Equal Diapering Rights Proposed

The Sacramento Bee reports two bills have been introduced to the California state legislature that would supposedly give men more access to diaper changing tables. Why this should even be an issue is beyond me, but no surprise in this state. 

It certainly puts a slightly different spin on the term "Nanny State". It also suggests idle minds are just as dangerous as idle hands.

"Idle hands are the devil's workshop!" - anon

Mola42's Drug War Advice

Mola42 is my favorite commentator of late. She's commented here and even does guest posts on the Tuluwat Examiner every now and then. Her latest post regards dealing with the War on Drugs. She mentions me by name twice, paraphrasing some comments I made to an earlier post on the Examiner.

That earlier post read to me as a "We need to do something!" cry for more law enforcement action towards Eureka's heroin problem. Maybe I was misreading it, so I asked just what the TE seemed to be proposing. Should all these junkies be thrown in jail?

No answer from the TE but Mola suggested we first need to recognize there's a problem. I replied that I've been hearing for at least a couple decades about fairly widespread drug abuse in the Eureka area.
It's no secret but, assuming this is a problem that needs being dealt with, what's the answer? Believe it or not, I don't know.

I am certain of one thing: Nobody should be arrested for simple possession of a drug, and nobody should be punished for what they eat, drink or smoke. That's their personal business.

I'm sure some will suggest drugs cause crime. I'll agree it does to some extent, but we already deal with such situations involving alcohol. People convicted of drunk driving or domestic abuse are routinely ordered by courts to abstain from alcohol. We often do the same thing with those convicted of crimes blamed at least in part on drug use.

What I don't like is drugs being used as an excuse for criminal activity. I recall watching a show on Court TV years ago that looked at drug courts. First case was a girl in her early 20s arrested for shoplifting. The first thing out of her mouth is a request for drug court as a diversion from criminal court.

I didn't like that. She was stealing. She should be held accountable for what she did, not weasel out of it by using drugs as an excuse. So it should be with everybody.

When the state should intervene with the doper that doesn't hold a job, doesn't commit non- drug crimes but might be harming himself, I don't know. The doper that holds a job, minds his own business and leads a generally peaceful life should be left alone.

California's Business Attitude

This attitude expressed in this letter to the editor of the Sacramento Bee is fairly typical of how many in California feel about businesses.

California Loses 5000 More Jobs

Toyota is relocating most of it's production team in Torrance, CA to Texas, according to Forbes magazine.

Dealing With High Drivers

The Santa Rosa Press- Democrat has a story about efforts to deal with what some say is an increasing number of stoned drivers. At least one police officer is quoted as saying he's seen more and more drivers under the influence of marijuana since medical marijuana was legalized. I don't buy it. 

For one thing, I don't believe there was a big increase in pot smoking because of medical marijuana. Also, as the article also alludes to, how can they say someone is under the influence of marijuana when it can be detected in one's system after you're no longer feeling its effects?

Unedited Clive Bundy

A blogger takes a look at some of the supposedly racist comments Nevada rancher Clive Bundy made. I had a feeling he said something more along that line. I'm sure many will consider the comments racist, anyway, since they're not politically correct.

Governor's Fighting Over Pot

Some of you might have heard New Jersey Governor Chris Christie opposes legalization of marijuana. He pointed to Colorado's recent legalization of marijuana as one reason not to support legalization in his state:

 "For the people who are enamored with the idea with the income, the tax revenue from this, go to Colorado and see if you want to live there."

Colorado's governor responded in kind, citing a number of various state rankings (Business, for example: Colorado #7, New Jersey #42) showing Colorado quite ahead of New Jersey. Quite the comeback, I thought. He definitely won that round.

Pharmaceutical Dump Saturday

I'll have to remember to take advantage of this. I forgot about the last one. I'm assuming there's no charge. From the HOPE Coalition's newsletter:

Saturday, April 26: Pharmaceutical Waste Collection. This is your opportunity to get rid of out-of-date prescriptions or any other pharmaceuticals that need disposal. 9 am - 2 pm at the Hawthorne Street Transfer Station, 1059 W. Hawthorne Street, Eureka. Info: 441-2005.

Private Money for East-West Rail Study?

This week's North Coast Journal looks at efforts of a group to come up with $300,000 of private money for yet another study on the feasibility of an east- west rail line. I'm not sure what they expect to find after a previous study costing something like $20,000 concluded the idea wasn't workable.

I've wrote here before I don't think the idea will work for at least a couple reasons: 

I don't think Humboldt Bay is big enough to handle the kind of shipping needed to make rail worthwhile. The only usable area is between the channel, then north to the Samoa Bridge. Of that area, most seems to be very shallow. Take a look at it during low tide. 

Not enough room for the kind of large ship traffic needed. I could be wrong on that, and actually hope I am.

Second, this is California, the State of No. There would likely be so many environmental groups suing to stop the project it would never get off the ground.

But, more power to them. I appreciate their efforts to bring additional commerce to the area.

HCLDF Endorses Elan Firpo

Tom Sebourn reports the Humboldt Civil Liberties Defense Fund has endorsed District Attorney candidate Elan Firpo:

"The office of District Attorney plays an unparalleled role in both the protection and violation of our cherished liberties. Few public officials hold such power to take away one's freedom as a prosecutor does. We urge all citizens who share our concern for protection of the freedoms we hold so dear to join us in working to elect Élan Firpo as Humboldt County's District Attorney."

They are correct, and such an endorsement should pull some weight. Unfortunately, at least some voters up here might consider concern for civil liberties a bad thing.

Going Down With The Ship?

That ferry sinking offshore of South Korea is the second time in recent memory we've heard of a captain allegedly jumping ship and leaving the crew and passengers to fend for themselves. The other recent incident being that ship off Italy that ran into a reef and the captain was allegedly one of the first into the life boats.

Kinda burns you up, doesn't it? Hey, even if the captain yells, "FOLLOW ME!", as he leads the charge to the lifeboats he's at least showing some leadership. Apparently these last two didn't even seem to do that.

CNN takes a look at some of the ethics and laws involved. We'd like to think ship's Captains have passenger safety as their primary duty. If they don't, they should get some sort of punishment. As I read the CNN article it's more a matter of how different countries handle it.

A few years ago I was watching one of the home video shows on TV. They had one of a small cruise ship that was chartered by a scuba diving club. The ship got into some trouble in rough seas. The club members thought something might be wrong so at least one of them went to the bridge to check on the situation. 

The bridge was deserted. They look out the see the captain and crew in a lifeboat saving their own skins with no word of warning to everyone else on board. They basically deserted the ship.

The passengers made out ok. The video shows them in their scuba gear sliding down a rope to a nearby reef where they pretty much just floated around until rescued. The narrator of the video said nothing could be done about the captain and crew that abandoned the passengers. They'd apparently broken no law.

I don't recall what flag that ship sailed under, but nobody should be able to get away with that. At the very least, along with a lot of public humiliation, the captain should never be allowed any position in the command of a ship again. I don't have a problem with countries that would give prison time for such behavior, either.

Top 15 Small Cities In California

Cities Journal has come up with their picks for the top 15 small cities in California. Arcata is number 15. Healdsburg (yuck!) gets #1. They seem to be taking the yuppie approach in their grading. Still, I was surprised to see Dunsmuir #14 and Montegue #7 among their choices. 

My pick would be Catalina Island's, Avalon #11. Spent less than a week there as a kid but loved the place. They don't mention that the water around Avalon has been rated the most polluted in the state- their aging, leaking sewer system being the cause.

Funny that I consider Arcata a town, but Eureka a city. Wonder where you draw the line between calling a place a city as opposed to a town?

Facebook Selfies

I'm just asking: Am I the only one that thinks it's weird when people put multiple pictures of themselves on Facebook? Three people come to mind that put one picture or another of themselves- often multiple times a day- on FB. I think that's weird. I'm not referring to old family type photos. I talking about current digital photos.

Do you do that? Do you think it's kind of weird?

LPs On The Comeback?

That's Long Playing, for younger folks who might never have seen or heard of one. That's what we used for music back before tapes and then CDs. As I recall there were three different speeds of vinyl records back then: 33 1/3, 45, the 78. I'm pretty sure just the 33 1/3 one was considered an LP. The 45s just played one song on each side. I'm not sure I ever had a 78.

The Times- Standard reports music store owners claim sales of old vinyl records are starting to climb. The San Jose Mercury News says the same. Can you even buy an old record player anymore? I actually have an old turntable, cassette player/recorder and radio out in the garage I still use today, but I haven't tried records on it in decades. I can't remember the last time I saw an actual record player for sale in a store.

As far as any supposed comeback goes, I don't get it. Records could be problematic to keep and use. Leave them in the heat too long and they warp. Get a scratch on them and they don't play well, or at all. Once you got a scratch, there wasn't much you could do about it. 

I'll miss one thing about vinyl records, though, at least with the LPs: The covers. The covers had their own unique photography and art on them, often with all sorts of information about the band and the music. Those are a treat to see even today.

The Hen In The Fox House

Kind of a kumbaya can't- we- just- get- along commentary by former Fox News leftie talking head, Sally Kohn. She thinks those nasty right wingers that most lefties hate are pretty nice folks:
 
"My time at Fox News was marked by meeting and working with some of the kindest, smartest, and most talented people I've had the pleasure of meeting in life. As I said in my TED talk, Sean Hannity is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet – and even now that I've parted ways with Fox, he remains a good friend and mentor."

How sweet. Yes, I mean that, and I'm sure Hannity is a swell guy in person. I have a hard time with his partisan screen persona. He's one of the reasons I rarely watch Fox News.

Invasion Wagers

Traffic Problems:Everybody's Fault

I thought this San Francisco Chronicle commentary on the city's traffic hazards- both vehicular and pedestrian- was nicely done if only because it was so even handed. I'm not sure I would have been so nice. Be fun to try and write something similar about those walking and driving in Eureka.

The Freddy Mourns KXGO's Demise

All good things must come to an end but I still can't get used to radio station KXGO being gone. I enjoyed having it as an alternative when my usual stations, KHSU and KMUD, go on the geek. Both of them switch to goofy stuff at the same time on weekends so I'd usually switch to KXGO until Monday.

Been working the dial to find a suitable substitute. All the stations I've been finding just don't cut it. The wife listens to 95.5FM and suggested that one, but that's all San Francisco music. Hate that stuff.

Anyone have any suggestions?

N.Y. Times Does The Yurok Language

The New York Times has a story about attempts to save the Yurok language. Eureka High School and at least one familiar name- Susan Masten- is mentioned.

Government Hitting Kids for Debts?

It's hard for me to make heads or tails out of just what's going on here. According to this Reason magazine article, at least one U.S. government agency is going after deceased person's kids to collect debts they claim the deceased owed the government. It seems they're hard pressed to even probe the debt existed. 

Not good, especially if the tendency for government policies to expand not just in practice, but in scope, continues.

Getting Lost

A 66 year old man was found by sheriff's deputies after having become lost. He wasn't too far off the beaten path. I have to think there were other contributing factors. After all, the guy would only have to keep heading west and eventually he'd find some road, even if he had to walk all the way to 101.

I did a lot of backpacking in my teens and early twenties. I was often by myself and never came close to where I felt I was lost except for once, and I was a bit more off the beaten path than that guy was.

I headed up to the Marble Mountains back in the early 80s. It was still early in the year but I figured I could make it to Monument Lake. That's not too far a walk- maybe a couple hours? I worked graveyard shift that night, then drove all the way up there- past Some's Bar in Hoopa- the next morning.

I got up to the Haypress Meadows trailhead and started in. I'd been there before so figured it's no big deal. Once I got to the actual Haypress Meadows, though, I could see small patches of snow. As I turned northeast(?) from the meadows, there was more and more snow. It got to maybe a foot deep as I made my way toward to trail to Monument Lake.

I'm not sure I was even as far at the bottom of the trail to the lake when I figured the snow was too deep so decided to turn back. I wasn't worried even though I couldn't see the trail. I figured I'd just follow my footprints in the snow. As I started back and crossed a small creek, it got weird. 

Where are my footprints??? I thought I'd crossed the creek right there and I should see my footprints on the other side of the creek but they were nowhere to be seen. No worries. Must be just a few feet downstream. I looked around a bit but, nope.

Uh, oh! I looked around and didn't really recognize anything, despite having been there before. The snow was screwing me up. For a fleeting moment I felt the panic we're told to try and avoid when lost. 

I told myself to calm down. It was fairly warm out, even at night. I had plenty of food, a compass and a map. Besides, I really wasn't that far from the trailhead, but that didn't help much when I couldn't find my trail.

What probably saved me from really losing it is telling myself if worse came to worst, if I just headed south, eventually I'd hit a river or the highway. No biggie. I'll get out of this, but where the hell are my footprints/

I walked a short distance further down the creek and finally saw my footprints maybe 30 or 40 feet from where I thought they should be. Whew! How did that happen? I quickly walked back to Haypress Meadows where I set up camp for the night and walked out the next morning.

That's my almost got lost story.

Bulk Trash Removal

By that I mean disposal of "bulky items", such as mattresses or washing machines. This morning's Times- Standard article doesn't make it clear that if you live in Eureka or Arcata where garbage pick up is mandated, part of the deal is they'll pick up bulk items for free. 

I don't know about Arcata but in Eureka they'll pick up two items a year at no additional cost. In Eureka, just call 442-5711 to schedule a pick up. Not sure who to call in Arcata as it's not listed on the Recology site.

Knapp on Campaign Spending

My internet buddy, Tom Knapp (whose blog actually inspired me to start this one), makes a good point while discussing the recent Supreme Court decision freeing individuals from campaign spending limits:

"Question #1: How much did federal elected officials spend on their 2014 campaigns last year?

Answer:  At least $3.45 trillion — a little over $6.4 billion for each US Senator and US Representative and for the two elected executive branch officials, the president and vice-president.

Yes, I’m talking about the federal government’s entire budget.

Every dollar the US government spends serves one or both of two functions: Buying future support or rewarding past support for the politicians who spend it."

He's got a point, and it applies to lower offices as well.

False Flags, continued

An investigative journalist has made a case that alleged chemical attacks made by the Syrian government were actually made by rebels with the help of Turkish intelligence. I wrote some time ago that it was highly unlikely Assad ordered the use of chemical weapons. I still believe that.

I'm not trying to argue the source of the chemical attacks again but to point out that there's been no mention of any of these newer revelations in the mainstream media. They've reported the White House version of Syrian affairs from the beginning, just as they're doing now in regards Crimea and Ukraine.

My point is to remind everyone that we're likely not being given the whole story. Also to question assertions the Secretary of State made yesterday that Russia is trying to fabricate reasons to attack Ukraine (as if we haven't done the same). Even if Russia is trying to fabricate reasons for going into the Ukraine, who are we to point fingers?

June Ballot- Part 2

Most of the county races are pretty boring. Most are incumbents and uncontested. Here's the list:

Assessor- Mari Wilson, incumbent
Coroner, Public Administrator- Dave Parris, incumbent
Recorder, Registrar of Voters- Kelly Sanders
Sheriff- Mike Downey, incumbent
Treasurer, Tax Collector- John Bartholomew, incumbent
Superintendent of Schools- Garry Eagles, incumbent

Makes that easy, doesn't it? I'll not bother voting in all of those but one- Sheriff. I'll go ahead and give Mike Downey a vote if only because I like Mike!

Then there's the 4th district Board of Supervisor race between Virginia Bass and Chris Kerrigan. Quite honestly, I was hoping Virginia would run unopposed so I could pass on that race, too. 

You can't help but love Virginia.  I just get annoyed with some of her public statements like cheering the ban on rat poisons and her kumbaya piece in the Times- Standard kinda making nice with ADA shyster, Jason Singleton.

So what are the issues? Hard to say since I'm not sure there would be too much difference between Chris and Virginia when it comes down to actually voting on things. Can anyone point to any differences between now and when Bonnie Neely held the seat?

Chris Kerrigan came by the house a few days ago campaigning. I told him I didn't know that there'd be all that difference between the two of them after all was said and done. He brought up what he felt was a developer friendly planning commission. Maybe so, but I haven't seen any problems in the real world because of that.

I'll give Virginia the edge, though, as she's likely a little more business friendly than Chris. She also has the past experience of having worked in the private sector. Plus, you just can't help but love the gal!

I'll be voting for Virginia.

Then there's the other Board of Supes race between Ryan Sundberg and Sharon Latour. Not my district, but my choice would be Sundberg if only because Latour seems to be another of those know- nothings recruited by progressives as a paper candidate hoping for a surprise win.

Last, but certainly not least, is the biggie: District Attorney.

I've already wrote that I see the race as pretty much between Firpo and Fleming. I'll give Fleming the edge on experience and her impressive wide- ranging support, but wouldn't have a problem voting for either.

Klein's age and health puts him towards the bottom of the list. I wouldn't vote for Dollison regardless of the office he was seeking.

Seeing a couple Dollison yard signs out made me a bit nervous. I can't imagine anyone voting for him, but some people obviously are. With three candidates splitting the votes for 2nd place, what if he makes it past the primary and ends up in a runoff with Fleming? Yuck!

One local pol told me he thought Fleming may have enough support to win the D.A. race outright, avoiding the need for a runoff. Let's hope so. It's towards that end that I'll be voting for Maggie Fleming. 

Let the flaming begin!

The June Ballot, Part 1

The sample ballots aren't out yet, but I was checking the League of Women Voter's Smartvoter web site to get an idea of who is running and what ballot initiatives will be on the table. Keeping in mind this is only a primary election, the state and congressional elections come down to who might be on the ballot come the general election.

Some races have multiple candidates and there's not much info available on a lot of them. I was surprised to see only one Libertarian Party candidate on the ballot. That's in the Attorney General race. Goes to show how far the LP of California has slid over the years. We used to have candidates in most races back in the day. Registration in the party is up, but candidates are almost non- existent. Oh, well.

U.S. Representative, 2nd District. Choices are Democrat Jared Huffman, incumbent. Republican Dale Mensing and Democrat Andy Caffrey. 

I'll likely vote Mensing as I would never vote for Huffman. Not much that I can find about Mensing. 

State Senate, 2nd District: 
Democrats Mike McGuire and Derek Knell. 
Perennial Republican candidate, Lawrence Wiesner 
and what seems to be an unaffiliated Harry Lehmann.

I won't vote for Mike McGuire. From what little I've read about him he sounds like a Huffman clone. Problem is, Republican Wiesner campaigned as War Party back when ran for congress. That doesn't matter now as this is a state race. In the past, when he ran for congress, unless there was an Libertarian candidate in the race, I haven't voted. Not sure what I'll do now. Maybe take a close look at Harry Lehmann?

I don't believe Harry Lehmann is the same Lehman that dropped out of this race earlier on. Who knows? Maybe the guy is a closet libertarian. I've seen that before.

State Assembly, 2nd District: 
Democrats Jim Wood and John Lowry, 
Republican, Matt Heath
Perennial Green Party candidate Pam Elizondo.

Pretty sure I'll go with Matt Heath. It doesn't much matter what his issues are as the Republicans will likely be a minority in the state until the state collapses. 

Pam Elizondo is the wild card in that race. For me, anybody that would wear a sweatshirt to a candidate forum is ok in my book. Unlikely I'd vote for her, though, unless Heath says something really dumb. Even if he does, so what? He'll still be in an ineffective  minority.

 Governor:

Too many candidates to list here and, again, no Libertarian Party candidate. I won't vote for Jerry Brown. I don't think he's all that bad- probably your average California governor- but his insistence on following through with the high speed rail boondoggle gives him an F with me. 

I don't have much of a problem with either of the two best known Republican candidates,Neil Kashkari or Tim Donnelly. I'm also more than open to any of the other Republicans. I'll wait and see if anyone gets me even remotely excited.

Lieutenant Governor:

Too many to list here. Ron Nehring is the only Republican name that rings a bell but I don't recall what news I've read about him. I won't vote for Gavin Newsom. He strikes me as just power hungry. And there's always that Americans Elect candidate, Alan Reynolds. It might be worth looking into him, although I'm a bit suspicious of these populist new party types.

Secretary of State:

Former Republican but now unaffiliated Dan Schnur caught my attention the other day. I'll keep him in mind. The others I don't know anything about and they're not saying!

Controller:

Probably Ashley Swearengin.

Treasurer:

Going with Greg Conlon the Republican who also happens to be a Certified Public Accountant.

Attorney General:

Plenty of candidates in this one, too, so I'll likely throw away my vote on the Libertarian Party candidate, Jonathan Jaech.

Insurance Commissioner:

Quite honestly not sure just what the issues will be here. I can't think of any beef I have with incumbent Dave Jones, but maybe that's cause I wasn't paying attention. I'll have to come up with a reason to vote in this one.

Board of Equalization, District 2:

Probably Republican James Theis, or not voting.

State Superintendent of Schools:

Not voting, unless I catch a candidate forum sometime and one of them impresses me.

Ballot Initiatives:

Only 2 it seems,

Prop 41: Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014

NO, if only because I'm fed up with the idea of veterans being victims- our latest entitlement group. They already get all kinds of benefits. Besides, didn't we pass a similar veteran home loan bond not long ago?

Prop 42: Public Records. Open Meetings. State Reimbursement to Local Agencies

Looks like this requires local governments to comply with state public access laws, but eliminates reimbursement from the state for the costs of compliance. Sounds like an unfunded mandate to me, but the idea of more open government is certainly a plus. I'll wait and see what arguments develop for and against this one.

That's it for state races and issues. Part 2- local races- is next and will be much shorter.

Leland Yee A Terrorist?

I don't believe in kicking a man when he's down but the question this writer from the Contra Costa Times brought up never occurred to me: Why wasn't California State Senator Leland Yee brought up on charges related to terrorism? He is accused of arranging arms deals and transferring money to a known terrorist group.

The answer seems to be that terrorist group isn't included on the official U.S. list of bad terrorist groups:

"The group is not among the 56 foreign terrorist organizations designated by the U.S. State Department, although its three-decade reign of terror, including bombings, kidnappings and killings of civilians mirror other designated groups."

Maybe like the same sort of groups we're supporting in Syria?

Neat Water Condenser

My idea of using dehumidifiers to provide local water having failed its first test, the idea is still viable. Here's a CNN story on some dew catchers being made in the African desert. They're made of local materials. Don't use electricity. Gather up to 25 gallons a day and are pretty neat looking.

Crash of Flight 370 Caused By....

Now we know. Reason- Rupe poll shows missing Malaysian airliner Flight 370 crash caused by...

Which of the following do you think most likely happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?
• It crashed due to mechanical problems: 35 percent
• It was crashed intentionally by the pilots: 22 percent
• It was destroyed by terrorists: 12 percent
• It landed safely and is in hiding: 9 percent
• It's linked to supernatural or alien activity: 5 percent
• It was shot down by a foreign government: 3 percent
• Other: 4 percent
• Don't know: 9 percent
• Refused to answer: 1 percent

Is the King of Humboldt Bloggers Back?

Some of you older blog followers might remember the best local blog of all time, the Buhne Tribune. Blogger Ryan Hurley had to throw in the towel after his identity became known. His blog's demise was a great loss.

Maybe he's back now? I'm not sure if this post at the North Coast Journal is going to be a regular feature, or just a one time thing. I believe it's the first time I've seen it in the Journal. I'm hoping it will be a regular feature. 

Long live Captain Buhne! The King of Humboldt Bloggers!

Bohn Right On Camping Ordinance

I suppose there's no harm in repealing the ordinance that prohibits camping at the county courthouse, but I agree with Rex Bohn. If existing laws would have sufficed, why was it deemed necessary to pass the ordinance in the first place?

David Meserve's comment in the Times- Standard report has to be one of the lamest:

”The Occupy movement by its very definition is communicating through the act of camping on public property,” Meserve said. “That is a form of communication that should not be impeded by any laws.”

Nonsense. The camping ordinance didn't restrict anyone's freedom of speech. It simply had protesters take their message to the sidewalk instead of on the courthouse property itself. If they'd have minded their manners, they might even have been able to stay on the property. But they didn't, and people wanted their courthouse back.

There are limits as to how you practice free speech. Violating laws to express your opinion is known as civil disobedience. If you break those laws expect some sort of sanction. David Meserve should know better than to make a comment like that.

What's Going On With Nick Bravo?

Got a comment I needed to moderate the other day. Any comments to posts over 3 days old require me to clear them. The comment was in regards an old post (March 6, 2010) that included locally famous- or infamous, depending on one's perspective- Nick Bravo. The comment said Nick was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police for some sort of real estate fraud.

I did a quick Google search and got all kinds of hits, but didn't see anything about real estate fraud. Apparently he's trying to get into acting down in Southern CA. Not sure how successful he's been.

Check the last March 6, 2010 comment for info on the supposed investigation. Anybody know more about that?