Recent Blog Comments : Bakersfield.com

SOUND OFF! : "GOVERNOR PALIN "DISABLED""

Pretty "disabled" eh!!!

SARAH PALIN'S EXPERIENCE:

Don't dismiss the fact that Sarah Palin is Commander of the Alaska National Guard-- consider this.

Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It's on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units.

As governor of Alaska , Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counterterrorism. Her exposure to classified material may rival even Biden's and certainly by far exceeds Obama's.

She's also the commander in chief of the Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF), a federally recognized militia incorporated into Homeland Security's counterterrorism plans.

Palin is privy to military and intelligence secrets that are vital to the entire country's defense. Given Alaska 's proximity to Russia, she may have security clearances we don't even know about.

According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets.

She can be entrusted with our national security, because she already is.

: "I need help finding something on this site.."

I couldn't find it either. Maybe it could be E-mailed to you by the paper if you ask em to. ;=)))

: "I need help finding something on this site.."

Rachel, just email Casey... he can probably tell you where it's located on the site. :)

Breaking News : "Taft man arrested for possession of explosives"

City Beat : "Public commenter pushes Harvey Hall's limits"

citybeat, FYI, Mr. Winn did tell the city clerk that he needed to make his statement at the 5:15 meeting because of church responsibilites.

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

I've seen em in LA as well.

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

audrey: Yes it is. If he were not queer, this blog wouldn't be a topic.

Bakosphere : "Superha is the fourth Bangle!"

Nice story, but Michael Steele is the fourth Bangle, active member or not, anything else is blasphemous. But fifth, or ninth Bangle, if you consider all these temporary fill ins, isn't bad either. ;)

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

He was the first openly gay man to be elected to a public office. Why wouldn't we celebrate his birthday. We celebrate other people who have enough courage to be "first" at something.

Is it because of his sexual orientation?

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

But the guy was blown away 30 years ago. Geeze, why get around to him now? I can't help but get the impression the homosexual community is desperate for attention and this guy's pure-of-heart idealism is less a consideration than his sexual identity. C'mon, this isn't about civil rights martyrdom; it's about singing praises of sex deviance.

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

Let me refresh a memory or two regarding Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk was the most dynamic political force in the 1970s in San Francisco. He organized neighborhoods and fought for equal rights under the law for homosexuals. He brought together a diverse coalition of people within the City to change discriminatory practices for all citizens. He was murdered, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone by Dan White in 1978.

Dan White had been a policeman and fireman prior to running for office in a very conservative district of San Francisco. His campaign had been all about promising to restore "traditional" values to San Francisco. He openly campaigned to remove "radicals, social deviates and incorrigibles." The job of Supervisor in SF at the time was a low paying part-time job. White found he could no longer support his family on a Supervisor salary and resigned. What White did not realize was that he was a swing vote between conservatives and liberals at the time. Conservatives begged him to go back and ask the Mayor to rescind the resignation, and promised him financial support for doing so. The Mayor, who was a close friend of Harvey Milk, decided not to allow White to take back his resignation, because they now would have a majority of Supervisors to push through the Moscone agenda. Enraged, Dan White entered the Mayor's office and shot George Moscone first in the chest, and then put one bullet to his head. He then met Harvey Milk in a City Hall corridor near the Supervisors offices and asked for some time alone with him in White's former office. One bullet to the chest and two bullets in the brain was the final result of the meeting.

The City went into shock. The outpouring of grief by a vast majority of the entire Bay Area community for both men surprised most conservatives at the time. Dan White used the "Twinkie Defense" of diminished capacity to avoid a murder charge and was convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. He received the minimum sentence. He committed suicide a year after being released from Soledad Prison.

One of the Supervisors at the time of the slayings was Diane Feinstein. She was actually the President of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco at the time of the killings. Feinstein had twice run for mayor and lost, but as a result of the murders became the mayor by succession due to her position on the Board of Supervisors. She became an instant national figure during the City crisis following the deaths of Mayor Moscone and Harvey Milk.

Harvey Milk had made San Francisco one of the most visible and progressive cities in the world at the time of his death. He showed all people that change could happen through hard work and organization. He worked to end discrimination in all forms and pressed for equal rights protections under the law for all citizens. This what his memorial is all about. It is about the sacrifice made to uphold ideas and principles that we honor as citizens of the United States.

Only a pervert would suggest that a day in Harvey Milk's honor would have anything to do with sex. Please show me, and the entire community where any mention of sexual behavior is to be found in the state legislation honoring Harvey Milk. In Section 2, Part 4 of the bill it reads: "Harvey Milk Day, exercises remembering the life of Harvey Milk and recognizing his accomplishments as well as the contributions he made to this state."

I cannot find one mention in this bill or any insinuation, reference, hint or guide concerning the mention of sexuality to students in honoring Harvey Milk, other than the brief description of his achievements in championing equal protections under the law.

This column that appears in today's Bakersfield Californian is without equivocation the most vile and reprehensible column I have ever read. Someone in charge at the paper should have read this and known better than to allow any columnist to so misrepresent a small public remembrance of a great man as act of perversion.

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

...a lazy finger.

Gotta go for now....

--virgil

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

gopherbro--Your examples of "California Poppy Day" and "Day of the Teacher" are exactly what I'm talking about. While I believe every item you listed is important (including Harvey Milk,) I also know that our kids are struggling as it is to perform to the standards that the new testing requirements (and their nervous teachers) are holding them to. I just think school should be about SCHOOL.

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

Virgil, it`s just a typo, it was originally meant to be..position of Drug Car......

WitnessLogVwXYz : "Petty Theft for Petty Thieves"

AS THE WORLD TURNS

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

Well, that's one idea.

Here's another couple of ideas: read the reports already done during the Nixon, Carter and Reagan administrations, and eliminate the govt. position of Drug Czar.

What's a CZAR, anyway? A Dictator with divine sanction. How unAmerican!!

--virgil

SOUND OFF! : "GOVERNOR PALIN "DISABLED""

Sam - they're coming out of the woodwork!

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

For anyone actually interested in the facts, AB2567 was introduced in February, and had its final passage on August 7th, well before the budget crisis reached critical proportions. Lots of other ordinary bills were being passed at the time. The Governor still has to act on over 200 of them.

Here is the text of the amended statutes from the legislative counsel's office:

SEC. 2. Section 37222 of the Education Code is amended to read:
   37222. (a) The following days in each year are designated and set
apart as days having special significance:
   (1) The second Wednesday in May as the Day of the Teacher.
   (2) April 21 of each year as John Muir Day.
   (3) April 6 of each year as California Poppy Day.
   (4) May 22 of each year as Harvey Milk Day.
   (b) On each of the days designated in subdivision (a), all public
schools and educational institutions are encouraged to observe those
days and to conduct suitable commemorative exercises as follows:
   (1) On the Day of the Teacher, exercises commemorating and
directing attention to teachers and the teaching profession.
   (2) On John Muir Day, exercises stressing the importance that an
ecologically sound natural environment plays in the quality of life
for all of us, and emphasizing John Muir's significant contributions
to the fostering of that awareness and the indelible mark he left on
the State of California.
   (3) On California Poppy Day, exercises honoring the California
Poppy, including instruction about native plants, particularly the
California Poppy, and the economic and aesthetic value of
wildflowers; promoting responsible behavior toward our natural
resources and a spirit of protection toward them; and emphasizing the
value of natural resources and conservation of natural resources.
   (4) On Harvey Milk Day, exercises remembering the life of Harvey
Milk and recognizing his accomplishments as well as the contributions
he made to this state.
   (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the exercises
encouraged in this section be integrated into the regular school
program, and be conducted by the school or institution within the
amount otherwise budgeted for educational programs.
SEC. 3. Section 6721 is added to the Government Code, to read:
   6721. The Governor shall annually proclaim May 22 as Harvey Milk
Day.

I am sure that we have all been deeply influenced by California Poppy Day as well.

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

What`s going to happen when Cheney comes out of the closet and the facts about the shooting his lover in the face become public? It was just a little drunken role playing that got out hand.

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

Too bad Marylee had to ruin her argument by parading her biases for all the world to see.

I agree that we don't need another "day" in our schools when the kids are having a hard enough time keeping up with the tests and curriculum. We already have scores of "days" and holidays and observances and breaks and vacations. Marylee missed the boat when she tried to appeal to the homophobic fringe to make her point. There are plenty of unbiased people out there who just wish the kids could have a "day" of learning instead of all the other baloney.

Sober Up : "Poll: Racial Views Steer Some White Dems Away From Obama"

I get the impression the poll took a sounding of the fear factor, rather than racial prejudice as we normally think of it. Obama is an image that is new to the American voter. So is John McCain's moose-killing girlfriend.

This election is not between McCain and Obama. It's between Obama and fundie-girl. Neither fit the stereotype of their projected image. A Princeton grad with a law degree and author of a best selling book is not a typical black man. Nor is his opinionated wife who expressed herself with a senior paper for Princeton University an Aunt Jemima type black woman.

Fundie-girl is not a typical "hockey mom." Typical hockey moms are not governor of state (nor do they breast feed their grandchild's uncle). There certainly does not seem to be any prejudicial thoughts toward her gender.

I think the voters have the intellignece to realize that a brain is a brain, regardless who's head it is in. (Well, the majority of voters, anyway.) They either want to endorse the Bush Doctrines and insure the country goes down the toilet; or, they want to get away from what doesn't work and take the country in a new direction. The fear factor will win out and Obama will be sworn in next January.

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

Marylee, did you write this yourself, or did you just gussie-up a press release from the 'Yes on 8" folks? First off, no one really notices State "Days", except for the ones where they get off work or school. This isn't one of those. Secondly, you will notice that the word is "encouraged" rather then "required". It is up to the individual school districts to decide, what, if anything, they will do on May 22 to commemoriate Harvey Milk, and how to handle the matter in an "age appropriate" matter. As long as your friends Chad Vegas and Ken Mettler sit on the Kern High School District Board, it is certain that the District will not be doing anything.

Which is a shame because Harvey Milk was a significant person. Time Magazine named him one of the "Time 100" - a list of the 100 most important people of the 20th Century. Here is the link: http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/milk01.html You can argue with the listing, but don't pretend that his life was insignificant.

His movie bio is coming out this fall starring Sean Penn and directed by Gus Van Sant: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1013753/

The movie is rated "R", but a lot of high school kids are going to want to see it, if for no other reason than the fact it co-stars Emile Hirsch, James Franco and Lucas Grabeel.

Harvey Milk was important. He was a leader; he was a pioneer for gay rights. If it wasn't for people like Harvey Milk, gays would still be fighting for the right to have a quiet drink in a corner bar without being rousted by the cops instead of fighting for Marriage Equality. If it wasn't for people like Harvey Milk, Barney Frank wouldn't be Chairman of the House Finance Committee. If it wasn't for people like Harvey Milk, gay teenagers wouldn't have school "Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs" to provide support during the most troubled times of their lives.

If you ever bothered to read about Harvey Milk (check out "The Mayor of Castro Street") you would discover that - most of all - Harvey Milk was a uniter and not a divider. The gay community provided his political base, but it wasn't big enough to get him elected. His genius was to show a diverse collection of ordinary people that they had common political interests, that they could work for the common good, that they could fight "City Hall" and the fat-cat developers.

Some people believe in the politics of unity - "the big house with room for everyone" - like Harvey Milk. Some people practice the politics of division - like, oh yes, Marylee Shrider. This column is a perfect example. You have created an imaginary mountain of of a factual molehill. You are trying to scare people into division - us versus them. And, of course, you are displaying the smug superiority that so many readers of The Californian find so annoying, but that your reader base laps up.

I am not a psychic, but it is clear that in your mind Harvey Milk is unworthy of recognition because he was gay. As far as you are concerned, no gay person, no matter how noble, can be a good as as you and those who think like you. Well, there is such a thing as progress. Every year there are more and more people who recognize gays as fellow citizens, entitled to equal rights, and every year there are fewer and fewer people who think like you, mentally consigning a significant part of the population to the outer darkness because of prejudice.

In summary, I will say something I haven't said in years: "We're Here! We're Queer! Get Used to It!"

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

Harvey Milk is famous for no other reason than for the way he liked his sex. Period.

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

We need to form a Goverment commission to investigate forming a panel to study the proceedure to setup a dept of drug study that can recommend how to form a group to appoint a panel of experts to recommend how a program can be started to educate appointed members to a commitee to start a program to find funding for a research project to investigate the underlying problem of appointing a regulating panel to get this under control

Kern Co. Media Won't Speak Truth, So I Will: Local News Papers=Scum, Local News Stations=Scum, Local Talk Radio=Scum : "'Tent Cities' Spring Up In The US"

Gee Goob, maybe you can enlighten us as to the Obamessiah's plan for the homeless. All homeless, not just "veteran" homeless.

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

I see the narrowminded crowd has spoken. I overheard someone talking about this the other day and couldn't figure out why she was so outraged. It's clear to me now. Our society is so freaked out by gay people that the mere mention of someone who was the first openly gay politician rattles them up so much they can't think straight (no pun intended).

It's hard for some of you to understand why kids should learn about what gay means and to help them understand the gay rights movement. Guess what, they already know what gay means. What our society needs to do is not make children who are gay feel like they are wrong for being themselves. So many young gay kids have committed suicide because of how society treats them. It saddens me to think that people that call themselves pro-life have so little regard for those that are different that they would use words like perverts and call them an abomination. I learned about Harvey Milk a long time ago in school. I am not gay, and it didn't make anything in my life different, except to understand how someone could hate another person so much that they would kill them. Harvey Milk was killed by Dan White not because he was gay, but over political differences.

This is also a great opportunity for the kids to learn about the Twinkie Defense, and the horrible Briggs Initiative that Milk helped defeat. The Briggs Initiative was so discriminitory, not even conservative Ronald Reagan supported it.

If we are to continue to try to hide interesting parts of California history like this from kids rather than teach them about our history because of fear, we will always be behind the rest of the world in education and socially inept.

I've included hyperlinks so some of you can educate yourselves about who Harvey Milk was.

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

Thanks Cat for the common-sense response--legislators who fail at making a budget but have time to waste on the creation of this day.

My kid's English teacher told parents there were 19 days of required testing during the school year, the exact number of school days in the month of November. Like wiping November off the curriculum. Jeez, let's just stick to what the kids really need to know.

This is the 3rd time in history I agree with Marylee, but only on the "let's not make it a special day" aspect. The rest of her reasoning usually frightens me.

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

"Great, then you have addicts going around stoned or wasted because it's legal. You have theft and crime not because the drug is illegal, but because most can't hold a job and have no other way of buying it. They steal and lie to get booze and cigarettes now, what makes anyone think that legalizing drugs will stop that?"

What we have now are people walking around stoned and wasted.

I bet we will always deal with those who can't hold a job, too. And, most likely, we will continue to deal with those who lie and steal. I would wager criminalizing substance abuse actually makes those behaviors worse - we know that it has not mitigated them, for sure.

The bottom line, substance abuse will continue. And just like most things, most who use don't become dysfunctional by their use. Some do, though. Decriminalization will impose a different perspective on the issue, clearing up many resources law enforcement can use to fight the real crimes against property and persons.

Really, that's why we pay those guys"to protect and serve", right? We should not be paying them to follow and to watch druggies, drunks and pot smokers (and, anyone with whom they may have, or be in, contact ).

--virgil

Truxtun Avenue : "Lloyd Lindsay Young And Spider Stories"

Yep, that was HS for me, my friends and I would watch (and then discuss the next day) Welcome Back Kotter, Mork And Mindy, Happy Days. Since there were fewer channels we had that in common. Try sitting down with folks now and find a TV show in common. Too many choices...

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

FSG: cash is already obsolete - why do you think the gas stations are posting the difference in prices!!! We just got back from a cross country trip in our RV. Stations all across the USA are doing this. We paid anywhere from $3.39 a gal to $3.99 a gal for regular depending what state we were in.

We took route 80 getting there (Chesapeake, VA) then took 40 coming back.

Sober Up : "Poll: Racial Views Steer Some White Dems Away From Obama"

Would it be wise to say that it is most people would vote for a purple candidate if they could get BushCo out of the system forever.

Kern Co. Media Won't Speak Truth, So I Will: Local News Papers=Scum, Local News Stations=Scum, Local Talk Radio=Scum : "'Tent Cities' Spring Up In The US"

Tent cities might just well be the "adjusted" standard of living for a large amount of the evicted families on main street, Reality check is just that....Reality

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

the little green store does have a surcharge if you use plastic, havent been there in a while so i'm not sure what it is currently.

: "'God particle'"

Which came first the chicken or the egg?

If CERN were never built would we be any worse off? Elaborate pursuit yes; intellectual - well it got the program big government bucks so I guess they are smarter then I am, kind of like when they got big bucks to study the sex life of the african tetsi fly eh. Why not ask those scientists to spend that money to find a way to better this planet? Rain in places where they need it; food crops that grow anywhere; flood gates that actually hold up; babies born with no disabilities; no global warming; no extinction of any animal - the list goes on about how those billions could have been spent to better our lives here on this planet. Why not try to discover answers to THESE problems?

I'm not a scientist wearing rose colored glasses asking what if. I'm a realist wearing contacts seeing what is. hmmmmmmm Wonder if Bill Clinton ever found out what is - is?

Sober Up : "Poll: Racial Views Steer Some White Dems Away From Obama"

Yes, the race card may not be visible on the table because it remains up the sleeves of closet bigots who keep their prejudices concealed for sociopolitical reasons.

However, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and other minorities who have felt the sting of racism and bigotry may be more likely to support a candidate of color and demonstrate their feelings at the polls in unprecedented numbers.

Kern Co. Media Won't Speak Truth, So I Will: Local News Papers=Scum, Local News Stations=Scum, Local Talk Radio=Scum : "'Tent Cities' Spring Up In The US"

Gube, those people have been living down there for years. Fresno is worse.

Some of these people would live in shelters, but many wouldn't because they would have to obey rules. Many live simply to drink and will not accept help. All they want is a handout so they can buy more alcohol.

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

I use my overseas credit cards and for a $90 fill up last week it came out to $79.65 on my statement with the failing dollar, .

: "'God particle'"

How we got here and why we are is the basic question that established religion. Were religion the final answer, there would not be science.

The other Bush Doctrine of hindering science in the interest of higher priorities hasn't solved any problems to speak of. Yeah, the world is in a heck of a mess and the consequences are overwhelming and tragic. I don't mean to diminish that observation or be apathetic about it. Were CERN never built, would we be any better off? Right now, atom smashing is an elaborate intellectual pursuit. So were virtually all applied sciences in the beginning. For good or ill, as a species we are not going to stop pursuing discovery. It's simply not in our nature to do that.

Kern Co. Media Won't Speak Truth, So I Will: Local News Papers=Scum, Local News Stations=Scum, Local Talk Radio=Scum : "'Tent Cities' Spring Up In The US"

Things will get worse before they get better......My brother in law lives in Porterville and he told me that the city paid to have the people living in tents down at the river counted. They counted 250 homeless people living in tents, half of the 250 are children.

Bush has sent this country to hell and McCain will do the same..........All you people that believe that Palin/McCain will be any different really do need your heads examined to confirm that you are brain dead.

Kern Co. Media Won't Speak Truth, So I Will: Local News Papers=Scum, Local News Stations=Scum, Local Talk Radio=Scum : "'Tent Cities' Spring Up In The US"

These things are to be expected when you are a fallen Empire, The effects are going to be felt for decades and the standard of living will adjusted to well below what was the "norm" for Americans. The demiss from being one of the top 3 world powers down into a 4th or 5th is a reality check to be faced by the USA with the next few years.

" Don`t cry because it`s over, just be happy that it happened ! ".....................The Cat in the Hat

: "'God particle'"

MSJENNY: Now THAT is funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!! True but funny!!!! And we didn't even "HEAR" it did we!!!!!

: "'God particle'"

we had a big bang, we common folks were bent over with the goverment right behind us telling us they werent done

Haggard denies health rumors, says he doesn't have cancer : "PG&E is going UP again! "

FSG: Well it would cost less if we only had to pay for the materials and not the labor!!!! Labor is always more expensive then the materials!! While on a cross country RV trip, we saw one state that had prisoners out working the freeways and there was a guard standing there with a shotgun!! Many other states we went through were utilizing prisoners for labor. Calif, though, thinks it is unfair and inhumane punishment to make these poor jailbirds actually work in the hot sun or the cold. Maybe this would be a good thing for those CYA brats! Evidently other states (love Arizona!) don't have that problem!! Like the Arizona sheriff says, "you don't like the accommodations? Don't come back!"

CITYBEAT: I'll wager a guess and say that most people don't go to the city council meetings due to the fact that the city council will do what it wants to do regardless of how many people show up to verbally protest, as they just did. Or, they (city council) will see a huge crowd and "table" the matter for another time and keep "tabling" it until there is no longer a huge crown then quietly pass what they want. As far as air conditioners, maybe we should all go back to water coolers! HEY! They worked! We keep our air conditioner between 78 and 80 in the summer and my PG&E still keeps going up. I'd rather have doors and windows open.

What's up with the Calif Water Service? In one year my "flat rate" has gone from $50 something to $70+ !!!!

Haggard denies health rumors, says he doesn't have cancer : "We the people are taxed too death"

The proposed bailout is the begining of the USA Socialism, The problem is that the taxpayers are buying rotten worthless companies and the taxpayers money is not going to what a well run Socialist system produces, health care, roads and community infrastructure, child care, enviromental stability, social care, etc... it`s 3 trillion just to STOP a decline, not to benefit a society of taxpayers who are paying for the services.

"If you think your taxes are high here, you should go to any other industrialized first-world nation on Earth. You'd be paying much more in taxes (and receiving much more as well). " Mattlock..........On the case as usual.

Kern Co. Media Won't Speak Truth, So I Will: Local News Papers=Scum, Local News Stations=Scum, Local Talk Radio=Scum : "'Tent Cities' Spring Up In The US"

OMG! Look at the living conditions of these people, thanks to the economy!

Huh? What? Oh.

They're just waitng to buy an i-phone.

Nevermind...

The View From Here : "The Audacity of Hype and Lobbyists"

In fairness to both candidates, they have tried to discourage keeping lobbyists in their campaigns. They tried to keep them out of the respective conventions. Everybody said, "Yeah, great idea," and went to the gala parties anyway. Influence peddling was an aspect of American politics before the US was a country. It's an institution that's not going to go away simply because people of morals, integrety and honesty would have it so. If idealism cannot win the voters, well, there's bribery.

: "'God particle'"

CATPAW: I think the concern should be for the here, now and future NOT "how did we get here"! We got here................and??? look what a mess we have made of things! IF there was a "big bang" that's ok with me - what I see NOW is the financial big bang that is hitting all of us no matter where we came FROM! OK, medical miracles have occurred, whoopee we have extended a humans life, made it possible for more people to be born etc etc. Now the world is over crowded and everybody complains about that! Too many people, too many poor, too many homeless, too many cars, yada, yada!! Can't have it both ways.

Some things are just better left alone to whom ever decides when we get here and when we leave. Would I be dead by now if not for medical science? yup. But maybe that is the way it is supposed to be and we have screwed with mother nature one too many times. This machine reminds me of the machines in the movie "The Time Machine" - the ones the folks who went underground used to munch the idiots on top! Maybe there will be another "big Bang".............but nobody will hear it!!

: "'God particle'"

Here are some samples:

Bush seeks $700 billion for bailout

John Holmes said the humanitarian emergency hasn't yet escalated to a famine, but he warned that if donors don't provide $716 million very quickly the Horn could return to the famine situations of the 1980s and the 1990s

$6 billion storm? Ike delivers economic punch

United Nations has raised less than 2 percent of a critical $108 million

The U.S. government is sending $29 million in food aid and humanitarian assistance

$1 trillion taxpayer bailout of the mortgage industry.

"A strong dollar will reduce energy and food prices," McCain told business leaders in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "It will stimulate sustainable economic growth and get this economy moving again." NOT IF OUR CITY COUNCIL HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT!!!

Why are WE expected to "save the world" ??? I don't see other countries coming to our aid except to lure big companies and jobs away (out sourcing) and to buy up our companies and buildings here in the US!!

: "'God particle'"

There is compelling evidence that there was a big bang. I think it's exciting that the conditions of the event can be replicated. The ultimate question that remains to be answered is what happened before the big bang? How did something come from nothing?

How come Europe is blowing $10 billion on this inquiry and we're spending closer to $100 billion on a 7 year old mismanaged war is perhaps a more intriguing question.

Randomfactory : "Green Gasoline?"

I'm not a fan of the Pickens plan

Pickens owns most of the major natural gas fields in the U.S.

He's not proposing it for any altruistic reasons, just financial.

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

If someone had said Harvey Milk before I read this blog, I wouldn't know who they were talking about. I recall the murder, but if I can forget the name I'd venture to say most other people have as well. I am not clear why this particular murder victim would be comemorated in public school ceremonies. Would he get the same attention if he were not a homo? I doubt it.

As to "teaching" elementary kids the birds & bees and sexual deviance, ever eaves-dropped on kiddies in the school yard? Their first source of info about sex is from other kids. That's also alot of misinformation, which is why I favor sex ed in the schools.

However, what makes me angry is not the sex ed controversy or that deviance is a class subject. We have an state assembly and senate that cannot get a budget on the governor's desk but seem to have the time to debate and pass bills celebrating dead homosexuals. Dare I ask just what are these elected people doing in Sacramento? I'd probably get told it's none of my business.

SOUND OFF! : "POLITICIANS: BE PATRIOTIC! LOBBYISTS: BE PATRIOTIC! EMPLOYERS OF LOBBYISTS: BE PATRIOTIC!"

witterpitters: oops! Forgot about that. But maybe a levee in New Orleans?

About sucking up to those people who can afford to spend $28,000 to eat a meal and hear somebody sing, well, I'd have better things to do, thank you. He should, too, of course. But just consider who we're talking about here. B.O.

: "'God particle'"

The enormity of the debt to which our "leaders" have obligated us is really beyond comprehension WP. I don't even think our leadership comprehends it.

: "'God particle'"

Well,, Sam, I guess I just believe that charity begins at home first. I do know that many of these projects have garnered better ways in the medical field. That said, I just do not think we should be wasting money like this when our own planet is in such dire shape. Of course these "bailouts" are an even worse waste of money!! Billions & billions to what end? Yes, I know the economy would have tanked even worse then it has but maybe that is what we humans need..............another (great depression) dose of reality. Although, on second thought, 1929 was the beginning of the 'welfare system', which of course, the human race found a way to exploit/use/abuse!!! That era did garner some good changes, so maybe if it happened again there would be some more good changes eh!

: "'God particle'"

It was my conjecture from the beginning a huge payoff is expected by those putting the years and time into this project. But that payoff reads like a work of science fiction unless you are able to take it seriously, which I do.

SOUND OFF! : "POLITICIANS: BE PATRIOTIC! LOBBYISTS: BE PATRIOTIC! EMPLOYERS OF LOBBYISTS: BE PATRIOTIC!"

I have a bridge in London to sell him.

Ummmmmm Alicen? I hate to be the barer of bad news, but the London bridge is now in Arizona !!!

What happened to people running for office who garnered monies going door to door, and having picnics and BBQ's (pot luck of course)? When, where and why did all these $5,000 a plate dinners start? This last one BO had was obscene!!! All these politicians "say" they are for the working people, yet I know of no "real" working people who could even come close to affording these kinds of functions!!! Personally I think it would behoove them to step down the ladder a tad and re-visit the real world with real people, not sucking up to all those that can afford $28,000 EACH to attend!!

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

Not too surprising the perverts in the state legislature would want a day to honor one of their own. But proposing this abomination in the schools is really asking for God's attention to be paid in my opinion.

: "'God particle'"

I guess I'm not getting it Sam. Why the bloody hell are we spending money on this kind of ca-ca? What is to be garnered? Not to mention all the money spent on all this mars project. THIS planet is in crisis so what???..............we just look for another planet to go and trash???

: "'God particle'"

Fascinating stuff WP; and it just gets curioser and curioser.

: "'God particle'"

AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YES! Another $10 BILLION wisely spent!!!

SOUND OFF! : "POLITICIANS: BE PATRIOTIC! LOBBYISTS: BE PATRIOTIC! EMPLOYERS OF LOBBYISTS: BE PATRIOTIC!"

To Whom It May Concern: I made an error in my last comment concerning the amount of money B.O.'s campaign received from Fannie and Freddie. B.O.'s campaign received over $200,000 from Fannie and Freddie.

It was McCain who had received over $100,000 from them.

Both of them ought to give it back, with interest, and with as much patriotism as they can muster.

And I still want to know where all the rest of my houses are!

Haggard denies health rumors, says he doesn't have cancer : "We the people are taxed too death"

With all the economic turmoil going on, this was not a good thing for the city council to do. Isn't there a phrase about taking care of your own? Not to mention, that PG&E has absolutely nothing to do with our roads AND the city has been allotted money before for roads and gets a gas tax for roads....where is that money? Monies are 'supposed' to be earmarked for specific things, but too many times government finds a back door to move that money to what 'they' want. As said before, the city council never should have approved all those new housing venues until or unless there was money already in place to cover the cost of new roads, road repair, road expansion. SHAME ON THEM! All in the name of the almighty dollar that is not even worth a dollar any more.

It was nice (for Bill Thomas) to garner that road money for us, however the wording should not of had the caveat that the city had to cough up matching funds. When the 'people' said NO to a sales tax hike, the good ole' boys just found a back door.

All the big carpet baggers are being bailed out of their responsibilities. Who is going to bail out the retiree on a fixed income??? Even if the government offered to bail me out, I'd say "HELL NO" because then the government would "own" me/us. The government owns enough of our lives as it is, and I can see it coming down the pike............anybody been taking crash courses in Arabic, or Chinese?

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

I am not at all clear on why you think teaching children about Harvey Milk necessarily includes teaching them about sex. It seems obvious to me that a day honoring the life of Harvey Milk has nothing whatsoever -- except in the most narrow sense -- to do with teaching sex to 7 year olds. If otherwise, the same could be said for a day honoring the Lovings (the couple who won the right to interracial marriage across the United States in 1964). Honoring Harvey Milk's life is about honoring a person who stood for equality and justice for all people. It's about honoring the American tradition of standing up against the entrenched establishment when that establishment is oppressing its people. Just as no one needs to teach 7 year olds about heterosexual sex acts when discussing people like the Lovings, no one needs to discuss homosexual sex acts when discussing the lives of gay and lesbian activists. Children, clearly, can learn about justice and equality and fair treatment at an early age.

As for the previous commenter, I completely agree that our school systems needs improvement. My own children (3) were home schooled and got through college with flying colors (and scholarships). However, it is unreasonable to expect that the results of home schooling (where class size is usually below 30 students or more) is comparable to results of public schools (with large class sizes and wide ranging levels of ability). Moreover, only a privileged few have the resources to home school. Aside from all that, I disagree that pausing during the school year to look at the history of one's state through the eyes of one of its citizens who lived and died to make it a better and more fair place, is a step backward. I believe it is an enhancement and not incompatible with better instruction in the basics.

Truxtun Avenue : "Lloyd Lindsay Young And Spider Stories"

Rickldo, welcome to my world! 45's, 78's - yes!!! Didn't welcome back kotter still sound good??????????????

: "The Great KC Fair "

Ahhhh Cat, you and I know each other. Like cat and mouse I got ya. Of course it was a wedding day. But who else would know that? BTW, when WAS the last time you taught school???

Haggard denies health rumors, says he doesn't have cancer : "We the people are taxed too death"

Mattloch you have an excellent point. I am aware that those taxes exist for a reason. My chief grievance is that this tax only affects a particular group of people. If this money is too be used for roads than everyone who drives or uses public transportation which uses roads should have to contribute. When can we say enough is enough? At what point can we make the government accountable for what they've been spending? The other issue I have seen over the years is that the government, be it local or state gets these little bills passed and then they set their budget with those numbers. After the period of time is up for these bills they find themselves in financial crisis because they liked the old budget better; leaving the rest of us to pick up the tab for their fiscal irresponsibility.

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

I think that most all the stations in town have decided to rip off their customers with those little signs off to the side that always seem to be hidden until you start pumping your gas. I wouldn't object to the 10 cents more at the gas station if they went back to the way it was years ago. Back when attendants would pump your gas, wash all of your windows, check your oil, and check the air pressure in all of your tires. That would be worth the 10 cents extra, since we all know, that isn't going to happen; I think everyone should just start getting their gas as COSTCO.

Haggard denies health rumors, says he doesn't have cancer : "We the people are taxed too death"

Ah, but what do you receive for those taxes Ed? Your house is built to fire and safety standards which are enforced by the government, your cars drive on public roads paid for by the government, your clothes aren't made of hazardous materials thanks to government regulations, the gas is inspected for both quality and quantity by the government, the phones use airwaves regulated by the government, on and on. You actually get quite a deal from your taxes. If you think your taxes are high here, you should go to any other industrialized first-world nation on Earth. You'd be paying much more in taxes (and receiving much more as well).

Right Thinking : "Harvey Milk Day in public schools? No thanks, Governor"

AMEN!!!!!

"In both studies, Finland, Australia, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands and the United Kingdom beat the United States, while the Asian nations of South Korea, Japan and Singapore ranked first through third, respectively.

The TIMSS study is a comprehensive study done on a four-year cycle that measures the progress of students in math and science in 46 participating countries. It evaluates fourth, eighth and 12th-graders through questionnaires, tests and extensive videotaping of classroom environments.

The TIMSS results reveal a lot about the weaknesses of the U.S. education system, said David Marsh, a professor at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education.
“In fourth grade, American kids do above average internationally. By eighth grade, they slip a bit, and by 12th-grade, they’ve slipped a lot,” Marsh said. “We’re the only country that slides down that much from fourth to 12th grade."

Let's teach the children about Harvey Milk day and fall even farther down the list on good education!

I watched a program on PBS the other night that addressed the same issues-my 11 yo daughter watched with me and is very happy to be home schooled. One of the topics discussed was on how American kids are not proficient in geography, the first thing my daughter said was she was glad we do a lot of geography. We study Math, History, Social Studies, Spelling, English, Art, Music and Science and maybe if that is what the schools would stick to our children would be more prepared for life when they graduated from High School. My daughter is currently reading "Daniel Boone" by John Bakeless an adult biography. What an interesting life Daniel Boone had. With this book she is learning all about Daniel Boone and what an incredible man he was not just half a page in a dry textbook. It is this type of learning that creates life long learners, not just students that learn how to pass a test and are glad to be out of school and never crack open another book. That is what schools are turning out nowadays. So sad. :o(

Truxtun Avenue : "Lloyd Lindsay Young And Spider Stories"

bakonative ~ I had that 45! John Sebastion...

wow...remember 45s? My sister and I inhereted my folks collection and I added a bunch of novelty stuff in the 70s and 80s...

LPs? I still have about 400...

8 tracks? Stepdad has those.

78s? Grams has some put away.

Okay, that just made me feel about a thousand years old...

: "Blogging"

Post Secret and Amazon Gold :0)

Yerp..I'm a dork :p

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

I didn't say they were the same company Murphy. I said owned by the same people, as in the same person(s) has both a Fastrip and Chevron franchise at the same location. Both share the same convenience store and parking lot, so it's a reasonable assumption to make. It's the local franchise owners doing this cash/credit game, not the national brand anyways.

City Beat : "How the state budget affects the Weir recall effort"

Not today. I dropped an e-mail this morning, but didn't hear back. That happens a lot, and Winn is generally pretty good about returning calls and e-mails, so I expect to hear soon.

School House Zach : "Week 2 HS football running thread (UPDATED WITH SCORES FROM FRIDAY NIGHT)"

Wow! Some crazy upsets and close scores!

Haggard denies health rumors, says he doesn't have cancer : "PG&E is going UP again! "

It was city staff's idea. The state PUC has approved it for two other cities, and so most likely city staff found out about this, mentioned it to Tandy, and he grabbed onto it.

As far as I can tell, his top two goals are to 1) come up with the $400 million the city needs for the TRIP match, and 2) not let city services slip. (Both of those are extension of his main goal, which is to keep his seven bosses happy. That's pretty much how every city manager everywhere works; if your council is happy, you won't be fired.)

It's not easy to come up with $400 million, especially when you need it in just a couple years. (Note that's $400 million, not $400 million a year.) The city will have to sell bonds for most of it in four to five years, and you can't sell bonds unless you can show you can pay them back, and that means showing you have a reliable income. So Tandy is desperately trying to run up income dedicated to the bonds any way possible.

If the city doesn't come up with the match, then the $630 in federal earmarks goes back to D.C. If it only comes up with the partial match, then it has to choose a project and send it back.

witterpitters: "good ole' boys should not have approved all that new building until there was something in place to account for all the extra traffic." Maybe so, but they did, and they didn't get voted out for it. Two of the people who voted for the utility tax are on the ballot this fall, and so far are unopposed. Three of the people are from a single faction of the party, the same faction as the guy who got the earmarks that now it's Tandy's job to match.

As for conservation, David Couch told PG&E that he's going to aim to reduce his constituents' bills by 2 percent, so he wants some help with CFLs. (I heard on the radio that really the big expense is air conditioners, and California utilities have whole power plants just to meet afternoon demand; the PG&E guy said that's oversimplified, but basically correct. It also matches up with what some anti-drilling folk are saying about efficiency; that small upgrades in auto mileage would save the same amount of oil that drilling would produce.)

If you want this utility tax killed off, show up at the next council meeting, Oct. 8, where the council has to vote on it again. (Second reading is generally a formality, though.) Or write to the CPUC urging rejection.

But then remember this when the city doesn't widen Rosedale Highway, connect 58 to the Westside Parkway, widen 178 toward the Canyon, or whatever. Stuff ain't free.

City Beat : "How the state budget affects the Weir recall effort"

Interesting stuff. Any word from the group?

Randomfactory : "Green Gasoline?"

I'm not a fan of the Pickens plan. Swapping out our whole fleet for something else is a huge deal and shouldn't be a move to another fossil fuel.

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

When you use the name card of the store you use, Shell, Chevron etc. it's suppose to be the same as cash. Most of the idiots do not know that!

Fastrip and Chevron are not, the same company, I use to work for one of them years ago.

The Chevron at While Ln and Wible told me that they're not going to play that game. The one that doesn't screw us is the one I do my business with, the rest of em can go to Hell !!

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

I can't wait until cash becomes obsolete.

LOOKING FOR A SEAFOOD GUMBO RECIPE FROM LATE 80S : "LOOKING FOR A SEAFOOD GUMBO RECIPE FROM LATE 80S"

I finally understand why the Mexican Nationals in the U.S. don't flush their toilet paper, but toss it in the waste basket instead.

Many developing nations have plumbing which cannot sustain toilet paper being flushed...

Politics, anyone? : "Assemblyman: Parra says she'll endorse Gilmore"

Roysan: Try the Secretary of State's site

here

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

They're supposed to list the charge price. You can't specify the discount without specifying the non-discount. Maybe someone should do an investigative report on this. I'm not sure of the state agency to report them to though.

Reyna, odd thing is that the Chevron at White Lane and Gosford was not charging extra for charge purchases as of the 12th when I filled up there. I thought that Chevron and Fastrip were owned by the same people, so seems odd they'd do it with one and not the other, unless they just started this week.

Randomfactory : "Green Gasoline?"

I've been following the Algae thing for awhile. It's looking like a real good thing. It just needs a few small kinks worked out of the process to be scalable. So far, I'm liking it though.

Boone Pickins is pushing natural gas as a stop-gap while we develop wind, solar and other methods for extracting/refining potential energy from other sources because we're sitting on some of the largest reserves in the world. Even he is admitting that their finite.

It's all good stuff...................

Haggard denies health rumors, says he doesn't have cancer : "We the people are taxed too death"

Isn't it ironic that the very people who've supported to war in Iraq from day one are usually the first people to whine about an increase in taxes.

This wasn't directed at you, Ed.. at least not intentionally.

Politics, anyone? : "Assemblyman: Parra says she'll endorse Gilmore"

Anyone know where Fran is getting all the money for her dumb commercials? Its not even October and were getting radio and TV ads. These must be costing her big bucks.

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

Sorry Nancy. I mean no harm. ...

Another time...

--virgil

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

In the end we continue to deal with violence associated with what appears to be a mass epidemic of drug abusers.

Forty years of drug war...no better off than we were before.

--virgil

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

Some do, some go back through the program

Virgil you don't seem to want to actually discuss this or provide any answers. You seem to just want to argue and take a negative attitude. If you have a suggestion on how to get people into treatment, I'd love to hear it. Otherwise, we're just spinning our wheels here.

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

Those other 70% who fail the "don't do drugs or you're gonna get it" programs go back to Lerdo where all sorts of bads things can happen, including, but not limited to, forced sex with county employess.

Nasty!

And, it's wrong.

--virgil

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

20%? I don't know where that came from because my co workers and I agreed we were having a 30-35% success rate and that's what I previously stated. I only put 30% here to err on the side of caution. Those are our figures and not based on any official study. When I left the county the official word hadn't come out.

I don't know what programs you're talking about but any tests we did on site were saliva tests and not reported to probation. The DA's office did random tests that we had nothing to do with. The only information the probation dept is supposed to get from the counselor is a monthly record on the progress or lack of. "pee" tests as you like to call them were not done by us and probation gets the results of those. We had access to the results for monitoring purposes.

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

What they're supposed to do and what they do are two different things. It's illegal to charge extra for using a credit card but giving a cash discount is the same thing. The Gas War on Meany and Fruitvale has the price on the big sign and cash underneath it. On the pump it says debit is same as cash but no list price for charge.

I see it all over town now. I pay with cash so I never have to wonder. 3.68 at the little Green Store on Mc Cray.

from behind my eyes : "Bakersfield Californian promotes gang activity???"

Jfrancais-I've seen the video on myspace before.

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

msemilyh - the exact same thing happened to me at the Fastrip on White Lane and Gosford. I wanted to run in and say something but I was already running late to work so I too just put enough gas to get me to work. I wonder if this is a Fastrip thing. Seems to me it would be illegal since it is false advertising.

Go Mobile : "Dune buggy ride at Pismo"

Even in the buggies or rails.......please have the kiddos wear helmets. It isn't a law, just safe practice.

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

illicit drug taking and how to stop 101:...answer the true or false on this here drug test, accept your status as a chemically dependent criminal... STOP SMOKING MARIJUANA ....and, maybe we won't violate you, or talk to your PO: now piss in the cup and if its clean you'll stay out of, well, you know...

30%, that's right, isn't Nancy. Last year it was 20% success rate.

--virgil

Go Mobile : "Police vehicle caught with cell phone driver!"

posted by ladymccullough on Aug 15, 2008 at 07:53 PM

"THIS PHOTO IS NOT A FAKE!!!! He is my nephew who lost his father 2 years ago August 21. His father was a correctional officer for Wasco state prison. I guess law enforcement is in his blood."

Ummmmmm.....first of all a CO is not a LEO. They have a modified POST academy, the aren't sworn, and don't carry badge and gun outside of the fence. Guess you could call them glorified baby sitters. But then as a side note, I have said we should call our schools "Day Penal Institutions" as they would received more monies that way.

Haggard denies health rumors, says he doesn't have cancer : "We the people are taxed too death"

Hey, maybe they will get around to the 'breath tax', but probably before your time but they once taxed our taxes.

It was called a 'SUR' tax. Keep electing people that 'bankrupt' our treasury, like in this war with a country that NEVER

attacked us, and guess who will pay? MB1

Breaking News : "BPD wraps up nearly year-long drug investigation"

I wrote this over an hour ago, hit submit and walked away/ I cam back to find it hadn't posted because I didn't get the spam code right. It's in response to the remark about being robbed.

Sigh..the moment has passed but here it is anyway.

Just to be clear..when I said addicts steal and lie, I was talking about petty theft, boosting, stealing cash from parents wallets, forging family or friends check, stealing items to resell, you know, stuff like that.

One of the things I used to hear when someone had some good time clean is "my parents leave me in the house alone now." Or, "they gave me a key to the house again." One guy said his wife now leave her purse out.

It takes a long time to rebuild that trust.

Politics, anyone? : "Assemblyman: Parra says she'll endorse Gilmore"

I didn't know that Lois Henry had endorsed Fran Florez.

Money Talks : "Gas pump shenanigans..."

They have to advertise the credit price in a clearly visible location driln, so call them on that one. Cash is only supposed to be a discount on the "normal" (credit) price, so they have to tell you the normal price too.