I've received some emails asking me where I am, and that I haven't been around in a while.  While this is true, I never once imagined how busy I would be being a writer for the Renegade Rip.

I've also been asked what my stance is on the denial of the low-unit certificates available at BC.  Well, here's the thing... I don't have a stance for the simple reason that I'm the one who broke the story in the Rip.  Channels 17, 23 and 29 picked up on this story because of what they read in our online version located at www.therip.com.

So I really have nothing to say on the matter, except that there have been changes to the situation, and that you all need to get a copy of the Rip tomorrow and see what those changes are.  Once again, the certificate update story is on the front page so it's easy to find.

Thank you all for your wonderful emails telling me you've missed me and I sincerely hope to be around more in the future, especially during Thanksgiving and winter breaks.

Anthony

It's me again!  I love blogging, it's so much like having followers of your inner most thoughts.  So here's my inner most thoughts.  My trip to Riverside and the Republican charity dinner has unfortunately come to an abrupt and much earlier than anticipated death.  Why you ask?

Well, my car decided to finally blow its engine.  It's unfortunate, but I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.  So I'm not worried about it, and am hopeful that another opportunity will present itself.

So I'll continue to keep everyone up to date, and I hope everyone is having a great October!

Ant

Hi Everyone!

First off, please allow me to apologize for my extended absence.  I've gotten emails asking where I am, and I've answered them all the same way...

NOT NOW I'M ON DEADLINE!  ; LOL

Yes, I did have deadline and production night was a bear.  But I'm back and I actually have something to blog about! 

I was sitting at home quite innocently several days ago, and I received an email from the Republican Party of Riverside County asking me to attend a charity dinner.  I kinda shrugged and said "blech" until I saw who the keynote speaker was; NOW my interest was piqued.  The keynote speaker is Congressman Darrell Issa, and for those who don't know, he's the Congressman who was instrumental in getting ACORN's funding permanently cut off.  I thought to myself that it might be worth the trip down to Riverside.

So here's the thing.  No one on the Rip desires to attend, which believe me I can understand.  I take it most people are tired of the ACORN drama.  So without a vehicle, I was kinda stuck and not able to attend.  However my roommate said she was interested in attending.  Hey now I have a way to get down there and back!  But wait, it gets better.

So I decide to call the RPRC and I speak to Scott Thompson their executive director.  My call was innocent, and all  it was concerning was what the dress was.  Is it suit and tie or is it tux?  He tells me suit and tie is fine and he asks for my affiliation.  Well seeing that the Rip isn't interested in the story which is fine by me, I can't tell him I'm with the Renegade Rip.  So I leave my response very generic and simply tell him I'm a reporter in Bakersfield.  Here's the interesting part.

Scott says "Oh you're press?  We treat our press very well here in Riverside.  I'm putting you on the authorized press list now.  I'll mark it 'you plus one' so you can bring a photographer.  And come at 5pm, that's the beginning of the VIP meet and greet."

I was speechless.  VIP tickets are $200 a piece so I just got $400 comp'd.  Normally, I'd pay my own way and I have no problem with that.  But if someone is just going to up and offer a couple of free tickets, I'm not going to turn them down.  Plus I'm looking at this as a major networking opportunity.  There will be more political figures there than just Congressman Issa and the more people I meet now as a first year journalism student, the better.

So it's time to break out the suit and tie yet again, and can only hope that the dinner will go as well as planned.  I will definitely update everyone within a couple days after the event with another blog and photos.

Wow.  I must say I've gotten some pretty interesting responses on my last two blogs here at the Californian, and now it's time for the controversial topic of religion and politics... Does one have anything to do with the other?  Read on.

I was born in 1972 to parents who were middle class.  My father was in the Air Force (Officer) and my mother was a stay at home mom at the time.  They were living a very happy life, my father hadn't been home from Vietnam very long (In the big scheme of things), and along came yours truly.  Here's the thing... My parents were very Roman Catholic.  I use Roman Catholic because now-a-days you have American Catholic and some other branches thrown in for good measure.

Roman Catholicism is the orthodox of orthodox.  There are masses in Latin, a lot of genuflecting, and basically ritual out the yazoo.  But why do I bring this up you ask?  Because from the time I was 1 day old until I was 18 and leaving home, I was raised not only by a VERY Catholic family (almost Italian catholic in its practice *shudders*), I was also raised by two very conservative parents.

Now I wouldn't go so far as to say they're right-wingers, but they're close.  My father believes wholeheartedly in the Republican ideology as does my mother.  My father will vote the party line ALMOST every time.  But here's my question... 

I used to believe the same way my father did.  We needed more defense, national security, and less social programs.  Now, I believe in a balance between the two and I am far from Catholic.  So... do your religious beliefs dictate your political beliefs?  Or vice versa?

Play nice everyone, I'm asking because I truly am interested.  I'll even sign my blog this time.

Anthony

So there weren't any category headings that fit this blog post.  This is a total and complete rant about a single individual in Bakersfield.  I don't know her name, I only know she's a BBW and drives a silver 2009 Toyota Corolla.  My story begins thus...

I live in a house with two other college students, one of which has a 14 year old son and we live on the NE side near Panorama & Fairfax.  It's a pretty nice area and I like living here.  It's quiet for the most part until we have the police helicopter going overhead.  Anyway...

Last night I decided to call up Pizza Hut and order four P'Zones and an order of hot wings, and I tell them we'll be there to pick it up since we were headed that way anyway.  We show up about 20 minutes later and 'lo and behold, our food is already done and waiting for us.  Wow, I'm impressed. 

So... Being the nice person I am who believes that chivalry hasn't completely died out YET, I'm not only holding all 5 boxes in my hands, but I also open the door for my female roommate so she doesn't have to.  I make sure she's out of the restaurant, and I look up toward the car to see some woman just literally PLOP her pizza boxes on the trunk of my roommate's car like it was nothing.  No second thoughts, no looking around to see if anyone's watching, she just didn't care.  PLOP!  There went her boxes onto the trunk of the car.

Now I looked at this woman in stunned disbelief that she would even have the audacity to pull such a maneuver and she sees me and says, "Oh I'm sorry, is this your car?  Give me one second to open my car door, I'm sorry hon."  She proceeded to open her car door, took her pizza and put it in the car, closed the door then proceeded to get in and leave without another word.

Now whether by design or pure luck, for better or worse,  I'm getting to be fairly well known in my little slice of the community simply because of my articles and my blogging.  I thought I was still wearing my press pass from Bakersfield College, so I didn't say anything to this woman the way I wanted to.  I could not believe the amount of blatant disrespect she showed for someone else's property, and I'm still fuming about it now as I write this.

By the by, if anyone's interested, my roommate owns a 1989 white Honda Accord.  OK so it's what we could afford...  college will do that to you.  So is it because we had a car so much older than hers?  Ours wasn't as NICE as her shiny 2009?  Why didn't she put the boxes on HER car?!?

As it turns out, I wasn't wearing my press pass like I thought I was and I really should have said something to her, and I mean really let her have it.  But I guess I'm calming down because eventually I want to make it as a journalist and being angry all the time isn't the way to succeed in that dream.  But I close this blog with a question...

When does someone so blatantly cross the line from being nice to who gives a damn?  What causes it?  

So most of you now know that I'm a reporter for the Renegade Rip which is BC's student newspaper.  I've been working on a story regarding the new addendum proposed by Senator Max Baucus and I must say, the more I read his proposal, the more I really don't agree with it or like it.

As a reporter, I can't place my own feelings into the story, which is why I'm glad that the Californian has a blog center that will allow me to air such things.  So here goes.

Who does Baucus think he is?!?  Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, big deal.  In bed with the Gang of Six... Oh wait Baucus *IS* the Gang of Six all by himself I think.

See, I'm an unemployed college student and have been for almost a year now.  Things are so bad in Bakersfield that I couldn't find a job if I tried (which I have believe me).  And now Baucus is going to penalize me because I can't afford health insurance?!?  Talk about OUCH!  

Baucus' biggest supporter is Kaiser!  He's in league with the biggest, richest insurance agencies in the world, and you know as well as I do that if his proposal passes, the first thing these insurance companies will do is jack the rates so high we can't afford it, then the government can come in and levy penalties on us in the amounts of $750, to $3,800 ANNUALLY which is to be taken out of our IRS tax refunds.

I get sick/injured MAYBE once a year if I'm lucky, sometimes less than that.  So I CHOOSE not to have health insurance.  When I do have to go to the hospital, I pay it in full in cash.  Shouldn't that be my right as a free person living in the U.S.?!?

My fear is that we're not going to remain free for long.  My only saving grace in all of this is that several Senators and House reps do NOT like Baucus' proposal and won't vote for it.  Our next issue publishes Wednesday, the 23rd.  Watch for my health care story and tell me what ya think.

Anthony
http://www.therip.com/

OK so I'm working on this story about health care reform.  I find something out by pure accident and I decide to call the Senate Finance Committee today in Washington, D.C. to see if this proposal has a bill number yet (No, not 3200).  Well, I get sent to the voicemail for the SFC Press Office.  No big deal.  I leave a message KNOWING I won't get a call back before my deadline.  Well I was right, partially.  I didn't get the phone call, but I did get an email from the Press Office.

"Hi Anthony, the Chairman's Mark gets released tomorrow and I've added you to our permanent press lists so that you'll get the release the instant it goes out."

I was stunned, shaken, excited and more.  I was ecstatic that a student at a community college writing for a community college student newspaper could gain that much favor with Washington.  WOW.

I'm still on sort of a high from the whole thing, I mean who would have thought *ME* of all people getting on a permanent press list?  That means I get the press releases at the same time the big boys do like CNN and Fox News.

Maybe I'm being overzealous, but this was a MAJOR victory for me and for the Renegade RIp.

Ant

So this is me, and welcome to it.

My name is Anthony Ellrodt and I am a writer on the Bakersfield College student newspaper, the Renegade Rip.  I'm 37 years old, what they like to call a 'non-traditional' re-entry student, and I love what I do.  I suppose that's why my classes are all online except for my journalism class.

I My hope here is that you gain a little bit more of an insight into who I am and what I stand for.  I understand this is a blog and will be writing with that in mind, but I am still a journalist so forgive me if the journalist in me comes out once in a while in my blogs.

So sit back, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.  It's going to get a bit wild.  ;-)