/13/body-found-in-ukiah-creek-friday/

    WHAT I AM DEMANDING

    During public comment for non-agendized items at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, December 16, I will be demanding that the Board of Supervisors order an audit of Mendocino County’s contracted mental health provider, Redwood Quality Management Company (RQMC).

    Where does the $30 million that RQMC gets from us go?

    Where, exactly?

    Where, if not to help the homeless, the chronically mentally ill, and those dually diagnosed with drug and alcohol addictions?

    Where, goddamnit?

    Specifically, RQMC needs to have the following audited: RQMC’s Unexpended Flexible Spending Account (FSA) funds and Health Savings Account (HSA) funds — together known as “flex funds” — that sweep into RQMC’s Unexpended IBC account, that finally sweep into RQMC’s Retirement Accounts and Bonus Pool.

    RQMC executives are not getting rich on their generous salaries, per se, but on their more-than-generously-funded retirement accounts and bonus pools.

    To do an audit, you have to ask the right questions.

    PLEASE JOIN ME

    Please join me at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, December 16, in demanding a true audit of RQMC and in commemorating December 21, as National Homeless Persons Memorial Day.

    See: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/2018/homeless.html

    Let’s meet at 9 am, at Board Chambers, Room 1070, County Administration Center.

    John Sakowicz, Candidate, Mendocino County 1st District Supervisor

    • Kathy December 14, 2019

      J Holden PhD replied to Sako:
      “ Oh Mr. Sakowicz,

      Yet another of your amazingly misguided self-aggrandizings and blame-castings.

      Did you ever actually meet the homeless man Charlie Hensley whose sad death you use to advance your political candidacy below? Well, I did. Do you have any idea of the abundant array of help he’s been offered over the years by the very human service agencies that you condemn in your self-righteous anger? Well, I do.

      From personal knowledge I can assure you that severely alcoholic Charlie was offered a lifetime of free support services by our local social service agencies — including free income, housing, employment, transportation, drug and alcohol rehab, and physical and mental health care. But except for his many involuntary trips to jail, all of these offers of help have been Charlie’s choice to use or not. Get it straight Mr. Sakowicz: Charlie chose not to accept them.

      Yet somehow you manage to blame his death on the very agencies who offered these services to him. And you want to be our County Supervisor? No, thank you.

      If you actually care enough to get a more accurate picture of Charlie, I suggest that you review the 4/11/18 Anderson Valley Advertiser feature article on him, which includes these quotes:

      “Aside from Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and his third wife Sadie, he blamed no one for his misfortunes”.
      “When I asked how many times he’s been in jail he looked away into the distance for a long time before replying “about twelve,” a number others I spoke with called (way) low.”
      “Charlie’s surrogate mother Melinda told me Charlie has only one daughter who lives near her in Clearlake. “She knows that Charlie is her father but don’t want nothing to do with him,” she said. “He couldn’t stay away from it,” she said, meaning whiskey “He’d urinate on my couch in his sleep when he was staying here. I’d help him a lot more if he’d quit drinking.” She added that Charlie gets into fights when he’s loaded with Jack, and is a mean and combative drunk.”
      “Charlie’s chances of healing all the damage he’s done to himself are statistically slim. Though he says he’s not afraid to die, Melinda says she worries a lot about that. “He gets in lots of fights when he drinks,” she said. “He’s got a few friends who come by to tell me he’s OK, because I’m always afraid that he will be dead.”

      And now as you point out, Charlie is dead, voluntarily homeless, in the middle of a cold night, dead drunk in a creek bed. A shame, yes. But not as shameful as your attempt to blame our dedicated mental health providers for his death and baselessly accuse them of fraud and corruption. Now you “DEMAND” an already existing audit, having no idea that they already submit monthly financial, quality assurance, and compliance documents in addition to four full audits a year on the services provided. I suggest that you review those audits before further advocating to waste our taxpayer money on your quixotic reinvention of the wheel.

      As I’ve asked you before, Mr. Sakowicz, please get your facts straight before you make more of your wild and slanderous accusations. “Goddamn it” (to use your words) I hope you don’t get elected Supervisor.

      J. Holden, PhD

      • James Marmon December 15, 2019

        “Now you “DEMAND” an already existing audit, having no idea that they already submit monthly financial, quality assurance, and compliance documents in addition to four full audits a year on the services provided. I suggest that you review those audits before further advocating to waste our taxpayer money on your quixotic reinvention of the wheel.”

        Mr. Holden, those so called audits you talk about are Medi-Cal billing audits. There has never been a full financial audit, as suggested by Kemper, regarding the overall spending of BHS and RQMC. Over 30 million and counting. RQMC is a for-profit organization, and that says it all. BHS is being run by the incompetent Dr. Miller who puts her boss’s (Angelo) best interest over that of the public. The ASO model is a complete failure, but no one wants to admit it. Angelo runs around the state bragging about her privatized mental health system, it’s her claim to fame.

        Furthermore, SUDT services are basically non-existent in the County according to both Kemper and Marbut. Kemper was seriously concerned about that and suggested that Measure B money be used to help poor souls like Hensley, who in my opinion should have been placed in a Conservatorship and housed in a facility. The man was what we in the field call “Gravely Disabled” due to his alcoholism and should not been left on the streets to die.

        James Marmon MSW
        Former Mental Health Specialist
        Sacramento, Placer, and Lake Counties

        • James Marmon December 15, 2019

          Kemper recommended an “Independent Financial Audit”, screw those in house audits.

  10. Louis Bedrock December 14, 2019

    Absinthe:

    There’s a well known story about the actor Henry Fonda.

    Toward the end of his life, his heart was shrinking to the point where the condition threatened his life. He went to see the best heart specialist in California, who prescribed absinthe.

    —Absinthe? —asked Fonda— Why absinthe?

    —Because —the doctor replied, —absinthe makes the heart grow, Fonda.

  11. Elaine Kalantarian December 14, 2019

    FOUND OBJECT: I’M WITH IT.

  12. Jim Armstrong December 14, 2019

    Discussions about the Eel River very often need the admonition: You are entitled to your own opinions, but not to your own facts.
    The comment above fits nicely.

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