Mendocino County Today: Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016

• Debate Highlights
• Shelter Thoughts
• Corruption Charge
• Norvell Namecalling
• SoCo SOD
• MiddletownMercury.com
• Bumble & Klutz
• DUI Sentence
• Ukiah Dispensaries
• Little Dog
• Yesterday's Catch
• Come January
• Community Enrichment
• Library Event
• Bookshop Events
• Waikiki Sunset
• Rigged Election

DEBATE HIGHLIGHT: Trump won't say he'll accept election result

by Julie Pace & Lisa Lerer

Threatening to upend a fundamental pillar of American democracy, Donald Trump refused to say Wednesday night that he will accept the results of next month's election if he loses to Hillary Clinton. The Democratic nominee declared Trump's resistance "horrifying."

Trump had spent the days leading up to the third and final presidential debate warning voters that the election would be "rigged." Asked whether he would accept the outcome if Clinton emerges victorious, he said, "I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense."

Trump's assertions raise the prospect that millions of his supporters may not accept the results on Nov. 8 if he loses, thrusting the nation into uncharted territory. Free and fair elections, with the vanquished peacefully stepping aside for the victor, have been the underpinning of America's democratic tradition since the country's founding 240 years ago.

The Republican National Committee immediately disavowed Trump's statement. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and election officials across the country have denied and denounced Trump's charges.

Wednesday's contest quickly shifted from a calm, policy-focused faceoff into a bitter and deeply personal confrontation. Trump called Clinton a "nasty woman," while the Democrat panned him as "unfit" to be commander in chief.

Clinton, who began the debate with a lead in nearly all battleground states, forcefully accused Trump of favoring Russia's leader over American military and intelligence experts after the Republican nominee pointedly refused to accept the U.S. government's assertion that Moscow has sought to meddle in the U.S. election.

She charged that Russian President Vladimir Putin was backing Trump because "he'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States."

Trump denied any relationship with Putin and said he would condemn any foreign interference in the election. But he notably declined to back the intelligence community's assessment that Russia was involved in the hacking of Democratic organizations. The Clinton campaign has said the FBI also is investigating Russia's involvement in the hacking of a top adviser's emails.

The 90-minute contest in Las Vegas came just under three weeks before Election Day and with early voting underway in more than 30 states. Trump has struggled to expand his support beyond his most loyal backers and must reshape the race in its closing days if he hopes to defeat Clinton.

The candidates clashed repeatedly over their drastically different visions for the nation's future. Trump backed Supreme Court justices who would overturn the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling, while Clinton vowed to appoint justices that would uphold the decision legalizing abortion, saying, "We have come too far to have that turned back now."

The businessman entered the final debate facing a string of sexual assault accusations from women who came forward after he denied in the previous contest that he had kissed or groped women without their consent. That Trump denial followed the release of a video of in which he's heard bragging about exactly that.

Trump denied the accusations anew Wednesday night, saying the women coming forward "either want fame or her campaign did it." He falsely said the women's allegations had been debunked.

Clinton said Trump "thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth." She avoided answering a question about her husband's infidelities.

Trump pressed Clinton on immigration, accusing her of wanting an "open borders" policy, a characterization she vigorously disputes. The Republican, who has called for building a wall the length of the U.S.-Mexico border, blamed some "bad hombres here" for drug epidemics around the country, and promised "we're going to get 'em out."

Clashing on trade, Trump said Clinton had misrepresented her position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, noting that she had originally called it the "gold standard" of trade agreements. Clinton shot back that once the deal was finished, it didn't meet her standards.

"I'm against it now. I'll be against after the election. I'll be against it when I'm president," she said.

Both were asked if they would consider tax increases or benefit cuts to support Social Security and Medicare programs. Trump said he would cut taxes and repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but he did not detail any plans for Social Security or other entitlement programs. Clinton said she would put more money in the Social Security trust fund through increasing taxes on the wealthy and other methods and promised not to cut benefits. She also argued that the Affordable Care Act has extended the solvency of Medicare and said she would work to bring costs down.

On foreign policy, Clinton reasserted her opposition to sending a large-scale U.S. troop presence to the Middle East to defeat the Islamic State. She's backed a no-fly zone in Syria, which would mark an expansion of the current U.S. strategy.

For Trump, the debate marked one of his final chances to shift the trajectory of a race that appears to be slipping away from him. Clinton's campaign is confidently expanding into traditionally Republican states, while Trump's narrow electoral path is shrinking.

Still, Clinton has struggled throughout the campaign to overcome persistent questions about her honesty and trustworthiness. In the campaign's closing weeks, she's begun appealing to Americans to overcome the deep divisions that have been exacerbated by the heated campaign, saying on stage Wednesday that she intended to be a president for those who vote for her and those who do not.

Clinton faced debate questions for the first time about revelations in her top adviser's hacked emails that show her striking a different tone in private than in public regarding Wall Street banks and trade. But she quickly turned the discussion to Russia's potential role in stealing the emails.

Underscoring the deep discord between Trump and Clinton, the candidates did not shake hands at the beginning or end of the debate.

(Associated Press)

SHELTER GETS A B-PLUS

Editor,

Your recent editorial comments regarding the Ukiah animal shelter and the completely preventable parvovirus outbreak are incorrect. Two animals died unnecessarily because disease control protocols at the Ukiah animal shelter were either not followed properly or are flawed and inadequate.

One brief visit to the shelter does not make you an expert on shelter management or qualifies you to evaluate Mary Jane Montana's managerial Expertise.

Monika Fuchs

Boonville

ED REPLY: Of course one Shelter visit does not an authority make, and thank you my friend and neighbor here in the Fall splendor of the unparalleled Anderson Valley for pursuing the conversation. But I really don't understand this constant carping about the Shelter staff. They are clearly doing the best they can in straitened budgetary circumstances. It's not as if they're deliberately careless, or careless at all, and it's not as if they don't want a full-time vet, and it's not as if they're not trying to do what's best for the animals. Right here I should fess up, I guess. I think No Kill animal shelters are impossible. I think dogs and cats not adopted within a reasonable period of time should be put down. I don't think it's fair to require taxpayers to fund an orphanage for dogs and cats. I think the public should vote on the No Kill policy. So, I watched Tuesday's Supes meeting. (Me and an average of 8 people all day, but 15 people tuned in for the Shelter discussion.) I saw the usual people making versions of the same complaints, one by a young mom whose two-legged, human-type child appeared to be in dire need of basic obedience training herself.

Speakers lamented the death of Seth, an anthropomorphized pitbull and victim of parvo, but apparently Romeo, another pitbull, had been saved. I think I met Seth, and I'm sorry he died in jail, so to speak, but it seemed to me obvious that the Shelter was literally full of animals that are not going to be adopted because there is always going to be a surplus of abandoned animals in relation to the human population of any community. This society is no longer able or willing to take care of its human strays, for crying in a bucket, let alone surplus dogs and cats. Shelter critics spoke of a lack of transparency. What does that mean? Your complaints aren't being heard? One lady said the Shelter management is “corrupt”? How? They're getting paid to transmit dog diseases? During the presentation by the Shelter's besieged temporary director, Ms. Montana, she said they were trying to get a vet at the Shelter, mentioning the possibility of a retired, part-time person; that they had taken all necessary and prudent steps to contain the parvo outbreak; that she wished the Ukiah shelter had an iso observation area for newly arrived animals. The most telling thing Ms. M said — telling to me anyway — that of the 1073 (!) dogs admitted over the past year, less than five, had died, and some of those had arrived sick. I think that's a very impressive statistic, and evidence that the Shelter does a darn good job given its built-in limitations. Ms. M also mentioned that she was working on at least trying to get reduced-rate vaccinations for people who can't afford present prices. Regarding Ms. Edwards, the shunned volunteer, I think she deserves another shot. I have no idea what she did or said to get herself removed as a volunteer, but she clearly loves working with animals and I don't see any reason for not giving her a chance to redeem herself. If there is a reason she should remain in leper limbo, let us all hear it. She says she doesn't know herself the reason for her banishment. And if it's true that she isn't being allowed by the County to do any kind of volunteer work, that's not only unfair but beyond cruel. I think the Shelter is doing fine. I'm going to have another look, but I'm not going there to play Gotcha.

KENNEL ROOF INTACT

To the Editor:

Among the negative and hysterical allegations aimed at the Ukiah Animal Shelter at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting (the shelter is BROKEN, continues to FAIL OUR ANIMALS, no CHANGES have taken place in the past months, an absence of marketing and promotion, graphic accounts of feces) the most ridiculous and malicious was this statement by one speaker: that a dog's death was “the direct result of… INTERNAL CORRUPTION.”

Corruption? Whose? When? Where? How?

Them's fighting words, and to utter them at the Supes meeting, one had better have some proof. All the definitions I found held that corruption's end result has to do with private gain. Is someone in the Executive Office or the shelter getting paid off in extra kibble while they laze around making deals and ignoring the animals?

With the current frenzy usually known as the presidential election taking place it's easy to mimic the scolding and vilifying rhetoric of hysterics. But it doesn't really do a lot of good, or sway the minds of reasonable folks.

The sky is not falling at the shelter.

K. Shearn

Ukiah

MENDOLIB can be counted on for the anonymous libel, the secret slam, the whisper campaign. True to form, they've started in on Bernie Norvell, candidate for the Fort Bragg City Council. Norvell has posted some un-PC jokes on his Facebook page, some of which made me laugh, I confess, but Mendolib, being so much more evolved than the rest of us, not only found the jokes offensive, Norvell's anonymous stalker implies that he's a racist. You know, a guy who yearns to slip on a sheet and pointy Klan hat and go out night-riding. So the anon slander of Candidate Norvell begins with an anon condemnation of him as — take your pick they're a package deal — Racist! Homophobe! Sexist! Ageist! And blah, blah, blah. The accused person has no recourse other than denials. "No, I'm not." If I were Norvell, I'd try to ignore this stuff. This is what the Mendolib does. Learn to live with it, but fight back as best you can.

JOHN FREMONT put it perfectly re Bernie Norvell: “I live outside FB and can't vote for city councilor, nor do I know Bernie Norvell, but if you're willing to accuse him of racism and other crimes, then have the decency to identify yourself.”

SUDDEN OAK DEATH IN SONOMA COUNTY EXPLODES

http://www.petaluma360.com/news/6208578-181/sudden-oak-death-in-sonoma?artslide=0

LAKE COUNTY INSIGHTS

The County of Lake is blessed with a lovely new online publication that is a true community service (not a commercial enterprise). The Middletown Mercury News (weekly, free, delivered promptly via email) provides some interesting insights into the finer aspects of life in Lake County.

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/dc05f3633710adcd05adbceb9/files/Mercury_v1_n42_FINAL_compressed.pdf

It’s all good news, of course — even the discussions of local conflicts (a new vineyard permit opposed by residents in and around the Hidden Valley Lake subdivision), no-no’s (pot busts, illegal dumping), election campaigning (meet and greets, “ads,” letters for and agin’), wonderful upcoming social events (museums, art centers, event centers, clubs) plus bonus glory stories (Land Trust, Historical Society, Chamber of Commerce, Soroptomists, “Stars of Lake County") and excellent promotion of real community services (library system and other education programs, hospital investment in the community).

This week’s edition includes a charming story about the Bear Flag Rebellion — it is claimed, in more trenchant works — that two of the rebels delivered that ragtag petticoat flag to Sonoma County from Upper Lake. (Oh, those heedless federal bastards, taking away from the righteous white gangs what the Spaniards had taken away from the previous owners — native/indigenous peoples — and then deifying themselves as the courageous heroes that conquered the west!)

The descendants of those ragamuffins run this place today, which explains why only their brothers and sisters are big beneficiaries of local government programs. We get to read about their exploits, adventures, and victories in barely informative “news” stories from the strictly uncritical "newspaper of record,” and its sycophantic imitator (Record-Bee and LakeCoNews, respectively), but the Middletown Mercury News lends a tone of civic goodness and graciousness that everyone craves in these somber times.

The MMN coverage is inclusive, as well — its main focus is the South County, to be sure, but county-wide events and programs are given equally delightful exposure. All in all, a charming boon to revitalizing the County’s self-esteem (sadly demoralized by the underlying paucity of resources for disaster recovery) and devotion to “the American dream.” Home on the range and COSTCO only an hour away!

BUMBLE & KLUTZ

“On Monday, October 17th at about 2:32 pm, UPD officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 1100 block of Mulberry Street, on a report of a male subject reportedly seen using a handgun to hit the window of a silver Ford Mustang, then fleeing the area on foot. Upon arrival, officers located the Mustang and found parts to handgun on the ground. Officers contacted Landon Thornton, 19, of Lakeport, and Mariah Crumrine, 23, of Ukiah, along with witnesses in the area and began an investigation.

During the investigation, officers learned that Thornton and Crumrine had brokered a marijuana deal, involving two unknown males and an unknown female subject. Thornton, Crumrine, the seller and buyer, were all inside an apartment in the 1100 block of Mulberry, when one of the two males attempting to purchase the marijuana displayed a handgun. The two males and female stole the marijuana, left the apartment and went to the Ford Mustang that was in the parking lot. One of the males tried to break the window out of the Mustang, as the suspects had locked their keys inside the vehicle. The gun being used to hit the window had parts break off of it and Thornton came out of the apartment wielding a large knife. The three suspects then fled the area on foot. Officers conducted a search but were unable to locate the suspects. They did however find the handgun, which had been discarded over a nearby fence into the backyard child’s play area of an apartment. Crumrine and Thornton were placed under arrest for conspiracy and possession of marijuana for sale. Both were booked into county jail. The suspects who committed the robbery while armed with a firearm were described as follows: Suspect #1: Black male adult, 5’6 to 5’8, stocky build, shoulder length dreads or braided hair, in his 20s, wearing a white tank top and blue jeans Suspect #2: White male adult, 5’6 to 5’8, thin build, sandy blonde hair, in his 20s, wearing red pants and a red shirt. Suspect #3: Female adult. If anyone has information about this case and/or the suspects, please contact the Ukiah Police Department at 463-6262.

BOURDEAUX GETS SIX YEARS

Drunk driving defendant Jesse Davidson Bourdeaux, age 28, of Dos Rios, was sentenced this morning to 72 months in state prison by Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Ann Moorman, the defendant having previously been convicted by plea of gross vehicular manslaughter while driving intoxicated, a felony.

On May 21, 2016, Bourdeaux was driving eastbound through Jackson State Forest on Highway 20 in his Ford F-250 when he lost control, crossed over the double yellow lines, and plowed into a motorcyclist traveling with others from Contra Costa County. The deceased motorcyclist, Ingrid Fedje, 56, of Pacheco, was wearing safety equipment; it was also determined by the CHP investigators that the victim had no role in her own demise. Though road conditions were wet that day due to periods of rain, the defendant's loss of vehicle control was attributed to speed and his high level of intoxication. A forensic test of the blood sample taken from the defendant by law enforcement pegged his blood alcohol at .21. It is against the law in California to drive a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol .08 or greater.

In a statement to the Highway Patrol, the defendant said he began drinking at noon the day prior to the collision in celebration of his birthday. He claimed he last consumed alcohol twelve hours later around midnight. Bourdeaux was unable to remember how much alcohol he had consumed during those 12 hours on the 20th. However, he was sure he did not consume any additional alcohol after midnight or during the 21st. Though Bourdeaux said he was still feeling the effects of alcohol when he awakened the next morning, he said he did not feel those effects while driving. After leaving the friend's house where he stayed overnight, Bourdeaux reported that he drove to another friend's house and there smoked marijuana. It should be noted that the collision occurred between 4:30 and 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the 21st.

The attorney who diligently prosecute the facts of this case and this defendant was Deputy District Attorney Barry Shapiro. The investigating law enforcement agencies were the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Justice's forensic laboratory in Eureka.

(DA Press Release)

UKIAH CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ALLOWING CANNABIS DISPENSARIES

by Justine Frederiksen

An empty storefront just north of The Forest Club on North State Street used to contain a medical marijuana dispensary. Such a business might be allowed to operate in that location and others in the downtown core if the City Council approves the ordinance it is considering Wednesday evening.

Dispensaries selling medical marijuana, like the one at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, might soon be allowed to operate within the Ukiah city limits again.

The Ukiah City Council will hold the first of at least two public hearings Wednesday on a proposed ordinance that would allow medical marijuana dispensaries to operate again within the city limits. The ordinance comes before the council at its Wednesday, Oct. 19 meeting at the recommendation of the Ukiah Planning Commission, which voted 4-1 last month in favor of adoption after two lengthy meetings that included input from the City Council’s ad-hoc committee, Vice-Mayor Jim Brown and Council member Maureen Mulheren.

“I am 100-percent convinced that marijuana has a medical purpose, and that patients need a legitimate place they can trust in Ukiah where they can get their medical marijuana,” said Brown, adding that he felt there was a “real demand for a high-quality dispensary in Ukiah that people won’t be embarrassed to walk into. And if you follow the rules we laid down, there’s very little chance of crime.”

The Planning Commission recommended several changes to the ordinance, and Principal Planner Kevin Thompson said while the City Council’s ad-hoc committee agreed with most, it did request “full council discussion” on three aspects: hours of operation, distance from youth-oriented facilities and whether permit applicants need to go before the Planning Commission.

The proposed ordinance would allow medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in all commercial zones, including the downtown core, after operators acquired a use permit approved by the Zoning Administrator/Planning Director. While the Planning Commission recommended that each permit instead come to it for approval, Thompson said the ad-hoc committee disagreed, preferring that “the authority and duty to conduct hearings and make decisions on initial Dispensary Use Permits applications should remain with the Zoning Administrator.”

A dispensary must also “be in a visible location with good views of the entrance,” and the Planning Commission recommended that it not be within 500 feet of a youth-oriented facility, including museums and libraries, and not within or near any residentially zoned areas. However, Thompson said the ad-hoc committee felt the 500-feet limit would “unnecessarily limit potential locations, and preferred to maintain the 250-feet limit for now.”

The third aspect, hours of operation, has the ad-hoc committee recommending that dispensaries can stay open one hour later than the Planning Commission recommended: closing at 9 p.m. versus 8 p.m.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 in the City Council chambers at 300 Seminary Ave. Thompson said if the ordinance is introduced at that meeting, it will then need to be adopted at the next meeting, then take effect 30 days after that. The earliest that could happen, he said, is Dec. 7.

(Courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “IS THAT AN IED”?

CATCH OF THE DAY, October 19, 2016

ANGELO ALLRED, Willits. Drunk in public.

JEREMIE BAZOR, Redwood Valley. Fugitive from Justice.

DERRICK HEATER, Fort Bragg. Failure to register, offense while on bail.

SHANNON LAWSON, Ukiah. DUI.

DAVID MADDEN, Fort Bragg. Drunk in public, brandishing, vandalism.

JUSTIN MAXFIELD, Willits. Petty theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, probation revocation.

MICHAEL MCGEE, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

JUSTIN ORTS, Truckee. Drunk in public.

JACOB PARKER, Ukiah. Controlled substance.

VAN SLAGLE, Willits. Drunk in public, drinking in public, probation revocation.

LANDON THORNTON, Lakeport. Pot possession for sale, conspiracy.

DANIEL VELA, Woodbridge, Virginia/Ukiah. Pot sales.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Come January … it will be interesting to watch Hillary’s Sorority Sisters foreign policy apperatcheks — drawn from the ‘caring and sharing community’ — when they run up against the hard men and realpolitik nihilists centered in Tehran, Ankara, Pyongang, Moscow, Peking and Mosul. Something tells me these blood and soil nationalists could give a f-ck less about who groped who, whose down with the homos, breaking the glass ceiling, the power of estrogen, and the novelty of the ‘first woman president’.

Its gonna be a good show.

2017 COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT GRANT INFORMATION WORKSHOPS

Workshops will be offered at the following dates and times:

Anderson Valley: October 24, 12:00-1:00 (brown-bag lunches welcome); Anderson Valley Historical Society Museum, 12340 Hwy. 128, Boonville

Ukiah: October 26, 12:00-1:00 (brown-bag lunches welcome); Community Foundation of Mendocino County Community Room, 204 S. Oak St., Ukiah

Fort Bragg: October 31, 12:00-1:00 (brown-bag lunches welcome), Mendocino; Coast Clinic, 205 South Street, Fort Bragg

Willits: November 2, 12:00-1:00 (brown-bag lunches welcome); Willits Center for the Arts, 71 East Commercial Street, Willits

Each workshop will be followed by an optional technical assistance workshop, Grant-Seeking 101: Beyond Community Foundation Grants from 1:00-2:30.

Both workshops are offered at no cost to participants.

No registration is required.

Contact Michelle Rich

michelle@communityfound.org
707-468-9882

if you have questions regarding the workshops or the Community Enrichment Grant program.

For more information about applying to the Community Enrichment Grant program, visit www.communityfound.org

BRONWEN TATE!

(Open Mic follows)

NEW DAY/TIME: October 28th 5 pm

Join us for a reading with visiting author Bronwen Tate! Open mic follows. Teens & adults are invited to share poems in any form or style. Bronwen Tate is the author of the chapbooks Souvenirs (Dusie 2007), Like the Native Tongue the Vanquished (Cannibal Books 2008), Scaffolding (Dusie 2009), if a thermometer (dancing girl press 2011), the loss letters (Dusie 2011), and Vesper Vigil (above/ground 2016). She received an MFA in Literary Arts (Poetry) from Brown University in 2006 and a PhD in Comparative Literature from Stanford University in 2014. She has taught courses in literature, aesthetics, creative writing, and composition at Brown University, Borough of Manhattan Community College, and Stanford University, where she is currently a lecturer and fellow in the Thinking Matters Program. Light refreshments will be served. For more information please contact Melissa at the Ukiah Library: 467-6434 or carrm@co.mendocino.ca.us

GALLERY BOOKSHOP EVENTS

Saturday October 29

In-Store Halloween Book Fair

This is a benefit event. All proceeds will go to the Community Center of Mendocino.

Costumes, games, treats and more!

6pm-8pm

Free & open to the public

More information at 707.937.2665 or gallerybookshop.com

* * *

Sunday October 30

Meet & Greet with Illene Pevec

Come and meet the author of "Growing a Life" Teen gardeners Harvest Food, Health, and Joy" and chat about her book.

1pm-3pm

Free & open to the public

More information at 707.937.2665 or gallerybookshop.com

* * *

Sunday October 30

Science Sunday: Finding Extraterrestrial Life

Everyone is welcome to join us after hours at the bookshop the last Sunday of every month to listen to Dr. Walt discuss different topics. This month's talk, Finding Extraterrestrial Life, will pose the question: Are we alone among the stars?

6:30 to 7:30pm

Free & open to the public

More information at 707.937.2665 or gallerybookshop.com

* * *

Sunday November 6

Gallery Bookshop's Teen Council

Teens are welcome to join this group on the first Sunday of every month to discover not-yet-published young adult books, discuss favorite reads, and help steer the bookshop's YA section! No application necessary – just show up prepared to discuss books!

6:30 to 7:30 pm

Free & open to kids age 13 to 19

More information at 707.937.2665 or gallerybookshop.com

* * *

Monday November 7

Open Book Club

This public book club meets on the first Monday of each month. Drop in even if you haven't had a chance to read the selection yet. This month's selection is Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

6:30 to 7:30 pm

Free and open to the public

More information at 707.937.2665 or gallerybookshop.com

* * *

Saturday November 12

Author Talk with Michael Goorjian

Michael Goorjian will read from and discuss his new novel, What Lies Beyond the Stars, which is set in Mendocino. Michael is an Emmy Award-winning actor, filmmaker, and writer.

6:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Free & open to the public

More information at 707.937.2665 or gallerybookshop.com

* * *

Saturday November 26

Celebrity Gift Wrappers

Gallery Bookshop celebrates Small Business Saturday with treats, hot drinks, and Celebrity Gift Wrappers! Local authors will be on hand all day to wrap your gifts. Tips benefit the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference scholarship program.

9:30 am to 9:00 pm

Free & open to the public

More information at 707.937.2665 or gallerybookshop.com

SUNSET AT WAIKIKI BEACH

All of the mature spiritual teachers emphasize not being attached to anything at all. Non-attachment! Looking out at a late afternoon setting sun, still plenty of sun bathers and swimmers at Waikiki Beach, enjoying the relaxed pace of island living. Double decker buses filled with tourists continuously go by. Everybody on O'ahu awaits the surfing championships on the north shore. The big waves will be back. Major sports media will arrive. The University of Hawaii is gearing up and will be in full party mode, all isolated thousands of miles away from anything else in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. How cool is this? And yet, the mature spiritual teachers emphasize not being attached to anything at all. "Non-attachment" means to not cling onto anything which appears phenomenalogically, either physically or mentally. The jnana yogis refer to this as identifying with that which is prior to consciousness. Thus established, one is known as a "jivanmukta", or liberated soul. Walking past the tiki torches and row of lavish hotels and endless shops full of the best of everything that there is, plus the festive atmosphere in clubs all along the way and Hawaiian music performed by street musicians and the balmy almost hypnotic trade winds, one just floats along. It's real and it's unreal at the same time. You never want to leave but it is impossible to stay, because after all, everything changes. So you just float along, not being attached to anything at all. That's my report from Hawaii. If you ever want to do anything further about generally intervening in this civilization's history, subverting the dominant paradigm, or monkeywrenching for Mother Earth, feel free to get in touch with me at CraigStehr@inbox.com. I will show up, unless I dissolve here first, while watching the setting sun at Waikiki Beach. ~Mahalo~

Craig Stehr
The Plumeria Alternative Hostel
1111 Piikoi Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808)596-2080
Honolulu.HostelAlternative.com

TRUMP UNCHAINED

by Mike Whitney

“For any minimally conscious American citizen, it is absolutely evident that Donald Trump is not only facing the mammoth Clinton political machine, but, also the combined forces of the viciously dishonest Mainstream Media.” — Boyd D. Cathey, “The Tape, the Conspiracy, and the Death of the Old Politics”, Unz Review

“The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary.” — Donald Trump, Twitter

When was the last time the media threw 100% of its support behind one party’s presidential candidate? What does that say about the media?

Do you feel comfortable with the idea that a handful of TV and print-news executives are inserting themselves into the process and choosing our leaders for us? Is that the way democracy is supposed to work?

Check out this blurb from The Hill:

“The broadcast evening news programs ABC, NBC and CBS covered allegations against Trump by several women who claim he sexually assaulted them for more than 23 minutes on Thursday night. But revelations in the WikiLeaks dump of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta which included…sympathy for Wall Street, advocation for open borders and blatant examples of media collusion…got a whole 1 minute and 7 seconds combined.”

Ratio of negative coverage of Trump to Clinton: 23:1

In print on Thursday, it was no better. The New York Times had 11 negative stories on Trump. But zero on Clinton/WikiLeaks.

Ratio: 11:0.” (Media and Trump bias; Not even trying to hide it anymore, The Hill)

The article in The Hill also refers to a survey by the Washington Post and ABC News that asks participants six questions about allegations of sexual misconduct by Trump, but zero questions about Podesta’s incriminating emails.

Is that what you call “balance”?

I should state out-front, that I don’t plan to vote for either candidate, Trump or Clinton, so my claims of “bias” are not grounded in support for one candidate or the other. I am simply ticked-off by the fact that the media honchos have pulled out all the stops and are inserting themselves in the process to produce the outcome they want.

That’s what you call “rigging” an election. When you turn on Washington Week (Gwen Ifil) on public TV and see an assembled panel of six pundits–three conservatives and three liberals–and all six turn out to love Hillary and hate Trump; you can be reasonably certain that the election is rigged, because that’s what rigging is. Rather than providing background information about the candidate’s position on the issues so voters can make an informed decision, the media uses opinionmakers to heap praise on one candidate while savagely denigrating the other. The obvious goal is to shape public opinion in the way that best suits the interests of the people who own the media and who belong to the establishment of rich and powerful elites who run the country, the 1 percent. In this case, the ruling class unanimously backs Hillary Clinton, that much is obvious.

Fortunately, the tide is turning on the mainstream media as people look to other, more reliable sources for their information. It should come as no surprise that people are more distrustful of media than ever before and that that a great many feel that the media is conducting a brutal class war against ordinary working people. Surely, anyone who has followed economic developments at all in the last seven years, knows that the policies of the Fed have created a yawning chasm between rich and poor that is only getting worse as long as the levers of power stay in the hands of establishment politicians. Hillary Clinton is certainly the worst of these establishment politicos. Aside from being the most widely-reviled candidate the Democrats have ever nominated, she is the embodiment of political corruption and cronyism. How is it, you may ask, that someone like Clinton was able to nab “upwards of $225,000 per speech” from Goldman Sachs if she wasn’t influence peddling?

Does it really matter what she said in these speeches?

Not to me. The huge sums of money prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Clinton is selling access, tacitly agreeing to “go easy” on the big Wall Street investment banks provided they keep her foundation’s coffers overflowing. What other possible explanation could there be?

Do as many Americans know about Hillary’s sordid dealings with Wall Street as know about Trump’s “alleged” sexual dalliances?

Of course not. It’s not even close.

Do they know that Clinton was the driving force behind the intervention in Libya and Syria, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have died and seven million have been internally displaced? Do they know she was involved in the toppling of a democratically-elected government in Honduras or that a number of prominent neocons, who dragged the US into war in Iraq based on WMD lies, now support her?

Nope.

Do people know that Hillary had proof that ISIS – America’s arch enemy – was being funded and supported by our allies, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and, yet, she never reported the news to the American people??

Here’s a damning clip from one of the Podesta emails:

“We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to Isis and other radical groups in the region.”

Remember when George W. Bush said that ‘We will treat the terrorists and the people who support the terrorists the same”?

Hillary must not have gotten that memo or we would have bombed Riyadh by now.

Do people know that there has never been a war that Hillary didn’t support, a job-killing “free trade” bill she didn’t back, or a civil liberties-eviscerating piece of legislation (Clinton voted for the original USA PATRIOT Act in 2001, as well as the revised version in 2006) she wasn’t eager to sign?

Oh, but she does support “women’s reproductive rights” which makes her a big champion of personal freedom among her narrow demographic of successful, educated, white women. Excuse me, for not doing handstands.

Here’s another short clip from the WSWS:

“Hillary and Bill Clinton have accumulated a total of $153 million in speaking fees since Bill Clinton left the White House. Only the very naïve could believe that these vast sums were paid for the speeches themselves. They were payment for services rendered to the American financial aristocracy over a protracted period.” (In secret Goldman Sachs speeches, Clinton explains why the rich should rule, World Socialist Web Site)

Get the picture? Hillary Clinton isn’t a candidate, she’s a franchise, a walking ATM machine. And her shady Foundation is nothing more than a vast recycling bin for illicit funds that pour into the political sausage-making machine in the form of contributions and magically transform themselves into special favors for the billionaire class.

Is the system rigged?

You’re damn right it is! Check this out from Zero Hedge under the heading of “73% Of Republicans Say Election Could Be “Stolen” As Trump Slams “Rigged Elections”:

“A Politico/Morning Consult Poll found that 41% of registered voters say that the election cold be stolen from Trump while 73% of Republicans fear the same.

The American electorate has turned deeply skeptical about the integrity of the nation’s election apparatus, with 41 percent of voters saying November’s election could be “stolen” from Donald Trump due to widespread voter fraud.

The new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll — conducted among 1,999 registered voters Oct. 13 through Oct. 15 — shows that Trump’s repeated warnings about a “rigged” election are having effect: 73 percent of Republicans think the election could be swiped from him. Just 17 percent of Democrats agree with the prospect of massive fraud at the ballot box.” (Zero Hedge)

Should we be worried about the election being rigged? Should we be concerned that a significant number of Americans no longer trust the “integrity of the electoral process”?

And how are these allegations (that the election was stolen) going to impact Hillary’s ability to govern?

It’s going to impact it dramatically, in fact, it could stop her dead in her tracks. It could even precipitate a Constitutional crisis. And that’s where all this is headed, isn’t it?

Consider this: Maybe Trump isn’t really trying to win any more. Maybe he knows he can’t overcome a 12 point deficit this late in the game, so he’s going to pull a Samson. He’s going to shake the pillars and bring the whole rotten temple crashing down around him. He’s going use all his influence to discredit this fake democratic system the elites have painstakingly put together to control the public, he’s going to grow his throng of angry supporters into a small army, and he’s going to spearhead a (mainly) right wing populist movement that is going impose gridlock on Washington, deepen the political divisions, acrimony and polarization across the country, and make Clinton’s tenure as president a living hell.

That’s the gameplan. He’s going to marshal enough grassroots support that Clinton will spend her entire four years bogged down in endless investigations, fending off charges of criminal misconduct, and leap-frogging from one seedy scandal to the next.

No, Trump isn’t planning on winning. He doesn’t want to be president. He wants to be a modern-day Braveheart leading the peasants into battle against a thoroughly-corrupt and heinous ruling class establishment. That’s what he wants, and that’s why political has-beens like Gingrich and Giuliani have attached themselves to him like the plague. They see an opening for resurrecting their own dismal careers.

In any event, Hillary’s going to win the election, that’s for sure. But don’t count Trump out just yet. He’s just getting warmed up.

(Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com. Courtesy, CounterPunch.org)