Bigger Than the S&L Bailout: Why Prop 9 Should Pass
Californians have a chance not only to do themselves a lasting favor on November 3, the can also defeat a particularly outrageous…
The Night of the Long Knives (July 29, 1998)
“Well,” I heard a male voice behind me say, “looks like the passive-aggressives are out in force tonight,” as we arrived at…
Beyond the Garden Gate
One of my first memories is of a huge Victorian on McAllister Street near Fillmore in San Francisco where my family lived…
Why Barry Melton Hates Norm Vroman
Ukiah public defender Barry “The Fish” Melton sent press releases to all Mendo County news media this week misrepresenting District Attorney candidate…
Hearts
1968 Zen was in. I tried without success to master ‘living in the now.’ 1998 Now, of course, it is simple. Living…
Valley People (March 18, 1998)
THE UPSIDE of small town life: Saturday night, it having suddenly occurred to me at 7:25pm that I hadn’t bought a Lottery…
Thank God for Disorderly Behavior
Here Lies the Good Citizen. He Died Bitter and Frustrated but He Obeyed the Rules, Damn It. Even if I’m wrong in…
The Working Stiff
It’s been eight years since his death, but I can still see him and hear him, a wiry, gray-haired, hawk-nosed man. I…
The Cruelest Months
Spring is in the air, and like a toe-tapping number from Englebert Humperdink the effect of the fledgling sun and crocus balm is to coax us mortals into passionate, beautiful malevolence.…
Crack Up: The CIA’s Latest Whitewash
“This has been the most extensive investigation ever undertaken by the Inspector General's office [in the CIA], requiring the review of about…
Anatomy of a Blackball
Stop me if I’m whining, but as long-time readers are aware, quite a number of local tax funded agencies and quasi-public agencies…
Living Close to the Land
“I was born December 3rd 1918 right down the road,” Wayne McGimpsey begins, taking a quick look out the large picture window…